The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

INSPECTION OF THE 19TH FOOT.

Yesterday this regiment, now in garrison at the Tower
of London, was inspected by Lieutenant-General Turner,
previous to embarkation to join the expeditionary army
to the East. At 11 o'clock the men formed on the
Tower-parade, and shorty afterwards General Turner,
accompanied by Colonel Hay, Lieutenant-Colonel Unett,
and other officers, went through the ranks minutely in-
specting each man. After the inspection the regiment
was marched past by companies and sections, at slow
and quick time, and put through such other evolutions
as the limited space would permit. At the close of the
evolutions the men formed in column, when General
' Turner addressed some observations commending their
discipline, and referring to the nature of the service on
which they were about to proceed. The 19th when it
marched into the Tower was only 600 strong, but by
volunteers from other regiments and recruits it now
musters 1,000 bayonets. According to present arrange-
ments, the regiment will receive its new colours on Mon-
day, move from the Tower to Winchester on Tuesday,
and embark for the East about Saturday.

THE BRITISH EXPEDITION TO THE
EAST.

It were well indeed, says a letter from Malta of the
12th inst., if things on shore were as well managed as
they have been at sea, but, strange as it may appear,

some of the men left their floating prisons only to relin-
quish comforts to which they had a right, and have had
to "rough it" on terra firma with greater patience and

endurance than they were called upon to exercise while
on board the steamers. To speak the truth, " some-

body" is to blame for placing any of her Majesty's forces

in such a position that they have had to endure some
of the minor desagrenteas of warfare before their time.
Complaints are made that such a regiment was left

without coals—that another had no lights nor candles—

that another has suffered from exposure to cold at night
under canvass, when they ought to have been under

. _
cover of a more substantial nature—that in some cases

;hat terrible calamity, short commons, actually fell upon

a portion of the ni,?.r;:and that forage was not to be had
for the officers' horses. The Commissariat are blamed for

these deficiencies, but they are said to declare that they
received no proper instructions to prepare for th e

:oree. It would have been a very good plan to send

out a commissariat offs cer with each vessel, instead of

keeping a number of these useful officers boxed up in a
room at Whitehall. As each vessel arrived, the com-

missary could have acquainted the head of the depart.
ment on shore with the amount and nature of the arti.

ties required for the use of the troops when they landed,
and it would not have been possible for any excuse to be
made for neglecting such a requisition. There is a re-
port current to the effect that the next division from
England will not disembark at Malta, but will proceed
to the East direct. It is to be hoped the rumour is cor-
rect, or that the first division will leave the island before
the second arrives. As it is, every regiment that comes
in must encamp, and, despite the heat of the midday
sun, the month of March in Malta has its bitter cold

nights and sha►p winds to smite the host with catarrhs
and rheumatics, and of all the ludicrous sights to gods
or men a rheumatics.' warrior is the most painfully con-
.

spicuous. By a rigid interpretation of orders, the officers
of the 93d were debarred from bringing more than their
901 b. weight of baggage per man. Many of them
omitted beds, canteen, and mess traps ; and so they
must have been rather horrorstruck when they were
politely invited, kilts and all, to pitch their tents on the
ravelin outside Valetta, and " make themselves com-
fortable." _ _ _

The arrival of the Himalaya before midnight on the
7th, after an extraordinary run of 7 days and 3 hours
from Plymouth, with upwards of 1,500 souls on board,
is another striking proof of our resources as a belligerent
power. It would have taken at least 6 weeks for 3 or-

Binary troop-ships to carry that mass of men here against
the winds which prevailed during the voyage of this
steamer, and of course it would have cost the Govern-
ment a proportionate sum for their maintenance all the
time they were idly knocking about on the ocean. The
only inconvenience attendant on this great celerity is,
that it throws so many human creatures, with the usual
appetites of the species, on one spot, that the supplies
can scarcely be procured in time to meet the demand.

