The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-15 00:00:00

The Resistance troop-ship, Commander G. Lowe, was
undocked on Saturday, and is completing her refitment
in the basin.

MALTA, DEC. 4.—The French Government steamer
Tancrede, with mails from the Levant, arrived late yes-
terday.
Mails for Italy, Sicily, and Marseilles will be closed
to-morrow per Leonidas.
The French steamer Caire from Beyrout and Alexan-
dria arrived to-day. She will continue her route to
Marseilles direct without loss of time.

Her Majesty's steamer Flamer, with the London mails
of the 24th ult., arrived here last night from Marseilles,
and will proceed to the lonian islands and Greece to-day
with the mails.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Ripon, with mails and passengers fur India, bringing
London dates of the 20th ult., arrived here last night,
and will proceed this evening to Alexandria.
. .

By a letter from Corfu, of the 23d ult., we learn that
her Majesty's ship Fantome was to sail on the following
day for Athens, to relieve the Amazon, ordered to join
the Admiral.

Her Majesty's steamer Meteor had been cruising for
pirates, but had, of course, been unsuccessful. She re-
cently enjoyed a pleasant trip with his Royal Highness
the Prince Albert of Prussia round the islands, thence
to Corinth. His Royal Highness was much pleased with
the vessel, and left a remembrance to the crew, and a
handsome gold snuff box, with the cipher of his Royal
Highness engraved on it, was presented by him to her
commander, Lieutenant G. Butler.

The French steamer Oronte, from Marseilles and Leg-
horn, arrived on the 28th ult , and continued her voyage
to the Levant on the same day.
The French Government steamer Osiris left port on
the afternoon of her arrival here (27th ult.), for Alex-
andria and Beyrout.
The French Government steamer Pericles left port on
the evening of the 27th ult., for Athens, Smyrna, and
Constantinople. Both these vessels carried mails.
The barque Priscilla, Captain Purdy, twenty-one
days from Odessa and twelve days from Constantinople,
passed off this port on the 27th ult., all well, bounce to
England.
The schooner Firefly, Captain Holland, which arrived
here on the 29th ult. from Odessa, spoke on the 22d, in
lat. 36, lon. 20.30, the English brig La Bella, in ballast,
bound to Constantinople.
The Russian brigantine Themistocles, from the Piraeus,
arrived here on the 30th ult.

Her Majesty's ship Amazon arrivei here on the 30th
tilt. from the Piraeus. She will sail, we hear, in a few
days to join the squac:ron under Sir W. rarker,
Viee-
Admiral in command of the fleet in the T4gus, when a
court will assemble to inquire into the corporal and other
punishments lately inflicted on board.
The Neapolitan steamer Maria Christina arrived here
from Marseilles and ports of Italy and Sicily on the 2d
inst., and left last night on her return voyage.
The French steamer Hellespont, expected here on the
30th ult. from the Levant, arrived here on the 2d inst.,
and proceeded on the same day to Leghorn and Mar-
seilles.

Her Majesty's steamer Jackal, who-e commander,
Lieutenant Pasco, has been recently promoted, is ordered
home, and may be shortly expected here from the

Her Majesty's steamer Trident is still in port, and
nothing definitive is yet decided as to the period of her
getting under way to relieve the Ardent, Commander G.
SP.°l2g.

We understand that her Majesty's ship licela wil
shortly proceed to Constantinople to relieve the Blood
hound in those waters.

Her Majesty's brig Siren is, it is reported, about to
relieve her Majesty's ship Inconstant at Beyrout, ar.d will
probably convey his Lordship the Bishop of Jertualem
to Jaffa, a short distance from his see.

ADMIRALTY:
APTOINTMENT.—Commander—J. W. Finch, to study
at the Steam Factory, Woolwich.

