17 JUNE 1854, Page 9

RibstrIlnutono.

The latest news from the Baltic describes Admiral Napier as "off Sweaborg," with nine screw-ships of the line. The Pigmy had been sur- veying and sounding close up to Helsingfors. There were nine or ten liners in the harbour. A telegraphic despatch from Lubeck states that Admiral Plumridge "has destroyed the Russian Dockyards at Uleaborg and Brahested, burning 10,000 barrels of tar at one place and 18,000 at another. He has taken several of the gun-boats which had been pre- pared to oppose the British fleet." Next to Abo, Uleaborg is the chief commercial town of Finland : both ports are in the Gulf of Bothnia.

The screw war steamer Esk, built by Scott Russell and Company at Millwall, was launched on Monday, with the whole of her machinery on board—the first time this has ever been done. She was named by Miss Martin, daughter of Captain Martin, Superintendent of Deptford Dock- yard. The Esk is 192 feet in length and 36 feet 4 inches in breadth ; her tonnage is 1153. She was only begun ten months ago.

I. M. B. in the Times vouches for the truth of a statement that the en- trenching and pioneering tools issued to the Army by the Colonels are useless ; and he challenges the Quartermaster-General to test the state- ment by putting the pioneers' tools of the Guards into the hands of any gas-fitter or pipe-layer near the Horse Guards. They would not stand fifteen minutes' real work " ; and no agricultural labourer would take one of these tools as a gift, if he were forced to gain his week's wages by task or measure work.

The mortality of London is still high for the season. Last week the number of deaths was 1110, while the calculated average gives only 1001. The number of deaths from scarlatina and measles has somewhat de- clined; but the number from whooping-cough has risen from 53 to 63, typhus from 57 to 64, and diarrhoea from 22 to 31.

Captain Giffard, of the unfortunate ship Tiger, has died of his wounds at Odessa. General Osten-Sacken, and two batteries of artillery, attended his funeral, on the 2d June.

Dr. Neville Grenville, Dean of Windsor, died on Saturday, in his sixty- sixth year. He leaves a widow and ten children.

Mr. Henry Tufnell, long representative of Davenport, and an active mem- ber of the Whig party, died on Thursday, at Calton Hall, Derbyshire.

M. Mauguin, who took a leading part in the Revolution of 1830, and who was a member of the Chamber of Deputies, of the Constituent Assembly, and of the Legislative Assembly; died lately at Paris.

M. A. Vivien, ex-Minister of Justice, and Minister of Public Works in 1848, died there on the 8th.

Admiral Baudin was buried on Friday, with the honours due to a Mar- shal of France. As he was a Protestant, his body was not taken into any church, but was conveyed direct to the cemetery at Montmartre.

A nephew of Omar Pasha, a lad of twelve or fourteen, has arrived in Paris for his education.

Mr. William Hannant, surgeon of the Philomel, 8-gun sloop, has been _tried by a naval court-martial, at Sheerness, on a charge of drunkenness. Mr. Hannant was sent home from the West coast of Africa in the steam- tender Tearer, in charge of the sick and the medical stores; and it was al- leged that while thus employed he was drunk and incapable of performing his duty from the 16th to the 27th of April. The charge was found proved, and Mr. Hannant was sentenced to be dismissed from the service.

Lieutenant-Colonel Gidley, of the Twenty-second Bombay Native Infantry, has been tried by court-martial at Bombay for gross dereliction of duty, in permitting officers of inferior rank to be drunk in his presence and to use indecent language and behave with great impropriety. There were a num- ber of charges, and most of them were pronounced proved. This was one of the charges on which he was found guilty—The late Surgeon Elliot arrived drunk at Ensign Cole's bungalow when required to afford medical aid to that

officer, Surgeon Elliot having come from the prisoner's house on that occa- sion. The offences occurred at Bhooj, in the province of Cutch. Colonel Gidley was sentenced to be dismissed the service. Five officers who mis- behaved are to be brought to a court-martial.

The damage to the screw of the Great Britain having been repaired, she left Liverpool on Monday morning. She has 450 passengers, exclusively of children, and a full cargo—much freight was refused from want of room.

An electric cable lost in the Irish Channel off Portpatrick a year ago has been recovered by Captain Hendey, in the Monarch steamer. It is sixteen miles long, and weighs 100 tons.

In turning over the ancient borough documents of Bridgewater lately, a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth was discovered conferring privileges on the port, one of which is exemption from port and harbour dues in all ports except London. Of course if this ancient charter can be now put in force it will be a great advantage to the Bridgewater shipowners.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer acknowledges the receipt of ten Mexican Bonds, each for 5001., "in further payment of a debt long due to the na- tion " ; also the receipt of 601., in ten Post-office orders of 51. each, from "P. j.tt

According to a correspondent of the Elgin Courier, a tradesman of Elgin has invented a wonderful "longitudinal projectile," to be fired from a cannon, which will "hit to a hair" any object at a distance of five miles. It ex- pands like an umbrella after leaving the cannon, and explodes when it strikes an object. It will cause the immediate destruction of the largest ship, and one or two charges would extirpate an army ! The projector is to exhibit the invention to the Ordnance authorities at Woolwich.