The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-05 00:00:00

THE MAURITIUS.

The General Screw Steam-shipping Company's fine
screw transport Mauritius, Captain Stewart, went along-
side Portsmouth deokyard on Saturday afternoon to
land her invalided and wounded soldiers, their wives
and children, and passengers. Dr. Odell, the newly-ap-
pointed staff-surgeon of Portsmouth Garrison, with the
Brigade Major and attendants, went on board, and
' noted the most urgent cases for removal ; and these, 10
in number, were speedily released from between decks,
and removed to hospital quarters. The women and chil-
dren were rentored in omnibuses to the Camber Hos-
pital, especially prepared for them. Bit while this was
going on a "difficulty " arose ; nothing less than a mu-
tiny of the ship's crew ; on hearing that it was contem-
plated to send the ship to Chatham, they struck, and
refused to work. Captain Stewart, with the utmost
promptitude, had them mustered, and read to them the
articles they had signed, whereby it was clear they were
bound to go in the ship wherever ordered during the
term of the contract (12 months.) To this they paid no
heed, aid some saucy remarks were made, ending with
cheers as they went forward. They ultimately went
over the side, and most of them escaped out of the dock-
yard before they could be stopped by an order from
Captain Stewart despatched to the police at the dock-
yard gate. On a muster of the residue afterwards taking
place on the poop, only about 20 answered to the call, and
eight only out of 28 able seamen remained faithful to their
articles. A telegraphic intimation of this state of things
was made at once to the Horse Guards through the Ad-
miral Superintendent, asking for directions how to dispose
of the invalids in this emergency; but, although the reply
was received in the course of the evening by the military
authorities, those on board the ship had heard of none
up to 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon ; meanwhile, there
the sick lay, to the number of about 110, on board with-
out a crew, except about half a dozen hands, even the
firemen having struck. It will be asked, probably, why
this ship, being under contract with the Crown, and her
crew under articles binding them for one year's service,
was not at once manned by a maa-of-war crew, and her
deserters meanwhile hunted up and brought to justice
by the authorities ? Yesterday (Sunday) those men
belonging to the Royal Artillery and Royal Sappers
and Miners disembarked, and joined quarters in Ports-
mouth Garrison. The remainder will disembark this
morning at 7 o'clock, and proceed by express train at
half-past S for Chatham, by the London, Brighton,
South Coe., and North Kent Railway, the Guardsmen
going t• London by the same train. Captain Barlow
gild Assistant-Surgeon Brown go round with them, and
each man will he provided before starting with a plen-
tiful and substantial hot breakfast and rations to take
with him, also a blanket each, and straw will be strewn
on the floors of the carriage for their comfort in travel-
ling, Each arrival of sick at Portsmouth since the first
unfortunate cargo (the Himalaya's) has received a pro-
gressive amount'of attention and consideration from all
the Government authorities. On Saturday they had
not to land from the ship on to the muddy jetty, but that
space was clean swept of its dirty load of half-melted
snow and sludge, and a liberal sprinkling
of saw-dust
tank it. piste*, fArruin2-, hmis in appearance and experi-
ence, a most striking and agreeable contrast to former
" receptions." [To whom are the poor gallant sufferers
and others indebted fur this 'l]
The sick and wounded were men from the following :
—Scots Fusilier Guarda, 7th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 23d
Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 30th, 33d, 41st, 42d, 49th,
Rifle Brigade, Royal Artillery, 44th, Grenadier Guards,
28th, 63d, 96th, 49th, BSth, 3Sth, 34th, 48th, 57th,
14th—in all 112 men, 86 women, and 97 children. The
Mauritius will, by the aid of a new crew, proceed to
Southampton to refit.

THE FOREIGN LEGION.
The Foreign Legion will assemble for drill, &c., at
Heligoland, and Lieutenant Lempriere, with a detach-
ment of Royal Sappers and Miners, will leave Wool-
wich for Heligoland in the early part of the present
week, to erect huts for their accommodation.

AUGMENTATION OF THL ROYAL
ENGINEERS.

An 'augmentation of half a battalion of Royal En-
gineers and 500 Royal Sappers and Miners is ordered
to take place immediately, which will give four compa-
nies of 120 ion-commissioned officers and men in etch.
The company at Corfu is also to be made up to 120.

ENGINEERS FOR THE CRIMEA. .
Six engineers, four boilermakers, and two smiths, left
the steam factory in Portsmouth dockyard (under the
the superintendence of Mr. Andrew Murray) on Friday
for service at Constantinople, in the repair of the steam
machinery of thy► British fleet, under the direction of
Mr. Thomas Baker, the Inspector of Machinery to the
fleet. These men are to be paid, we are informed, 12s.
per diem, and double pay for all work done after 8 p.m.
If so, they are much better treated than the engineers
of the fleet at home.

THE TRANSPORTS.

The great screw steam-ship Crcesus will be roady to
receive troops at Portsmouth to-day, consisting of
dranghts to form the depot at Malta—the 7th, 19th, 23d,
2Sth, 77th ; and will tike in tite 34th at Plymouth.
The chartered steam transport Severn received on
board at Southampton on Saturday the following addi-
tion to her hospital stores, which, either from negligence
or forgetfulness, had not been forwarded for shipment
until it was discovered they were not on board a few
hours before the time at which it was intended to des-
patch the vessel :--1,800 blankets, 900 hammocks, 50
beds, 50 pillows, 280 hospital beds, and 450 pairs of
clews. She left Southampton direct for Cork on Sunday,
Dr. Schuyler, of the Royal Mail Company, and formerly
of the Severn, retaining the duties of principal medical
and surgical officer. After embarking more troops, the
Severn will proceed from Cork direct to the Crimea,