The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-02 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

I The 3d battalion of the Grenadier Gu.r is, under
the command of Col. his Serene Highness Prince
Edward of Saxe-Weimar, arrived yesterday after-
noon at the Chelsea Barracks, from n onth's duty
under canvass. The battalion returred from the
camp by road, bivouacking at Bagshot-heath on
Tuesday night, and on Wednesday night at Houns,
low-heath.
Yesterday Col. H. D. Harness, C. 8., director of
the Royal Engineer establishment, Chatham, corn.
menced his half-yearly inspection of the companies
at headquarters and the detachments for colonial
service and surveying duties at Erompton barracks.
In addition to the companies of Royal Engineers
now doing garrison duty, the officers, nor-commis-
sioned officers, and sappers composing the detach-
ments for New Zealand, to augment the 6th com-
pany, together with the detachments for St. Helena
and for the companies employed on surveying
duties, were also inspected by Col. Harness, who at
the close of the parade examined the books and
other official documents belonging to each corps and
detachment. The reinforcements of the Royal En-
gineers under orders for embarkation will embark
on the Bth inst., in her Majesty's iron screw ship
Orontes, Capt. H. W. Hire.
The reinforcements for the Ist battalion of the
12th Regiment and the 43d Light Infantry for the
depot companies of those corps at Chatham garri-
son, together with the detachments for the 2d bat■
talion of the 14th Regiment, 2d battalion of the 18th
Royal Irish, 40th Regiment, 50th (Queen's Own),
57th Regiment, 65th Regiment, and 68th Light In-
fantry, have received orders from the Horse Guards
to be held in readiness to embark for New Zealand
in the course of the present month, the Black Ball
clipper ship Light Brigade, 2,500 tons, which has
been chartered by the Government to convey the
reinforcements to New Zealand, being under orders
to embark her trcops at Gravesend on the 20th inst.

The trials which have taken place at the Royal
Engineer establishment, Chatham, under the direc-
tion of the committee of officers appointed by the
-War-office, for the purpose of testing the merits of
the Belgian and Austrian pontoons, have been
brought to a termination, and have resulted in a
highly favourable report being made on the descrip-
tion of pontoons received from Belgium, which are
considered decidedly superior to those in use in the
Austrian service. An order has since been received
at Chatham for the Austrian pontoons to be re-
turned into store at once.
The Ist company of Royal Engineers has received
orders to undergo a amuse of fieldwork instruction
and sapping and mining at head quarters, Chatham,
previously to embarking for colonial service. The
Ist company, no stationed at Devon port, will be
relieved by the Bth company of Royal Engineers,
now on passage home from China, and shortly ex-
pected to arrive at the Royal Engineer establish-
ment, Chatham.
The troops brought home from Bombay and
Karrachee in the Salamanca and Louisa, hired
sailing transports, as reported in Me Sun of yes-
terday, were disembarked yesterday morning from
those ships at Spithead, under the supervision of
Col. Shadwell, Assist..Quartermaster-Gen., and
were forwarded to their destinations, the invalids
to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at Netley,
and the time-expired men to their regimental
depots. The ship sailed for the Thames about noon.
The white or St. George's ensign was yesterday
hoisted by her Majesty's ships at Portsmouth, as
the ensign for the future for the Royal Navy. Rear-
Admiral of the Red George Elliot, superintendent
of Portsmouth dockyard, and Acting Commander.;
in-Chief Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, at the
Channel Islands, changed their flag from
red at the St. George's Cross, which will
in future be the only flag flown by an
admiral, according to his rank of admiral, vice or
rear, at main, fore, or mizen. The blue ensign is
now given by the Admiralty to ships manned and
officered, or partially so, by the Royal Naval Re-
serve. The red ensign remains the flag of the ordi•
nary mercantile service.

Her Majesty's iron scraw steamship Warrior, 40,
Captain the Hon. Arthur A. Cochrane, from Tor-
bay, arrived in Plymouth Sound early yesterday
morning. She afterwards tack in coal, and, being
detached from the Channel Squadron, was appointed
to sail at noon for Gibraltar, where it is probable
she will continue for the remainder of her time. She
was commissioned in August, 1861.

