The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-06 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 6, 1865.

ments now on passage from India will be quartered
as follows on their arrival, whichjwill probably be in
the following order :—The 28th at Devonport, the
52d at Dover, the 48th at Shorncliff, the 71st at
Edinburgh, and the 81st at Portsmouth. Of the
seven battalions next to embark for foreign ser-
vice, six are withdrawn from Ireland, and the
following are likely to be sent to supply their
place :--The Ist battalion, 2d Queen's, from Devon-
port ; the Ist battalion, 3d Buffs, from Sheffield ;
the Ist battalion, Bth, from Manchester ; the 2nd
battalion, Ist Royals, from the Channel Islands; the
37th from Dover ; and the Ist battalion, 24th. The
73d will probably go to the Channel Islands in place
of the Ist Royals. The following battalions are
likely to be moved up to Aldershott in the course of
the spring and early summer :—The 92d from Glas-
gow ; Ist battalion, 13th, from Dover ; 69th from
Portsmouth ; and the Ist battalion, 21st, from
Portsmouth. The early departures from the camp
will include the 2d battalion, 60th Rifles, 59th, and
73d ; and later in the season, the Ist battalion, 14th,
62d, and 39th, which were sent up to the camp im-
mediately upon their arrival from abroad, may also
expect a turn of service in a garrison town.—Army
and Navy Gazette.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Admiral Edhem Pasha and the officers of the
Turkish squadron now at Portsmouth have issued
cards of invitation to a ball on board the Turkish
screw line-of-battle ship Kossooa to-morrow evening.
The Fox, screw store frigate, Staff-Commander
Henry A. Moriarty, arrived at Spithead yesterday
from the Mediterranean. Her dates of sailing are
—Malta, Jan. 20 ; Gibraltar, Jan. 27. No vessels
were'spoken on the passage. Strong westerly gales
were experienced.
The officers and men comprising the remainder of
the crew of her Majesty's late ship Bombay arrived
at Portsmouth dockyard by special train from
Liverpool at 1 a.m. on Saturday. The train on
arrival, passed through the terminal station of the
London and South-Western and South Coast Rail-
way Companies at Landport, and finally drew up
on the railway jetty in the dockyard, where the
Bombay's crew alighted, and embarked immediately
in boats for the three-decked training-ship Duke of
Wellington, Capt. John Seccombe, to which ship
they will be temporarily attached until the conclu-
sion of the court-martial, which will assemble on
board her Majesty's ship Victory in a few days to
inquire into the recent destruction of the Bombay
by fire off Montevideo. Rear-Admiral Sidney Col-
poys Dacres, C. 8., the present Commander-in-
Chief of the Channel Fleet, will most probably fill
the office of President of the Court.
The Urgent screw troopship, Capt. S. H. Hen-
derson, sailed from Portsmouth on Saturday, with
naval and military supernumeraries on board, for
Plymouth and the Western Ports. She returns to
Spithead.
The old sailing ship Hindostan, 72, was removed
on Saturday from Hamoaze to the Devonport dock-
yard, to be fitted as a dormitory for naval cadets
and attached to the training ship Britannia, 8, Capt.
Richard A. Powell, C. 8., at Dartmouth.
The lighter Hamoaze, J. Patten master, left
Devonport on Saturday with stores for Pembroke
dockyard.
The engines and machinery of the iron screw
steam troop hip Meginra, 6, Capt. Montagu B.
Dunn, were tested outside Plymouth breakwater on
Saturday under the instruction of Capt. Edmon-
stone. The trial was considered satisfactory.
Gen. Sir John Burgoyne and Gen. St. George,
with the other members of the commission ap-
pointed to inquire into the circumstances attending,
the position, construction, storage, and general ar-
rangements of the gunpowder magazines through-
out the kingdom, have been engaged during the
past week on their special duties in the south-
western military district. On Friday last the com-
mittee, attended by Col. Gordon, R.E., and
Colonel Elliott, R.A., commanding respectively
the Royal Engineers and Artillery in the district,
and by Principal Military Storekeeper J. Row-
land, visited the Marchwood magazines, near
Southampton, the largest establishment of
the kind in the kingdom, and on Saturday
they were engaged in inspecting the magazines
