The Press.
London, England, 1854-04-08 00:00:00

PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.

THE ARMIES.
Viscount Hardinge, as General Commanding in-
Chief, gave a farewell banquet on Thursday night at
his mansion in Great Stanhope-street to the officers
about to proceed on active service to the East. The
guests included his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge, Lord Raglan, the Earl of Lucan, the
Earl of Cardigan, Lord De Ros, Sir Charles Trevelyan,
General Wetherall, General Freeth, General Yorke,
Brigadier-General Airey, Brigadier Bullen, Brigadier
Estcourt, General Sir Richard England, Colonel
Steel, Lieutenant-Colonel Maule, Lieutenant-Colonel
Munday, and the Hon. A. Hardinge.
The officers of the Staff are now on the move for
the East.
The Tonning, which sailed on the 4th, took out
Brigadier-General Sir Colin Campbell, Brigadier-
General Pennefather, Brigadier-General Eyre, Mtkjor
Stirling, Major Hope; Captain Walsh, aide-de-camp
to Lord De Ros ; Captain Woodford, Deputy-Assist-
ant-Quartermaster-General ; Captain Blane, Deputy-
Assistant-Quartermaster-General, with other officers.
The City of London sailed on Thursday with Major-
General De Lacy Evans, Captain Gubbins, Captain
Boyle, Captain Allix, Captain Clifton, with his Royal
Highness the Duke of Cambridge's establishment;
Lieutenant-Colonel Gordon, Assistant Adjutant• G-
eneral ; and Lieutenant-Colonel Harbert, Assistant-
Quartermaster-General.
The Emperor starts to-day (Saturday), and takes
out Sir Richard England; Brigadier-General Cator,
Royal Artillery; Lord De Ros, Deputy-Quartermaster-
Geneial ; Captain Neville, Captain Bradford, Captain
Gage, Captain Pack, Captain Kingscote, with Lord
Raglan's horses and establishment, Lieutenant Cal-
thorpe, Lieutenant Curzon, and Surgeon Mapleton.
The Duke of Cambridge, commander of another
division, is expected to leave on Tuesday next, by
which time the whole of the staff in command will
have gone.
The means of transport have still to be provided
for twenty-two officers and seventy-two horses of the
general staff.
Four more regiments are now on their way to the
seat of war.
The 23d Fusiliers and 88th Connaught Rangers
embarked on Tuesday—the first from Portsmouth on
board the West India mail-packet the Trent, the
latter from Liverpool in the Niagara. The 7th Fusi-
liers sailed on Thursday from Southampton in the
Orinoco, and the 05th embark from Portsmouth on
board the Medway. The aggregate force despatched
during the week comprises nearly 4,000 men.
At Malta the troops are beginning to move towards
the expected scene of operations. The Rifle Brigada
and the 4th Regiment embarked on the 30th ult. on
board the Golden Fleece, the oth on board the
Georgiana ; and a detachment of the Sappers and
Miners on board the Cape of Good Hope, all for
Gallipoli. General Sir George Browne, who arrived
at Malta on the 28th, sailed for Turkey with the
Rifles.
Fresh bodies of English troops were almost daily
arriving at the island, and many French steamers,
some with soldiers on board, were constantly touch-
ing there for coal.
The number of English troops already arrived in
Malta is 422 officers, and 11,577 non commissioned
officers and privates. The total of French troops
that have passed by the island is 3,514 men and
250 horses.
The following arrangements have been taken with
the Porte regarding the first expedition of 10,000
British troops. The Turkish Government is bound
to furnish daily-10,000 lb. of bread (first quality) ;
10,000 lb. of meat, half beef, half mutton ; 30,000 lb.
of wood; 15,000 lb. of barley ; and 15,000 lb. of straw.
These articles will be paid for monthly by bills on
the London Treasury.
The troops are to be lodged in the spacious
barracks situated in the Turkish quarter called
Daout Pacha, and the military Governor of Constan-
tinople has received orders to repair that establish-
ment.
Nothing has yet been decided about the French
expedition. The only positive information is, that
similar arrangements will be made, and the barracks
of Scutari will be given up by the Porte.
The Government purpose sending out all kinds of
clothing and food which can in any way conduce to
the health of the troops. A large quantity of tea
will be shipped, as the use of water alone in any way
will be prohibited, owing to its deleterious character,
without the operation of boiling. The French pro-
pose shipping a large quantity of wines, and it is
supposed that some arrangement will be made by
means of which our Government will be able to follow
the example.
Thirty-two assistant surgeons belonging to depots
throughout the United Kingdom have been ordered
to attend in London to receive instructions previous
to their immediate embarkation for the East.


SATURDAY,

The cavalry regiments under orders for active ser-
vice have broken up their bands and returned the
men to the ranks.

A new sham-mill for army purposes has been sent
out to Malta, which had been constructed in this
country in compliance with an order from Odessa,
but the exportation of which had been stopped by
the royal proclamation. It was much required at
Malta, the Admiralty steam-mill there being unequal
to the pressure upon it, and the old mule-mills of
the knights of the island not being suited to the re-
quirements of the present age.