The Sun. — London, England, 1859-09-30 00:00:00

71.11 E NAVY. The following vessels are being fitted out at Portsmouth to reinforce our squadron in the China seas :—Odin, 16, paddle, Capt. Lord J. Hay, C.B. ; Sphinx, 6, paddle, Commander G. F. Day, V.C. ; Beagle, 4, screw, Commander P. M'Dougal; Ring dove, 6, screw, Commander Craigie ; and Hardy, Havoc, Grasshopper, and Flamer, screw gunboats. At Spithead—Pearl, 20, screw, Capt. Borlase, C. 8.; and Clio, 20, screw, Capt. Miller. In addition to the above are the Urgent, screw troopship, Corn. Hire ; Perseverance, screw troopship, Com. Power ; and Simoom, screw troopship, Com. Cooke. It is the intention of the Admiralty to fit up one of the last-named vessels as a transporting hospital ship, and attach her to the fleet in China, to con vey the sick or wounded during our future opera tions to the stationary hospital ships. The Fox frigate, fitted with a screw and auxiliary engines of 200 horse-power, is also lying at moorings up Portsmouth harbour, and might be made available for many services in the China seas during the ex pected hostilities. We believe this vessel has never been employed since fitted with her auxiliary steam power ; it is said that she averaged over nine knots on her last trial. _ _ The Rhadamanthus, paddle steamer,Master-Com mander Sturdee, sailed from Portsmouth yesterday morning,-for Woolwich, having on board a number of high-pressure boilers, fitted complete, intended for China, to replace such as may be damaged on board .the gunboats attached to our squadron in those waters. Commander Craigie took up his commission ye - terday at Portsmouth, and hoisted the pendant en btard the Ringdove, 6, screw despatch vessel at that port. The first lieut. and paymaster have also joined. The Undaunted, target frigate, has been brought down to Portsmouth harbour, and placed along side the sheer jetty, where she is haying some iron and steel plates affixed to her port side for onnery experiments. Three of the plates are the manufacture of Messrs. Palmer, Brothers, of Newcastle, and are of the respective thicknesses of four, three and a half, and three inches. The hired transp?rts Gasslyn, Prosper, and Jane R o berts are receiving heavy cargoes of shot and shell at Woolwich. The screw steam storeship Lord Panumre, H. T. Moore commanding, yesterday arrived from Devon port, laden with a fall cargo of returned stores for Woolwich. THE ARMY. The annexed circular has been directed to com manding officers of Militia regiments and barrack raasters by the Earl of Ripon, the Under Secretary of State for War : . " War-office, Sept. 14. " Circular No. 361, containing regulations for hiring property for the use of the Wa r Department generally, being inapplicable for the provision of hospital accommodation for militia regiments at the annual training periods, Mr. Secretary Herbert has been pleased to approve of the following regula tions of hiring for the object named, which are to be strictly followed in all future cases. " When a regiment is about to be assembled for training, the officer commanding will report to the Secretary of State for War, as early as convenient, the necessity for providing hospital accommodation, stating whether there is any infirmary or public building available for the purpose ; if not, he will state the lowest rate at which a suitable house or rooms, approved by the surgeon of the regiment, can be obtained for the training . period. " The report is to be sent in the latter case through the barrack-master of the district, who, in forwarding it, will state from his experience and knowledge, whether he considers the rent demanded to be reasonable, but he is not to proceed to the station to make inquiries without directions from this office. On the hire being approved, it will be communicated to the officer commanding and to the barrack-master, and the latter will supply such hos pital furniture and bedding as the officer command mg may deem necessary, reporting the expense of carriage for sanction. "The bedding, &c., is to be duly removed at the expiration of the training period. " When it is proposed to accommodate the sick of a regiment .in a hospital attached to barracks, barrack-masters will, in Great Britain, forward the application of the officer commanding to the Inspec tor-General of Fortifications ; but in Ireland this application should be sent to the Deputy Quarter master-General in Dublin, agreeably to the Circular Memorandum of the 2d of August, 1859." A board of officers assembled in London yester day, by order of the authorities connected with the War Department, for the purposes connected with the re-organisation of'the Medical Staff Corps. Al though it was announced some time since that the present Medical Staff Corps was about to be dis banded and a new branch of the service estab lished, to be named the Army Hospital Corps, for which the orderlies belonging to the late corps might volunteer, yet up to the present time it has been found impossible to carry the proposed change into effect, owing to the exceedingly small number of the present Medical Staff Corps who have ex pressed their willingness to rg-enlist into the new corps. The total number of men belonging to the Medical Staff Corps is rather more than 600, and these are distributed about every part of the globe wherever military hospitals have been established, only about 100 being attached to head-quarters, Chatham. Of this number only about one third have expressed their intention to volunteer for the Army Hospital Corps, and it is probable that altogether there will be not more than 100 vß lunteers from the remainder of the Medical Staff Corps. The reasons given for the refusal of the pre sent members of the corps to volunteer for the Army Hospital Corps are various, but the chief appear to be that the scale of pay is only about half that given in the Medical Staff Corps, while a large number. and that perhaps the majority, are only too glad to avail themselves of the opportunity of escaping from military service. The new corps is to consist of 1,000 men of all degrees, but as there appears to be no probability of obtaining volunteers to any thing like that number, the board of officers ordered to assemble will take into consideration the course it would be advisable to adopt, though it would seem to be no more than probable that the forma tion of the new corps will, for the present at least, be abandoned, and the Medical Staff Corps be con tinued on its present footing. A considerable num ber of the Army Hospital Corps, it was thought, would be obtained from regiments of the line ; but as the qualifications required are that the volun teers shall have been some time in the service, of good character, and able to read and write, com manding officers are indisposed to recommend such men from their regiments, as soldiers of that class are sure to become non-commissioned officers and obtaining other advantages by remaining in their own corps. A number of the wounded and invalid troops who arrived at Chatham from India on Wednesday last are suffering from ophthalmia, some having entirely lost the sight of one eye. The worst cases are under treatment in Fort Pitt Hospital. The first portion of the depot of the 29th regimen t will vacate the Spur Battery, at Chatham, where they have been encamped, to-morrow morning, and proceed to Weedon for the purpose of joining the head-quarters of their regiment, just returned from India. The officers and men of the detachment were inspected yesterday, in order to allow them to leave the garrison at an early hour this morning. The fol lowing are the officers named to proceed with the first detachment of the depot:—Ensign E. P. Everard, Ensign R. Berkeley, and Ensign J. H. H. Croft. The 29th depot has been quartered at Chatham a great number of years. The Gipsy Bride troopship was towed into Ports mouth harbour from Spithead yesterday, and berthed alongside the north jetty. The 29th Regiment,(2d division), which arrayed in the ship at Spithead from Calcutta the day previous, as stated in The Bun of yesterday, disembarked in the afternoon, and left Portsmouth by special train at 5 p.m. for Pres ton. The 29th embarked for India in the early part of 1842, and shared the glories and hard fiighting of the Sutlej Campaign 1845-6, including the bat tles of Ferozeshah and. Sobraon. It also went through the Punjab C ampaign of 1848-9, including the passage of the Chenab at Wuzzeerabad, the battles of Chillianwallah and Goojerat. The Ist division of the 29th arrived at Spithead from India in the troopship Clasmerden on the 18th inst., and are at present quartered at Preston, where te 2d division, from the Gipsy B r id e, j o i ns them. By orders received by telegram from the Horse Guards yesterday by the military authorities at Portsmouth, the detachment of the 9th Queen' s Royal Light Dragoons (La ncer s) , and that o f th e 10th (North Lincoln) Foot, will dilembark from the troopship