The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-08 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence,

THE NAVY.

The Channel Fleet arrived at Spithead yesterday.
At 10 a.m. the ships were in sight from Ports-
mouth. In another hour the Nab Light vessel was
passed, and the fleet was steering in for the narrow
waterway between the sites of the proposed marine
forts in two lines, in the following order :—Port
Division (under all plain sail, the wind being light
at about west) :—Edgar, 71, screw, wooden liner,
Capt. G. P. Horn by, bearing the flag of the Admi-
ral Commanding, Rear-Admiral of the White, S. C.
Dacres, C.B. ; Emerald, 35, screw wooden frigate,
Capt. Arthur Cumming; and Liverpool, 39, screw,
wooden frigate, Capt. R. Lambert. Starboard Divi-
sion, under steam at low boiler power :—Black
Prince, 40, screw, iron frigate, Capt. J. F. B. Wain-
wright, leading the line; Royal Oak, 35, screw,
iron-cased frigate, Capt. F. A. Campbell; Defence,
16, screw, iron frigate, Capt. A. Phillimore ; and
Resistance, 16, screw, iron frigate, Capt. W. C.
Chamberlain. The Trinculo, screw gunboat, was in
company as tender to the flagship. The fleet is ar-
ranged in two lines; the Edgar, Emerald, and
Liverpool being anchored along the Spit shoal and
forming the inner line, and the iron ships forming
the outer line at their anchorage in deeper water;
the Resistance and Edgar are at the extreme west
of the two lines, and the Defence and Liverpool
hold the eastern positions.

Rear-Admiral Daeres landed at the dockyard
from the Port-Admiral's steam yacht Fire Queen
during the afternoon.

Private letters received yesterday from her Ma-
jesty's corvette Clio, dated Rio de Janeiro, June 9,
state that the ship was to go into dock there on the
following day, the 9th, and it was expected she
would remain in about 14 days. She was expected
to sail from Rio for Spithead about the 29th or 30th
of June.

The first division of gunboats at Portsmouth was
yesterday manned from the ships in commission in
the harbour, and proceeded outside under steam,
where they were put through a variety of naval
evolutions, the commanding officer flying his pen-
nant on board the Pigmy, paddle steamer,and sig-
nalling thence his orders. The Mosquito squadron
returned to the harbour again in the afternoon.
The following appointments were made at the Admiralty
yesterday afternoon :

Lieut. John Inglis to the Excellent.
Paymaster Singleton to the Saturn.
To be First-class Assistant Engineers—P. Bland, Cum-
berland ; J. Forrest (a), Edinburgh ; J. K. Keay, Hima-
laya:; W. B. Trenwitb, Megwra; Alex. Reid, Cumberland;
E. Ramsay, Sphinx; and A. Shanks, Asia.
To be Acting First-c.ass Assistant Engineers —J.
M'Graw, Centaur; A. M'lntyre, Wrangler; T. Ritchie,
Ariadne; J. Finlay, Nile, for Nimble; and T. INPFarlane,
Scout.

THE ARMY.
The Portsmouth division of Royal Marine Light
Infantry were yesterday inspected by Major-Gen.
Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., the general officer command-
ing the south- west distric t. The division was formed
in two battalions in brigade order in line, and after
receiving his lordship marched past in slow time and
in grand divisions. They afterwards went through
several brigade movements with great steadiness
and precision, n t the close of the movements Lord
Paulet expressed to Col. Ayles, C. 8., and the offi-
cers and men on the ground his entire approval of
their general appearance and drill. His lordship
visited the barracks, &c.
Messrs. Green's ship Trafalgar, Capt. Taylor,
R.N.R., has arrived at Spithead with time-expired
end invalided troops from India. Eighteen deaths
occurred clueing the voyage, and two births. The
Trafalgar sailed from Madras on the 4th of March,
the Mauritius on the 15th of April, and St. Helena
on the 27th of May. Since leaving the latter place
she spoke the following ships :—On the 6111 of June,
in long. 3 19 N., 23 22 W., the Dutch bark Vier
Gebroeders; June 9, in lat. 8 31 N., long. 26 47
W., the bark Corsair; on the 15th, in lat. 23 30 N.,
long. 36 28 W., the Bremen bark Yuca ; on the
17th, in lat. 25 52 N., long. 37 2 W., the brig Valid,
and on the 26th in lat. 40 38, long. 3 25, the schooner
Premier. The troops will be transferred from the,
Trafalgar by Government steamers soon after noon
to-day. The invalids will be conveyed to the Royal
Military Hospital at Netley, and the time-expired
men to Portsmouth, to be sent on by rail to their
regimental depots.

