The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-07 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, as
Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, held a levee
yesterday afternoon, at the Horse Guards. Upwards
of 100 officers had audience of his Royal Highness.
On Monday the horses of the 16th Lancers were
given over to the 17th Lancers, and yesterday the
16th Lancers were encamped under canvass in the
Abbey Farmfield, Colchester, pending their depar-
ture from that town en route for Bangalore.
The 9th company Royal Engineers, some time
under orders for the Mauritius, yesterday left Wool-
wich for Chatham. The company consisted of Capt.
Rimington, Lieut. Pillean, and 83 non-commis-
sioned officers and privates. The company was in
readiness for embarkation, and the men had under-
gone the necessary medical attestation, when the
order for their departure for the Mauritius was can-
celled, and they were despatched to Chatham for
the present, their ultimate destination being Ber-
muda.

The Midsummer public examination of the cadets
at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and the
distribution of prizes by the Duke of Cambridge,
Governor, Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief of
the Army, is fixed to take place on Thursday, the
22d inst.

The Research, 4, screw iron-cased sloop, Capt.
Arthur Wilmshurst, arrived at Spithead yesterday
morning from the Nore. Her four 9.22 inch 100-
pounder smooth-bore guns are mounted on diffe-
rent carriages for experimental purposes, two being
of the old Woolwich pattern, one on the improved
Arsenal pattern, and, like the old pattern, of wood,
and the remaining carriage of the four of iron, on
the plan submitted to the Admiralty by Commander
Scott, R.N. So far as the trials of the carriages
have yet gone, the plan of Commander Scott has
proved superior to the others in all respects. It re-
quires only nine men as the gun's crew, while the
otheis require 19, and at the same time it enables
its gun to be discharged 15 per cent. quicker than the
others. According to these results it therefore
appears to be very superior to any other ship broad-
side gun-carriage we at present possess.
The Royal Sovereign, 5, iron-cased turret-ship,
steamed out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday morn-
ing and anchored at Spithead preparatory to a series
of trials being made off the Isle of Wight with her
guns and turrets, under the superintendence of
Capt. Astley Cooper Key, C. 8., of her Majesty's
gunnery ship Excellent. The general nature of the
arrangement is that the ship shall anchor at the
close of each day's trial at Spithead or St. Helen's,
so that Capt. Key may not neglect his other and
multifarious duties connected with the Excellent and
the Royal Naval College. It is not contemplated in
these trials to do more than seek a swell to test the
guns and turrets in their general working, such as
would be met with in the Channel in a seagoing
ship. As regards these proposed experiments we
may observe that Capt. Sherard Osborne completely
exhausted the subject during the period he com-
manded the ship on her cruise between the Isle of
Wight and Portland, and would suggest that the
best course to pursue now to obtain new and valu-
able data on such an important matter would be to
allow Capt. Key to take the Royal Sovereign on a
cruise as far as Lisbon, and pick up the materials
for his report in the Bay of Biscay.
The Orestes, 21, screw corvette, 1,715 tons and
400-horse power of engines, Capt. Alan 11. Gar-
dener, arrived at Spitehead yesterday morning from
the Cape of Good Hope, on the completion of her
term of foreign service, and will proceed round to
Sheerness to dismantle and pay out of commission.
On anchoring she exchanged the customary salutes
with the Victory, lying in Portsmouth harbour, the
flagship of Port-Admiral and Naval Commanaer-
in-Chief Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.B. The
Orestes sailed from the Cape on the 15th April and
called in at Ascension on May 3.
Commander C. G. Nelson has been appointed to
the command of the screw gun vessel Torch, on the
West Coast of Africa station, vice Douglas, in-
valided.

