The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-19 00:00:00

Naval and Military Inteiligence

The fleet at Spithead yesterday noon got under weigh,
and went through the evolutions intended for Wednes-
day next, and which have been before described. Yes-
terday, however, the gun-boat squadrons intended to at-
tack Southsea Castle and Fort Monctnn ranged off those
fortresses and fired blank cartridge. The effect was very,
imposing. The fleet stood out in two lines in the pre-
scribed order of sailing as before, and returned to the
anchorage in the like order, taking up their starboard
and port moorings east and west through the roadstead.
The weather was so thick at starting that their move-
ments could scarcely be made out from the shore, but
before they returned the sun ,shone out and exhibited
them in magnificent array. The Centurion, 81, Capt.
W. J. Williams, joined yesterday from Plymouth arid
took up her allotted position. The Rodney and the Lon-
don will probably join to-day. Steamers of the Ryde
and Portsmouth Company made excursions through the
fleet at various hours of the day, and hundreds availed
themselves of the chance thus afforded of steaming from
end to end of the " line of battle" and inspecting its stu-
pendous proportions.
The steam-transport Indian, No. 197, arrived at Spit-
head yesterday morning from the East ; she left Scutari
March 31 ; Malta, April 7 ; Gibraltar, 11. She has
brought home Major Sargent, 95th ; Mr. Percival, B.
Medical Staff ; Capt. Tinley, 39th; Capt. M'Donald,
39th; Surgeon Dwyer, 34th ; Capt. Dixon, 41st ; Capt.
Heneage, Coidstream Guards; Assistant-Surgeon Trotter,
ditto ; Dr. Robinson, Scots Fusilier Guards ; Captain
Humbrecht, British German Legion ; Mr. Ca.yley, pay-
'master of ditto ' • Rev. H. Williams, chaplain ; Lieut, J.
Penton, 12th Lancers ; Lieut. Murphy, of the 50th ;
Capt. Mount, East Kent Militia ; Lieut. A. Paulet,
Grenadier Guards ; Capt. Wright, Royal Artillery ;
Staff Surgeon Taker, Assistant Jan Kirewa, Cossacks_
of the Sultan ; Mrs. Mount, Mrs. Telford and child,
Dr. Barton, Mr. and Mrs. Neale, Captain Corbett,
Mr. J. Purcell, and Mr. J. Nash, of the steamer Thias ;
seven second class passengers, two nurses, 58 invalids
from various detachments at Scutari. 79 ditto from Malta,
8 naval ditto, 8 ditto of the Army Works Corps, 15 ditto
merchant-seamen, 48 non-commissioned officers, privates,
servants, seamen, &c.—total 216 steerage passengers,
whom she landed at Portsmouth dockyard yesterday
afternoon.

The Vulture, 6, Captain Glasse, arrived at Spithead
from Plymouthyesterday, and joined the fleet. The Kite,
3, steam-vessel, and the Firm and Tilbury, gun-boats,
arrived yesterday from the Thames. The Imperatriz,
No. 150 transport, Captain Cox, embarked 310 men and
200 officers, late prisoners, from Russia, and left with
them for a port in the Baltic.
The Sampson, 6 guns, paddlewheel steam-frigate, Capt.
G. S. Hand, left Sheerness yesterday, at 8.30 a.m., for
Portsmouth, having in tow (to join the squadron at
Spithead), Nos. 47, 43, 109, and 111 mortar vessels.
The Firefly, 4 guns, paddlewheel steam-vessel, Capt. H.
C. Otter, arrived at Sheerness yesterday, at 8.30 a.rn ,
from the Baltic. The new mortar-vessels Nos. 53 and
54 have been put out of No. 5 dry.elock ; both vessels
are ordered round to IPo:tsmouth with all despatch.
The Alacrity, 4 guns, despatch screw steam-gunboat,
Commander H. C. Majeudie, is ordered to be ready to
leave Sheerness on Monday next to join the squadron at
Spithead.
The prison-ship Devonshire, Lieutenant-Commander
Lloyd, has returned all stores, and is to be paid off this
day.
The mortar-floats, Nos. 112 and 113, rigged and fitted
for service, were yesterday morning taken out of the
fitting basin at Woolwich, to be stored with ammunition,
&c., from the Arsenal. They are to be towed on to
Portsmouth by the Widgeon and Monkey steam-tugs ;
and an order having been received announcing the naval
squadron to be complete, these are most probably the
last vessels which will be despatched from Woolwich for
that destination.

A new 6-gun screw-steam despatch vessel, to be called
the Nimrod, and to carry 850-horse power engines, is to
be lannched on Monday next, at Mr. Scott Russell's.
The steam-transport Hesper sailed yesterday morning
from Woolwich for Deptford, to take in stores for the
East.

Some of the home stations usually kept up by portions
of the troops having become vacant by their removal to
the seat of war are now about to be reinforced. Major
J. G. Pipon's company Royal Artillery, No. 1 of the
12th battalion, yesterday morning left Woolwich for
Southampton, whence they are to embark for Jersey, to
fill up that station, at present garrisoned by invalids only.
The Chanticleer has arrived at Deptford from Ply-
mouth, and will depart thence early next week. The
Pioneer steam-transport has also arrived at Deptfori,
whence, after a supply of stores, she will proceed to
Malta and the East. The steam-tug Widgeon has been
ordered to Southampton, to hold herself in readiness for
the forthcoming review. She will sail to-morrow. The
workmen in the dockyard have resumed their usual
hours of labour—viz , from 7 o'clock to 6 daily.
The Pacific, 1,500 tons, W. C. Thompson commander,
went out of dock yesterday, and anchored at Greenhithe.
She has been chartered by the Government to bring
home troops, and will proceed to sea after the review.
She will leave the river for Portsmouth this morning,
and be ready on Wednesday to convey a large number
of the Government guests who have been invited to wit-
ness the spectacle. _ _

The following appointments were made yesterday at
the Admiralty :
Henry R. J. Pevril, to be acting second-master to the
Russell ; Robert Hastings, to be surgeon to the Samp-
son ; Frederick Le Reux, to be assistant-surgeon to the
Edinburgh ; E. N. B. Portman, to be midshipman to
the Harrier.

