The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-09 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The result of the official inquiry into the circumstances
connected with the origin Of the fire at Aldershott Camp
on Friday has not been divulged. It is neverthless known
unofficially that the stable in which the outbreak occurred
was:visited by a man appointed under a contractor for the
purpose of trimming the lamps just previous to the occur-
rence of the fire, and one of the posts to which a lamp was
attached was found ignited by the sentry on duty in the
building, but could not be extinguished before the flames
had obtained oventibelming mastery. Representationahave
more than once been nvide to the War-office authorities re-
specting the unfitness of the temporary stables in camp,
both as regards the material cf which they were constructed
and the probable effects of weathe: on the horses quartered
in such buildings—but the answer
9 been in every case
" that there were no funds which could be
devoted to the
"
erection of more permanent and suitable buildings. rhe
space which the burnt stables occupied has been cleared,red
buried
by the bodies of the animals destroyed have been
by the side of the Basingstoke Canal.
The two companies of the 7Gth. Regiment lett at Alder-
shott for theurpose of filling u with volunteers to the re-
p p ~)o
th inst. for
Madras.
quired IndA
largo numberian strength willof lsmarteavu ayoung the .
taco have joined

during the past fortnight, principally from the 30th and 23d
Dept Battalions at Aberdeen and Cork.

The preparations for the Crawley court. martial being
completed on the part of the prosecution, it is intended,
should Col. Crawley not require more time to arrange his
defence, that the Court shall assemble on Thursday next.
Apartments in the club• house have been fitted up for him,
to prevent the unpleasantness of his removal to and from
the court. The members of the Court will comprise Gen.
Sir George Wetherall, President ; Major- Gene. Lawrenson
(Inspector of Cavalry), Russell (commanding 3d Infantry
Brigade at Aldershott), Rumley (Inspector of Infantry),
and Hodge (commanding Cavalry Brigade at Aldershott) ;
Col. Gambier, Royal Artillery ; Col. Oakes, 12th Lancers ;
Jenyns, 13th Hussars ; and Lieut.-Col. Sargent,
Ist battalion 31 Buffs. Sir Alfred Horsford will be prose-
cutor, and Col. Pipon officiating Judge. Advocate-General.

•
On Friday, in accordance with the sentence of a court-
martial, the ceremony of drumming out a soldier was per-
formed at Aldershott. The culprit was Private Peter
O'Donnell, of the 76th Regiment, whose extraordinary
attempt at desertion was noticed in the Sun about three
months ago. It will be remembered that O'Donnell
escaped, with his rifle, bayonet, and 20 rounds of ammuni-
tion in his possession, into the Long Valley, and for three
days kept a pursuing party at bay, being ultimately lost
sight of in the direction of Reading. Subsequently he quietly
returned to his regiment, was placed under arrest, and tried
by court-martial for the offence. Being found guilty on the
several counts of desertion, firing at a corporal of the 76th
Regiment and a private of the 6th Dragoon Guards, and of
losing various articles of regimental apparel, ammunition,
&c, he was adjudged to undergo four years' penal servitude,
to be ignominiously expelled her Majesty's service, and to
be branded with the letter " D." The two companies of
the 76th Regiment remaining at Aldershott having
assembled in the barrack square, together with the band
of the 60th Rifles, the prisonit was marched out hand-
cuffed, wearing only his shirt and trousers, as when last
seen at the period of his escape. Since his arrest he has
constantly feigned insanity, and he now exhibited a very
defiant bearing. The companies being drawn into line,
and the front rank marched 15 paces to the front, Captain
O'Donoghue, the senior officer in command, read the charge
and the finding of the court-martial, together with the whole
list of offences recorded against the prisoner, from which it
appeared that his name had figured in the defaulters' book
41 times, and that he had previously, at Glasgow, been sen-
tenced to 112 days' imprisonment, and to be branded with
the letter D. On the conclusion of the reading of the sen-
tence the prisoner threw his cap high in the air and shouted,
"Long live Queen Victoria! Good bye ! Three cheers for
old Ireland I" Quickly stepping out, he was followed by the
band of the 60th Rifles playing " The Rogue's March." On
arriving at the end of the linehe turned round, bowed nearly
to the ground, again shouted " Good bye," and threw his
cap into the air three or four times. He was then marched
under an escort of the 60th Rifles, to the military prison to
undergo his full term of punishment.

A detachment of 100 non-commissioned officers and men
of the Royal Artillery have arrived at the headquarters of
the Ist division of the depot brigade, Royal Artillery, from
the depot brigade at Warley, to undergo a course of instruc-
tion in gunnery previously to embarking for service in India
or the colonies.

The hired transport King Arthur arrived at Spithead on
Saturday, from the Thames, and was yesterday towed into
Portsmouth harbour, to embark the head-quarters of the
55th Regiment for conveyance to Madras.

On Saturday afternoon the Royal Artillery four-oared
gig attached to Staddon Fort, in Plymouth Sound, left the
Barbican Pier for Bovisand, under the control of Sergeant
Drew, No. 7 Battery, 4th Brigade, besides whom there were
in her Gunners Hamlyn, Fiederick Hawkings, William
Stevens, Sieveley, Robert Johnson, and James Mahoney,
Mrs. Drew, wife of Sergeant Drew, Mrs. Wilson, wife of
Bombardier Wilson, and Mrs. Brown, wife of Bombardier
Brown, all belonging to the same battery. It appears that
after she had left the Barbican, and when in the Sound, the
oars were taken in and their canvas—a sprit-sail—hoisted.
Just opposite Staddon Point, shortly before 4 o'clock, a
sudden squall from north-west jibbed the boat, which cap-
sized and turned bottom up. The cries of the people having
been heard by the sentry on Staddon Fort, an alarm was
instantly raised and artillerymen from the barracks rushed
down the hill. Some jumped into the contractor's boat,
others assisted in manning the coastguard boat, and both
pulled out. Considerable time had, however, elapsed, and,
on coming up to the capsized boat, two persons only were
on it—viz., Sieveley and Mrs. Drew. The former was vainly
seeking to save the like of the latter, who, although cling-
ing to the keel of the boat, was quite dead. Johnson was
pulled up by his comrades with a rope from Bovisand Pier.
Mahon,y swam ashore. All the rest were drowned, and
none of their bodies are as yet recovered.

