The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-07 00:00:00

PREPARATIONS FOR WAR

PORTSMOUTH, MARCH 6.
There has been little stir on board the fleet to-day. In
fact, the ships have not been visible from the shore all day,
owing to the prevalence of a thick fog, which has en-
veloped every object a few yards from the land. This
came on yesterday afternoon very suddenly, and with it
a complete change in the temperature. The fleet has been
augmented this morning by the Blenheim, 60, Captain the
Hon. F. T. Pelham, from this harbour, and there may be
others from other ports. We are happy to state that the
whole crew of the Prince Regent, 90, have been alto wed
to follow their Admiral and Captain into the Neptune,
to the great satisfaction of all parties. Some import-
ant alterations have been made in the commands since
our yesterday's report. Second-class Commodore Martin,
late of the Duke of Wellington, is appointed to hoist a
first-class pendant in the Leopard, 18, paddle-frigate, Cap-
tain G. Giffard, and to take command of the paddle-steam
squadron. Second-class Commodore Talbot, Commander-
in-Chief on the Cape of Good Hope station (ordered home),
is to transfer his pendant to the Nile, screw, 91, Com-
mander Booth, in the place of Commodore Martin. Capt.
Mansell will command the Meander, 44-gun frigate, vice
Talbot. Captain Gordon (late commanding the screw
steam corvette Encounter) is appointed flag-captain to
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier. The Neptune, 120, we
have no doubt will now be ready in a day or two ; the
Caisar, 91, will be completed by the dockyard department
by the 18th ; the Valorous, 16, by the 13th ; and the Odin,
16, by the end of the month. The dockyard men are
working " night and day" to accomplish these results. No
day of sailing is named yet; indeed, it is not expected any
move will be made until Friday, when her Majesty and the
Court are expected to steam through the fleet on their way
from Gosport to Osborne. Several hundreds of visitors
have come to Portsmouth to-day, principally excursionists
from Brighton, to see the fleet, but the impenetrable state
of the atmosphere has been a sad drawback to such as did
not like to take a boat. These are rare times for the water-
men ; boat-hire is at a high premium, and the wherry-
owners and others are reaping a rich harvest.

PLYMOUTH, MARCH 6.
Through the activity of Mr. Moore, foreman of the ship-
wrights of the Devonport dockyard, the repairs of the
screw steamship Duke of Wellington, 131, were sufficiently
advanced yesterday at noon to allow of the lower shores
being knocked away, and 12 feet of water admitted into
the dock.

At 5.20 this morning she was removed into the basin,
and at 920 she passed through the lock into Hamoaze,
where she is moored in the position usually occupied by
the guardships in ordinary. It is possible that she may
go into the Sound to-morrow. While in dock her copper
was examined thoroughly, and an additional streak placed
round her. The bulwarks have been cut away on each
aide of her catheads, to allow the play of an additional gun,
which is to be fitted on a traversing platform forward •
this gun has a 10-inch bore, and will carry a 68-pound shot.'
The presence of a large concourse of persons on board the
Duke of Wellington on Saturday caused considerable diffi-
culty in placing her in proper position in dock, and this
difficulty was increased by the crowds that surrounded the
workmen on shore.

A third detachment of the first battalion of the Ist
Royals is expected to arrive here this afternoon.

WOOLWICH, MARCH G.
ROYAL ARTILLERY.

Captain Levinge's troop of Royal Horse Artillery, under
the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Fox Strangwayes,
Captain .Paynter's field-battery, Bth battalion ; Captain
Fitzmayer's field-battery, 3d battalion ; Captain Thomas's
field-battery, 3d battalion, with camp equipage, trenching
tools, and every requisite for war service ; Captain Baker's
reserve field-battery, and Captain Anderson's small arm
or mounted brigade for Minis rifles, under the command
of Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson, assembled at half-past
9 o'clock a.m. to-day in heavy marching order, and pro-
ceeded to the Common, where they were drawn up, the
Royal Horse Artillery and field-batteries from south to
north, and. the small arm brigade, with 40 ammunition
waggons, store-waggon, and armourer's forge, from west to
east, the whole forming two sides of a square. Captain
Barker's reserve battery was drawn up on foot in the rear
of the flagstaff, with their camp blankets.
Lord Raglan, attended by Lord Burghersh and several
of the officers of his staff, arrived at the garrison here at
half-past ten o'clock, where he was received by Lieut.-
General Sir Hew D. Ross, Colonel E. C. Whinyates,
Colonel Cator, Lieut.-Col. R. Hardinge, Lieut.-Col.
Browne Willis, Lieut.-Col. John Bloomfield, Lieut.-Col.
Lake, Lieut.-Col. Wingfield, Brigade-Major Bingham,
Captain Riddell, Brigade-Major Adye, and a number of
officers of the corps.
His Lordship arrived on the Common at 11 o'clock, and
commenced his inspection by going round each gun detach-
ment, and minutely inspecting both men and horses, and
their appointments.

Afteillie inspection, which- lasted nearly an hour, the
Master-General, with his staff, proceeded to the usual sta-
tion where the flag is placed, and the troop and batteries
broke into open column of route and marched past at a
walk, which occupied upwards of half an hour. The horses
and gun-carriages, with the waggons, would have formed a
route-marching line of more than two miles in length. The
Royal Horse Artillery have received orders to ;hold them-
selves in readiness to embark at Woolwich dockyard on
Thursday next.
His Lordship left the garrison shortly before 1 o'clock,
and returned to London with his personal staff by the 1
o'clock up-train from dockyard station of the North Kent
Railway.
. A thick fog prevailed during the whole period of the
inspection on the Common to-day, but it partially cleared
off as the troop and batteries commenced marching past.
Major Young's Company (12th battalion) joined head-
quarters here from Portsmouth on Friday last, on being
relieved by Captain Adair's Company (sth battalion), from
Leeds.