The Wimbledon Meeting of the National

Rifle Association.

Though the actual commencement of the prize
meeting at Wimbledon does not take place until
to-day, the sharp crack of Enfield and small bore
was unremitting yesterday from 1.30 p.m. until
the darkness of the evening had so far advanced as
to make good shooting difficult. The running deer,
sighting, and pool targets were steadily patronised,
soon after gunfire at 1 p.m. announced that the busi
ness of the day had commenced. This was the only
part of the day's programme in which the National
Rifle Association was interested, the remainder of
the ranges being given up for matches, from which
they derive no pecuniary benefit, but which they
kindly allow to be decided at Wimbledon before the
serious business of competing for the Queen's Prize
begins. These consisted of county matches between
Middlesex, Lancashire, and Gloucester, in which
the competition who for honour and a memento, in
the shape of an university pewter; the Middlesex
competition for the National Rifle Association bronze
medal ; and a similar competition between the Uni-
versities of Oxford and Cambridge, the fortunate
winner of the medal being entitled to compete for
the Queen's Prize. All day on Monday, and up to
noon yesterday, nothing was going on but the final
touches to the tents, the targets, the mantlets, and
the sheds. Monday was, however, relieved in its
monotony by a totally unexpected visit of his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales, who, attended by an
Equerry, Capt. Grey, and a solitary groom, rode
over by way of Patney, and reached the entrance
to the ground shortly before 4 o'clock. Thanks to
the ceaseless supervision which they have all along
exercised over the preparations, Lord Elcho, Lord
Bury, Earl Ducie, Capt. Mildusay, and other mem-
bers of the council, had not left, His Royal High-
ness was received by them, conducted over the
ground, and the general arrangements explained to
him. He first visited the refreshment tent, and
inspected the means by which Mr. Jennison hopes
successfully to meet every legitimate demand in the
important department of the commissariat. Then
proceeding to the range of the 200 yard pool target,
Earl Ducie fired with a Whitworth rifle at the
right-hand target, upon which his Royal Highness
took the rifle after it had been reloaded, and demon-
strated that to his other accomplishments he has
added much more than average skill in the use of
the rifle, by making in the kneeling position a centre
not more than half an inch from the bullseye. Major
Halford, who was introduced to his Royal High-
ness, then made a good shot in the sitting position ;
upon which the prince, being desirous of testing that
mode of shooting, fired several shots, making two
good outers and three centres. Changing his Whit-
worth for a double-barrel sporting rifle, his Royal
Highness missed with both barrels, evidently from
the rifle being incorrectly sighted ; for, on again
trying the Whitworth, an outer, just under the
Centre, and finally a bullseye, bore testimony to the
steadiness of his eye and hand. the Royal Highness
then proceeded to the curve along which the run-
ning deer performs its rapid journeys. Having mi
nutely inspected the deer, and the mechanism by
which it is turned, the party returned to the firing
points, where amid a large number of spectators,
whom the visit of the Prince had brought together,
some interesting practice took place. Lord Elet o
first fired a couple of shots, which were marked as
centres, showing thet no vital part had been hit. The
Prince then made several misses, from not being ac-
quainted with the sighting of the rifle ; but, profit-
ing by his experience, followed with a centre close
to the bullseye, as the fatal spot behind the shoulder
is called, another near the haunch, another in the
loins, a third farther forward, and then three centres
in succession. A few shots with a different rifle wer
less successful. The rifle with wined he succeeded
so well was a double barrel, made by Mr. Smith,
armourer to the association. His Royal Highness
was so well pleased with the performance of this