The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-23 00:00:00

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, them with extreme consolation the assurance that
in calling the congress together they never had the
intention of attributing to themselves the least part
of the authority which belongs entirely to the
Church ; and at the same time they tell us that they
could not dissolve the congress without having pre-
viously protested the respect, obedience, and filial
piety which they have for us and for the see of
Peter, the centre of the Catholic unity. Since these
are the sentiments with which they recognise our
supreme authority and the power of the apostolical
see—since at the same time they understood the
gravity of the truth which our Lord Jesus Christ
himself imposed upon us of governing and directing
His whole Church, of feeding His whole fleck in the
pasturages of holy doctrine, and of continually
watching lest the holy faith and His doctrine should
receive the slightest injury—we cannot doubt that
in devoting themselves to the study and to the
teaching of the higher sciences and to the defence
of holy doctrine, they also recognise that it is a duty
for them to religiously follow the rules constantly
observed in the Church, and to obey all the decrees
which have been given on matters of doctrine by
our supreme Pontifical authority.
We make all these communications to you,
strongly desiring that you should bring them to the
knowledge of all those who assisted at the Con-
gress; bat, nevertheless, if it appears to us that
there is cause for it, we shall not fail to give ample
instructions upon the subject to you and to our
venerable brothers the Bishops of Germany, when
we know your views and theirs upon the fitness of
these kinds of Congress. Finally, we once more
very urgently appeal to your solicitude and pastoral
vigilance, that in concert with our venerable brothers
the other bishops of Germany, you cease not to con-
secrate all your care and thoughts on the defence
and propagation of holy doctrine. Do not fail to
impress upon all the necessity of carefully avoiding
profane novelties, and of not allowing themselves to
be seduced by those who unceasingly vaunt the false
liberty of science, and who extol, not only its true
progress, but also the errors which they impudently
please to decorate with that name. Do not cease
with zeal and ardour to address to all your exhor-
tations that they use their energies and efforts in
acquiring true Christian and catholic wisdom, and
that they hold in great esteem, as is right, the truths
and the solid progress of science which have been
realised in catholic schools in following the direc-
tions and teachings of our holy and divine faith ;
that in the study of the theolog;cal sciences espe-
cially they attach themselves to the firm principles
and doctrines upon which the wise and learned
teachers, who have acquired immortal glory in ren-
dering brilliant and real services to the Church and
to science, unanimously relied. It is in this way,
assuredly, that in cultivating the sciencesi Catholics
can, with the aid of God, know, develop, and make
known more day by day, as much as it is given to
man to do, the treasure of the truths which God has
put in the works of Nature and of Grace, so that
man, after having known them by the light of
reason and of faith, and having carefully conformed
his life to them may contemplate unveiled and in
the clearness of the eternal glory, the sovereign
truth, that is to say, God, and enjoy Him for ever
in the plenitude of eternal happiness.
It if with much joy that we avail ourselves cf
this opportunity to renew the assurance of our
peculiar affection for you. Receive the pledge of
it in the apostolical benediction which we give to
you in its fulness, venerable brother, and to the
flock confided to your care.
Given at Rome, at St. Peter, December 21, of the
year 1863, the eighteenth of our Pontifical,

Pits IX., POPE.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Tho work of campletiog the iron-cased frigate
Achilles!, 1,250 horse power, fitting for sea in
Chatham, harbour, proceeds as rapidly as circum-
stances will permit, but there is still work remain-
ing to be completed on board which wilt occupy
several months before she will be anything like
ready to prccecd on her maiden cruise. A consi-
derable delay has taken place in fitting the plates
and tramways for the guns on the main deck, in
consequence of the armament for the A z'ailles having,
been altered from that originally intended, necessi-
tating the return of moat of the gun plates and curb-
ing to the Royal Arsenal for alteration. After vari-
ous changes, the armament for the Achilles has been
at length definitively decided upon, and she is now
intended to be supplied exclusively with the
new 100 pounder smooth-bore wrought-iron guns,
20 of which she will mount on her main deck. At
present this is the only portion of her armament
decided upon, but it is probable that she will carry
in addition one, if not two, of the 300-pounder Arm-
strongs. From the demand now made on the Royal
Gun Factory for the supply of the new naval 100-
pounder it is stated at Chatham that the summer
will be very far advanced before the Achilles can
receive her armament and be ready for sea.
The ships of war on the Australian station at the
date of the last advices were the Harrier, 17, Capt.
Sullivan; the Miranda, 14, Capt. Jenkins ; the
Eclipse, 4, Capt. Mayne ; the Curacoa, 23, Com-
mander Wiseman ; and the Esk, 21, Capt. Hamil-
ton. All these vessels were at New Zealand.
An Admiralty order has been received at Chat.
ham Dockyard in which it was announced that,
with the view of adopting more efficient measures
for the better working of the labour department of
the dockyard, the whole of the junior officers and
workmen who are not in every respect efficient for
the discharge of their duty at the age of GO are to
be superannuated. Under all circumstances, retire-
ment at the age of 65 is in future to be compulsory.
Under this arrangement the number of hands will
be reduced to that under the order in Council. A
return is to be forthwith prepared of the names of
such of the officers and workmen who are not effi-
cient and capable of discharging their duty.
One hundred mechanics and labourers belonging
to the royal carriage department in Woolwich
Arsenal have this week received notice of dismissal,
thus reducing the establishment to 1,600 men. The
whole of the departments will be closed on Good
Friday and the following Saturday, the work of
Saturday to be made up by overtime, which com-
menced yesterday. Each of the departments in the
Arsenal will cease work consecutively two days each
during Easter week to take stock, for the accounts
at the approaching termination of the financial year.

The general survey of the stores at Chatham Dock-
yard, in accordance with the new arrangements
sanctioned by the Admiralty, will commence on
April 1 under the superintendence of the officials
from the Storekeeper. General's department.
Their Excellencies Rainandraindraina and Raini-
feringia, on a special mission to this country from
AFtdagescar, yesterday visited Woolwich and in-
spected the various ships under construction end re-
pair in the dockyard. They were provided with a
special order from the Admiralty for that purpose,
as well es a War Department permit for the
arsenal, whither they were accompanied by Com-
mander Lysaght, of the flagship Fies,ard. They
first visited the laboratory and carriage depart-
ments, and proceeded thence on board the Turkish
Imperial yacht, where they spent about half an
hour, and closed their visit to the Royal Arsenol by
a lengthened inspection of the gun factories, in
which they appeared to take great interest. They
made, however, very few remarks.

The following a ppolutmenta were mada yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander W. Arthur, to the
Excellent; Lieut. C. J. Brownrigg, to be Flag
Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Sir C. Talbot, K.C.8.,
Commander-in-Chief at Sheerness; Lieut. James
Buchanan and Lieut. H. I. Carr, to the Bombay;
Sub-Lieut. R. B. Wilkinson, to the Prince Consort ;
Stuart Watson, paymaster, additional, to the St.
George; James D. Gilpin, paymaster, to the Bom-
bay; Walmsley A. Dangerfield, assist.-paymaster,