Liverpool at Portsmouth this morn ing. A detachment of the 9th, consisting o f 110 men with the proportion of officers, will proceed to Trowbridge, the remainder to proceed to Exeter. Referring to an article which appeared in our columns on the 21st inst., on Brown-down Camp, we are informed that from the small number of troops encamped on the ground, it was only neces sary to erect pumps over five of the wells in front of the camp, the covers of which are lost from hav ing become rotten, but are about to be renewed. The difference observable in the outfit of the troops of the line and the Royal Marines, and the appear ance of their camps, arises, we are also informed, from the fact of the latter occupying their ground permanently, while the tents of the former are oc cupied by changing detachments from various regi ments., Col. Tulloch, superintendent of the royal carriage department of Woolwich Arsenal, having recovered from a severe and dangerous illness, yesterday re sumed the duties of his department. A draught of 250 non-commissioned officers and men belonging to the depot brigade of Royal Artil lery was yesterday ordered to be held in readiness for service in China. The draught is to be composed of the most experienced and select men, versed in the duties of scientific andpractical siege operations, and, if practicable, to be formed exclusively of men who have passed seven years' service. Officers of the corps are required to volunteer to command and accompany the draught. The despatch of these troops will take place with as little delay as pos sible—probably during the ensuing week. The Yorkshire Hussars will to-day complete their annual period of training at York. The regiment is reported to be in a very efficient state, and has given great satisfaction to the Earl of Harewood, who has accepted the colonelcy in the room of Earl de Grey, resigned. The battalion of the Royal Wiltshire Regiment of Militia in command of Capt. Kyd Skeete, recently arrived at Woolwich, was yesterday paraded in front of the artillery barracks for the inspection of Major- Gen. Sir R. Dacres. From the remarks which were occasionally made by the General during his inspec tion, it appears that the appearance and discipline of the battalion were highly satisfactory. MANNING THE NAVY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—Thereciin — l3elittle doubt, after the expe rience acquired during the Russian war and in the last few months, that not only are we without any system for recruiting the defensive forces of this empire, but also that all the expedients adopted have proved signal and costly failures. Formerly we had the ballot and the pressgang, and, what was far more influential in filling up ships and regiments, the allurements of actual war. To-day we are for bidden to force men to serve, and must rely entirely upon volunteers, induced to come forward by large bounties, while the prospect of continued peace pre sents few inducements to adventurous spirits to bind themselves to serve the Queen for 10 years. Most assuredly were war to be declared to-morrow, and tho want of defenders to be made apparent, there would be no lack of volunteers. In a month we could have a million of men under arms—as reference to what was done 56 years ago will show—so great is the public spirit in England ; but they would not be competent to engage in action. Meanwhile, until they had learnt the drill, the enemy would find no serious impediment in advancing towards the attain ment of his object. It is precisely this state of things which it is deemed prudent and desirable to avoid. We want our lines of defences to be sufficiently strong, without being made excessively costly, so as to guard against surprise, and, if not able to de feat an attack, at least to resist it long enough to permit the organisation and advance of our reserves . The first line of defence is the sea, and therefore manning the navy becomes the first and most im portant consideration. People are very generally agreed that the intro duction of steam and the improvements of the age have materially impaired our first line of defence, and considerably altered the system of naval war fare ; but they do not appear to be conscious that the greatest change which our progress has effected has been in rendering unavailable the sources from which the navy was formerly manned. The mer ehant service, the coasting.trade, and fisheries were nurseries for British sailors when everything de pended on seamanship, and ships of the line could lie alongside, discharging, broadsides into one another for h ours with very little damage to either, Now matters are entirely changed; the mercantile marine and other seafaring employments are not nurseries for men of war. Their sailors have a . prejudice which, however unfounded it may be, is strong 'enough to prevent them from entering gene rally on board the Queen's ships. Even those who enter, although good seamen, require long drill and practice to become efficient man-of-war's men. They have, on leaving the merchant service, no , knowledge or practice of gunnery—at the present day a most essential qualification ; and they are not accustomed to act together, 'which constitutes the difference between disciplined and undisciplined crews. Supposing, therefore, that on the declara tion of war, we could enrol 50,000 able-bodied sea men from the merchant service, they could not be sent to sea, under fair chances of success, until after they had had at least six months' naval discipline and gunnery drill. To obviate the disadvantages of our position se veral schemes have been proposed, which have been put aside Is impracticable or inadequate, with the exception of two—the first of which is the establish ' ent, by Sir James Graham, of the Royal Naval Coast Volunteers; and the second, the proposal by the Secretary to the Admiralty to subsidise 20,000 men in the merchant service on condition of their undergoing a month's naval drill once in three years, and undertaking to enter the navy in case of war. Taking first Sir James Graham's scheme, let us see how far it has answered. The Coastguard and Naval Volunteers are estimated at 9,000 officers and men, but their total number is 8,752. The total charge for them is £726,958, which makes the aver age cost of each man to the country £BO 6s.—cer tainly a most extravagant price to pay. This is, of course, exclusive of the cost of fuel and wear and tear of ships in which they are embarked. To form an idea of the excessive cost of naval volunteers we have only to compare it with that of the men in the regular navy. According to the estimates printed in February the charge for 40,000 officers, seamen, and boys employed in her Majesty's fleet was £1,678,474, and their proportion of the charge for victuals was £586,462, making a total of £2,264,936, or an average cost for each of £56 12s, against £BO 65. for the naval volunteer. Consequently, for the same expenditure, we could have had three men in the fleet for every two in the coast volunteers. Lord Clarence Paget's scheme provided for paying £5 a-head to 20,000 merchant sailors engaged in the American, Baltic, Mediterranean, and coastinc , trades, on condition of their promising to enter the navy when required, and undergoing a month's drill on board ship once in three years, for which they are to receive additional pay. The plan would be all very well if we were sure the men would be come thorough men-of-war's men by the triennial monthly drill, and that they would be always avail able when wanted. But what captain would deem himself fairly matched with an enemy's ship of equal force if half the crew were composed of these men ? And hOw far would they be superior to the men we' can always get from the merchant service by a £lO bounty ? Further, if we required the services of these men, it would be suddenly, and they would then be absent engaged in their ordinary occupations beyond the seas. In the presence of these failures, and of the noto rious difficulty experienced in manning the navy, it is time to ask whether we have not all along pro ceeded in a wrong direction. We have started from a wrong point—that of looking to the mercantile marine as the nursery for the navy, which it was 50 years back, but which it is no longer in reality since the introduction of steam, our progress in the practice of scientific gunnery, and other improve ments. Under these altered circumstances it would be well to discard the traditions of the past, and to ascertain whether it would not be practicable and more profitable to start from a new basis with a view to recruit the navy from other and more abun dant sources than the merchant service—to provide the navy with a nursery of its own, and to create our great naval reserve by making the Royal Navy a nursery for the mercantile marine. In order to ascertain the practicability and cost of the scheme, let us suppose that it in determined to maintain a fleet manned by 40,000 