The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-09 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset, as First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, held a levee yesterday at the Admiralty,
Whitehall.

A considerable number of hands are employed
on the iron frigate Resistance, 18, 600 horse power,
fitting for the Chatham steam reserve. Her lower
iron rigging has been fixed, and her topmasts on
end, with her main and fore yards crossed. By di-
rection of the Controller of the Navy she is to be
fitted with sliding topgallantmasts on Gunter's
principle.

The Russian screw frigate Gromoboi, 50 guns,
arrived at Spithead yesterday from the Mediter-
ranean, en route for Cronstadt,

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Robert W. Beaufort, surgeon,
to the Jason ; A. M'Farlane, chief engineer, to the
Fisgard, for the Vesuvius ; R. W. Hulford, first-
class assist.-engineer, to the Fisgard, as super-
numerary ; John Ferguson (L), second-class assist.-
engineer, to the Forte; and W. B. Tren with
second-class assist.-engineer, to the Russell.

fIIIB ARMY.

Major-General Eyre, Commandant of Chatham
garrison, accompanied by Brigade-Major Goff, and
Major Gordon, aide. de-camp, made his half-yearly
inspection of the 17th, 22d, 26th, 36th, 37th, and
38th companies of the Royal Engineers stationed
at Chatham, on the 6th and 7th inst. On the 6th
he inspected the whole of the books of the respec-
tive companies, with which he expressed much sa-
tisfaction. The companies having broken into open
column, the right being in front, marched past the
Major-General in slow and quick time. The preci-
sion with which these movements were performed
elicited the warm approbation of the Major-General.
On the 7th inst. he dispensed with the usual march-
ing past, as ho had been so well satisfied with pre-
vious performances. At noon the whole of the
officers assembled in their new mess room, and were
closely questioned by the Major-Gaieral upon va-
rious details of the management of their companies.
The corps subsequently paraded for drill, and Capt.
Frankland, R.E., having been called to the front,
wheeled them into line, formed square upon the
leading company, formed them into a column at
quarter distance intervals, and then deployed them
into line on No. 3. The intricate manceavre of
forming close column upon No. 5 company, facing
to the rear, was carried out with great success. At
this jwacture a pelting shower of rain fell, and the
Me..ior-Creneral at once ended his inspection.
The Adriatic, No. 1 steam transport (Captain
G. C. Nicholson, Commander C, M. Buckle, R.N.,
Admiralty agent), the arrival of which, with the
left wing of the 96th Regiment on board, at Spit-
head, from St. John's, New Brunswick, was an-
nounced yesterday, is ordered into Portsmouth har-
bour to disembark her freight and clear out for
paying off from the Government service. The
troops will land at the dockyard this morning, and
proceed by rail to Shorncliffe to join head-quarters
there. The officers and troops on board comprise:
—Staff—Col. Fordyce, Lieut,-Col. Crealock, and
Assist.-Surg. Yessop ; 96th Regiment (left wing)—
Lieut.-Col. Cathcart; Copts. Grant, Cumberland,
and Briggs; Lieuts. Whitty, Gray, Johnston, Ay-
toun, Hogg, Castleton, and Gray ; Ensigns Roche,
King, and Church ; Assist.-Surg. Mitchell ; 12
sergeants, 8 drummers, 14 corporals, and 290 pri-
vates. In addition to the above, there are also on
board 15 men of various corps and 7 military con-
victs. The 96th were, after their arrival out in
New Brunswick from England, stationed at Frede-
ricton, where they embarked, on the 25th of April,
on board the steamer Forest Queen, for St. John's.
Arriving there the same day, after a fine run of six
hours, they were transferred immediately to the
Adriatic for the voyage to England. The colonial
press states that no further change will take place
for some time to come of the troops stationed in the
provinces, and that the military head quarters for
the province will be at St. John's.
The let battalion sth Fusiliers will leave Ports-
mouth garrison for the camp at Aldershott on the
13th inst. The 2d battalion 18th Regiment and
the 49th Regiment are also under orders to leave
Portsmouth, the first-named for the Channel Islands
and the latter for Manchester. These regiments
will be replaced in Portsmouth garrison by the
53d, from Aldershott, the 55th, from the Channel
Islands, and the 6th, now on its way home from
India, with head-quarters, on board the clipper ship
Champion of the Seas.

