The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-25 00:00:00

711 E NAVY.

The presentation of the Victoria Cross to William
'Odgers, captain's coxswain of her Majesty's ship
Cambridge, for conspicuous and daring bravery at
the storming of a pah in New Zealand, on March
28, 1860, took place yesterday, in the Government
Parade-ground, Devonport. Odgers was specially
recommended for this honourable distinction by his
late commander, Capt. Cracroft, RN., who in a
letter, dated her Majesty' ship Niger, Taranaki,
March 31, 1860, appended to a despatch from Com-
mander Loring, thus alluded to his gallant conduct :
S' As there was only half an hour's daylight left,
I determined to attack the pah at once. Accordingly
I planted the 24-pounder rocket tube about 700
yards from it, and after a few discharges the men
stormed the pah, under a heavy fire, in the most gal-
lant style, Wm. Odgers, leading seaman, doing duty
as my coxswain, being the first man in it." In a sub-
sequent despatch Capt. Cracroft specially alluded
to the " conspicuous gallantry" of Odgers ; and also
mentioned the names of Robert Glanville, William
Older, seamen, and W. Clarke, a marine, be-
longing to the Iris, as being worthy of the deco-
ration of the Victoria Cross for their bravery
on the occasion referred to, when the men men-
tioned eagerly contested with each other for
the possession of the enemy's flag. In accordance
-with the recommendation of Capt. Cracroft, the
Victoria Cross, which also carries with it a pension
of £lO per annum, was conferred upon Odgers, as
being the first who entered the pah; and as it was
desired that the presentation should tf ke place in
the most public manner, the authorities of the dis-
trict decided upon having a naval and military
review. Accordingly the naval brigade, under
command of Capt. Heath, consisting of between 400
and 500 men from her Majesty's gunnery ship
Cambriige, and a number of second-class boys from
her Majesty's ships Impregnable and Implacable,
were landed and marched to Mount Wise. Four
companies of the Royal Marines—all that could be
spared from duty—were also present, and the fine
band of that corps; the command of the whole de-
volving upon Colonel-Commandant Holloway, Royal
Marines. Brigade-Major Kirk acted as field officer,
lieut. F. Nicholson, her Majesty's ship Cambridge,
being in charge of the " blue Jackets," who were
dressed in white frocks and duck trousers. The
gallant fellows presented a very fine appearance,
arid their evolutions were warmly commended,
especially the celerity which they displayed in un-
limbering their 12-pounder field-pieces, and getting
them into position again—the latter process occupy-
ing only 50 seconds from the time the men rallied
from behind the infantry square where they had
obtained (so to say) refuge from the enemy's cavalry.
The presentation of the cross was made by Vice-
Admiral Sir Houston Stewart, K.C.B. Among the
officers present to witness the ceremony were Major-
General Hutchinson, in command of the western
district, and Staff, and Admiral Sir Thomas Sabine
Pasley. The review, which was preliminary to the
presentation, commenced about half-past 10. The
battalion was drawn up in line and received the gal-
lant Port-Admiral and party with a general salute
in advancing. The men were then put through a
series of evolutions which were all satisfactorily per-
formed, the skirmishing of the Cambridge men being
especially satisfactory. The artillery were under the
charge of Lieut. S. G. Price, of her Majesty's ship
Cambridge. At the termination of the review the men
were drawn up in three sides of a square, the side
faces oblique. Admiral Sir Houston Stewart said
they had assembled by her Majesty's command,
which had been graciously announced to him,
to du honour to a gallant sailor, who, in the hour
of danger and of difficulty showed himself to be
made of true British stuff. (Cheers.) The Admiral
read the official notice in the Gazette confirming
the cross on W. Odgers, and proceeded to explain
the circumstances under which the order was in-
stituted by her Majesty at the close of the Russian
war. The substantial addition to this reward of
courage was this—that any warrant -officer, sea-
man, soldier, or marine was entitled for life there-
after to £lO sterling per annum ; and P.S two years
and a quarter had elapsed since Odgers was named
for this distinction, he would now receive an order
