The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-11 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

MALTA, Nov. 2 —Lord Cottenham and his family
arrived by the Medusa, via Marseilles, and are do-
miciled at Dunsford's Hotel.
A fearful accident has recently happened to the
Maltese brig Lady Flora, which vessel left this port on
the 14th of October for Leghorn. On that same
day, about nine P.M., when about thirty miles to the
west of Gozo, she was struck by a waterspout and
immeaiately foundered. One man alone was saved
by the brig Maltese, which was near, but all endea-
vours to save more of the hapless crew were fruitless.
About nine men, among whom were the owner of the
ship and his son, have thus met a watery grave, the
greater number leaving widows and families in great
distress.
It has been the fashion in England to bring before
the public the doings of the Ripon, one of the Pe-
ninsular and Oriental Company's steamers engaged in
carrying the Indian mail from Southampton to
Gibraltar. Having had her full portion of blame for
her being a " slow coach" it is but fair to put on re-
cord her last passage. From her leaving Southamp-
ton to her arrival in Malta nine days six and a half
hours only had elapsed, and of this a considerable time
(say ten hours) was spent at Gibraltar.
The Medusa, which brought the overland portion
of the India mail sent through France, also made a
dashing passage of 62i hours from Marseilles.
I have two interesting letters—one from Constan-
tinople, mentioning that on ,the 13th ult., whilst at
general quarters, the Turkish line of battle ship
Abdul Medjid was blown up, her powder magazine
having been fired. By this accident upwards of 800
men were wounded and killed. Fortunately neither
Captain Slade nor Commander Harper were on board.
My correspondent says—" I have been over the wreck
to-day (14th), and description is impossible. The
surface is strewed with portions of the wreck. Masts
and spars are broken, and lie shattered like rotten
sticks ; the quantity of splinters is incredible. The
heavy portions of course have gone down. All the
windows in the vicinity of the dockyard have been
broken. The accident cannot be accounted for. The
Turks are still in great fright, and will be months ere
they recover."
By advices from Athens of the 28th of October we
learn that the elections progress quietly, and in many
instances the Government candidates gave way to the
independent ones. Mavracordato has come in for
Missolonghi, but will proceed to the Tuileries as
ambassador, and not to the Legislation Hall.
There is much mysterious talk about the King's
abdicating and the choice of a successor who will con-
form to Art. 40 of the Greek Constitution, requiring
the King's successor to be of the Greek religion.
None of the Bavarian house seem disposed to abjure.
The Queen, it is said, conducts affairs cleverly
during her husband's absence. She is prompt, intel-
ligent, and just. It is said that she is desirous of a
rapprochement with England, but such a consumma-
tion is doubtful, as the Government and Mr. Wyse
are at loggerheads just now about the late appoint-
ment of a Minister to London, and some angry notes
have passed between Mr. Wyse and the Minister for
Foreign Affairs. Some of the Greek Minister's col-
leagues, Mr. Delyanne in particular, -are much vexed
at the tone of his notes to Mr. Wyse, and deem it far
from improbable that the new quarrel may produce
another call from Lord Palmerston.
PORTSMOUTH, Nor. 10.—Rear-Admiral H. Pres-
cott, C. 8., superintendent of this dockyard, struck
his flag on board of the ordinary ship on Friday
night at sunset, and went on Admiralty leave until
Monday.
The Retribution steam-frigate, Captain Warden,
was removes from the steam-basin yesterday, when
her 'Majesty's steam-yacht Fairy, Master-Commander
Welch, and the Elfin, Acting Master-Commander
Balliston, were taken in.
The Styx steam-sloop will leave to-morrow, on her
return to Devonport with supernumaries.
WOOLWICH, Nov. 10.—The Lightning steam-
vessel, Master. Commander Petley, in compliance with
an order from the Admiralty, got her steam up to-
day and left Woolwich at twelve o'clock for Sheer-
ness, having on board the whole of the officers and
sixof the crew of the Pluto steam-vessel, Lieutenant-
Commander Joliffe, recently returned from the coast
of Africa, their presence being required on board the
Ocean, 80, flag ship, at Sheerness, where a court
martial is to be held to-morrow on Mr. Payer, chief
engineer of the Pluto, for disobedience of orders, the
particulars of which will he given after the
court-martial is held. The vehole of the
officers of the Pluto being gone, Commodore
Henry Eden went to the vessel after the forenoon ser-
vice to-day, and very considerately gave the remain-
ing part of the crew, none of whom have been yet
paid off, leave for the day, and on the subsequent
days, until the trial is over, on their promise to at-
tend at the dockyard gate at nine o'clock, A.M., to
ascertain if they should be wanted, which they will be
on the day she is to be paid off. The men greatly
appreciate the kindness of the Commodore, as their
bedding and other articles had been sent into store in
the expectation of her being paid off on Friday last,
as originally contemplated. The vessel is now in
charge of the inspectors of the dockyard police, and a
constable placed on duty on her to see that the pro-
perty of the crew still on board is kept safe during
their absence on leave.
The non-commissioned officers and men of the
Royal Marines of the Woolwich division were paid
off here yesterday at the dockyard by the pay clerks
of the Admiralty.

The Buzzard steam-sloop was swung yesterday at
Greenhithe, and had her compasses adjusted by Cap-
tain Johnson. She will leave Greenhithe early to-
morrow, and after a trial of her speed at the mea-
sured mile in Lower Hope, will proceed to Devonport
in charge of Lieutenant Robertson.

The Prince of Wales's birthday was celebrate-I
here by hoisting the royal standard on the fl igstaffs
at the dockyard, the royal arsenal, and the garrison.
A new class of screw-ship of 30 guns and 200-
horse power, on the design of the present surveyor of
the navy, is ordered to be built at Sheerness Dock-
yard.
The Fantome, 12, is being brought forward for the
pendant at Portsmouth, to proceed to the New Zea-
land district.

The Royal Imperial corvette Carolina, from Copen-
hagen, and the Prussian corvette Mercure from
Swinemunde, are expected at Portsmouth.
The Turkish frigate and brig have been taken into
Portsmouth harbour for the winter, and have dis-
charged their powder, &c., into store. The manner
in which they treated their combustibles would create
no surprise on the part of an Englishman at the awful
catastrophe which has launched 900 or more of their
countrymen into eternity by the blowing up of the
Captain Pacha's (or admiral's) three-decker at Con-
itantinople.