The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-27 00:00:00

THE REVIEW ON SATURDAY.

At six on Saturday morning the quarter guards and
outlying picquets turned out under arms, and encoun-
tered the most formidable enemy which the camp has
to contend against—namely, thoroughly bad weather.
The rain and the wind still struggled for supremacy, and
the unfortunate troops bad to struggle against both. If
any person really wants to see how far wind and rain
will go to render quarters upon a marshy heath
thoroughly uncomfortable, let him visit the camp ; and
if he goes upon a grand field-day, when the officers and
men are out in full uniform without their great coats,
his chance is all the better.

So continuous and heavy was the rain on Saturday
morning that we believe his Royal Highness Prince
Albert and the officers in command at one time were
about to give up any idea of a field day; towards eleven,
however, the sky began to clear, and the troops that had
been under arms since half-past nine in their tents were
ordered to parade in light marching order. The public,
however, to avoid mistake, must not imagine that by
"light marching" order any very airy costume is implied.
A soldier, when in light marching order, carries 401 b.
weight of equipments, when in heavy, 631 b. The troops
paraded as usual, in front of the camp, and having been
inspected by their commanding officer, his Royal High-
ness Prince Albert, accompanied by his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge, General Lord Seaton, and
many generals and officers of distinction in the service
of his Majesty the King of Hanover, issued from the
Queen's pavilion upon the Magnet, followed by a most
numerous and brilliant staff. The troops, having saluted
the Prince Consort with the customary honours, his
Royal Highness rode over to the cavalry squadrons, the
command of which he assumed in the performance of
the subsequent evolutions of the day.
Preparations were then made for a sham battle. The
enemy were represented by a small party of men from thet
Scots Fusilier Guards, a detachment from the 23d Regi-
ment, and some companies of the Sappers and Miners.
The whole of the remainder of the forces on the ground
formed the attacking party. We may here mention that
the camp at Chobham is supposed always to be confronted
with a superior force of the enemy, which is one day
worsted and another day victorious. On Saturday they
were neither, for, though the camp forces drove their
opponents rapidly across the plain and Bagshot heights,
which are nearly six miles from the place where the ac-
tion commenced, yet here the enemy made a gallant
stand, and repulsed the camp troops, which were com-
pelled to retire quickly, though in good order, within
their lines.

The march of the camp forces commenced on the right
of the lines, near Colonel Challoner's plantations. The
enemy, who were only about 400 strong, and merely
formed a strong line of skirmishers, occupied the western
end of Cattin's Valley, and opened fire the instant the
force began their march onward. This being merely a
desultory dropping fusillade, no notice was taken of it
by the attacking party, which steadily pushed forward
for a small kind of bridge at the western end of Cattin's
Valley, formed by a wide dam, erected to stop the course
of a brook, and so form a pond or reservoir for the
cavalry horses to water at, But the enemy had already