The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 26, 1863

tional rights. May the respectful prayer of the
Deputies be heard by your Majesty, and may you,
as in the glorious days of our past, seek for and
find the eclat of the Royal House, and the power
and kafety of the Government, in the reciprocal
bond of confidence and fidelity between the prince
and the peopl4 is only in that union that we
are strong. On that Ondition, but on that alone, we
may without fear await any attack from whatever
quarter it may come.
"We remain, with most profound respect, your
Mijesty's very faithful and very obedient Chamber
of Deputies."

Lval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
Mr. Stassfeld,
M.P. (the junior lord of the Ad-
miralty), has been continuing his visits of inspec-
tion at Portsmouth. He was engaged in the dock-
yard the whole of yesterday, accompanied by the
heads of the different branches of the various de-
partments.

Vice-Admiral Sir M. Seymour, K.C.8., embarked
OA board the Fire Queen steam yacht, Master Com-
mander Paul, yesterday, and proceeded to Spithead
for the purpose of inspecting the Curacoa, Copt. Sir
W. Wiseman, previous to her departure for Austra-
lia. On the Admiral's leaving the blue-peter was
immediately heisted for sailing.
The Liverpool, screw steam frigate, Capt. Lam-
bert, left Portsmouth yesterday morning for Port-
land and Plymouth.

The Meg Mara, troopship, Commander Madden,
left Portsmouth yesterday for the West Indies,
taking only a few men.

The Emerald, screw steam frigate, Capt. A. Cam•
ming, was placed in No. 10 dock yesterday at Ports
mouth to ship another screw propeller.

The Prussian steam frigate Gefion, Capt. Klatt,
left Spithead yesterday morning at daylight for
Dantzie.

The birthday of her Majesty was not publicly
observed yesterday at Portsmouth. The Gavernment
establishments were not closed, and it is understood
the workmen will have a general holiday on the
6th of June, the day on which it will be kept.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. G. G. Duff, to the
Esk; Lieut. Wm. D. D. Selby, to the Cumberland;
Lieut. W. J. Boteler, to the Orlando ; Lieut. H. F.
Cleveked, to the Resistance; Daniel McD. Jago,
masters, to the Saturn; Sub-Lieut. G. W. Osmond,
todhe E r Thos. J. Breen and Dr. George
Move, su eons, additional, to the President, for
thtnavalieserve; Edwin'D tniels, engineer, to the
Cumberland, for the Salamis ; and Fred. T. Robins,
paymaVer, to the Esk.

avoided in this case by maintaining, instead of
relaxing, the rules of discip;ine at meal-time.
The sergeants were first called to the front
and invited to do justice to the rude but
plentiful repast, and when they were satisfied
became charged with the duty of providicg for the
wants of their respective squads. These could not all
b 3 provided for at once, and it must have been rather
a hungry afternoon for the last squad of the com-
pany; hut time—that edax rerun—ultimately
brought the proceedings at this point to a close, and
led to Operations of a more active character. At
this period the white coned summits of the Crys-
tal Palace jets d eaux were shooting above the
wooded interval separating Chiselhurst from Nor-
wood ; and near at band the dark belt of pine and
fir trees forming the background to the beautiful
spring foliage of Camden-park was assuming a
more decided shade—a chilling wind, too, rendered
the sense of motion agreeable both to the troops
and spectators. Rapid skirmishing and extensive
movements were, therefore, commenced and kept
up with spirit for a couple of hours, the numbers
on the ground precluding the possibility of any-
thing more ambitious than the details of battalion
drill. The efficiency of the 29112, of course, gave
interest to these; but regret was universally enter-
tained and expressed that fuller advantage was not
taken of the generosity of Mr. Strode, in throwing
open his park to public recreation, and that where
facilities had been afforded for a grand Volunteer
review on an admirable site, within easy reach of
the metropolis, arrangements half matured were
not carried to a successful issue.

SHAM FIGHT AT SOUTHEND.

About 1,000 Volunteers assembled yesterday to

enact a sham fight at Southend. They met under
the most favourable auspices. The day was fresh
and bright. There was no oppressive heat, and the
ground was free from dust. Southend was all the
morning very lively. Hundreds poured into it from
London, and hundreds more found their way to it
from the surrounding eountry. The sea, or river,
in front of it was thickly dotted with craft of all
kinds. The town itself looked very neat and trim—
just got up for the bathing season, and nestling
very cosily amid much verdant foliage. Yet,
peaceful and secure as it seemed, it was destined
before the day closed to find its tranquillity dis-
turbed, although very harmlessly, by an invading
force. Until about 2 o'clock there was no enemy in
view, while its streets were thronged with gallant
the
ernyn
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the opposite coast. Slowly but steadily they neared

