The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-22 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The following promotions and exchanges in the Royal
Artillery, as about to take place, were yesterday announced
at Woolwich :—Col. E. C. Warde, C 8., at present com-
manding the 61h Brigade at Portsmouth, to the command
of Woolwich Garrison, in succession to Major-Gen. Sir
Richard Dacres, K.C.8., whose term of service will expire
at the close of next month ; Col. Eardley Wilmot, 7th
Brigade, appointed to the 6th Brigade; Col. Buchanan,
commanding the 13th Brigade at Woolwich, to command
the Royal Artillery in Dublin, vice Col. Fitzmayer, C. 8.,
Bth Brigade, ordered to India; Col. Cockburn to succeed
Col. Buchanan in commend of the 13th Brigade at Wool..
wich ; Col. d'Aguilar, C. 8., to the command of the Horse
Brigade at Aldershott, to replace Col. the Hon. G. T.
Devereux, ordered to Woolwich.
Instructions were received yesterday at Portsmouth from
headquarters to suspend all further operations upon the
Sturbridge Shoal in the construction of the foundations for
one of the three proposed marine " Spithead forts." This
course has no doubt been adopted by the authorities
owing to the insuperable difficulties which exist in finding
any foundation of sufficient strength to carry a part of the
weight requisite to carry ordnance of the " Big Will"
class, which is supposed to be the smallest description of
gun with which these ironcased granite works will be
armed. Whatever cause, however, may have led to the aban-
donment of the work, it is understood to be intended now
to erect a fort on the Warner Rock, where the three forts
would then stand together in a triangular position at the
very throat of the narrow entrance to Spithead from the sea .
Since the Spithead forts have become an acknowledged ne-
cessity this is really the only position in which the three
retained forts ought to be placed. It is the gateway to the
only direct entrance to Spithead from the sea, and the bolts
and bars fixed to secure it cannot well be too strong. Inside
this gateway the enemy must be met and fought, if the bolts
and bars are forced and he is still afloat, by our own ironclads.
The Sturbridge shoal lies off the town of Ryde, and visitors
to the island will remember the mass of staging which rose
above the surface of the water at about a quarter of a mile's
distance from Ryde pierhead, in the direct track of the
steamboats between Hyde and Portsmouth, encircling a
huge iron cylinder, which was being sunk down through
the shingle forming the shoal, and surmounted by an odd-
looking combination of staging, cabin, and an embryo light •
house. These form the now doomed works, which were
erected for the construction of the foundations of the Stur.
bridge fort.

MURDER AT CAMBRIDGE.--011 Friday evening,
at 6 o'clock, an old lady named Hunt died at Cam-
bridge from the effect of a murderous outrage perpetrated
upon her on Sunday the 28th February last. The deceased
and another aged lady, named Walker, both widows, lived
together at Prospect Cottage, Cambridge, having some small
income. On the Sunday evening named a man, wearing s
mask, and armed with a bludgeon and a knife, entered the
house, forcing his way into Mrs. Hunt's room, pushing the
servant who was waiting upon her on one side, and then
attacked the poor defenceless old lady with the knife, in-
flicting some serious wounds on her head and face, beside
breaking her arm with the bludgeon. The servant girl
screamed " Murder I" and made her escape from the house
to give an alarm. Mrs. Walker, who was upstairs, hearing
the cries, put her head out of the window and called for
help, when the villain ran upstairs and struck her several
violent blows on the back of the head, leaving her almost
insensible. The fellow then made off; he threw off the
mask, which he left behind, with his hat, cloak, and knife,
in the house. Outside this house was found the bludgeon.
Robbery seems to have been the sole motive of the crime.
On the following Tuesday morning William Morley, a
Wallis, a young man, by trade a plumber, was arrested by
t
the police. He had been seen in the neighbourhood,- and
some of the articles left behind were traced to his posses-
sion. The prisoner had been on friendly terms with Mrs.
Hunt, and only a few days before the outrage had been
reading to her an account of the highway robbery and mur-
der at ilitchin. A day or two before her death the depo-
sition of Mrs. Hunt was taken, and, in answer to questions
put to her, she gave a tolerably clear account of the out-
rage. She was unable, however, to identify the prisoner as
her assailant, nor could Mrs. Walker, whose deposition was
also taken, speak to his identity. The inquest on the body
of the deceased was opened on Saturday at Cambridge, and
was adjourned.—Manchester Examiner.
Persons in debt may obtain instant protection against
imprisonment or seizure of their goods, and an entire release
from all debts and liabilities without publicity, by application
to Messrs. Marshall, solic tors of the Court of Bankruptcy.
Charges under L 5 payable by easy instalments. Offices—
(established MO), 12,IIattou-garden. City branch-6, Moor-
gate-street, Bank.—ADVT.