The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-25 00:00:00

Na val and Military Intelligence.

The D uke of Somerset, K.G., First Lord of the
A imiral ty, together with the other members of the
Board whose pressing duties did not require their
re turn to the Admiralty on Tuesday evening, re-
sumed and brought to a termination their official
inspection at Chatham yesterday. As already
stated in The Sun, the boisterous state of the wea-
eweather and the heavy rain which swept across the
harbour on Tuesday morning prevented them land-
ing from their steam yacht, the Enchantress, Staff.
Commander J. E. Petley, and visiting the extension
woaks at St. Mary's Island, where preparations had
bee n made for receiving the Duke of Somerset and
the other; members of the Board, and conducting
the.3l over the island. Late in the afternoon, how-
ever, the wind having fallen, it was determined to
visit the island. Accordingly, on the completion
of their round of inspection of the dockyard, hospi-
tals, Royal Marine barracks, and the other naval
establishments, their lordships proceeded to the ex-
leesion works, which were reached from the east
or land side of the dockyard. In consequence of
the lateness of the hour at which the visit was made,
Mr Bernays, under whose superintendence the
whole of the works are being carried out, had left
the island, and the duty of conducting their lord•
ships over the sites of the docks, basins, and other
undertakings devolved upon the officials connected
with the department of works at the dockyard. The
present area of the dockyard, with its factories,
workshops, wet and dry docks, and building slips
is exactly 98 acres, but on the whole of the eaten-
in progress being
eion works now completed the
new dockyard will cover an area of 400 acres,
upwards of 100 acres being occupied by the basins,
docks, and locks which are now in course of for-
mation, while from 15 to 20 acres will be
.covered by factories, workshops, and other build-
a,gs. In the formation of the basins advantage
has been taken of St. Mary's creek, which bisects
the island almost due east and west. It is this
creek which will form the site of the new docks, Scc.
en the works connected with which 1,000 convicts
have been daily employed for some three years past.
The portion of the undertaking which has claimed
the greatest amount of attention, and in the inspec•
tion of which their lordships were chiefly occupied,
is the formation of the first of the three basins,
which covers an area of 221 acres. Already con-
siderable progress has been made in this work in
order that it may, if possible, be ready for receiv-
ing some of the vessels now under construction at
the dockyard as soon as they are launched. Five
,large graving docks, three of which will be 500 feet
length each, and two of 400 feet, will communi-
cate with this basin, the entrance to which will be
by a lock at that part of the harbour exactly facing
Upnor Castle. Tee centre basin will have an area
of 20e acres, and the largest of the three basins will
cover a space of 28 acres, with a mean breadth of
700 feet, and will be of sufficient depth to allow
vessels of the heaviest tonnage and draught of
water to be fitted and despatctied to sea with the
whole of their guns, stores, &c., on board. After
spending about an hour in the inspection of the
works their lordships left the island and proceeded
on board the Enchantress, where some of the minor
alterations and improvements on the original plan
of the extension works formed the subject of con.
sideration.
The members of the Board commenced early yes-
terday morning the duty of completing the inspec-
tion of Chatham. It devolved on the Duke of
Somerset and Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick W. Grey,
Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. R. Drummond, Mr. H.
C. E. Childers, and RealeAdmiral S. Robinson, the
Controller, having been compelled to return to the
Admiralty in consequence of business of an urgent
re glue requiring their attendance. The first
vi sit paid by their lordships yesterday morning
wits to the naval training ship Wellesley, 72,
in Chatham harbour where they were received
by Commander R. Studdert and the officers. The
number of boys and lads on board the Wellesley at
present is rather less than 300, and even the cursory
inspection of yesterday showed the excellence of
their training on board. Some thousands of smart
lads are yearly sent into the navy from the training
ships at Portsmouth, Chatham, Woolwich, and the
other ports, and the experience of the last few years
goes far to prove that in a thorough knowledge of
their duties and in steadiness of conduct ,they are
among the most -valuable seamen in the service.
The visit to the Wellesley occupies about half.an-
hour. and while on board their lordships inspected
the lads in making and shortening sail, in their
management of the broadside guns, the cutlass drill,
and other parts of their duty, and the manner in
which they acquitted themselves, as well as the
regularity and cleanliness of the various parts of the
ship visited, reflected great credit on the officers,
and favourably impressed their lordships, who after-
wards re-embarked in their barge, and pulled to the
dockyard, where they landed. After spending a
short time in the establishment they paid a second
visit to the Naval Hospital at Melville, taking up
the inspection of that extensive establishment at the
point at which the previous day's visit terminated.
The hospital in all its departments is a model of
cleanliness and order ; indeed, no further praise can
be bestowed on the building than that given by
Miss Nightingale on the occasion of one of her visits,
when she pronounced Melville Hospital to be one of
the most perfect and bestearranged establishments