officers and seamen. It now consists of 34,410 officers and men and 5,590 boys, leaving the Coastguard and Royal Navy Coast Volunteers out of consideration. The annual mortality of these 40,000 sailors, taking the maximum death rate of 2 5 in 1, 0 00, would be 1,000. If they were all continuous service men rnd retired from the navy at the expiration of the decimal term for which they had entered, there would be re quired to fill up the vscancies caused by deaths and retirements about 5,000 fresh hands. In order to admit of a greater number of men being trained and of the formation of a naval reserve it is suggested that a portion of these fresh hands should be com posed of men who have served their 10 years on board men-of-war, and have subsequently joined the merchant service for a certain period, but have been induced to enter for a second term in the Royal Navy in consideration of a pension, and perhaps of increased pay. The remainder of the fresh hands is to consist of lads who have undergone two years' Preparatory training in seamanship and ,gunnery on board school ships. and three years' training on board ships in commission. It is notorious that there is noo lack of boys, and that for every vacancy there are 20 applicants. Supposing these two principles adoptedfor man ning the navy and for forming the reserve in lieu of the inscription maritime, ballot, bounties, and subsidies, let us see what proceedings would have to be adopted to carry them out practically. It would be necessary to establish in the prin cipal sea ports school ships capable of receiving ON board the necessary number of naval apprentices to undergo preparatory instruction during. two years, and who should bind themselves to serve for 10 years in the navy after the expiration of their apprenticeship. The number of boys proposed to be entered annually at the age of 16 is 3,881, in order to allow for mortality at the usual rate during that period of life. It Cannot be considered that this number would be an inconvenient abstraction from the rising generation when it is remembered that upwards of 335,000 male children, of whom more than 21,000 are illegitimate, are born yearly in England and Wales, without reference to Scotland .9,nd Ireland. The entries of two years would amennt to 7,762, who could be accommodated in 20 black ships of the Ajax class-388 boys to each, and a craw of efficient seamen, officers, instructors; and others, of 112, to make up the complement of 500 allowed by i, - I'e Admiralty regulations. There are plenty of ships ich had much better be ap plied to this purpose than to be left rotting in our dockyards. While in the school-ships the boys would be instructed .in the elements of ordinary education, in addition to being taught to row, heave the lead, box the compass, go aloft, reef, steer, and work the guns. It is not expected they would be proficient in these matters, but they would acquire a certain amount of knowledge and practice in each would render them far superior to the present class of boys, and make them almost on a par, except in regard to physical force, with the present run of ordinary seamen. With due economy, and in the absence of reformatory or prison luxuries, the boys ought not to cost more than £l5 a-head. The total cost of 7,762 naval apprentices would therefore be £116,430. After undergoing these two years' training the boys would be draughted into her Majesty's ships, under the title, perhaps, of first-class naval appren tices, and while there should be thoroughly taught their duties as able-bodied seamen and gunners. Here they would remain for three years, and at the expiration of that period it may be'confidently exported they would be thorough and efficient men of-war's men, if the officers did their duty. They would not have that experience which can only be obtained by long . acquaintance with the sea, but that would come in good time. At 21 years of age, then, the first-class naval apprentice takes rank as an able-bodied seaman and seaman-gunner, in which capacity he serves for ten years. The number of first-class naval apprentices in the fleet would be 11,643, and their cost, at £2O a-head, would amount to £232,860. The number that would annually go out of this class and pass into that of able-bodied seamen wonld be 3,7 so—the 3,000 serving to keep up the full complement of 30,000 men who might be ranked as passed, or second-class able-bodied seamen, and the 750 would serve to fill up the death vacancies caused in this body, always calculating the rase of mortality at its maxiumum. There would remain 10,000 more seamen to be obtained. It is suggested that arrangements should be made to induce passed seamen, at the end of their ten years' service, to enter into the merchant service for a certain definite period. That the men would be eagerly sought after by shipowners, and be paid at a higher rate of wages than ordinary merchant sea men, will be evident to any one who has perused the evidence taken before the Royal Commission on Harbours of Refuge. Mr. A. Gilmour, member of a large shipping firm in Glasgow, and whose evi dence may be consulted with advantage on this point, said (page,ll) that the fact of being able to prove a seaman's identity would be of great advan tage to seamen and shipowners who were prepared to pay an increased rate of wages to get well qualified crews. Now, the men who temporarily left the Royal navy would be provided with certificates establishing their identity, and after 15 years' train ing they must be qualified. They would therefore receive higher wages than merchant seamen gene rally. It may be taken that the number who, un der this system, would annually leave the Royal navy for the merchant service would be nearly 3,000. If they remained in the mercantile marine for 15 years, until they were 46 years of age, they would accumulate into a force of at least 37,000 well trained, seasoned, and experienced ablebodied sea men and seamen gunners, and constitute a reserve without costing the State a penny. At the end of 15 years, it is suggested that the men should be in vited back again into the Royal navy, on condition of their receiving an adequate pension at the ex piration of their new term of service for 10 years. We may presume that the 3,000 passed seamen who left the navy will have been reduced in the merchant service by deatk, and having entered into other occupations, to 1,700 men, who will be added to the navy every year. By the end of the period of teu years they will have accumulated to 17,000 men, of whom the younger portion to the number of 10,000 would be draughted into the fleet, and the remaining 7,00010 the Coastguard and Royal Naval Coast Volunteers. By this means there would be obtained on board her Majesty's fleet : Veteran able-bodied seamen and seamen gunners, from 46 to 56 years of age First class or passed ablebodied seamen and seamen gunners, from 21 to 31 years of age First class naval apprentices, from 18 to 21 years of age 11,643 30,000 Total effective naval force afloat 51,643 The reserve would consist of : Veteran ablebodied seamen and seamen gunners, from 46 to 56 years of age, in the Coastguard d and Royal Naval Coast Volunteers Ablebodied seamen and seamen gunners in the merchant service, from 31 to 46 years of age 37,000 7,000 Total of. reserve .... 44,000 With 51,643 well trained bluejackets afloat, sup ported by 15,000 marines, or 66,000 men in all, the " wooden walls of old England" would be better manned than they have been hitherto, and our first line of defence would not only be secure from sur prise but also from aggression, while the know ledge that England could, when necessary, send forth 95,000 sailors besides her marines, or 110,000 sea warriors, better trained and no less brave than those who fought under Nelson, to uphold the honour of her flag on every sea, would give greater weight to her voice of peace in the councils of Eu rope, and convince continental Powers of the folly of attempting to compete with her upon the ocean. Assuredly, with such an organisation, no one would fear invasion, and it only remains to be seen whether it can be accomplished without mate rially increasing the estimates. The present num ber of officers and men, without counting boys, arid exclusive of the Coastguard and Naval Volun teers, is 34,542. The increase therefore to 40,000 men would, in reality, be no more than aji addition of 5,542 men, who, at the average expense of £56 12s. a-head, would cost the country £313,677. The cost of the two classes of naval apprentices would be £349,308, making the total cost to the country of the suggested scheme £662,975. But from this must be deducted the savings that would accrue from adopting the proposed system. There is the cost of 5,542 boys at present in the fleet, and who, from being mixed up with the men, cost £2O a-head. The saving under this head would be.. Reduction of Coastguard, &c., from 9,000 to 7,000 161,769 Suppression of bounty money to volunteers 22,000 Abandonment of Lord C. Paget's scheme, esti mated to cost 200,000 Raising men, as by last year's estimate 4,374 Total economy by adopting the scheme 498,983 Total cast of carrying out the scheme Net cost of the scheme ..