on the paymaster for £22 10s. The Admiral then
affixed the riband and cross to the breast of
Odgers, between two other medals for service.
Odgers desired the Admiral in an under tone to
convey to the Queen his deep sense of the honour
conferred upon him. He requested also that it
should be distinctly stated that " there were many
men as good as himself present at the storming of
the pah ; but that it happened to be his good
fortune to get in first." The Admiral in con-
clusion requested three cheers for the Queen, which
was loyally responded to. Three cheers were then
given for Odgers and the proceedings terminated.
The Warrior, iron frigate, Capt. Hon. A. A.
Cochrane, C. 8., took in yesterday at Spithead her
powder and shell in readiness for sea. The Royal
Alfred, converting at Portsmouth from a 91-gun
screw liner to a 51-gun screw iron-cased frigate, is
ordered to be prepared to receive an armament of
34 guns only, in lieu of the 51 as originally in-
tended to have been given to her. Her newly
organised armament now comprises—For the main
deck, twenty-four 68 pounders of 95 cwt. each,
10ft. long, and eight 100-pounder Armstrongs of 82
cwt. each, 10ft. long ; all on rear-chock carriages
with directing bars_ For the upper deck—two 110-
pounder Armstrongs of 82 cwt. each, 10ft. long, on
revolving carriages. Her field guns and guns for the
boom boats will be the same in number and de-
scription as those apportioned for the Achilles
iron frigate building at Chatham.
Sir R. M. Bromley, K.C., Accountant-General of
the Navy, and Mr. W. H. W. N. Walker, Inspector
and Auditor of Yard Accounts, from Somerset House,
are now on an official visit to Devonport.
The Columbine,
which was recently 4, screw steamaloop, 669 tons,
launched at Deptford, and fitted
at Woolwich with direct action horizontal engines
of 150 nominal and 600
Indicated horse power, by
the Greenock Foundry Company, previous to being
reserve
placed in the steam -
at Sheerness, was taken
on trial at the measured mile
at the Mapling Sands
yesterday.
The results weremos,, satisfactory. She
attained an
average speed of 10 643 knots
per hour
with full boiler power, and la knots per hour with
1
She made 103 revolutions of
half-boiler power.
-; vacuum,
engines; her pressure of steam vita 20,,
in
25 ; her Griffith's sere w has a pitch of 13ft.,
and a
diameter of 10ft. ; her draught of water at t Naas 12ft.
7in., and forward 91t. 7113- The vessei Was in charge
of Capt. T. P. Thompson, of the steam reserve, and
the engines were in charge of me. Lamont, Who re_
presented the contractors. Mr. S. Townsend, fore.
man of the engineering department of her Majesty's
Dockyard, and Mr. Ashworth attended on the part
of the Admiralty.
Ca
The hired transport St. Lawrence, apt . Toynbee,
al Ex-
belonging to Mr. T. W. Smith, of the Ray
changebuildings, was four miles south of the Ra me
Head, Plymouth, at 11 o'clock yesterday morning,
all well, under three topgallant sails and flying jib,
with the wind from west-south-west, bound to the
Cape of Good Hope and Calcutta.
The military rifle-match at Caesar's Camp, Alder-
shot, was brought to a successful termination yester-
day. The attendance was larger than on any of
the preceding days, and the weather was well
adapted for shooting. The regiments represented
at the butts comprised not only all those quartered
at Aldershot, but several from Portsmouth, Shorn-
cliffe, Chatham, London, and more remote stations.
The band of the 20th Regiment was in attendance
yesterday. The first prize shot for yesterday was
the Volley Stakes, £lO. Each regiment one sec-
tion of 10 files, in tunics, forage caps, accoutre-
ments, knapsacks, and greatcoats. 400 and 600
yards. Best section, £5; second best, £3; third
best £2. Fifteen regiments contributed competi-
tors for the prize. The following shows the average
each regiment :—The
number of marks obtained bybattalion2d Regiment,
ent 18.75 ; let
76th Regiment,
.0 • lot battalion
18.45; 2d battalion Ist Regiment, 17.55; 61st Re-
giment, 17 Grenadier Guards,
i
16.70 ; Ist battalion 60th Regiment,16 .O ;3d bat-
talion Grenadier Guards, 16 60 ; lat batt r
a lon Scots
Fusiliers, 16.59 ; 2d battalion Grenadier Guards,
18.45; 37th Regiment, 15.90; 26th Caraerouiatis.
15.0©; let battalion Bth Regiment, 14'95: 2d bat-
talion 20th Regiment, 14-45 ; Ist battalion sth Re.
ant, 12.25 ; 64th Regiment, 10.20. A protest