they were approaching with hostile intent. Stil
Southend betrayed no fear, but sent forth all its in.
_ _ _

habitants, young and old, to line the high range of
cliffs on the right of the town—known as the Cliff-

town-parade—the very point at which the enemy
seemed to have made up his mind to effect a land-
ing. Ladies especially flocked to the spot in
goodly numbers; for they like, at all events, the
pomp of war ; and their presence gave assur-
ance that no great danger was at hand. Nor was
there. The proceedings both at sea and on shore
were simply the result of arrangements which
had been made under the sanction of the War-office
and the Lords of the Admiralty for a combined
naval and volunteer demonstration at Southend on
Whit monday. Thus sanctioned, the five gunboats in
question—tv o of their number being the Sepoy and
the Bulldog—having on board a detachment of
Royal Marines, consisting of about 400 men, under
the orders of Vice-Admiral Sir W. J. H. Johnstone,
advanced to within about three-quarters of a mile of
the shore and, facilitated by the fire from their guns
the operation of landing the invading force in small
boats was commenced. To rebel the invaders the
West Essex Yeomanry Artillery, under Col. Palmer,
were stationed on the brow of the cliffs, having a
battery of four 6-pounders on the right and two
6 pounders, with two Armstrong guns, on the left of
the position. The 3d Essex Volunteers were also
posted—advantage being taken of the broken char-
acter of the ground—along the edge of the cliffs, in
skirmishing order. In the rear—and at as consider-
able a distance as the nature of the ground, which
was little more than a quarter of a mile square—
would admit, the Ist Administrative Battalion of the
Tower Hamlets Corps, the 3d, 10th, and 12th Tower
Hamlets, together with which a company of the
Artists' was brigaded, were drawn up in line under
the command of Lieut.-Col. Buxton. Behind these
again were the sth Essex, the Ist Essex Engineers,
and one or two other local corps. The whole force
thus drawn up was under the orders of Col.M‘Murdo.
As the Marines approached the shore in the small
boats they were subjected to a heavy fire, which
was answered with no lesavigour from the gunboats.
On they came, however, even to the very base of the
cliff, and succeeded in effecting a landing—an ope-
ration easy enough in mimic warfare, but which
they would have found scarcely possible when the
very steep nature of the ascent up which they had to
scramble is taken into account, in the face of a real
foe. Having secured a footing at the bottom of the
cliffs, despite the tremendous fire kept up bythe skir-
mishers of the 3d Essex above,the Marines formed in
column, and throwing out blank companies of skir-
mishers proceeded to ascend the slopingheights before
them. The 31 Essex, much shattered—or supposed
to be so—by the fire of those skirmishers, as well as
by that from the ships, were compelled to retire
behind the Tower Hamlets Corps, under Lieut.-Col.
Buxton, which were drawn up in line to support
them. The enemy still continued to press on, and
some admirable file-firing took place; but notwith-
standing the efficiency with which it was main-
tained on the side of the Volunteers they were
forced back half way across the limited space set
apart for the manoeuvres of the day, when being
supposed to have suffered very severely on the right
from the fire of attacking force, they changed front
their right being thrown back on the left company
of the left battalion of the line, so that they still
were between the enemy and the town which it was
their great object to defend. Col. M'Murdo also kept
a battalion i❑ quarter distance column in reserve on
the left of the line, and when the movement by
which the front of the Volunteers was charged was
executed, he caused it to deploy to the left so as to
prolong the new alignment, while the heavy guns
were brought round from their original position on
the cliffs and placed on the right of the line. Thus
with their backs to the town, the Volunteers sub-
jected their adversaries to a rapid and well-sustained
fire, while they, on their part, returned it briskly,
but were eventually supposed to have had the worst
of the encounter.

The fighting having thus been brought satisfac-
torily to a close, the various corps marched past Sir
W. J. H. Johnstone and Colonel M'Murdo, who
was accompanied by Lieutenant-Colonel C. P.
Ibbetson, Colonel Gordon, of the Royal Artillery,
and several other officers. Colonel M'Mardo
then briefly addressed the several corps, and ex-
plained to them the nature of the movements in
which they had been just engaged, pointed out that
the skirmishers had retired somewhat too hurriedly
before the attacking force, complimented them on
the readiness with which they had subsequently
reccevered their formation, and on their general
efficiency; while he thanked the Adn iral and
officers in command of the Royal Marines for the
assistance which they had rendered him in bring.
ing the proceedings of the day to a successful ter-
mination.

Mr. Weston says the cause of the postponement
of the opening of his " Retreat" at Kentish-town is the
inclemency of the weather. The real difficulty is an order
food, prohibiting the opening
of the
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