The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-29 00:00:00

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Naval and Military

Major-Gen. E. C. \Verde, C. 8., the newly- appointed
commandant of the garrison a' Woolwich, on Monday held
his first inspection. The troops assembled in review order
at 10 o'clock a.m. on the common, in the following order:—
Three troops of Royal Horse Artillery and two field batter-
ries, in command of Col. W. Middleton, C. 8.; the 13th Bri-
gade Royal Artillery and the Woolwich division Marine
Light Infantry, in command of Col. Mitchell; and two bat-
teries of 40 pounder guns, in command of Col, A. G. Austen.
" Gen. Warde was attendee by Brigadier- Thijor Hay, Capt,
Nangle, Deputy- Aseist.-Quartermaster-Gen. of the gat ri-
sen ; Capt. Williams, A.D.C., and other officers composing
the staff, who after going through a careful inspection of the
line retired to the front, when the troops marched past in
, open columns of batteries. After this they were put through
sundry field movements, of which the General was pleeeed
to express his repeated approbation. The inspection termi-
nated at 1 o'clock.
The Fourth Annual Military Rifle Match, open to all
officers and men cf the British army, took place at A'der-
shot, at the butts beneath Cm gar's Camp, last week, on Mon-
day, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The prizes were the Army
Stakes, for non-commissioned officers and men—the Cham-
pion's Prize, for the six best six shots at the Army Stakes
—flee Ladies' Purse, for officers—the Marksmen's Prize,
for non-commissioned officers and men qualified as marks-
men during the present annual course, and marksmen of
last year of companies not yet exercised—the Veteran S takes,
for nen-commissioned officers and men of not less than 15
years' service—the Carbine Stakes—the Challenge Prize
Cup, presented by the South-Western Railway Company—
the File Firing Stakes, the Volley Stakes, the Non-Com-
missioned Officers Prizes, and the Rifle Derby. There were
also pool targets open to all comers. The shooting exhibited
a marked improvement on that of former years. Among the
visitors on the ground during the last day were Lieut.- Gen.
Sir 5. L. Pennefather, K.C.B.—Capt. Bogle A.D.C.—
Major-Gen. Russell, C.B.—Lieut.-Col. Colville, Brigade-
Major 2d Brigade—Col. Lowe, C. 8., Ist battalion Gth Re-
giment—Lieut.-Col. Jones, 73d Regiment, and many other
officers of the Staff and Division, in whose presence the
prizes were handed to the successful competitors by Capt.
Twynam, Deputy Assistant Quartermaster-General, at the
close of the proceedings.
In accordance with instructions received at Chatham from
the Admiralty, the War Department transport Marlborough
shipped at Upner Castle on Monday the powder and shell
for the screw steam frigate Dauntless, 31, 580 horse power,
Capt. J. Strange, which is to be attached to the Channel
fleet, The Dauntless has undergone a most extensive repair,
both to her hull and machinery, since she has been lying in
the Medway. She was originally intended to be stationed
in the Humber for the Coastguard service, but from subse-
quent orders received at Chatham, it is intended that she
shall join the Channel fleet. Her full complement of officers
and men will be at once made up, the latter taken from the
steam reserve,
The officials in charge of the Chatham steam reserve have
received orders from the Admiralty for the necessary stores
for,'keeping the engines and machinery in order to be sup-
plied to the vessels lately composing the Anglo-Chinese
squadron, under the command of Capt. Sherard Osborn,
C.B.—namely, the Tin-Sin, the Pekin, and the China,
which are now at moorings at theLapwell, near the entrance
to Chatham harbour,

The Edinburgh, 60, 200 horse power, late Coastguard
ship at Queensferry, has been entirely dismantled, and had
her stores returned into the dockyard. She has been dis-
masted prior to being placed in the third division of the
Chatham steam reserve.

The Assurance, 4, 300 horse power, Commander Wool—
combe, screw despatch vessel, having sprung her foremast
during her run round from the westward to the Nore, has
had her defects made good at Sheerness dockyard, and is
now moored in the Medway awaiting orders from the Ad-
miralty.

. In order to complete the screw corvette Cadmus, 21, 400
horse power, which ie ordered for immediate commission,
instructions have been received at Chatham dockyard from
the Admiralty, directing the joiners employed on that
vessel to be paid exertion money. :An Admiralty order was
likewise received at Chatham dockyard yesterday, directing
the workmen in the sawing department to be employed for
three months on task and job work.