in this match was entered by the section of the Ist
battalion Bth Regiment on the ground that when
kneeling about 2 feet of the target 'A as visible.
A meeting onlyo of the committee was held in reference
to the matter, when the decision was k; :yen against
the Bth Regiment.

The non-commissioned officers' prize of £lO 10s.,
presented by Mr. Truefitt for all non-commissioned
officers above the rank of corporal, 500 and 600
yards, was next competed for, The first prize was
for five guineas, the second prize three guineas, third
prize two guineas; 146 entered. After firing off
the ties the winners were placed in the following
order:-Ist, Serg, Chamberlain, 2d battalion Ist
Royal, 16 points, 10 bits, 26 marks ; 2d, Serg.
Walsh, 37th Regiment, 17 points, 9 hits, 26 marks ;
3d, Serg. Thompson, 76th Regiment, 17 points, 10
hits, 26 marks. The last event of the day was the
Rifle Derby, open to all corners, which, contrary to
general expectation, was not so well patronised as
that of last year, when there were 17 entries at £1
each. The number then was less than had been
anticipated, and it was supposed that by reducing
the entrance fee to one-half the former amount the
number of competitors on the present oc-
casio❑ would be considerably increased. Such,
however, was not the result, only eight
having entered at 10s. each. The distances were
500 and 600 yards. The use of any rifle not exceed-
ing 10Ib. in weight was permitted in this match,
and the marksman was at liberty to choose his own
position. The following is a list of the competitors,
with their respective total of marks. At 500 yards:
—Capt. Bland, 76th Regiment, made 13 points, 5
hits, 18 marks ; Lieut. Chatfield, 2d battalion 20th
Regiment, 8 points, 5 hits, 13 marks ; Capt. White,
2d battalion Ist Regiment, 9 points, 5 hits, 14
marks ; Lieut. Lacy, 2d battalion, 12th Regiment,

10 points, 5 hits, 15 marks; Ensign Stourton, 78th
Regiment, 9 points, 5 hits, 14 marks; Lieut. Wal-
linger, Royal Engineers, 7 points, 4 hits, 11 marks;
Capt. Fletcher, Military Train, 7 points, 5 hits, 12
marks; Lieut. Harris, 2d battalion, 20th Regiment,
7 points, 3 hits, 10 marks. At 600 yards :—Copt.
Bland made 9 points, 4 hits, 13 marks ; Lieut.
Chatfield, 11 points, 5 hits, 16 marks ; Capt. White,
8 points, 5 hits, 13 marks ; Lieut. Lacy, 5 points, 4
hits, 9 marks ; Ensign Stourton, 6 points, 3 hits,
9 marks ; Lieutenant Wallinger, 6 points, 4 hits,
10 marks ; Capt. Fletcher, 4 points, 4 hits, 8 marks
and Lieut. Harris, 5 points, 4 hits, 9 marks,
Capt. Bland thus obtained the first prize, having
scored 31 marks at the two ranges; Lieut Chatfield
obtained the second with 29, and Capt. White the
third, with 27 marks.
The sizes of the targets used were as follows :
First class, 6ft. by 12ft., bull's-eye 3ft., centre 6ft. ;
second class, 6ft. by Bft., bull's-eye 2ft., centre 4ft.;
third class, 6ft. by 4ft., bull's-eye Bin., centre, 2ft.