£163,992 It is, therefore, for taxpayers to determine whe ther it is worth while to increase the estimates by less than £170,000, in order to secure a regular sys tem for manning the navy in future, and to leaven the mercantile marine with men-of-war's men, who will in due time break down the prejudices of mer chant seamen against the Queen's service, and also to have the power of manningthe fleets of England with nearly 100,000 well-trained seamen and naval artillerists whenever it may be necessary to do so. It may be objected that the scheme could not come into complete operation for the next 30 years, but any regular organised system must necessarily be of slow growth. The maritime inscription, al though dating more than half a century, has only begun to show its utility within the last few years. The entry of naval apprentices might begin at once, and men who took their discharge without pensions to go into the merchant service might be induced to form the reserve by prospect of a Government pension after a shorter term of service, at some future time, so that by the end of the next 10 years the plan might be got into working order and have shown good fruits.—l am, sir, your obedient ser vant, AN ENGLISHMAN. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,—Among the various suggestions of Colonel Simmons and others (for he is not the only one who has formed the idea of, "so to speak," mannir,g ships of war with marines instead of sailors), there has been none offered as to what is to become of the large number of sailors we have now em ployed, who are well trained, and every day being trained in the art of gunnery, use of small arms, and the various duties of a seaman, of which natur ally a military man can have little or no know ledge. _ _ We have had difficulty and expense enough surely of late in procuring men for the ships now in commission, and are we to sacrifice the expense "of which the increased income-tax reminds us," and turn round to the men and say " We don't require your services any more ? We are going to put in your place marines',' (or artillerymen, he seems to think, would be the best name fur this new species of sailor, for sailor, to a certain extent, he must be to be of any use on board ship iii bad weather.) Again, what arrangement is to be made with regard to the officers, as the nautical part of the ship's crew is to be the contingent only. Many valuable suggestions have appeared in your columns for thinning out the over-clogged "Navy List," but I fear matters would be more complicated than ever were that the case. Mcire over, is it to be supposed that officers are to bc picked up and drilled into shape as easily as recruits for the ranks, and to be ready to take charge of the deck and undertake the various duties of a naval officer, which, in my opinion, take years to learn ? Colonel Simmons's proposal can only be based upon the supposition that ships areto be fitted with what may be termed stump masts, with fore and aft sails, which would be of no further use than for lying to in a gale, to assist in steadying her when under steam, or just to give steerage way when the steam power was not in use,'eitlier from there beindesomething wrong in the engine room or some other reason. But though I admit rind think that the size of the masts and yards our skips are now fitted with might be considerably reduced, and yet the ship be under perfect command wader sail lone, and able to " thrash off a lee-shore," or make a passage in the case of steam power failing, I deny that it would be expedient to reduce them. to that inefficient size, and trust so entirely to the steam power as merchant vessels, packets, &c., cLo where there is little chance of a shell' in the engine-room. By reducing the size of the spars many advantages would be gained and great expense saved. When under steam the gain would be in having less top weight, and less resistance consequentliy. Less hands would be required to leave the guns to work the ship " in the case again of a shell in the engine room," and less motion in heavy weather, both at sea or at anchor. One of Colonel Simmons's arguments in favour of his plan is the difficulty of procuring seamen on , an. emergency. That may be avoided by maintain ing a reserve, and I have not heard or read of any better plan than that suggested by Sir Charles Napier (than whom nobody has a better rigid to a valued opinion on such matters from his long ex perience and having thought and said so much on the subject) which . appeared in your valuable columns in a letter addressed to Sir John Paking ton, viz., to keep up a Channel fleet of at least ten sail of the line, manned by seamen with a small detachment of marines on board—" in. a crew of 1,000, for instance, there should be 100"—these to be constantly changed from ship to shore at periods of three months or so, and vice versa, by way of keeping up the efficiency per mare per terrain (the present force at the naval ports to be increased of course), and then in the event of an emergency half of the seamen in each ship could be draughted into the ships in the first class reserve, fill up the rest of the complement with coast volunteers and the full number of marines, and we should have 20 sail of the line manned without touching the Coast guard and blockships. I fear I have already trespassed too long on you already, or I would adduce other reasons to dispel the notion of substituting the marine for the sailor. Nobody, lam sure, has a greater respect for, or appreciates the invaluable ser vices of the Marine corps more than I do, and I most fully agree with the words quoted in your columns of the 19th inst., from a report to Parlia ment, in a very sensible letter from "A Colonel, Royal Marines,"—" that, as an efficient body of men, they are second to none in the service of the, , State ;" and, moreover, I fully agree with him in his opinion, that, were Colonel simmons's proposal adopted, the result would be a deficiency of marines as well as sailors. One word on the most important part of this all important question, tlat is, always keeping up a good navy, s 6 as to do away w ith the everlasting difficulty of procuring seamen whenever warlike clouds appear on the horizon ; to assist in doing so I would arge that a greater number of boys be en tered and trained as they now are, "only to too small an extent," on board those invaluable "school brigs" (for it is from that school that our best men of-war's men come); that the continuous service system be more fully carried out till every man may be as liable to be called upon to serve at any time as well as an officer may ; and that more seri ous notice should be taken of the crime of desertion than it now is, for really the service may be com pared to a pocket with a hole in it just now. Hoping you will favour these few remarks with a place in your columns, I have the honour to be yo it obedient servant, Sept. 27. A CAPTAIN, R.N. THE AFFAIR OF THE PEIHO. The following account of the engagement witl the forts of the Peiho is written by an eye-witness " GULF OF PECHELI, July 6, 1859. " When the English fleet left Hong-Kong for an expedition to the Peiho very few persons had the slightest anticipation of anything otherwise than a peaceful and successful trip to the Imperial city of Pekin. Not a breath of suspicion was aloat ; not a cloud appeared; the horizon was clear and calm, and everything denoted peace. When we arrived at Shanghae rumour did not preserve the same con sistency; reports were circulating freely, but they did not agree ; some said one thing, some another; one authority said every preparation was made for the reception of our ambassador; another authority stated that 100,000 troop 4 were collected around Pekin to dispute our entrance ; but nobody said that the forts of Peiho had been rebuilt, re-fortified, and re-manned. Well, the Admiral had made every preparation for any contingency that might. arise. If the troops had to land they knew what officers would command the divisions ; the naval department, too, had its officers distinctly named for the different duties entrusted to them. So far, everything augured well for success in case of oppo sition. Officers, men, gunboats, ammunition, scal ing ladders, and, in fact, all the minutiae of the expedition had been carefully planned. " We left Shanghae and arrived at the Gulf of Pecheli about the 19t1 of June, thus allowing a week for our trip to .Pekin, where the treaty was to be ratified. The force here consisted of the Chesapeake, flag-ship ; Highflyer, Capt. Shadwell ; Magicienne, Capt. Vansittart ; Fury, Commander Commerell ; Assistance, Commander Heath; Nim rod, Commander Winniatt ; Cormorant, Com mander Wodehouse ; Cruiser, Commander Bythe sea ; and nine gunboats—viz, Lee, Plover, Janus, Haughty, Forester, Banterer, Opossum, Starling, and Kestrel. " In addition to this force the French steam-fri gate Duchayle and a gunboat tender, the American frigate Powliattan and tender, were here, having on board the representatives of their respective Governments. " The Chinese took not the slightest notice of our arrival, and made no attempts to pay the ordinary marks of resp , ct to the ambassadors of the three Powers, who were anxious to ratify the treaty of 1858. " The admiral sent a boat on shore to communi cate with the mandarin ; and the information they received was to the effect that ' no orders had been received from Pekin,' and consequently he could not allow any ships to go up the river. " Such being the state of affairs the admiral, after communicating with Mr. Bruce, determined to storm the forts and force a passage. A delay of some twelve hours ensued in carrying out the ar rangements for the purpose of allowing the French and American forces to unite with ours. _ _ " At length, on the morning of Friday, June 24, the gunboats, with the Cormorant and Nimrod, went in, towing some 12 or 14 boats, manned and armed from the different ships. " The first object of the admiral was to blow up the boom (or, more properly, booms), and then, perhaps, the gunboats might run the gauntlets of the forts and take them in flank, should they show fight. Capt. Willes had charge of the ' boom' party, and about 11 p.m. three or four heavy reports told plainly enough that the trial had been made. Unfortunately the result was not satisfactory, for though the first boom was blown up there still remained an impas sable barrier, which defied all assailants. And now there seems to remain no chance of evading a ' fight.' All our anticipations of viewing the far-famed capi tal of China, with its palaces, and temples, and pago das ; all the visions of receptions and banquets (the indications of fraternity and amicable relationship) vanish into thin air. The steps of the.barbarian must not defile the pavement of the celestial city. An officer sent a scrawl to his friend, and wrote, ' The Chinese intend to fight. . Yes, we were to he saluted ! the English flag was to be saluted; but it was not the salute of love. • Blood was to be shed from human victims to ratify this celestial treaty. It reminds one of the great Frederick, who stamped his edicts with the hilt of his sword. The Chinese are going to improve on that plan,U.nd intend in future to ratify treaties with artillery. But passing y preliminaries, let us come to business. I,b " The morning of the 25th was calm and clear. Towards noon it became rather warm, and in look ing over the watery space between our position and the forts one could discern the dancing wavy glare of a summer day. "The gunboats were evidently in position, formed in three divisions; Capt. Shadwell having command of the red, Capt. Vansittart of the white, Capt. Willes of the blue, the divisions being distinguished by the ensign at the mast head. At 2.40 p.m. the report of a gun froth one of the forts announced the b!-ginning of the action. Instantly the aprons* were raised from the embrasures of the curtains, and a volley of shot and shell from a hundred gun, , fell with destructive effect on our force. The attack was reciprocated in good earnest, and for the space of five minutes the deep, heavy report of artillery, as quick as hail, tells in unmistakeable terms how fiercely they fought. interval of 10 minutes . more another. Two forts an " e cl t pl t o .h s e io e n n , d p o r( f )b s a o l n ) l y e a fiv i e n a o 6 r six minutes raz,ine : alia there af after is tt) messen bcuult•ttaliine continue to pour forth their o a t p h p e e r a i: to fortsbae n d d i s a e b v l e e r d y , c o n r .1 b at r a l seuarset death-bearing alongsilenced tio i ; recison but not with that crushing effect which we antici p ated. t g l e i e r s fi .s r s e . Some it‘hvituhnarbaaptieddityv.igaonudr.p The i gu , gunboats return of the gunboats are ashore, and are exposed to a gallingand murderous fire. The forts, once having * All the emprasures appear to have an apron, which is raised when the gun is in position for firing. got the range of our boats, fire with merciless pre cision. " Some of the guns require to be reinforced With new crews, and in one or two instances the vessels themselves are so shattered and riddled that it be comes doubtful whether they will not have to be abandoned. " Still, for two hours or more the battle rages fierc- . 4y; the white foamy smoke wreathes itself into fantastic curdes, or slowly rises like a distorted column high over ships and battlements till at length a thick misty cloud of smoke almost shrouds the combatants from our view. Now and then an explosion takes place, and the mingled mass of fire and smoke and dust, forms itself into some grand spectral form, and slowly ascends to the npper re• _ _ _ " The attack still continues, but the shot and shell are not flying about so fast and furious as at first, and after some three hours the enemy's guns abate the rapidity of their fire. There comes at length almost a lull in the dull bellow of artillery, and boats are prepared to land fo'r the purpose of storming one of the forts. Our landing party con sisting of marines and sailors, are eager for the as sault ; soon as the boats touch the shore the men jump out and try to form. The boats are exposed to the enemy's guns, and many a man lost his life before even he could take up a position on shore. StEadily officers and men struggle up, for the ground is deep wiry mud, all eagerly striving for the post of honour. " Men and officers begin to fall ill all directions ; still boldly do they bear themselves up, and reso lutely strive to gain the ramparts. The ditches have to be crossed, and though full of water, ammunition must be preserved—powder must be dry—until the scaling ladder can be planted against the walls of the fort. " Of the few who cross the first ditch, the men whose muskets will go off are the exceptions ; so there they stand, food for powder, anxious to do something, yet impotent for defence. " And now a perfect storm of bullets and arrows, shot and shell, whistles through the ranks ; the carnage is terrific, for, as some of the men who were there said, they mowed us down like grass.' Night is fast closing in ; our advance is slow, owing to the sticky clayey mud ; many of our leaders are down ; Captains Shadwell and Vansittart, Colonel Lemon, Lieutenant Clutterbuck, Captain Masters, among others, fell wounded in front of their men. To force them across the ditches under such circum stances is neither courage nor discretion, but a simple and useless risk of human life. They re treat, but still ' they fall,' for the darkness is illu mined fire balls' which render the position of our men as plain as daylight, and then the storm of bullets, and arrows, and ball of all sizes is re newed with fatal precision. The boats are at length reached, and they scramble into them as best they can, and are then towed to their ships. The day's work is over, but we have got no trophy to show Except the mutilated forms of wounded and dying men. " The forts were firing at intervals till after mid night, and early on the next morning were they making target-practice at the gunboats which were on shore. Sunday morning dawns calm, a russet coloured mist hanging along the horizon, just like those calm Sunday mornings you get in England. " But what is the result of yesterday's fight ? Where are its effects ? The gunboats lie in vety much the same position, but some are high and dry,' and some are almost sunk, but still we know not the whole. And when told that more than one-fourth of the force engaged is included amcng killed and wounded,' you may easily imagine that we were almost incredulous. " Among the killed are Capt. - Mackenzie, of the Royals ; Lieuts. Clutterbuck, Rason, Graves, R.N., Mr. Herbert. Lieuts. Wolridge and Inglis. But it is unnecessary to give you a list as there will be one published by authority.' Poor Clutterbuck! he fell leading on his men. He was working for his promotion, and had intended to scale the walls, if any one could scale them. The only con salation for his untimely death is that he has left many a friend behind him who knew his fine, manly, genial qualities, and not an enemy who can tell a bad one. " But in addition to a list of killed and wounded, embracing 30 officers and 300 men, we have lost the Cormorant and the gunboats Plover and Lee, and some five or six boats belonging to the different ships lying in the gulf. "It should also be stated that both the French and Americans sent in a small force, though so small in number as to rendei them of almost infini tesimal importance. They worked well, however, with great energy and good-will, have a list of killed and wounded, and express most earnest sym pathy fa our loss. " The