The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

thelnAadcdceorr,dLanocouse wt t 1];
so rtd:oerr,s
areceivedo n akto
yC, hath a
paddle-
wheel steamers, will proceed to-day to the Vic-
toria docks for the purpose of being in attendance
on the iron-clad frigate Minotaur, 26, 6,621 tons,
1,350-horse power, Mr. F. Inglis, master in charge,
on the occasion of her proceeding round from the
Thames to the Medway for the purposes of being
equipped for sea. According to present arrange-
ments the Minotaur will proceed as far as Greenhithe
on Monday, and bring up for the night, proceeding
the following morning under steam to Sheerness.
Each of the steamers accompanying her will take a
supply of coal for the Minotaur.
Her Majesty's screw frigate Phaeton, 39, 2,396
tons, 400-horse power, Capt. George Le G. Bow-
year, was put out of commission and the crew paid
off yesterday, the frigate being placed in the third
division of the Chatham steam reserve in the
Medway. The Phaeton has been three years and
a half in commission, during which period she
was attached to the North America and West
India squadrons. The detachment of Royal
Marines, under the command of Capt. C. B. Snow,
was landed at Chatham from the Lizard steamer.
The whole of the continuous service men have been
granted six weeks' leave of absence. From:the length
of time the Phaeton has been in commission she will
require some extensive repairs to both her hull and
machinery before she again hoists the pennant.
Her Majesty's iron troopship Urgent, 1,981 tons
and 400-horse power, Capt. Samuel Henderson,
arrived and made fast at the Royal Arsenal Pier,
Woolwich, yesterday morning, having disembarked
troopsafrom Plymouth on
distribution. the previous day at South-
ndfibution. Soon after the
en dGravesend
arrival of the Urgent at Woolwich she was officially
f
inspected by C apt. Naugle, Deputy Assist. Quarter-
master- Gen., R.A., preparatory to the embarkation
of the left wing of the sth Fusileers, under orders
for Birr, to join the remainder of the regiment.
Capt. Nangle gave a highly favourable report of the
general accommodation on board the Urgent,
which he stated as both exceedingly clean and
healthful. The troop arrangements between
decks are excellent, and the spacious berths
appropriated for the use of the soldiers'
wives and families are fitted • with a degree
of comfort and attention to sanitary requirements
only to be found in ships of the Urgent and Hima-
laya class. Since the commencement of last month
the Urgent has been constantly engaged in the troop
service. She has removed upwards of 5,000 men
and their families from Woolwich and other stations
during that period, by orders issued from the Horse
Guards, under the direction of the Board of Admi-
ralty. The Bth, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th compa-
nies of the .Ist battalion sth Fusileers having been
inspected on the Royal Artillery parade by Col.
Mundy, acting in the absence on leave of Major

General Warde, C. 8., commandant, marched down
to the pier yesterday at noon, embarked their bag-
gage, and went on board. They consisted of the
following strength:—Major Bigge, Capts. Pender,
J. R. Newbolt, and E. Hoare; Lieuts. J. Hartley,
A. Nicols, J. S. Bradshaw, 11. R. W. Miles, and
J. H. Clutterbuck ; Ensigns W. Bingham, E.
Drew, T. A. Cooke, F. J. Dalton ; Assist.-
Surg. E. L. Hiffernan, 245 non-commissioned offi-
cers and men, 37 women, and 42 children. The
Urgent also embarked the whole of the baggage and
the dismounted party of Major Green's C battery,
B Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery, likewise for Ire-
land, the mounted party being ordered to march on
the Ist of April. She is under orders to leave Wool-
wich this morning at 8 a.m., and embark the depot
of the 81st Regiment at Gravesend, for Gosport, to
await the arrival of the regiment from India. She
will then proceed to Queenstown.

The new arrangements for keeping dockyard ac-
counts will come into operation on the Ist of April
next. A new officer has been appointed in each
yard, under the title of " cashier," and the office of
" store receiver" has been abolished. Mr. R. G.
Hobbes, who for some time has been the accountant
at Sheerness, will resign his appointment on Satur-
day next for that of " cashier," to which office he
has, at his own request, been appointed at the same
salary as he received while accountant--viz., £5OO
per antum. Mr. J. Horsey, senior audit clerk at
Portsmouth dockyard, has been appointed accoun-
tant, in the room of Mr. Hobbes, at a salary of
£5OO per annum, and Mr.-3'V.-L. Freenan stole -Au,
ceiver, is about to retire on superannuation on the
abolition of the office as above stated.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE,

NORTH BRITISH.

The half-yearly meeting was held at Edinburgh
on Thursday. Mr. Hodgson presided.
The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was held as read.

The CHAIRMAN congratulated the shareholders
upon the condition of their property. The rolling
stock and permanent way were both in excellent
condition, and the trains kept time with punctuality.
Although some might have expected a larger divi-
dend than 21 per cent. per annum, he, for one, was
contented to see it gradually increase. If the divi-
dend was not high, it must be recollected that every
shareholder had had the option of taking up about
£44 or £45 worth of preference for every £lOO of
ordinary stock whieh he held, and on that pre-
ference stock he was getting sto 5 per cent. The
joint purse arrangement with the Edinburgh
and Glasgow had, he thought, benefited both
parties, and, though the dividend of that company
had increased by 1 per cent., while theirs had only
been increased by k per cent., they must recollect
that the previous dividend of the Edinburgh and
Glasgow had been depressed by the heavy compen-
sations payable on account of the Winchburgh acci-
dent. Of the bills this company had before Parlia-
ment the one of greatest importance to them was the
Forth-bridge Bill. Without that bridge the traffic of
this company would never be satisfactorily developed.
The opposition to it was based on the questions of
foundations and estimates, and on the supposed ob-
stacles to the navigation, but the Board of Trade
report on the last point, and the evidence of Mr.
Bouch, the engineer, and other eminent engineers
who would be brought to‘support him, would show
that the foundations were all that could be desired,
and that the bridge could be erected for the esti-
mated cost. The next scheme in point of importance
was the Bridge of Tay, which was promoted by a
local company, supported by the North British. The
various bills before Parliament were all, he thought,
susceptible of amicable adjustment as between the
rival companies, except that of the Caledonian, for
a line to Lasswade and Penecuick, which must be
opposed as encroaching on a district which this com-
pany had hitherto served. The capital which this
company proposed to raise for the purposes of the
bills before -Parliament was £565,700, this CoM-
Ptily'S cciniiibilton To forth-bridge beg
£395,000. The above sum is exclusive of £187,500,
this company's moiety of the expenses of the Tay
bridge. One of the company's bills in Parliament
was for an access to the Citadel station, Carlisle, in-
dependent of the Caledonian, and for forming a new
goods station, probably along with the Midland,
with which the directors thought the bonds should
be drawn as close as possible.
_ _

Mr. SPROT seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report.

Mr. A. ARKLAY complained that the promise of
a 3 per cent. dividend had not been realised, although
the anticipated addition of £2,000 a week had been
made to the traffic. lie thought it was time that the
system of amalgamations, leases, and extensions was
at an end.

After some discussion on the Sunday question, the
motion of the chairman was unanimously agreed to,
dividends were declared as recommended in the re-
port, the retiring directors were re-elected, and a
vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro-
ceedings.