The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-16 00:00:00

NA VAL INTELLIGENCE.

MALTA, JAN. 2.—ln my last I gave some account of
the damage done to the shipping in port by the violent
gale that had been blowing. I mentioned, among ves-
sels abandoned, the brig Susan, Mills, master. I havo
since ascertained this to be an error. The Susan was
lying snugly, and had on board three crews of the ships
abandoned, besides her own.
Every day gives fresh instances of the effects of the
storm. On Saturday last the Osiris French mail
steamer, from Malta to Alexandria, put back, having in
tow the Norwegian brig Carl Pater, which vessel had
been abandoned at sea on the 29th, 25 miles off the
island. _ .

The Carl Peter was commanded by R. H. Girlsen,
and left Licata for Messina on the 25th ult., with a full
cargo of sulphur. On the 29th she met the gale, was
dismasted, and having sprung a leak, was abandoned.
The crew arrived here by the Prussian brig Carl Gus-
tave, Captain Nierman.
The English barque, Adrastus, Markham, master, with
a cargo from Alexandria, for England, foundered off
Candia, on the 21st ult. The crew took to their boats,
and have been brought in here by the brig Woodriffe,
after being exposed to dangers of the most dreadful
kind. She foundered eight hours after she was aban-
doned. The crew arrived here on the 30th. There is
also the crow of a Greek brig in port, whose vessel has
foundered at sea. I cannot, however, learn any very
accurate particulars, for being in quarantine, the means
of obtaining correct information is not so easy a matter.
To attempt to describe the damage done in the city is
useless—in order to convey a correct idea, at least. You
may be enabled, however, to imagine the force of the
wind and the waves when I assure you that the Mole
from the Master-Attendant's office to the Custom-
house is nearly impassable, having been ploughed up
by the sea.
At Fort St. Angelo (where the Creole sank) about
noon on the 28th the sea struck so heavily on the lower
battery that the sally-port gates, about 60 or 80 feet
from the sea, were beaten in, and a strong bar of iron
which secured them was snapped in two. The door of
the store-room was also broken in, and handspikes, &c.,
washed from it into the harbour.

Later in the day the work of the parapet began to
give way, and a large portion was washed into the bat-
tery. Large masses of masonry were lifted up with
ease—one mass was washed 20 feet into the battery of
the enormous weight of 105 tons. The guns and car-
riages were thrown back; some were capsized, and to
look at the battery now one would think it had withstood
a formidable siege.
Minor evils followed. On the second battery, some 60
feet above the level of the sea, the spray from the sea
water entered the wells and spoilt the water; and in the
upper battery, 110 feet above the level of the sea, all the
vegetation was destroyed from the effects of the spray.
At Fort Manoel an unserviceable French gun which
had been placed on the beach to be sent to the foundry
was washed into the sea.

Her Majesty's steamer Locust is to be paid off on
Thursday next, and the commander and the crew of the
Triton (under repairs) put on board her. She will pro-
ceed to Corfu with the next mails. The Locust arrived
here, from Corfu, on the 31st ult., and brought fine wea-
ther and fair breezes with her all the way—a strong
proof that the force of the gale was limited to a very
narrow space.
Last night a very serious disturbance between some of
the soldiers of her Majesty's 69th Regiment and some
Maltese took place. Stones were flying about in all
directions, and it is even said that swords and bayonets
were used. This may, however, be exaggeration. Cer-
tain it is that several persons have been severely
wounded; some deaths were reported, but I am happy
to say that my inquiries on this point do not confirm
the report.
Her Mujeaty'a ship Vengeance, Captain the Earl of
Harc:wicke, is to be reported ready for sea to-morrow,
and proceed with the dispatches for Sir W. Parker, re-
ceived per Ripon yesterday.
PORTSMOUTH, MONAY.—The selection of the Right
Hon. Sir Francis Thornhill Baring, the elder represen-
tative of this borough and port in Parliament, to fill
the above appointment, was known here yesterday by
the chief friends and supporters of that baronet, and
was early published this morning to the constituency.
The announcement, as may be expected, was received
with the most lively manifestations of satisfaction by
the inhabitants of the borough generally, who did not
contemplate such good fortune as being represented by
a First Lord of that board upon whose patronage the
port and district of course solely depend. We may state,
upon the best authority, that Sir Francis has taken the
office without the prospect of a peerage. Had Sir
Francis been raised to the peerage it was the intention
of Mr. Sergeant Gazelee to have contested the borough
with any other candidate; and a large silversmith resi-
dent in this garrison intended to have proposed Lord
Frederick Fitzclarence, the Lieutenant-Governor, as
another candidate. No opposition is now contemplated
to the unanimous return of the First Lord of the Admi-
ralty. We believe we are correct in stating that a
nephew of the First Lord (who was some time since
secretary to Mr. Labouchere) will be his private secre-
tary. The bells of Portsmouth are ringing merry peals
in celebration of what the townspeople consider the
" happy event."
The broad pendant of Commodore Arthur Fanshawe,
C. 8., was hoisted to• day at 11h. 15m., for saluting pur-
poses, on board the Excellent. After the customary sa-
lutes were exchanged, it was trausferred to his proper
ship, the Centaur, in the basin. It was the red
pendant, which constitutes him a Commodore of the
first class.