at Tipnor, at the northern extremity of Ports-
mouth-harbour, and also the magazines and labora-
tory at Priddy's-bard, opposite Portsmouth dock-
yard, and the shell magazines, &c., at the Gunwharf,
Portsmouth. The Marchwood magazines, seven in
number, average a storage throughout the year of,
as nearly as possible, 2,500 tons of gunpowder.
They stand on the western shore of Southampton-
water, about two miles distant from Southampton
pierhead. The buildings are distributed in a trian-
gular form, the seven magazines, with their exami-
nation houses, cooperage, &c., occupying two sides
of the triangle, the base being formed with the
guardhouse, offices, &c. The general plan of the
magazines is a thick wall with a light timber and
slated roof for each magazine, which is again en-
closed by a grass-grown courtyard and its massive
outer wall ; and, as a further precaution, each maga-
zine is isolated from its neighbour by earthen tra-
verses, 21 feet in height, 40 feet thick at the base,
and 5 feet at the apex. Under these condi-
tions, should one of the magazines at Marchwood
ever explode, in all human probability the force of
the explosion would be expended upwards through
the light roofing, and without setting on fire the ad-
joining magazines, or damaging the buildings or
other property in the neighbourhood. The explo-
sion of any one of the Marchwood magazines would
be, in fact, but a similar " blow up" to that of the
Federal powder-ship in front of the bastions of Fort
Fisher. The Marchwood establishment stands on
about 17 acres of ground. The Tipnor magizines
stand on a strip of salt marsh jutting into the nor-
thern extremity of the waters of Portsmouth-har-
bour, almost within the shadow of the monster cen-
tral forts on Portsdown-hill, and are about two miles
distant, measuring in a straight line from the centre
of Portsmouth dockyard. They are bomb-proof,
and therefore possessthe destructive explosive powers
lately exhibited at Erith. Their average storage is
580 tons. Priddy's-hard magazines and laboratory
are the receiving and discharging warehouse for her
Majesty's fleets at Portsmouth. It stands half a
mile distant only from the northern building shed in
Portsmouth dockyard, and is only separated by a
narrow creek from the large naval victualling estab-
lishment of the Royal Clarence-yard. It contains
three magazines, one bomb-proof and the remainder
splinter-proof. The average storage is about 2,100
barrels. The laboratory, 106 yards distant from the
nearest magazine and 180 yards from the furthest,
is almost constantly at work, and the magazines are
as constantly open. Hence, the greatest care has
to be exercised in the supervision of the establish-
ment to prevent the chance of any accident ever
occurring. The Gun-wharf shell magazines have
upon the average about 8,000 shells stored in them,
but, as each shell is securely capped and enclosed in
its own separate box, there is not much danger of
any serious accident ever occurring to them. A
visit to the Gun-wharf Armoury, which is now
undergoing a rearrangement and receiving numerous
a7tinermiw
sshiioenh'sslirab
John
at
hnßPurogrrnoeuatnh to
dhais
interesting additions of ancient armour, brought the
c
conclusion,colleagues
left by Saturday's afternoon train for London.
Col.
Elmhirst, who has lately been in
command
of the Depot Battalion at Colchester, has been ap-
pointed Deputy Quartermaster-General
at the Cape
of Good Hope. The depots of the 63d and 84th are
expected to arrive at Colchester this week. On the
breaking up of the 9th Depot Battalion a rearrange-
ment of the camp accommodation is to be carried
into effect ; the 10th Depot Battalion will occupy
A, B, and C ranges, and the 4th Depot Battalion
D, E, and F ranges.
The following appointments have been made at the
Admiralty :—Lieut. George W. Osmond to the
Niger ; Lieut. Arthur J. Villiers to the Formidable ;
James Cole, master, to the Jackal ; Sub-Lieut.
Charles S. Broome to the Niger ; Edmund W. Bust,
midshipman, to the Black Prince ; Wm. W. Dove-
ton, naval cadet, to the Niger • the Rev. James Robin-
son to be chaplain of the Meander, vice Hind ; Thos.
Potter, second master, to the Niger , • Gordon Jack-
son„rsurgeon (additional) to the Asia for the
Enchantress ; John F. Rule, assistant paymaster
(additional), to the Asia for the Enchantress; John

