The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-08 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEAIBER 8, 18G4

Naval and Military Intelligence,

Her Majesty's paddle sloop Basilisk, 6, 1,031 tons and
400 horse power, built at Woolwich in 1846, to carry out the
contest for superiority between the paddle and the screw in
competition with the sister scrcwship Niger, was yesterday
received in basin at Woolwich, to be supplied with her
engines. The Basilisk has undergone a thorough repair at
Deptford yard, at a cost of, it is said, about £lO,OOO. She
was built at the same time as the Niger in Woolwich
Dockyard, after the designs and under the superio.,
tendence of Mr Oliver Lang, the master shipwright of
the yard at the time. Atter receiving her engines at
Woolwich she will be despatched to Sheerness to be refitted
for sea.

The War Department steamship Balaklava, Mr Pellatt
commander, has arrived at Woolwich Arsenal from Cork,
laden with condemned war stores, and commenced dis-
chargine, yesterday,

The Lord Panmure, War Department steamer, Mr
Moore commander, has sailed from Woolwich Arsenal
for Portsmouth and Devonport, laden with guns, shot,
shell, and other war materials, and will reload from Devon-
port, on her return to Woolwich with condemned ord-
nance, &c.

Major.-Gen. E. C. Warde, C. 8., Commandant at Wool-
wich, yesterday commenced his half-yearly visitation of the
garrison troops. The whole of tho 4th Division Depot
Brigade and the 4th Brigade Royal Artillery mustered on
Woolwich-cowmen at 10 a.m„ in marching order, and un-
derwent a most careful examination, it bing, the General's
first general inspection since his recent appointment in suc-
cession to Gen. Sir Richard Dacres, the late Com-
mandant. This morning the General will inspect three
batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery, in command of Col.
the Hon. E. T. Gage, Major D. S. Greene, and Major L.
G. Paget. The troops will assemble in mounted order at
10 this morning. The General will be accompanied by
Brigade Major Hay, Captain Wangle, Deputy-Assist.
Quartermaster-General ; Capt. "Williams, Aide-de-camp,
and other officers,

In addition to the 100-pounder smoothbore 6t-ton wrought
iron guns with which the ironclads Northumberland, 26,
6,621 teas, 1,350 horse power ; the Agincourt, 26, 6,621 tons,
1,350 horse power : and the Minotaur, 26, 6,621 tons, 1,350
horse power, are to be armed, a notification has been re-
ceived at the Ordnance establishment, Chatham, that each
of the above vessels will also carry four of the 300 pounder
12-ton rifled Armstrong guns, and the necessary gun plates
and curbing are now being prepared for this description of
guns at the Royal Gun Factory. The armament for the
sister ironclad frigate Achilles, 20, 6,126 tons, 1,250 horse
power, will, according to existing arrangements, consist ex-
clusively of the 110-pcunder Armstrongs and the 100.
pounder smoothbores, no arrangements having been made
on board for supplying her with any of the 300-pounder
guns.

The works which have been in progress at Chatham for
the last two years for the extension of the Royal Marine
establishments at that port will, when compl'.:ted, furnish
accommodation for nearly double the mr,.aber of officers
and men for whom quarters are now furnished, and at the
same time prevent the great inconvenience which has so
long been felt of quartering several hundred of the non.
commissioned officers and men i.a the infantry barracks at
Chatham with the troops of t-ne line. The extension build-
ings, which are now under construction, include an addi•
tional south wing to tb."4 existing Royal Marine barracks,
together with an ent.argement to about double their present
size of the main ox centre barracks. The latter buildings
extend to a length of 250 ft by 50ft in depth, and contain 38
additional 'oarrack-rooms, each 4Gft in length by 21ft Gin,
wide arai lOtt high, and as the ordinary number of men to
be placed in each room is 17, the amount of space appor-
tkaed to each will be 600 cubic feet. This number of men to
be quartered in each room can, however, at any time be in-
creased without anything approaching to overcrowding
being the result, the several rooms being capable of afford.
ing ample accommodation for 25 men should occasion re-
quire it. This portion of the barracks also provides q'iar-
ters for 1G non-commissioned officers. The south wing
contains 12 blocks or rooms, of the same dimensions as
those in the other part of the building ; but, in addition,
this portion of the barracks will bs furnished with a colon-
nade, running its entiro length, and of sufficient width and
dimensions to allow of its being used by the men quartered
in the rooms for purposes of exercise during unfavourable
weather. The various offices connected with the command-
ant's, adjutant's quartermaster's, barrackmaster's, pay-
master's, and other departments, will be placed in th; new
blocks of buildings, which are fitted with the -,eoessary
requirements connected with each of thos
branches of
the Royal Marine service. In order, a 4..„ the same time,
to augment the area of the existing parade-ground, the
present offices at the entrance g;.res,
grand division offices, field-o';deer,, together with the
sub-
alterns quarters will all b-
., demolished, and ',lie parade-
groo.ad lengthened by 1' quarters, aILd sub-
.oo feet. Under t'ais arrangement
w5ll be necessary 'to erect additional
buildings for both
officers and 80', alters, and accord;:ag
n ly the Admiralty have
the taking in of a portion of the dockyard, on
hi
'ned :rill be placed a handsome and commodious block of
bswauhii'.ccutings for both the field and junior officers, together with
a suitable drillsh,al, fencing rooms, &c. The proposed
quarters will
v occupy the site of the house hitherto appro-
priated as _,e residence of the master ropemaker, which is
now in ::ourse of demolition, and a suitable house for that
official will be erected in another part of the dockyard, near
the entrance gates. The range of buildings now occupied
by the Royal Marine officers at the opposite end of the bar-
racks will also be very considerably enlarged and improved.
The whole of the extensivo works and alterations are being
effected under the superintendence of Mr Davis, the Admi-
ralty clerk of Works, from the designs of Mr W. Scamp,
the Deputy-Director of Admiralty Works, the execution ot
the undertaking being under the immediate superintendence
of Mr Rivers, the resident official at Chatham Dockyard.

MISSING SHIP.—The Gartcraig, from London
for Quebec, arrived in the Downs on the 2d of April, end
has not since been heard of.
BARON ROTHSCHILD'S POLITE SARCASM.—The
following story is going the round of Paris :—A
small German baron had occasion, as it seems, to see BaroP.
Rothschild, of Frankfort. The great financier was v:rltin.
away fur very life when Baron X. was annoi:ne,4. He
did not even lift his eyes, but said " Take a alai:, sir." The
baron, with true German touchiness about t:ities, said "S ir, indeed. I think M. le Baron did not hr-,dr my names lam a baron also—the Baron X.
" " AII:f a thousand pardons,"
said the banker, still writing ;
".
you are a baron—take two
chairs, then, if you will
l'oe so kind, and wait till I hav®
taished this letter," • •