The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-20 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE WRECK OF 'YHE SPH YNX SVEAM-SLOOP.
PORTSMOUTH, Fos. 19.—The wind ever since last Saturday
has been blowing strong from the S.W., with squalls of rain
and thick weather. Nothing could lie outside the Wight,
consequently Captain Austen, with the Echo, the African, and
Monkey steamers, with the yard lighters, were obliged to get
shelter inside the island in Yarmouth Roads. The vessels
remained there to be ready to take advantage of any favour-
able change in the weather ; but none occurred before the
tides " took off." On Wednesday Lieut. Thompson with the
Victory's men, returned to Portsmouth in the African, Cap-
tain Austin,.Mr. Bellamy, and all the shipwrights and rig-
-gers
,have thii morning returned from Yarmouth. The
lightef add yard vessels and steamers have also come up, and
on;furtber attempt will now be made. Thg Sphynx still re-
mains in the same state as formerly. It was a mistate that
she was driven broadside on. She lies with her bow to the
sea, and the recent spring tides, although the rollers come in
heavily, have not further injured. Next springs are again
spoken of as to another attempt to float her; but we think
as the sea does not appear to injure ,her, that the next at-
tempt' will be deferred till May, when there will be a better
chance of fine weather.
WOOLWICH, FEB. 19.—The Undine steam•vessel (late the
Ondine) has beep' purchased by the Board of Admiralty for
her Majesty's Government, and will be employed as a packet.
She was navigated to this port from Blackwall yesterday,
afternoon. Her power is 106 horses, and her speed was as-
certained on the recent trial to be 15 miles per hour.
' The Cyclops steam-vessel was brought from Sheerness on
Wednesday to Woolwich, to have her machinery thoroughly
overhauled and repaired. _ .

The Kite steam-ve.ssel was taken into the basin yesterday
to have her engines *put ;in, which will occupy about two
months, when she will be brought forward for commission. •
The Mastiff surveying-vessel, Commander Beecher, is in
dock for the purpose of having her bottom examined, and
will be ready to leave this port to resume her duties about
the end of March.

The Terrible steam-frigate, Lieutenant Murray command-
ing, has a number of hands put upon her, to be made ready
for service with all' dispatch, and she will be completed in
about three weeks.

The Odin steam-frigate, Captain Williams, of the Amphion,
when she passed Woolwich yesterday afternoon from Dept-
ford for Greenhithe and Ireland, had 367 tons of meal on
board. Her ports and scuttles have been caulked, being
near the water owing to the depth of immersion, although
she had not any of her guns, shots, shells, or powder on
board, and 'only a small supply of stores and provisions with
twenty-eight tons of water on board for her crew. The Odin
is a sister ship to the Sidon steam-frigate, and appears as
much too deep in the water as the latter was light when
'she left Woolwich.

The Lightning steam-vessel, Master-Commander Petley,
left Woolwich this morning for Liverpool.
Vessels in the Harbour—William and Mary yacht, Am-
phion steam-frigate, Black Eagle, Minx, Teazer, and Cyclops
steam-vessels, and Woodlark surveying-vessel.
In the Basins—The Gorgon, Dwarf, Kite, Niger, Charon,
Ariel steam-vessels, and Terrible steam-frigate.
In the Docks—The Vixen steam-vessel, and Mastiff sur-
veying-vessel.
CHATHAM, FHB. 19.—The Antelope, one of the three
steam -packets for the lonian Isles, arrived from Woolwich on
Saturday, and is forthwith to be fitted for service. She is
now lying alongside the sheer hulk.
The Arab,l6-gun brig, building, is nearly ready for launch.
ing, and is ordered to be fitted for service at sea; therefore
the principal fittings will be complettd before she leaves the

.
slip . .
The Rochester, Sedgwick master, sailed on the 18th with
stores for Sheerness-yard.
A new steam-packet fur the Dover station, to be named
the Vivid, is ordered to be constructed on the design of Mr.
0. W. Lang, master shipwright's assistant of this yard.
It is understood that the Shannon steam-vessel is to be
appropriated to the use of this port, instead of the Fearless
at Sheerness, for a voyage to Gibraltar.
Owing to the crowded state of the barracks at Chatham,
and the unusually large number of recruits that are daily
arriving from different parts of England, Ireland, and Scot-
land, it has been found necessary to remove 700 men to the
artillery barracks at Brompton. The garrison contains 35
deplits, the whole, with the exception of the 2d battalion of
the 60th Rifles, form the provisional battalion, and contain-
ing nearly 4,000 men. This month 500 recruits have joined,
and on Thursday a number of young men from the Dublin
district arrived for the battalion.

[ADVERTISEMENT.] —TEAS AT WHOLESALE PRICES,
No. 2, BUCILLERSBURY, CHEAPSIDE.—FamiIies whose
consumption is large, and study economy, will derive
considerable advantage at this establishment. One uni-
form price is affixed, by which the purchaser of a single
pound can obtain it on the same terms as the trade.

