The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-01 00:00:00

.2),,,y1

e ;FM,' SPATE it-
risking Of Whittingfen'A feridt.c. 11‘44*2' 4.°:. ).
-
Coventry" 4,0 -". - • •
mew i""t
belle, whose triumpus wereVlkehellticif- Ay • - 's
•
"An Entertainment" gives a laughable'accoun
prising, speculation which failed to meet wniflae
cognition its merits deserved. " The Ordetit 4birlZ as'As:"
is continued, and introduces us to fresh Nees and fresh
scenes. Esther Fleming's allegiance to Olive.: "Carew is
decidedly wavering. We have a long story founded on the
immemorial tradition concerning the Ist of April, and a
good many lively sketches of pen and pencil fill -up the re-
mainder of the number.

GOOD WORDS.—Mrs. Wood's story of "' Oswald
Cray " is growing more complex and more =clan-
°holy. An unfortunate suspicion rising from some
chance words has come between Oswald and Sara
Davenal, and the troubles seem springing up plgaiti-•
fully. Lady Os wald's fortune is left to Dr. Davenal,
a circumstance which excites a good deal of surprise and
comment. A. K. FL B. gives us an essay, " Concerning
Needless Fears," the moral of which seems to be in the
words of Tupper, that "Half our froubles are WI our in•
vention." Dr. Guthrie continues his "Out of Harnex,"
the Dean of Canterbury proceeds with his "Letters front
Abroad," and Mr. Gosse gives us the fourth part of his
"Year at the Shore," so that there is plenty of good :.ad
varied reading. Added to these Isaac Taylor contributes
"Personal Recollections," the editoe continues his "Even-
ing, with Working People," a reporter gives a very vivid
-.account of the " Labour and DiMeUltieS of Stenography,"
and Dr. Rogers, LLD:, disdusses our Coal Fields. Ire
must onsequently be a very captious or discontented
mortal who cannot fiael:something to attract ead interest
him in such a table of contents.

DIE MUSICAL MONTHLY.—The number for
April is, of course, well supplied with articles
touching the approaching festival at Stratford..
upon-Avon. The presentation piece for the pianoforte is
entitled "A Shaksperian Fantasia," • in which the well. -
known airs sung ,by Ariel in "The Tempest" are intro-
duced. The introduction is full and telling, but the airs
hay? been :rather ineffectively handled. There is a
thinness about the adaptation, and a_ .great want
of 6sh sneitlitiaucy In the va.riatif. Although
the picces e same ltadi.
aalr'eahed`teil*.avlll-fiad4avour tn*he ayes or •
who are looking out for an easy piece ,suitable for the cp.
proaching festivity. The magazine is just the sort of thing
wanted by the public ; but some such pieces as those played
by Madame Goddard, Madame Oury, &0,, must begiven to
make it popular with the lovers of music.
LE FOLLEL—This month's number of this ele•
gnat little publication is unusually attractive.
The plates are brilliant, and if the fashions here
set forth are followed, the dresses of the ladies
this season will be truly splendid. There is here the
usual intelligence communicated with respect to the
latest novelties, the most striking changes, &c., in cos-
tume; besides which, a variety of high amusing reading is
met with in this periodical, and also a description of • the
operas, theatres, Lee., so that for a fashionable reader nothing
is left out of the repertoire of its contents that can possibly
be missed.

CASSELL'S P ÜBLICATION S.—The different monthly
parts of the works now publishing by Messrs Cassell,
Petter, and Galpin are here again before us, and bear
unmistakable evidence of the energy and enter-
prise of the firm. "The Illustrated Shakepero"
will, when completed, form a splendid volume, both from
the variety and excellence of the illustrations and the supe-
riority of its paper and letterpress. " Pilgrims Progress"
is another commendable production, and our. dear old
friend "Robinson Crusoe" is still being submitted to the
public in a manner hitherto nnat tempted. " The Illustrated
History of England," "The Popular Educator," "The
History of England," and "Popular Natural History" are
all worthy of high commendation.
THE BOY'S MONTHLY MAGAZINE contains a
variety of light reading, which will be found both highly
entertaining and instructive.
, .
THE BOY'S OWN MAGAZINE this month brim
full of facts, fiction, history, and adventure.
THE ENGLISHWOMAN'S DOMESTIC MAGAZINE
abounds with useful and entertaining articles. Lis one of
the cheapest and best magazines published.
THE QUARTERLY BRITISH POSTAL GUIDE has
just been published by command of the Postmaster General,

Naval and Military Intelligence

THE NAVY.

