The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-07 00:00:00

" I request your Excellency to be good enough
to read this despatch to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs at -, and to leave him a copy if he so
desire.

" May God preserve your Excellency.
(Signed) " PEDRO JOSE CALDERON."

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The official inspection of the new Herbert Hospi-
tal, in course of completion on Kidbrook Common,
near Woolwich, was terminated on Saturday. The
committee consisted of Capt. D. Galion, F.R.S.,
Under Secretary of State for War ; Col. J. S.
Hawkins, commanding Royal Engineer at Wool-
wich ; Capt. W. Newsome, Royal Engineers, divi-
sional commanding officer ; Mr. Mennie, surveyor
to the War Department; Mr. Ware and Mr. Tait,
clerks of the works ; and Mr. G. Myers, the build-
ing contractor. • The inspection occupied a period
of nine days, when the committee at length resolved
on the necessity of recommending that the eastern
pavilion and other portions of the building should
be partially reconstructed, and that other measures
should be taken to remedy as far is possible defects
at the base of the building, many portions of which
are tottering and unsafe, in consequence of the
yielding of the yielding of the soil. The cause of
this is that the cirtkage, by an extraordinary over-
sight, was
,0d- be laid down below instead of
above the deep layer of concrete and rubble forrp-
ing the artificial foundation. The occurrence, for
which, it is stated, the contractor is in no degree
responsible, is exceedingly unfortunate, as the struc- •
ture, in its present state, is said to have cost the
Government upwards of £300,000. The pavilion
has been " needled" or propped up, with a view of
forming a new and more lasting and solid founda-
tion without delay.
The officers of the Select Committee of Ordnance
in Woolwich Arsenal having recommended the ex-
periment of trying the advantage of wrought iron
in the place of wood, now in use, for gun carriages
for field use, their recommendation is ordered to be
put in force by the manufacture of a 9-pounder
field battery complete. A sample gun carriage in
wood, which has been made for that purpose, was
on Saturday transmitted to the fitting branch of the
carriage department in Woolwich Arsenal, with in-
structions to carry out the design from the pattern.
The framework is to be made hollow and as light as
possible, consistently with the strength required.
The wheels, limbers, ammunition boxes, and the
whole of the materials are to be exclusively of ham-
mered iron and copper, and the battery, it is calcu-
lated, will be more serviceable and durable, and will
cost less, than the appurtenances hitherto made of
wood.

In accordance with instructions from the Admi-
ralty, a formal report has been prepared by the
officials of Chatham Dockyard of the result of the
trials made at that establishment to test the working
of Aveling and Porter's steam traction-engines, one
of which has been in constant use in Chatham Dock-
yard for several weeks past for experimental pur-
poses, during which it has been put to some of the
most severe tests in all descriptions of labour. The
results have been invariably most satisfactory. The
reports made by the several heads of departments all

speak in the highest terms of the advantages result-
ing from the use of the steam traction-engine in such
an extensive establishment as Chatham, as com-
pared with the ordinary manual and horse labour.
On the score of economy the comparison is stillmore

favourable, the average cost at which one of the
steam traction-engines can be supplied for use in the
dockyard being 13s. 6d. per day, which is little more
than the contract price paid by the Admiralty for a
team of horses ; while day after day, for some weeks
past, the traction-engine has been engaged in trans-
porting loads from one end of the dockyard to the
other. This, in the ordinary way, would require as
many as 20 horses. The plans are now being the
Admiralty for laying down iron tramways through
the principal parts of Chatham Dockyard, at an
estimated cost of between £20,000 and £30,00b.
Experiments have, however, shown that three
powerful traction-engines, the cost of which would
be some £1,500, would, for all necessary pur-
poses, entirely dispense with the proposed tram-
ways, the engines answering all practical purposes,
and at the same time doing away with the large
outlay now required for the hire of the number
of horses requisite to carry on the work at that
establishment.;
-'-,-,
In order to ascertain the amount of means., tin I
assistance which could be suddenly brought to.bear
upon a fire occurring in Chatham dockyard, direc-
tions were suddenly issued to the police and other
officers at that establishment by Capt. Stewart, C. 8.,
yesterday afternoon, to attend at a fire which wag
supposed to have broken out at the extensive range
of buildings known as the storehouses, abutting on
the Anchor-wharf, and facing the river. Within
only a very few minutes after the order had been

given the whole of the police not on duty were on
the spot in their fire-clothes, with their sergeant; and

inspectors, under the direction of Mr. Superintendent
Strength, to whom all the operations were confided.
In less than 5 minutes from the alarm being passed

through the yard, five fire-engines and ten hose-reels
were before the premises stated to be on fire, and

200 men and labourers at work at the engines. At

the same time the powerful floating engine was

brought up the harbour, and within ten minutes the

floating engine, five hand-engines, and ten hose-reels

were deluging the block of buildings with water, tho
supply being apparently only limited by ..,:.kwacity
of the reservoir from which it was obtairOkgnough
water was thrown from the river and laid engines
in a quarter of an hour to extinguish the most serious
fire which could possibly occur.
The Edgar, 71, screw line-of-battle ship, Captain
Geoffrey, T. B. Hornby, flagship of Rear-Admiral
S. C. Dacres, C. 8., is preparing at Portsmouth for

a voyage to Lisbon on special service, understood
to be the investiture of his Majesty the King of
Portugal with the insignia of the Most Noble Order
of the Garter. It is stated that the Earl of Sefton

goes out to Lisbon in the Edgar as the representa-
tive of her Majesty and the bearer of the Garter to

the King of Portugal.
The court-martial on such of the officers and crew
of her Majesty's late ship Bombay as the Lords of
the Admiralty may direct will assembly on board
her Majesty's ship Victory, at Portsmouth, to-
morrow (Wednesday), at 9.30 a.m., under the pre-
sidency of Rear-Admiral Sydney Colpoys Dacres,
C. 8., the Commander-in-Chief of the Channel

Fleet. P soLratesmy,owutilili
to-day, cCat.
n frigate Valiant will afterwards
be undocked from
be placed in the same dock, and, if possible, d •
ng
the same tide.
In the Royal Naval Reserve, Robert Willia
stchreew Warriortr o9ili dock ,k at p p
Evans has been appointed honorary lieutenant. m
Tdhaey, HanilndatlialYeairot

The General Provident Society
Amongst the many----.--senoosvf
temhltaoineres introduced into tife businessassur-
ance ngoncelasare
ci a l and
sickness and incapacity. In thtiehinpoP:roerts apecknrciursothvoiftlditihenege°Gaegnaeinellt Provident Assurance Company, which will be found in
another column, it will be seen that the directors are now
prepared to issue policies to meet both the above cases.
Their present annual income amounts to £20,000, and the
directors being men of business habits and commer-
cial standing, a sufficient guarantee is given for
the faithful discharge of any liability the company
may incur. In addition to the new features we have alluded
to, the directors have carefully elaborated several other
novelties in business, which enable them to offer paid-up
policies to insurers on equitable terms; also to grant deposit
policies in lieu of fixed sums paid down, and this of itself
cannot fail to procure the General Provident a large acces-
sion of new assurers. The directors further propose to
make advances on real or personal security:in connection
with life assurance, but they wisely intend to abstain from
entertaining purely speculative proposals, wherel argeactrove-
fits are only to be secured by immense
risk The
the business
steps the directors are now taking t
of the society show that they are in earnestexte with the matter
they have in hand, and with the means they have at com-
mand success must be certain.