The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-13 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, Dec. 7.—This morning Sir Henry Stork,
received most unexpectedly, by telegraph, instruc-
tions from the Secretary of State requiring his pre-
sence in England, and he left this afternoon in her
Majesty's despatch vessel Psyche for Marseilles.
Lieut. Baring, R.A., one of his Excellency's aides-
de-camp, accompanies him. Since his residence in
Malta his Excellency has been indefatigable in mak-
ing himself acquainted with the wants of its inhabi-

tants and the best means of improving their condi-
tion; and his anxious care and wise measures during

the late visitation of the cholera have caused him to

be looked upon with the highest esteem and respect.
It is feared that he will be appointed to a more im-
portant post. The quarantine restrictions at Tri-
poli (Barbary) on arrivals from Malta have been
removed, and vessels are now admitted there in free

pratique, provided they have a clean bill of health,
and have left Malta 10 days after the occur-
rence of the last case of cholera. This new regulation
to last as long as this island enforces quarantine on

vessels arriving from infected countries. The iron-

clad frigate Caledonia, 31, bearing the flag of Rear-

Admiral H. R. Yelverton, C. 8., with the Resistance,

16, and the Enterprise, 4, iron ships, arrived on the
afternoon of the 2d inst. from Syracuse, under steam.
The Terrible, 21, paddlewheel frigate, Capt. G. J.
Napier, left port on the evening of the 2d for Corfu,
taking with her Sub-Lieut. Barnard and other super-
numeraries for the Phoebe and the Meeanee. The
Pelican, 17, Commander R. P. Cator, which left
Malta a few days ago for Bengazi, to attend on the
telegraph steamer Hawk, returned on the morning
of the 3d inst., having called at Tripoli to commu-
nicate with the British Consul-General. At 10 a.m.
on the 3d inst. signal was made from the flagship to
the fleet to dip their ensigns half-mast, on account
of the death of the flag-lieutenant to Rear-Admiral
H. Kellett, C. 8., Lieut. H. F. Campbell, who ex-
pired at the Royal Naval Hospital, Bighi, at mil-
night on Saturday. Lieut. Campbell had been suffer-
ing for some time past from a pulmonary complaint.

The Hydra, surveying steamer, Commander A. L.
Mansell, arrived on the 4th inst. from Patras. The
Gibraltar, 81, Capt. R. Coote, arrived on the 6th
inst., from Corfu, having been relieved there on the
29th ult. by the Phoebe, 35, which was placed in 11
days' quarantine. The latter vessel was to proceed
to Athens, and send the Meeanee, 81, to Malta.
The Surprise, 4, arrived at Corfu on the 23d. The
Gibraltar brings no news whatever. The Cossack,
20, Capt. R. D. White, arrived at Athens on the 2d
inst., and was to leave immediately for Boudroum.
The Royal Oak, 35, ironclad, will come out of dock
on the 9th inst., when the Tyrian, gunboat, and
Caradoc, despatch vessel, will be admitted. The
Italian ironclads Castelfidardo and San Martin!), 26-
gun frigates, will afterwards be successively taken
in. The Racoon, 22, Capt. Count Gleichen, arrived
at Gibraltar on the 25th ult., with his Royal High-
ness on board, on her way, it is said, to Madeira.
The racer, 11, screw corvette, Commander L. Brine,
left the Grand Harbour under steam at about seven
o'clock on the morning of the Ist of December, and
proceeded to the back of the island to exercise firing
at Filfla ; 22 rounds were fired of shot and shell from
three 32-pounders (smooth-bore), two 20-pounders
(Armstrong), and one 40-pounder (Armstrong),
malting good practice, the best shot being from a
smooth-bore. She returned into the Alarsamuscetto
Harbour at half-past 3 the same afternoon. The
Assurance, 4, Commander 11. B. Woollcombe, went
out of the Grand Harbour on the sth inst. for target
practice, and returned into the Marsamuscetto Har-
bour in the evening.

