The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-03 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, Am. 2.—The Victoria and Albert Royal
steam-yacht, Captain Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, was taken
out of dock yesterday and alongside the shears and masted ;
she had also her new funnel fitted and fixed. There now
appears some probability of this fine vessel being again fit for
the service of her Royal owners. Her Noble Captain so-
journed in Portsmouth several days to expedite her fittings,
and now she has terminated her long residence in dock, it
may be presumed she really is to convey her Majesty and
Prince Albert upon their marine excursions.
The Seafiower cutter, Commander N. Robilliard, and Lily.
16, were undocked on Thursday ; the former, after having
I been overhauled and repaired ; the latter to be brought for-
' ward to compete with the new experimental 12 gun brigs,
which squadron, we are now told, will not be commissioned
until the whole (brigs and competitors) are ready for the
pendant.
The Dwarf steam-vessel, Lieutenant Commander W.Cham -
berlayne, arrived from Plymouth on Tuesday, which she left
on the previous day. On her passage, however, her boilers
were found to leak, and she was consequently compelled to
hoist canvass, under which she came into this harbour. She
appears very ill adapted as a sailing craft, being exceedingly
narrow and lugger-rigged, fitted with the screw instead of
paddles. She is undergoing repairs in dock here.
The Comet steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Pretty-
man, arrived on Monday from Woolwich, and will remain at
this port under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir
Charles Rowley.
The Firebrand steam-sloop was towed out of the basin on
Monday. It is expected that Captain A. L. Corry will hoist
a broad pendant as Commodore of the second-class on board
this splendid vessel, and take the command of the experi-
mental squadron.
The Queen, 110, Captain Martin, was taken out of dock
and entered the basin alongside the jetty on Tuesday. She
is entering hands to endeavour to make up her complement,
and otherwise completing preparations for sailing, to take the
command-in• chief at the Nore.

The Collingwood, 80, Captain H. Eden, tiag of Rear-Admi-
ral Sir G. Seymour, is still at Spithead waiting sailing orders.
Her crew were mustered and inspected by Captain Eden (the
Commander-in-chief, Sir Charles Rowley, being still in a
very weak state of health) yesterday, and she will be paid
two months' advance this day.

The Spy brigantine, paid off at Chatham on Tuesday, will
be overhauled and repaired, and be brought forward for re •
commission, being found too useful a vessel to be idle.
The America, 50, Captain the Hon. John Gordon, sailed
from Madeira on the 28th ult. for the Brazils. Private letters
speak of her sailing qualifications first-rate.
The Amazon, 26, raz6e corvette, and Vulture, first-class
steam-frigate, are both ready for the pendant at Sheerness.
It is not expected that the 'Vernon, 50, will be recommis-
sioned at present.
The Rose, 18, Commander H. R. Sturt, was at Vera. Cruz
on the 14th ult., awaiting the arrival of the Electra, 18, Com-
mander A. Parley, from the Leeward Islands, to relieve her.
Terrific gales have been blowing since Tuesday morning
from the north-west upon this coast. Their violence has
been unprecedented for this time of the year. Considerable
damage has been done to the corn standing near the beach,
and many boats and other craft have dragged their anchors
and gone out to sea. The violence of the wind is unabated,
although the tumult of the waters is somewhat decreased.
Yesterday and Wednesday the water washed over the walls
of the town as the tide rose with fearful rapidity, and heavy
showers have continued to pour down at short intervals ever
since Tuesday morning.
The new steam-basin in course of construction in the Royal
dockyard, for vessels of war, is rapidly being proceeded with,
and when finished will form one of the most complete and
spacious establishments of the kind in the world. Three
new building-slips, for ships of any class, are also in rapid
course of completion. These are in lieu of those demolished
to enlarge the site of the new steam-basin.
The Prince Regent is in speedy course of cutting down
from a first-rate to a 90-gun ship. Her new elliptic stern,
which is now being fitted, will add greatly to her beauty and
appearance.
The Vindictive, 50, Captain J. Toup Nicolas, is in liar-
bour, returning stores, preparatory to being paid off. It is
not expected, however, she will remain long out of commis-
. sion, being such a crack ship.

