The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-16 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTEERS.

The annual distribution of prizes to the 40th Mid.
dlesex (Central London Rifle Rangers) took place
last evening at the Music-hall, Store-street, in the
presence of a large aamerntoly of the Volunteers end
their friends. Li.ute General Sir J. Y. Scarlett,
Adjutant-General of tier Majesty's forces, and
honorary coloael of the corpe, filed the office of pre
sident and distributed the prizes to the eucceesfin
competitors. Tne prizes themselves were nearly 60
in number and £2OO in value, and consisted of cups
watches, chains, field glasses, time-pieces, &c. In the
absence, from domestic causes, of Lieutenant-Colonel
Somerset, commanding the corps, Capt. Cowper reed
the report of the doings of the corps in musketry
during the past year. The result, as gathered from
the document, was highly favourable to the regi-
ment, which in shooting has made a marked advance
upon lest year's figures. Sir J. Ecarlett then ad-
dressed the Volunteers, and expressed hissatiefaction
with the report which had been read, although he
wished it had been possible for a larger proportion
of the corps than 122 out of bo'l to have attended at
the targets. At the same time, he was fully alive to
the difficulties that stood in the way of working men
who desired to.practice at the targets. After refer-
ing to the increased number of prizes given this year,
and inferring therefrom the increasing interest felt
in the corps and the Volunteer cause generally, the
gallant general proceeded to notice the presence
among themof Col. M'Murdo, who had done so much
to promote the interests and welfare of that cause.
(Cheers.) It was satisfactory to know that the efforts of
that gallant officer had not been in vain, for the total
number of Volunteers now reached 166,000 or 5,000
more than the numbers on the Ist of December,
1863. (Cheers.) It therefore appeared that the
movement was a healthy and a growing one, and
was natural that it should be so, inasmuch as it
had not risen out of any momentary panic, but had
been the result of calm popular judgment, upon
comparison of the condition of this country with
that of our neighbours across the Channel, who.
with few colonial demands, possessed an army of
500,000 men, while Great Britain, with her colonies
dispersed all over the globe, had only 220,000 men,
of whom but a very small proportion were available
for home defence. It therefore becam e evident to
all thinking men that to ensure the safety of the
country either there must be an increase in the
standing army, which would entail additional taxa-
tion, or some other means of defence must be found.
That means of defence the people had themselves
found in the establishment of Volunteer corps, and
such had been the progress of the movement that he
entertained no doubt but the Volunteers were a pers
manent institution. In conclusion, the gallant Gene-
ral referred to the necessity of Volunteers being tre.
quently brought together to practise movements and
file and volley firing, and urged upon employers the
duty of affording to their servants occasional half-
holidays for such purposes. Upon the invitation of
Sir J. Scarlett three hearty cheers were given for
Colonel M•Murdo. That gallant officer briefly re
turned thanks, and especially supported the Gene-
' rat's recommendation to increased opportunities
being afforded to Volunteers to perfect themselves
in drill and shooting. He himself was a great
advocate for the weekly half-holiday, which he was
assured by large employers of labour had proved,
wherever it had been adopted, squally beneficial
to the employer and to the employed. He
congratulated the 48th Middlesex upon having
for their honorary colonel the leader of the
hdavy cavalry charge at Belaklava—(cheers)—who
had in his report of this year's inspection of them
expressed his approval of their performances. Not
only this regiment, bat the whole Volunteer body,
was deeply indebted to Sir J. Scarlett, who as Ad-
j atanteGeneral, had been called upon to undergo
great labour in providing military instructors for Oe.
various corps. The prizes were then formally distri-
buted, Ensign llooper taking for the second year in
succession the reward of his skill as best shut in the
regiment. Two additional cups were presented,
which were interesting as evincing the good feeling
prevailing in the corps, one being given by the prize
winners to Sergeant-Msjor Gutter.nteet to Quarter..idg_ e and the other
by the Lieut.sColoncl and the Adi
=stet...Sergeant Scott. The ceremonyr of handing
over the prizes being concluded, r orrens pro-
posed a vote of thanks to the chairman, which wNc
sdepted by acclamation. In returning thanks Sir
J. Scarlett said ho could not accept ell the praise
that had been bestowed upon him for his efficiei
conduct towards the Volunteers, as all he had done
as adjutant had been under the orders of his Royal
Higbness the Commander-in-Chief, who took a
;rent interest in all that concerned the Volunteer
movement. The National Anthem, pinved by the
bands of the corps, which during the evening had
performed several pieces of music, brought the pro-
.. ceediugs to is close.