The vast and sudden increase of meat-consuming animals
at Malta, has nearly produced the effects of a famine ;
at least, we had a prospect of being run to a disagree-
able low ebb in the current of beef and mutton to the
markets. On Monday last there were only 400 head
of cattle left m Malta and its dependencies, and, with
a population of 120,000—with a brigade of Guards
and eleven regiments in garrison, and the crews of
three frigates to feed, it may easily be imagined that
" the to vers of flesh" would have been in a bad way
at the end of the week. On Tuesday morning, however,
the Vectis, which had been sent over to Tunis, returned
with the joyful news that there was a good stock of
cattle about the country, and with the still more wel-
come reality of 188 Moorish oxen on board. Mr.
Powell, captain of the Vectis, finding that the means of
transport were not abundant at Tunis, with commendable
activity stored his decks with this live provision, and re-
turned here, leaving the Research cutter and an officer
of the Commissariat there to provide for the future sup-
plies. The Commissariat have been very active lately,
Out it may be imagirecl that their energies are hardly
taxed to meet this influx of hungry men. However, the
direction to which their efforts tend is not mistakeable.
ere are preparing our auppbes for taking the fiel 1 in
Turkey. 011 Sunday, March 5, a Commissariat officer
who bad only arrived the previous night from England,
Mr. Deputy Commissary-General Turner, was sent with
all haste utt to Constantinople, and Messrs. Brownrigg,
Mitchell, Darling, and others of the same department,
lately arrived from England and Gibraltar, are busily
engaged in providing stores for the use of the troops.
The biscuit mills are baking 30,0001 b. of biscuit per
day. Bills in English and Italian are posted in every
street of Valetta-, informing "parties desirous of joining
the Commissariat Department, under the orders of
Commissary-General Fader, about to proceed with the
force to the East, as temporary clerks, assistant store
keepers, interpreters, &c.," that they may " freely
apply to Assistant Commissary-General Strickland ; '
and there is this very significant addition,—" those con-
versant with English, Italian, Modern Greek, and Tur-
kish languages, or the Lingua Franca of the East will
be preferred ;" and all sorts of warlike mechanics, ar-
mourers, farriers, wheelwrights, baggage-waggon equip-
ment and harness makers are in much request.
The force " supposed to be going to the East" is dis
tributed as follows :—Guards, one battalion Grenadier,
one battalion Coldstream, at the Lazaretto, Fort
rlanoel (close to the former) and Forte Tinge ; 28th
Foot, two companies and head-quarters, Verdala-bar-
racks ; one company, Zebbarega.te ; two companies,
Fort St. Salvador ; three companies, Bighi-bay ; 9th
Regiment, St. Elmo, and horses Strada Mercanti ; 50th
Regiment, in the Dockyard and Seamen's-barracks.
The Rifles will encamp at St, Clement's ; the 931 High-
landers will encamp at Ravel in St. Francis and Noti e
, we have the 3d Buffs at
Dame. Besides this force
St. Elmo, the 62d Regiment at St. Elmo, 41st Regi-
ment at Floriana, 47th Regiment atVerdala, 49th Regi-
ment at Fort Ricasoli. The Scots Fusilier Guards,
when they arrive, will bo quartered at Fort Manuel,
and the other regiments we expect out here, the 4th
will encamp at the hornwork outside Porta Bombe, the
23d will be stationed in the Dockyard, the 44th will
encamp at Fort Manoel, the 33d somewhere near the
same quarter.
The Guards commenced tte Mini 4 practice March 7,
but, as the range was very short, there is no use in
doing more than mentioning the fact. They are exer-
cised from 8 8..111. till 2 p.m , at targets placed at 250
yards distance. Brigadier Bentinck hopes to be able
to get a more ample and lees disturbed range, and the
experiments will be continued till they are able to send
a full report to Government, It is most gratifying to
state that thb conduct of this large body of men has been
on the whole very good. Meeting allowance for the
great teniptations to which they were exposed on land-
ing, they resisted them like so many St. Anthonies,
and, after the first night, have behaved in the most
exemplary way, and the line regiments have also exhi-
bited the utmost good order and subordination. The
captains and officers of the. various ships which served
as transports speak in the highest terms of the soldiers
while on board, and the most perfect entente cordiale
reigned between them and their numerous guests.
Captain Kellock, of the Himalaya, received on his ar-
rival here a very gratifying address from the officers of
the Rifles and 931, to which he replied in suitable
terms. lam informed that Government is taking
steps to strengthen the fortifications of Malta. Some
years ago it was determined that Gibraltar and this
island should be placed in a condition to enable them
to meet the inc•eased weight of metal of men-of-
war. Gibraltar, was, in consequence, rendered all
but impregnable. Malta was left untouched for
soma years, but recently eflorte have been made to