The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-08 00:00:00

ießt inspiefed. In the infirmary buildin
very necessary alterations are about to be
out. The visit to the fort concluded, the',
ships entered their carriages and proceeded
new barracks building for the Royal Marine _
lery at Eastney, Messrs, George Smith and Co., ck
Pimlico, being the contractors. Mr. Woods, Ad-
miralty superintending civil engineer,wasinattenti-
ance and conducted their lordships over the works,
which as yet- have not extended beyond the base-
ment floors of -the building, excepting the lofty
boundary wall of flints with brick dressing, which
is nearly completed. The barracks will stand on an
extensive piece of ground, and in its front will have
a strong defensive work, consisting of a long cer-
tain, with a heavy work at either end, in line with
the sea beach, each containing two gees in cavalier
bastions, and seven guns in embrasures. The es, hole
is fronted and flanked by a deep dry ditch having
a low wall next the escarp of the work for rifle
firs- The escarp of the work itself is revetted with
flints and concrete. From Eastney the Beard next
proceeded to Hilses, and there inspected the site of
the enlarged cbennel which is now in course of for-
mation between the harbours of Langston and
Portsmouth, in front of the partly completed linos
of defence at that place, and by which the island
of Portsea is separated from the mainland. The
narrow channel formerly existing in front of the
old lines of defence was very shallow and altogether
contracted. Through this channel, however, a
strong current ran into Portsmouth harbour from
the Langston and Chichester harbours for two
hours after the ebb tide had fairly made from.
Portsmouth harbour between the Blockhouse and
Point Spits. This added an immense volume
of water to the ebb of Portsmouth har-
bour, and the important question to solve now is,
—How can the new ana enlarged channel between
the two harbours be best constructed to still further
increase this flow of additional tidal water in Ports-
mouth harbour, and thus add to the scouring proper-
ties of the ebb ? No question of equal import-
ance
to this has been brought before the Board
during thcir present visit to the port, land it will
without doubt receive the consideration its import-
ance deserves. From Hilsea their lordships drove
round the harbour, through the village of Fareharn,
to the head-quarters of the Marine Light Infantry,
at Forron, where they were received with a guard
of honour at the entrance gates, and the division
drawn up under arms on the parade ground under
the command of Col. Commandant Ayles. After
partaking of luncheon at the officers' mess their
lordships proceeded to inspect the division, which
consisted of eight companies of 32 file each, drawn
up in line. After the usual salute the battalion
broke into open columilright in front, and marched
past in slow and quick time and quarter-distance
column, then wheeled to the left, deployed on the
centre company, advanced in review order and
saluted. This concluded the parade inspection,
after which the barrack-rooms, &c., were visited,
and the Board took their departure, leaving General
Stransham and the Deputy Adjutant-General to
conclude the inspection of the division at ship gun
drill, &c. Their lordships embarked in their barge
from the Royal Clarence-yard, and in crossing the
harbour called on board the Vindictive sailing
frigate, fitted as a bread and coal depot for Fer-
nando Po. On leaving the Vindictive their lerdas -
t
ships went on board the Osborne, where they, l
evening, entertained the heads of departments and
officers in commission at the port at an official dinner,
as is the custom on their annual visits. Rear-Ad-
miral Robinson did not accompany the Board in their
tour yesterday, being busily employed all day in
the dockyard on matters connected with the Royal
Alfred plated frigate, and other vessels. Rear-
Admiral Eden, C. 8., joined the Board from
London, and Capt. Drummond returned to
London in the room of Admiral Eden. His
Grace the Duke of Somerset will hold a levee at
the Royal Naval College at 10 a.m. to-day. It has
been suggested that the Lords Commissioners
might have an agreeable souvenir of their 1862
visit to Portsmouth by giving to the Postmaster-
General, who in turn could notify to the public,
the name of the port for the time being to which
letters for ships belonging to the Channel fleet
might be addressed. At present the movements of
the fleet are kept a profound mystery, and, how-
ever urgent the contents of a letter may be, there
is at present no means of addressing one to any
ship in the fleet with a certainty of its ever reach -
ing its destination.
Letters received from ber Majesty's screw sloop
Coquette announce her arrival atio de Janeiro
from England on the Ist of July. She had called
in at Madeira on the 26th of May on her passage
out from England, and sailed thence on the 2d of
June. She was under orders to sail from Rio for
the Cape of Good Hope on the 12th of July. Rear-
Admiral Warren had sailed in his flagship, accom-
panied by the Tribune screw frigate, Capt. Visount
Gilford, for the Rio de la Plata.
An announcement was yesterday issued from the
Admiralty that their Lordships had approved the
officers composing the Royal Marine battalions in
Mexico being paid, while serving on shore, the
colonial, or double-rate pay, in addition to such
staff-pay and field allowances as may have already
been received.
The Racoon, 22, 400-horse power, which has
been fitted at Chatham to convey his Royal High-
ness Prince Alfred on a visit to several foreign
ports, is under orders to proceed to-morrow from
Chatham harbour to the Nore, taking her place in.
the first-class steam reserve. During yesterday
and the previous day a considerable quantity of her
stores were placed on board, but, from the circum-
stance of no officer having yet been appointed to
command her, and the order for her to be placed in
the steam reserve, it is understood that the pro-
posed departure of the Prince has been postponed,
at least for the present.
The screw steam troopship Megasra, 6, Coalman.
der H. Henderson, from Ireland, arrived in Ply-
mouth Sound on Wednesday afternoon, and, having
disembarked
supernumeraries for the Royal Ade-
laide,
ijags hip, proceeded shortly
after for Wool--
wich.
The new screw corvette Cossack, 20, Capt. Moor-
man, arrived from the Cape at Plymouth on Wed-
nesday, and having received some supernumeraries,
proceeded yesterday morning for Sheerness, where
her crew will be paid off, d.
an she will be placed in
the third division of the
steam reserve.
In addition to the recent diminution of the esta-
blishment of Wool •
Wich Arsenal, when upwards of
3,000 artisans and labourers were discharged, in-
structions have been received by the heads of de-
partments, requiring a second reduction to meet
the
deficiency in the estimates for the present year.
The manufacture of ball cartridge is ordered to be
reduced 100,000 per week. This implies the dis-
, missal of a large proportion of the boys and girls
employed in the filling-houses, who have already
received notice to that effect.
The number of visitors admitted to view the de-
partments of the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich yes-
terday, in spite of the tempestuous weather,
amounted to upwards of 1,300 persons, about 300
of whom were foreigners, and on Tuesday the rush
for admission after the arrival of the various trains
from London was so great that the gates had to be
Partially closed, and a line of police-constables
drawn across the entrance to prevent accident. On
the other days of the week the visitors admitted by
I special ticket averaged about 200 each day.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander L. J. Moore to the
Angus ; J. J. Conway,
confirmed as second-class
Plover • J. Miller (e), con-
assist.-engineer in the
firmed as second-class assist.-engineer in the Jason ;
A. T. W. Forster,
confirmed as second-class assist,-
Phaeton
engineer in the
ton , • F. Le B. Bedwell
, assist,-
to the Pembroke ; and F. M. Se
paymaster. MIPS,
the Forte.
assisteclerk to
The fallowing appointments have been made in
the }loyal Naval Reserve :—To be Lieut., G. Ham-
lin; to be Honorary Lieut., William Henry Pope;
-T
to be Sub-Lieuts., William Curtis ?Mann Coulcher,
Robert Pearce, and Henry Thomas Gibson.

Major-General Bloomfield, Inspector-General of
the Royal Artillery, returned to town yesterday
from a tour of inspection of Jersey and the Channel
Islands,