The Press.
London, England, 1856-09-20 00:00:00

Natal anb glititarg

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge,
attended by Major-General Wetherall, Sir Richard
Airey, and Major Clifton, left town for Aldershott
on Tuesday morning. After reviewing the troops
stationed in the camp his Royal Highness returned
to London.

The following circular, directing a new system of
numbering men for the army, hest been just
issued :

War Department, Horse Guards, Sept. 15.
The system of numbering the men of the army having
been lately brought under the consideration of the Secre-
tary of State for War, I am directed by his lordship to
acquaint you that it has been determined that a new series
of numbers shall be introduced for soldiers after the Ist of
October next.

You will therefore be pleased to issue instructions that
recruits enlisted on and after that date, when finally ap-
proved for the regiment or depot under your command,
shall be designated by regimental numbers, commencing
from " one," instead of continuing the present series.

B. HAvrzs.

Rear Admiral the Hon. Richard Dan(Tas,ICCTR.,
with the Duke of Wellsngton, Conqueror, and
dPspateh ve4sels Wanderer and Osprey, left Plymouth
last week for Cadiz. The squadrou is views lid
and stored for siz months.

Rear-Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, K C. 8., will, it
is believed, succeel to the North American and West
Indian command in November, at which time Rear-
Admiral Faashswe's period of service will have
expired.

909

His Royal Highness the Commander in-Chief was
expected to review the 11,ghland brigade, cavally,
and artillery yesterlay on the Cliffs of Dover.
The Hon. Major Yelverton's company of the Royal
Artillery are under orders to remove to garrison
quarters at Leith and Fort George.
Instructions have been forwarded to the com-
mandant of Woolwich garrison, by direction of the
Commander in• Chief, to take immediate measures
for the renewal of the recruiting service for the corps
of Royal Artillery. The standard is fixed for all
ages at sft. 9in., and recruiting parties are to be sta-
tioned forthwith in three districts of England, and in
one of Scotland.

Captain W. Peel, C. 8., has been appointed to the
command of that magnificent screw-frigate, the
Shannon, 51.

A deputation of the Land Transport Corps waited
upon th 3 Lord Mayor at the Mansion-house
this week, and presented an address to his
lordship, setting forth the grievances of the
corps, with which the public are already familiar.
After listening to the address and conversing with
the deputation, his lordship said he had no doubt
that they had a fair claim upon the Government; but
the only difficulty was as to the way of asserting it.
He wished to repeat that, if they wanted a friend, he
should be happy to intercede with Lord Palmerston
in their behalf. At the same time he thought they
would do well to make another appeal to Colonel
M'Murdo and the authorities at the War•ofce. It
was difficult to bring Governments to book; but in
this case he was strongly of opinion that the claims
of the Land Transport Corps should be recognised.
Some further experiments with a new description
of pontoon, the invention of Mr. Forbes, C. E., have
been made this week at Chatham. Tho newly-
invented pontoons, it is alleged, have a great supe-
riority over those at present in use by the corps of
Royal Sappers and Miners, the invention of Major-
General Thomas Blanshard, C.E., Mr. Forbes's pon-
toons being of a triangular shape and somewhat less
bulky, advantages which, the inventor considers, will
have the effect of rendering them more bouyant,
more easily managed, and capable of sustaining a
greater weight than those now used. During the
experiments, it was a matter of observation that Mr.
Furbes's pontoons were neither so steady in the
water nor so easily handled as General B anshard'a ;
it being very difficult, if not almost impossible, to
perform the operation termed " booming out " with
them, a manoeuvre easily and quickly managed with
the present kind, so that, on the whole, General
Blanshard's pontoons are more available in the
water than those of the new invention. The experi-
ments lasted some time, and were witnessed with
much interest. The committee of engineer officers
appointed to investigate the superiority of the inven-
tion will make their report to the authorities forth-
with.