The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-09-21 00:00:00

itrnip an Nab.

ALDERSHOT CAMP.

Already the infantry barracks are, and have been for
some time, tenanted by about 4,000 men of various corps;
47th Regiment Stirlingshire, East Kent, and 3rd West
York Militia, and two batteries occupy the buildings and
stables set apart for the use of the field artillery. The
cavalry barracks, however, with all their costly rows of
stables, forges, riding-schools &e., are Fein empty, though
it was positively fixed that the mounted troops were to
quarter them in spring. The whole range of permanent
barracks, is situated on the extreme verge of the south
camp, running parrallel with the Winchester-road, and
leading to the two or three obscure huts which • short
time since comprised all that was known of Aldershott
as • habitable place, On the north side of this stand
the infantry barracks, in three massive blocks, with bar-
racks and stables for the field batteries, the school-rooms,
reading-rooms, married men's huts, libraries, canteen,
and non-commissioned officers' coffee rooms, being all dis-
tinet buildings, standing apart from the main blocks.
On the south side are the cavalry barracks, also in three
large blocks, with horse artillery barracks, facing those
of the field batteries, and with all the stabling and out-
buildings for the horses in rear, as with those of the in-
fantry quarters. Between the north and south barracks
extends a noble piuedeground, which can be used by either
horse or foot, or both together, for it is no less than three
quarters of • mile long by nearly 200 yards wide. The
first thing which strikes and impresses the visitor is the
great superiority of accommodation enjoyed by the cav-
alry over the infantry barracks. The latter are sub-
stantial plain buildings of humble brick; the former
handsome and expensive edifices, with decorated Italian
fronts, faced with Portland stone. Their superiority is
still more striking on an internal examination. The
Infantry mess rooms are, indeed, larger than those of
the csvalry, as being meant to accommodate nearly, if
not quite, double the number of officers; but size is
their dnly recommendation. In all other details the
cavalry have the advantage. The infantry officers'
rooms are fine, though plain; the mouldings and cor-
nioes of the rooms for the cavalry are exceedingly rich,
and would well become a handsome London chub-room.
No other barracks, probably, in the world have any-
thing like them. Again, infantry officers are only
allowed one room, and that, though large enough, by
no means erre on the side of apaciousnee. In the
cavalry barracks each officer is allowed two—one large
sitting room and a bed room. Now, during a campaign
a much smaller ntunber of troopers are required to stow
themselves away within the narrow limits of a bell tent
than is the wee with the infantry, but the mason fur
this difference is plain—the cavalry have to find room in
their Unita for their horse equipments as well as for them-
selves. The stables in rear of these officers' barracks are
all that could be wished. There are four distinct build-
ings or blocks of stables allowed to eaoli regiment. Each
block contains eight large stables, and each stable has
stalls for 16 horses. Thus each regiment LPJ aocotnum-
dation for 512 troop horses (exolusive, of course, of ofil•
tiers% or about 112 horses more than any cavalry regi-
ment that has ever been at camp has possessed at one
time fit, or not fit for duty. The stables are beautifully
built and admirably, planned. The horses are divided by
swinging bales. he floors of the stables are well paved,
sloping outwards to deep drains. The stones, too, are
satin asphalt, so that even the smallest interstices are
water-tight, and thus thoroughly good drainage is in-
sured. tinder the mangers and along the roofs are pas-
sages for ventilation, which circulate a cool current of
fresh air at all times, and prevent the heated atmos-
phere affecting the mums above the stables. In these
latter the men are quartered, each MUI as nearly as
possible sleeping over his own charger. In the rear of
the troop stables are the officers' stables, In every teepee%
like those of the men, with the library, forge-house, ball-
court, and riding school; and behind all the Infirmary
for utak horses, both officers and men's. A riding-school
Is allowed to each regiment, and each of these wheals Is
nearly Owlet) the else of the largest now in use, and
about one-third larger, we believe, than the private
riding-school of Her Majesty at Windsor. Each
It 216 feet long by 68 broad-, and 27 ?et high, and each
Is strewed with tan to the depth of 18 inches. At the
entrance to all the schools are saddling rooms, with
rooms for the riding-ntaiter and officer on duty. With
such aocommodation as this it seems a pity that these
barracks should have been allowed to remain so long un-
oetupied. The troops in the Infantry barracks are
beginning to settle down, and like them bettor than they
did at fine. Above all, they like the spacious severed-
in quadrangle, roofed Over with glass and Iron, eonneeting
the blocks together, which Affunls them an area 2to feel
long by 80 wad, where they are protected from the
wet at all thnea and means, They are in all intended
to seconsmodate about 7,000 men, 4,000 Infantry i 1,600
cavalry, about 1,000 artillery, and a full old I, with
Urinous and Military Train. On the Oh of lest
month there were 91,050 men of all arms at Aldersholl,
consisting of Ave cavalry regiments, sin Infantry iwifi.
mink of the line, twelve regiments of militia, one
troop of horse artillery, Mime field batteries, and de•
taohuiente of the Militery ?rein and }loyal Engineers.
UN that data two Me monk of Devilry and four of in.
faulty hani_glready been sent off—vie., the 2nd Life
Guards to wlndeor, the 11th Hussars to Brithlon,.lbe
Ist battalion Grenadier Guards to Windsor. 60th Mew
I to Dover, Limerick Militia to Weymouth, and oily of
Dublin Militia to Shorneliffe. Di addition to these
there WO now under orders to move for various
dollioolioos ono 'ovary rogimsol, two nilsosols of