The flags throughout Woolwich and Portsmouth
garrison were hoisted during Monday and yesterday
at half-mast, in sign of mourning for the death of
the King of the Belgians.
The troops in garrison at Woolwich yesterday
marched out and continued a series of instructive
parades, commenced a few days ago at Chiselworth,
which are intended to be repeated at intervals dur-
ng the available portion of the present season.
Yesterday they assembled on Bostol-heath at 11
a.m. The sth Brigade Royal Artillery, accompanied
by two batteries of the 4th Brigade, marched

over Plumstead-common, and took up a position on
the heath, facing Bexley and Crayford. The sth
Brigade formed in quarter-distance column, right
in front, with a battery of the 4th Brigade on
each flank. The Royal Marines marched by the
lower road,. through Pluinatead, and were accom-
panied by two batteries of the Depot Brigade. They
took up a position on their arrival on the heath in
quarter-distance column, right in front facing Bel-
videre and Erith, with a battery also on each flank.
The battery of the B Brigade Royal Horse Artillery,
escorted by a party of the Riding Troop, marched
by Shooter's-hill to Crayford, and on their arrival
they were disposed in such a manner as to watchthe
country to the south-east, and to announce, by sig-
nals prepared for that purpose, the advance of a
hostile army presumed to be approaching in that
direction. The C Brigade Royal Artillery, escorted
by a party of the Riding Troop, marched by the
lower road from Plumstead Church to Abbey-wood,
and were posted there, in a most effective position,
to watch and check the enemy supposed to be ad-
vancing from the east and north-east. The main
body were thus protected on each flank by horse
artillery and cavalry, represented by the Riding
Troop. Each of the battery guns was supplied with
15 rounds of blank ammunition, and the infantry
with 10 rounds per man. On the arrival of Major
Gen. Warde, commanding the district, who was ac-
companied by the full garrison staff, the force threw
out skirmishers and divisions of artillery, supported
by companies of infantry, and proceeded cautiously,
reconnoitring the country towards Erith and Bexley.
On hearing the guns of the horse artillery, who had
commenced an engagement with the enemy, they re-
tired, and took up positions in succession, whichwere
pointed out to the officers in command of columns by
Capt. Naugle, Deputy Assist.-Quartermaster.-Gen.
A final stand was then made on the brink of the
westernmost ravine on Plumstead-common, after
-which Gen. Warde addressed the officers command-
ing, and desired them to convey his statements to the
men. He said his object in these exercises was
to put into active practice a course of drills which
the soldier could not fail to feel interest in. He
45
Congratulated them on the efficiency of the day's
proceedings, and added that he had the greatest
satisfaction in telling them that th • eir performances
had completely verified his. anticipations. The troops
then marched back to quarters, where they arrived
at 2 o'clock, their dinners awaiting their return.
The Minotaur, iron frigate, Capt. A. Herbert,
pro tern., is ordered by the Admiralty to remain atl
Portsmouth until a change in the weather offers a
fitting opportunity for a satisfactory trial of the
12-ton broadside gun -carriages she has on board.
At present the barometer is steady at an unusual
height, with the wind at N.E., and perfectly smooth
water along the English land in the Channel.
Under such circumstances there can be no prospect
of the Minotaur meeting with weather sufficiently
rough for the requisite trials in the Channel, and to
trust her out of its limits would not be prudent in
her present condition. In the meantime, therefore,
unless fresh orders are given, the frigate will watch
for the desired Channel gale from her moorings in
Portsmouth harbour.
The A-legra, screw troopship, Commander M.
Dunn, arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from the
Mediterranean, with dates from Malta, Nov. 27,
and Gibraltar, Dec. 5. 'The
Orlando, screw frigate,
cap._ J. B. Dickson, sailed from Gibraltar on the
same day as the Alegra, and parted company
off Cape St. Vincent. She is bound for Ply-
mouth. Fine weather has been experienced by
the Megaera during her passage g home. Her
passenger list comprises Lieutenant Hutchins, p
from her Majesty's ship Orlando; Mr. Sutton,
from her Majesty's ship Terrible ; Lieut. Free-
man, 4th Regiment', in military charge of troops
on board, and Dr. Donaldson, in medical charge ;
132 invalided and time-expired soldiers from various
regiments in the Mediterranean, with 29 women
and 7 children, and 7 seamen and marines from
the Mediterranean squadron. The Megsera will
go into Portsmouth harbour this morning to
disembark the troops, and then sail for Woolwich.
A vacancy will be made among the naval aides-
de-camp to her M •
ajesty by the promotion of Capt.
James C. Cain, C. 8., who obtains flag rank by

the removal of Admiral Henry Smith, C. 8., from
the active list of Admirals.