Exertions are being made in the dockyard establish-
ment at Chatham in order to have the despatch gun-boats
fitting for sea at that station completed, so as to enable
them to proceed to Portsmouth, to be present at the
grand naval review. The workmen are employed on
them from half-past five in the morning until nine at
night, and every endeavour is being made to have those
gun-vessels now in dock completed in the shortest pos-
sible time.

Yesterday morning a detachment of the Medical Staff
Corps, consisting of 27 hospital orderlies and ward
masters, left the depot of that corps at Chatham, and
proceeded to Portsmouth, for the purpose of doing duty
in the hospitals at that station. Tee depot of this corps
is expected to be shortly broken up, and the men
draughted to the different hospitals at home and abroad.
Since the establishment of this corps upwards of 1,300
well-trained young men have been supplied to the dif-
ferent military hospitals, and the system has been found
to answer so admirably that the authorities intend con-
tinuing it.
Captain Bunbury, commanding the Medical Staff
Corps at Chatham, has received an order to hold in
readiness a detachment of 25 hospital orderlies belonging
to that corps, to proceed to the camp at Aldershott.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, FRIDAY MORNING.
THE WEALTH OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND

HOW OBTAINED.

The success of the motion of Mr. Spooner has given
increased interest to Maynooth and its doings. A case
of no ordinary importance was brought before the Pre-
rogative Court a short time since in which it was charged
that the president and vice president of this college had
exercised undue means—in short, spiritual terrors—to
induce a priest, the Rev. Patrick O'R3urke, when on
his deathbed, to alter his will, disinherit his brothers,
and leave a,l his property—about 3,0001.—to these
reverend personages, in trust for the erection of a Ro-
man Catholic chapel in the parish of Maynooth. The
case proved by the plaintiffs warranted Judge Keatinge
in strong animadversions upon the conduct of the defen-
dants, and the case stood over for judgment this term.
Yesterday the case of " Whitehead v. O'Rourke" was
again before Judge Keatinge in the Prerogative Court.
Whatever influence was brought to bear upon the rela-
tions of Father Patrick O'Rourke was not stated, but
suffice it to say, a compromise was effected during the
vacation. There was no doubt entertained that the
judgment would be favourable to the plaintiffs. Now,
let us see what has taken place :
" The will in dispute (says the report) was that of the
Rev. Patrick O'Rourke, late Roman Catholic priest of
Cell ridge, by which all the funded and other property
of which he stood possessed was bequeathed in trust for
the erection of a Roman Catholic chapel in that parish,
this disposition being alleged by the impugnants, the
brothers of the deceased clergyman, to be at variance
with all his previous intentions and declarations, and to
have been obtained upon his deathbed through the
means of spiritual terrors exercised by the Rev Dr.
Whitehead, vice president of Maynooth, who, with the
Rev. Dr. Renehan, president of that college, and D. M.
O'Kelly, were appointed trustees by the same instru-
ment. The case has stood for judgment since the 18th
of February, and the result was looked forward to with
considerable interest.
"Mr. Swift, proctor for the impugnants, handed into
the court a special proxy signed by the four next of kin,
authorising their proctor to consent to have this will
established, a compromise having been effected between
the parties. .
"Judge Keatinge.—ls there an affidavit of the due
execution of this ?
"Mr. Swift. —I will have it made in the course of the
day. Here are the terms upon which the agreement has
been entered into (handing in the document).
"Judge Keatinge—r do not wish to look at it. I
think there is sortie difficulty In the matter, and that a
very serious question may be raised in this case. I have
given much attention to it, and was quite prepared to
deliver my judgment—not on this day, but after due
notice had been given to the parties. I am now told
that the parties have compromised, and accordingly there
is handed up to me a special proxy, signed by the four
next of kin, authorising their proctor to consent to hive
this will established. No doubt these parties—the next
of kin—are all of full age, are under no disability, and
have a right to deal as they please with their own pro-
perty ; at the same time, after the full examination of
the case which took place in this court, and the evi-
dence which was given at very great length, it may be
sugge-ted that the court ought not to be actuated by the
consent. I declined to look at ti e agreement accom•
panying this proxy. I must presume, of course, that
that agreement is ono under which the next of kin will
get out of the property of the deceased in the cause
something substantial—l think it ought to be something
very substantial. lam not quits sure that I really am
right in acting on this proxy ; however, I do not think
I ought to set up my opinion against the of i ion of all
the parties in the case, and accordingly I shall establish
this will. But, although Ido not find it mentioned in
the special proxy, I think it right to say that I shall give
the next of kin full costs in the entity proceeding, to be
taxed between proctor and proctor. Let sentence be
prepared acordingly.
"Dr. Wiley, who had been one of the advocates for
the promovant, said—This compromise comes on me by

surprise. I did not advise, and was not aware of it
until it came en to-day. With regard to costs—
"% Judge Keatinge—l will not admit this proxy on
any other terms than those I have stated. I suppose
the parties acted on the proverb, that a certain portion
of the loaf is better than no bread. However, the spe.
cial proxy being before me, with this additional quali.
fication, I shall order the will to be established. The
terms of the compromise are, that the four brothers of
the deceased shall each get 1501., and be at no charge
whatever respecting costs, which are to be entirely des
frayed by the trustees of the will. The total amount of
property exceeds 3,000/.