The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-03 00:00:00

D.

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With the view of preventing the overcrowding of the
barrack rooms at Chatham garrison during the summer
months, Major-Gen. Eyre has issued orders for the number
of men in each of the barrack rooms to be reduced accord-
ing to the size of the rooms, by which arrangement 12 men
will in future occupy the space formerly apportioned to 18
men in the large rooms, and 9 men the space formerly dc-
voted to 12 men in the smaller rooms.

Major-Gen. Lefroy, ILA., Capt. L. Heath, C. 8., R.N,,
the President and Vice-President of the Ordnance Select
Committee, with various members of the committee, arrived
at Portsmouth yesterday from London. They went on
board her Majesty's ships Excellent and Royal Sove-
reign, over which they were conducted by Capt. Astley C.
Key, C. 8., the officer commanding her Majesty's ship
Excellent, The various methods of mounting and sighting
guns of different calibres on board broadside and turret-gun
ships were explained by Capt. Key, on board the Royal
Sovereign, assisted by Capt. Cowper P. Coles, R.N. The
Committee, on leaving the Royal Sovereign,embarked in the
galley of Capt. H. Caldwell, C.B. (the officer in command of
the steam reserve at Portsmouth), and visited some of the
ships afloat. It is presumed that the visit of the Cana-
-1 mittee to Portsmouth relates to the future armament of the
navy, whatever class of vessels it may consist of, turrets or
broadsides, or both combined—but, if so, they cannot have
been greatly enlightened at the conclusion of their day's
labour, inasmuch as but one of the members was a naval
officer, and to purely military men the Royal Sovereign, in
her present incomplete state, must be at first sight an em-
barrassing mystery.
Some time since half-a-dozen Enfield rifles, fitted at the
breech with the Mont Storm breech-loading apparatus, were
forwarded by Government order to her Majesty's ship Ex-
cellent at Portsmouth, in order to have the principle
thoroughly tested and its suitability for service in the navy
reported upon by Capt. Astley Cooper Key, C. 8., of the
Royal Naval College and her Majesty's ship Excellent. We
understand that the trials of these weapons on board the
Excellent have proved most satisfactory, and that they fur-
nish sound reasons for believing that by the adaptation of
the Mont Storm breech to our present Enfields our soldiers
and seamen may have a breech-loading rifle as simple, safe,
and efficient as can be wished for general service.
The Aurora, screw frigate, Capt. Sir Leopold M'Clintock,
arrived at Spithead yesterday from the Nora, and on anchor-
ing exchanged the customary salutes with the flagship of
the Commander in Chief, Admiral Sir Michael Seymour,
G.C.B. The Aurora will embark part of the 60th Rifles for
conveyance to Kingstown.

The Gladiator, 6, paddle, Capt. F. H. Shortt, arrived at
Portsmouth yesterday from Devonport, and took up a berth
alongside the dockyard. She will embark a portion of the
60th Rifles for Kingstown on the same day as the Aurora.
The Adder, paddle steamvessel, tender to the Wellesley,
at Chatham, was taken into dock at Sheerness yesterday to
undergo thorough repairs, which, it is expected, will oc-
cupy several weeks in completion.
The Dauntless, 31, screw steamship, 1,575 tons, 580 •horse
power, late Coastguard vessel in Southampton Water, and
now being refitted in the basin, Sheerness Dockyard, as
Coastguard vessel in the Humber, Capt. James N. Strange,
will shortly be out of the hands of the dockyard artisans,
when she will be taken on trial to the measured mile, and
if the trial prove successful she will then proceed to her
destination.

The Terrible, 21, paddlewheel steam frigate, 1, 850 tons,
800-horse power, in No. 2 dock, Sheerness, has a large
number of workmen at present employed upon her, and it
is expected that their labours will soon be completed. She
will then leave the dock and be taken to her moorings in
the harbour.

A private letter received at Portsmouth from her Ma-
jesty's ship Euryalus, dated at Yokohama, Japan, April 1,
says :

" We have now, unfortunately, 42 cases of smallpox on
board, but not of a very serious nature, generally speaking.
There are very few now in the ship that left England in
her ; only six of the latter class remain in the wardroom.
Parker, our master, was the last officer invalided. Every-
thing is going on quietly here, but there is very little trade
doing between the Japanese and Europeans."
The following appointments have been made at the Ad-
miralty :—Commander the Hon. Maurice H. Nelson to the
Rinaldo, vice Dunlop, invalided; Lieut. Henry Golden to
the AVellesley ; Lieut. George V. Philipps to the Princess
Charlotte; John A. R. Fetch, master, to the Leander;
George J. Tomlin, acting master, to the Shearwater ;
Charles D. Shepherd, surgeon, the Immortalite ; William
Nicholson, surgeon, to the Aboukir; Dr. George E.
Wright, acting assist-surgeon, to the Black Prince ; and
Charles Beal, chief engineer, additional, to the Asia for the
Arrogant.

NEWSPAPER

Naval and Military Intellig,., kt?.
;4 *.f • ,
Yesterday Major-Gen. Eyre, accompanied b• • %•
ness, C. 8., the chief of the Engineering Der .;
Chatham, made a tour of inspection of the batte '_.:lets 111t-,,,,`Cre
and other works erected by the Royal Enginee7s, in orte to a s
make the necessary arrangements for the grand review and
siege operations which will shortly be carried out at Chatham
in the presence of the Prince of Wales and other distin-
guished visitors, and in which the entire force of the garri-
son, together with the Royal Sappers and Miners, will take
part. The operations will include an attack on the garri-
son from the river, in which the Royal Marines will take
part, assisted by a portion of the Royal Engineers with
their pontoon trains. The magazines, mines, stockades ,
and saps constructed by the Royal Engineers last season
have undergone the requisite repairs, and the batteries are
being mounted with siege guns. The torpedoes to be
placed in the river, as well as the charges for destroying
the stockades and blowing up the mines, are in course of
preparation at the Royal Engineer laboratory, and the
whole of the troops who can be spared for that duty are
daily employed in escalading and practising the other opera-
tions in which they will be engaged on the occasion of the
review taking place.