The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-04 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

His Royal Highness the General Commanding-
in-Chief will hold a levee at 1 o'clock on Friday
next, the 7th inst.
The 2d battalion of the 16th and the 2d battalion
of the 17th Regiments are to garrison Halifax, in
succession to the 62d and 63d Regiments, which
have been four or five years there and are now gone
to Canada.

Contrary to the usual practice, the officers and
men of the Royal Engineers at head-quarters, Chat-
ham, have been employed, without any intermis-
sion, during the whole of past winter in the out-
door field-work operations on the practising ground,
in order that the companies intended to be des-
patched to India and the colonies during the present
season may be thoroughly acquainted with the vari-
ous details connected with sapping and mining, for-
tifications, and military engineering before leaving
Chatham. There are now about 300 officers and
men employed on the field-works, the whole of
whom will have completed their coursQ of instruc-
tion on April 1. In addition to those officers and
men now under instruction a large body of Engineers
have completed their practical course on the field-
works, and these are employed in the laboratory,
workshops, schoolroom, and the various scientific
departments at the Royal Engineer establish-
ment, awaiting the orders for their trans-
fer to those companies requiring augmenta-
tion with skilled Engineers. A number of
Royal Engineers will be required for the 20th
company, which has been ordered home from Aus-
tralia after an absence of 11 years. The 20th com-
pany was employed at the Great Exhibition of
1851, and was immediately afterwards despatched

to Western Australia, to assist in the colonization
of the district around Freemantle, where the com-
pany erected the large convict establishment and
other Government buildings, and was also em-
ployed at the Great International Exhibition, as
well as the 26th company, now going through their
annual course of rifle drill, will both require aug-
mentation from the detachments at head-quarters.
A large number of men are now employed on the
marshes between the Thames and Medway, near
Chatham, in preparing the extensive tract of land
which has been purchased by the Government to
be used as a rifle-range for the officers and trooops
from Chatham garrison, who will be quartered at
Gravesend during the time they are under rifle in-

struction. The site selected is an exceedingly
secluded one, and in every respect admirably adapted
for the purposes to which it will be applied. The
hut-barracks being erected at Gravesend for the
men will be com-
cnegr
summer,s and
and will provide
quarters for about 700 officers and troops, who will
paciectoemddioudraintigontheofenosffiui
be sent from Chatham garrison as soon as the new
building are ready to receive them, and the rifle
range is prepared for their commencing practice.
The total cost of the new barracks, together with
the purchase of the land, will be about £70,000,
of which 149,600 has already been voted, leaving
the remainder to be voted during this and the next
Session. _ .

M contractors for the
newhave received an
essr
cavalrys M. L uccaams , p Barto t
ch
oe ri
es
h,
etsht
ee r ,
extension of time for the completion of the works
to 21 months. They have taken possession of the
round, and are carting upon it an enormous quan-
tity of materials and scaffolding,
so as to set a large
staff of men to work.
Lieut.-Col. Dixon, C. 8., who has for more than
12 months been incapicitated by paralysis from duty
as Commandant of the 9th battalion in Colchester
Camp, is so far convalescent that he will shortly re-
sume his duties.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.—The LObgegang
and Stabat Mater will be repeated next Friday. The Han-
del Festival ticket offices at the Crystal Palace and at
Exeter hall will be opened this morning for the issue of
tickets for the festival.

~~~~~.