The new screw steamship Sea King (belonging to Messrs.
Robertson and Co.), Captain Pinel, 1,5u0 tons burden, went
alongside Woolwich pier on Saturday, in the service of the
War Department, and commenced shipping 1,400 quarter-
barrels of prepared ammunition for the colonial government
of New Zealand. A large amount of stores is in readiness
for shipment, including two complete batteries of 12-
pounder Armstrong guns, and No. 4 battery, 4th brigade
Royal Artillery, in command of Lieut.-Col. Barston, will
embark on Thursday morning for passage to New Zealand.
The strength of the battery has been increased to 258 non-
commissioned officers and men by a member of volunteers
from other brigades since their arrival at Woolwich. The
officers, whose names have been inserted in a former num-
ber of Ihe Sun, are 15 in number. There are likewise six
officers' wives and five children, and GO women.

REPORT ON RAILWAYS.--The Commission ap-
pointed in November, 1861, by the Minister of
Agriculture, Commerce, and Public Works, to inquire into
the working and construction of railways in France, has
just published a voluminous but highly interesting report.
and it is signed by the vice-president, M. Michel Cheva-
ier, senator, and the secretary, M. Adolphe Moreau,
auditor at the Council of State, whose ability and skill
in putting together the materials collected with great pains
and research, reflect equal credit on his industry and talent,
and fully entitle him to the honour of having his name
asssociated with that of so eminent a man as M. Michel
Chevalier. There is not a point of interest connected with
the subject that has not been thoroughly sifted in this
volume, which may be considered more in the light of a
treatise on railways than of a dry official report. We
glean the following recommendations of the Commission as
most likely to interest the general reader. Touching the
speed of express trains, which in France does not exceed
a maximum of 57 kilometres (351 miles) an hour, while in
England it attains as much as 71 kilometres (44 miles)
an hour, the Commission acknowledges the expediency of
raising the average speed to 60 kilometres, but admits that
this condition cannot be imposed upon railway companies
in the case of lines the gradients of which require a slack-
ened speed in the interest of the passengers themselves and
their personal security ; that it is desirable that there should
be at least one express train per day each way on every line,
and that, although no steps should be taken in the matter,
it would be desirable to admit second and third class pas-'
sengers to the advantage of the express train. Regarding
omnibus trains, there should be one at least of these trains
per day on the principal lines, going at the rate of 40 kilo-
metres (25 miles) ifer hour. The correspondence or check
granted to a passenger for the purpose of exchanging the
line by which he has come for another which crosses it has
always been the object of special agreement between the
companies. The agreements are communicated to the Go-
vernment, and cannot come into force until the sanction of
the Minister has been obtained. As this necessity usually
causes great delay, and therefore inconvenience to the pub-
lic, the commission is of opinion that the agreement should
be allowed to be acted upon five days after it has been com-
municated to the Government. The Minister may then, if
necessary, suppress it ; but if it should work well, he may
sanction it at his leisure. Concerning the important ques-
tion of personal security in trains, so as to prevent the
recurrence of such crimes as that of the murder of M.
Poinsot, the Commission examines at length the various
plans proposed, such as bell-handles within the reach o
passengers, or the guard being enjoined to pass from car-
riage to carriage by means of the footboards and handles'
&c., and arrives at the conclusion that the first
plan would
would
enable any one to stop the train, either
for
groundless
sake, or from some foolish motive
of
g
fear; and that the second
plan impracticable
vran I where
on these lines where the tunnels are too
narro
the guard would be exposed to lose his life. At all events,
to render
legislative enactments would be necessaryemadea bad use of the
pas-
sengers liable to punishment if thetyh
means placed at their disposal for the purpose of obtaining
recommendation of the Coamp.pmarisastiuosn.
assistance. Another
.dbe provided for third-class
is, that either curtains or
s moke .consumin g
ctharereianggeisz,eainsdptrhoavtidcsoad twbite.hbul.Fd instead of coke, whenever
stations. Concerning
the goods' tr •
It also advocates the admission of all Bests of omnibuses to
trains, the
the railway
Commission is of opinion that the present rate of 125 kilo-
metres per 21 hours ought to be raised to 200 kilometres.
But in order further to promote the speedy delivery of goods,
it propose that companies be authorised to convey mode-
rately-sized parcels by express, but only from one terminus
to another, the total weight not to exceed 2,000 kilos.
The diminution of stoppages is a great consideratioL with
the Commission throughout the report, where it is stated
that with this view an apparatus has been invented
for exchanging mailbags not exceeding 12 kilogrammes at
the stations without stopping the trains. Lastly, the com-
mission proposes to empower companies to modify their
tariffs, on condition of their communicating them to the
Government. If after a month the latter has not interfered,
the tard may be put in ; but the Minister has always
the right of suspending it. The volume is full of interest-
ing details, isn4 is well worth the perusal of professional
men.