BANQUE2' TO THE LORD MAYOR BY

THE WARD OF LA.AGBOURA:

The ward of Langbourn yesterday entertained
the Lord Mayor, who is the alderman of the ward,
at a splendid banquet at the London Tavern, in tes-
timony of the high satisfaction felt by the ward
and the citizena of London at the manner in which
he has fulfilled the duties of his important office,
and in recognition of his services generally during
the period he has filled his present position, and
which has resulted in his election a second time to
the office of Lord Mayor of London. The company
comprised most of the bankers, merchants, and
other notables of the City ; Charles White, Esq.,
took the chair. The loving cup having passed
round, the chairman proposed " The Health of
the Queen," and the other usual toasts, and then
gave " The Health of the Right Hon, VVm. Cubitt,
the Lord May or of the City of London, and the
Alderman of the Ward of Langbourn." The event
they had met to celebrate was altogether apart
from political considerations ; they had assembled
to pay a tribute to the alderman their ward, who
by the manner in which he had performed his
public duty had entitled himself to a repetition of
the distinguished honour of being elected a second
time Lord Mayor of the City of London. The toast
was received with three time three cheers and the
utmost enthusiasm. The Lard Mayor acknowledged
the toast in a graceful speech, observing that the
greatest possible reward that could be given to a
public man was to find that the humble efforts he
had made to perform his duty, were appreciated by
those who had an opportunity of observing his con-
duct. (Hear, hear.) He could not help expressing
his opinion that he and his familyought to be proud
of the present meeting. To be twice Lord Mayor
of the City of London was in itself a great honour;
but to have such a meeting as that to commemorate
that honour made it more emphatic. (Cheers.)
" The Lady Mayoress" and several toasts in con-
nection with the ward were subsequently proposed,
and the meeting then broke up.

DESTRUCTIVE HAILSTORM IN THE

WEST RIDING.

One of the most
which' extraordinary and destructive
hailstorms
and
nave occurred for many years
visited Leeds other places in the West Riding
on WWI:1(11nm producinglife
considerable damage to
property The weather for tho last
few days has been extremely.variable, but in the
early part of Wednesdayit
spring' day. About was a beautiful genial
seven f i
enwas observed.
l a somewhat singular phenomenon"L o'clock, however,
The horizon became suddenly obscured with a
thatbeing
evidently
dense mass of cloud, which
driven in a direction contrary toin which the
ordinary clouds were passing, and
fomight.
rt. a
idnlittle time
the darkness was as deep as that o
Simultaneously, an extraordinary shower
lt
ofa hail
fell, accompanied with vivid flashes of lightning
which, reflected in the glooin, produced astrilli;inng'
and beautiful effect. The hailstones weresomething
marvellous in size at Bromley, Morley, and else.
where, one of which actually exceeded five inches
in circumference and four ounces in weight. The
storm, however, rapidly passed. over the town, and
was succeededrain, which continued at intervals
during the evening.
The river Airowas t swollen to a great height.
Early in the morning, men in the service of Mr.
E. Dibb, of Idle, ersvo
and three
to cross the
etream with a waggon ite
three horses at the Buck
Mill Ford, near Idle, whenilwntt one of the men was
drowned, and carried do
, were withst fdni
difficulty
cu l otherty
rea
great a ;
man, as well as the horses
rescued.
The storm raged with unprecedented violence in
Nottingham and its vicinity. The
workmen at the
sewer in Wheeler Gate had a
narrow
their lives from the bursting in of escape with
volume of water; and the safety of the houses
mmense
both sides of the street was greatly end at
angered.
Who destruction of glom was very great.