An order has been received at Chatham from the Admi-
ralty, directing a list to be immediately forwarded to their
lordships of those shipwright apprentices and engineer stu-
dents who are considered eligible, and who may be desirous
of competing for admission into the newly-established
School of Naval Architecture, South K.ensington.
The ships of war on the Australian station at the date of
the last advices were the Harrier, 17, Capt. Sullivan (ordered
home)—the Miranda, 14, Capt. Jenkins—the Eclipse, 4,
Capt. Mayne—the Curagoa, 23, Commodore Wiseman—
the Esk, 21, Capt. Hamilton—and the Falcon, 17, Capt,
Parkin. All these vessels were at New Zealand.
Mr Slade, private secretary to Captain W. H. Stewart,
C. 8., superintendent of Chatham dockyard,has been super-
annuated on a pension of £515 per annum, after upwards
of 50 years' service.

The following appointments have been made at the Ad-
miralty: —Geo. J. Starr, paymaster, additional, to the Irre-
sistible—Edwin A. Smith, paymaster, additional, to the
Blenheim—George P. Rickcord and W. Pinhorn, paymas-
ters, additional, to the St. George—Wm. C. P. Grant, pay-
master, to the Trafalgar—Patrick O'Connor, paymaster, to
the Impregnable—Henry N. Scaife, paymaster, to the St.
George—W. 11, J. Brown, paymaster, to the President—
and Thomas Forder, clerk, to the Victory, as supernume-
rary—Cornelius Fox, master, additional to the Fisgard—J.
W. I\l'Kenzie, promoted to eng,neer, supernumerary, to
the Asia—E. H. Heming, master's assistant, supernunse-
rary, to the Edgar—James W,Valance, clerk to the Royal
Adelaide, as supernumerary—William H. Kay, assistant •
clerk, to the Canopus—and A. Ward, nominated to a naval
cadetship.

The Grand Duke of Oldenburg and the

Duchies,

FRANKFORT•ON-THE-MAINE, June 26.
' The following is the text of the declaration made
at the Federal Diet by the representative of Olden,
burg, embodying the Grand Duke's claim to the
Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein :
" The high Federal Assembly has already been
officially made acquainted through the representa.•
tive of the Germanic Diet at the London Conference
with the declaration delivered by the Russian repre-
sentative at the sitting of the Conference upon the
2d inst. This statement was that his Majesty the
Emperor of Russia, to facilitate as greatly as posa
Bible the restoration of peace, had ceded to his Royal
Highness the Grand Duke of Oldenburg the right of
succession falling to his Majesty as the chief of the
elder Gottorp line, by the abrogation of the London
Treaty of 1852, and specially reserved in such event
by the Warsaw protocol of 1851. His Majesty the
Emperor Alexander has recently confirmed this decla-
ration in an autograph letter addressed to the Grand
Duke from Kissengen on the 19th inst., a copy of
which the Government of the Grand Duke has the
honour to hand herewith to the high Federal Diet.
"After mature consideration of the present state
of the Schleswig-Holstein question and of the true
interests of the entire German Fatherland, his
Royal
Highness the Grand Duke thoroughly ap-
preciates the lofty motives of his Majesty the
Emperor of Russia with regard to the obstacles to
a lasting restoration of peace, and thankfully ac.
cepts the cession of the rights of succession to the
Duchies of Holstein and Schleswig, accruing to the
chief of the elder Gottorp line after the abandon-
ment of the London Treaty.
"The Government of the Grand Duke, while
hastening to make this notification to the high,
Federal Assembly, intends to neglect nothing tend-
ing to establish the rights of succession thus ceded,
of his Royal Highness, as first representative of a
younger Gottorp line, descended from Duke Peter
Frederick Lons of Oldenburg, to the Duchy of
Holstein and the Duchy of Schleswig, inseparably
connected by hereditary right with the same,
"It has hitherto been unnecessary for the Go-
vernment of the Grand Duke to enter protest
against the claims to succession laid before the
Federal Diet by another branch of the Schleswig.
Holstein House immediately after the death of Ring
Frederick VII. of Denmark, and the entire extinc-
tion thereby of the male branch of the Danish line.
It has abstained from so doing solely in the interests
of Germany and of the Duchies themselves. Equally
in the same interests the Government of the Grand
Duke will in future consider it its duty to defend
the right of the various branches of the Gottorp line
to the succession in preference to any other, since
this right, freed from the obligations of the Warsaw
protocol and London treaty is no longer opposed to a
separation of the Duchies from Denmark, but passing
to his Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Oldenburg
by the Imperial Act of cession is called on to render
possible the complete independence of the Duchies,,
under a German Federal Prince and a restoratiort
of peace with Denmark..

" The Government of the Grand Duke reserves an
explanation of the relations to the succession in
Schleswig-Holstein for the establishment of the
rights of succession ceded to his Royal Highness
the Grand Duke, and herewith enters its protest
against any result being decided upon by the high
Federal Assembly with regard to the claims to the
succession submitted to it by his Highness Dnke
Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonder,Jurg.
Augustenburg."