The cfficial trial of the iron frigate Achilles eves
concluded yetterday at Portsmouth with her ht.,;!_
boiler power trials of speed at the measured mile is
Steles Bay, and her tested time in making circles,
to port and starboard. The same officie.lE eoeductod
;be trial yesterday as on the full-power trial of the
previous d,y, and the cohdi ions of wind and wells
then ware ako equal. Tao runs over the measured
mile gave the following results run 5 min. 10
sec., 11 613 knots-2drun, 5 min. 99 see., 10.315
knots-3d run, 4 min. 55 sec., 12.203 knots-4th
un, 6 min. 4 see., 9.890 knots. The mean speed of
the ship was 11131 knots. The tested timo in mak-
ieg the circles gave these results:--'l'o Port: Titre
in getting helm up, 1 min, 9 see.—angle of rudder,
28 deg.—turns of whr el, 3 s—men at wheel, 14--
half circle made in 5 min. 17 sec—full circle do.,
10 min. 37 sec—revolutions of engines, 37. To
Starboard: Time in getting leelm up, 1 rain. 32 sec.
—angle of rudder, 27 5 deg.--turns of wheel, 3.5._
men at wheel, 14—half circle made in 5 min. 14
sec.--full circle do., 10 min. 3 sec—revolutions of
engines, 37. Continuing our comparison of the
Achilles with the Warrior, in our report of the full-
boiler power trial of the Achilles, in The Sun of
yesterday, it will be found that the difference be-
tween the two ships in speed is about the
same at half as at full-boiler power, the
Warrior at half-boiler power having realised
a speed of 12.186 knots against the Achilles
yesterday of 11.131 knot?. It must also be mentioned
that the Warrior had a greater amount of stores and
coals on-board than the Achihes at her trial, and
also that the Achilles' safety valves were loaded to
251 b., when the Warrior's were only loaded to 25!b,
There ate, however, many things, attendant cir-
cumstances, connected with the trials of both ships
that must be carefully considered to satisfactorily
account for the defeat of the new Warrior—for so
the Achilles must be considered—by the old one,
and the most prominent of these undoubtedly are
the 2-kin. extra immersion of the new ship, the E
change of a two bladed Griffith screw for a four.
bladed Mangin, and the great weight and " drag"
thrown upon her really beautiful bows by her bow.
mast and topgallant forecastle. These are matters
that must be attended to at once, and wo trust the
Admiralty will admit the necessity of doing so. Re.
ference was made in our report of the Achilles full
power, in the Times of yesterday, to the very su-
perior manner in which the general metal fittings
of the ship's decks had been executed. It is but
justice to a very efficient officer to state that they
they have been done under the superintendence and
after the designs of Mr T. P. B iker, chief engineer
of Chatham Dockyard. The ventilation of the ship
has also been arranged by him, and the general flow
of fresh air throughout the ship below is apparently
as perfect and comprehensive as it could possibly
be in a ship of the Achilles class.
The Highflyer, 20 gun serew corvette, 1,161 tons,
and 250-horse power of engines, was commissioned
yesterday at Portsmouth for Capt. T. M. S. Pasley.
The half-yearly inspection, by the Civil Service
Commissioners, of candidates for admission as ap-
prentices in Sheerness dockyard, and engineer
students, was held on Tuesday and 'Wednesday, the
6th and 7th inst. There were 11 candidates for
..dmission as apprentices and 18 for admission as
engineer students. On the following Thursday and
Friday was held the annual examination of work.
men and officers belonging to the dockyard as can-
lidetes for promotion during the ensuing year. The
examiners were Mr W. Moody, the master ship-
wright, end Mr F. Martin, the assistant master-
shipwright of the yard. There were 59 cendidates.
The half-yearly examination of engineers, as-
distant engineers, engineer students, and appren-
tices in the dockyard was held in Sheerness on
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday last, when 31
engineers and assistant-engineers, 30 engineer
students, and eight dockyard apprentices were
examined in the following subjects from papers
prepared by the Rev. J. Woolley, LL.D., her Mae
jesty'a Inspector of Naval and Dockyard Schools—
viz.,geography, English grammar and composition,
French, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigono-
metry, hydrostatics, chemistry, and steam and the
steam engine. The examinations were conducted
by the Rev. Roland Williams, chaplain of the yard ;
Mr Wm. Rumble, inspector of machinery i float ;
Mr R. S. Crockford, master of the dockyard ec:001
for apprentices, engineers, and engineer students ;
end Mr S. L. Townsend, of the steam factory.
In accordance with instructions to that effect
received from the Horse Guards, a number of non-
commissioned officers and men have been selected
from the depot companies of Royal Engineers v.t
head-qearters, Chatham, to go through a course of
instruction at the topographical, surveying, photo-
graphic, and other schools at Brompton Barracks,
previously to bring draughted to join the service
companies of the corps at the various home and
colonial stations.

