The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 12, 1863.

children." It was only the day before yesterday that
at a great Democratic meeting at the Cooper Insti-
tute it was resolved," That the Democracy of the
City of New York, in general meeting convened,
again reiterate and declare their unyielding oppo-
sition to all men and all factions who in any man-
ner seek to impair or destroy the glorious Union of
the United States as a great Confederate Republic;
that we will uphold and maintain the Union at all
times and under all circumstances by all the means
in our power, and that we will never consent to or
permit any arrangement by which it shall be either
destroyed or endangered." _

On the other hand, the Confederates, elated, as
is too natural, by their success at Chattanooga, will
come to no compromise that may not be based on
the terms of " Recogniti3n by the enemy of the
Confederate States; withdrawal of theYankin.
Yankee
forces from every foot of Confederate ground,
chiding Kentucky and Missouri ; withdrawal of the
Yankee soldiers from Maryland until that State
shall decide by a free vote whether she shall remain
in the old Union, or ask admission into the Confe-
deracy," &c.
There is something touching in the language used
by the Southerners"however
w eveir bloodthirsty
0 pleadingodti
rs
ttyh their h
r tca ue
b sea—n
0"
tH.
boowx
How-
ever fierce the Northerners may be theoretically,"
uponan
nte he
yhamveayto fly rant
d w
they say, ,
and 1:
yet owevwehrenfertohceiioruasrlymitehae
stage
armies not to be expected, they will see the neces-
sity of peace. The continuance of the war depends
after all not on the scolds who strut the boards of
Congress, and the contractors who bloat their purses
with dishonest profits, but on the supply of men
who do the fighting. The want of these will stop
the war. The grand invasion is dying out.
" There will be nothing on our part to counteract
the disposition to peace which the decaying vigour
and promise of the war will necessarily produce in
the minds of our enemies. The United States have
only to stop. There is nothing to prevent them from
doing this at any time. Whatever those may affirm
who desire to feed and inflame the war spirit among
them, we but speak the universal sentiment of our
people when we say that we have no purpose against
them that would require them to remain in arms a
day. We stand only on our defence. We have only
proposed to seek our fortunes apart from them.
We care not how happy and prosperous they may
be without us. It was no part of our motive, in
separating, to destroy or injure them. We made
no attack on their people, their property, or their
institutions. 'We were simply taking care of our-
selves. There is nothing to prevent peace and a
just settlement between the two Confederacies any
day, but the will of our enemies.
"There is no question of life or death between us,
so far as they are concerned. It is not necessary for
them to be destroyed that we may live. They seek
our life—we do not want theirs. We have neither
the purpose nor the wish to subjugate them. They
have no motive for war—have nothing at stake but
the advantage they might hope to get out of us by
forcing us into connexion or subjugation to them.
The hope gone of succeeding in this, there is no
motive left. They have no right, no inheritance, no
privilege of their own which we seek to destroy or
impair. And surely they will not admit that they
have not among themselves the elements of great-
ness and happiness, and that the despised South is
necessary to their security."
It has been officially ascertained that up to the
Ist of January of this year the Northern States have
sent 1,276,246 men into the field. New York alone
contributed 222,836. This year, as I wrote in a
former letter, Mr. Seymour, Governor of the State
of New York, has issued 5,000 commissions for officers
from January to August. Notwithstanding all this,
we hear that the contingent for this State alone,
under the new call, added to what is due to make up
for previous shortcomiugs, will be 108,085 men. On
the other side, Virginia alone, with a population of
1,596,318, has contributed a contingent of 102,915
combatants to the Confederate armies. The average
ratio of men that any people can spare for warlike
purposes has already loug since been widely exceeded
by the two contending parties, and the continuance
of the fight must result in a work of awful depopu-
lation.

The public debt of the Northern States on the
Ist of September was approximately stated to be
1,228,832,771 dols. This, however, by no means re-
presents the amount of liabilities incurred by the
Northern States in the pursuit of this war.
Were the civil strife to come to a sudden stand,
and were accounts to be wound up this very day,
aud-claims on the Government to be satisfied, I am
assured, by persons competent to speak on the sub-
ject, that the public debt would be between twenty-
five hundred and three thousand million dollars !

Truly, the finances of the South are in no better
condition ; but it is difficult to deny that the power
to cry "hold ! enough !" in this contest lies with
the North alone—the North which fights for an
idea, for the fond notion of a chimerical Union, the
empty boast of being the " biggest people inhabit-
ing the biggest country," and the vain aspiration of
having it one day in its power to say that " not a
cannon shall be fired in Europe without its good
will and pleasure."

