The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-09 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE:

PORTSMOUTH, JAN. B—The Retribution steam frigate
has been brought alongside the dockyard to be fitted to
take in provisions for conveyance to Ireland or Scotland,
as may be required. As the Sidon will be in the hands
of the artificers for some weeks, Captain Henderson, and
the officers and crew of that ship, have been ordered to
take charge of the Retribution during the temporary
service she is to be employed on.
The Athol's orders have been changed, and instead of
going to Woolwich, she is to refit in this harbour, with
all speed, and to take to Malta two companies of Royal
Artillery. The detachments of Royal Artilley and
Sappers and Miners brought from Bermuda have been
sent up by the South-Western Railway. The Athol
came into harbour this forenoon.
Her Majesty's ship Albatross, Commander Farquhar,
arrived this morning from the Nore, to wait orders. She
is intended for service on the coast of Africa, and will be
paid here, and sail next week.
The Kestrel yacht, formerly belonging to the late
Earl of Yarborough, has been surveyed by the dockyard
officers, and being declared fit for her Majesty's service,
has been purchased by Government. She is to be
brought here from Cowes to be fitted for sea, and Lieut.
Sir Godfrey 'Webster, Bart., a Lieutenant of the St.
Vincent, is to have the command of her. The Kestrel
is intended for service in the West Indies, and is to re-
lieve the Pickle schooner. The Crown has made a good
bargain in this instance. The Kestrel is upwards of 200
tons, rigged as a brigantine. She was obtained for
about 2,0001., including everything in her except her
cabin furniture.

To avoid any future accidents to her Majesty's ships
going from Portsmouth to Plymouth on the Downs, by
unqualified persons being taken on board as pilots, as
occurred for instance in the Daphne, an order has been
issued that all commanding officers who may be going
to those places are, if they require a pilot, to apply for
one at the Rear-Admiral Superintendent's office in the
dockyard, and no other place.
Commander Hugh Goold, from the ordinary at Sheer-
ness, is appointed to the ordinary at this port; he has
been superseded by Commander Gordon. Commander
Hall has the ordinary at Plymouth.
The Scourge is to return to Lisbon about the end of
this month, and be attached to the squadron under the
command of Vice-Admiral Sir Wm. Parker.

Her Majesty's sloop Hyacinth, 16, Commander F.
Scott, has arrived this afternoon from the West Indian
and North American station. She has been ordered home
to be paid off, having been upwards of three years in
commission. The Hyacinth has a few supernumeraries
from the squadron.
WooLwicn, JAN. B.—The Geyser steam-vessel, Com-
mander F. Brown, left to-day for Greenhithe; and after
having her compasses adjusted there by Captain John-
son, will proceed to one of the western ports, where she
is to receive her final sailing orders. Her destination is
now ascertained to be the East Indies.
The Rosamond, Commander John Foote, will not be
completed before the end of next week, after which she
will proceed to the Cape of Good Hope to relieve her
Majesty's steam-vessel Thunderbolt, Commander A.
Boyle. The Thunderbolt has been upwards of four years
in commission.

The Tartarus steam-vessel has undergone an entire
refit, and will be re-commissioned in a few days by Com-
mander Wolfe, who commanded her during the recent
surveys on the coast of Ireland, and where she is to be
employed again on similar service.
The Janus steam-vessel, having had her machinery
taken out and replaced at this dockyard by the con-
tractors, was towed back to Deptford on Tuesday.
Several steam-vessels are ready for trial, and will be
commissioned very shortly, viz,, the Growler steam-
sloop, the Antelope and Odin steam-vessels. The An-
telope, Triton, and Oberon, new steam-vessels, are
ordered to be fitted out at Chatham.

REDUCTION OF DUTY ON TEA.

- - - - -
On Thursday a deputation from the London Asso-
ciation for the Reduction of Duty. upon Tea, consisting
of Sir George Larpent, Bart. (chairman of the East In-
dia and China Association), Mr. S. Gregson (deputy-
chairman), Mr. Norton, and Mr. Dallas, waited upon
Lord John Russell, at his official residence, Downing-
street, for the purpose of representing the present state
of the trade, and the public advantages which would
accrue from a reduction of duty.
Lord John Russell received the deputation with much
courtesy, and expressed his willingness to hear what-
ever observations they might have to make upon the
propriety of reducing considerably the present duty
levied upon tea. His Lordship also took occasion to
remark that a deputation, consisting of several gentle-
men connected with the commercial interests of Liver-
pool, and their relations with China, had lately waited
upon him and given him the benefit of their opinions.
The interview lasted upwards of an hour, in the
course of which Lord John Russell asked a number of
questions calculated to afford the most authentic in-
formation on the subject connected with the visit of the
deputation.

After the deputation had advanced various argu-
ments to show that the greatly increased consumption
would more than compensate for any trifling diminution{
of the revenue,

Lord JOHN RUSSELL thanked the deputation for the
trouble they had taken, and assured them that the sub-
ject upon which they appeared to be so much interested
would receive the fullest and most patient consideration
of her Majesty's Goverument.
The deputation having acknowledged their sense of
his Lordship's kindness, and the great courtesy with
which he he had received them, then withdrk w.

The Chancell3r of th,, Exchequer had expressed his
intenfhrn to be present during the interview, but was
prevented by the death of his father.