termination of this most disastrous affair must necessarily excite discussion, and the whole management will be brought to a searching scrutiny. The way to meet danger is preparation—to avoid defeat, investigation. " In the first place, an overweening confidence in the well-tried pluck of Englishmen, and an unrea• sonable depreciation of Chinese skill in fortification and gunnery, was the main cause of our failure. " Under equal advantages there can be only one result in a fight between English and Chinese, but when English troops are exposed to a murderous fire from an enemy behind mud walls, it is not a matter of surprise that courage, and valour, and de termination succumb to their persevering though inferior opponents. When our fleet came up to the Gulf of Pecheli there was only one opinion as to our fight with the Chinese in case they should prove obstinate. Every officer and man would have volun teered his services for landing, for assault, for the gunboats, or any duty whatever. Two hours' bom bardment, an assault, and then it was believed the Chinese would abandon their guns, and leave the place in our possession. Casualties on our side were scarcely anticipated ; some two or Wive killed and nine or ten wounded would form a very fair estimate. " Chinese courage was thought to lie chiefly in discretion ;' but the result of our last engagement with them has given the lie to such opinions, and for the future we must treat them with the consi deration which an energetic and civilised enemy always commands. "The undaunted and gallant condutt of officers and men is a subject of constant remark. The per sonal courage of every man engaged was conspicu ous—no holding back, no cowardice. They fought like lions ; and though the battle is for us a defeat, yet there was much personal honour and glory de servedly won. To mention names is almost invidi ous under such circumstances, yet one cannot re frain from it. The admiral was wounded rather se verely early in the fight, yet still remained, quite indifferent to pain and danger, in the middle of the fire ; a second wound failed to subdue his incredible energy and determination • and for a day or t wo afterwards it was feared that his delay in allowing himself medical assistance would endanger his life. Officers and men were shot down at their guns, and as quickly replaced. On shore there was the same gallantry, both officers and men pressing on to the fatal spot, regardless of danger and death. Capts. Shadwell and Vansittart were wounded in the front of their men—as was Col. Lemon ; and, in truth, to tell you how bravely they behaved would require me to recount the names of many besides the killed and wounded. The name of Lieut. Evans, R.M., has heen mentioned in the highest terms. The Plover appears to, have been the most unfortunate of all the gunboats. Her lieutenant was killed with a round shot early in the engagement, and his place supplied by the flag lieutenant till she was aban doned. " Let me attempt to give you a description of the entrance to the river and the fortifications erected to defend it. The Chinese assert that the name of ' the river which we have been attempting to force is not Peiho, but Wangho, or some other oh, the Peiho running into the gulf about • 10 miles further north. There is a river emptying itself at the point stated, and communicating with the Tien- Sing ; but whether we are right or the Chinese I do not pretend to say, and for the present I shall proceed on the supposition that we are right. The Gulf of Pecheli covers an area of something like 16,000 square miles ; its shores on the west side, and especially in the neighbourhood of the Peiho, being very low ground. There is a low shelving mud-bank, extending for several miles froth the shore, carrying net more than from two to three fathoms water, the bar of the river at low water hating only two feet of water on it, and at high water something like 10 feet. Nature has thus de fended the entrance to the Peiho against the ap proach of ships of war, except such as are of very light draught. Our gunboats and despatch vessels can cr. ter the harbour; but men-of-war, frigates, and sloops, are entirely excluded. They must anchor :otne six miles from the fortifications. The river is not a large one, its average breadth for 50 miles from its mouth being not more than 600 yards, and is thus rendered easy of defence against the advance of any vessel along its whole course from the mouth right up to Pekin. In short, if the general, or mandarin, in command under- ,tanef;; the mere elements of fortification, he can de fend the harbour, and the 'whole navigation of the river, against an attack from the most powerful naval force that can be brought up. " The booms, as at present arranged, consist of four distinct barriers or barricades, each one pre sen tin.; a formidable appearance, and, independent of their intrinsic value ( are commanded by several helivy guns. It should also be known that the state of the defences here in June, 1859, is very diff erent from what they were in June, 1 858. The number of booms has been increased, the forts rebuilt, en larged, and strengthened—there has been some science in the work, either Chinese or foreign —and the result is a powerful and almost impregnable fortress. I hesitate to give you a description of the fortifications, for we saw so little of them that an error could easily be committed, but what I tell you is, though imperfect, true. There are eight bastions, built very strong, the outer material being chiefly a very thick coating of mud ; and for the greater part of the line of defence there :are cur tains, some connecting two or three bastions,and some presenting the appearance of an outwork. The num ber of heavy guns mounted is variously estimated, some giving 70, some 90, some more than 100. The admiral clearly underrates them when he says 50 or 60. " The different embrasui;es right along the extent of curtain were fitted with aprons or mantlets; which were pulled up when the guns were to be fired and lowered down while they were loading. This expedient proved of the most essential service to them, for had there been no such provision, our riflemen would have picked off their gunners as fast as they showed at the embrasures. It reminds one of the defence of the Malakoff. The Chinese have taken a lesson (as of course other nations will) from the Russian method of protecting their gunners. " There was an incident worth recording. You may make what you can of it; but to us it presents some of the elements which constitute a mystery, though subsequent events may throw some light on it. " On the evening of the 25th, before the fight be gan,- two junks came laden with sheep, poultry, vegetables, &c., as a present for the English. The junks Isere accompanied by two mandarins, who brought a letter of respect to the English Ambas sador from the Governor of Tein-Sing. As we were on the point of opening warlike communications with the mandarins of the Peiho, it was impossible to hold amicable communications with these envoys of the mandarin of Tein-Sing, and consequently the present was not accepted. " The junk returned to Tein-Sing about noon, and in about three hours:subsequently the report of artillery shattered every vestige of our hopes and interests in the treaty of 1858. Was the present given in an . amicable and honest spirit ? Did these two mandarins represent a true friend or a feigned one ? We shall see. " Seven days afterwards the American Minister had a friendly interview with some Chinese junks, received a gift, consisting of sheep, poultry, &c., and entered into an arrangement to hold a parlez' with the governor-general of the province on the Tuesday following. The result of the conference is not distinctly known, but it was understood to be only a preliminary to a journey to Pekin. We shall see. " One word on this diplomatic ' ruse' of the Ame rican Minister. If he is going to enter into a treaty with the Court of Pekin, independently of England and France, and submit to terms which they cannot accept (and such is the report), he is acting a double game. Without bringing up any force that could materially assist us in our operations against Canton, hanging ou when we undertook our expedition to Pekin, the American Minister now throws over all the implied engagements which an honourable Power would feel binding, and in the face of a disas trous defeat he calmly submits to accept as a favour what was granted in our treaty of 1858. Such con duct deserves reprobation; for if we were right .iu our attack he ought to abide by the results, if wrong, he ought not to have joined us ; and I hope it will not escape condemnation even in America. Sharp practice' succeeds for the moment, but it must have its reward.' In close connexion with this doubtful conduct of the Minister, let me record, to the honour of the American officers and men, the marked and energetic sympathy displayed to us. The men of