The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-07 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The detachment of non-commissioned officers and
men of the Royal Engineers selected to proceed to
India to take the place of the late East India Com-
pany's engineers have received orders to hold them.
selves in readiness for embarkation, and, according
to present arrangements, will leave head quarters,
Chatham, about the middle of the present month,
and embark for Calcutta, The whole of the non.
commissioned officers and men who have been
placed under orders for India have been selected
from the depot and other companies at the Royal
Engineer establishment. By direction of Col. Har-
ness, C. 8., they have been relieved from all duty at
head quarters, in order that they may devote the
whole of their time to the completion of their
studies at the various schools.
Lieut,-Col. H. Schaw, Royal Engineers, who
superintended the demolition of the forts and other
defences at Corfu previously to its evacuation by
the British forcet, has been appointed instructor in
fortification and military engineering in the Royal
College, Sandnurst. He is succeeded in hie duties
at the Royal Engineer establishment, Chatham, by
Capt. Parsons.
A party of non-commissioned officers and sappers
of the Royal Engineers at Chatham have commenced
the necessary sapping and mining operations for
destroying a large cliff near the banks of the Med.
way at Caxton, Rochester, a portion of which was
successfully removed by the Royal Engineers about
three years since. Daring the time the detachment
of officers and men are employed is driving the
galleries and sinking the shafts they will be en-
camped near the scene of operations, in order that
no unnecessary delay may arise in proceeding to
and from head quarters. On the completion of the
mines and other excavations the cliff will be de•
stroyed by means of heavy charges of gunpowder,
in the presence of all the Royal Engineer officers
and men now at Chatham.

The colonelcy of the 91st Foot (Argyllshire
Highlanders) has become vacant by the death of
Lieut.-Gen. Charles Murray Hay. The gallant
officer attained the rank of Lieut.-Gen. in 1861.

Major-General Warde, C. 8., commanding the
garrison at Woolwich, yesterday held a field day on
Woolwich-common and inspected the troops in
heavy marching order. There were present two
troops ot Horse Artillery in command of Lieut.-Col.
the Hon. D. Fraser, two field batteries in command
of Lieut.-Col. W. Middleton, C. 8., with 24 Arm-
strong guns and battery equipments complete, and
a powerful and efficient corps of Light Infantry,
consisting of the dismounted portion of the 13th
brigade garrison artillery and the local division of
Marines, in command of Brevet-Col. J. Travers,
Royal Artillery. The batteries were supplied with
ten rounds of blank ammunition for guns, and the
infantry fired 15 rounds per man. The file dnd
volley firing, practised only en rare occasions, was
nevertheless remarkably correct, and the whole
manceavres did infinite credit to the officers and
men combined.

Commodore Hugh Dunlop, C. 8., Superintendent
of Woolwich Dockyard, attended by his Naval Se-
cretary, Mr. Ponsonby, yesterday inspected her
Mjeaty's ship Racer, at the powder buoy off Wool-
wich Arsenal, and mustered the crew in preparation
for her departure. The Commodore afterwards went
on board the iron screw steam troopship Dromedary,
Master Commander Brown, returned to Woolwich
from the Isniau Islands, and now discharging at
the pier. Her cargo consists of 100 casks of powder,
90 tons cf shot, and soldier's equipage from Corfu,
Cephalonia, and Zinte. She sailed from Malta on
the 12th of June, Gibraltar on the 20th, and arrived
at Spithead on the 31 inst., having experienced a
six days' severe gale, with a succession of heavy
weather during the voyage, but euffering no mate-
rial damage to the ship.
The Royal Sovereign, 5 gun turret ship, will have
her pennant of commission hoisted this morning at
Portsmouth, by Captain Sherard Osborn, C.B. The
Duke of Somerset and Admiral Sir Frederick Grey
are expected to arrive at Portsmouth during the
day, from th 3 Admiralty, for the purpose of in-
specting the ship now that she is in commission
and ready for active:servico. Yesterday Rear-
Admiral the Hon. James R. Drummond, C. 8., the
Fourth Lord of the Admiralty, visited the Royal
Sovereign. During his stay on board he entered one
of the turrets, which was manned for the occasion,
and assumed the office of director. Under his direc-
tion the 12-ton gun was elevated and depressed, and
the turret was turned round. The facility with
which the whole was done evidently afforded the
Admiral considerable pleasure. The ship's funnel
has been lengthened 12 feet to improve the draught
of her furnaces. The trial of her guns and turrets
outside the harbour is looked forward to with great
interest. If the Admiralty decide upon trying the
guns with full 501 b. charges of powder and shot, the
results will be really valuable as fully testing both
the glans and the turret principle. If, however, only
blank charges are fired, or 401 b. charges with shot,
the results will be valueless.
Orders were received yesterday at Portsmouth
from the Admiralty to pay the Immortalite screw
frigate, Capt. Hancock, out of commissioa on Fri-
day, the 15th inst. Oa the previous day the orders
ware for the Irramortalhe to be placed in dock and
prepared to join the Channel fleet at Spithead. On
the receipt of the orders to pay out of commission
on board yesterday " three cheers for the captain"
were called for, and given enthusiastically ; for,
although the Itnnaortalite may be taken as the most
favourable specimen of a happy ship, a ship's com-
pany, after upwards of three years' service on a
foreign station, hails with delight the prospect of
release and subsequent run ashore on their return
to England. The Immortalite will be cfficially in-
spected this morning by Vice-Admiral Sir Michael
Seymour, G.C.8., Port-Admiral and Commander-
in-Chief at Portsmouth.

The French Imperial screw yacht Jerome Napo-
leon arrived off Ryde, Isle of Wight, on Tuesday,
and sailed again yesterday.
The following appointments have been made in
the Royal Naval Reserve :—James Manley Outridge
to be lieut., and the Right Hon, the Earl of Wilton
to be hon. lieut. '