Yesterday Sir R. Mayne, Chief Commissioner of
Metropolitan Police, visited Sheerness dockyard,
for the purpose of inspecting the police force at
.hat establishment, which is under the immediate
direction of Superintendent Strength, the head of
the Metropolitan Police doing duty at Chatham.
During his inspection Sir It. Mayne saw the mem.
oars of the force go through the naval sword drill,
in which the whole of the dockyard police are now
instructed.

The Proposed Underground Railway in

Whitechapel.

A public meeting of the inhabitants of Whitechapel, con-
vened by the churchwardens, in terms of a requisition pre-
sented to them tor that purpose, was held last evening in
the large school room, St, Mary-street, I,lThitechapel-road,
for the purpose of taking into consideration the proposal to
construct an underground railway from Aldgate to Mile-
end. The meeting was presided over by the Rev. P,
Cohen, the rector of the parish.
The RECTOR, in opening the proceedings, referred to the
scheme as one seriously affecting the interests of the public.
Whether the public benefit would be at all commensurate
with the private injury was another question; but he con-
fessed he could not understand how that could be, as it
appeared to run nowhere, terminating as it did at the canal
bridge in Mile-end.

Mr J. littnsorr, surveyor to the board of trustees, read
a report he had prepared for presentation to that be ly
respecting the scheme, and which stated that he had
examined the scheme together with the others which had
been proposed for the eastern district of the metropolis, and
he had come to the conclusion that it would bo injurious to
proposed line was d...uble the
dthepetthraodfethofetlkhle h. Theto praorpioslitanline which had gone along Eus-
ton-road, and would as a necessary consequence increase the
injury to property in the course of its formation. The rails
would be laid at an average depth of 35ft below tho road way.
The reason of its being made so deep was to prov, nt cola-
petition with two other underground lin,t n w hie), parted
through the pariah, namely, the East Metropolitan and the
South London, and within the lines of deviatiQn of the three
schemes some 600 houses aro included. There appeared to
be no want of accommodation, and consequently no necessity
for the proposed line, as between Aldgate and the proposed
terminus the London Genera Omnibus Company run 193
journeys each way between Aldgate and Mile-end-gate
daily, while 80 journeys were made each day the whole
length if the proposed line. To that number had to be added
the etnnibn2c,s nit belonging to that company. There were
also now three railways stations within three quarters nf
mile of the proposed terminus and a station in conrse of
.construction at Bow.

On the motion cf Mr GALS, toconded by Mr Fltrurnnnr,
the report was adopted, as were also resolutions adverse to
the formation of the proposed line.
On the motion of Mr FRA.N C E a memoria' in opposition to
the scheme was resolved to be forthwith prepared for signs•
tare by the inhabitants and presented to the Board of Trade.
A committee was then appointed to draw up such memo-
rial and take the necessary steps to oppose the scheme in
such manner as they might consider necessary.
A. vote of thanks to the chairwan closed the prcceetilob-6,

..g=tirtr4

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Taxa Der —Morning, 3h. 53m.—Afternoon, 4h. 35m.
To-xtmisow.-Morning, 4h. 30m.—Afternoon, 4h. 50m.