The spirit of "strike" is abroad among all the
industrial classes. Here in New York, at Phila-
delphia, Cincinnati, Pittsburg, Chicago, and other
cities the mechanics are astir_ Coopers, carpenters,
painters, shoemakers, &c. They say they are unable
to live and keep their families at the present prices
of provisions, clothing, fuel, &a. Taking some of
the necessaries of life, such as flour, butter and eggs,
vegetables, sugar, tea, coffee, beef, rice, &c., it is
computed that what three years ago cost 9 dols.
67c. is not now to be had for less than 16 dols. 69e.
There is a rumour of a strike among the hotels too,
which threaten to raise their daily board from 3
dols., their present charge, to 3 dole. 50c., although
there hardly ever were such good times for them
within men's recollection, and although some of the
New York hotels clear a net profit of 1,500 dole. to
2,000 dole. weekly. '['he daily charges for board
and lodging used to be 2 dole. a day.

General Rosencranz was received at Cincinnati
with loud acclamation, and in an address to his
fellow-citizens ho vindicated his conduct from the
aspersions to which he had lately been exposed ; he
contradicted the rumours that had been spread as
to his ill-health, and the abuse of opium to which
it had been ascribed ; declared that the President
had testified to him by letter his satisfaction with
the doings at Chicamauga; and that his suborli-
nates, M'Cook and Crittenden, expressed to him
their regret at the false reports which had been
spread of anything spoken by them to their chief's
disparagement. The public, however, will not soon
hear the last as to General Rosencranz's deserts or
demerits.

Men of all parties are unanimous in praising the
-
President'sl:lll
answer to the Missouri delegation,
Generaiass I often said, demanded the recall of
tievartuolfield from the command of that West-
all ~ the °lent. It is doubtful, however, whether
exhibited rod sense, moieration, and firmness"
4 7 Mr. Lincoln at this juncture will have
power ..e restore
in those dietract:duything like calmness and security
fare will fora ion Missouri districts. Guerilla war-
State, but in ai!thtoime prevail, not only in that
the Federals are new 8: Southern territories which
duing. The disorder ilelltiler overrunning than sub-
elsewhere in Tennessee aBing more ruthlessly than
of Grant's armies,if " Kentucky,. at lemßt in the rear
may believe the
assertion of Governor Braealette wafe
who says that " no man Can think'tbe latter State,
while we have a formidable
',wore us,
of quitting his
post
raid 1.. ,
while our banks are robbed, and oil,.
within 40 miles of the capital." ',owns sacked
The New York people would at last seem t 0 be
somewhat weary of the e efforts made by
there e
cement the goad understanding between to
those
"twine
earth," Russia and
giants of the America,
The officers of the Russian squadron have had gale
ssionsP public and private
days, torchlight proce
ovations,n till they ate
banquets, reviews, speeches, " of it. They
are, and almost declare themselves, sick
will be back this evening from an excursion to
Niagara (which they insisted should be strictly
. ,
they
private, without toasts or speeches), to which
were treated by the proprietors of the Hudson River
Navigation, New York Central, and Erie Railway
Companies. These, like all other associations of the
same nature in this country, are now flush with

money, and might well afford to defray the ea.
penses of the compliment. People have been busy
getting up a grand 15 dol. subscription ball, in
honour of " Uncle Sam's natural allies." Hitherto,
however, the committee, consisting of the greatest
bankers and merchants of the city, have only ma-
managed to collect the sum of 6,000 dols., and the
scheme has given rise to no little grumbling on the
part of earnest patriots, who think the Russians
can only be disgusted at the heartless levity of a
people "fiddling and .lancing"at such a calamitous
season as this. It appears that the Russian Admi-
ral himself has thrown out some hints that
" the money would be better employed in aid
of the Fund for the Relief of Sick and Wounded
Soldiers." The ball is likely to come off neverthe-
less, and the Russian fever, while abating in New
York, is likely to spread to other cities, many of
which are vieing with each other in their pressing
invitations to " the representatives of the only
European Power entitled to genuine American
sympathies."

Serious Charge of Libel against a Clergy-

man.

