The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-27 00:00:00

MALT FOR CATTLE BILL.

This bill was then committed, and
Sir E DEICING proposed the addition of a clause, per-
mitting agriculturists to malt barley, according to the pro-
visions of the measure, for the consumption of their own
stock, without taking out a maltster's licence.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER declined
to accede to the clause, on the ground that it would break
in upon a system of law which was recognised, understood.
and uniform in a matter of gnat delicacy and difficulty, and
for the sake of a pecuniary advantage—about 2d. a quarter
—that was perfectly immaterial. He also looked upon the
proposal as the parent of a little brood of other demands
that would inevitably follow if this were acceded to, If the
clause were agreed to it would defeat the object of the bill,
Colonel BARTTELOT recommended that the clause

should be withdrawn, after the intimation just made by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. He believed the right hon.
gentleman had brought forward the bill in good faith, and
he for one was prepared to accept it in the same spirit,
though he did not anticipate that it would be productive of
any great advantage.
Ultimately the clause was negatived, and the bill passed
through committee,
The Conveyancers (Ireland) Bill went through commit-
tee, and the Land Drainage (Provisional Orders) Bill, the
Inclosure Bill, and the County Coarts (Ireland) Bill, were
severally read a second time.
Sir J. HAY called attention to the grant made to the
captors of Kertch and Yenikali, and the fact that it had
been bestowed upon three flag officers who were not serving
in the Black Sea fleet at the capture. He also moved for a
return of the names of the flag officers to whom the grant
had been distributed, with the proportions in which they
shared.

The return was ordered after some explanations on the
subject by Lord C, PAGET and Sir J. PAKINGTON,
The house adjourned at 10 minutes to 12 o'clock,

Naval and l'dilitary Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

VALETTA, Feb. 22.—Her Majesty's screw troopship
Orontes, 2 guns, Capt, W. H. Hire, arrived here on the
night of the 19th inst., on her way to Corfu. She left Spit-
head on the Bth, and Gibraltar on the 16th inst., and she
is to embark the Oth Regiment at Corfu, and proceed with
it direct to the West Indies, calling at Gibraltar. The Ar-
tillery and Engineers, and the other Line regiments, are to
be distributed among the garrisons of Malta and Gibraltar.
The Ist battalion, 25th, and 2d battalion, 22d Rgiment, will,
it is said, leave Malta to make room for some of the troops
from Corfu. The Icarus has arrived with dates from Corfu
to the 19th inst. The demolition of the forts at Vido had
commenced on that day, and when she left a considerable
portion was in ruins. A large quantity of gun-cotton had
been obtained from Austria to be used as an experiment in
the operations. Her Majesty's screw steam frigate Phoebe,
35, Capt. T. D. A. Fortescue, left Malta on the 13th inst.
for Beyrout, to relieve the Liffey, 35, Capt. G. Parker,
ordered to Malta. The latter vessel is to call at Corfu
to embark ordnance stores, before coming here. The
Meeanee, 60, Capt. G. \Vodehouse, sailed the same
afternoon for the Piraeus, with provisions for the squadron
under the command of Rear-Admiral Yelverton.