of its kind in this country. On quitting the hospital
establishments their lordships left directions as to
the proposed additions and improvements to be ef-
fected, and proceeded on foot to the Royal Marine
Barracks for the purpose of making an inspection of
the officers and men of the Chatham division of Royal
Marines. Their lordships were received at the en-
trance-gates by Major-General A. B. Stransham,
Inspector-Gen. of Royal Marines; Col. G.C. Langley
Deputy Adjutant-General; Col.-Commandant I'.
Lennon, C. 8., commanding the division ; Col. W.
11. March, Col. S. N. Lowder, Aide-de-Camp to the
Queen, and other officers. The division, which
numbered 800 men under arms, was formed in the
barrack-square in two battalions, in quarter-dis.
tance column, and on the arrival of the Lords of
the Admiralty the companies gave the usual salute,
with colours lowered, the band playing " Rale
Britannia." The battalions then marched pass in
open columns of companies at quick time, and
having executed a few other movements, were dies
missed to their quarters, their lordships leaving the
barracks and proceeding to the gun-battery, where
they spent nearly an hour in seeing men selected
for that duty go through their exercise with the
110epounder Armstrongs and the naval 68epounder
broadside guns, under the direction of Capt. Bligh,
the divisional instructor in gunnery. The Duke of
Somerset and Sir F. Grey afterwards returned to
the Royal Marine Barracks, where a portion of the
battalion was drawn up in the barrack-square for
the purpose of going through the bayonet exercise
before their lordships, at the termination of which
the officers and non-commissioned officers were
drawn up on the parade ground and went through
the broad-sword exercise. On the conclusion of this
portion of the inspection their lordships were enter.
tained at luncheon by the officers of the division in
their mess-room, Major-General Sir R. Walpole,
X.c.8., Commandant of the garrison, and other
officers, being invited to meet them. Their lordships
brought their inspection at Chatham to a close
shortly after two yesterday afternoon, when they left
by train for London. The Admiralty yacht Ene
chantrees left the port shortly afterwards for Ports-
mouth, to await orders from Whitehall. According
to existing arrangements, which were announced at
Chathem previous to the departure of their lordships,
one or two members of the Board, together with Lord
Clarence Puget, Rear-Admiral Robinson, and Major
Clarke, Director of Works, will
proceed to Malta on
an inspection of
the dockyard and Admiralty esta-
blishments at that island. The members of the
Admir,lty who will be engaged in this duty will
proceed overland to Marseilles, at Which port tbo
Encbantresg, Staf-Commlnaer. Petlay, Will be in
readinees to embark them. It is Uncertain whether
the Da!:c of Soracrset will r ccompany 1115 colleagues,
es his Grace has to be in attendance an her Majesty
on Saturday, and will probably accompany her to
the Highlands.
In accordance with arrangement previously made
to that effect, advantage was taken of the visit of
the Lords of the Admiralty to Chatham to test the