R. Hancock, first-class assist.-engineer (additional)
to the Cadmus ; and Charles J. Cock, second-class
assist.-engineer (additional, to the Megera.

The Volunteers.

Col. M'Murdo has been unanimously elected to
the honorary colonelcy of the Inns of Court Rifle
Volunteers, which he has been pleased.to accept,
The " inauguration" of the new head-quarters
and drill-shed for the Tottenham (33d Middlesex)
Rifle Volunteers took place on Wednesday evening last
at Tottenham. At a dinner which followed the cere-
mony Lord Enfield presided. In reply to the toast of
" the Army, Navy, and Volunteers," coupled with his
own name, Colonel M'Murdo referred to the event
which led to the organisation of the volunteer force.
He said—ln 1859 I happened to be in Paris, and I
was staying there among friends who had influence
with the French army and the French press. I be-
came aware of the most extraordinary feelings of
hostility towards this country. These feelings were
not shown in newspaper articles—the Emperor took
care of that—but in what is called society. In Paris
there existed a desire to go to war with this country.
(Hear, hear.) I was at dinner with one of the lead-
ing French journalists, and in the course of conver-
sation he said, " I am sorry for it, and I hope that
you will be prepared, but we shall invade you." I
asked what on earth we were going to fight about,
to which he replid, " I will tell you. It is
on account of your weakness." I saw that the feel-
ing was gaining ground in Paris, and I went to Mr.
Sidney Herbert, who was then Secretary of State
for War, and told him what had come under my
notice, leaving him, as War Minister, to consider
what steps should be taken for the defence of the
country. But before the Government had time to
consider what should be done it came into the
hearts of the people themselves to prepare for war,
and to train themselves for their country's defence.
The people did not want the army increased, and so
they formed themselves into that army for home
defence which now in 1865 has vastly increased
its organisation and numbers. I am going to
Paris again on Monday, . and I will pledge my
life that I shall not hear a word of what I heard
in 1859. I know that the movement has done its
work, but let no man rise up and say, " The danger
is past, why should we continue soldiering ?" The
danger has not passed ; the danger is always there.
People are well aware that at the time of which I
have spoken they could not have called upon the Go-
vernment to resist invasion upon these coasts with
anyhope of success. At that time our army estimates
amounted to £16,000,000, and we all know what
14d. in the pound income tax means. The tax is
now down to 6d., and we would rather keep it
so ; but we cannot increase the army and keep
down the taxes, and if the army is to be kept
down we must look to the people to main-
tain this movement. Last year our army estimates
amounted to upwards of £14,000,000, so that our
saving in the past was very little, and little the sav-
ing will be while we have distant little wars. Col.
M'Murdo concluded his speech by proposing the
toast of " Success to the 33d Middlesex," and in
doing so made the important announcement—which
was received with loud cheers—that the Secretary of
State for War was considering about assimilating
the Wimbledon and Hythe systems of targets. He
expressed the hope that the regiment would so increase
that he should have the pleasure of an invitation to
dinner on the enlargement of the drill hall, when he
should hope to see them with a
gymnasium, where
the young men on coming home from the city would
be able so to exercise themselves as to become able
to cope with any Zouave who might show himself
in the country. •
On Monday evening last the annual general
meeting of the 2d Tower Hamlets Rifle Volunteers
was held at their headquarters, Pembroke-hall,
Lambe-lane, Hackney. Lieut.-Col. Walker took
the chair at 8 o'clock, supported by Col. M'Murdo,
Major Samuda, and the officers of the regiment.
The report was read, from which it appeared that this
regiment had during the past year added over 46 to
its efficient strength, but that the battalion had
increased in numbers over 100, thus showing great
progress in the recruiting department. Unfortu-
nately, an injunction had been granted against the
use of the butts situate in the Plaistow Marshes,
and this had caused an expenditure of some hun-
dreds of pounds. The council, however, had no
doubt they would get assistance in raising the
sum. Colonel Walker congratulated the corps on
its recent increase, and expressed his opinion that
if an appeal were made to the inhabitants
it would be met by a liberal sum being raised
to meet the exigencies of the legal proceedings.
Major - Samuda, in seconding the adoption of the
report, stated that he thought legislative measures
should be urged so as to protect all rifle corps in
the use of their butts. Colonel M'Murdo, in refe-
rence to the butt question, said he was happy to
announce that the Secretary of State for War was
heartily with them in getting relief from Parliament.
He doubted whether, looking at the immense
amount of business already on his hands, he could
undertake the introduction of a bill ; but of this he
felt certain, that one would be introduced so as to
put these questions of danger, &c., at rest.

