The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-28 00:00:00

THE BALTIC FLEET.

Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, with the fleet,
was off Baro Sound, June 20, but he was positively
to sail immediately for Cronstadt with the follow-
ing ships :
Duke of Wellington, screw, 131, Captain Gordon, flag
of the Commander-in-Chief, with the captain of the
fleet, Rear-Admiral M. Seymour.
St. Jean d'Acre, 101, Captain Hon. H. Keppel.
Princess Royal, 91, screw, Captain Lord C. Paget.
Cmsar, 90, screw, Captain Robb.
Nile, 90, screw, Commodore H. B. Martin, C.B.
Cressy, 80, screw, Captain Warren.
Majestic, 80, screw, Captain Hope, C.B.
James Watt, 91, screw, Captain G. Elliot.
Edinburgh, 60, screw, Captain Hewlett, flag of Rear-
Admiral Chads, C.B.
Blenheim, 60, screw, Captain Hon, F. Pelham.
Hogue, 60, screw, Captain Ramsay.
Imperieuse, 51, screw, Captain Watson, C.B.
Penelope, 18, paddle, Captain Caftin.
Magicienne, 16, paddle, Captain Fisher.
Gorgon, 6, paddle, Commander Cracroft.
With six of the French ships of the line.
Rear Admiral Corry was to be left to watch and
blockade the Sweaborg fleet, with the following
force :
Neptune, 120, Captain Hutton.
St. George, 120, Captain Eyres, C.B.
Prince Regent, 90, Captain Smith.
Monarch, 84, Captain Erskine.
Boscawen, 70, Captain Glanville.
Cumberland, 70, Captain Seymour.
Ajax, 60, screw, Captain Warden.
Bulldog, 6, paddle, Captain W. K. Hall.
With two French ships of the line, &c.
Rear-Admiral Plumridge, with his force of Eerews
and paddles,lwas to blockade the Gulf of Botimi4

MALTA.

A letter from Malta, of June 21, says :--
" The Greek brig Klissova, captured by the Retribu-
tion in the Black Sea, laden with ammunition and other
contraband of war, and having on board at the time of
capture a number of Russian soldiers, arrived at Malta
on the afternoon of the 18th, in charge of Mr. Moore,
second master of the Firebrand, which makes the num-
ber of prizes now awaiting condemnation at Malta five,
viz., two Russians, two lonians, and one Greek, besides
the proceeds of several others, which upon survey were
found unfit for further navigation. Mr. Moore brings
with him in specie and hank notes the proceeds of a salt-
laden Russian schooner, taken by the Firebrand near
the mouth of the Danube. The judge surrogate of the
Court of Vice-Admiralty at Malta received a commu-
nication from Admiral Milne on the 12th, to the
effect that in consequence of the resignation
of the judgeship by Sir John Stoddart, thei
prize commission lately sent out to Malta is cancelled,
and the same is ordered to be returned with the stand-
ing interrogatories and other instructions which accom-
panied it. This measure will occasion not only coat
siderable inconvenience to the public service, inasmuch
as the prize-masters and crews of the vessels sent in here
for condemnation (two of which have already been here
21 days) must necessarily remain absent from their ships
the captors, for a lengthened period, thus crippling their
strength or complement in case any one cruiser has the
good fortune to take several prizes ; but the gallant eV"
tors themselves will suffer prejudice by the deterioration
and consequent depreciation in value of the prizes and-
their cargoes whilst laid up at Malta, especially at this
season of the year, awaiting condemnation by the nigh
Court of Admiralty in England, where, it is stated, the
proceedings will have to be instituted; but, in regard'
to which, however, no arrangements for taking prepa-
ratory evidence have as yet been made.
" It is, moreover, in another point of view equally pre-
judicial to this British possession, for the prizes of the
last war, condemned and sold at Malta, some of which
are still extant, formed, as is well known, the nucleus
of the present flourishing Maltese commercial marine.
But if only the papers of the prizes are to be trans- -
mitted to England, then it will be soon found that
the crews can be examined, and the prizes .1,03 Y
remain awaiting condemnation at the nearest F'°rt
_,
to the place of capture Varna, Trebizo.u°,
or Constantinople, for instance—lie there after condeill"
nation is Obtained, sold, and so far from their capture
beneficially increasing the commercial marine of Malta--
a British possession—they will in Line cases out of ten bit
purchased by foreigners, and in such places possibly by
Greek or lonian agents of the enemy. Besides this,
captors will naturally become over-cautious in their pro'
ceedings, for it will be no trifling matter to meet
in case of doubtful or illegal capture an action for
damages, swelled out as these would in such a case be
by the claimant's heavy expenses in proceeding to so:.
distant a place as London, and through the exercise 0E
this over-caution many a prize will escape capture. IT'
deed, knowing with what a lavish hand damages are
awarded by the tribunals of England, many crafty
lonians, and still craftier Greeks, will be too glad t 0
they
all, a snare for a British cruiser, whose crew may, en
all, find too late, to their cost and sorrow, that
have caught equivalent to a Tartar, or stumbled upon
a mare's-nest !

