The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-17 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The report of the capture of two Russian ships of war,
the Aurora and Diana, in the Pacific, by Rear-Admiral
Price, our Commander in-Chief in those seas, with her
Majesty's ships President (flag) and Trincomalee, is not
confirmed by actual despatches from the Admiral, which
had not time to arrive in dnecourse; but the gratifying
news is rendered more probable by the fact that her Ma-
jesty's Minister at the Court of Brazil has deemed the
statement of the Swedish captain who brought the news
to Rio Janeiro sufficiently I•eliable to communicate it to
the Government at home.
The latest movements in the Black Sea fleets we have
in letters from Baltahik of the 4th inst., and Constantinople
of the same date. On the Ist Captain Mends, of the Are-
thusa, 50-gun frigate, had rejoined the Agamemnon, 91,
as flag to Rear-Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, G.C.8., Cap-
tain Symonds going back to the Arethusa.
All the French and English troops bad been disem-
barked at Varna, and were gradually advancing towards
Silistria. The army was sadly ix want of the means of
" heavy draught," which had been the great cause of their
detention. The fleet on the 3d inst. was joined by Admiral
Bruat and five sail of the line, including the crack steam-
ship Napoleon. The French thus outnumbered the British
in the Black Sea by five sail of the line. Our steam rs
were constantly employed cruising off Sebastopol, bring-
ing in prizes, &c. A Cossack officer had been taken by
Captain Parker, of the Firebrand, 6, paddle-frigate, who
sent him to Lord Raglan. The Turkish squadron left Balt-
shik on the 3d for the Bosphorus, to ship ammunition, &c.
A Lieutenant and second master of the Leander were
under close arrest, and were to be tried by court-martial.
Four howitzers, taken from the Russians at Silistria,
had been landed at Constantinople, and attracted large
crowds of Turks to see them. Lieutenant Thompson, ad-
ditional of the Britannia, had been appointed to the Fury,
vice Blake, at Malta Hospital. Mr. Wright, clerk of the
Teirible, had been appointed in charge of the Banshee, vice
Warburton, to be Acting-Paymaster of the Vesuvius. The
Arethusa passed Constantinople on the 3d, en route to
Athent!, to relieve the Leander. An impending court-mar-
tial was the -cause of the latter slip being recalled to the
fleet. The Megmra was under orders to go to the Archi-
pelago to replace the Triton, broken down. The Retribu-
tion, 28, paddle-frigate, Captain the Hon. J. R. Drummond,
arrived a tenstantinople on the 2d with his Royal High-
ness Lieutenant-General the Duke of Cambridge, who had
an interview with the Austrian Ambassador, and returned
to Varna on the following day. The Vesuvius, 6, paddle-
frigate,. Commander Powell, arrived at Constantinople on
the 30th ult., with three prizes in tow, captured off the
Danube.

A Malta correspondent, writing on the 11th inst.,
says—" The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-ship
Ripon, with the homeward India mail oa board, has just
been telegraphed.
"The Vectis, with a portion of the India mail sent
through France via Marseilles, will Jake her departure
without loss of time.

" The quarantine is again in force in this island, and
several rooms in the lazaretto are occupied. On the 4th
inst. the French mail steamer Egyptus, from Marseilles,
arrived in port, when it became known that two of the
soldiers on board had died on the previous day, and 12 of
the others bad been attacked by violent colic and dysen-
tery. The vessellwas immediately placed in quarantine,
and the Board of Health assembled at 9 a.m. on the fol-
lowing day. It seems that the Egyptus, a small steamer,
was crowded with troops and horses, besides suppliei of
forage, in addition to the usual number of passengers.
These were all ended in the lazaretto on the stli, and at
night such as were enabled to proceed continued their pas-
sage to Gallipoli. Among, the passengers on board were
M. Mavrocordato, President of the Council in Greece, his
son, and an aide-de-camp, but these gentlemen preferred
remaining behind and staying their nine days' quarantine
to continuing their voyage in a vessel too crowded for
health or comfort. The number of sick left behind was
22, of whom two died on the evening of Thursday, one on
Friday morning, and one on Saturday ; and one of the
men engaged in coaling the vessel has been attacked and
died. .41though there can be little doubt that cholera is
the disease-that now exists in our lazaretto, yet at present
it is not of a very malignant character. The men attacked
were troops who, having been marched from Avignon to
Marseilles, were kept on the quay at the latter place four
hours previous to embarking under a broiling sun ; they
indulged in the enjoyment of fruit and wine without mo-
deration, and afterwards embarked in a vessel greatly
overcrowded. -

