* Francis Capel, whose wife was killed in the collision between the Nemesis and the Iberia on the occasian of the departure of the contingent, has died in the Sydney Hospital. It appears *^fiat Capel, who landed at Adelaide from the Iberia, met with an accident on board which resulted in the amputation of several«f his fingers in the' Sydney Hospital. Mortification set in lately, and he died as stated. He leaves a family of five, children utterly destitute, and under the painful cir cumstances in which they have lost both parents a public appeal is being made for their support A statement was made in a Syduey paper by Captain J. Beid to the effect that some of the military officers of the Government had placed in the hands of the Russian Admiral (Aslan begoff) all the plans for the defensive wovks, together with such mans and charts as he desired. Mr Dalley promptly communicated with the ac tin "-commander to ascertain whether as far as he knew, such a course had been pursued. Colouel Roberts gave the statement a most emphatic denial, and expressed his assurance that Colonel Richardson, who was com mnndant at the time of the Russian Ad miral's visit to this Colony, was too loyal a soldier to bg guilty of such traitorous conduct. • The scoonev Ripple, from the Solomon Islam's, brings intelligence to Sydney of a reported massacre in those islands. Whi'e costing along the east side of Sen Clnistoval at the beginning of May, the Natives of a village informed Captain Woodhonse that some days previously a small sail ing vessel had gone ashore not far f-o\a the vil'age,and that the crew, consisting of three white men and three Natives, had been attacked by bushmen.'who succeeded in killing one of the white men, bat the others escaped in a canoe, which was despatched to their assis tance, and went on to Ugi. On arrival at Ugi, Captain Woodhouse found that one of. the two men was being cared for by the Natives, but he was suffering so sevevely from illness that no information as to the details of the occurrence could be obtained from him, and as the other man was wot discovered, no farther steps couitl be taken in the matter. 