The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-25 00:00:00

CLIFTON SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

The half-yearly meeting was held yesterday at
Bristol—Mr. A. J. Knapp in the chair.
The report stated that there had been a consider-
able falling off in the receipts as compared with the
corresponding half of 1866. Mr. Barlow, the en-
gineer, had recently inspected the bridge, and found
it in as perfect a state.as on the day of its opening.
The CHAIRMAN, on moving the adoption of the
report, said the reduction in the traffic had arisen
principally from the extremely wet weather of the
spring.
Mr. J. A. CooKE seconded the motion, which
was carried unanimously.
A dividend at the rate of £1 10s. per annum, free
of income tax, was declared for the half-year ended
June 30, and a vote of thanks to the chairman ter-
minated the proceedings.
Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, July 19.—The temperature on Tues-
day and Wednesday last was higher than it has
been for many years. There was an occasional

breeze from the westward, but it brought with it nb
refreshing influence. On the contrary, it seemed to
scorch the skin and burn in the nostrils like the
blast of a furnace. It was, in fact, a kamsin from
the desert, like that felt from time to time in Bar-
bary, and which, while it lasts, completely pros-
trates man and beast, and causes all vegetation to
droop, if it does not utterly destroy it. The ther-
mometer rose in the coolest places to an extraordi-
nary height. The average of several different re-
gisters in Government establishments, taken at
noon, showed on the 16th inst. a temperature of
96 deg., and on the 17th of 100 deg. in the shade.
Such a degree of heat has not been felt here,
I believe, for 20 years. At the dinner given by
Admiral Kellett to the Austrian and Russian offi-
cers the wax candles in the chandeliers, although
not lighted, melted and turned over. An officer
present said he had twiced crossed the desert in the
month of July, and had never felt anything like it.
Her Majesty's screw corvette Racer, Commander
Brine, came in on the 17th inst. from Patras,
having been relieved there by the gunboat Trin-
culo, Lieut.-CommanderV.de Sanders, on the even-
ing of the 12th inst., after a passage of only 57
hours from Malta. The Racer left Patras on the
14th. She will leave for the Pirm is to-morrow.
The Russian frigate Grand Admiral left to-day for
Cadiz. Col. Gubbins, Assist.-Adjt.-Gen. in this
garrison, left for England on the 15th inst., in the
packet Ceylon, via Marseilles, Col. Woods, Major
Leslie, and Capt. R. Goff, Brigade-Major, also
quitted Malta for England by the same vessel. Mr.
Young, C. 8., superintendent of military stores, is
to proceed to Portsmouth in charge, and will be
relieved here by Mr. C. J. Rowland.

The Royal paddle yacht Osborne, Commander
J. D'Arcy, with Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine Pa.sley
on board, arrived in Portsmouth-harbour at 6 p.m.
yesterday, on her return from conveying his Impe-
rial Majesty the Sultan across the Channel.
Rear-Admiral Warden's squadron of ironclads,
comprising the Minotaur, the Achilles, the Lord
Clyde, the Bellerophon, and the Pallas, anchored at
Spithead early yesterday morning on return from
detached duty in escorting His Imperial Majesty
the Sultan across Channel.

The Coastguard squadron, under the command
of Commodore J. Tarleton, C. 8., left Spithead yes-
terday under steam for a cruise of exercise in the
Channel. An attempt was made to leave the an-
chorage under sail, but it failed, and sails were
again furled, and the anchors of those vessels that
had weighed were again dropped until steam was
got up. The ships then made a more successful
attempt in getting out to sea. The squadron com-
prises the Duncan (flag), Donegal, Revenge, Irre-
sistible, and Lion screw liners, Dauntless screw fri-
gate, and Angus screw sloop.
Her Majesty's troop ship Himalaya, Capt. Piers,
as rived at Queenstown at 4 a.m. on Monday, with the
2d battalion 13th Light Infantry, Lieut.-Colonel
Macdonald, Commander Menzies, officers, and crew
of the late Osprey, and a few naval and military
invalids, and time-expired men. She left Mauritius
June 8, Algoa-bay June 17, Simon's-bay June 22,
St. Vincent July 10, and Madeira July 16, making
the voyage from Mauritius, including seven days'
stoppage, in little mere than 43 days. The Hima-
laya passed her Majesty's ship Jumna on the morn-
ing of July 17 ; also the Glen Aros, steering S.W.
The screw steam frigate Liverpool, 35, Capt. J.
Seccombe, will on her arrival at Plymouth be dis-
mantled. Her crew will be paid off, and she will
be succeeded by the screw steam frigate Liffey, 31,
which is of the same tonnage, and has engines of
the same horse-power. She is in Hamoaze.
The naval pension of £BO a year, vacant by the
promotion of Capt. George Davies, has been
awarded to Capt. R. Beechey, on the Retired
List.
The ship Marchioness of Londonderry, Capt. T.
P. Kinney, belonging to Mr. G. Marshall, of 18,
Philpot-lane, London, arrived at Spithead yester-
day from Calcutta. She has ou board time-expired
men, and the remainder of the 34th Regiment, and
the following officers :—Capt. R. P. Leeson, 34th
Regiment (commanding) ; Ensign W. Watson,
34th ; Ensign T. A. H. Lowe, 34th ; Lieut. J. S.
Smith, 7th Fusiliers; Assist.-Surg. D. C. M'Fall,
30th, in medical charge. Mrs. M'Fall and one
child died at sea. The ship has been towed into
harbour, the troops will land to-day, and the ship
afterwards proceed to London.
A statement relative to the success of the Govern-
ment Snider riles in the Wimbledon meeting was
promulgated yesterday at Woolwich. Out of