The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-04 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 4, 1864.

Naval and Military Intelligence,

The Royal Marine Light Infantry (Portsmouth
division), under the command of Colonel-Command-
ing S. G. A. Ayles, and the Royal Marine Artillery
from Fort Cumberland, under the command of Col.
Commandant H. C. Tate, were inspected yesterday
on Southsea-common, by the Inspector General,
Major General A. B. Stransham. He arrived on
the ground at two o'clock, attended by Lieut. Col.
G. B. Rodney, Assistant Adjutant General, and
Capt. S. C. Travers, A.D.C., and was received with
a general salute by the battalions, after which a
variety of manoeuvres and field operations ensued;
at the conclusion of which the inspecting officer
highly complimented the colonels commanding on
the appearance of the corps, and the excellent firing
which the men had sustained in carrying out the
operations. The battalions marched off the com-
mon at five o'clock to their respective quarters. This
being the half-yearly inspection, the Major General
will this morning visit the barracks at Forton,
where the Light Infantry are quartered, and tn•
morrow Fort Cumberland, where the Artillery are
stationed.

Two detachments of Royal Artillery, consisting
of 105 men, under the command of Major Cook.
worthy, have left INarley-barracks, near Brentwood,
for further instruction at Sheerness and Woolwich.
Sir R. Mayne, Chief Commissioner of Police,
accompanied by his son, Capt. Mayne, and others,
visited Chatham dockyard on Tuesday, for the pur-
pose of making his summer inspection of the metro.
politan police doing duty at the dockyard and the
other naval establishments. The division, which
namb3red rather less than 100 men of all grades,
was under the direction of Mr Superintendent
Strength, who directed the mon in their drill. In
the course of the inspection, which occupied some
time, Sir R. Mayne saw the police perform their
fire engine duties, and having inspected the various
establishments, expressed to the superintendent his
satisfaction with the efficient state of the men under
his orders.

A letter received by our Chatham correspondent
from Malta describes the great success which has
attended the plan adopted for protecting the ar-
mour-plating of the ironcased wooden frigates, as
applied in the first instance to the Royal Oak,
Capt. F. A. Campbell. The vessel has bean ad-
mitted into the dock at Ikfllta for the purpose of
ascertaining the results of the measures adopted for
preventing the effects of galvanic action on the
armour-plating. The plan, which was suggested
by Mr. Reed, the chief constructor of the navy,
consists in sheathing the plates with teak planking
three inches in thickness, the inside of the planking
and the surface of the armour-plating being at the
same time coated with Hay's composition, and the
planking attached to the armour-plates by means of
short screws. Since the Royal Oak has been in dock
at Malta a portion of the planking has been re-
moved, and the results have been in the
highest degree satisfactory, the armour-plates
behind having been perfectly protected, while
not even the slightest trace of galvanic
action can be detected. This improvement
in the way of preserving the armour plating of
wooden frigates is the more important u-lien it is 11
recollected how seriously the plates at' the Royal
Oak were found to have suffered only a very short
time after the frigate had been launched, on the
vessel being docked and inspected in this country.
Mr Reed's plan has subsequently been applied to
the Ocean, armour-cased frigate, at Devouport, and
so satisfied are the Lords of the Admiralty with the
results in the twee of the Royal Oak that they have
ordered the photo surface of the armour below the
water to he protected in the same way, and the
work will be carried out at Malta dockyard. A
similar plan will, it is understood, be adopted in
04 Lord Warden frigate, building at Chatham, as
well as in the other ironcased frigates.

The Bacchante, screw, Captain Mackenzie, was
inspected and paid off yesterday, under the super-
intendence of Captain Henry Caldwell, of the
Steam Reserve, at Portsmouth. The appearance
of the ship and craw reflects the greatest credit on
the captain and officers; not a single instance of
intoxication or disorder was observed. The vessel
is to be placed in the third-class Steam Reserve.
The following received gratuities and medals for
good service pension :—Richard Overing, boat-
swain's mate, £l5 and medal; John Dagwell, boat-
swain's mate, £lO and medal; James Fowles, ship's
cook, £l5 and medal; and Enedar Hawke, caulker,
£lO and medal,

The Philomel screw gun vessel, Commander Wil-
lman, arrived at Spithead yesterday from the West
Coast of Africa. She is expected to proceed to
Woolwich to be paid off.
The Himalaya screw troopship, Capt, Lacy, will
leave Portsmouth this morning for Dover, where
she will embark the 78th Regiment for Dublin. It
is expected she will be employed in conveying
troops between Dover, Ireland, and Portsmouth for
this month; after which she will proceed to Quebec
to bring home a battalion of Guards.

The two Turkish line of battle ships Estourel and
Releepers Nusrett have discharged their guns and
ammunition in charge of the Military Store Depart-
ment of Woolwich Arsenal, and were yesterday
towed up from their moorings at P uzfiest to Black-
wall to be supplied with steam machinery.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Abraham Hogg, assist-surg.,
to the Medwin ; C. A. Bydder, chief engineer, to
the Meanee ; Richard Cook, chief engineer, to the
Asia for the Furious; and J. Torkington, second•
class assistait engineer, to the Prince Consort.

MUNIFICENT DONATION.—A benevolent lady
has, through Messrs. Hoare, the bankers, of Fleet-street,
forwarded the National Lifib-.3at Institution the very
munificent donation of £5,000 in aid of the general pur-
poses of the society. This large sum will enable its com-
mittee to place eight or nine additional lifeboats on the
coast. The institution has already under its management
about 140 lifeboat establishments, which require about
£7,000 annually to keep in an effective state, averaging
£5O per lifeboat station. The institution's largo life saving
fleet rescues on an average between 400 and 500 ship-
wrecked persons every year, and it grants rewards to the
crews of fishing and other boats for rescuing about the
same number of shipwrecked sailors.

A young woman, named Sarah Morgan, a domes-
tic servant with the family of Mr Edward Morgan; Tyny-
park Farm, Glamorganshire, Was shot dead, on Saturday
by a Young man, named Johnson, who Was "playing''
w!th a loaded gun.