The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-03 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

A series of trials was commenced on Tuesday in
Woolwich dockyard with Bray's traction engine, in
presence of the commodore-superintendent and the
officials of the yard. The engine is intended to su-
persede horse-labour for the ordinary work of the
yard. It was exhibited in the Great Exhibition,
where it was awarded two prize medals in classes 8
and 9 for practical utility. One of the boilers for the
Caledonia, weighing 28 tons, was placed on a truck
and attached to the engine, which drew it about the
yard with perfect ease. The engine then went to
the foundry, where a lead, consisting of a plate
weighing 16 tons 15 cwt., was drawn by it to the
factory travelling crane, and here two other plates
were put on the truck, each weighing about 18 tons
bringing up the load to over 30 tons. With this
the engine went several times round the yard, turn-
ing the sharpest corners without any difficulty,
with only one driving wheel in gear. The engine
was then uncoupled and run up and down the yard
without any load being attached. The speed at-
tained was equal to 10 miles an hour. It was tried
over the rough paving, the soft ground, and trams,
and answered equally well on each. The day's pro-
ceedings terminated by conveying an old boiler,
weighing 22 tons, from the foundry yard to the old
iron yard. On the following day the engine corn-
menced by taking a load of about 20 tons of loam-
plates from the foundry to the ironyard. It had to
take this load in and out and around the various
iron stacks in the yard. This it did without any
difficulty. It returned to the factory, and the sheer-
legs were fitted to the engine, when it lifted the
screw propeller of her Majesty's ship Racer, which
it took to and brought back from the weigh-bridge.
The weight was ascertained to be 2 tons 1 cwt. 2
qrs. It then steamed on to the armour plate shed,
and drove, by means of the drum fitted for trans-
mitting power, the hydraulic pumps used for work-
ing the press for bending the 41 inch armour-plates
for the Caledonia, some of which were bent the re-
quired extent by the power transmitted by the en-
gine. Yesterday the experiments were con tinued,the
engine was tried as a steam fire-engine with equal suc-
cess. The diameter of the cylinder is 7in. ; the
length of stroke, 10in.; the working pressure of the
steam, 1201 b. ; the gearing 21 slow speed and 71
quick speed ; the weight of engine complete, with
fuel and water, is about 12 tons. It is fitted with
link motion and reversing gear, feed and tank (hot
and cold water) pumps,-the latter being a double-
action sin.-bore, worked direct from the piston
through the cylinder bottom; Giffard's injector,
sheer-legs, and a barrel for hoisting, a drum for
driving machinery, a winch end for a fall rope or
tackle, &c. The wheels and steering gear and
general arrangement of the engine are on the com-
pany's patent principle, the steering being effected
by means of a worm working in the segmental
rack. The driving wheels have inner and outer
bearings, and the engine is mounted on
outer springs on each side of the driving
wheels,
while while the fire carriage is also mounted inner acinisd,
.gv Fnocyt of the
wheels.
steel spring. The gearing is tbrou.
and the d'!
best malleable east-iron,
machinery is eased In by
are of wrought iron. The a
light iron casing, which
at tho end is totmed into
bunkers, wherein can bo carried
a )out 12-wt. of
fuel, while the tanks contain about 400 gallons of
engines and all the
water. The ccg machinery are at-
tached to a framing independent of the boiler,
which is of the horizontal tubular description,
made throughout of the; best Lowmoor iron.
A commodious range of buildings is being erected
by Messrs. Naylor and Sun, of Rochester, the con-
tractors to the War Department, consisting of a
library, reading room, music and lecture-room,

PRICE .4d.
STAMPED ....54.

&c., for the us© of the non-commissioned officers
and men of the Royal Artillery attached to first
division of the Depot Brigade. The building which
is similar to the one recently opened at Chatham
garrison, though on a much smaller scale, will con-
tain a commodious room, 80 feet in length by 40 in
breadth, capable for being used as a concert-room,
smaller rooms for indoor games, and refreshment
rooms.

THE VOLUNTEERS.

