The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-21 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSNIOUTH, Nov. 19.—The shell practice upon
the Swiftsure was resumed yesterday, but only fonr
shells were fired. Further practice is deferred, we
are informed, until Thursday.
The Hornet, 6, Lieutenant-Commander Miller, is
hourly expected at Spithead, as a fine wind is blow-
and she left Port Royal four days before the Griffon,
since Arrived, and gone to Sheerness to be paid off,
The Salamander steam-sloop, Commander A. S.
Hamond, was at Otaheite on the 15th of July.
The Sappho, 16, ;Commander the Hon. G. Hope,
was cruising in the Mozambique Channel on the Ist
of September.
The Spiteful steam-sloop, Commander Maitland,
was in dock undergoing repair at Bombay on the 25th
of September. She had scraped her copper, and done
some damage to her bottom, in ascending the river
Min, Chusan.

The Iris, 26, Captain Mundy, arrived at llong-
Kong on the 27th of July from England.
The Dwarf steam-tender, Lieutenant-Commander
Chamberlain, went out of harbour, and steamed
round the Spit- buoy this day to try her screw pro-
peller.
The Agincourt, 72, Captain Bruce, flag of Rear-
Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, Commander-in-
Chief, was at Hong-Kong on the Ist of August, at
which date the Pelican, 16, Commander Justice, and
the Wolverine, 16, Commander Clifford, were also at

llong-Kong, freighted with specie for England.
The Thunderbolt steam-sloop, Commander Broke,
was at Simons's-bay on the 15th of September. She
arrived two days prior, in company with the Bittern,
from Algoa Bay.
The Alert, 6, Commander C. J. Bosanquet, sailed
from the Cape de Verd Islands for Ascension, on the
Ist ult.
The Fox, 42, Captain Sir 11. Blackwood, left Rio
for the Cape on the 3lst of July.
The Eurydice, 26, Captain Elliott, sailed from
Halifax for Antigua on the 3d inst.; and the Pique,
36, Captain the Hon. M. Stopford, the same day, fur
l3arbadoes.

The Scylla, 16, Commander Sharpe, sailed for
Port Royal from Halifax on the 27th of October.
The royal yacht has been dismasted, and had her
funnel unshipped, and her alterations will be pro-
ceeded with instanter. AVe are informed she will
have a false keel of six inches added, and her rudder
widened. It is reported, notwithstanding, that she
will never be used again by her Royal Mistress, who
has/ordered another vessel to be built.

Mr. Dent, of Devonport dockyard, who has filled
the office of secretary to the Admiral Superintendent
for several years, is appointed storekeeper vice
Jessep, who has retired on full pay, after fifty years'
service.

The Sparrow ketch came into harbour from Spit-
head yesterday.
The Mercury tender returned yesterday morning
from Chatham, having taken seamen gunners for the
Eagle, 50, Captain Martin.
About eight this evening a man of war anchored at
Spithead, but the darkness prevented her being made
out. She is believed to be the Champion, 18, Com-
mander Cleve'', from the South American station,
with a large freight in dollars on board.

CORONER'S INQUESF.—An inquest, adjourned from
Monday last, was yesterday hold before Mr. Wakley at
the Prince of Wales' Inn, Frederick-place, Hampstead-
road, on the body of Isabella Thompson, a girl of about
seventeen years of age, the daughter of a respectable
baker carrying on his business at No. 21, St. James's-
place. It appears that she was found dead in the kitchen
about a quarter-past eight o'clock on Friday evening last
by her brother, who had seen her alive and cheerful a
short time previously. Her father and mother were both
from home at the time, the former not being abseit
altogether more than half an hour, as were all the other
members of the family, with the exception of two young
children who had buen left under her charge, and with
whom she had been seen playing with apparent good
temper by her father before he left and the brother
above-mentioned, who was employed in the bakehouse.
From the evidence of Mr. Collins, surgeon, of Mary-
street, it appeared that the deceased met with her death
from the effects of oxalic acid, not less than half an
ounce being found in her stomach, the contents of which
were analysed by Dr. Guy, of King's College, is con-
junction with Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins stated, that, after
a very careful post mortem examination, he could find no
traces of disease of any kind, and that she was not in
a state of pregnancy. He was of opinion that she died
from the effect of an enormous dose of the poison men-
tioned. The brother and sister of the deceased, both of
whom were in sad distress, stated that oxalic acid was
kept in the house for the purpose of cleaning straw bon-
nets, the sister being by trade a bonnet-maker. The
deceased had been in the habit of purchasing it, but it
could not be ascertained that she had bought any latety,
nor was any portion of the quantity known to be in the
house missing. No bottle or paper of any kind which
might cause suspicion was found near the deceased, nor
would the fact of her having died by poison have been
discovered but fur the post mortem examination. It ap-
peared that she was on good terms with the whole of
her family, that she was of a rather stubborn and sulky
disposition, but that nothing had occurred to exasperate
her, except that she had been desired to carry out some
bakings by her father, an office of which she had often
expressed her dislike. There was nothing to throw any
further light ou the subject, and the jury, after a short
consultation, returned a verdict to the effect, that she
had died from taking oxalic acid, but that there was no
evidence to prove what was her state of mind. In the
course of the investigation Mr. Wakley stated, that he
had frequently met with cases of suicide in which the
party had evidently determined on and perpetrated the
deed within the space of two or three minutes, and in
the absence of any apparent motive. He mentioned also
the case of a woman who took oxalic acid in mistake for
Epsom salts, and fell dead on the instant.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS BETWEEN PARIS AND
ItvaE.—A meeting of the principal merchants at
Havre has just been held at the Bourse of that place, to
devise the best means of effecting a change in the present
mode of transmitting letters between that port and
Paris. After considerable discussion a committee was
appointed to draw up a petition to the Ministers of Com-
merce and Finance, urging the immediate necessity of
organising the Post-office service between the two places
in such a way as not to allow letters to bo forestalled by
parcels sent by the railroad. The committee is also
charged to receive subscriptions, for the purpose of
carrying out this object, should the petition not be at-
tended to.
THE PROTECTION OF PUBLIC RlGHTS.—Yesterday
a preliminary meeting was held in the Council Chamber
—the Lord YProvost in the chair—for the purpose of
considering the propriety of forming an association for
the protection of public rights of way and footpath and
places of recreation ; and a Committee was appointed to
consider what steps should be taken in reference to the
subject, with instructions to report to a subsequent meet-
ing the result of their inquiries and deliberations.—
% Edinburgh Advertiser of Tuesday.