The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-05 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
PORTSMOUTH; OCT. 3.—By the arrival olthe Maria
Soames transport, Lieutenant, Boys, agent; Mr. William
King, master, which anchored at Spithead yesterday
afternoon, we have advices from Simon's Bay 14 days
later than those last received (to the 21st of July) from
that port.
Her dates are, from Colombo, 10th of February;
Trincomalee, 12th of March; Mauritius, 22d of June;
Cape of Good Hope, August 4; St. Helena, August
20; and Ascension, August 29.
She reports affairs at the Cape to be rapidly pro-
gressing towards the restoration of tranquillity. The
arrival of the 45th Regiment, from the River
Plate, in the Resistance troop-ship, Captain Patey, on
the Ist of August, would reinforce Sir Peregrine Mait-
land most materially, and serve to relieve some of the
Burgher forces, more especially as the 73d were also
expected at the Cape in a week in the Apollo, from
Monte Video. The 45th were detained at Cape Town
by the Acting-Governor until clothing could be pro-
cured for them, their long absence from England and
rough work in the River Plate having made them pre-
sent a very sorry appearance. As soon as they could be
equipped they were to be sent to the frontier.
Sir Peregrine Maitland, the Governor, was on the
frontier well supported; the Kafirs had retreated before
him, but he expected to come up with them in about
forty-eight hours.
The inhabitants of the towns and commercial districts
had recovered from their alarm, and business was pro-
gressing towards a healthy re-establishment. Provisions
were also somewhat more reasonable than they were by
the last advices.
Commander Inglefield, late flag-lieutenant to his
father Rear-Admiral Inglefield, Commander-in-Chief in
the River Plate, and promoted for his gallantry in the
action of Obligado, proceeded to the Cape in the Resist-
ance, as did Commander Boyle, appointed to command
the Thunderbolt steam-sloop, vice Broke, promoted.
The intelligence from the Cape, by the Maria Soames,
does not confirm the report of the death of Commander
Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Bart., of the Helena sloop.
That officer's death was merely " reported " when the
Maria Soames left. The crew and officers of the Helena
had, however, been very ill, and but few able to do duty.
The Conway, 26, Captain Kelly, was reported to be in a
similar unfortunate state.
Rear-Admiral Dacres had summoned all his squadron
to join him at the Mauritius, intending to make a dis-
play at Madagascar. The following are the forces thus
summoned;—The Conway, 26, Captain Kelly; the Cleo-
patra, 26, Captain Wyvil ; the Helena, 16, Commander
Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Bart.; the Snake, 16, Com-
mander Brown ; the Childers, 12, Commander Pitman
(which sailed on the 4th of August, en route for Sydney);
and the Thunderbolt steam-sloop, under the temporary
command of Flag-Lieutenant Belgrave, of the President,
50, Captain Stanley.
Commander Gambier, in the Sappho, 16, was left at
Simon's Bay, as senior officer.
The French bad assembled a force of 1,500 troops on
an island about 180 miles north of Madagascar, prepara-
tory, it was expected, to some aggressive operations
against that island.
There.was no man-of-war at St. Helena at the above
date.

Front Ascension, however, the news is good; dysen-
tery, which had so long prevailed in the island, was
rapidly declining; indeed, the island might be said to be
generally healthy.
The squadron on the coast of Africa was thus distri-
buted on the 29th of August:—
The Actaeon, 26, Captain Manse!, senior officer, who
had arrived a few days prior from Sierra Leone and the
Gallinas; the Tortoise store and guard-ship, Com-
mander Morrell, and the Cygnet,. 6, Commander Mon-
tresor (who had superseded Commander Layton), were
at Ascension; the Cygnet in such an unserviceable state
that it was expected a survey would send her to Eng-
land.