the Powhattan told their purser that they wished the fresh provisions which were served out to them should be sent on board her Majesty's ship Chesa peake for the sick and wounded. "The other ships received presents of sheep and poultry from American generosity. But brother Jonathan's diplomacy is too keen for anything—it is ouble-edged, and will eventually cut his own throat " I have now told all the news that is worth communicating, how we went eager and hopeful into the fray, and returned sad and mournful ; how many a brave and gallant man returned from the contest a mere wreck of his former self; how many a noble spirit retired from its earthly tenement in the quivering agonies of death. But let me tell you further that the indomitable spirit which animates our English soldiers and sailors remains brave as before, and only wishes for another opportunity for avenging their defeat. Most of the wounded have been trans ferred to the Assistance, which has gone to the en trance of the Yangtse The Fury has gone to Shanghai, and the Magicienne is going to the same anchorage as the Assistance ." THE RELIGIOUS DISSENSIONS IV S GEORGE'S-IN-THE-EAST. IMPORTANT VESTRY MEETING. Last night a meeting of the Vestry of the parish of St. George's-in-the-East was held under the pre sidency of Mr. Churchwarden Thompson. The CHAIRMAN announced that the following letter, in reply to a memorial to the Bishop of Lon don, had been received : "Alva House, Stirling, Sept. 29. " Sir,—l beg to acknowl e d ge your l e tt er o f the 22d, which has this day reached me, together with, first, a copy of a resolution passed at the vestry of the parish of St. George's in-the-East on the 15th inst. • second, a copy of the rector's letter to the vestry clerk, dated the 17th inst. ; and, third, a statement of grievances on the part of the parishioners. I shall not fail to give these documents myimmediate serious attention, but I think it right to state that up to the present time I have not received from the rector any such intima lion of his readiness to refer the various questions in dis pute to me as will enable me to proceed to act as mediator between the parties who are at issue. I have, in answer to a letter which I received from the rector within the last few days, stated to him the nature of the unreserved reference which is requisite to enable me to undertake the case, and I have requested him to communicate with Mr. J. B. Lee, my legal secretary, for information as to the mode of pro ceeding. Supposing the rector to be willing to refer the whole case to me, and to undertake to be bound by my de cision' you will see th a t some ti me mus t necessarily elapse (from the variety of matter which it includes) before I can pronounce judgment.—l have the honour to be, sir, your obedt. humble servant, " A. C. LONDON. " W. L. Howell, Esq., Vestry Clerk." The Vestry Clerk announced that the Church Affairs Committee had assembled that morning on receipt of his Lordship's letter, and had recom mended the following form of letter to the Bishop, in reply to his communication now submitted to the vestry : .. _ " " St. Geor ges ' s -i n -th e -E ast, L ondon, 1859. My Lord,—l am directed by the vestry•of this parish to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship ' s letter of the 24th inst., and t o express the i r surprise at its contents, as they considered the preliminaries in regard to the submis sion to have been fully settled, and that the matter only remained for your Lordship's consideration arid decision. " In reference to the mention your Lordship makes of having received some communication from the rector, the vestry think it right to acquaint your Lordship that in a letter written to the Rev. Bryan King, which accompanied a copy of th e stateptent of grievances forwarded by the vestry to your Lordship, the rector was respectfully asked to fur nish the vestry with a copy of any communication he might have made, or intended making to your Lordship on the subject, but to which letter, or request, no answer has been given, nor any copy furnished, so that the vestry, up to the present moment, are entirely in the dark as to the nature or contents of any such communication. " With regard to the form of the preliminary agreement of submission, the vestry do not think it necessary that the same formal or legal accuracy need or should be observed, as if it were a secular matter of business, and they, there fore, consider it unnecessary to require the arbitrator rector to entor into any instrument of a more binding character _as explicit the than h what he has entered into by his letter to el vestry clerk, of the 17th inst., which in of few my but myself epl was equally parties your Lordship's offer of mediation, whichoffer acceptance would accept would thepla i n o a ffi n e d e specific—namely, mediator,that your isf Lordship both join (as your Lordship recommended them to do) in f sub mitting the whole case to your Lordship's episcopal arbitra tion; both parties binding themselves to act as your Lord ship directed. On the part of the vestry a resolution was passed (of which your Lordship has a copy), agreeing to submit the case wholly and unreservedly to your lordship's decision, and engaging to abide by that decision, a copy of which resolution was, on Friday, the 16th inst., forwarded to the rector, with a letter from myself, requesting the favour of his reply to the resolution previous to the following Thursday, and to which on the following day a letter in answer was received from the rector in those words : " 'ln reference to the communication I received from you last evening, I beg to inform you that I have accepted the Bishop's offer of mediator.' " And upon the faith of which letter the vestry proceeded to lay before your lordship the statement of grievances on behalf of the parishioners. r i h t t a e v n e s n u o c h r i g a h hit e t t t o e r s , u w p p i ? A r e 0 f t u h s a e t t t o h a e b r e i d c e t o b r ; r T h h a e v r n e g s ti w • y after your lordship's decision, or to act •in conformity with it; at all events, the vestry are willing to trust to his doing so without requiring him to enter into any other a eement f submission, for, ho wever binding. it might agreement o be made, if he did not think proper to perform it, the the parishioners w ou ld never think pel him. of going to law to coin " Having thus, as far as lies in their power, removed all impediments that seemed to stand •in the way, the vestry hope and trust (from the intense interest and excitemoll ( that prevail throughout the parish) that the matter NN 111 now be proceeded with at lordship's • n ee. — n your convent& I have the honour to be, &c., "W. L. HOW ELL Vestry C laic. "To the Lo r d Bi s h op of London." 3 - Mr. SMITh said the letter which had been pro posed by th e Ch urc h Affairs Committee corn')lete .l) expressed, he thought, the views of the vestry, and he moved that it be adopted, and f ' t at the vestry clerk should be directed to forward it to the Bishop of London. Ho did not know w hether the rector had any misgivi ngs after having contented to allow the Bishop to mediate, but w hether he had or not he thought it was the duty of the vestry to p rocee d and if M r . Ki ng i ns i s t e d in not obeying the Bishop', directions, the public w ould take it up, and perhag would settle it better than any one else. (Rear.) Mr. HERBERT, in seconding the motion, referrt d to the proceedings at the Thames Police Court, re ported elsewhere. One Of the witnesses was a lodger in a Tractarian house in Soho, where CUP" thin Savage Hall, who was connected with a recent disturbance in the church, also resided. lie looked upon the prosecution of that poor foreigner as a conspiracy. The motion was unanimously adopted, and Mr. Howell, the vestr clerk, was directed to forwar d it to the Bishop of London. Mr. STEPHENS inquired wheth er the parish church was to be opened next Sunday. The Churchwarden shook his head. the A resolution was adopted, empowering Church Affairs Committee to cond uct any etlrr th e l; spondence with the Bishop on the part of vestry between the present time and the no" vestr Mr. meeting. • dens by BARRATT rose to present a petition sign by 130 parishioners, requesting the church resent to call a public meeting to conside r the presen ecclesiastical state of the parish. and his to m u t he eet colleague would do anything they meld b the views of the parishioners on the m atter, could not receive it here. b u siness After the transaction of some furt her the meeting separated. .