The Sharpshooter steam•schooner, Lieutenant J. C.
Bailey, Commander, came into the harbour this morning
to tit for foreign service.

Wind, W.S.W.; light breezes and dark hazy weather.
PLYMOUTH, JAN. 13.—Last night her Majesty's 12-
gun brig Racer arrived from Lisbon—left on the 20th
of December. The only British man-of-war in the
Tagus was her Majesty's brig Harlequin, 12, Com-
mander John Moore. The Racer saw nothing of Sir
Charles Napier's squadron. Twenty miles from the
Start she spoke her Majesty's brig Cygnet, 6, Com-
mander George Kenyon, from the coast of Africa,
bound to Portsmouth. Both the Racer and Cygnet
have experienced very heavy weather on their homeward
passage. The Racer is gone up harbour; her crew,
which were lent from the guard-ship here, are to be re-
turned, and the Racer is ordered to be commissioned for
foreign service. _ _

Her Majesty's packet Crane, 6, Lieutenant-Com-
mander John Parsons, arrived from Falmouth on Wed-
nesday, and on Friday went up harbour to refit.
Came in yesterday, the merchant ship Cheshire, of
Liverpool, Captain Hogg, from Havannah on the Ist of
December, bound to Falmouth for orders. On the 23d
of December, lat. 41 N., long. 38 W., passed the dis-
masted hull of a ship of 400 tons; inside, painted green;
outside, black and white streak. January 5, lat. 45 43
N., long. 17 34 W., spoke the ship Ann, 132 days from
Callao; same day the bark Rosina, bound west. Jan. 7,
in lat. 46 36 N., long. 15 W., passed the hull of a fine
schooner or brigantine, of about 160 tons, apparently in
ballast, fore and mainmast gone by the board and lying
alongside with all gear attached, bowsprit and jibboom
standing, with jib stowed on the boom, boat in chocks,
and several water casks on deck; several stancheons gone
on the starboard side; metal bottom and fiddle head;
painted buff inside with red ports, and all black outside; no
name on stern, but made out " of Barnstaple" on the
boat. It was blowing heavily from the S.W. at the
time, and there was so much sea running that, although
within a few yards, the Cheshire's people could not
board the wreck, which appeared to have bee❑ run into
by some other vessel. Jan. 12, the Eddystone N. by E.,
6 miles, spoke the barque Celt, of Liverpool, from Lon-
don for Trinidad, with loss of one man overboard in a
gale on the 11th. The Cheshire has experienced a suc-
cession of gales all the passage, and has lost bulwarks
and spars, and received other damage.
Eighteen tons of very fine mackerel were dispatched
this evening by the South Devon Railway. These fish
were caught last night and sold to-day by the fishermen
to the salesmen at 18s. to 21s. 4d. per 120 for the Bil-
lingsgate, Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, and Birmingham
markets.

Wind, S.W., blowing strong. with heavy rain.

WOOLWICH, JAN. 15.—Major-General Lacy, Director
General of Artillery ; Colonel Campbell; Colonel Dun-
das, C. 8., Inspector of Artillery ; Colonel Cruttenden,
Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmer, Assistant Director of
Artillery ; Lieutenant-Colonel Hardinge, K.",
Director of the Laboratory Department ; Lieutenant-
Colonel Anderson, Lieutenant• Colonel Wilson,
and a number of officers of the Royal Artil-
lery, assembled today to witness experiments
with a conical shell of .5741 b. weight, submitted
by CAptain Thistle, of the American army, when com-
paratively tested with shells of 481 b. weight; fired from
an 8-inch guu, Captain Thistle's shells being adapted to
the 32-pounder guns of 61 inches bore. lir weig used
the 8 inch gun is 65 cwt., and the 32-pounder gun
for Capc:in Thistle' 31 r2st.h
igthh(t,
Ll:ari~;e u" powder ii,r each
hells gun being
bcewt. i
ngthe 1
of the respective siiells,Tahndefithrestelervoautniodnfiree)fdbofrthombeitnhge
the same, 3 degrees.
32-pounder, with Captain Thistle's conical shell, carried