Black Tea 2s. Bd., 35., 3s. 4d, 3s. 8d 45., 4s. 4d 5-
Green 3s. 4d., 3s. Bd., 45., 4s. 4d 55 65., 7s.
Coffee 9d., 10d., Is., is. 2d., is. 4d., is. 6d., is. Bd.
One pound sent free to tiny part of town. Orders from
the country forwarded the same day; and when the
quantity is for 61b. weight (tea only), the carriage is
paid to any part of England.—Maresera. and Co.
wholesale tea dealers, 2, Bucklersbury, Cheapside.
PROVISIONS FOR IRELAND, PORTSMOUTH, FEB.
19.—As there are not any men of war, of small tonnage, at
this port, which can be made available to take meal over to
Ireland, the Admiralty have directed that vessels shall be
hired for the purpose, and Mr. Davis, the master-attendant
of the Clarence Victualling Yard, has been endeavouring, at
Portsmouth, or Southampton, to take up tonnage, of small
craft, capable of stowing some thousands of bags of meal for
conveyance to Ireland. One vessel is to proceed to Clitden,
county Galway, as soon as loaded, and another to Dublin, in
charge of Government officers. The Dauntless is taking in
stores, &c., for her crew, and goes to Tobermory, in Scot-
land, directly she is filled with meal; and a small vessel is
also to be hired here, to be loaded-withprovisions to accom-
pany the Dauntless, and afterwards employed in distributing
them on the small islands in the Hebrides and Orkritys,
under the direction of the commissioner.
MONTE VIDEO.—By the William Piele, which ar-
rived in the Mersey yesterday, we are put in possession of
papers from that city to the 16th of December last, but they
are entirely devoid of any news political or commercial. It
was reported that Riveira was up to Uruguay with a force
of 3,000 men. In commercial matters there was a stand
still. Trade was dull, and very little business Of any de-
scription doing. .
DREADFUL FIRE AND Loss OF THREE LIVES.—
NEWTOWN, MONTGOMERYSHIRE. Early on Wednesday
morning last a fire broke out on the premises of the Queen's
Head Inn, and although the engine of the Shropshire and
North Wales Assurance Company was on the spot, under the
management of Mr. D. Thomas, jun., the Company's Agent,
and every exertion used to stop the progress of the flames,
nearly the whole of the premises, together with the furni-
ture, &c., were consumed. We are grieved to add that Mr.
Peplow, landlord of the inn, the ostler, and Mr. Ferry, malt-
ster, of Clunton, near Bishop's Castle (the latter was staying
there for the night), were all burnt to death. The furniture
and stock were insured in the above-named fire-office, but the
loss is considerably grsater than the amount for which they
were insured.— Shrewsbury Chronicle.
APPREHENDED FEVER ON BOARD THE IRISH PRO-
VISION SQUADRON.—We are glad to state, with reference' to
a report which has prevailed, that the famine fever in Ire-
land had made its appearance on board her. Majesty's ships
on the coast, and to ascertain the truth of which • report
Dr. Lindsay, RN., Deputy Inspector of 'Hospitals, was dis-
patched by the Government on Sunday last to Ireland, that
dispatches have been received in London from the naval
Commander-in-Chief at Cork, assuring the authorities that a
strict investigation has taken place, and there are not the
slightest grounds for apprehending so direful a calamity.
The crews of the ships are healthy, notwithstanding their
incessant and arduous employment, night and day, in the
humane task of conveying provisions to the distressed popu-
lation on the waists.
FALL OF Two HOUSES IN -,KENT.STREET.-011
Thursday morning, shortly after four o'clock, an accident of
a most alarming nature occurred in Kent-street, Southwark,
timwhich sev
theenhou pesrse onumberedns nearly
215 in lost their lives. For some
e past the street, formerly
used as a chapel, bad been considered unsafe, notwithstand-
ing which, an elderly lady, named Smith, and her two
daughters, continued to reside therein. On the morning iu
TICS/ion, owing to a violent gale of wind, a lofty stack of
chimneys, together with the party wall, fell with a crash
resembling a peal of thunder. The heavy mass falling upon
the top of that house, and on the one adjoining, known as
the Temperance Union Coffee-house, both roofs were forced
in, and also the floorings, so that.the interior of both houses
because filled with bricks and rubbish. At that time Nlrs.
Smith and her two daughters were in one building, and Mr.
Smith, the landlord of the coffee-house, with his wife and
two sons, were in the other. For some time it was feared
that all the parties had perished, but the joists and flooring
having settled upon the top of Mr. Smith's bedstead, they
formed a kind of arch, which protected the inmates, and they-
thereby escaped. Mrs. Smith and her daughters' also, by
sopamrteiesexentrly received any aordiarymeans escaped destruction; one of' the
personal injury, and that
emuesre was
ya
cut on the head. The upper room of the
coffee-house decorated with tents and canopies for the use of the society
termed " The Sons of the Phoenix.'_' _ T.
slime
iw th hohlaseofletshtefurui. para-
phernalia has been destroyed, and Mr.
tura valued at upwards of 100/. '