the line, and five regimente of militia— via., ths 67th
and 99th to India, on Thursday or Friday the
10th Hussars to Exeter, as soon 41 the barracks are
reedy; and when quarters are prepared, the following
regiment,' will also leave :—Kerry Militia to Wooden
and Chester, the Louth Riau to Yarmouth, the 2nd
Warwick Militia to Plymouth, the 2nd Cheshire Militia
to Glasgow' and the 3rd West York to Shorneliffo.
After this reduction the effective strength of the camp
will probably be short of 9,000 troops, including the
North Down Militia, which will come in from Shornoliffe
immediately. The foroe then at Alderohott will oonsiet
of the 4th Light Dragoono, 4th Dragoon Guards, 47th
and 36th Regimente of the line, the lit York Rifle
Militia, Stirling Militia, lot Staffordshire Militia, North
Down Militia, and the Militias of Oxford and East
Kent, together with the artillery we have mentioned.
It is quite possible that even more troops; would be put
into winter quarters if all the barracks in England were
not already fully occupied, for the fortes now in Great
Britain muster stronger than they have done at Almon
any one time sines the Peninsular war, and at no time
have they ever been in better, and rarely in as good dia•
cipline as at the present moment, when the bulk of our
army proper is scattered all over the world. Since the
establishment of the camp at Alderehott the South.
Western Company have sent up and down their line
backward, and, forwards to Aldershota, nearly 300,000
soldiers—cavalry, infantry, artillery, and militia--with
a proportionate number of horses, women, children, and
baggage, without any 'oxidant of any kind whatsoever,
or loss or injury to baggage. Such a fact speaks for
itself as to the admirable manner in which all the ax.
rangements of this line are conducted.

lurnovxmerm AT Tlit OAARTSON.—Ths alterations
now being carried out at the Royal Artillery Barracks,
Woolwich, are in accordance with the views of the
Sanitary Commiasion, and when completed will prove a
great boon to the private soldier. The system of over.
crowding the eleeping-rooms, for which this barracks wee
once celebrated, is to be abolished.
Thursday morning • party of non•oommluioned
officers and men of the Royal flappers and Miners, who
have been selected to proceed to British Columbia, left
head-quarters, Broinpton Barracks, Chatham, and pro-
oeeded to Southampton, at which port the expedition is
to embark, for the purpose of taking charge of the
stores for the Royal Engineers which have been soon-
mulated there to he despatched with the expedition.
The stores which have been selected for the use of the
Royal Sappers and Miners in British Columbia comprise
every requisite for carrying on the works in which they
will be *limed. They include an electric telegraph
apparatua and wires, printing-press, photograph appar-
atus, portable boats for crossing streams and rivers,
waterproof tents, an immense assortment of mining
tools, and also tools for carpenters, smiths, bricklayers,
&a. The day originally fixed for the embaroation of the
expedition was Wednesday last, but, owing to some un-
foreseen delay, they are not expected to leave Chatham
until Monday or Tuesday. The rifle they will take
With them is the Lancaster rifle musket, in the use
of which the Royal Engineers have attained each a re-
markable degree of skill.
The Calcutta and Lady Jocelyn, screw steamers, ar-
rived at Spithead at 11.90 a.m. Thursday, from the
Thames, to embark troops for Calcutta. The Calontte
embarks 790 rank and file of the 67th; the Lady
Jocelyn 740 of the 99th, exclusive of &Boers.

Twenty thousand shot and shell have for some time
put been supplied weekly from the foundry of the
Royal Laboratory. -The rate hu now increased to
25,000 weekly—a number exoeeding that obtained by
the oontract system during the Crimean war, although
all the available resources of the °pantry were then
celled into operation by the War Department. A very
high standard of quality has been attained in the
foundry, although, from the extensive use of machinery,
the work is almost entirely performed by labourers and
bore; consequently the oust to Government for the
shot and shells produced is only about one-helf the price
that was paid to contractors during the late war, and
everything being done upon the " piece-work' system,
the actual expense incurred can be accurately arrived
at, _

The Prussian squadron, under the oommand of Admiral
His Royal Highness Prince Adalbert, whose flag is on
board the Thetis, put into Falmouth on Wednesday, on
their way to Brest, and for the yacht to replenish for
fuel, for which purpose she entered the inner harbour.
The usual salutes were exchanged between the ships,
the garrison of Pendentds, and Her Majesty's ship
Russell.

The Spanish Government intends to adopt rifled mus-
kets in the army. A commission of Spanish officers has
arrived at Paris to study the arms used by the French
troops. .

THE GREAT EASTERN.-MT. Daniel Baker, chairman,
Captain Harrison, and Mr. Yates, sooretary of the Great
Eastern Steamship Company, visited Bristol on Thurs-
day to inspect the cite of the proposed docks at the
mouth of the Avon, with a view to ascertain their capa-
bility of adaptation for the purposes of the Great
Eastern. They were received by the Chamber of Com-
merce, a deputation from which body, consisting of
Mr. W. Terrell, chairman, Mr. Leonard Bruton, secre-
tary, Mr. M. Whitwill, Mr. T. M. Hyde, Mr. T. Bush,
and other gentlemen accompanied Mr. Baker and the
other representatives of the Great Eastern Company on
board the Fairy Queen steamer to Kingroad. The plans
for the proposed docks were submitted by Mr. Thornton,
civil engineer, who has been actively engaged in the
matter, and who also furnished various soundings which
have been taken. Mr. Baker expressed his personal
opinion, which was coincided in by Captain Harrison
and Mr. Yates, that if the proposed accommodation
were afforded, Bristol would be the most desirable port
for the departure of the Great Eastern. It had been
found that Liverpool and Southampton would be un-
suited for ouch a vessel, and the only port presenting
anything like the neoeaaary requisites was Milford
Haven. If, however, the new docks were made at
Bristol, Mr. Baker stated that it presented so many
other advantages that he should unhesitatingly re-
commend the adoption of that port for the Great
Eastern.