THE CUSTOM-ROUSE FRAUDS AGAlN.—Consider-
able excitement prevailed at the Custom-house yesterday,
and among the numerous merchants and agents in the neigh-
bourhood, in consequence of a rumour which, it is to be
feared, is but too true, that a firm in the City who have
transacted business as Custom-house agents for many years,
and who have hitherto been considered of irreproachable cha-

racter and probity, have decamped. Of course, we cannot at
present speak as to the probable cause of this rumoured sudden
departure ; but it is to be feared that it is in consequence of
the searching investigation, at present taking place into the
official books at the Custom-house for several years past.
HIBERNIAN MINING COMPANY.—Yesterday the
half-yearly meeting of this Company took place at the
office in Austin-friars, J. H. Bradshaw, Esq., in the chair.
From the report it appeared that several new works had been
undertaken, and the seam of coal continued good. The sales,
in spite of the competition, had exceeded those of the pre-
vious six months by about 2,700 tons, the sales for the half
year being 9,037 tons, which produced the sum of 2,6354
and a more extensive sale was only wanting to yield a divi-
dend. The trial for the vein of copper at Alfacore had been
discontinued, after an outlay of 1501. After the reading and
adoption of the report, a vote of thanks was passed to th Di-
rectors of the Company.
CHATHAM DOCKYARD.—On the 30th ult. the Earl
of Dundonald paid an official visit to this dockyard, when
the steam-vessel Janus, of 4 guns, which was built in this
yard on a peculiar construction, designed by the gallant
officer, was put out of dock for the purpose of testing her
boilers in his presence. The Janus was taken into dock again
on Thursday, the Ist inst. The Trafalgar, 120 guns, fitting
as an advance ship, is nearly completed ; and the new stern,
_ _

. .
which has been pia on the plan of Mr. Finchani, master:
builder, is now finished and painted, and has a very noble
appearance. This vessel is reckoned to be the finest ship in
the service. She goes out of dock on Saturday. Captain
Brandreth, of the Rol Engineers, and director of works at
this yard, arrived on Wednesday, the 31st ult., and inspected
the erection of the new buildings now being raised in the dif-
ferent parts of the yard, and left here on the Ist inst. for the
purpose of inspecting the works at Sheerness Dockyard.
DETENTION OF DR. WOLFF.—Advices from Con-

stantinople, July 17, say that " a letter had been received
from Dr. Wolff, announcing his detention by the Ameer of
Bokhara, under the following circumstances :—The Bokharee
Envoy, who, it was said, was to have accompanied Dr.Wolfr
to England, has been arrested on his road from Persia, at
Meshed, by the Ameer of that place, as a hostage for the
Doctor's safe delivery from the hands of the Ameer of Bolt-
hara ; and the latter, on hearing of this act, had declared that
the Englishman should not depart until the Bokharee Envoy
had been set at liberty,. Such, it is said, are the main state-
. .

ments in Dr. Wolff's letters, dated Bokhara, May 12 ;
'
that it is probable, since the Ameer of Bokhara did not ap-
pear to be personally hostile to Dr. Wolff, and the Ameer of
Meshed was known to be actuated by friendly motives to-
wards him, we may soon hope to hear of his safe departure
from Bokhara."
A Durham journal says—" A diabolical outrage
was committed yesterday morning, at Walridge.
near Chester-le-Street, by some heartless villain tiring a gun
heavily loaded through the window-shutters of a house occu-
pied by John Walker, a deputy, by which he and his wife
were severely injured whilst asleep in bed. Some murderous
scoundrels have perpetrated a similar outrage at Rainton, in
the Marquis of Londonderry's collieries, by firing a shot' in
the window sole of one of the black-legs'—which was so
heavily charged as to shatter the walls, and to cause the ex-
plosion to be heard two miles off."
Sir Watkin Williams Wynn, Bart., at his audit
last week, caused a return of 10/. per cent. to be made on
the rents of all his tenantry at Llangedwin, Llaurhaiad, and

