The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-30 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

ITALETrA, Oct. 25.—Her Majesty's despatch ves-
sel Psyche, Lieut.-Commander Sir F. Blackwood,
arrived on the evening of the 20th inst. from Port
Mahon, after conveying Lady Paget and family to
that port from Rosas Eay. The squadron, consist-
ing of the Victoria (flag), Prince Consort, Gibraltar,
Royal Oak, and enterprise, was lying at anchor in
I'ort Mahon on the 18th inst., and the Cruiser, 5,
screw sloop, Commander 11. Singer, which left
Malta on the 15th, to join the Commander-in-Chief,
was passed by the Psyche, and communicated with
by signals on the afternoon of the 19th, being then
about half way on her voyage. Nochange has taken
place in the intended departure of the squadron,
which was to leave on the 22d inst. in order to be at
Malta about the end of the month, calling at Cagli-
ari en route. The Psycheleft again on the afternoon
of the 22d for Brindisi, to convey Captain W. It.
Mends, R.N., director of transport services, andhis
staff to Alexandria, where she is to remain under his
orders. It is reported teat she will, on her return to
Malta, proceed to Marseilles to embark Sir Henry
Storks for this island. ller Majesty's screw corvette
Cossack, 20, Capt. It. D. White, arrived on the
morning of the 21st inst. from Beyrout, which she
left on the 10th inst., having been relieved by the
Racer, 11, screw sloop, Commander L. Brine, on the
6th. Notwithstanding reports to the contrary which
have appeared in some of the public papers, the
Cossack has been remarkably healthy during her
stay, extending over several months, on the coast of
Syria. Much of her good fortune in this respect is
probably attributable to the fact of her having been
kept almost constantly at sea during the summer,
though opportunities had been found for the officers
and special-leave men to visit nianyplaces of interest
in the Holy Land. Mr. W. H. Bell, assist-surg. of
the ship, having been invalided, proceeds to England
in the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Ceylon. Mr. C. Goolden, second master, invalided
from the Hydra, surveying vessel, also goes to Eng-
land by the same packet. At an examination of
candidates for assist.-paymaster, held on board the
Hibernia, on the 23d inst., Mr. Ashley Innes, clerk
of the Cossack, passed successfully and obtained a
first-class certificate. The Hydra, Capt. Shortland,
arrived from Girgenti (Sicily) on the morning of
the 20th inst., to cemplete with coals, provisions,
and water. She leaves again to-day for her survey-
ing ground. The Hydra is in quarantine during
her stay at Malta. Her Majesty's despatch-vessel
Assurance, 4, Commander Pyin, left on the 20th
inst., to join the gunboat Wizard, 2, Lieut.-Com-
mander P. J. Murray, at Candia, for the protection
of British interests in that island. The Wizard was
at Canea on the 15th inst., having returned there
from her trip to Retyrno and the town of Candia.
The story published in the continental journals of
the Mediterranean squadron having been in the
neighbourhood of Cadiz awaiting instructions re-
garding the alleged outrage on the British flag in
the case of the Tornado turns out to be, as might
have been expected, perfectly false. I may here
mention that another statement, to which much
publicity was given, that the squadron had repaired
to Palermo during the outbreak there is equally de-
void of foundation. The telegraph steamer Hawk
arrived from the neighbourhood of Alexandria on
the 20th inst., after having successfully repaired the
cable as has been already announced. She is now
in the dry dock for cleaning purposes. Electric com-
munication with Alexandria continues to be very
satisfactory. The cholera still lingers at Marseilles
and Naples, but has rapidly diminished at the latter
place, only six cases being reported on the day pre-
ceding the departure of the last mail. At the for-
mer it continues to rise and fall from one day to
another in a most unaccountable and capricious
manner, giving but slight hopes of clean bills of
health being issued for sonic time to conic. Some
days -not a single case is reported—in the next 24
hours several fresh attacks take place. Our latest
advices report four deaths from cholera on the 18th,
and nine on the 19th. If this continues there
will be no likelihood of any speedy removal of
the quarantine nuisance. The accounts from Sicily
are by no means reassuring. Letters from Mar-
seilles, under date of the 19th inst., say that cholera
was on the increase at Palermo, Alcamo, and Tra-
pani. At Marsala the municipal authorities had
considered it advisable to encircle the town with a
sanitary cordon, so as to prevent persons entering
anywhere but from the immediate vicinity without
performing seven days' quarantine, and for the ac-
commodation of such persons one of the neighbour-
ing convents had been converted into a temporary
lazzaretto. On the other hand, I am happy to say
that, in consequence of satisfactory information re-
ceived by the Malta Government, the quarantine on

arrivals from Constantinople, as well as from Tunis,
has been taken off. The quarantine at Alexandria
on arrival from Southampton has been removed ,
but, as yet, we do not receive them here in pratique.
The rigorous infliction of quarantine has apparently
been attended this year with so much success in
keeping the mysterious enemy from among us that
the authorities at Malta are loth to de-
tract from the value of the experiment by any pre-
mature relaxation of the quarantine regulations."
We understand the Channel Squadron is ordered
to Portland from Beerhaven. The Ocean will pro-
ceed to Devonport, and the Bellerophon to Ports-
mouth.

The screw corvette Pylades, 21, 350-horse power,
Capt. A. W. A. Hood, has arrived at the Nore from
the North American and West India station, and
yesterday went into harbour, where sbe will be dis-
mantled preparatory to being put out of commis-
sion. She has transshipped her powder and shell to
the Ordnance transports for conveyance to the Go-
vernment magazines at Chatham, to which place
she will also send War Department stores. She is
rather leaky, and from the lengthened period she
has been in commission, nearly four years, she will
require an extensive overhaul and repair.

Yesterday the first of the 9-inch tier of armour-
plates for the ironclad frigate Hercules, 12, 1,200-
horse power, building at Chatham, was fixed in its
place on the broadside of that vessel, the first tier
of plates, of 6-in. in thickness, having been already
fixed. The work of plating the Hercules is now
being pushed forward as rapidly as the resources of
the establishment will permit, there being upwards
of 100 tons of the 9-inch plates now in the factory
undergoing the planing, boring, slotting and other
processes in readiness for their being bolted to the
sides of the frigate. The plate fixed yesterday is
16ft. in length by 4ft. in width, and on being re-
ceived from the establishment of Messrs. John Brown
and Co., Sheffield, where the 9-inch plates for the
Hercules are being manufactured, it weighed 10i
tons. This weight has been reduced by the planing
and slotting operations to nine tons, a portion of
each plate of the pier being required to be planed
away to a thickness of 6in. to fit the lower tier of
plates.

The 6th company of Royal Engineers, which ar-
rived at head-quarters, Chatham, on Saturday night
from New Zealand, on the completion of its period
of colonial service, was inspected yesterday at
Brompton barracks by Col. J. L. A. Simmons,
C. 8., director of the Royal Engineer establishment,
and in temporary command of the district. The
marching-in strength of the company was 11 non-
commissioned officers, one bugler, 79 sappers, 13
women, 15 children, with Lieut. C. Ferguson and
Lieut. C. H. C. Hulkes. The 6th company took an
active part in the suppression of the rebellion by the
Maories, and from its lengthened absence from Eng-
land its strength has been considerably reduced.
The company will, however, be augmented to its
full compliment from the depot companies at head-
quarters.