The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-11 00:00:00

711 E ARMY.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge re-
turns to town on Saturday morning from visiting
the Earl and Countess of Derby at Knowsley. His
Royal Highness is expected to pay an official visit
to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, on Sa-
turday.
A general order, signed by Lieut.• Gen. Sir J. Y.
Scarlett, K.C.8., Adjut.-Gen., has been received at
Chatham garrison from the Horse Guards, in which,
by the direction of Field-Marshal the Commander-
in-Chief, a code of regulations is laid down for the
guidance of annual boards of survey, assembled
under the Queen's regulations, to inspect the arms
in possession of regiments. The following instruc-
tions to be rigidly adhered to :--Numerical returns
of all the arms in possession of each regiment, com-
pany by company, are to be forwarded to the Horse
Guards, it being sufficient to state the total number
of rifles which have been found serviceable, making
due allowance for the period they have been in use,
and for fair wear and tear, such as dints in stocks,
&c., which do not impair the efficiency of the arm.
It should then be shown what rifles can be repaired
by the armeurer at the expense of the regiment,
and if it be considered that any repairs executed by
him are fairly chargeable to the public, the usual
evidence, showing the circumstances under which
the injury was effected, should be taken, and ap-
pended to the proceeding. A special report should
be made on all such rifles as are considered unser-
viceable, and which are required to be exchanged
for new ones, stating the date of issue, the reason of
the damage, and on whom the cost incurred is to
fall; and, provided the parts are supplied by Go-
vernment, whether the repair can be executed by
the armourer of the regiment. A mean deviation
of over 3ft. at 500 yards is to be considered a suffi-
cient inaccuracy to condemn a rifle suspected of
being Inferior, and tested by shooting, under the
provisions of the circular memorandum, dated Horse
Guards, Feb. 25, 1861. Requisitions, in duplicate,
for whatever is required are to accompany the pro-
ceedings.

Contractors for new buildings at Warley Bar-
racks, near Brentwood, have been taken by Messrs.
Shaw and Jackson, and operations are to be com-
menced at once.

The 300-pounder muzzle loading gun, recently
received at Woolwich from Sir Win. Armstrong's
factory at Elswick, was shipped on Tuesday for
Shoeburyness, having been thoroughly examined
and sighted at the Royal gun factories on the pre-
vious day. Before shipment the gun was slung on the
monster waggon constructed to carry to 30 tons, to
which were attached 12 horses, four abreast. The
waggon then proceeded through the arsenal gates and
the thoroughfare leading therefrom, under orders to
ascend the incline, but were unable to accomplish
the task, and returned to the arsenal, whence the
gun was slung on board a barge at the wharfside.

DEVOURED BY RATS.—An inquest was held on
Monday last before Mr. Denman, coroner for North Notts,
on the body of George Whitworth. The deceased was a
Methodist of the most fanatical sect, and on the 2d of Oc-
tober left his home at Bothamsall. From that day he was
missing, and, although the strictest search was made for
him throughout the neighbourhood, he was nowhere to be
found. At length, on Saturday last, after a lapse of 60
days, Mr. James Makins, a gamekeeper in the employ of the
Duke of Newcastle, discovered the remains of the body by
the side of a brook skirting the Duk e's estate. The body
was completely hidden by brambles, and the discovery
would not have been made had not the keeper observed a
water rat running from the spot into the brook. The flesh
was completely eaten from the body, leaving a mere skeleton.
The body was identified by a mark on the hand and by
a
hat which was found near, Evidence was adduced show-
ing that the deceased was in a morbid state of
mind
when he left home. There being nothing to show how the
deceased met his death, a verdict of "Found. dead" was
returned.