The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-20 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

One of the most interesting and practically in-
structive field days of the season took place yester-
day at Woolwich. The movements extended over
a wide and varied district near the garrison. The
troops, according to the new regulations introduced
by Gen. Warde, C. 8., commanding the district,
paraded yesterday morning at ten o'clock, having
been supplied with blank ammunition, and com-
menced their "march out" shortly afterwards, tak-
ing the following positions by 11 o'clock :—The C
Brigade, Royal Rome Artillery, in command of Col.
A. Huyshe, marched by the road leading round the
north-east end of the old hospital to Sandy-hill, and
thence by Plumstead to the road conducting to
Shrewsbury-house, opposite to which they halted
and took up a position, with a view of watching the
country to the south-east. They were soon after-
wards joined by a portion of the riding troop, in
command of Captain Calvert, when they com-
menced throwing out vedettes towards the old
Dover-road, to communicate with others despatched
by the B Brigade of that corps, which had taken
up a position commanded by Colonel E. Price, C. 8.,
between Shooter's-hill-wood and the cemetery, and
watched the approach to the south and east-
)33,,,detaclnent of
the riding establishment, where they threw out
vedettes to scour the roads towards Eltham and
Welling and communicate with those of the C Bri-
gade sent out in that direction. The sth Brigade,
commanded by Col. W. B. Gardner, Royal Artil-
lery, and two batteries of the 4th Brigade, in com-
mand of Col. J. R. Anderson, C. 8., ensconced
themselves in a position on Shooter's-hall, facing the
south-east, pointed out by Capt. Naugle, Deputy-
Assistant Quartermaster-General. The Royal Ma-
rines, in command of Lieut.-Col. Menzies, likewise
occupied a position on Shooter's-hill, facing the same
direction. They were accompanied by a couple of
batteries of the Depot Brigade, Royal Artillery. An
unsuccessful attack having been made by a supposed
enemy on their position, the whole force advanced
in pursuit. Col. Huyshe then led the Brigade gal-
lantly through Eltham and Southend towards Half-
way-street, to cover the right flank of the main
body, when the whole force effected a junction at a
spot about a mile short of Halfway-street. It was
then ascertained that the enemy had effected their
retreat, when further pursuit was abandoned, and
the troops returned to barracks, receiving orders as

to the different routes by which they were to gain
their quarters. An ambulance, furnished by the Mili-
tary Train, accompanied each column. The Royal
Artillery band attended as far as Shooter's-hill on
the march out, and escorted them on their return
home to the garrison, where they arrived at 20
minutes before 3. The men's dinners were arranged
so as to insure their being served up hot on their
return. The success of these marching-out drills
has been so great that General Warde has resolved
on their being repeated weekly, the weather per-
mitting, during the whole of the present season.
Capt. J. M'Namee, 2d battalion 20th Regiment,
has proceeded from Chatham garrison to take the
command of the detachments of infantry at Tilbury
Fort, relieving Capt. Martin C. S. Tupper, 29th
Regiment, who has rejoined the depot companies of
that regiment at Chatham. Ensign W. A. Dooaby,
4th West India Regiment, has been ordered to
be held in immediate readiness to embark for the
West Indies to join the service companies of that
regiment.
The success of the Hercules target recently ope-
rated upon at Shoeburyness with the 600-pounder
Armstrong and other guns has created serious doubts
as to the propriety of proceeding with the construc-
tion of the granite fortifications now in progress at
various points of the coast, and which, when com-
pleted, are to be faced with :iron, the late experi-
mentsmade against stone fortifications at Shoebury-
ness having proved their comparative failure in
contrast with the results achieved by the Hercules
target. It has been announced at Chatham that a
committee is about to be appointed by Earl de Grey
and Ripon, the Secretary of State for War, to in-
quire into the whole principle on which the fortifi-
cations now in progress are being constructed, with
special reference to the advisability of discontinuing
their erection on the existing principle and adopting

the Hercules target principle.
The mechanism for working each of the 12-ton
300-pounder Armstrong guns, with which the Bel-
lerophon, 14, 1,000-horse power, is to be armed, is
now in course of construction in the factory depart-
ment at Chatham dockyard, the manufacture of the
machinery being urged forward in order that it may
be completed by the date the tellerophon is ordered
to be ready for undocking—the 31st proximo,
By the mail steamship Cambrian, which arrived
at Plymouth on Monday, we learn that the trans-
port Hydaspes, left Table-bay, Oct. 27, for Cal-
cutta ; the transport Renown left Algoa-bay, Nov,
11, with the headquarters of the 96th Regiment, for
Bombay ; the paddlewheel steam-frigate Valorous,
16, Capt. C. C. Forsyth, from Saldana-bay, with
headquarters of the 9th Regiment, arrived Nov. 11
at Table-bay. The iron screw steam troopship
Orontes, 2, Capt. Henry W. Hire, left Simon s-
bay, Nov. 2, for the eastward. The Cambrian
passed the screw steam sloop Rapid, 11, Comman-