Tho Ist Middlesex Engineer Volunteers, under
Lieut.-Colonel M'Leod of :\l'Lcod, marched on Box-
ing-day to Putney, and went through the various
duties of a battalion on reconnoitring service. Fif-
teen rounds per man were served out. On reaching
Putney-common, No. 1, which formed the advanced
guard, extended smartly at the double, and, sup-
ported by No. 2, commenced carefully to examine
and patrol all cover that an enemy might be capable
of turning to account. At the first cross-roads,
No. 3 was ordered to reconnoitre and, if possible,
take the first bridge that crosses the railway, and
by that means protect the flank of the battalion and
threaten that of the enemy, who was supposed to
be occupying the second bridge. On perceiving the
latter movement the enemy's cavalry charged across
both bridges, and was received by Nos. 1,2, and 3
in company squares, and the remainder in battalion
square. The falling bark of the advanced
guards of the main body and No. 3, the forming
squares, and opening fire, were done very smartly.
As soon as the enemy was beaten off and No. 3 had,
after a second advance, succeeded in taking the first
bridge, the battalion moved quickly on the second
and took it in fine style. It was materially assisted
by the flank movement of No. 3 and the sharp fi
that was kept up by the advanced guard, which
lined a fence on each side of the bridge. Roehamp-
ton-lane was treated as a defile, and after the village
had been carefully reconnoitred, two companies
a time performed outlying picket duty while the
rest were dining. At 2.30 the assembly was
sounded, and in barely 10 minutes the regiment was
moving in the direction of Wimbledon. After
having received the enemy's cavalry twice in com-
pany and battalion squares, and been warmly en-
gaged with a strong advanced post of theirs, the
regiment retired into Putney. The corps gave
another proof, if any were required, that with offi-
cers and non-commissioned officers determined to
learn and perform their duty, Volunteers are quite
capable of executing the most difficult military ope-
rations.

The Ist West Riding of Yorkshire Artillery
Volunteers (Leeds), comprising six batteries, has
recently erected by subscription a battery of four
32-pounder guns for practice at Morecambe Bay,
near Fleetwood, and the first practice took place on
Saturday last. The battery is constructed on a site
near the railway station, granted to the corps by
the Midland Railway Company, and has cost nearly
£2OO, The guns and an abundant supply of am-
munition and stores were provided by the Go-
vernment. Every facility has been afforded by the
Midland Company, who have engaged to convey
the Volunteers from Leeds to Morecambe and back
(a distance of 70 miles), by any train, for the low
charge of 2s. On Saturday, in consequence of the
numbers and to insure an early arrival at the
battery, a special train was provided, which con-
veyed about 250 members of the corps, with their
band. Lieutenant-Colonel Waud, who has recently
accepted the command, met the corps on parade for
the first time. The newly appointed adjutant, Mr.
Shields, also entered upon his duties on this occasion.
The other officers present were Captains Lawson,
Pepper, and Hainsworth ; Lieutenants Holforth,
Barr, Kay, Smith, Butler, Jackson, Clarkson and
Oates ; Surgeon Price, and Lieutenant Turner,
hon. secretary. After promenading the town the
Volunteers were marched to the battery, where,
before commencing practic2, Lieutenant-Colonel
Wand addressed them in an appropriate speech.
Practice then commenced at a target moored in
the bay, at a distance of 1,200 yards. The guns
were admirably served and. the target was
struck twice. A large concourse of the inhabitants
of the district witnessed the proceedings from the
beach and cliffs, and appeared highly gratified.
The Volunteers were afterwards marched to the
various hotels and refreshed with a substantial
dinner, provided at the expense of Lieutenant-
Colonel Waud. The officers dined at the North-
Western Hotel. The volunteers returned to Leeds
at an early hour of the evening.

The second year's competition for the Mapperley
Challenge Cup, value £5O, presented by the late
Mr. J. C. Wright, banker, took place on Monday
and Tuesday by the various companies of the Not-
tingham Robin Hood Rifles, at the Mapperley
butts (near the town). Last year the cup was
borne off by the Castle, or No. 1 Company. The
conditions were:—Rifles, those in actual use in the
corps, Government ammunition; 20 effective mem-
bers from each competing company; five rounds
of file firing at 300 yards, five rounds of volley
firing at 400 yards, and Hythe positions. The 10
companies of the battalion finished shooting on
Tuesday afternoon, when the Castle Company were
again declared the victors, they having scored 150
points at volley firing. A protest has been for-
warded to Major Sherlock, the commanding
officer, on the part of the Park Company, against
the decision awarding the prize to the Castle Com-
pany.