'The combined fleets of England and France o°ll'
tinued at anchor at Kavarna, save the Belleroph pd
London, Arethusa, and Sidon, and the Henri IV., ar
another French liner, which were at Varna royal
ing the daily expected arrival there of the remaincl,,,r
the English French troops from Scutari. ,
"The widow of the lamented Captain Giffard visited
Odessa, in the Vesuvius, under the safeguard of a 0,3,dg
of truce. She was permitted to land, accompanied "J,
Captain Powell, and remained there twenty-four hours
collecting particulars of her husband's dying
ments, which were those of a hero meeting his de'n'''"
in his country's cause. The crew .of the Tiger, on- see:
ing a British naval uniform pass their place of con finyi:
rent, were about bailing the wearer with a Bril.t.i6'
cheer, thinking their moment of deliverance from on!
tivity had arrived, but were very judiciously silenced. •'°
time by a sign from Captain Powell. The junior of eer'b
such as midshipmen and cadets, have been placed in
naval college to improve them in their profession ;
seniors are said to have been removed to Moscow, t%
fru
Emperor having refused to listen to any exchange. ;
Vesuvius, in chasing a vessel of the enemy too oinsa
into the Sulina mouth of the Danube, took the gro
for several hours, but was got off without material in
j
Mrs. Giffard was transferred to the Fury, in wl
uCh
vessel she got back to Constantinople, and thence i°
Malta in the Himalaya, which left for SouthamPtUll
early on the morning of the 20th, when the Georgianli"
horse transport (No. 81), was moved outside to be take°
in tow by the Victoria steamer as far as Tunis, there to
bake in a second cargo forithe East from the 1,000 hors as
which Lieutenant King, R.A., has orders to pu
chase in the regency. The Victoria will afterwards coca'
tinue on her voyage to the Black Sea with stores for the
fleet. The CaffareiD, French steam•frigate, from Ton 4'
and Leghorn, bringing Colonel Aaron, 27 other officell,
and 650 non commissioned officers and privates, three
women, and twelve horses for the Levant, arrived on ale
18th and proceeded on the 20th.
Another Greek prize, the San Giovanni, taken off- the
Circassian coast by the Highflyer, having on board ortv'
nance stores, was brought into Malta on the 20e13,
iA
charge of Mr. V. Kemp, R.N., prize master. Bet\ veil
the Bth and 19th of Juno, 15 French, 5 Sardinian, 'an'
one English vessel in the French transport service, b eieg
of the burden of 3,116 tons, put into Malta from porM rn
France and Algeria, bound for the Levant, having a';'l
board, besides ordnance and commissariat stoma, OP'
horses and 378 soldiers.