The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-10 00:00:00

ACTIVE PREPARATIONS FOR WAR.

Not a minute is lost in any of the military depart-
ments iu evoking the resources of the country, and we
are glad to perceive that the Government appear to be
fully alive to the necessity of making such a demonstra-
tion as shall leave no chance for disaster or defeat. The
eyes of the whole world are turned upon the gigantic
scale of our armaments and the alacrity with which each

department springs to the demand for the munitions

of war.

At the Horse Guards and at the Admiralty, at the
Ordnance Office and Somerset House, the work of pre-

paration is incessant ; early and late the officials are to
be found at their posts, and everybody seems to be
working "double tides,"—we trust with adequate re-
muneration for their extra services.

It is now well known that a considerable number
of troops are, to be sent to the Mediterranean and
Constantinople forthwith. As we have stated, the
authorities have been in communication with several
steam navigation companies as to the steam power
they might be enabled to furnish to convey the
troops. Mr. Cunard's Company, we believe, cannot
spare any of the ships of their line ; but, as
will be seen by the following, from our Southamp-
ton correspondent, the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany are likely to supply the Government with one or
more of their splendid ships. The Ripon, it is said, will
be one of the number. The great screw-ship Himalaya
is expected back in a few days from Alexandria, and it
is not at all improbable that her services will be put in
requisition at the earliest moment.
There are also available, if required, a couple of the
2,500 tons new screw ships of the General Screw Com-
pa.ny, the Jason and the Golden Fleece, and these four
ships alone, it is believed, could conveniently take 7,000
men. Give the Himalaya 2,000, the Jason and Golden
Fleece 1,800 each, and the Ripon 1,400, and these four
ships, with their efficient steam power, will, at the pre-
sent day, do more service than 30 of the sailing trans-
ports of the olden time.
AWe have stated that a battalion of Guards are under
orders for service in the East. Report sends them away
on the 18th instant. The precise army force, however,
we believe is not yet determined upon ; but the Com-
mander-in-Chief, Lord Hardinge, and the First Lord of
the Admiralty Sir James Graham net to consult on the
subject, at the Horse Guards, yesterday.
It has been also whispered that three battalions of
marines, if so many can be mustered, are to be sent to
the eastward, whether to relieve the troops of the line at
Gibraltar, Malta, and Corfu; so as to send 1,500 men of
the line farther up the Mediterranean, or to be distri-
buted amongst Admiral Dundas's fleet, for the sacking
of Sebastopol is uncertain. We incline to the belief
that the marines will take the place of so many battalions
of the line at the three garrisons above-mentioned ; for
it is only. fair that the army should do regular shore
work, especially if the British forces are to be brigaded
with French troops.
The stores of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, are now
being picked out and. fitted for active service.. That
which was Mr. Cobden's horror, the. great number of
guns and gun-carriages in store there, is now the country's
best protection.
The navy, it will be seen, has a treble duty. Not only
ships and sailors have the Admiralty to provide, but they
have to furnish marines, coast forces, and transports for
the conveyance of the army.
The coast-guard force is being collected from the re-
spective stations, and berthed on board the ships at pre-
sent fitting out at the ports. Clothing, hammocks, kit,
&c., are to be provided for this fine and most efficient
body of gunners and sailors. Here is the nucleus of the
complements of ten efficient ships of the line. No
country in the world—Russia included—can match the
ability, skill, steadiness, and pluck of these fine fellows.
To replace these men in the coast-guard the Green-
wich out-pensioners are to be enrolled. They will serve
on the coasts, and will be supplied with the necessary
clothing. Fifteen hundred only, we hear, are to be en-
rolled at the present time, and we think it will be rather
difficult to scrape even this number up, the majority of
the most able men being in good private service.
The fleet, it is well known from our daily reports, is
being equipped with the greatest possible haste, and we
trust very soon to see in the Downs or Yarmouth Roads
such a specimen of the gigantic strength of England that
will delight our countrymen, astonish our foreign friends,
and make the enemies of the peace of the world tremble.
—Morning Paper.

SOUTHAMPTON AND WAR.—SOUTIIAMPTON, THURS-
DAY.—During this morning Captain Austen, R.N.,
Admiralty superintendent of packets at this port, and
Lieutenant D'Arando, R.N., have been, in accordance
with an order received late last night, busily engaged in
inspecting two ships belonging to the Peninsular and
Oriental Company, and to report thereon to the Board
of Admiralty as to their capabilities for the conveyance
of troops to Malta, or elsewhere if required. The ships
inspected are the Ripon, engaged on the Alexandria
line, and fitting out to take the heavy portion of
the East India and China mails on the 20th, and
the Manilla, intended to leave on the 27th, for
Constantinople, with ship letter bags, cargo, &c.
The estimated number of troops which these vessels
are capable of conveying will be from 800 to 1,000,
each man being provided with sleeping room, &c. Should
necessity require it, by the fact of a regular watch being
kept, double the number of men may, of course, be on-
veyed. Other vessels—viz., the Sultan and Euxi into
to this company, may also be brought into
use for the purposes above stated ; and with the Royal
Mail Company's steam-ship Medway, and the Australa-
sian and Pacific Royal Mail Company's screw-ship Emu,
means may at once be provided at this port alone by
which several thousands of men may be conveyed in a
short space of time to their required destination. Such
is the perfect state of each of the veSsels that the addi-
tion of a few guns is all that would be needed in render-
ing them fit for such service.
MARGATE, Feb. 9.—Our correspondent sends us the
following :—For your information, I may state that all
the coast-guard men belonging to the different stations'
in Kent, muster here and leave by the express train
(7.10) to-morrow morning (Friday), for Portsmouth.
They will muster 4,000 able-bodied seamen, and a finer
body of men never was inspected. The officer in com-
mand at Westgate station is busily engaged in entering
pensioners and landsmen for the coast-guard service.