The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, Oct. 20.—We have no later news from
the squadron than that despatched in my last letter
of the 16th inst., when Lord Clarence Paget was
still at Spezia. The ironclads Prince Consort and
Royal Oak, which had been detached to join the
Channel Squadron in the Tagus, arrived at Gibral-
tar on the 14th inst. The only ships at Spezia now
are the Caledonia (flag), Endymion, Cruiser (refit-
ting), Psyche, and Tyrian. The Arethusa is hourly
expected at Malta, and is to relieve the Racer at the
Pirreus. The Tyrian will also come here shortly, en
route to Candia, to relieve the Wizard. We learn
by telegraph from Syria that the Enterprise left
Beyrout on the 17th inst. for Malta. She will be
relieved by the Cruiser as soon as that vessel can be
got ready for sea. Her Majesty's screw steam troop-
ship Simoom arrived at Halifax with the headquar-
ters of the 3d Brigade Royal Artillery on the 25th
of September, having been detained two days at the
Azores to repair a defect in her machinery. She
was to leave the following day for Quebec, and is
expected at Malta with the headquarters of the 10th
Brigade about the last week of October. The hired
transport Parana (No. 15) arrived here on the af-
ternoon of the 17th inst. from Valencia, having on
board 216 mules, all very fine animals, in command
of Staff Commander Going, R.N., agent of trans-
ports. The Parana was five • days on the passage,
during which only one mule died, and this was pu t
on board in an injured condition at Valencia. She
continued her voyage for Alexandria after filling up
with coal, provisions, and water. The 302 mules
purchased at Malta by the Commissariat Depart-
ment were shipped on the 16th inst. on board the
screw steamer Atlantic, which vessel, after taking on
board also 25 Maltese muleteers, left for Alexandria
the same evening. Lieut.-Gen. M'Cleverty, the
newly-appointed Commander-in-Chief iu Madras,
touched at Malta in the Nyanza on his way to India.
The Indian papers state that his predecessor, Sir
Gaspard Le Marchant, was to quit Madras on the
13th of October, on return to England. The cho-
lera, which has prevailed in the island for the past
two or three months, may be said to have ceased as
an epidemic, it being now restricted to an occasional
case of a mild form. From some facts lately come
to light it appears that cases have been returned
which ought never to have been reported as cholera.
There is too much reason to believe that the doctors
report slight attacks of diarrhoea as cholera, thus
unnecessarily alarming the people, and preventing
the authorities from issuing clean bills of health. In
one village, which was the first to be visited with
the malady, 21 cases were returned, of which only
three terminated fatally. Ono singular feature in
the visitation this year is that the population of the
neighbouring island of Gozo has kept entirely free
from cholera, although the usual daily communica-
tion with Malta has been maintained. An English
soldier from Malta, it is true, was attacked and died ;
but the disease did not spread, either among the
troops or the people. Official information has been
received by telegraph that the cholera has disap-
peared from Genoa, Naples, and Venice, and that
the Italian authorities have consequently abolished
quarantine on arrivals from those places in other
parts of Italy. Little hope is now entertained of
Mr. Bateman's attempt to discover water at Malta
proving successful. The excavation has extended
far below the depth originally recommended by that
engineer, and no important indications of the pre-
sence of water have been met with. It is now gene-
rally believed that the principle on which the ex--
periment is based is erroneous.
The Fox, steam storeship, Staff Commander
Moriarty, left Portsmouth, with btores, for the east-
ward.

The unarmoured screw corvette sloop Sappho,
1,268 tons, 350 horse power, sister ship to the
Blanche, built at Chatham dockyard, is ordered to
have ner name altered to the Eclipse. There are a
large number of shipwrights and other hands em-
ployed on board in completing her for launching,
which is ordered to take place in the ensuing month.
After the Commander-in-Chief had inspected the
troops in the Brick-field at Devonport on IVedues-
day, his Royal Highness, accompanied by the Com-
mander in the West, Sir A. A. Spencer, proceeded
in the paddle-wheel steam vessel Bann up Hamoaze,
and then landing at Saltash, went into Cornwall
and inspected Screasden Fort and Tregantle Fort,
after which the party went by the new military road
to Cawsand, where they embarked again on board
the Bann, which lauded them at Devonport. In the
evening the Duke of Cambridge dined at Govern.
meat-house, Mount Wise, Admiral Farragut being
one of the distinguished guests. Yesterday morn-
ing the Commander-in-Chief proceeded from D evon-
port in the paddle steam tender Princess Alice to
St. Nicholas Island, in Plymouth Sound, and closely
examined the condition of its defences. He then
landed under the Hoe, and he and his suite went in
carriages to the new forts at Crabtree, Hooe, Stad-
don Heights, &c. When crossing the Sound in 00
Princess Alice the Duke was saluted by the ships of
war belonging to the United States, to Prussia, and
to Sweden then in the anchorage.
Yesterday morning, at an early hour, in accord-
ance with orders received from the Horse Guards
late on 'Wednesday night, a detachment of 100 non-
commissioned officers and men of the Royal k:n-
gineers, with the band, the whole under the cow:
mand of Major J. B. Edwards, with Captain ii'
Gamier and two subalterns, proceeded front
!wad-I-matters, Brompton Barracks, Chatham, t°
Geavce•chd, to act as a gnarl( of honour 03
the arrival of the Crown Prince and Princess of
Prussia. Later in the morning the band of t e
h
Royal Marines Light Infantry, together with tl°.
divisional and Queen's colours, in charge of a en:.
ahem and colour-guard, also left Chatham and pr °-
ceeded to Gravesend to join the detachment 01
?.Royal Marines Light Infantry stationed at Milton
baracks, Gravesend, under the command of Car%
S. E. W. Hemmans, which also formed a guard of
• the dls'
honour on the landing of their Royal Ilighnesse!"
Major-Gen. Freeman Murray, commanding . .
_,
early
trict, accompanied by the officers of the
staff, also left head-quarters, Chatham, at an
the
011 .
hour yesterday morning, to be in attendance
disembarcation of the illustrious visitors. divisiona.