The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-22 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, Feb. 15.—Her Majesty's paddlewheel
frigate Terrible, 21, Capt. G. J. Napier, left port
on the 9th inst. for Gibraltar, with the crew of the
Firefly and the Cockatrice, paid off at Malta, and
time-expired men and invalids. Among the pas-
sengers are Lieut. Gilison, commander ; Mr. H.
Hosken, master, and Dr. Hurlstone, assist.-surg. of
the Cockatrice ; Dr. Flanagan, surg., Mr. Carpen-
ter, chief engineer, and Mr. Dixon, master's assist.
of the Firefly ; Mr. J. Hoskyn, second master of the
Hydra; and Lieut. J. I. F. Sulivan, promoted from
the Firefly. Lieut. Wilcox and Mr. E. M. Roe,
assist.-paymaster of the Firefly, with their families,
have proceeded overland in the French steamer
Eugene for Marseilles. Mr. C. Goolden, second
master, has been transferred to the Hydra. The
remaining surveyors of the Firefly are completing
their hydrographic work at Malta, which will pro-
bably occupy them till the end of March. An earth-
quake having occurred at Santorin, a volcanic island
in the Archipelago, assistance was telegraphed for
from Malta by her Majesty's Minister at Athens,
and accordingly her Majesty's ships Surprise and
Tyrian were at once despatched, on the 13th inst.,
by Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Smart to the scene of
the catastrophe, in order to render all the aid in
their power to the inhabitants. Her Majesty's fri-
gate Phoebe had been sent from the Firms for the
same humane purpose. Her Majesty's ship Gib-
raltar, 80, Capt. R. Coote, will probably sail on
the 19th inst. to relieve the Phoebe at Athens. She
went out on the 9th inst. for exercise and target
practice. The Resistance, 16, ironclad, Capt. W.
Chamberlain, went out on the 12th for the same '
purpose, and came in on the same evening. The
Caledonia, 35, ironclad, Capt. the Hon. F.A.Foley,
bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Yelverton,
C. 8., is still in dock, having a stern gallery fitted
on her. The Cockatrice, 2, gunboat, was recom-
missioned at Malta on the 10th inst. Her Lieut.-

Commander is shortly expected here. She is now
under the temporary command of Lieut. P. J.
Murray. The following appointment has been
made by the Commander-in-Chief :—Lieut. A. T.
Bagg, of the Royal Oak, to the Cossack. The
Italian squadron, under the command of Rear-Ad-
miral Vacca, which arrived here a few days ago from
Corfu, left on the 14th inst. for Naples, with the
exception of the steam corvette Etna, which left on
Sunday night for Cadiz. During the stay here of
the squadron Admiral Vacca and his officers were
entertained by the authorities and the inhabitants,
and on the night preceding their departure they
dined at the Union Club, as the guests of the offi-
cers of her Majesty's ships in the port. The ships
of war in Malta harbour at present are--the Vic-
toria (bearing the flag of Sir Robert Smart, K.C.8.,
K.H.), the Hibernia (bearing the flag of Rear-Ad-
miral H. Kellett, C. 8.), the Caledonia (bearing the
flag of Rear-Admiral H. R. Yelverton, C. 8.), the
Gibraltar, the Royal Oak, the Resistance, the En-
terprise, the Hydra, the Cockatrice, the Psyche,
the Supply, the Firefly (being broken up), the
Wizard (in reserve), and the Hearty, tug."

On Tuesday three cast-iron cylinderg, weighing
together about ten tons, intended for the founda-
tions for the new steam machinery at Chatham-
yard, were safely removed by means of one of
the large steam traction engines of Messrs. Ave-
ling and Porter from the works at Strood to the
dockyard. The engine used on the occasion was
the largest yet constructed by the firm,
and was the one employed in the removal of
the block of granite from Reading to Strathfieldsaye
to form the base of the Wellington monument. The
engine in question works up to an indicated horse-
power of 50, and its enormous power was manifested
on Tuesday in dragging the train of trucks with
their loads from the factory to the dockyard, ascend-
ing a steep incline of one in ten at a speed of four
miles an hour. Not the slightest interruption oc-
curred to the traffic in the streets, and the dockyard
was reached without any mishap. For some months
past one of the same engines has been in constant
work in Chatham dockyard with the most satisfac-
tory results.

The screw steamship Lord Clyde, 24, was placed
in Keyham steam-yard on Mojlday to be prepared
for the pennant.

