The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-08 00:00:00

On reaching the camp her Majesty drove direct to
a marquee on the summit of the Lang-down, from
which'it had been arranged, the .royal party, should view
thei3pmttetht—ottlietlay: What thoseiverationi; were
intended to represent, did not, as it happened, very
clearly appear ; but, we believe, the object of the Lieu-
tenant-General Commanding was to give the Sovereign
some idea of the means by which a fortification might
be stormed. For this purpose, a redoubt had been
thrown up by the Sappers on one of the numerous ele-
vated positions near the centre of the common, and di-
rectly facing the position of the royal party.

It has been said that the visitors onthisocc,asion were
exceedingly numerous. It may be added, that on very
few occasions have the numerous points of sight been
so densely occupied as on Saturday. At a moderate
estimate, there could not have been less than from
10,000 to 15,000 spectators on the ground. Among
the members of the aristocracy present we remarked
the Duke of Beaufort, with his daughters, in a phaeton
drawn by his Grace's favourite piebalds, the Countess
of Jersey and Lady Clementina Villiers, with Lady
Burghersh and Lady Rachel Russell, the Earl of Car-
digan, the Countess Frances Waldegrave and Mr. Har-
court, M.P., Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, the Earl of
Euston, the Earl of Annesley, the Right Hon. the
Speaker, Lord Bingham, Major-General the Hon.
George Anson, and many others.
The military manoeuvres may be told in a few lines.
After the usual inspection by the commanding officers,
the troops marched from their quarters into Catlin's
Valley, taking up their position upon the hills on the
west side, opposite the redoubt, and near the tents of
the royal party. The redoubt, which was undefended
by artillery, was occupied by detachments of the Sappers
and Miners, the 23d Fusiliers, and the Scots Fusiliers.
Taking the royal tents as the centre of the position
of the attacking forces, they draw up as follows :—On
the right flank was a battalion of the Household Brigade,
with the Scots Greys in line of squadrons, on the left
were the two remaining battalions and the Bth Hussars ;
a little behind the Bth Hussars and Scots Greys were
the Horse Guards and 4th Dragoons, in reserve, with
Col. Lockyer's Brigade of the 79th, 97th, and 19th
Regiments. On the left was the storming party, and
the honour on this occasion fell to the lot of the 35th
Regiment, in the brigade of General Sir Richard Eng-
land. They were disposed under cover of some hills
in advance of the redoubt, and supported by other re-
giments of their brigade and the main body of troops
on the right. The instant the signal for the assault was
given, the troops forming the right and left of the at-
tacking force moved forward by way of diversion, while
at the same moment the 35th broke from their cover
and advanced with their scaling ladders towards the re-
doubt at double quick time, Their fire, as they rushed
up the hill to storm, was very slack, and the enemy
for a moment or two returned it hotly. But this
was only for a moment ; supposed to be overawed by
the strength of the attacking forces, they hastily
evacuated the redoubt, escaping over the bridge which
crossed the fosse on the east side. The 35th pressed
forward with a loud cheer, and with their scaling ladders
borne among the men, gallantly breasted the hill. In
the course of a minute or so they had reached the re-
doubt, descended by the aid of their ladders the deep
fosse which surrounded it, and presently were pouring
like bees up and over its steep walls. The attack, we
should have stated, was carried on finder a sharp fire of
artillery from several elevated positions facing the re-
doubt. The storming party had scarcely obtained pos-
session of the redoubt when their commander appeared
to entertain a suspicion that the troops who had just
evacuated it would probably blow up the fortress, and
an order to retire was immediately given. The first
bitch in the day's movements occurred here. An elec-
tric battery had been prepared, and wires communicating
with a subterranean magazine laid down, but from some
unexplained cause, the apparatus failed, and after an
awkward delay of half an hour, which the spectators
could not understand, the desired explosion was effected
by the old-fashioned fusee process.
After this contretemps, a variety of evolutions were
gone through, and some firing took place, but in a very
short period the offensive and defensive operations of the
day gave place to a magnificent spectacle, viz., the
marching of the whole division passed the Sovereign,
who, for the more perfect display of this portion of the
day's proceedings, re-entered the royal carriage and
drove some distance from her marqude to a plain of level
ground admirably adapted for the purpose.
The carriage in which the Queen rode having been
brought into its position, those of the aristocracy drew
up in the immediate vicinity, and around and about the
royal party were a field of probably 300 or 400 eques-
trians. The bands of the different regiments having
stationed themselves opposite her Majesty's carriage, at
a given signal simultaneously struck up the lively air of
" St. Patrick's Day in the Morning," to which the staff
first cantered past, Viscount Hardinge, General Com-
manding-in-Chief, heading the brilliant array, and Lord
Seaton, mounted on a very splendid charger, immediately
preceding the Ist Regiment—the Royal Horse Guards
Blue.