MAGISTERIAL CRANGES.-Yesterday it was stated
that Mr. Arnold, the revit,ing barrister, has been ap-
pointed one of the metropolitan police magistrates, and
he was present at Worship-street, with Mr. Bingham, the
sitting magistrate. It appears that Mr. Broughton, who
has been about twenty years at Worship-street, removes
to Marlborough street, to replace Mr. Maltby, whe re-
tires from the bench.

A Wm MURDERED DY HER HUSBAND.—The
secluded village of Caldbeck was thrown into a state of
great excitement and alarm on Wednesday last, by the
rumour that William Stalker had murdered his wife,
aged about fifty years, on the preceding evening.
Stalker has been for many years a respectable farmer at
Willie Riddings, where he brought up a large family,
and was about to quit the farm, and keep a grocer's shop
in Caldbeck. On Tuesday evening last, ho and his wife
went to the farm to milk the cows, and on their not re-
turning at the usual time, about two huurs afterwards,
one of the sons repaired to the farm to look after his
father and mother, and on entering the house, fell over
something lying on the floor, when he fainted. On re-
covering, he returned to:Caldbeck,and other persons went
back to the farm-house, who found poor Mrs. Stalker
lying murdered on the floor. From the black marks
which were discovered on both sides of her neck, it was
presumed that she had been strangled. Her body was
then removed to Caldbeck, to her disconsolate family.
Search was then made for the murderer, who was found
the next morning sitting under a hedge in one of his
own fields, and confessed that he had murdered his wife
by strangulation. Stalker has been in a state of mental
debility for some time past. The family is one of the
most respectable in the locality. An. inquest was held,
and a verdict of Wilful Murder returned. Stalker was
immediately committed for trial—Sheffield Iris.
A ROBBER SHOT.—Linden House, near Wellin-
ton, the residence of Major Thomas, has been repeatedly
attacked attacked by midnight robbers within the last three
months, and on Friday night, about half-past twelve
o'clock, the servant was aroused by distinctly hearing
the noise occasioned by an attempt to break into the
back part of the premises. Having alarmed her master,
he proceeded with his gun to
.the front door, with the
view of intercepting the villains, but on opening the hall
door was surprised to find two fellows under the portico.
The Major instantly struck down one of them with his
fist, and the rascal, on attempting to recover, received
another blow, which a second time prostrated him. The
other scoundrel ran off, but before proceeding beyond
the range of the gun, the Major fired and lodged a
charge of small shot in the lower part of the villain's •
back. The robbers are brothers, of bad repute, and live
at Row-green, a place long notorious as the rendezvous
of the most profligate and dangerous characters. War-
rants are out against the two, and also against some
others, who, it is ascertained, were associated on the
spot for this midnight outrage, so intrepidly defeated by
the worthy Major.— TauntenCourier.
SURRENDER WITHOUT FIGHTING.—M. Mann, A
lieutenant in the 15th Regiment of Light Infantry, was
lately tried by a court:martial at Oran for having
nocapitu-
lated in the open country without fighting,
°o.nf
was
punishable with death by the Ist and 2d artickfalls
Imperial decree of the Ist of May, 1812.
Tlemcensenton theto
A2i7rti I IT
con
if
°u o n September,sde detachment
e.tnotMc on.nf.d2uocut_
n3fronon:
allan and not:
men
northinagd
baoecnonvzsyohonfrg2eod,oofOrnmballthceartroisdpgietas4
s
more than fifty were sufficientlyuddyenl sruercroovuenredded by atoperforut
active duty. They werelarge
banoddyLoiefnAternabanst,
muanncliner,
fitnlideincommand of A
useless
torbedsi-setl:
olidaapite,
urr
lated. The accused having been brought to the bar,
questioned the competency of the Court, and refused to
reply to the questions addressed to him by Colonel
Gachot, its president. M. Lebon, his counsel, contended
that the charter of 1830 had abolished military commis-
sliBoln2s, annodt ehxa tyrn ogr dbieneanr ys a
nt roi
tbi uo
nn
ea lds,bayntdhethLaetgtihsleatduercer,ewate of
unconstitutional. The Court having retired to delibe-
rate, soon afterwards returned, and pronounced itself
competent, in virtue of the said decree, and of a decision.
of the Court of eassation of the 9th of December, 1829
It accordingly proceeded to examine the witnesses, and
the prisoner having persisted in his system of defence,
was condemned to death. The sentence was immediately
afterwards read to him in presence of the assembled
guard, and Colonel Gachot, moreover, notified to him
that be had ceased to be a member of the Legion of
Honour. He was then removed to the military prison,
where he was to await the decision of the Supreme
Court.

POST-OFFICE NOTICE, YESTERDAY.—DEPARTURE
or MAILS.—The Forth, for Sydney, New South Wales,
and West Indies, on the morning of the 18th inst. The
Cambria, for America, on the evening of the 3d Feb-
ruary. The Giraffe, for the Holland and Hamburg"'
mails, on the evening of the 9th (this day).
CAUTION TO BUYERS OF GREEN PEAS.—(From a
Correspondent.)—Persons cannot be too cautious in
purchasing green peas ready shelled from hawkers, as
they are not really, as represented, an arrival from Hol-
land, but a small species of our common grey pea, dyed
with a preparation of verdigris and urine, in which they
are partly boiled, to render them a little mellow. This,
a few years since, was a famous trade of costermongera
about this time of year, until their " hot green peas" be.
came a cold game, a discovery having taken place.