The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-04 00:00:00

non-commissioned officers and men of the Woolwich
division, doing duty at the barracks here, assembled to-
day in heavy marching order for the inspection of the
Commandant of the garrison. Colonel E. C. Whin-
yates, C. 8., Commandant, accompanied by Colonel
Willis, Inspector of Drills, and Brigade-Major Bingham,
Royal Artillery, arrived at 11 o'clock, and was received
by Colonel Ellis, C. 8., Colonel-Commandant of the
Woolwich division of Royal Marines, the line presenting
arms and the band playing, as usual on such occasions.
The inspection then commenced, and was carried through
with great minuteness. The barracks and offices were
also inspected, including the record-books ; and subse-
quently the hospital, over which the Commandant was
conducted by Dr. 0. Evans, Deputy Inspector of Hos-
pitals. In the afternoon Colonel Whinyates witnessed
the men go through their ship-gun drill exercises, which
concluded the inspection of as fine and useful a body of
men as there is in the service. The Commandant and
several of the officers of the garrison dined with the
officers of the Royal Marines in their mess-room in the
evening.

His Majesty the King of Hanover has been gracously
pleased to grant a pension of 201. per annum for life to
Gunner James Moffat, of Captain Gilbert's troop of
Royal Horse Artillery, who lost his hand by accident
when firing at-the review on the common on Friday last.
His Majesty has also been pleased to express his inten-
tion to obtain such a situation as Gunner Moffat may be
found qualified to fill on his arm being healed. It was
a singular coincidence that his Majesty should have ob-
served to Colonel Colquhoun, when in the Arsenal in
the early part of the day, his surprise that the double-
headed sponge used in the Hanoverian artillery was not
introduced into the British service, as it was found to
be a great improvement, and less liable to accidents.
One of the Hanoverian officers in attendance on his
Majesty went and placed a phrse, containing 30 sove-
reigns, into the left hand of Gunner Moffat while he
was 'being placed on the stretcher for conveyance on
men's shoulders to the hospital. Gunner Moffat has
been 14 years in the service, which entitles him to a pen-
sion of 6d. per day, and the loss of his hand while in the
performance of his duty will entitle him to an additional
6d. ; consequently, with his Majesty's annuity, he will
be well provided for, especially if able to fill a situation.
No. 4, the gunner whose duty it was to stop the vent
of the gun with his thumb, has been placed under arrest
until a court of inquiry as to the cause of the accident
takes place ; and No. 5, who fired the gun, when he
witnessed the accident fell down in a fit, being quite
young in the service, and had to be conveyed on a
stretcher to the hospital, where he has remained ever
since.

OFFICIAL RETURN OF CORPORAL PUNISH•
MENTS IN THE NAVY.

A Parliamentary paper has been published stating the
number of persons flogged in the navy annually since
1847. The order of the House of Commons is dated
April 7, and it was only cn the Ist of June that the re-
turn was ordered to be printed. The order should
certainly have been in the printer's hands within a week.
The returns are imperfectly given ; but if what are
furnished are not " cooked," as most Admiralty reports
are, there is reason for much congratulation on the an-
nual decline of the number of punishments. We can-
not help. remarking that corporal punishments have
materially decreased since Admiral Dundas's scheme
for the reduction of the allowance of spirits has been
carried into effect.

There is now, however, too much flogging where there
ought to be none ; and we again refer to the fact that
there is no corporal punishment in the Peninsular and
Oriental Company's service, so ably superintended by.
Lieut. Engledue ; the majority of seamen in that ser-
vice are old men-of-war's men, and there can be no
question as to the perfect state of discipline on board
the Peninsular and Oriental Company's ships. In that
service the greatest punishment that can happen to a
seaman is his dismissal from it.. The men are well
paid, well fed, are most steady and respectable, and are
neither bullied nor flogged. Why should not our sea-
men of the Royal navy be as well treated I"

1848.. 1849. 1850. 1850. 11852.
Total number of
punishments 1,363 1,087 967 042 I 578
Ditto; lashes 40,545 32,446 27,291 26,587 I 17,571
We shall take an early opportunity of dissecting these
returns. It will be seen that in the course of five years,
4,837 British seamen, marines, and boys, have been
flogged like hounds---:some of them, no doubt very de-
servedly ; and the total number of lashes inflicted was
144,440, which, being multiplied by nine—the number
of tails of the cat, and all of which hits the unfortunate
victim with as much 'force as a powerful man can hurl
them on his back—gives the number of lashes as nearly
one million three hundred thousand.—Morning .Herald.