A party of riggers from Woolwich dockyard went
down to Greeuhithe yesterday morning in the steam
tug Monkey for the purpose of assisting to swing
her Majesty's iron turret ship Prince Albert and to
adjust her compasses, in preparation for sea. Com-
modore Dunlop, Superintendent of Woolwich dock-
yard, will inspect the ship and muster the crew this
morning at 10 o'clock, after which it is expected she
will take her departure for Plymouth.
The Admiralty yacht Black Eagle, Commander
Whinier, has left her station, as tender to the Fis-
gard, at 'Woolwich, to be attached to the flagship
Victory, at Portsmouth.

Letters received by our Chatham correspondent
from her Majesty's screw frigate Bristol, 39,
600 horse power, flagship of Commodore G. T. P.
Hornby, state that since the arrival of the ves-
sel at Ascension the yellow fever, which had broken
out on board, had entirely disappeared. The
total number of deaths on board had been 22 sea-
men and marines. Two officers had been ill, but
both had recovered. As many as 30 of the ship's
company were ill at the same time. The fever, it
appears, was first taken by a party of A.B.'s and
marines who were sent up the river at Sierra Leone
to move the Isis coal hulk, in which work officers
and men were engaged for two days, during which
time they were much exposed. The Bristol was out
of quarantine on the 25th ult., with all well on
board. The vessels at Ascension at the departure
of the mail were the Flora, just arrived from Eng-
land to relieve the Meander, which returns to Eng-
land ; the Pendora, 5, 80-horse power, Commander
E. A. T. Stubbs; the sparrow, 5, 80-horse power;
the Dromedary, iron screw storeship, Master-Com-
mander J. H. Allard ; and the Megatra, 6, iron
storeship, 350-horse power, Capt. M. B. Dunn.
The Investigator, Lieut.-Commander: J. W. Jones,
was daily expected to arrive from the West Coast
of Africa.

An order was received at Chatham by telegram
yesterday from the Admiralty, directing the iron-
cased ship Research, 4, 200-horse power, Comman-
der R. A. E. Scott, to be sent round to that port
from Spithead immediately after the departure of
her Majesty from Osborne, for the purpose of being
docked and overhauled, it being understood that
she is required for immediate service.

The Conqueror, screw line-of-battle ship, 78
guns, 2,845 tons, 500-horse power, Capt. William
G. Luard, which has been dismantled in the large
basin in Sheerness dockyard, after her return from
the
con expedition to Japan, was yesterday paid out of
unis:aion by Capt. W. B. Hall, C. 8., Captain
Superintendent of Sheerness dockyard. The crew
have been granted six weeks' leave. The vessel
Steam Reserve, will be placed in the third division of the Sheerness

The Meeanee, screw line-of-battle
2,591 tons, 400-horse I '
, —aPt• George Wode-
s np, 60 guns,
re
house, which has Power, r,
recently retu
from the Mediterranean, and is
to Sheerness
in the large basin, will be •, 3 being dismantled
pan, out .1
on the Ist of March next. - commission
The Tamar, screw troopship, e t s
aP • tirlinr,
orders for Dublin and the Mediterranean, :',„un'er
out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday --"a`ned
morning to
Spithead, where she tested her capstans, anchors,
cables, &c., under the supervision of the officers of
the shipwright department of the dockyard, and was
also swung to ascertain the deviation of her compass.
She afterwards returned to the harbour and was
lashed alongside the transport jetty of the dockyard,
where she awaits further orders from the Admiralty.
The Tamar is ready for sea in every respect, and
could receive 1,000 troops on board at an hour's no-
tice.

The Danae, 4, building at Portsmouth dockyard
an an unarmoured screw sloop of 1,081 tons, from
designs by Mr. E. Reed, Chief Constructor of the
Navy, is ordered to have a number of hands placed
on her to recommence her construction immediately.
The building of thisvessel was suspended sometime
since owing to the results obtained from the speed
trial of a sister vessel, and now that the construction
of the Danae has been recommenced, her form of

ore body will undergo considerable modification
from the lines shown in the original drawings.
The Racoon, 22, screw, Capt. Count Gleichen,
shifted her anchorage from Spithead to Cowes
Roads on Tuesday, to relieve the Research, 4, Com-
mander R. Scott.

The paddlewheel steam frigate Gladiator, 6, Capt.
E. Aplin, left Plymouth yesterday for Ireland, with
stores and supernumeraries for the squadron.

The screw steam frigate Topaze, 31, Capt. W.
M. Dowell, C. 8., left Plymouth yesterday for the
Pacific Ocean.

Railway and other Companies.

VALE OF NEATH.
The directors of this company recommend the
declaration of a dividend on the ordinary stock and
shares of the company at the rate of 51 per cent.
per annum for the half-year ending the 31st of
January last.