Vacancies, Promotions, and Appointments

in the Civil Service.

(From the Civil Service Gazette.)
FOREIGN-OFFICE.--Mr. C. B. Robertson has been ap-
pointed to a clerkship.

THE PosT-oPricV.--11r. Admiral Denman has been ap-
pointed a clerk.

CONVICT SERVICE.—Mr. Alexander Young has been ap-
pointed a clerk.

CUSTOMS.-Mr Henderson Skaif has been appointed an
extra clerk, London; Mr. James M'Culloch has been pro-
moted from the third to the second class of clerks in the tea
and East India deparment, London ; Mr. Robert Lacey
has been promoted from the fourth to the third class of
clerks in the tea and East India department, London ; Mr.
R. F. Lacon has been appointed from the fifth to the fourth
class of clerks in the tea and East India department, Lon-
don ; Mr. John Gatley has been promoted from the sixth to
the fifth class of clerks in the tea and East India depart-
ment, London ; Mr. M. J. Seymour has been promoted from
the fifth to the fourth clerkship, Cork; Mr. David Barry
has been promoted from the sixth to the fifth clerkship,
Cork ; Mr. George M. O'Neill has been promoted from the
seventh to the sixth clerkship, Cork; Mr. Donald Lennox,
out-door officer, first class, has been promoted to be exa-
mining officer, sixth class, at Glasgow ; Mr. Wm. Francis,
out-door officer, fourth class, at Belfast, has been promoted
to be examining officer, sixth class, Glasgow.
LNLAND REVENUE.-Mr. John White, clerk, second class,
secretary's office, has been promoted to be clerk, first
class; Mr. Thomas Clarence Roberts, clerk, third class,
secretary's office, has been promoted to be clerk, second
class ; Mr. John S. Purcell, clerk, fourth class, secretary's
office, has been promoted to be clerk, third class ; Mr.
William Buller Heberden, clerk, fifth class, secretary's
office, has been promoted to be a clerk, fourth class. Stamp
and Tax Branch—Messrs. Richard Coomber, Robert Jewell,
and John Aiken, have been appointed to be assistant sur-
veyors of taxes. Excise Branch—Mr. Robert Macbeth,
supervisor, Wishaw district, Linlithgow collection, has
been appointed supervisor of Dundee district, Dundee col-
lection; Mr. Donald Durran, supervisor, Dundee district,
Dundee collection,
district,:Linlithgow collection ; Mr. Thomas Rendle, officer,
has been appointed supervisor of Wishaw
Bromley, Ist division, Middlesex collection, has been ap-
pointed to be an examiner ; Mr. Edward Hoar, office;
Donne division, Stirlingcollection,
has been appointed
officer of Glasgow, 25th division, Glasgow collection ; Mr.
John Ansell Blofeld, first-class assistant, Campbelton, 18th
division, Campbelton collection, has been appointed officer
of Howden ride, York collection ; Mr. William Edward
Cheese, office; Jedburgh division,
hasbeen appointed officer of Bromley, Ist division, Mid-
dlesex collection. Haddington collection,

THE EAST INDrEs.—Mr. G.M. Ogilvie has been appointed
an assistant-commissioner of the third class in the Pun-
jaub, and posted to the Umritsur district ; Mr. T. Roberts
has been appointed an assistant-commissioner of third
class in the Punjaub, and posted to the Sealkote district ;
Lieutenant R. P. Nisbet, assistant-commissioner, has been
transferred from the Umritsur to the Jullundur district;
Lieutenant C. A. De Kantzow, assistant-commissioner, has
been transferred from Ferozepore to the Delhi district;
M. r. E. Harrison has been appointed an assistant-commis-
sioner of tho third class in the Punjaub, and posted to the
Goordaspore district.

M. F. de St. Jean, a retired merchant of Havre,
who died there three days since at the age of 76, has left a
will by which he makes that town his universal legatee on
two conditions--the first, that 300,000 fr. of the property
should be devoted to the founding of an asylum for necessi-
tous Protestants at Havre ; and the second, that a similar
sum shall be given from it for the same purpose to a town
in the north of France.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOITRNALS.

THE " SPECTATOR" ON THE MEETING OF PARLIA-

MENT.—Parliament meets on Tuesday in a time of

utter political lassitude. So far as appears on the

surface the country is careless whether it meets or