••••••..1 Mr. Churchwarden THOMPSON sai d he COUNTRY MARrETR. _ - sal T es he w re er w e MAN CHESTER—S E PT. 29. but fra duau but low a c s hi a efl fi y rm confi de n m ed en t d o gfooordusamew pElliesg.fist-;v.1.1-est; er ties of flour sold to a fair extent at full terms, sorts were neglected. Oats and new oatm eal again dearer . Beans and Indian corn no cheaper. BIRMINGHAM—SEPT. 29. and There was a short supply of new wheat todntbug. the attendance was moderate. A trifling amount o f r oved ness doing at rather more money. Barley is in ilnP demand, and maintained quotations. Bea n dull. Peas and oats in more demand. s continuo v.., . At.bu t th e A good amount of LOUTH—SEPT , business was done to - A ', red prices were at no advance on last week, vi%.? '4BB. and mixed, old and new, 40s to 448 per qr. ; v n " 1 0 to Best samples of barley much inquired for. Oats, 24s ; beans, 42s to 455; barley, 38s to 41e. 'PLYMOUTH-BEn' 27.1 lipst This market rather active, with more inquiry f reh lv whit s at a slight advance. Oats in fair demand• lig l 3 l . do 1 426 wheat, 45s to 47s ; red, 42s to 45s per qr; Fren_? 24, ' : an d to 44s ; grinding barley, 28s to 36s ; oats, 20s to flour, fine, 33s to 34s ; seconds, 31s to 320. a NEWARK---SHPT. tone WA in Rli t7 S e E w rj ea .2 t 7 tisd o e to.day, w ith There was a b et ter fair supply, and prices as on last market day. EDINBURGH GRAIN-WT. 2' Sales were quick to-day, and prices better. Wheat on the top 4s Od Barley on'the top Os 9d up average 7d up• Oats on the top Os 6d up. ...,.... average Os down• Beans on the top is up .............average.. is 3 a Averages per Imperial quarter. 1-12ths Wheat.... Barley Oats 1 6; 6 6-12ths average is Beans Total Supply and Sales. 168 ... Wheat . 920 qrs .. Sold 619 qrs Barley__ _2552 - cl s ******** Sold 2329 qrs 4d up. Oats 1371 r rs .• • ...... Sold 1027 (Fe 8ean5qr5......... Sold 86 qrs :CORK—SEPT. 28. The following were the quotations this morning • 1 60 wheat, 18s Od to 20s 6i ; white,'l7s Od to 23s Od; barley Od to 15s 6d; oats, 9s Od to lls Od. DERBY SMITHFIELD—SEPT. W. f a ft th The suiply of fat stock to-day was limited, to t he best attendance of buyers ; high prices were a sked for s Iv o quality, which was scarce. Sheep were in average,„( Dot and the demand was good. Fat pigs numerous, u" so well sold. 7d Y!7111 Beef Mutton Lamb Od to Od Rough fat, 5s 6d per nd to 50 ; calf skins, 6d to 61a. FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIS stS In the following table E signifies, that letters are deof.dia lej by evening mails from London, and M by morning - uy evening IIIRIIS 11 VIII lAtniuunt, auu lu ui lava a...-. 7....... ...., tle".' , gall DESTINATIONS. Despatch Port 0f doe' of Mails. Despatch. ... r .....---- -e Australia and Mauritius, via OA 16 Southampton Oct. 12, M SouthaloP. oct. 5 Ditto, via Marseilles Bahamas and Havana via New I. • ° I s. 3 6 York Sep 30, E Liverpo o l '' sep Canada, &c. (by Canadn. pckt ) Oct. 4, E Liverpo ol Cape of Good Hope, Ascen- t 141°C. i mon, and St. Helena Oct. 5, E DevollP or China, Penang, and Sings- Oat' & pore, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseilles Oct. 10, E . ....... _. , Gibraltar, via Southampton Honduras and Blewilelds li a at Southampton w(hvoima bay),Marseillesv via a pct. S India (Calcutta) and Ceylon, South- Oct, Oet 1120: ME 5. ................... . °CM:. 11: In vi l ampton Ditto, via Marseilles Lisbon, Brazils,Buenos Ayres, 1 and P. Islands Oct. 12, M Soll th •— a r P ,.. . O ct ' 6 Oct. 10, MSO o p. Lisbon, Vigo, and Oporto Oct. 7, M Southa Oct. ! Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseilles Mexico and Havana Oct.llD Oct. 3, 43 : 31 ME ::: . South Sout h b.l; ; i pup. 00 . - I P. •. •' °. eel- . 1 Newfoundland Oct. 7, E LiverP . 5 United States and British N • 011• s .„, r vool• • -- America (by British packet) Sep. 30, E 1•"--"an1P• Ditto (by U. S. packet)South Oct* 9 West Coast of Africa, Ma- • W tz e ou s l ! yin l a n : d N i c a :whi C lG a i, l r if ap o n r ead n ru iz, si V G.c e r.e n y e - Oct. 3, 31 soutra r 10 3 1 :. deira, and Teneriffe Oct. 24, E Live Oct- 1 • -A COCOA,—This o [ c A O D A. v . L I T h t c c h e mist) the d cipal grocers at ls. 6d. per lb , issEme:teNeTnle—dEpPrespjaBra't(illoifilisclithil an in 111)•? v, / gorace c " packets. Each packet is labelled . '` James —P. pathic chemist, London." d fie..•• ,;• t an -- • [ADVERTISEMENT.]—}IoIIoway'S Oillt l32°n- e orb Curableness of Dise ase .—Ali ailments wheraceptinusr changes have not arisen, are, with a veil fe w _ no vena completely under the control of medicine, and em plor curable. The right means and the proper time to Bur ing them,. is therefore the greatest difaeulg o .... v , by mounted in opposing illness. Professor rawedfcammoi discovery of his grand, purifying and healing r arati has removed this obstacle, and in his noble pre ev en placed within the reach all, remedies capabh!ea~ P,other wm • ing, re arresting, and curing all bodily . disorel o— j arising from internal or external causes , is . Th climate, or the thousand things productive of a ( went invalid, exhausted in strength and patience, ra "" though science pronounce him " incurable." Berryil [ADVERTISEMENT.]—The salutary effec t of digestion delicious D delicious Revalenta Arabica Food in rem ovin g bilious, a n (dyspepsia), flatulency, constipa tion, nervous, d debility' liver complaints, cough, asth ma, consumption, an ~ovidEC without medicine, is admirably displayed by the letters Ridlington Rectory, Norfolk, June 10, debt No. 4,208. —Eight years dyspepsia, neyyousnes a s, rv d an D, ll :. consulted the advice of many have been effectually V to by Du Barry's health-restoring with cramps, spasms, and nausea, for which my e rem t a t e 4 Food. I shall be happy answer any inquiries. —Rev. J. W. Flavell." " Bury, cashire, Aug. 17, 1851.—Gentlemen, —For a consider tw„ time I have suffered severely from a violent pain in m y side, extreme flatulency, a ccompanied by an into leral l sensation of heartburn, and other disagreeable symptom s _, ( 5 dyspepsia. Various remedies, alleged infallible, were E nt in vain, and for a long time I was never 24 hours vilr.,„, , violent pain; indeed, I was unfit for the performance c daily duties. I was induced to try your food. In less turi . an hour I found relief, and my recovery was very 111Plile The duties which previously had been an intole r f t burden, became a delightful exercise, and I have S2, I „ A accomplished more labour with less fatigue tm — s , e I ever expected to be able to perform. I us ',t En tins, at ls. 6d. ; 11b., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d. ; 51b., 128-; never had a retturn of my complaint.--D. Thomasl2ll) 265. The 101 b. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on receipt of lOs v office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Reg en t- s treet, Lond on' Fortnum, Mason, and Co., 182, Piccadilly; Abbis, 00 , Gracechurch-street ; 4, Cheap s id e ; 63, and 150, OxfoXe street ; 330 and 461, Strand ; 49 an d 60, Bishopel e. street ; 85, Tottenham- cour t- roa d . Al so a t DuduPt Bewley and Draper ; at Edinbur g h, R a imes said Co. at Liverpool, Nixon and Thew ; at Manchester, She* all Scott; at York, R a i mes , Bl anc h ar d , an d C o . a at South' ampton, Randall and Son. BIRTHS. . .--A.et, ANNESLEY.—On the 27th inst., at 43, Winchester-strT e _ Eceleston-squ are , th e w if e o f Wm. Camp b e ll Anneal Y, Esq., of a daughter. , re,,frenshi I DUFF.— l On the 25th inst., at 'Denlugas, the wife of Major Duff, of a daughter. . HAWES.—On the 25th inst., at Woolwirna n di - :- o o m ffi m ce o , n, o t f h a e wife of Captain Arthur B. Hawes, son. Su ROUTLEDGE.—On the 27th inst., of at a sotnherland-terrace,. Brixton, Mrs. Joseph Routledg°, f A a E S . M A R ot the 29th inst , at St. Panora FITZ SIMON—RUTTER. -- S imon , of Bridgefoot-stree Aso i James Fits Simon a !.. Esq., of the firm, of to Augusta, only - golborn, and 63, Movnington-road, Il e- Church, James Charles of 4, Ely-place, gent's-pa rk id A yo.—On the 28th lust., at Trinity Chelo l ' MERRIMAN — ___cl zustFoort i t : fivir . c to E m il y , d .. Rutter, icitor, Surrey , dau g hter of Newman Mayo , Esq ' of Marylebone, the Re v . E. Merriman, of Clapham - c O 4l of Haue • o n-terrace, St. John's- wood. lt DEATHS. A.TiossoN.—On the 27th inst., at 20, Addington-sclisroei Camberwell, suddenly, Richard Atkinson, Esq., l at° the Stock Exchange, liged 74. p A .u h AUTE t i t e rAacc,— On th e 20th inst. , at Greenwich, . , ° -e Esq., aged 58. DALE.—On the 26th inst., at May's-buildings, Mr' j°lll2 Dale, ag e d 76 . , j.T. G R I TTON.—On the 24th i ns t., at Sutton, Sung, "'". - Gritton, f ormer ly merchant, Hull, aged 78. MURRAY.—On the 17th inst„ a t Pads, Major the f sgoon.: Charles Murray', third son of David, second Ea rl of xII of field, aged 79. O W NuogNT.—On the 24th inst ., Robert Nugen t. Bouverie-square, Folkestone. afo gsr tligi STRINGER.—On i the 28th inst., at Worthing, "'.- Leach Stringer, aged 93. Itichnioud, LISTRR.—On the 28th inst., at Dunsa Yorkshire, Wm. Listor, Esq., aged 47. LoNnalq : Printed and Published by Isf DI ° 112; of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sus ( ; 111° e ;1 Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy. in the 'Middlesex, Friday, September 30, 1859. IAY :VENING, SEPTEMBEIW3O, 18b9, f f R ~ 1