Llansilin.
GREENLAND FISHERY.—The Vidocq, Captain
James Graham, has come in with a quantity of seals on board.
The number is not yet ascertained, but it is said that the seals
are all more or less broken. The Vidocq will shortly be
brought into dock, and her cargo thorougly overhauled by
Inspector T. Dtmeombe.—Punch.
THE CROPS IN FRANCE.—The Courrier de Lyon
gives a flattering account of the 'state of the crops in that
part of the country. The harvest is going on most satisfac-
torily, the grain in abundance, and very fine. The vines
have recovered in consequence of the late favourable
weather, and should it continue, the crop may be expected
to be an average one and of good quality. A tolerable after-
crop of hay is also expected. In Champagne and in the
Vosges, however, the prospects of the farmer are not so
favourable. The wet weather, in many parts, has rendered
the harvest backward, and it is feared that much of the corn
will be spoiled.
THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.—The complaint
of want of rain is no longer heard from the farmers ; the
copious showers of the last ten days have filled the ground
with moisture, and though it has been scarcely sufficient
to open the springs freely, an apprehension began to prevail
on Tuesday, when the barometer fell in twenty-four hours
from "fair" to "change," and from " change" to "rain," that
we were doomed to have a wet harvest. The rising of the
mercury since that time has served to dissipate these alarms,
and in the southern counties, where the harvest has com-
menced pretty generally, the prospects are said to be grati-
fying for the wheat crops, and that even the spring corn, such
as oats and barley, turn out better than was expected. La
our northern counties little corn has yet been cut, and the
latter hay harvest has been retarded by the late rains. The
second crops of clover and grass form a striking contrast to
the meagre produce of the first, and the potatoes and turnips,
without any very great prospect of abundance, have improved
amazingly within the last three weeks.—Leeds Mereury.
GALLANT DEFENCE.—On the morning of the 20th
ult., at four o'clock, five men armed with pistols, entered the
house of Pat Hogan, at Fenlough, as the door was opened.
When Hogan's sister saw them come in, she ran into a room
where her brothers slept, and alarmed them ; they got out of
bed, and closed the door, and John Hogan put his shoulder to
it to keep it closed, when a shot was fired through the door
which wounded him in the arm. Hogan's brother Pat kept
fipainrgtyinfgromstogneetstinoNg•einr tohveerroiotm.
Twwalol,waillnddokwesptwesorem
se
moats
ht he
cei
by them when they went out into the yard.—Neriagh
6'uardian
A VETERAN.—There is now living in one of the
iigun Stoney-street,
reached
dis town,
tiieady
hospitalsobe rtß a pensioner, named
Robert
need age of ninety-
five years. He enlisted in 1771 into the 57th Regiment of
Foot, and served during the whole of the American
being wounded at the battle of Brandywine. He also servedw,r
in Holland; and after being nearly twenty-four years a
soldier, he received his discharge in 1794, since which time
he has been in the receipt of a pension. Though infirm, the'
old fellow still retains his memory unimpaired, and possesees
an almost interminable fund of campaigning anecdotes, which
he often recounts for the amusement of his friends, and he i*
never better pleased than when he has this opportunity a
" fighting all his battles o'er again."—Nottingham Journal_
SHETLAND.—On Friday, the 19th ult., Mr. Ed-
ward Standen, of Oxford, and of the Shetland warehouse,
Jermyn-street, London, and Mr. Robert Turnbull, son of the
respected minister of Tingwall parish, Shetland, left Scallo-
way for Raewick, a distance of ten miles, in a sailing boat
belonging to the latter. They were accompanied by two
Shetland boatmen. When within two or three miles of their
destination, the boat, from press of canvass, and perhaps
from some mismanagement, filled with water, and having
a quantity of ballast on board she quickly sunk. Mr.
Turnbull and the two men, unable to swim, remained,
by the boat, and all three went down with ber..
Mr. Standen was left alone upon the water, swimming
with difficulty, having on an extra coat and heavy boots-
His situation appeared a hopeless one, but providentially a
Spanish vessel, the Flora, of Bilboa, Capt. Ybinaga, was
within sight and to the windward. The captain saw the ac-
cident, bore down to the spot, and by promptitude and good
management reached Mr. Standen in about a quarter of an.
hour, only just in time to save him being exhausted. Every
kindness and attention was shown on board to recover him,
and he was landed at Scalloway. This accident shown Juni
necessary it is that along our coasts islands ait e.
neral attention should be naiA thenoble art of
to
Scarcely a Siletland--and
spent ...a can swim, and yet Ills whole life Is
water 1