The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-09 00:00:00

THE VOLUNTEERS.

Tht Royal Sovereign turret ship, Capt. Sherard Osborn,
C. 8., in dock at Portsmouth, is ordered to be fitted with a
band of wooden sheathing at her water line, and the work
has been commenced by the dockyard authorities. Iron
straps 3in. wide by tin. in thickness and about 6ft, in
length, and averaging about 30in. apart, will be fixed on the
armour plating by iron screws tapped into the face of the
armour plates. Over these iron straps will be laid 3-inch
wooden sheathing, scored to receive the straps and fill in
the space between them, which will be fixed to the straps
by screw fastenings. Yesterday afternoon the men were
just making a commencement in drilling the holes in the
armour plates for the iron-strap fastenings, and, as some
2,000 of these have to be drilled, a pretty correct idea may
be formed of the amount of work which has to be done be-
fore the ship can be again placed afloat, and her gunnery
and other trials concluded. The officials fix the time when
she will again leave the dockyard at "near' two weeks. it
will be far nearer two months. The course taken by the A-
dmiralty with reference to the Royal Sovereign just at this
juncture of her trials is most incomprehensible, as it will
have the effect of deferring the ship's further trials until
the autmnal gales have fairly set in, when, of course, they
will have to be made under the most unfavourable circum-
stances.

Tho screw steam gunboat Wizard, having been supplied
with a now bowsprit, was taken on Saturday from Hamoaze
into Plymouth Sound, hut a leak having been discovered,
she returned on Sunday to the Devonport Dockyard.
The screw steam•sloop Fawn. 17, Commander Charles
Wrey, went on Sunday from Plymouth Sound into Hamoaze
to have some defects made good.

The screw steam frigate Aurora, 35, Capt. Sir Leopold
M'Clintock, from Scotland, arrived at Plymouth yesterday
morning, and was appointed to go up liamoaze in the after-
noon to have her machinery overhauled.

The Dauntless, 31, left Great Yarmouth Roads on Sun-
day, after landing several coastguardsman who had been
exercising in the North Sea.

We have been requested to state that the material used
for coating the iron plates of the Royal Oak iron-cased
frigate, as described in The Sun a few days since, was Hay's
waterproof glue, prepared by the Patent 'Waterproof Glue
Company, and that used on the bottom of the iron frigate
Recruit was Hay's anti-fouling composition.
The sailing ship Superb, 80, attached to the reserve at
Chatham, will be towed out of Chatham harbour at day-
light this morning and navigated round to the Thames,
where she is to be stationed for the use of the officers and
crews of the Turkish stearnvessels of war, the Estourel and
the Relepers Nusrett, which have been sent to this con,-
try to ha fitted with their engines and machiner—
Superb, which has been fitted up for the berv:

The London Artillery Corps carried out at Plums
stead on Saturday its periodical fortnightfy gun
practice, and made some excellent firing. This bri.
gade has, by permission of the War Office and the
Court of Lieutenancy, made a very desirable change
in its head quarters, and now possesses a very con-
venient orderly room at Old Swan-lane, London-
bridge (109, Upper Thames-street.) Recruits are
there drilled daily between half-past 4 and 8 p.m.
On Saturday afternoon last the Tower Hamlets
Volunteers were inspected in the park attached to
Mr J. R. Samuda, he being the Major Commandant.
The
hi de oa-H
corps
a ltl, H
0t
haer en-
us Hare-street, ebeetr, near Romford, the seat of
of 400 marched about 12
o'clock from their head quarters, and proceeded by
special train to Romford, Where they arrived safely.
The inspection was made by Cal. M'Murdo, and
passed off most satisfactorily, At the termination
the whole corps, with a large number of the major's
private friends, proceeded to a spacious and ele.
gently decorated marquee erected in the park,where
they were entertained as guests of the major. Col.
APAlurdo complimented the Men upon their effici-
ency, and alter several addresses had been delivered
the volunteers amused themselves with various

competitions
Corps _
'thesexal
.
games.
of the 37th Mid.
dle
r commenced on
Monday last, and were concluded on Saturday.
The gold challenge medal of
(Bloomsbury)annnprize
the regiment, pre-
sented by Mr J. Patrick,' for competition among
the first class men and marksmen, was won by Cor.
poral Gould, with 37 marks, at 300, 500, and 600
yards. The winner also carried off a prize of £5,
given by Mr. Patrick for
competition among those
who had held the medal. a
-lie silver medal of the
regiment, competed for by first and second class
efficient members, at 200, 400, and 600 yards, was
won by Corporal Day, with 43 marks, The sum of
£2O, given by the commanding officer, Lieut.-Col.
Corrie, for competition by 20 men of each company,
in file and volley firing, was Won by No. 6 company,
the members of which made a file-
firing average of
7.20 in three rounds at 300 Yards, and 6 60 in volley
firing, or three rounds at 400 Yards. The sum of
£lO, given by Major Ware, for
shooting at un-
known distances between 200 and 400 yards, was
divided into three prizes, which Were won by Cor.
poral Harvey, Private Holmes, and Private Forbes,
made 31, 26, and 26 respectively who
in ten shots.
The shooting throughout was excellent.
On Saturday the most important review of Volun.
teers which will be held this antunin in the Eastern
Counties took place at Harwich and Dovercourt.
The locality is bounded on three aides by water—
on the north by the River Stour; on the east by the
broad and spacious harbour formed by the conflu-
ence of the Stour and the Orwell; and on the south
by the German Ocean. The entrance to the harbour
is commanded by an extensive fortification, known
as the redoubt, around which is thrown up a very
large mound of earth, apparently close to the walls,
but in reality separated from them by a wide ditch,
crossed at one point only by a drawbridge, which, as
this work was intended to be one of the main points
of attack and defence, was prepared to be raised.
The garrison on this occasion consisted of four artil-
lery corps—viz., 2d Middlesex, 170 strong, Capt.
Cox, who as senior officer had the general command;
Ist Essex (Harwich), 50, Capt. Panicle ; 31 Essex
(
(Greys), 50, Capt. Banes; and 24 Suffolk
Ipswich),
2'), Lieut. Cobbold, constituting t force of nearly
300. On Beacon-hill, still nearer to the mouth
of the harbour, was established a
worked by a detachment
. three gun battery,
of Catonel Palmer's Essex
,
Yeomanry Artillery:, -
M‘Gorrey; P' - , , under the command of Capt.
Dover- -ad at about half 4 mile distance on 1h e
...wart cliffs was poster
a rtootaer detachment of
the same force with a battery Pt six guns, under
aEde emu ,h and Captain
, . The the command of eqt-ia Lli
E 6 Begineere
.Ave Pr which Cater. The latter with Ow 'At 40"
1