On Wednesday and Thursday practice took place at Ports-
mouth from the guns of the Stork gunboat, under the supe-
rintendence of Capt. A. Key, C. 8., commanding her Ma-
jesty's gunnery ship Excellent, with cast iron and steel shot
from 68 and 100 pounder guns, the plates varying from 4t
to 16ft in length, and from 41in to Gin in thickness. Wed-
nesday's firing was confined to cast iron shot (service) from
the 68 pounder gun, with the usual service charge of 161 b
of powder, and the results were those usually obtained. The
indents averaged 11in in depth, and the shot in all cases de-
stroyed themselves by the force of their own impact and the
want of cohesive strength in their material. On the follow-
ing day the more interesting firing took place at the unda-
maged portions of the same plates with crucible iron shots
and crucible and Bessemer steel shots, from both the smooth
bore 35 cwt 68 pounder, and the 6 ton (9'22 bore) 100 pounder
smooth bore Armstrong. Capt. Harrison, R.A ~ a member
of the Iron Plate Committee, was on board to witness the
firing. The first shot was fired from the 100 pounder gun,
with a Woolwich Laboratory made cast iron shot, and a
251 b charge of powder, against a plate of 4 in made by John
Brown and Co., of Sheffield, for Mr. Reed's ship, the Lord
Warden. This shot made an indent on the plate the diame-
ter of which was 10in, and its depth 61in, the shot destroy-
ing itself without penetrating further into the target ship's
side. The second shot was made from Price's crucible iron,
and was fired at the same plate from the same gun with a
similar charge of powder. The diameter of the indent in
this instance was also 10in, with a depth of 7in, the shot
again,being destroyed. The third shot was of steel, fired from
the same gun with a 251 b charge against the Bellerophon 6
inch plate. This shot remained sticking in the plate with its
outer surface projecting 2in beyond the plate's outer surface,
the shot itself being partially broken. Inside the ship a knee
was started and two planks were broken. Two steel shots
were next fired from the same gun, with similar charges
of powder against Messrs. Charles Cammell's 51-inch plate
for the Lord Clyde (one of Mr. Reed's fleet). Both of these
stuck in the plate, one projecting 41in from the plate's outer
surface, and the other 2 7-10 in. The concluding shot Oom
the 100-pounder was fired at the 6.in plate, and, as in the
other instances, partially embedded itself ; the other surface
being 2 8-10 in outside the plate's outer surface. The 68-
pounder gun was now brought into use, and a wrought-iron
case-hardened shot fired trom it, with the usual charge of
Iffib of powder, against John Brown and Co.'s plate, and
produced the usual indent of a cast.iron.projectile ot this
weight of 2in, with a diameter of 9in. The next shot was
of steel, fired also from the 68-pounder with a 161 b charge.
It was also fired at the same plate. It made an indent of its
diameter of Sin, with a depth equal to the plate's thick-
ness. A subsequent shot shook this last out of its place from
the plate overboard. The next steel shot from the 68 struck
within 4in of the last shot on Messrs. Brown's plate, and
remained sticking in the plate 3 7-10 in outside the plate's
outer surface, and shaking out the previous shot. The last
shot fired struck the lower edge of a plate, and, passing in-
board, glanced downwards, and wont right through the
ship's bottom, letting the water rush in. A supply of shot
plugs, with a body of seamen from the gunboat, was imme-
diately sent on board, by whom the damage was very soon
temporarily repaired, and the ship kept afloat. The plates
were bolted on the side of the America target ship, and
he distance was the usual 200 yards. On the pre-
vious occasion, when steel-shots were used against a slin
Millwall p!ate, which received a high classification, the
penetration then was complete, the shot in one instance
entering the plate by a hole Pin in diameter, and passing
into the ship by a hole 3ft in diameter. On this occasion,
on the other hand, no thorough penetration of even the
plates alone can be said to have been effected. The 41in
and siin plates of Messrs. Charles Cammell and Co. and
Messrs. J. Brown and Co. were, although of rolled manu-
facture, perfect in their welding and of superfor metal and
manufacture. Some time after the firing ceased two tug-
boats were despatched to the targetship in Porcheeter Creek,
to tow her on to the mud, as she appeared to be filling with
water, in spite of the precautions taken to the contrary.
Her Majesty's ship Ranger, now ready for commission,
returned to Woolwich on Thursday from trial of her speed
and machinery down the river to the Maplin Sands. Six
runs at full power were made at the Lower Hope, and four
runs at half pcwer at Long Reach, the result ot which was
a fraction under eight knots at full speed and six knots at
half speed. The Ranger was paid out of commission by
Commander Wratislaw, from the West Coast of Africa, on
the 10th of November last.

By the Union Steam Navigation Company's mail steam-
ship S Axon, which arrived at Plymouth on Wednesday, we
learn that the screw steam frigate Narcissus, 39, Capt. J. S.
Beckford, flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker,
K.C,8., was appointed to leave Cape Town on Jan, 21,
with his Excellency the Governor, Sir P. Wodehouse, and
the Commander of the Forces, Sir P. Douglas, who are
proceeding to Graham's Town. The screw steam corvette
Scylla, 21, from England, arrived on Dec. 21 at the Cape,
and left on the 20th for China. The steamsloop Ariel. 6,
was appointed to leave shortly after the 21st of January for
the Mozambique Channel. The screw steamsloop Falcon,
17, Commander G. H. Parkin, from Plymouth, Nov. 17,
arrived in Simon's Bay Jan. 16, bound for Australia, The
Saxon spoke Jan. 29, near St. Helena, the bark City of
Durham ; on Feb. 14, in lat 26 44 N, long 19 11 W, the
bark Norfolk, of Yarmouth, for Table Bay ; and on Feb.
19, in lat 39 19 N, long 5 30 W, the ship Dreadnought, of
Liverpool, steering south, and the barque Assyrian, from
London for Shanghai.
_ _

There appears every probability that the head quarters of
the military forces in South Africa will be removed from
Cape Town to the interior, at Graham's Town. Orders have
been recently received to prepare accommodation for 500
troops. It is expected that the head quarters of the Royal
forces and Cape Mounted Rifles will be at King William's
Town. The headquarters and three companies of the 11th
Regiment will be at Fort Beaufort.