The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-04 00:00:00

PA N.l MA.

We have news from Panama to the 22d of Janu-
ary. The Oregon steamer had arrived from San
Francisco viith upwards of 2,000,000 of dollars' worth
of gold dust, and 300 passengers, many of whom had
returned from the " diggings " dispirited with their
adventure, and in nowise improved in their resources.
Others, on the contrary, had been more for-
tunate. Among the passengers in the Oregon
was Colonel Fremont, together with his lady and
daughter.

There was a great deal of fever existing in Pa-
naina, but no serious cases ; it yielded to mild reme-
dies, but it takes a considerable time for the patients
to regain their strength.
The British steamer New Granada was hourly ex-
pected.

The railway had not commenced, notwithstanding
the fine weather was so very favourable for its begin-
ning. It is generally supposed that capital was still
wanting to carry out the project. It was current at
Panama that Baring Brothers had invested 50,000/.
in the line.

Traffic on the Isthmus was increasing daily to a
very considerable extent.

Admiral Hornby was collecting his squadron a
Callao.

The news from San Francisco reached to the 31st
of December, the details of which have already been
published in England.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

The service will be glad to hear that the Right
Hon. the First Lord of the Admiralty, who has been
severely indisposed, and has been confined to his bed
during the past week, is fast recovering, and will
shortly be able to attend to his Parliamentary duties.
Admiral the Hon. Sir T. Bladen Capel, K.C.8., re-
turned from short leave, and his flag was re-hoisted
on hoard the Victory, in Portsmouth harbour, on
Friday evening.

CAPTAIN AUSTIN'S ARCTIC EXPEDITION. The
Ptarmigan is to be named the " Resolute," instead of
the " Baboo," which ship is to be called the " Assist-
ance," the Resolute being the " flag-ship." Mr. Par-
minter, appointed clerk in charge of the Assistance,
did not decline the appointment; but has been obliged
to forego the service on account of his health, the sur-
geon having pronounced him unfitted by constitution
to contend with the climate of the icy regions. Some
tons of waste lignum vita✓ wood, the refuse from the
bleckmaking machine at Portsmouth, with a quantity
of old broken shivers, have been forwarded to Wool-
wich by railway, to be supplied to Captain Austin's
vessels for fuel in their N.W. search. The lignum
vitro wood makes a much stronger fire than coals ; it
ignites quicker, and while burning emits a most
agreeable aroma. The wood itself, although very
heavy, stows in a very small compass.
CAPTAIN PENNY'S EXPEDITION.—The Admiralty
have ordered ice saws to be forwarded from Woolwich
to Aberdeen for the use of Captain Penny's vessels in
his N.W. search.

SUILYEYOR'S AND STEAM DEPARTMENT.—Orders
have been received at the dockyards for the authori-
ties to send all correspondence relative to steam ma
chinery to the,Surveyor of the Navy, instead of to the
comptroller of steam machinery, as heretofore, the
latter office having been merged in the former.
Mr.,Waller Clifton, who has been at Somerset
House with the charge of the steam department, has
returned to the Admiralty, Whitehall, on the break-
ing up of that department.
Lieutenant Baker, R.N., of the coast-guard ser-
vice, stationed at Garrison Point, Sheerness, made a
seizure last week of a vessel, 62 tons burden, the
Mary Ann, of Rochester, which, upon boarding her,
was found to contain 62 tubs (half-ankers) of
foreign spirits.

The Royal yacht Victoria and Albert, Captain
Lord A. Fitzclarence, was moved under the large
shears in the new steam basin at Portsmouth, on
Saturday, for the purpose of receiving her ne w
boilers, which are now ready for putting on board.
The Lively lighter, returned to Portsmouth, from
Dungeness on Friday, having recovered one of the
bower anchors and the kedge anchor lost by the
Dart, brigantine; she has also weighed and brought
round a Dutch anchor which she found off Dunge-
ness (when sweeping fur the other bower, lost by the
Dart), for which the men employed on board the
Lively will get salvage.
The Sharpshooter, iron screw steamer, Lieut. Com-
mander John C. Bailey, arrived at Spithead on
Friday evening from the Mediterranean, having been
ordered home from that station to fit for the Arctic
expedition. She went into harbour on Saturday
morning, and alongside the !coal depot for fuel, and
it is supposed she will go round to Woolwich, as her
boiler tubes require repair. She went out of dock
at Malta on the 2d February, having gone in to have
her iron bottom cleansed, it having become very
foul. By getting rid of the weeds, she increased
her speed, when under full steam, two knots
per hour. It appears she is not a desirable
vessel ; that she is either very hot or very cold,
and th damp and iron rust spoils the chattels of the
crew. Lieutenant Bailey, her commander, is suffering
from an accident, having fallen, when at Malta, and
hurt his knee-cap. Mr. Truman, promoted from the
Triton, and Mr. Winstanley, late clerk in charge of
the Medina, have come home in the Sharpshooter as
passengers. The orders countermanding her return
to England did not reach here in time. _

