The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-09 00:00:00

ME WESTERN DEFENCES AT

PLYMOUTH.

The huge works at Tregantle are gradually ap-
proaching completion. Those who have travelled
on the Cornwall Railway know that the line is
carried for the four or five miles from Saltash to
St. Germans along the banks of Lynher, and for the
defence of this river the Screasdon fort is in course
of construction. By the Lynher, or St. Germans
river, running as it does to the Hamoaze, a penin-
sula is formed, the neck of which from the river to
the shores of the Channel in Whitsand Bay, is
about two miles in breadth, and it is across this
that the new forts are in course of construction,
Screasdon on the river, and Tregantle on'the sea
side. Tregantle, by far the most formidable, is about
400 feet above the level of the sea; on one side the
blue waves of the English Channel break in cease-
less surges upon the sands of Whitsand Bay; on the
other are the fields and cultivated land lying be.
tween the fort and the river; and facing the fort
is that hive of busy bees, Devonport dockyard,
from which Tregantle is about 6,000 yards distant ;
the men-of-war at anchor in Hamoaze, and. the
steam factory of Keyham are also within command.
The advantages of Tregantle as a position of de-
fence, with regard to Plymouth and the Govern-
ment works at Devonport, are seen at a glance.
The guns to be mounted will be of the heaviest
metal, and will command every conceivable ap-
proach to the harbour. Thick parapets of earth, of
great solidity, support the batteries, and the prin-
cipal work is protected by a deep ditch, the escarp
and count erscarp being walled with heavy masonry.
The barracks are protected by the battery, and are
replete with every arrangement requisite to secure
the comfort of the soldiery. The walls are of great
thickness, and notwithstanding the fact that we
live in a day of improved and long-range artillery,
from the size of the blocks of .which the barrack
walls are constructed, they appear sufficiently mas-
sive and strong to withstand any ordinary bombard-
ment. They are situated in the rear of the artifi-
cial glacis, where the natural formation of the hill
necessitated its being thrown up, and, being upon
a lower level than the battery, are efficiently pro-
tected by artillery. The large piles of bricks in
and around the fortifications indicate that the bar-
racks, the water tanks, the stable, and, in fact,
every room, are intended to be bomb proof, through
the means of very thick arches. The Keep, an
immense and apparently very strong mass of ma-
sonry, stands between the battery and the barracks.
It will mount two tiers of guns, the upper elevation
surmounting the fort itself, and commanding the
country, whilst the lower range is casemate&
Although the highest point of the fort is at a dis-
tance of about 2,000 feet from the cliff which over-
looks Whitsand Bay, the arrangements of the
engineer will render it impossible to pass between
the fort and the sea. To effect this essential object
the ground in front of the fort has been cleared of
all irregularities. Where mounds have interposed a
surface to obstruct the fire they have been reduced
to a level, and the hollows have been filled up.
Thus have the many acres in front of the fort been
made to form an incline, which in case of attack
would be swept by guns in the recesses of the fort.
The conduct of the works is under the immediate
superintendence of Colonel Owen, C. 8., of the Royal
Engineers. The erection of these fortifications gives
employment to a great number of labourers and
masons, who, in their wooden shanties, enjoy them-
selves in the eventide of winter, each after his own
fashion, amid the wind and cold inseparable from
this bleak and exposed part of old Cornubia.--,
Western Morning News.

TS OF A FEDERAL WAR
STAMEN AT SOUTHAMPTON.

SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY.

The Tuscarora, one of the new screw corvettes
built for the Federal navy, arrived in the river this
afternoon, about half-past 3 o'clock, from New
York. She left that port on the 15th ult., and had
a very rough passage across the Atlantic, and put
into Fayal for coals, sailing thence eight days since.
From Fayal she has had fine weather. The Tus.
carora is commanded by Captain T. Augustus
Craven, and her officers and crew number about 200
in all. She mounts nine heavy guns, two of them
the famous 11. inch colnmbiads (both on pivots), six
broadside guns, and a rifled Parrot gun on the fore-
castle. The corvette is a smart-looking vessel, of
1,200 tons burden, and barque-rigged. She is just
built, and only arrived at New York from Philadel-
phia on the 9th ult.
It is understood that her mission in these waters
is specially to look after the Nashville, and gene-
rally to protect the interests of Federal shipping.
The Nashville remainsin dock and her future move-
ments are of course kept profoundly secret. She is
coaled and ready for sea, and it was rumoured this
morning that she was going out of dock during the
day into the river, but up to this time (5 p.m.) she
is lying quietly in her berth. Whether she will
now keep her quarters, a close prisoner, keenly
watched by the Tuscarora, until the conflict is over,
or whether on some favourable opportunity she will
venture to " run the blockade" and escape, time
only can determine.

By desire of the Emperor Napoleon the founda-
tion of a chair of homoeopathic medicine at.the faculty of
Paris has again been brought forward. The medical corps
has however so energetically pronounced itself several times
against this system, that it is hardly likely the Government
will dare to oppose that body very strenuously.
CENSUS OF ROME.—The census of the
inhabitants
over the preceding year. The number amounts to
194,587; in 1852 it was only 175,c00, being an augluen,
tation of 20,000 in less than 10 years.. There are
Rome possesses
in Rome nearly 40,000 families; 40 bishops ; 1,355
priests; 2,474 monks ; 1,657 pupils at the schools for young
men destined for the priesthood ; 2,032 nuns, and 2,613
and in
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