Yesterday, at the Westminster Police Court, the
Rev. Thomas Richardson Birch, of 2, Alpha-road,
Slough, appeared to a summons, before Mr. Arnold,
charging him with unlawfully and maliciously pub-
lishing a defamatory libel of and concerning Felix
Frederick Taylor, of Herschel' House, Slough.
Mr. Pawle, of the firm of Pawle and Lovesey, 7,
New-inn, conducted the prosecution, and Mr. C. P.
Barrett, of Eton, the defence.

Mr. Pawle, in opening the case, said he regretted
to have to appear at that court to prefer a charge
of libel against the defendant, who was a clergyman
of the Established Church, at present holding a
clerical appointment at 'Windsor. His (Mr. Pawle's)
client had two sons, one of whom was in such ill
health that he did not think,it advisable to send
him to school; he therefore applied to Mr. Johnson,
clerical agent, to procure him a tutor for his boys.
By him he was introduced to Mr. Birch, and after
a correspondence between them, the defendant en-
tered on his duties on the 3d of June, 1863, and re-
mained there until the 3d of July in the present
year. Shortly after entering Mr. Taylor's family,
the defendant succeeded in obtaining the appoint-
ment to the Windsor Union ; about the same time
Mr. Taylor had reason to complain of the way in
which the defendant educated his children, and that
ultimately led to a rupture between them. Mr.
Taylor then again applied to Mr. Johnson, who re-
commended a gentleman of the name of Lott, but
the latter was acquainted with Mr. Birch, and left
shortly after accepting the appointment, putting
Mr. Taylor to a great deal of inconvenience. A
third time Mr. Taylor applied to Mr. Johnson, who
then recommended the Rev. Mr. Sharpe, and while
negotiations were pending between him and com-
plainant, Mr. Sharpe received the following anony-
mous letter, which was the subject of the present
action :

Windsor, Berkshire, Oct. 15, 1863.
Rev. Sir,—For the present, in common justice to a
stranger, all are quite willing and ready to believe that you
do not know that you have entered into a sink of the gross-
est crimes and iniquities and vilest disgrace, or else are
going so to do. If you still keep your engagement, you will
receive, and deserve it too, the contempt of all decent people
who are not in the Church, and the greatest disgust of all
gentlemen who are so. Inquire of the police of this borough,
also of Eton and Slough. If likewise you can make up
your mind and think it right, you can apply about these
dreadful things of the house at Slough to the ministers
there, viz , the Rev. Mr. Cree, the Rev. Mr. Birch, and
the Rev. Mr. Sykes—counsellors to one whom we think
need counsel, COUNSEL.
That letter he would distinctly prove was written
by the defendant, and upon its receipt Mr. Sharpe,
acting in a very proper manner, took it to Mr.
Johnson, by whom he had been introduced to Mr.
Taylor (he not having yet entered into his engage-
ment) and placed the matter before him. Mr. John-
son at once communicated with the complainant,
who at first sight pronounce I the letter to have been
written by Mr. Birch, and said to Mr Sharpe " My
acts are quite open to inspection ; pray make every
inquiry that lies in your power before entering into
my family ; write at once to any one you like in
Windsor and the neighbourho'd, especially to Mr.
Birch." Mr. Sharpe accordingly wrote to the de-
fendant, and in reply received a second letter, which
would no doubt be deemed a privileged communica-
tion. In consequence of inquiries he felt perfectly
satisfied as to the character of Mr. Taylor, and ac-.
c,3pted the appointment, which he still held ; ana
it was very probable that, notwithstanding the
shameful way in which his character had been
attacked, Mr. Taylor would not have taken any
steps against the defendant, had he not received
on the 25th of October last a letter of the most
horrible description. Mr. Pawle then proceeded to
read as follows
Slough, Oct. 24, 1863.,_