. _
" After the lapse of several days, during which no British
troops liave reached the island, there arrived cn ,Saturday
the British transport Palmyra, No. 94, from Dublin, in 32
days, having on board Lieutenant and Adjutant Webb,
Cornet Fisher, Paymasterßiggs, Quartermaster Drake, with
43 troopers of the 4th Dragoon Guards and 37 horses.
Assistant'Surgeon Harris, of the 88th Regiment, was also
on board.

" The Tonninc, steam paddle-wheel transport, from
PortsmoUth aneGibraltar, arrived on Sunday, the 9th,
having on board. Captain the Hon. H. L. Rowley (6th
Light Dragoons), Lieutenant Churchill (Riflo Brigade),
Assistant• Surgeon Lewis, 38th Regiment ; 152 men, 2d
Battalion Rifle Brigade ; 22 'men, 6th Light Dragoons ; 3
men, 13th Light Dragoons; 7 men, 17th Lancers, and 50
horses.

" The Shooting Star transport., from Varna, out of 22
days, also arrived on the 9th inst.
" The Tynemouth screw steam-transport, No. 102, from
Sheerness and Gibraltar, with Captains Grant (command-
ing Ambulance Corps) and Pigott, Adjutant William
Henry, Assistant-Surgeon Jackson, Mr. R. B. Nicklin,
photographer, 310 men of the Ambulance Corps, 2 men of
the Royal Sappers and Miners, and 3 horses, reached the
island on Monday, the 10th.
" The Vulcan arrived early this morning, after a good
passage. . . . . .

" The 4th Regiment is the only one remaining at Galli-

pol
" The Fury was to leave Constantinople on the 7th for
Odessa, with a sufficient number of Russian prisoneri on
board to exchange for those of the Tiger, it being deter-
mined to exchange man for man.
" The number of French and English troops who passed
brough Malta from the 24th of May to the Bth of July
is, of English, 31,473, with 4,928 horses, and of French,
16,272, with 7,426 horses."
The Termagant, 24, screw-frigate, Captain the Hon.
Keith Steivart, got away from Spithead on Saturday
evening about 8 o'clock for the Downs.
On Thursday another of the 8-gun steam-vessels building
to.operate against the Russians was launched from her
Majestfs Dockyard at Pembroke. She is named the Ariel
—a sister vessel to the Swallow—and is to be brought for-
,ard for immediate service in the Baltic.
The Rhadamanthus, steam store-vessel, Master Com-
/nape] erJ. Belam, arrived at Woolwich on Thursday night
from Portsmouth, and on Friday and Saturday delivered
ald stores from the western ports. She is now under orders
to take on board a quantity of machinery for the Exmouth,
91, screw steam-ship, just launched at Devonport ; and on
her way round to the westward she will have to call at
Chatham and take on board a quantity of converted ma-
hogany timber for the construction of the new royal steam-
yacht, the Windsor Castle.: So far as has been ascertained
it is understood the result of the voyage to Malta in the
Himalaya of the members of the committee appointed to
report on the eligibility of the screw propeller as a means
of propulsion for the Windsor Castle, royal steam-yacht,
is in favour of a screw stearn-yacht for her Majesty's use,
and the Windsor Castle will now be proceeded withopo her
original design for a screw steam-yacht. The success of the
scraw when applied to the largest ship of war is evidence
of its great superiority over the paddle-wheels, and the
day cannot be far distant when her Majesty will possess a
screw steam-royal yacht worthy of the Queen of a country
possessing the finest screw steam-fleet in the world.
The Hornet, 17, screw steam-sloop, Commander Frede-
rick A. Campbell, left Woolwich for Greenhithe on Satur-
day morning, to have her compasses adjusted, preparatory
to leaving the river to join the fleet in the White Sea.
The Industry, screw_ steam store-vessel,- Master Com-
mander George L. Bradley, was taken out of the basin at
Woolwich on Saturday, preparatory to proceeding to Dept-
ford, to take on board stores for conveyance to the Black
Sea.

