The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-14 00:00:00

THE WAR.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

A letter from Malta, dated June 8, says,—
" News has been received from Athens of the death,
on the 26th ult., of Lieutenant Sir Edward Blackwood,
of the Leander, 50. His brother Francis, a midshipman
of the Vengeance, Lord Russell, succeeds to the title.
"We have the arrival of the following troop-ships
since my last of the 4th instant, and of the following
dates :

"On the 4th, the Philip Laing transport, No. 41,
from Woolwich, 31 days, and the Gertrude transport,
No. 51, from Liverpool 24 days.
"Her Majesty's steam-sloop Niger is still in port,
and will not leave for some days yet to come.
"The Prussian steamer Dantzig is in port.
"We have yesterday had a considerable number of
French troops to add to the list of those who have gone
through. Two large frigates from
,Toulon arrived late,
a the Montezuma and Veloce,nd have both left for Gal-

lipoli. Since my last letter of the 4th, 28 transports
have reached Malta. The amount of the French con-
tingent that has passed by Malta for the East since the
Ist of June is—horses, 630 ; troops, 1,640 up to gun
fire last night. _ _

" On the sth of June arrived the Himalaya, Peninsu-
lar and Oriental Company's steamer, eight days from
Cork.

"On the 6th the Paramatta transport, No. 52, from
Kingstown 24 days.
"The Culloden transport, No. 35."
_ _

The Medina, steam despatch vessel, Lieutenant-Com-
mander Beresford, received final orders on Monday even-
ing to leave Woolwich on the following day, and she
accordingly left on Tuesday for Greenhithe, Sheerness,
Portsmouth, and Plymouth, and will take out letters for
Gibraltar, Malta, and the army in the East, and for the
fleet in the Black Sea. The following notice relative to
the departure of the Medina has been put up at Wool-
wich :

" Letters for the Black Sea fleet will be despatched by
her Majesty's steam-vessel Medina on the 17th inst.
Letters for seamen, marines, and boys serving in the
Black Sea will be forwarded by this opportunity if
posted in time, and marked By her Majesty's steam-
vessel Medina.' The postage of one penny must be paid
on the letter at the time of posting it."
On Monday afternoon the steamer Zephyr, Lieutenant
Crawley, left Hull, in charge of a Baltic pilot, taking a
heavy mail for the fleet. Last evening a mail for the
Baltic fleet, via Dantzic, was made up and despatched
from the General Post-office. The nest mail, via France,
for her Majesty's forces in the Black Sea and Turkey,
will be made up on Friday.
Advices were received yesterday that the Russian
prize Graphoom, taken by her her Majesty's cruisers in
the Black Sea, had arrived at Malta and Constantinople,
in charge of Mr. Jones, prizemaster, and had sailed for
England.
Advices were received yesterday that Admiral Plum.
ridge with his flying squadron had taken all the pilots
he could get at Umea, a town on the Swedish side of the
Gulf of Finland, and had sailed northwards.

The Royal Albert, 131 guns, screw steam-ship, is to
be put into No. 3 dry dock at Sheerness on Thursday
next. The riggers have completed all her lower standing
rigging, which will be ready to send aloft immediately
she is in dry dock. Mr. John Bargrove, Assistant-
Engineer, from the Fisgard, has joined the Formidable
at Sheerness for duty in this ship.
The Arrow and the Beagle, screw steam gun-boats,
building by Messrs. J. C. Mare and Co., at Blackwall,
'are to be ready for launching on the 24th inst. The en-
gines for these gun-boats, two of 80-horse power, or 160
collectively, for each, were ordered to be made by
Messrs. Humphrys, Tennant, and Dyke only nine weeks
ago, and they are now ready to be put on board.
The Sybille, 40, Captain Elliot, is expected at Singa-
pore from Trincomalee ; the Spartan, 26, Captain Sir
William Haste, Bart., and the Rapid, 8, Commander
Blane, were at Singapore on the 16th of April ; and
Rear-Admiral Sir James Stirling's flag_was flying on
board the Rapid. The Rattler, 8, Commander Mellersh,
and the Styx, 6, paddle-sloop, Commander Woolcombe,
were also expected at Singapore at the above date.
The Colossus, 80, will be quite ready for undocking
at Portsmouth to-day, when she will be immediately
masted and placed in the steam basin for commissioning,
The Oberon, paddlewheel steam-vessel, is ordered to
be removed from the steam basin and docked, and fitted
for re-commission.