You loathsome and most contemptible animal -- No
decent man who knows you could possibly be surprised at
anything you cuuld do, but I am disgusted, beyond all power
of expression, at your revolting insolence in presuming to
address to me or any other gentlemen one of your filthy and
contaminating letters—for polluting and contaminating any
letters of yours must needs be to any one who is not, like
yourself, an outcast from society. As far as I can make
what vulgar people of your sort call "head or tail" of your
drunken and every way truly disgusting rubbish, you want
me to make out that somebody or another has written an
anonymous letter about your detestable life. Can they tell
me anything about your infamy ? You horrible animal, I
know it to my cost already. Is not the allusion to such a
letter another rascally scoundrel lie. You know full well
that I must be ready to believe that it is. And now as to
other lies. You induced me to become the tutor of your
bastards—bastards of the most loathsome circumstances of
all bastardy, they being the offspring of a low, paltry
tradesman at best, by a certain creature whose antecedents,
when even imperfectly Bet forth, were disgusting, and are
now almost unutterable—by audaciously assuring me
in Bond-street, London, that you were a " gentleman
of large independent fortune," of considerable landed
property in the counties of Buckinghamshire and
Berkshire; " that you lived at Herschell House, a
small, very small part of your estates, as the third landed
proprietor in Buckinghamshire ;" so that you were "an
Oxford man ;" that " about 14 years ago you married the
daughter of a Colonel of a very distinguished regiment, who
was connected with some of the highest families in Eng-
land, and one of whose ancestors came over with the
Conqueror;" that your "dear wife had several of her
papa's medals for services performed during the Peninsular
war, amongst these one for Waterloo ;" that your house
was visited constantly by, and you also visited, all the
county families." Many of these detestable lies—as for
instance, those about "colonel's daughter," and the
"coming over with the Conqueror," were afterwards even
constantly persevered in, outrageous as they aro and must
be. But also amongst those lies, outrageously told me in
Bond-street aforesaid, and afterwards as outrageously re-
peated at Slough, are these • that there wis "no one of the
ladies of this place—as they called themselves—whom your
wife could visit, because she had from her very childhood
been so very chaste and virtuous that she could not bear
the presence of those who were not quite like herself I"
You say something in the letter which you have had the
unequalled impudence to send me, about " a criminal
court." Is or is not that a place in which rascals, scoun-
drels, rogues, scamps, and blackguards, appear to an-
swer for running away with the virtuous wives
of other men, "colonel's daughters" and wine-dealers'
consorts ? Or is it a place in which a brother of a colonel's
daughter might appear to receive the sentence of
transportation; or further still, is it a place in which those
stand who can be charged with crimes still more horrible?
For the present I seek this; information if you can believe I
do so. You also, I think (your sottish jargon is all but un-
intelligible; you could not yourself the next morning dare
to hope anyone could understand it) speak of a "strong
tight arm ready to defend you." For whom these words
are intended it is utterly impossible for me to conceive,
but they do suggest to me this inquiry—Do you, or do you
not, you wretched varlet, you, remember the evening when,
in the place towhich your lies entrapped me for my corruption
and pollution, my upraised arm and clenched fist accompa-
nied the expressions of my honest heart's indignation at
your beastly outrage in taking my wife into public with
yourself and that woman, and your bastard cowardice found
a vent only in a horrid stench, which compelled me to eject
you from the room—a being loathsome first to my eyes and
then to my nostrils ? If the " anonymous writer" were not
one of your lies, but a real character, I could tell him of the
riaelaylanonymous letters with which I was assailed as to
abominaZllethi
Lt,vtii lany of one detestable and low-lifed wretch who could
"Barlow"
_ .e to ensnare even a clergyman into an association
thef
ta 111111(a clergyman's wife into a contaminating intro-
duction •
first took out the'
aza,my).sharer—the worthy sharer—of his gross,
I would tell him of the shouts of
Bastards," whichassailed my ears when I
modest women
either
offspring. I could tell him that all
under an honest
pren t olfi
lived,
ds
_dedeived
an"'Zimer shunned the house in which the tutor
to the horror of seeing
him of the blasphemous obPPea
squab-
bles, amidst which these
prorraatided. tutor—lived, or visited it only
tehtehat they should never be subjected
.puplilcso.ulldcot
eullldhtieml I
children .nity; drunkenness, and

that the injured tutor would be inundated with letters teem-
ing with the records of filth and loathsomeness—references
to adultery courts and newspapers containing the reports of
crime. I could tell him how the neighbourhood shrieks with
the infamy of the man of whom he wrote. Yes, this I could
tell him; and while I did so I would bid him do what I
have done—tell you all this to your face. A dark, thick cloud
is fastgathering, and is ready to burst in well deserved wrath.
Evidence is pouring in fast—expectation is on the tiptoe.
A clergyman and his wife remember, you wretched being
—I say his wife—have witnesses of your defamation, and
that of the creature, like yourself with whom you live. A
virtuous—not a mock, but really viruous—lady has like-
wise grounds of libel against you both. Await your day—
you will not have to wait long. This, however, is not the
only judgment which awaits you both, even before an
earthly tribunal.

The Reverend T. R. Bincn.

Mr. Arnold inquired whether Mr. Pawle was in
a position to prove that the letter was written by
the defendant.