The Formidable, 84, Captain-Superintendent John Jer-
vis Tucker, was put out .of the fitting basin at Sheerness
on Saturday last, and moored at the swinging buoy for
the convenience of expediting her further fitment, under
the directions of her commander, Josiah Thompson.
In clearing the dock of the water it was found that the
Vulture, 6, paddle-wheel steam-frigate, had carried away
the lower part of her fore gripe and the foremast shift of
her false keel, which was done while threading her way up
towards the bar off Gamla Karleby. The damage was
repaired on Saturday afternoon. During the time she was
in dry dock her officers and crew were engaged lightening
her, by discharging coals, shot, chain cables, seamen's beds,
bags, &c., and the master shipwright succeeded in getting
her out of dock at 4.45 p.m. that may, just on the top of
high water. In consequence of the tides taking off, there
wore great doubts whether she could be got out. Dining
the entire day Vice-Admiral the Hon. William Gordon
and the Captain-Superintendent John Jervis Tucker were
present.
Her Majesty's steam block-ship Exmouth, 91, launched
on Wednesday at Plymouth, was masted on Thursday,
and placed in the floating dock at Keyham on Friday, to
receive engines, boilers, etc., after which she will be cop-
leered, preparatory to her being placed in commission with
all despatch. Forty labourers have been sent from the
Devonport yard to expedite her fittings.
The Calcutta, having received her guns and stores, was
placed at her sailing moorings on Saturday.
Admiralty orders have been received to make good the
deficiencies of all advanced ships in the port of Plymouth.
The hired steam-transports Colombo and Simla arrived
at Plymouth early on Sunday morning. The Colombo will
be placed in the Sound to receive the 20th Regiment quar-
tered in the Citadel. The Skala will go to Keyham yard,
to embark the 4th Dragoons, from Exeter.
The Vulture is now ..berthed alongside the basin at
Sheerness, getting in her stores again, and will be ready
to leave to-morrow or Wednesday. Mr. Charles F.
Turner, the paymaster, has been sent to Melville Hospital,
for medical treatment for 14 days. He will not therefore
leave in her on her present run out to the Baltic. Mr.
Turner's illness proceeds from violent colds taken while in
the Baltic, which have produced an inflammatory affection
of the-lungs. This frigate is thoroughly well-manned and
well-officered. Yesterday the crew were mustered after
breakfast, and, with their officers, attended morning ser-
vice at the Dockyard Chapel ; a number of their rela-
tives and friends were also present. The men were after-
wards granted leave, returning to their duty this morning.
The Ganges, 84 guns, recently unlocked • the Siren, 16-
gnu sloop, and the Waterwitch, 8-gun sloop, .are to be.
taken to their harbour moorings from the fitting basin to-
morrow.
Contracts for 2,000 quarters of wheat were taken by
Captain-Superintendent Courtonay, at the Royal Clarence
Victualling-yard, Gosport, on Thursday last, at an average
of 745. 6d. par quarter, and 2,000 more are advertised for.
The mills and bakery now work all night and day, not ex-
cepting Sundays. 8,000 bags (400 tons) of bread have been
shipped off from this establishment during the past week.
There are at present one steam-ship (tue Rajah) which
arrived off the Gosport National Storehouse on Saturday
from Southampton, and four sailing vessels loading with
provisions, forage, &c., for the seat of war.
1.33' the death of Rear-Admiral of the White William
on board the
been relievedSheiv Severn
mailco m
Willmott Henderson 0.8 late Commander-in-
Chief
the following_ prom
of the British squadron on the South-East Coast of
America station, which occurred while on his passage home
M.P., to be Rear-Admiral Johnston,
Rear-Admiral of the Blue Sir Thomas Herbert K.C.8.,
otions take place :
Captain and Commodore Henry Byam Martin, C. 8.,
commanding her Mfrjbst 'ship •
be Rear-Admiral of the Blue.
y s Nile, 91, in the Baltic, to
rat paoanfcdk thee t packet, nilti
ee. lath inst.,
Rear-Admiral s t
. havingp
e