On Saturday last the Royal Sovereign turret ship,
Captain Sherard Osborn, C. 8., started from Ports-
mouth for Portland on her first cruise since her con-
version to a turret ship. The dockyard mechanics
were at work on board the ship in Portsmouth
harbour at 1 p.m., but at 6 p.m. the ship was rid of
them and steaming out of the harbour. That night
she anchored in the Solent. On Sunday morning
the anchor was weighed, and with three boilers out
of her six, working at the lowest grade of expansion,
the ship steamed through the Needles against a
fresh breeze, making 5,1 knots. The same day she
anchored in Portland Roads, and remained at anchor
until Tuesday morning, the interval being occupied
in clearing up ship and setting matters straight.
On Tuesday morning steam was got np in two
boilers, the anchor weighed, and the Royal Sove-
reign steamed about the bay between Portland
Roads and Weymouth, her crew being exercised in
bringing the ship to anchor and weighing again
under diffarent circumstances. During Tuesday
night it blew very heavy from about S.W., and
continued to do so throughout the following day.
On Wednesday morning steam was got up in four
boilers, two-thirds power,.,and the ship was taken
outside, and off the Rice made a good eight knots
against a strong wind and a heavy head sea. Capt.
Osborn then took the ship into the Race, and when
fairly in the midst of the roughest water put her
broadside to it and let her roll and tumble about as
she pleased in order to test her turrets in as cone
elusive a manner as possible. The vessel rolled
quickly 11 deg. to leeward, and 10 deg. to wind.
ward, and under these circumstances the turrets and
guns .were manned, and the former revolved and the
latter run in and out as would have been the case
in action with an enemy in the same position and
under the same conditions. It was found that the
turrets were perfectly manageable, and the guns
could be handled with the same ease as in smooth
water, excepting, of course, that a little more care
was required from the men in working them. The
ship being still kept in her rolling position the guns
is the turrets were next trained nearly fore and
aft, the winch handles let go and breaks slacked up,
and turrets and guns left to themselves, the ship
rolling in an arc of 21 degrees. As, however, every-
thing remained immovable, and it was found the
men could take hold of the winch handles and set
I the turret revolving, or leave them as they pleased,
without leaving any check upon the turret's move-
ment, this was deemed both by Captain Osborn and
Captain Coles quite sufficiently conclusive of the
turrets' steadiness and working under as almost un-
favourable conditions as could be met with, except
in a gale of wind. The guns were securedeand the
Sovereign returned to her anchorage in Portland
Roads, where, as she lies at anchor, she has the look
of a monster gunboat, and as a gunboat simply has
she been handled by Captain Osborn since leaving
Portsmouth harbour. In steaming through the
Solent on Saturday the Royal Sovereign's steering
gear from the pilot-house forward answered admi-
rably, and the vessel answered every movement of
her rudder as quickly as a wherry could have done.
The Highflyer, 21, screw corvette, steamed out of
Portsmouth harbour yesterday, and made a pre-
liminary trial of her machinery, which proved quite
,cpenretplyaruantodreyrgtoonceomamthisosriooung.hTrheepHairigtho-
asayteirsfa:atsorrye
hull and machinery.
The screw corvette Cadmus, 21, 400 horse power,
in dry y
hd dock at
of h
Chatham,er wire preparing
standing
r
forig
gng set up
the pennant,
has sthe
and a considerable portion of her topmast rigging
in place. She is to be expedited in her fitments, as
she is required for immediate commission, and
additional hands have been placed on her. Since
she has been in dock she has undergone very eaten.
sive repair to both hull and machinery, and she is
now in alm.)st as sound a state as when launched.
She has been furnished with a new Griffith's pro-
peller in lieu of the Admiralty screw.
The deaths of the following officers have
,beet,

otliciqiiy reported at the War-office since the Ist of
August :—Gen. Sir J. H. Roy nett, K.C.8., K.C.H.,
colonel of the 48th Regiment; Lieut.-Gen.Sir J. R.
Eustaee, K. 11.; -11,Ljor-Gen. D. Grant, Royal Artil-
lery Cols. J. Heatley, 69 h Regiment ; and T.
Prior, sth Fusileers. Copts. L. Macheli, Royal Ar-
tillery ; G. W. F. Snell, 33. h Regiment ; J. A. Pal-
liser, 76th Regiment ; R. H. Ker ; J. B. Leatham ;
G. Randall ; D. Pratt, 16th Dragoons ; and M. W.
L. Coast, paymaster, Rifle Brigade. Lit uts. H. E.
Yorke, Royal Artillery ; A. M. Rowan, 13th (Prince
Albert's) Light Infantry ; J, Miller, 60th Rifles ; G.
Worsley, 39th Regiment; and J. Burn, 72d High.
landers. Ensigns A. B. Duncan, 57th Regiment ;
B. Alt, 93th Regiment; and J. S. Dixon, 94th
Regiment. Quartermaster W. Evans, 88th Con.
naught Rangers; Assistant-Commissary Gen. W.
H. Dalrymple.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—John. T. Moore, assist..surg.,
additional to the Duncan ; Ales. G. Bain, acting
assist.•surg,, additional to the Duncan ; and John
Adams, ass:st.-engineer, to the Asia, as super-
numerary.