ALLEGED HIGHWAY ROBBERY.
We last week recorded a somewhat romantic story, as
told by a travelling stationer at the City police station
on Saturday night week, that story being that the said
hawker of Bath post, %%hilst travelli9g to Gloucester,
was joined by a youth of about 1.5 or 16, who entered
into conversation with him about buying shoes, and on
being told that the stationer had a few shillings about
him which he intended to invest in second-hand slices,
the youth fell lip(wi him with murderous violence, and
knocked him about the head with a bludgeon, but that
In the struggle which ensued the man of paper got the
boy's nasal organ between his teeth, and actually bit it
off, leaving the juvenile highwayman to make his way
home to his friends minus his nose. We had our sus-
picions that the whole story was a fabrication; but it
appears to have had some foundation in truth, with this
trifling discrepancy, that the fellow who made his corn-
plaint at the police-station was in all probability the first
assailant, and no doubt with felonious intent, and
that the poor boy whose nese was so unpleasantly
gripped was really the aggrieved and the innocent
party. It was untortunate that no information was
given of the circumstance to the superintendent of the
county police or to any of the officers of that force, so
that the first intimation given to the county station
reached there through the newspaper on Saturday last,
since which time, we understand, Mr. Superintendent
Griffin has been indefatigably engaged in investigating
the matter, with the following results:—He discovered
the boy, whose name is John Wells, who resides at
Elmore, and who is about seventeen years of age, and
who states that about six o'clock on Saturday evening,
the 28th ult., he was met by a travelling man on the side
of the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal, and walked with
him for some distance until they arrived at the second
mile post; that as they walked along the man asked him
what he gave for his boots, to which he repli, d eleven
shillings. The man said he wanted a pair himself; but
could not afford to give so much mot ey for them, lle
also remarked that if the boy had been at Gloucester
fair that day he could have earned some money, to which
the lad replied that he had been there, and had received
two shillings for driving some sheep to Charlton Kings.
The ruffian then knocked him down with a blow from
his fist in his face, knelt on him when he was on the
ground, and began feeling for his pockets. The boy
cried " Murder," and the man seized him by the throat,
threatened to throw him into the canal, and in the
scuffling did get the poor boy's nose in his mouth and
bit it, but only left the marks of his teeth in it; he did
not bite it off. The boy begged for mercy, and the
fellow ultimately let him go, giving him back a knife
which he had taken out of his pocket; but the boy missed
his 25., and supposes that the man appropriated them to
himself, or that they were lost in the struggle. The boy
Wells states his willingness to come forward at any time,
and his story is, to a certain extent, confirmed by his
baying been met not many minutes after the rencontre
by a neighbour, who saw the state he was in, and to
whom he related the attack that had been made upon
him. With regard to the pedlar, whom we think we
must now regard as the real Dick Turpin in this curious
adventure, all trace of him has been lost, and it seems
probable that, for fear the boy should make cemplaint
to the police, he determined to turn the tables upon
him and be the first to have his story beard,
re-
ferring to appear in the character or a prose p
prosecutor
rather then to stand at the bar as a criminal charged
with highway robbery
which
and violence. There is agoeod
reason also to believe that in that part of the story
related to the dreadful injuries be pretended to have
re•
ceived about the head,. he was clever enough to deceive
the vigilant and expertencedeyoa of Mr. Supiskinteadent
Williams, to whom lie told his story. It hasYeaii(esser.
tained that the fellow arrived at Parry's lodging-house
in Leatherbottledane on the evening in question ; that
he did not appear to be hurt except on his head ; but
that he tied up his head with a handkerchief, went to
the police-station, and on his return retained the same
uninjured appearance, and, after sleeping at Parry,s that
night, went away the next morning. The activity of
Superintendent Griffin in so far unravelling this affair
is creditable to him as an officer ; but it is right we
should state, on the other side, that this new version of
the whole story does not obtain implicit credence, and
that mystery is still supposed to attach to some of the
circumstances of this singular narrative.—Gloucester
Journal.

INCREASE or FEVER.—TIVe understand that this
fearful malady is greatly on the increase in Glasgow aed
suburbs, so much so, that at the Police Board the Lord
Provost has been waited upon by a deputation from the
Fever Hospital, with the view of having additional ac-
commodation afforded for patients, the state of the
hospital being such that the very floors of the institution
are fully occupied. Ms Lordship brought the matter
before the Police Board on I•londay, when it was re-
mitted to the committee.—Scotch Reformers' Gazette.
VORACITY Or TIIE COD.—A very plentiful and
seasonable supply of fish reached Swansea on Friday
she Saturday last ;
indeed, taking into consideration
the present high price of provisions of all kinds, it may
be considerecla very seasonable relief to the poor. As
a proof of the extraordinary low price of this valuable
commodity, we can state that an
and
purchased a
cod fish, weighing between eight
nine pounds, on
Saturday for and on its
I,opereened for the pur-
pot. of cleansing its inside, thereg found twenty-
two herring s therein, some of them remarkably- large,
stDd_ tallibitint signs of anirall ion.— Cam. The indictment found at the last
session of the
'Catra/ Criminal Court against several individuals for
hiving illegally trafficked in the sale of cadetships, has
been removed by certiorari item that court to the Court
of queseg Bench,

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
.PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 14.—The Vengeance, 84, Cap- I
tam Lushington, will be reported out of the dockyard
hands to-morrow, and will go out of harbour on Thurs-
day, according to present arrangements. She bent sails
on Friday ; in furling them to-day, after dinner, an acci-
dent happened to an able seamen named Charles Holder,
who, while engaged in the above duty on the maintop-
sail yard, lost his balance and fell in to the water,
striking, in his descent, the maintop-rim, whence his
body bounded off the lower rigging and struck the spare
topsail-yard. He was promptly picked up by the seamen
of the ship, who plunged through the lower-deck ports
and held him while a boat's crew got him into a barge.
He was taken on board the Vengeance in a very ex-
hausted and apparently hopeless state, but the judicious
and prompt attention of Dr. Wallace and the other assist-
ant-surgeon of the ship soon restored animation, and the
sufferer was put to bed, where he soon recovered his
senses and had his wounds dressed, which, although very
serious, are not expected to terminate fatally. The
Vengeance has at length nearly got her complement,
which is made up thus :—Captain and ward-room
officers, 17 ; subordinate officers, 17 ; warrant and petty
officers, 44, eight of whom are " idlers ;" able seamen,
118, 24 of whom
are " idlers ;" ordinary seamen, 76 ;
landsmen, 31; marines, 70; first-class boys, 95 ; second-
class boys, 21 ; total, 489 ; wanted 11.

The Netley tender sailed for Plymouth this morning.
The Cyclops steam-frigate, Captain W. Lapidge, came
into the harbour this afternoon to coal and make good
defects.