The Basilisk, 6, paddlewheel sloOp, 1,031 tons,
400-horse power, having completed extensive altera-
tions and repairs in her machinery in Sheerness dock-
yard, was yesterday taken to the measured mile off
Maplin. Sands, for an official trial of her engines.
The vessel was in charge of Commander J. Barrow,
Commander of the Sheerness Steam Reserve ; Mr.
J. irniLair‘rt, sen., chief engineer, and Mr. S. L.
Townsend, foreman of the factory, being likewise
present. The following were the results of the trial:
—Average speed at full boiler power, 9.651 knots ;
ditto, at half boiler power, 8197 knots ; draught of
water, forward, 16ft. 7in. ; aft, 15ft. lin. ; load on
safety valve, 121 b.; pressure of steam, 121 b.; vacuum,
251; revolutions of engines, full power, 16.75 ; ditto,
at half power, 13.5; force of wind, 1 to 2. The time
occupied in turning the circle, at full power, with
helm to starboard 34.5 deg., was 5 min. 17 sec. —the
diameter of the circle being 420. At half boiler
power the time occupied was 6 min. 33 sec., with
helm to port 36 deg. The vessel had 280 tons of coal
on board and six months' stores. The engines worked
satisfactorily, and there were no hot bearings. The
boilers produced agood supply of steam without prim-
ing. The result of the trial was highly satisfactory.
The screw steam tender Dapper left Plymouth on
Monday for Dartmouth.
The Channel squadron, under command of Admi-
ral Dacres, passed down off Plymouth on Monday
afternoon.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Staff Commander F. J. E. Evans
to be chief assistant to the Hydrographer ; W. Mayes,
master, to the Fisgard, additional, as superintendent
of compasses; G. Tucker, promoted to be inspector
of machinery afloat, and appointed to the Cumber-
land as additional for service of the Reserveat Sheer-
ness, vice Williamson • Jesse Bridgman, chief engi-
neer, to the Cumberland, as additional in charge of
engines of the Charybdis; Commander W. 11. Fen-
wick, to the Chanticleer, vice Commander Risk, pro-
moted; Commander the Hon. F. W. Charteris, to
be an Inspecting Commander in the Coastguard,
vice Agnew, whose period of service has expired.

SOUTH WALES COAL IN THE LONDON MARKET.—
During the year 1864 the quantity of Welsh coal
consumed in the metropolis did not exceed 3 per cent. of
the total consumption, although the district is considerably
nearer to London than the north of England coalfields,
and the quality of its coal is generally admitted to be ex-
cellent. Taking the aggregate total of coal raised in the
United Kingdom, South Wales ought, in proportion to the
quantity worked in the district, to send at least six times
the quantity to London. Want of railway facilities is the
sole cause of this state of things ; but if two bills promoted
in the present session of Parliament are successful this will
not be the case long. The bills referred to aro the Great
Western and the South Wales Direct, and the Severn
Junction—the chief object of the promoters of which is to
develop° the coal traffic from South Wales to the metro-
polis. At present the tonnage rates• for coal from the
Aberdare Valley to London average from 10s. 6d. to
per ton, but if the new schemes are carried out the rates
will be reduced to from Gs. 6d. to 75., being a reduction of
48. per ton, which will enable the Welsh colliery proprie-
tors to compete successfully with Newcastle coal. There
is no doubt entertained that once South Wales coal is sold
in London at 3s. to 4s. per ton below present quotations
there will bo a largo increase in the demand, and the con-
suming public of the metropolis will he materially bene-
fited by the competition that will thus arise between Welsh
and North of England coal.

SUICIDE OF A PAWNDEOKER.—On Saturday an
inquest was held in Poplar respecting the death of Mr.
french, aged 65 years. Deceased was a pawnbroker, and
recently had experienced a heavy loss by his houso and
premises being burnt down. The death of his wife affected
his mind, and on Thursday night last he was found with
his throat cut, and died from the injuries, after having pre-
viously made an attempt at self-destruction. The jury,
having heard all the evidence, returned a verdict that de-
ceased committed suicide while in a state of unsound
mind.

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RAILWAY AND OTHER COMPANIES.

NORTH BRITISH.

'DON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 7, 1865.

An adjourned meeting was held at Edinburgh on
Monday, Mr. Sprot, deputy-chairman, presiding,
when the bill for the great Forth-bridge scheme re-
ceived the approval and sanction of the shareholders.
The meeting was adjourned to consider the Carlisle
station and the North British and Edinburgh and
Glasgow Amalgamation bills.