Arrangemeuts have been for some time in progress at
Chatham. dockyard for the adoption of the new system of
accounts connected with the building of new vessels, thei
repairs of those requiring "conversion " or alteration, and
the charge for labour in each department, the whole
which have been arranged uwler the i/prOdiate superin-
'tendenm of Mr. Stlinhfal, MP:, one of the lords, of tAer

Admiralty. Under the direction of a competent *11.4
clerks. and assistants froin thd ;SlOi•-ekeeperjierieral'ade-
partment a tomplete stock-taking of the whole of the mate-
rid, of every kind, in Chatham Dockyard will be commenced
this morning, and periodical returns afterwards forwarded.
to the Admiralty. Under the auspices of Mr. Stansfold,
and mainly, if not certainly, through his exertions, the
dockyard accounts will from April 1 be placed on a basis
which will enable them to be compared favourably with the
accounts of the best private shipbuilding establishments in
the country. In ftiture the percentage charges for the
different descriptions of work will be eliminated, and all
labour not employed on manufacturing operations will be
charged, pro rata, on the ships. It is, however, in the im-
portant item of labour, which has hitherto defied all the
attempts made to properly apportion the charges under that
head, that the greatest alterations will be made at Chatham.
This will be effected by what are termed labour charts, in
which the fullest explanation will be periodically given of
the nature, variety, and amount of labour employed on any
given vessel, or other undertaking, its relative and actual
cost. These labour charts will be laid before the House of
Commons, which will thus have the opportunity of ascer-
taining the amount expended for labour, as attested by the
accounts.

The screw steam gunvessel Ranger, 6, Commander Gor-
don, at Plymouth, bound for the West Coast of Africa, got
up steam on Wednesday, but continued in the Sound up to
yesterday afternoon.
The screw steamship Nile, 78, flag of Rear-Admiral Sit
Alex. Milne, K,C.B„ is hourly expected at Plymouth.
The screw steamship Royal George, 78, went outside

Plymouth breakwater yesterday to try her engines and
machinery, under the inspection of Capt. Edmonstone, of
the Steam Reserve. To-day she will be commissioned and
manned by the officers and crew of the Ajax.
The United States gunvessel Kearsage yesterday dis-
charged her powder-5 tons—at the powder-buoy off Wool-
wich Arsenal, in charge of the shipping agent, and pro-

ceeded to the Victoria docks, to make good certain damages
sustained during the late gale in the channel. She will be
thoroughly overhauled, will be supplied with a new top-
mast and have her bottom cleaned. She is manned at all
quarters with a most formidable armament of six powerful
11-inch guns, weighing 6 tons, to carry a 2001 b shot each,
so as to maintain a steady fire from every part of the ship.
The Kearsage is last from Dover, where she was an object
of much attraction, and was visited by a large number of

persons.
Mr. Tomlin, one of the Admiralty clerks, who has been
engaged during the past 17 years in the office of the Com-
modore Superintendent of the Dockyard at Woolwich, is
ordered to enter on the duties of the Auditor's office this
morning, in order to check the expenditure of the establish-
ment, and to carry out a more orderly return of acoounti
for the inspection of the Admiralty Board.
The following appointments have been made at the Ad.
miralty Board :—W. H. Monckton, midshipman, to the
Aurora—W. Skipworth, midshipman, to the Black Prima
—and Henry Smiles, nominated to a naval cadetship,

O" •