The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-27 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The damaged portion of the plate on the star-
board bow of the Defence, 18, iron frigate, at Ports-
mouth, measuring 22 inches by 15, and of an
inch thick, has been cut out, and is being replaced
by a new piece, which will be completed by noon
to-day, the men having been working day and night
to get the job finished. It is intended that the
ship shall make her official trial at the measured
mile in Stokes Bay to-morrow.

A number of armour plates have been received at
Portsmouth Dockyard, in addition to others received
previously, for the Royal Alfred, iron-cased ship,
from Messrs. J. Brown and Co., Atlas Works, Shef-
field.

The Megjera, screw troopship, in dock at Ports-
mouth, is having a new rudder forged for her in the
blacksmith's shop at Portsmouth Dockyard. Her
old one was found to be very defective in the weld-
ing of its upper portion.
The Simoom, screw troopship, arrived at Ports-
mouth on Tuesday, from China, is ordered to clear
out with all despatch, and pay off into the steam
reserve at the port. The Simoom has been upwards
of five years in commission. Commander J. Cooke,
who commissioned her, recently died in command
of her on the China station. He was an officer
much and deservedly respected in the profession.
The troops disembarked from the Simoom at the
dockyard yesterday morning. The 60th (Royal
Rifles) Regiment, 2d battalion, under Lieut.-Col.
Muter, marched into quarters in the Cambridge
Barracks, and will remain in Portsmouth garrison
for the present. This regiment embarked for foreign
service at Cork in July, 1851, proceeding to the
Cape of Good Hope, where it was actively employed
in the Caffre war of that period. In March, 1858,
the headquarters and right wing proceeded to Ben-
gal, and took part in the suppression of the Indian
mutiny, the left wing following them six months
later. In Jan., 1860, the regiment was ordered to
China, and on arriving there formed a part of Sir J.
Michell's division of the expeditionary force, and
was present in all the chief operations of the war,
including the capture of Pekin and the destruction of
the celebrated Summer Palace, Yuen-Min-Yuen,
where the non-commissioned officers and men are said
to have secured a large quantity of " loot." Of the
650 men who left England in 1851, only 99 have re-
turned with the regiment. Capt. Montgomery,
Lieuts. Gosling and Morris, Assist.-Surg. Doran,
and 168 men landed from the Simoom at Hongkong,
on arrival there from the Peiho, as it was found
she would be over-crowded for the long homeward
Theyivnoythagees.ailingn
traare
s
transport
The screw steamship Revenge, 89, Capt. Charles
expectedAi tobue
rae k for England
. mbar
Fellowes, flag of Rear-Admiral Robert Smart, from
Queenstown ; the Trafalgar, 86, Capt. John B.
Dickson ; and the Emerald, 51, Capt. Arthur Cum-
ming, from Portsmouth, are expected at Plymouth.
The paddlewheel steam frigate Magicienne, 16,
at Devonport, is fast advancing for the first division
of the steam reserve. She is masted, and will soon
be rigged.
The Court-martial on Capt. Crawford, command-
ing Her Majesty's ship Sidon, was resumed and
concluded at Portsmouth yesterday. The finding
of the Court, read by the Deputy-Judge-Advocate,
was to the effect that the first, second, and sixth
charges were not proved. With regard to the
third charge the Court found it partly proved, in-
asmuch that Arabs were landed contrary to the
special request of Lieut.-Col. Rigby that they should
not be so landed, it being established at the same
time that they had not been landed in sufficient
numbers to create danger. With regard to the fourth
charge, that of visiting the Sultan of Zanzibar, the
Court found that Capt. Crawford visited the Sultan,
but that he considered that he did so in a private.
character. On the fifth charge the Court found that
Capt. Crawford had received presents from the Sul-
tan, contrary to the Queen's regulations, but that
the presents so received were of no considerable
value. The Court therefore adjudged the prisoner
to be reprimanded and admonished to be more dis-
creet in future.
The following appointments and promotions were
made yesterday at the Admiralty --Lieut. E. St.
J. Garforth, to the Emerald ; William Edwards,
acting second class assist.-engineer, to the Indus, as
supernumerary. The under-named second class
assist.-engineers have been promoted to the first
class :—R. Dithburn and John G. Taylor, late of
the Conqueror ; Henry Peters and Benjamin Carr,
supernumeraries in the Indus, James Daly in the
Desperate, Thomas Bramley in the Hogue, Edmund
J. Murphy in the Firebrand, James Ankers in the
Edinburgh, and Alexander Purves in the Bulldog.
The name of the lieutenant appointed on Tuesday
to the command of the Gripper was E. H.
" Verney," and not " Vesey," as stated yesterday.