The Rhadamanthus paddle-wheel steam store-vessel,
Master Commander John Belam, will be again ready
for sea by the end of the present week, as she had suf-
ficient spare gear to supply the injuries she sustained in
her machinery on her last voyage round to Woolwich,
when off Beeehey-head.
In consequence of the defects of the Janus, 4, paddle-
wheel steam-vessel, she is in future to be employed only
as a coasting messenger or tug-vessel, as occasion may
require. A complimentary letter from the Port Admi-
ral has been read on the quarterdeck of this vessel,
expressing the highest approbation of the Port Admiral
of the conduct of John Kier, carpenter's mate, for
having jumped overboard and saved the life of Daniel
Francis, an ordinary seaman, who fell from off a
boom on Friday last. The same unfortunate man
fell overboard when the Janus was at the back of
the Goodwin Sand a short time since, with a heavy
sea running. He was then saved by the boat, after
being in the water over a quarter of an hour, and
was picked up just as he was in the act of sinking.
He had only been out of the sick list two days when the
accident referred to took place. Kier has been a petty
officer for many years, and when offered a warrant ex-
pressed his thanks to his commander, and stated that,
unless his commander wished to get rid of him as a petty
officer, he would prefer remaining as he was, because, if
he accepted a warrant, he would then be sent to serve
under another officer. Some of the assistant-engineers
at this port have written to be superseded in consequence
of heavy duties laid upon them, when under steam,
some of them being compelled to be eight hours on and
only four hours off for weeks together, and in the engine
rooms with a temperature varying from 120 to 130 deg.
Fahrenheit. Such has been the excess of fatigue that
several stokers, similarly worked, have run from their
vessels now at this port.
The new steam iron ship Perseverance, purchased by
the Government for a troop-ship, is ordered to be fitted.
Her sails, masts, spars, and rigging are in hand at Sheer-
ness. This ship is 40 feet longer on her keel than the
Royal Albert. .

The Captain-Superintendent, Christopher Wyvill, left
Sheerness on Monday morning fur London on immediate
service.

The following appointments have been made :
Captain the Hon. Keith Stewart (1842), to command
the Termagant, 24, screw steam frigate, of 620-horse
power, commissioned at Portsmouth. _ _

Lieutenant John P. Palines (1842)' 'to the Termagant ;
John Nott (1854), recently promoted from mate of the
Trafalgar, 120, on the Black Sea station, to the Ter-
magant. _ _

Master Joseph Hitchings (1853) to the Termagant.
Assistant-Surgeon David 0. West (1846), recently
serving in the Rattler screw steam-sloop on the East
Indies and China station, to the Victory flag-ship at
Portsmouth.

Clerk George Penfold, Paymaster of 1851, to the Vic-
tory flagship, at Portsmouth.
The Woolwich dockyard police have now been fur-
nished with muskets with percussion locks, and on
several days during the last week went through a regular
course of instruction on the dockyard brigade parade-
ground. A supply of Colt's revolving pistols has been
received for their use, and will shortly be issued.
The following assistant-surgeons have received orders
to join the Waterloo, 121 guns, flag-ship, at Sheerness,
as supernumeraries, to await a passage to their respec-
tive ships, viz. : W. D. Smith, for service in the Rosa-
mond, steam-sloop ; R. P. Hiffman, for service in the
Imperieuse, screw steam-frigate ; Charles Morton, for
service in the Archer, screw steam-ship ; and R. Atkin-
son, for service in the Duke of Wellington.
A large draught of first-class boys, completed in their
exercises, are ordered to be ready for leaving the Wa-
terloo by the first opportunity for service on board ships
now in the Black Sea and Mediterranean. In conse-
quence of the limited number of boys permitted to be
entered as first-class boys, an excess in the number of
second-class ordinary seamen are entered. It has been
generally found that double the number of first class
boys attain in perfection their drill exercise in every de-
partment, compared with the second-class ordinary sea-
men, and it is fully expected that a more extensive entry
of first-class boys will be permitted, who will in the
course of time prove a great acquisition to the service.
Whether it be from second-class ordinaries being of
more mature age, and not so capable of receiving in-
structions, most certain it is they are, most of them,
under drill double the time, and even then only in soli-
tary instances do they equal in their attainments the
first-class boys.
The Royal Horse Artillery, at present in the garrison
of Woolwich, assembled on Monday, at half-past eleven
o'clock a.m., in light marching order, and proceeded to
Woolwich-common, where they were drawn up in line,
under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Bloomfield,
for the inspection of an Indian Rajah, who arrived at a
quarter before twelve o'clock, and commenced the in-
spection by riding down the front of the line and up the
centre. The troops then broke into open columns to the
right, and marched past at a walk in columns of divi-
sions, and afterwards at a trot. They subsequently
changed front by wheeling about inwards in subdivisions,
and returned back at a gallop. They afterwards formed
line on the original ground, and went through the evo-
lutions of a field-day, having been previously supplied
with 20 rounds per gun. At the conclusion the troops
marched past in columns of subdivisions to barracks,
and the Rajah, accompanied by Brigade-Major Binghkamo,f
entered the Royal Artillery mess-room, and partoo
refreshments before returning to town.
The27thEnniskillens, now quartered in Dublin, having
received final orders for embarkation for India, in which
country this gallant regiment has never been quartered
before, they will proceed in the following detail to Cork :
—The first division, consisting of five companies, under
Majorthe command of Touzele, will proceed by special
train on Friday, the 16th inst., with the following offi-
cers :—Captains Molesworth and Warren, Lieutenants
Maguire and Carnegie. The second division, under the
command of loisutenant.Colonel Williamson, consisting
of the remaining companiesorith the head-quarters, baud,