value of the improvements just completed on board
the iron frigate Research, 4,200 horse power, Capt.
Wilmshurst, previously to that vessel taking her
departure from the Medway to join the Channel
fleet ; the chief object of the trials being to ascer■
tein the value of the new description of portable
hinged bulwarks, recently fitted to enable the
broadside guns to be discharged ahead. The mem-
bers of the Board present were the Duke of Somer.
set, Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir F. W. Grey, K.C.8.,
Rear. Admiral the Hon. J. R. Drummond, C. 8., Mr
H. C. E. Childers, M.P., and Rear-Admiral S. Robin..
son, Controller of the Navy, with Capt. Hall, C. 8.,
commanding the steam reserve at Chatham, and
other officers. On their lordships reaching the Re-
search, in the barge, orders were at once given to
clear the ship for action, and this was completed in
a couple of minutes. The guns on board the Re-
search, it should here be remarked, are the heaviest
at present carried by any vessel in the navy, and
consist exclusively of the 61- ton smooth bore guns.
After a few discharges had been made from the
broadsides the most important trials of the day corn-.
menced by placing the two foremost guns in the
bulkhead ports for firing ahead over the ports. It
will be remembered that on the formefoccasion, when
a much smaller kind of guns were tired from the bulk-
head ports on board the Research considerable mis.
chief ensued from the want of caution exhibited on
board in not making the requisite arrangements for
firing the guns in that direction. Since that occa-
sion, however, Mr. Reed has taken every precaution
to prevent a recurrence of any similar mishaps, and
at the same time has effected several improvements
in the arrangements for removing the bulkheads
when the frigate is cleared for action. Instead of
the bulwarks being made to shift out and in, the
fore end has been hinged, which allows the bulwark
to be thrown open like a gate. This, so to speak,
gate has been made of stout angle irons and platiag,
and its obvious strength gave the dockyard officials
so much confidence that they have not only built up
hammock berthing on the top, but flapboards have
also been hung on the lower part of it. As has
been already pointed out in The Sun, these were of
wood, and of inferior strength to the iron bulwarks.
It was doubtful whether they would stand the fire
and concussion of the guns, but the members of the
Board said, as the trials were purely experimental,
they might be allowed to remain where they had
been placed during the firing of the guns, as they
were trifling fittings, and, if not found to stand,
could be removed on a subsequent occasion. The
firing then commenced with "reduced" charges of
121 b. of powder, and these were attended with the
most satisfactory results, not the slightest mishap
marking this portion of the trial. The charges
were next increased to "full," and afterwards to
" distant charges," with 231 b. of powder. These
latter were watched with the keenest interest, as
it was exactly in this portion of the trial that
the breakdown was likely to occur. In
order to place the gate-balwark in the worst
possible position, it was purposely kept close to
the port, so that the fullest effects of the firing
might be brought to bear upon it. It was ad-
mitted by all on board that no invention could have
been subjected to a more severe trial, but, notwith-
standing the heavy charges of powder used, and the
extremes of elevation and depression at which the
guns were fired, the iron gate bulwark stood per-
fectly, giving, at the close of the firing, not the
slightest indication of weakness or injury, while
even the wooden berthing and flapboards at the top
and bottom of it stood all but the largest charges
successfully. With the guns fired at extreme ele-
vation and the largest charges used, the canvas
covering of the hammocks became unlashed, and
blown in on the deck, and with the guns laid at
extreme depression some of the flapboards below
were driven in on the deck, as was generally an-
ticipated would prove the case. It was found, how-
ever, that even those would stand the concussion
satisfactorily if made of iron like the bulwark. So
satisfied were the Lords of the Admiralty with the
result of the trials that at their termination they
directed similar bulwarks to be fitted abaft the bat-
tery of the Research, and also in the ironclad ships
Favourite and Pallas now under construction.

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 25, 1864.

as they are distributed all over the country, it would seem
to follow that the climate of India is not necessarily
fatal to Europeans in any higher proportion. Hitherto,
the mortality of the army from sickness in India has
been considerably raised during the period of war. In the
first Mahratta war, in 1801, it reached 134 per 1,000. In
the Burmese war of Lord Amherst the mortality among the
European troops was as high as 130 per 1,000 for the three
years ending 182 G. Since that period the condition of the
troops in time of war has been healthier, and all the evi.
dence goes to show that the mortality in the wars in India
is mainly the result of disease. Disease too contributes to
destroy the efficiency of an army in another way. It appears
from the returns which have been laid before the Commis-
sion that in the stations of Bengal 84 men in a battalion of
1,000 were on an average constantly in hospital, a largo pro-
portion of the cases being of a syphilitic character. With
this amount of sickness an army of 20,000 British troops in
India would require constant hospital accommodation for
5,880 men, while with a mortality of 69 per 1,000, it loses
yearly 4,830, or nearly five regiments. A return which
was laid before the Commission by Brigadier-Gen. Russell
shows that out of 1,061 non-commissioned officers and men
of his regiment—the 84th—who arrived in Moulmein in
1842, only 93 landed in England in 1859 after a period
of 17 years' service, so that the regiment had to be almost
completely renewed during that time in India. This re-
turn, it may be added, agrees very closely with the general
tabular results, from which it may be seen that 1,000 effec-
tives serving in India are reduced to 96 in 20 years. It
would further appear that the mean term of service in India
is 8.6 years, and that 11 recruits are required annually to
every 100 men, so that to maintain an army of 86,000 men
a yearly supply of something like 10,000 recruits would be
necessary.

