The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-16 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH,", JUNE 14.—The Polyphemus steam-
sloop, Commander M'Cleverty, left the harbour this
morning at daylight (about 2) for Lisbon direct, with dis-
patches from the Government for the British Minister
and Commander-in-Chief.
We are authorised to state that there is no truth what-
ever in a paragraph which has gone the round of the
press to the effect that Captain Campbell, Royal Navy,
of Southsea, intended to contest the borough of Ports.
mouth, on the Conservative interest, with the present
Members, in conjunction with Mr. Jones, the banker, of
Portsea.

FLYMOUTII, JUNE 12.—Her Majesty's ship Caledonia,
120, Captain Manly H. Dixon, with the flag of Port-
Admiral Sir John West, K.C.8., and her Majesty's ship
Queen, 110, Captain Sir Henry Luke, left their moorings
in the Sound this morning, and proceeded to sea. Be-
tween one and two o'clock in the afternoon they were
observed outside the Knap-buoy with the Rame Head
open. The Queen was about half a mile ahead, on the
weather bow, and on being signalised from the Admiral s
ship hoisted her three top-gallant sails. Both ships were
reaching W.S.W., with the wind about S.S.E. In the
evening it veered more to the westward.
Her Majesty's ship San Josef, 101, Commander Hall,
is to be supplied with 14 six pounders, for the purpose
of returning salutes in the absence of her Majesty's ship
Caledonia.

Her Majesty's steam-tug Confiance sailed suddenly
on Wednesday for Falmouth with a party of artillery,
two pieces of ordnance, and a detachment of the sth
Fusiliers. She returned on Thursday, and the same
evening, when at hor moorings in liamoaze, a fire, r hick
originated close to the boilers, was discovered on board
her. The Confiance is not provided with a gun, but
having hoisted a distress flag, the powerful float-engine,
manned from her Majesty's dockyard, was soon along-
side, and speedily extinguished the flames, which have
not done much damage. Unfortunately,:one of the hands
belonging to the San Josef, in his haste to join that
ship's boat, for the purpose of aiding the Confiance, fell
overboard, and was drowned.
The officers and crew of her Majesty's steam-sloop
Growler, Commander Potbury, were paid advance yes-
terday, and she is now lying at the moorings of her Ma-
jesty's ship Queen, in the Sound. She will probably sail
to-morrow for Sierra Leone, there to embark emigrants
for the West Indies.
Captain Ellbrecht and the officers of his Danish
Majesty's corvette Flora, now in the Sound, went yester-
day in the passenger steam-packet Queen up the river
as far as Morwelham, and on their return visited Cote-
hill House, and were much delighted with their excur-
sion. When in the Sound, the steamer passed round
her Majesty's ship Queen, the band of which honoured
the strangers by playing the National Anthem.
Captain Mahommed Ben Hames, commandinghis High-
ness the Imaum of Muscat's ship Caroline, at anchor in
the Sound, is now on a visit at Mamhead, the seat of Sir
Robert Newman, Bart. The Caroline is the ship which
brought the rich present of Arabian horses from the
Imaum to her Majesty th© Queen of England. When
the captain joins her she will sail for Zanzibar.
JETNE 13.—1 n consequence of the thick weather which
came on yesterday afternoon with the westerly wind, her
Majesty's ships Caledonia and Queen returned about 4
o'clock to the Sound. They were accompanied by Port-
Admiral Sir John West, in the Sylph tender, and by
Admiral-Superintendent Sir John Louis, in the Ply-
mouth tender, both of whom went out with the inten-
tion of witnessing the comparative sailing qualities of
the two ships. The Caledonia, with the flag of the Port-
Admiral, red at the mizen, is now lying inside the eastern
arm of the Breakwater, and the Queen, with the flag of
the Admiral-Superintendent, white at the main, is moored
near the western end. The Growler continues in the
Sound. Wind southerly, blowing strong.
WOOLWICH, JUNE 14.—The Hecate steam-sloop,
Commander Joseph West, was paid off at this port on
Wednesday, the 9th inst., on her return from the coast
of Africa, to which place she proceeded in June, 1845.
On her return to England she had not a man on the sick
list, and during her time on the coast the master, boat-
swain, and four of her crew died of fever. These per-
sons had not been more exposed than the rest, and it is
supposed some previous constitutional malady was the
cause of their death. The Hecate visited every part of
the coast as far south as Angola, and the excellent pre-
servation of the health of the crew is partly attributable
to her keeping under weigh whenever she could, and
employing the mei in the exercise of their various duties,
and not exposing them to the heat of the sun, or the
miasma off the land. One principle was strictly en-
forced on hoard this vessel to keep her perfectly dry—
white% ash her fore and aft once a week, and keep up a
thorough ventilation. Since her arrival at Woolwich
she has met the approbation of those naval officers who
have visited her, and some idea may be formed of the
efficiency of her crew when it is stated that at the time
her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent embarked at
Woolwich for Ostend, half-past nine o'clock A.M., the
Hecate had royal yards across, and her yards manned,
and, at twelve o'clock, she was at a Bantling, with all her
spars overboard, and the whole of her rigging in a lump
alongside.
Tne Charon steam-vessel, being old and useless, was
towed down
is
river to-day by the Monkey steam-
vessel, and it s interded to sink her to serve as a break-
water at Harwich.

- .
BEAUTIES 07 NATURE.-HOW beautiful to the
eye and the heart rise up, in a pastoral region, the silent
green hills from the dissolving snow-wreaths that yet
linger at their feet ! A few warm sunny days, and a
few breezy and melting nights, have seemed to create
the sweet season of spring out of winter's bleakest deso-
lation. We can scarcely believe that such brightness of
verdure could have been shrouded in the snow, blending
itself, as it now does, so vividly with the deep blue
of heaven. With the revival of nature our own souls
feel restored ; happiness becomes milder, meeker, and
richer in pensive thought ; while sorrow catches a
faint tinge of joy, and reposes itself on the quietness of
earth's opening breast. Then is youth rejoicing, man-
hood sedate, and old age resigned. The child shakes
his golden curls in his glee—he of riper life hails the
coming year with temperate exultation—and the eye
that has been touched with dimness, in the general spirit
of delight, forgets, or fears not the shadows of the grave.
'BOSTON, STAMFORD, AND BIRMINGHAM RAILy:
wAy.—At a special meeting of the shareholders in_rth;.c
pauy held at 18, Abingdon-street on Biondi') I
''bAmit.ted and
Ma-
caulay in the chair, the tellowing Bills were
approved, viz.:—To make a railway from Pseyute;rbaororauiglwhat;
the Stamford and Wisbech branch at
from Wisbech to Wisbech-barbour, andThhtotoronceosnustttrounc-tbNrviodrgkes,
in the harbour a branch from t?
and another to Sutton St. Mary, improveaWnict.,ebtoee
at Sutton-bridge -, also to enablet Great N o Ttti.lll re
n harbouri/.a
way Company to lease or purchasethe East Lincolnshire ;
the Boston, Stamford, and Birmingham ; and the Amber-
gate, Nottingham. and Boston Railways.