A trial of the engines of the Agincourt, 26, of
6,621 tons, was made at Plymouth on the 12th Oct.,
when a speed of nearly 14 knots was attained. Her
draught on that occasion was 23ft. 4in. forward, and
25ft. 2in. aft. She was tried again on Monday, when
her draught was 2in. less by the bow. Between the
two trials some alterations have also been made in
her machinery. The sea on Monday was what is
termed rather " nobbly," but comparatively smooth;
force of wind from 3to 6. Four trials under full
boiler power at the measured mile gave the follow-
ing results :—A mean speed of 15.483 miles ; revo-
lutions, 61k; mean pressure on boilers, 251 b.; va-
cuum, forward, 251 b. ; aft, 2511 b. The Agincourt,
which was built at Birkenhead, went through the
water without any swell at her bows.
Letters received at Plymouth state that the screw
steam frigate Orlando, 46, Capt. John B. Dickson,
arrived at Gibraltar on the 4th and left for England
on the sth inst. She will bring 42 invalids from Gib-
raltar, where she also shipped some ordnance stores.
The Prussian frigate Venita left Plymouth on
Sunday for Rio de Janeiro
The screw steam frigate Liffey, 39, recently re-
turned from the West Indies, is now in Keyham
Steamyard for the purpose of being advanced to the
first division of the Steam Reserve.

The experimental trial of a portable fire extin-
guisher, a French invention, was made on Monday
at Portsmouth, in the presence of Rear-Admiral Su-
perintendent G. G. Wellesley and the chief officials
of the dockyard. On a piece of unoccupied ground
outside the dockyard walls was erected for the pur-
pose of testing the extinguisher a wooden hut, about
I.sft. square and 30ft, in height to the apex of the
roof. The inner walls were hung with shavings from
the carpenters' shop, sprinkled with naphtha and coal
tar, and a heap of shavings, an empty tar-barrel,
and pieces of wood sprinkled with naphtha and tar
were placed in the middle of the floor. The hut
was closed at all points except one, and here the ab-
sence of planking from the framework of one of its
sides to a height of about sft. from the ground gave
a means of egress to the operator with the fire-ex-
tinguisher, and the only means of egress to the fire
and smoke until the walls or roof of the building
should be burnt through. On another part of the
ground was a wooden tank, about sft. broad and
30ft. long, in which was a quantity of tar covered
with shavings and sprinkled with naphtha, while close
by was a tar-barrel covered with headings and
staves of a similar barrel broken up, and shavings.
A fire-engine, manned by the dockyard police fire
brigade, was placed in position near the hut to ren-
der assistance if required, and to afford a means of
comparison by its fire-extinguishing powers. The
extinguishing apparatus to be tried consisted of a
metal cylindrical vessel, of a size rendering it easy
of transport when slung by canvas straps on the
back of the operator. At the bottom of the vessel
is a tap, to which is attached a flexible tube, having
a nozzle with a small aperture for the discharne of
the contents of the cylinder in attacking the fire.
The cylinder was stated to be charged with a com-
pressed carbonaceous gas and water. On the arrival
of Admiral Wellesley and his officers on the ground
two persons representing the patentee slung each a
cylinder on his back, and took up positions close to
the hut, which was selected as the first test and
fired. Dense smoke, with flames, issued from the
open space in the wall of the hut, at which the two
cylinder-bearers squirted their jets of gas-charged
water. After a minute or so the flames roared and
cracked louder than ever, and, leaping out of the
hut through the black smoke, drove operators and
spectators to a safe distance, while the fire fed upon
and consumed all the light materials inside the hut,
and at length ignited the damp wooden slabs which
formed its walls, when the patent fire-extinguishers
gave in, and the building was handed over to the

police fire brigade, who quickly deluged it inside and
out with water, and saved it for further experiments
on another day. The tar-barrel was afterwards set
fire to, the shavingsbeing first removed from it, and
the fire was effectually extinguished by the gaseous
water from the cylinders. The tank was next fired,
and here again the fire was subdued. In both these
instances, however, the fire had obtained no hold,
the flame no sooner making its appearance than it
was at once attacked and literally " damped" out.
The trial is to be repeated, subject to certain modifi-
cations in the arrangement of the inflammable sub-
stances, when the new cylinderfire extinguisher may
possibly meet with better success.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Capt. i\l. De Courcy to the
ItoyalAdelaide, additional, for servicein the Topaze ;
Commander F. G. Suttie, to be re-appointed to the
Salamis when that vessel is re-commissioned ; Com-
mander L. F. Jones to be inspecting commander in
the Coastguard Service, vice Helby, resigned ; E.
Monrilyan, master, to the Irresistible, for service in
the Coastguard ; and John J. P. Hitchfield, master,
to the Cumberland, for service in the Pallas.