Mr. Pawle replied—Most indisputably ; and con-
tinued—After such a disgusting epistle as
this,n d
m—r" Taylor,
or receivingf
course, lost no time in placing
t i e
r ,o
the matter in the hands of his solicitor, and a sum-
mons was taken out against defendant. Mr. Taylor,
he might remark, was a gentleman of position and
standing, and there was not the slightest foundation
for the disgraceful and infamous charges brought
against him.

The Rev. Mr. Sharpe, Mr. Johnson, clerical agent,
and other witnesses having been examined,
Mr. Felix Frederick Taylor said—l reside at
Slough, and am a gentleman of independent fortune.
I have for some years resided with my family in the
house I now occupy. I know the reverend gentle-
man who now appears as defendant. He occupied
tutor
my two sons for thirteen
months. , in consequence of some
dthi
ffe epr
eo
ns et
ei os
In
he of
Juy, 8
left
efltto
m lyf6a3m
family by request. On the
at Brighton with my
f2asmt
yo f
wOhcet
no ble rr
elc
ewi
vacs
dstaying
tter dated the 24th of
October, through the medium of the post. It bears
that date, is in Mr. Birch's handwriting, and is
signed by him. lam necessarily well acquainted
with his caligraphy, and have consequently no hesi-
tation in saying that the anonymous letter of the 15th
October, addressed to Mr. Sharpe, was written by,
the defendant. That letter refers no doubt to my-
self, home, and family. I have not the envelope in
which it came, nor do I know where it is, but the
letter came addressed to me at Brighton.
Cross-examined—l have known Mr. Birch nearly
14 months. The negotiations between us Com-
menced about the middle of May, 1862, and his
engagement early in June.

Mr. Barrett—How long after he entered your
family did a misunderstanding arise between
you ? Witness—He fulfilled his duties to my
satisfaction,
months,
and
for
thenby
the first three or four
degrees he became re-
miss. I objected to his line of conduct, and finally
the determination on my part to procure another
tutor took place in Juno last. The engagement be-
tween us was broken off simply on account of the
misunderstanding between us on scholastic matters,
and not from family matters.
Mr. Barrett—Were you not co-respondent in a
case in the Divorce Court lately ?

Mr. Pawle interposed, and submitted that such a
question was totally irrelevant to the charge, in
which opinion Mr. Arnold coincided.
Some further evidence having brought the case
for the prosecution to a close,
Mr. Barrett asked for a remand, as his client had
so recently instructed him that he knew very little
about the matter.

