The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-07 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

MALTA, AUGUST 28.—The French steamer Hellespont,
Rostand Company, will leave this evening, and this al-
lows me to supply a few items of news that have reached
since my last dispatch.
Her Majesty's steamer Merlin, to be employed on the
Marseilles or Alexandria line, as occasion may require,
arrived here on the 25th inst.

The Volcano steamer left this port last evenino. for
Athens, where she will, dit on, relieve the Meteor
steamer.

The American steam-frigate Princeton arrived here
on the 26th inst. She brings dates from Naples 21st ;
Palermo 23d; and Messina 25th inst.
The Hibernia, flag of Sir William Parker, and Queen,
110, were lying off Naples when the Princeton left.
The Vengeance had got under weigh the same morning
for Castella-Mare, where the remainder of the squadron
was at anchor.
All was quiet at Palermo. The French squadron
under command of Rear-Admiral Trehouard, and con-
sisting of five line-of-battle ships, arrived on the 22d in-
stant, accompanied by a large steam frigate, Le Jupiter,
74, was at Ischia waiting the orders of Admiral Baudin,
who is fast recovering from his indisposition, and en-
abled to walk.
Her Majesty's steamer Porcupine left Palermo for
Naples on the 23d. The Odin steam-frigate remained at
the former port.
Her Majesty's frigate Thetis is lying at Leghorn.
Her Majesty's steamer Bulldog is lying at Civita
Vecchia.
Cardinal Ferretti, whose arrival here was formerly men-
tioned, has returned to Rome. The movements of this
dignitary are somewhat mysterious. His departure was
as little expected as his arrival, and the cause of his visit
kept profoundly secret.
PORTSNOUTIL—The Hecate steam-vessel, Commander
William Moorman, arrived in Cowes Roads on Tuesday
night, at seven o'clock, and cast anchor, the thick
weather then prevailing preventing her proceeding to
Portsmouth, which anchorage she did not make until
six o'clock yesterday morning, where she remained some
time under the quarantine flag. She sailed from Malta
on the 15th ultimo for Leghorn, where she embarked
the Prince and Princess of Parma, their infant family
and retinue, and arrived with them at Gibraltar on the
26th of August, where they were most hospitably enter-
tained by the Governor (Sir Thomas Wilson) until the
30th, when the Hecate sailed with them for England.
On arriving at Portsmouth yesterday, the Port Admiral
sentiloluutstrhiiosuts voyagers, and
his flag lieutenant to wait upon
the
and offer them the hospitality
of the Admiralty-house, which, however, their Serene
Highnesses gratefully declined, being desirous of ar-
riving speedily in London, for which destination they
started by the express train from Gosport. By the ar-
rival of the Hecate we hear of the melancholy death of
Count de Dagenfield, a naval cadet of the Howe, 120
guns, Captain Sir James Sterling, Knt., which occurred
on the passage out of that ship on the 3d of July. The
young officer was going aloft into the mizen-top, when he
fell down the futtock shrouds on to the rail of the poop,
and was instantaneously killed.

Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker's squadron was off
Naples when the Hecate left the station. Lieutenant
the lion. J. R. M. Byng had joined the Hecate, ex-
changing with Lieutenant Hamilton, of that ship; and
Lieutenant Mildmay of the Thetis frigate, had joined
the Hecate, vice Beddingfield, dismissed therefrom by
sentence of court-martial. 1-1,,r Majesty's steam-sloop
Polyphemus, Commander M'Cleverty, and the French
steamers of war, Eclaireur and Rubis, were in Gibraltar
Bay when the Hecate came out. The Merlin steam-
packet arrived at Malta on the 25th ultimo, as the
Elecate heard at Cowes, Lieutenant-Colonel M'Adam,
late Major in command of the Royal Marines serving on
board her Majesty's ship Queen; First Lieutenant
Aslet, R.M., late of her Mrajesty's ship Vengeance, to
' join the Plymouth Division, as adjutant; and First Lieu-
tenant Adair, from the Spartan frigate, to join the
Portsmouth Division, have come home passengers in
H
the
ecata, and about fifty invalids from theance, 84sqguuandsr,oant.
The Hecate is ordered to be refitted, and sent out again.
'd
htheV,oem° eg,e ould leave
Commander
ing off Ports-
on
w
mouth, from the West India station.Rd
She sailed from