The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-17 00:00:00

211 E ARMY.

Two examinations for Direct Commissions have
boon already fixed for the present year. They will
begin on the sth of May and the 4th of August.
Various officers have joined the depots of their
respective regiments at Chatham, in accordance
with orders to that effect from the Horse Guards,
in order to go through the usual course of summer
drill with the battalions to which they are attached.

On Saturday a detachment of the depot brigade
Royal Artillery, consisting of 83 men of all ranks,
left head-quarters, Woolwich, for Sheerness, tojoin
the depot brigade at that station. A detachment of
94 men, with 4 officers, of 6 battery, 15th brigade
Royal Artillery, proceeded this morning from Wool-
wich to Shoeburyness, to go through a course of in-
struction with the Armstrong ordnance at the
School of Gunnery. A party of 70 men, with 3 offi-
cers, of the 15th brigade, 5 battery, who have com-
pleted their course of instruction at Shoeburyness,
will proceed to Woolwich to-day.

STAFF COLLEGE.
The Adjutant General of the Forces, Sir Jas. Y.
Scarlett, has promulgated a general order, dated
Horse Guards, 6th inst., with the revised " Regula-
tions for the Staff College," from which we extract

,he following particulars :—The Staff College is

open to officers of all arms of the service, and con-
sists, at present, of 30 students, admission to the
college being determined by a competitive exami-
nation. The qualifications requisite for admission
are—a previous service of not less than three years,
and certificates from the commanding officer and
-and medical men as to the candidates' fitness and
qualification for employment on the staff, c3unter-
signed the general of brigade or other superior offi-
cer :

"The competitive examination for entrance to the Staff
College comprises the following subjects, the relative value
of each at the examination being shown by the numbers at-
tached :—Mathematics, 1,200 ; military history, 600 ; mili-
tary geography, 300—together, 900 ; French, 300 ; German
300 ; Hindustani, 300 ; fortification, GOO ; military drawing,
300; mineralogy and geology, 300 ; chemistry, heat, elec-
tricity, and magnetism, 300.
"Every candidate must take up either the French, Ger-
man, or Hindustani language for qualification. The remain-
ing subjects may be taken up or not,
In the case of officers serving abroad, the examinations
of such as are allowed to compete are conducted by means
of the same printed questions as are set for the examination
of candidates in London. These questions are to be an-
swered in wilting in the presence of a board of officers,
which wilt be appointed by the general officer in command,
and which will certify that the candidate has obtained no
assistance from books or help of anykind in the examination.
" The following are the subjects of instruction at the col-
lege—viz., mathematics (the minimum course embracing
this subject up to elementary mechanics) ; French, Ger-
man, and Hindustani; fortification and artillery; topogra-
phical drawing ; military surveying and sketching; recon-
naissance ; military art ; military history and geography ;
military administration, including the organisation and
equipment of armies in the field; military legislation; ele-
ments of natural philosophy, chemistry, and geology, as
applied to the military sciences; exercise in composition
will be afforded to the students during the whole course of
instruction is writing memoirsur unsays vu iuu suoject of

the course ; riding—the course of study occupies two years
" Examinations are held at the end of every half-year,
the summer examination being conducted by the professors
of the college, and the winter examination by examiners in-
dependent of the establishment, under the superintendence
of the Council of Military Education, The winter exami-
nation at the termination of the first year of the student's
course is probationary, and any student will be required to
withdraw from the college who shall fail to obtain the mini-
mum aggregate of 1,400 marks.
" The following are the maximum number of marks
allotted to each subject at the final examination. Sub.
jects to be taken up by every student:—Fortification
and artillery, 600 marks; military drawing and sur-
veying, 350 ; reconnaissance. 350 ; military art, his-
tory, and geography, 600 ; military administration and
legislation, 600. Subjects of which the student may
select any three, one of which must be a language :
First year's course (marks carried forward), 300 marks;
spherical trigonometry and practical astronomy (marks car-
ried forward, if taken np at the probationary examination)
200 ; problems of heights and distances, mechanics, and
hydrostatics, 400 ; French, 400 ; German, 400 ; Hindustani,
400 ; any one modern language, provided one of the above
be also taken up. 400 ; natural sciences, 400 ; experimental
sciences, 400.
"Every candidate will be required to obtain for qualifica-
tion 350 marks in military drawing, surveying, and recon-
naissance, and an aggregate of 2,500 marks. No marks will
be allowed to count in modern languages if the minimum of
250 marks be not obtained in one language. In the exami-
nation in modern languages great stress will be laid on ori-
ginal composition.
" Any officer may, with the sanction of the General Com-
mandiug-in-Chief, compete at the annual final examination
without previously passing through the College and, fur-
ther, any officer who desires to enter the College for one
year only will be permitted, if there be a vacancy, to pre-
st nt himself at the first annual examination of the junior
division of students (who will then have completed their
first year, and, if qualified, may join the College accordingly.
In each case the qualifications noted above will be required.
Any officer at the College, although of the junior division,
may compete at the final examination of the senior division.
" After the final examination, the Council of Military
Education will draw up and submit for the consideration of
the General Commanding-in-Chief a list of the successful
candidates, arranged according to merit, with a special re-
port of those who particularly distinguish themselves.
" As soon as the College shall be in a position to supply
all vacancies in the Staff of the army, no officer will be ap-
pointed to the Staff who shall not have passed the final
examination of the College, with the exception of those of
the Royal Engineers and of those who attained, before the
Ist of January, 1860, the rank of Lieutenant--Colonel, and
in every case excepting officers of proved ability in the field.
" Candidates who shall have proved their fitness for em-
ployment on the Ordnance Survey, or in the Topographical
Department, by superior progress in the science of geodesy,
as well as of topography, will be named in the report of the
Council of Military Education as deserving of employment
n those services."