The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-03 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY.—The Apollo troop-ship, Corn-
mender Radelife, arrived at Spithead this morning from
Monte Video, bringing invalids of the 73d and 45th Regi-
ments, and among the passengers Mr. Ball, Consul ut Monte
Video, and Ensign Grant, of the 43d.
The Apollo left Monte Video on the Ist of February, and
brings the intelligence of an engagement having taken place
at St. Carlos (about six miles from Maldonado), which place
Captain Martin, of the Eagle, 50-gun frigate, had fired into,
and driven the belligerents from their position (this was a
few days prior to the sailing of the Apollo); after which
General Frere was defeated, and lost the whole of his in-
fantry, the inhabitants being driven to an island for shelter.
Detachments of the 45th and Royal Marines from the Bri-
tish squadron were cent to the scene of action, but were not
in the engagement.
The Harlequin, Commander Curry, sailed yesterday morn-
, ing for the Mediterranean, but was driven back by foul wea-
ther; the City of Poonah, Indianian, Captain Nelson, how-
ever, got under weigh, and kept on her course.
The royal yacht Victoria and Albert was taken under the
sheers yesterday, to receive same portions of her machinery,
which had been sent to Messrs. Maudslay and Field, Lon-
don, for repair; after shipping them she was taken back to
her moolings to prepare for service.
The Electra, 18, Commander Maitland, has received her
orders to sail for the coast of Africa, and will proceed to-
morrow, weather permitting.
The Contest, new 12-guii brig, built at the establishment
of the Messrs. White, at Cowes, will, according to present
arrangements, be launched on Thursday next.

The Racehorse, 18, Commander 11ay, sailed from Sydney
for New Zealand on the 6th of November.

The Osprey, 12, Commander Parker, arrived at Auckland,
from the Bay of Islands, on the 15th of October.
Nearly 300 hired artisans, including 160 shipwrights, were
discharged from this dockyard on Tuesday evening.
The Apollo will come into harbour when the weather mo-
derates to refit. _ _ _

The Emerald tender, Master-Commander Beach, returned
from Plymouth this morning with supeinumeraries.

COMMUNICATION BETWEEN the
PACIFIC AND EUROPE, vid THE ISTHMUS
OF PANAMA.
Her Majesty's Government having entered into a contract
with the South Pacific Steam Navigation Company, for the
conveyance of mails once in every month each way between
Panama, Callao, Valparaiso, and other intermediate parts,
an agent of the Royal West India Mail Steam Packet Com-
pany has, we understand, been instructed to forward by the
steam vessels under this contract, all letters and newspapers
addressed to places on the western coast of South America,
and transmitted to him in the closed mails which are made
up in London on the 17th of every month. The first con
tract packet will be in readiness Co leave on er about the
23d instant, with the correspondence posted in this country
on the 17th. The packets will call at the under-mentioned
ports : in the States of New Granada, Ecuador, Peru,
Bolivia, and Chili, viz. :—Buenaventura, Guyaquil, Payta,
Lambayeque, Huanchaco, Santa, Huacho, Callao, Piaco,
Islay, Arica, Quique, Cobija, Cossiasso, Huasso, Co-
quimbo, and Valparaiso, the great mining districts. By
the new regulations, letters not exceeding half an ounce are
to be charged 2s. postage; and newspapers addressed to the
states of New Granada, Ecuador, and Peru will be forwarded
free of postage, but those addressed to Chili, will be charged
4d. each. Mr. Perry, the British Consul at Panama, has been
appointed agent for the Royal West India Mail Steam Packet
Company at that port, for the purpose of receiving specie,
bullion, jewellery, &c., and providing for their transmission
(the usual risks excepted) to the Bank of England. The
charge established upon freights of specie and bullion, which
includes the expenses of transit across the Isthmus, and all
other charges from delivery to the Company's agent at Pa-
nama, is to be 13/4 per cent. upon pearls, emeralds, and all
other precious stones unset (being exempt from duty); 21/4
on their value, also deliverable at the Bank of England ;
and upon jewellery subject to duty, :2% per cent. on its
value, deliverable at Southampton. The steam ships of the
Royal West India Mail Company will leave Southampton
on the 17th of every month, and proceed (cia Ja-
maica) to Chagres, where they arrive on the 20th or 21st of
the following month, the passage occupying about thirty-four
days. At Chagres they stop about half a day to land pas-
sengers proceeding overland to Panama, where the steamers
of the Pacific Steam Packet Company will embark them,
for conveyance to the different ports southward, as far as
Valparaiso. On her return from Chagress the packet
will start on the 25th or 26th of each month with the mails
and passengers who have arrived from the Pacific, and pro•
ceed (via Jamaica, Havannah, and Bermuda) to South-
ampton, where she will be due on the 7th of each month, the
passage occupying about forty days. The packet which
leaves Chagres on the 25th or 26th of each month, with pas-
sengers from the Pacific, will reach Havannah on the 7th or
Bth of the following month, after a passage of twelve days,
from whence an American steamer leaves monthly for New
Orleans, besides which there are monthly sailing packets
and other vessels to New York and other parts of the
United States.