Such are the principal facts connected with the rate of
mortality among the European troops scattered throughout
our Indian Empire, but there is, independent of these, a
large force composed of natives, into whose sanitary condi-
tion it was equally the duty of the Commissioners to inquire.
From the returns which were laid before them by the Secre-
tary of the Bengal Medical Board, it is to be inferred that
the mortality of the native corps at the several places where
European troops were stationed was somewhat under 8 per
1,000; while the average rate for the three Presidencies is
ascertained from the military returns far the 20 years end-
ing 1844 to be 18 per 1,000, 19 in every 1,000 being the
extent of the invaliding. Thus it will be seen that the native
troops experienee a rate of mortality nearly the same as that
of the civil servants. Their superiority in point of health
to the English soldiers serving in India has often hitherto
been explained on the supposition that their organisation is
specially adapted to the climate in which they were born;
but it is found that removal from one part of India to an-
other at a distance from their homes has the effect of greatly
increasing the mortality among them, and there is no good
ground for believing that the mere fact that they are breath-
ing their native air operates to so great an extent as to pro-
duce the marked difference, or anything like it, which exists
between an average mortality of 18 and 69 in every 1,000. The
men of the native army are for the most part married. Their
pay exceeds the earnings of their fellow• countrymen of the
same class, and, except in Bengal, the wives live with their
husbands in small huts, which are constructed of bamboo
and matting at a slight expenditure of money and labour,
The Brahmin of Bengal leaves his wife at home, but visits
her periodically when on furlough. The men generally
sleep outside the huts, except during the rainy season, and
to the fact of their possessing those separate huts, and not
being cooped with several of their fellows in one sleeping
apartment, much of their superiority in point of health to
the European soldier is attributed.

The Commissioners, with all these points before them,
and being aware that the British soldier in India is a some-
what expensive article, very naturally dwell upon the expe-
diency of taking steps to preserve his life, not only upon the
score of humanity but also on that of economy. After a
careful examination of the statistics upon the subject they
find that £lOO is on an average annually expended on the
European soldier serving in India. The loss of a man who,
with all his arms, costs the country that sum, reckoned at
only a few years' purchase, is not to be lightly regarded,
especially as it occurs frequently and inopportunely in the
field, when his services are most required. Taking the
annual death-rate among the English troops in India at the
amount already stated-69 in every I,ooo—and the whole
European military establishment in that country at 73,000
men—the number proposed—it is evident that it would re-
quire 5,C37 recruits per annum to fill up the vacancies caused
by death alone. Now, a death-rate at 20 per 1,000 to which
amount the Commissioners express a confident opinion the
present rate might be easily reduced, would render neces-
sary only 1,400 recruits per annum, so that the excess cf
mortality presumed to be avoidable is absolutely 3,577 lives
in the year.

Assuming the cost of re-riffling, training, and landing
men in India to be no more than .£I.QJ per man, this excess
of mortality is equivalent to a tax of £l,OOO a day, irrespec-
tive of the extra sickness indicated by a high death,
rate. Tho point, however, is ono with respect to which
the Commissioners entertain very sanguine hopes. A care-
ful examination, they say, of the causes of disease, and the
character of the diseases prevalent at the more healthy sta-
tions in India, lead them to expect a greater saving of life
eventually than one of even 49 per 1,000. They go so far
even as to cherish the idea that the day is not far distant
when the natural death-rate in times of peace of men of the
soldier's age in India will be no higher than 10 per 1,000
per annum, which would bring it down almost to the Eng-
lish level.