The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-12 00:00:00

A letter, dated Valetta, Aug. 7, says Since
_j
the 26th several of her Majesty's ships have arrived
here from different parts of the Mediterranean, and
one or two have left. The squadron at Corfu
*1
has been broken up. A portion of it, with Rear-
Admiral Dacres, has already returned to Malta, and
another portion was under orders to proceed to
Sicily, leaving only one line-of-battle ship at Corfu,
as I announced some weeks ago had been arranged. )
The London, 90, Capt. H. Chads, and the James
Watt, 91, Capt. E. Codd, were to leave Corfu on the
29th or 30th tilt. for Palermo. There would then be
at Corfu only the Queen, 86, Capt. C. F. Hillyar,
and the Assurance, 4, Lieut. P. E. Luard. The
Mohawk, 4, Commander E. H. Howard, left Malta
on the Ist inst. with despatches for Rear-Admiral
Mundy, C. 8., at Beyroat, and a mail for the squa-
dron under his command on the coast of Syria. A
mail was made up on the Ist inst. by the Scourge,
6, Commander W. G. Jones, for Corfu, but when on
the point of starting she received counter-orders.
The mail bags and provisions for the Queen, already
on board, were immediately disembarked, and she
left shortly afterwards for Gibraltar. This sudden
change in her destination was owing to a tele-
graphic message from England ordering a vessel to
Gibraltar to convey Gen. Sir Wm. Codrington to
Constantinople. The Scylla, 21, Capt. R. Lambert,
came in on the 3d inst. from the Piraeus, and the
Medina, surveying-vessel, Capt. T. A. B. Spratt,
C. 8., on the sth from Tripoli (Barbary). Her Ma-
jesty's ships in port are the Neptune, 90 ; the Hi-
bernia, receiving-ship; the Caesar, 90; the Victor
Emmanuel, 91 ; the Liffey, 51; the Terrible, 21;
the Scylla, 21 ; the Medina, 4, surveying-vessel ;
the Foxhound, 4 ; and the Hearty tug. Report
says that on the arrival of the Marlborough the
Commander-in-Chief will put to sea, with a por-
tion of the fleet under his command, and proceed
on a cruise to Naples. The 6th brigade of Royal
Artillery, in garrison in this fortress, has re-
ceived orders to hold itself in readiness to leave
for Portsmouth. It will be relieved by the 3d
brigade, expected about the middle of August,
by her'Majesty's steam troopship Himalaya. The
English steamer Hope has just come in from Liver-
pool, with 72 horses for the Viceroy of Egypt.'
The Duke of Somerset and various gentlemen of
the Board of Admiralty inspected the mills, manu-
factories, and slaughterhouses at the Royal William
Victualling-yard, Plymouth, and thence proceeded
to the Royal Marine Barracks, where they inspect-
ed the Plymouth division of the Royal Marines,
which was drawn up on the parade, under the
command of Colonel-Commandant Holloway, C.B.
The Board then proceeded to the Royal Naval
Hospital. There are at present nearly 300 patients
in the wards. Arrangements are to be made for
increased smoking accommodation. The inspection
of the Royal Naval Hospital was followed by a visit
to the breakwater, and to the new fortifications on
Staddon Heights.
While the Duke of Somerset and a portion of his
colleagues were thus employed Rear-Admiral Sir
Frederick William Grey, G.C.8., accompanied by
Rear-Admiral Spencer Robinson, Controller of the
Navy, and attended by Capt. John Moore, C. 8.,
private secretary to the First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, proceeded into the Sound, and inspected
some of the ships there, among others the screw
steamship Donegal, 99, Capt. Sherard Osborn,
C.B. They expressed themselves highly pleased
with the efficiency of the crew.
The Duke of Somerset entertained the captains
of the Channel Fleet on Friday evening on board
the Osborne, and on Saturday morning held a levee
at the office of Rear-Admiral Superintendent Sir
Thomas S. Pasley, in the Devonport dockyard,
during which Admiral Grey, Capt. Drummond,
and Mr. Whitbread proceeded into Hamoaze to
inspect different ships in commission. Their lord-
ships visited the gunnery ship Cambridge, 42,
Captain Arthur W. Jerningham. The ship's
company, was put through a variety of evo-
lutions in small arms, heavy gun drill, and
in cutlass drill, and they were also exercissed aloft.
From the Cambridge Admiral Grey went on board
the training ship Implacable, 24, Commander
Samuel B. Dolling, which they inspected thoroug-
ly. On departing they desired that the boys should
be informed that their skill and attention had met
with approval.
On Saturday afternoon the Duke of Somerset en-
tertained Port-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, the
Admiral Superintendent, and all the other heads of
departments on board the Osborne, which, with
their Lordships, was appointed to leave Plymouth
yesterday morning for Portsmouth, calling en route
at Portland.

The screw steam frigate Immortalite, 51, Capt.
George Hancock, left Plymouth Sound on Saturday
morning for North America.
On Saturday the shipwrights at Chatham Dock-
yard commenced laying the blocks on No. 1 slip for
a new four-gun paddlewheel despatch steamer, to
be named the Salamis, which is to be forthwith
built at that establishment. Her principal dimen-
sions will be :—Length between perpendiculars, 220
feet ; extreme breadth, 28 feet 2 inches ; depth in
hold, 14 feet 6 inches. She will be fitted with a
pair of engines of 250 horse-power (nominal).

The Dee, 4, 200 horsepower, Admiralty transport,
arrived at Chatham on Saturday, and during the
day commenced shipping a quantity of masts and
spars with which she will proceed to Pembroke to-
day.

The Plover, 5, screw despatch gunvessel at Chat-
ham, has been commissioned by Commander the
" •A. L. Corry (1859), and has I commenC e C fitting
at that port. Mr. T. J. Giles has been appointed
assistantTamaster in charge.
Much activity
now
22,has prevails at Sheerness. The
North Star,
is
havingher framework complete. The
Undaunted, 51,
otoher machinery fixed. The
Virago, 6, is fitting
removed, and
The Dragon, 6,
is to have her boilers r
nd to undergo ex-
tensive repairs. The Britosmo:,:last
to undergo
is ready
for service. The Cressy,
s repairs.. 5
progressing ,
The Thrasher gunboat is fast 81ngik re-
pairs, N
dock. The Fidget gunboat is in'tlo. 4 a
ocfor o
pairs, and the Lee gunvesselis nearly complete for
the first division of the Steam Reserve.
The Russian squadron lately at anchor in Ply_
mouth Sound arrived at Spithead on Saturday, it
being on its return to Cronstadt from the Amoor
and Japan. It consists of the Boyarina, 11, screw,
Commodore Maydell ; the Voyvoda, 11, screw,
Commander Matrieff ; and the despatch boat Dgig-
nite, 3, screw, Commander Korniloff.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander G. Tryon, to
the Warrior ; F. Howard, master, to the Pelorus,
additional for surveying services ; W. H. Willings,
second master, to the Dasher ; and R. J. Phillips,
master's assistant, to the Dasher.