The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-04 00:00:00

MILITIA.

On Wednesday new colours were presented by Lady
Saltoun to the Royal Aberdeenshire Militia. The
ceremony took place on the Links, or public common,
inlthe presence of the Earl of Kintore, the officers of
the regiment, and an immense number of the aristocracy
and citizens of Aberdeen. The regiment having drawn
up, an escort placed the colours on the drums in front
of the platform, and the Rev. Dr. Pixie, Professor of
Divinity in Marischal College, offered up an appropriate
prayer. Lady Saltoun then then came forward and said,
--:" I have very great and sincere pleasure in pre-
senting you with these colours, which I feel certain you
will venerate and guard with the devotion characteristic
of British troops. It must never be forgotten that the
colours of a regiment are the emblems of its honour, and
that upon them are recorded its most glorious actions,
and should an occasion offer I know that these which
now present to you will be borne by the gallant men to
whom I confide them as deeply into the ranks of the
enemy as those of the British army by the heroes of Alma
and Inkermann. I can only add my heartfelt wishes for
the prosperity and success of your regiment, in which I
8411 over take a deep interest, and again assure you of
the very great pride and pleasure this moment affords
me." (Cheers.) Colonel Erskine acknowledged the
honour done to the regiment.
The East York Militia Reaiment has been lately
bygreatly reduced in numbers the men volunteering
into the Line, but new recruits are daily coming in, and
it bids fair to have shortly quite as many men as before.
During last week 123 men (17 belonging to Captain
Wilkinson's Grenadiers) volunteered, but only 69 were
passed by Captain Spoor, the volunteering officer.
On Tuesday Lieutenant-General Pipon, the Assistant-
Adjutant-General, inspected the West Suffolk Militia,
now embodied at Bury St. Edmund's ; and on Wednes-
day their new colours were presented by Lady Elizabeth
Hervey.

AUXILIARY FLEET FOR THE BLACK
SEA.

On Thursday last we published a telegraphic de•
spatch from Marseilles reporting large purchases o:

vessels suited to naval operations in shallow waters,
and intended for the Black Sea.

The Courrier de Marseille of Wednesday says :

"We have already stated that the Government in-
tended to purchase the Rhone steamers for use in the
Black Sea operations. The fact, at first questioned, was
denied in a Parisian correspondence of the lndependance
Edge ; but we can now affirm that the purchase has
been concluded. Captain Magnan, of our port, who has
long navigated the Black Sea and the Sea of Azoff, and
is perfectly well acquainted with the many obstacles at-
tending the approach to the coasts and the entrances of
the rivers emptying therein, particularly for our military
navy, addressed some time ago to our Government a
memorial, in which he demonstrated the impossibility of
efficaciously operating on certain important points of the
Russian territory with the means at the disposal of the
Allied Powers. He then showed the immerse advan-
tages that might accrue from the application thereto of
a special quatilricl, which it was easy to borrow from our
river navigation. M. Ducos, then Minister of Marine,
and Marsal Vaillant, Minister of War, appointed a
committee to examine the questions treated by the writer
of the memorial, and whose decision was entirely favour-
able to the plan suggested by Captain Magnan. Some
doubts remained as to the inconveniences that might re-
sult from a long sea passage, effected by these flat bot-
tomed boats. These fears were unfounded. The paddles
ensure to those beats sufficient stability in the open sea.
They derive, moreover, from their light draught of water
a degree of rapidity which lessen the chances of accidents
on the passage, and enables them to seek refuge in the
smallest ports when menaced by a storm. The Rhone and
Saone can alone supply that new fleet, numbering 97
boats, ready to proceed to the Black Sea. It is not our
province to mention on what terms the different com-
panies consented to part with that floating stock. All
we can say is that the affair was settled to the satisfac-
tion of the parties interested and of the government,
which thus finds available unhoped for means of action.
Reasons of discretion and patriotism, which our readers
will appreciate, do not permit us to divulge the plan
connected with the co-operation of that valuable auxi-
liary fleet. We will only say that on points where the
allies could only appear in a few light vessels, escorted
by a small number of gun-boats, and carrying a few
hundred men, they may unexpectedly show tethtsseeesmles,oiwvlilll
in our large river steamers, with 20,000, 30,000, and,. of'
necessary, 50,000 men, ready to disembark, in spite to
shoals, and without being obliged to have re*r.r.rwill
lighters or other landing apparatus. Our 's 10 er'
deck of those
scarcely wet their feet on quitting
lowvessels
it
may willte
boats to occupy the shore. The Tnbilsim:stluhesenethdofvrn
yes-
gels can easily accommodate 500 metn,oa
ie protect a land-
ingount four
18-pounders, which is fully
approach every Russian beau
river, however intricate or
and enter the mouth of every _
may prove. Our readers can
obstructed its channel
form an idea of the extre
without any other assisshtuaffinhccoe
frightful
and of therapidity with
impart to our array.
effect diversions or land
which our Generals can troops
we are
regard to the
at liberty to say with efficiency of this
• and river squadron. our
coasting readers will easily
dvanta es e
conceive the immense a gwn howeverrose
our arm—
y will derive
where least expected by the enemy. This is all
from its co-operation, and the dreadful effects of its in-
tervention for the Russians. One of those
steamers,
commanded by Captain Magnan himself, has already
leftr youserapaonrtd,
afrogaminwsthaenscterosnhge
absepeez theeed .
of
Thel4 Rhone,tkr
nianand-arrived iss,v inera y h e ina v
will shortly sail for the Crimea. Between the mouth of
the Rhone and Marseilles the Cygne, No. 10, averaged
satisfactory. The Government
will wait the report which Captain Magnan is to forward
from Constantinople as to the navigable capabilities of
those vessels before it sends out the entire:light
squadron.