The Bittern, 16, Commander Hope, had gone to the
sonthern division of the station.
The Larne, 18, Commander Brisbane, was off Ka-
benda.
The Wasp, 16, Commander Ussher, was hourly ex-
pected at Ascension on her way toEngland, to be
paid off.
The Kingfisher, 12, Commander Horton, was at
Loango.
The Espoir, 10, Commander Hand, was off Benguela,
at which place she relieved the Cygnet.
The Favourite, 18, Commander Murray, had gone to
the River Pougas.
The Ferret, 8, Commander Sprigg, was at Sea-bar.
The Lily, 16, Commander Newton, was at the Pougas.
The Rapid, 10, Commander Galwey, was at Benguela.
The Alert, 6, Commander Ellis, was at the Gallinas.
The Nimrod, 20, Commander Dacres, had just pre-
viously left Cape Mount on a cruise.
The Star, 16, Commander Hockin, was at Sestos.
The Hydra steam-sloop, Commander Young; the
Flying Fish, 12, Commander Dyke; and the Ranger,
6, Commander Anderson, were cruising in the Bights of
Benin.
The Styx steam-sloop was healthy, and was on a
cruise under her new commander, Chads.
The Hecate steam-sloop, Commander West, was on a
cruise. She had lost two of her officers, the master and
gunner ; the former, Mr. Fox, from coup de soleil, and
the latter, Mr. Davidson, from imprudently remaining
in his wet clothes after being overboard.
The Rolla, 10, Commander Simpson, was at the Cape
de Verde Islands.
The Pantaloon, 10, Commander Douglas ; the Pro-
metheus steam-sloop, Commander Hay ; the Sealark, 10,
Commandor Gooch the Wanderer, 16, Commander
Somerville ; and the Water Witch, 8, Commander
Birch, are cruising about in search of slavers.
The Contest, 12, Commander M`Murdo, had not ar-
rived on the station from England.
The following officers came home in the Maria
Soames : Major Wortham, Royal Engineers, and
family ; Commander Inglefield, R.N. ; Commander
Layton, R.N. ; Dr. Sloggett, late of the Penelope, in
charge of the invalids from the coast of Africa squa-
dron ; Dr. and Mrs. Eagar and family ; Dr. and Mrs.
Bynoe ; Mr. Kemp, second master of the Actaeon, in-
valided. She also brought 37 invalids of the 99th Light
Infantry from Ceylon, and 23 invalids from the squadron
on the coast of Africa. Four deaths occurred on the
passage home from natural causes. This is the trans-
port which encountered a severe hurricane in her pas-
sage from Colombo to the Mauritius, with part of the
90th Regiment on board, when a melancholy loss of life
among the troops Wilt place. She would have foundered
on that occasion but for the most praiseworthy exertions
of the soldiers, who completely wore out the pumps by
their exertions to keep the ship afloat.
Lieutenant V. 0. Inglefield, of the Vernon (acting),
had been appointed Third Lieutenant of the Comus, in
the Parana, vice Brickdale, killed in action.
A court-martial is ordered to assemble to-morrow
morning, at nine o'clock, on board the Victory, to try
First Lieutenant Charles G. Crawley, of the Avenger
steam-frigate, for an offence, the penalty for the convic-
tion upon which is, according to the 29th Article of
War, nothing short of death.
The Windermere, from Van Diemen's Land, arrived
from the River yesterday, and to •day embarked Captain
Sir William Denison, Royal Engineers, the newly-ap-
pointed Governor of the above settlement, family, and
suite.

The Comet steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander
Johnston, arrived at Westport, Ireland, on the 30th ult.,
from Galway. She landed from her boats ten boxes of
specie, each containing 5001. sterling, to assist in the
relief of the prevailing distress.
The invalids brought by the Maria Seames were put
on board the Victory to-day.
The Rochester navy lighter sailed yesterday for Devon-
port with stores.
The Lively navy lighter sailed yesterday with stores
for Woolwich.
The Drake navy lighter arrived to-day from Sheer-
ness and Chatham with stores.
WOOLWICH, OcT. 4.—The Black Eagle steam-vessel,
Master Commander S. B. Cook, after landing her Royal
Highness the Princess William of Prussia at Rotterdam,
proceeded to Ostend to convey the Princess of Saxe
Weimar to England, and her Serene Highness arrived at
Woolwich Dockyard at half past one o'clock P.M. to-day.
The state of the tide being favourable, the Elack Eagle
steamer was enabled to come alongside the wharf wall,
and her Serene Highness was received and conducted on
shore by Captain Henderson, C. 8., of her Majesty's
steam frigate Sidon, and Commander Smith, of the Wil-
liam and Mary yacht. One of the Queen Dowager's
royal carriages was in waiting in the dockyard, with
several members of her Majesty the Queen Dowager's
suite, in other carriages, to attend her Serene Highness
to Marlborough House.
The Scourge bomb steam-vessel, Commander Catlin,
is to be taken into the basin at Woolwich, to have some
defects made good, which will occupy the workmen four
or five days. She will then proceed to Chatham, and
embark the depot of the 46th Regiment at that port,
and convey them to Guernsey, where they are to be
stationed. The Scourge will embark the depot of the
27th Regiment at Guernsey, and convey them to Ports-
mouth.
The Acheron steam-vessel, Lieutenant Commander
Dunlop, will leave Woolwich to-morrow for Portsmouth,
where she will be paid in advance.
The Blenheim, 72 guns, fitting as a block ship, will
have her machinery, constructed by Messrs. Seaward and
Capel, put on board to-morrow in the East India Dock,
where she is at present. She will be taken out of the
dock on the following day (Tuesday), and towed to
Wigram and Co's establishment, to be fitted with her
screw propeller, and have the other necessary alterations
completed.

TiiE ConnLEß's LAST STALL.—A cobbler, with
his wife and family, have lately installed themselves
within the hulk of an old steamer which plied, not long
since, between Liverpool and New Brighton Ferry. The
hulk is situated on the sands between Tranmere and Rock
Ferry. It seems this novel specimenof a cobbler's stall is
a regular " stall-off," adopted for the especial purpose of
avoiding the payment of parish-rates and other taxes
which the cobbler, as the year waxed on, had found to
wax most disagreeably burdensome, and to bear him
down altogether; so at last he quitted the land, with its
swamping parishes, and has resolved to see if he cannot
now make a more successful attempt at keeping " afloat"
on the water.—Liverpool Times.
PROGRESS OF FREE TRADE IN FRANCE.—The
Journal des Debuts, in alluding to the late meeting of
the Association des Libres Echanges, says—" The asso-
ciation, we arc assured, is making progress. Several
persons of note having joined its ranks, and among the
most important may be named M. Nicholas Kcechlin,
one of the greatest manufacturers, who throughout his
long career has been at the head of all the many im-
provements introduced into the manufactures of Alsace;
and who, at the time of the commercial inquiry in 1834,
distinguished himself by the courage with which he
maintained that the industry of France could, only gain,
by the gradual establishment of the freedom of trade."