One Second Captain, 1 Lieutenant, 5 non-commissioned
officers, and 36 gunners of. Captain H. A. Turner's com-
pany (Ist battalion), have been placed under orders to pro-
ceed to Pembroke, for duty at that station.
Two hundred and thirty-eight recruits have joined head-
quarters hero for service in tke Royal Regiment of Artil-
lery within the last three. Twenty of these arrived
yesterday afternoon from Aberdeen. Owing to the in-
creased number of men in the garrison, the school-room at
the west end of the barracks is to be fitted up with beds
until the troops embark for service in the East. Tho gun,
shed in the roar of the regimental school is also being fitted
up by carpenters for horses, as a large number aro expected
in garrison to embark with the next division of five batteries.
A notice has been posted up at the factory ticket-office
at Woolwich dockyard to the effect, that any factory
workman who has been at sea as engineer may be et once
appointed acting first class engineer afloat, with the pay
and allowances of that class, and when not required for
the navy will be again taken back into the factory. In
consequence of this notice five workmen volunteered and
were appointed to-day.
The engineers of the Royal Navy employed in the port
tugs and river vessels aro to bold themselves in readiness
for immediate sea-service, and mon are ordered to be se-
lected from the factory at Woolwich to work the engines
of these vessels.

CHATHAM, MARCH 6.
z• The Euryalus, 50, screw steam-frigate, Captain George
Ramsay, having been reported complete in the engineer
and shipwright departments on Saturday last, immediate
orders were issued for her to proceed on Sunday morning
to Sheerness, and take in a full stock of coals, and also
shells, and other munitions of war, preparatory to joining
the Baltic fleet.

DUBLIN, MONDAY MORNING.
The 63d Regiment—one of the next for war service—has
had draughted into it over 250 of the recently enrolled le-
vies. The new men are stated to be of a superior class,
and have been admitted into the first and second classes of
the regimental school. A company from the north is hourly
expected in Dublin, when the corps of 850 strong will be
ready to embark in the next transport troopship that may
arrive in Kingstown harbour. The 21st Fusiliers are also
prepared to embark at an hour's notice. The 14th Regi-
ment, at present stationed in Limerick, expect to embark
from that port on Friday next for service in the East.
The Holyrood (screw steamer) is being fitted up for the
accommodation of the troops Recruiting in the Cork dis-
trict is progressing most favourably, and a sufficient num-
ber of men are entering daily, so as to remove all fears of
there being any remarkable scarcity of recruits for active
service. Orders have arrived directing the commanding-
officers of the 39th and 89th Regiments, lying in Cork, to
enrol 100 additional recruits to be added to the strength to
each regiment previous to departure on active service. 200
of the depot of the 92d (Gordon) Highlanders, stationed in
Galway, have volunteered to the 79th, now under orders for
foreign service. A still more marked instance of military
ardour occurred at Limerick last week. An order had been
received in that garrison for volunteers from the 7.. d for
the 42d and 79th Highlanders ; when the commanding-officer
announced the fact upon parade, the whole depot of the
72d to a man eagerly volunteered their services forthwith,
in the most laudable spirit of devotion to their Queen
and country. The Galway Packet states that an order
has just been received by Captain Richardson, directing
that 24 of the Coastguard, who are to be selected
from the different stations in that district, are to proceed
on the 9th inst. to Plymouth, with a view of being
draughted into vessels of war for active service. If a like
proportion be observed in all the stations through this
country, from 700 to 1,000 efficient and well-trained men
would be obtained for naval service. The men thus selected
will receive the rations and pay of able seamen while they
are engaged in the naval service, in addition to their cur-
rent pay in the Coast-guard service. They will be thus
enabled to lay by their income as Coast-guards, or ffrcs
priate it to the use of their families during the Period of
their engagement in the navy.

THE GUARDS, ON THEIR VOYAGE.
Gratifying accounts have been received from Gibraltar of
the health and spirits of all on board the Ripon.
from Cowes Roads was made in five days,
wnes, udereth er. the most The
favourable circumstances of wind a
arrangements made by the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany for the comfort and convenience of the officers and
men bad given the highest satisfaction. During each
morning the mon were exercised at the Minie rifle practice
by firing at a target hanging from the end of one of the
ship's yards, while the officers fired with revolver pistols.
Both weapons are said to answer admirably. The afternoons
and evenings, after leaving the colder latitudes, were de-
voted to singing and dancing, the festivities of the day
being usually wound up with " God save the Queen," in
which the military, as well as the ship's crew, joined with
enthusiasm. On the afternoon of the 27th ult., when
within a few hours sail of Gibraltar, the Ripon passed a
French man-of-war, the crew of which cheered the Eng-
lish colours heartily. On the same evening a Russian-
Finlander, having a dismasted Dutch wreck in town, was
fallen in with. It is worth while to observe that the
Orinoco, Royal Mail-steamer, which left, port nearly at the
same time with the Ripon, having the battalion of the
Coldstream Guards on board, kept in sight almost during
the whole run. At Gibraltar, where the Ripon stopped a
few hours to coal, the Orinoco passed, and proceeded on
her voyage to Malta. Owing to the quarantine regulations
none of the officers were permitted to land at Gibraltar—a
circumstance which occasioned much disappointment
among those who were not previously aware of the regu-
lations which still continue to be enforced at the Rock.
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam-packet Company's ship
Indus arrived at Gibraltar, on her homeward voyage, just
as the Ripon came into the bay, and has brought on the
English letters.