DEATH OF " THE MAN-O'-WAR'S-MAN "OF Black-
wood.—Died, on the 18th of February. in London,
aged 66 years, ,Mr. David Stewart, journeyman
printer. He was known in literature as the
author of a most interesting and popular series of
papers, under the above title, descriptive of a sailor's
life in the royal navy, which originally appeared in
Blackwood's Magazine, and were subsequently pub-
lished in a separate volume. He likewise contributed
to the Naval and Military Magazine, besides fugitive
pieces to other periodical journals. He died in po-
verty in St. Bartholomew's Hospital, after undergo-
ing an operation for a most painful disease. One
might have hoped for a more prosperous career for
one who could write so well.—Herald.

MALTA, Fin. 22.
DISTRIBUTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN SQUADRON.

In Malta Harbour—Ceylon receiving ship, bearing
the flag of Rear-Admiral Edward llarvey, Superin-
tendent of Malta Dockyard, and second in command ;
Volage, 6 (surveying ship), Captain Thomas Greaves;
Oberon (laid up), troopship ; Waverley, Captain J.
Morgan ; Locust, in ordinary.
At Gibraltar—Janus steamer, Lieutenant Powell.
At Leghorn—Spitfire, Lieutenant Gardiner.
At Patras—Frolic, 16, Captain N. Vansittart ; Tar-
tams steam-vessel, Commander Sir G. Webster.

At Salonica—Research, surveying tender to Vo-
lage, Lieutenant Lord John Brown.
At Syra—Spiteful, steam corvette, Commander J.
Carmichael. .

--At or near Athens—Queen, 116, Captain C. Wise,
bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker,
G. C. 8., the Commander-in-Chief; Caledonia, 120 ;
Captain T. W. Carter; Howe, 120, Captain Sir J.
Stirling; Belerophon,7B, Captain Robert L. Baynes ;
Powerful, 84, Captain the Honourable R. S. Dundas ;
Vengeance, 84, Captain Sir H. M. Blackwood
Ganges, 84, Captain H. Smith ; Firebrand steam-
frigate, Captain T. O. Knox ; Bulldog, Commander
Key (on a cruise), Rosamond, Commander Foote,
Ardent, Lieutenant Nowell, steam-sloops ; Odin, the
Hon. F. Pelham, Dragon, Captain W. H. Hall,
steam-frigates ; Porcupine, Lieutenant E. F. Roberts;
Growler, Commander Stoddart ; Scourge, Lord F.
H. Kerr; and Auxiliary, surveying tender to Volage,
Mate Commander J. H. Gover.
En route from 111ata to Gibraltar, Lisbon, and
England Sharpshooter, Lieutenant Commander
Bailey.
En route from Malta to Corfu—Racer, 12, Captain
Beddoes.

MAIL STEAM-PACKETS.
At Malta—Merlin, Lieutenant J. H. Turner ;
Triton, Lieutenant Glinn.
En route from Malta to Marseilles—Medusa, Lieu-
tenant Bathurst.
En route from the lonian Islands and Greece to
Malta—Antelope, Lieutenant Smith.
En route from Malta to Alexandria—Medina,
Lieutenant A Darby.
PENINSULAR AND ORIENTAL STEAM NAVIGATION
COMPANY'S FLOTILLA.

At Southampton—Pasha, Queen, Tagus, Hindos-
tan, Euxine, and Pottinger.
En route to Gibraltar and Southampton from Malta
—lndus.
En route from Southampton to Malta—Ripon.
En route from Constantinople and Black Sea to
Malta—Sultan.
At Constantinople—Erin.
UNITED STATES' SQUADRON,
At Naples—lndependence frigate, bearing the flag
of Commodore Charles W. Morgan.
Captain Paulding.
At Mahon—St. Lawrence,