Mr. Arnold granted the request, and remanded
the case for a week, accepting one surety in X5O
for Mr. Birch's reappearance.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The iron-cased screw steamship Royal Oak, 35, 4,065 tons,
Capt. Frederick A. Campbell, one of the Channel Squadron,
continues in Dock No. 1 at Keyham. The state of the
lower tier of her iron plates, which have been so much
pitted and damaged by galvanic action arising from the
copper sheathing (Muntz's metal) below, continues to at-
tract attention. After due consideration the Lords of the
Admiralty have determined to adopt a course which it is
hoped will prevent the repetition of the injury. One of the
plates most pitted, No. 14, which belongs to the lowor tier
or layer, and is fixed at a point equidistant faom the main
and mizenmasts, has been removed, and is now in one oftthe
fitting shops of the yard. It is 15ft long, 2ft 10in deep, and
41in thick, and weths four tons. The inner side, it is sa-
tisfactory to know is perfect, notwithstanding the appear-
ance of the very suspicious-looking black fluid mentioned in
the report on the plating of the Royal Oak which appeared
in The o'un of the 28th ult. The bolt holes in plate No. 14,
like those in all the rest of the Royal Oak's armour plates,
are llin in diameter. They are to be increased to a dia-
meter of tin, which will be the standard in future, it being
considered that 2-in bolts are requisite for the duty of re-
taining these ponderous plates securely against the ship's
sides. All the outside facing of the Royal Oak is to be
thoroughly cleansed, the red lead is to be scraped off, and
the recently made pits aro to be filled with composition. The
course adopted on by the Admiralty is to use Brown's Pa-
tent Vitreous Sheathing for the purpose of protecting this
tier from the galvanic action of the copper. In order to
effect this arrangement the upper course of the metal
sheathing, to a depth of 16in, has been entirely stripped off.
The vitreous sheathing will commence at the new upper
edge of the metal, and ascend sft, which will of course be
3ft Bin on the iron plates. It will be fastened to the wood
portion of the ship's side by mixed metal nails in addition
to the cement (a glue manufactured by Messrs. Hall
and Co.), and on the iron plates by the glue only. The
plates of vitreous sheathins going en are 16in wide by
4in deep, and they are so thin that 24 aro required
to obtain the thickness of an inch. This extreme thinness
makes them almost flexible. The vitreous sheathing will be
moulded expressly to meet the shape of the bows. The
communication between Mutz's metal and the iron plates
is hoped to be thus completely closed, the galvanic ac-
tion thereby prevented, and the constant necessity for
scraping, painting, &c., which has been of such frequent
occurrence, will be avoided, as the vitreous sheathing is said
to be easily cleansed by scrubbing, either in dock or afloat.
The same kind of sheathing is on the Warrior, Hector, and
Royal Sovereign, and it is to be applied to the Ocean, now
receiving her armour plates at Keyham. This :tin d of sheath-
ing was also fixed to the Resistance, and several of the
plates came off. The patentees allege that this failure arose
from the fact that some of the materials of the composition
with which the bottom was covered were not suitable for
use with the glue (Hay's), used in fastening the vitreous
sheathing. The proprietor, Mr. Hall, in fixing his plates or
sheaths to the Royal Oak, will use glue of his own manufac-
ture. The black liquid which continues to eon out between
the armour plates of the Royal Oak appears to come from
salts water leakage, which goes in between the butts, &c.,
gets discoloured by the tarred felt behind, and then comes
out in a blackened conditionr This state of affairs ought not
to exist. It is evident that from whatever cause the black
liquid arises its presence inside the plates must tend to relax
their hold upon the sides of the ship. It is surmised, first,
that the fitting of the plates was not very exact when they
were laid on, and next, that they expand in hot and contract
in cold weather, when the ends are sufficiently open to admit
water. If this be the result of the experience of the Roya
Oak's four months' trip in the British seas, what would be
the effect of a three years' station in a warm latitude? The
ends of the armour plates are fashioned otherwise in France.
There the outer edges of the plates nearly touch each other,
while the inner edges retreat from each other, thus leaving
a hollow triangular space, the base being formed by the
ship's sides. This space is calked tightly with prepared
oakum, and by this means all humidity is said to be excluded
from inside the plates of French iron-cased ships, as the
caulking material expar ds sufficiently, when the plates con-
tract, to prevent the water from entering. Higher up the
Royal Oak's side, next the vitreous sheathing, there will be
a rubbing piece (of wood) to receive blows from boats or
the chafiing cs any substance floating alongside. The rub-
bing piece will be 3ft deep and 3 in. thick in the middle,
tapering off and above below to a feather edge. This rub-
bing piece will extend towards the stern about two-thirds
the length of the ship, according to the judgment of Mr.
Peke, the master builder of Devonport Dockyard, and will
be fastened to the armour-plates by Sin. scaews tapped
three-quarters of an inch into the plates. The heads of the
screws will be counter-Sunk three-quarters of an inch into
the rubbing •piece, and plunged over all. In relation to the
line of flotation, it may be stated ihat all the vitreous sheath-
ing will be under water ; indeed the lower edge or the rub-
bing piece will be lft below, and the upper edge 21t. above
the water or load line.

Her Majesty's ship Ranger, paid out of commission on
Tuesday at Woolwich, was yesterday docked in preparation
for a thorough overhaul and speedy recommission.
The screw steam ship Sea King, having embarked mili-
tary stores and artillery, troops for New Zealand, yesterday
departed from Woolwich for her destination.
The whole of the supernumerary seamen now on board
the flagship Fisgard, at Woolwich, will be transferred this
morning to the iron-cased ship Caledonia in order to navi-
gate that ship from the Victoria Docks to Sheerness. The
men will be berthed on board the Formidable for distribu-
tion.

The four heavy guns brought to Woolwich from Low-
moor, weighing 20 tons each, were yesterday landed with
safety. The guns were manufactured by Capt. Blakely's
order, and have been brought to Woolwich for proof. It
appears that the chain which gave way a few days ago, in
the attempt to land one of the guns by means of the ordi-
nary hand crane, had undergone a tensile strain, under
proof, up to 21 tons. The accident is accounted for by one
of the links which had lapped over, and fallen again into its
place ; the link had snapped asunder under the extraordi-
nary weight.

Capt. Wm. H. Stewart, C. 3., was yesterday appointed
Captain-Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard, vice Capt.
Edward G, Fawshawe, promoted to the rank of Rear-
Admiral.