All the cavalry regiments cantered past, the horses
keeping time to the music in a really wonderful manner,
and producing oue of the most beautiful effects we have
ever witnessed. Perhaps the most striking feature,
however, was the passage of the Royal Horse Artillery
which gallopped past at full speed—the horses " lying
down ' to their work and exhibiting a marvellous degree
of training, the drivers having them under the most
perfect command, even when at their greatest speed.
The Foot Artillery and the rest of the division
marched past to the tune of the "British Grenadiers)-"
The Queen and the royal party now proceeded, amid
the reiterated cheers of the spectators, to the royal
marquee, where her Majesty partook of luncheon.
The royal party left the camp on their return to Lon-
don at three o'clock.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, in the undress
uniform of his regiment, mounted a charger shortly after
his arrival, and remained on horseback until the royal
party left the ground. The Prince, relieved of the for-
mality of military duty, entered into conversation with
several members of the aristocracy, and was especially
courteous to the Speaker, whose love of military display
appears to be as great as Ins devotion to the service of
his country in another place.
We are very happy to be enabled to announce the
complete recovery of Col. Bentinck from the effects of
his late accident.

THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS.—PLYMOUTH, Saturday.-
The government contract mailship Vimeira Captain H.
Neatby, which sailed yesterday with the Australian
bolted
mails,_ re
entgiirelsters 1,037 tons, is built of teak, copper
y, and was launched in 1850 from t?-
building-yard of Mr. J. Lang, Sunderland. In 1851,
in charge of her present commander, she accomplished
the outward passage from England to Port Phillip in 90
days. and the passage home from Sydney, by Cape
Horn in 91 days. In 1852, outward to Port Philip, she
took 87 days, and homeward from Sydney 82 days.
Her present contract is to go out to Port Philip in 82
days, for which she will receive 1,0001., paying a for-
feit of 301. for every day's delay beyond the stipu-
lated time. The Vimeira has a picked crew of 48
hands. Among her 30 passengers ii Mr. Odenheimer,
professor of geology, whose services are engaged by
the Peel River Company. She has for cargo more
than 1,000 tons of British manufactured goods, valued
o
at over 100,0001., and on deck she carries 32 Merino
rams, and a very valuable Clydesdale entire horse
a.
for the colonies. The last of the mails was received
shedwast
5.30 p.m. on Friday, and within 15
nenunur
att e!
emigration
from N.W. When passing the Governsenett,
also bound
ship Maidstone, 938 tons, Captain E
passengers cheered most
under all plain canvas, with a light favourable
for Sydney, her crew and
' ira consist of 148 bags
heartily. The mails of the Vimeira
1 box for Port Phillip,
and one box,—viz., 57 bagsor and Van Diemen's Land, 2 for
8 bags for Geelong, f_
14
for Adelaide, 34 for Sydney,
Western Australia,
22for Auckland. The mails fore Van
Diemen's left
for Wellington, and 3
Swan River, and Adelaide, will
on
Diemen's Land,
New Zealand will be taken .
e • those for
W*l ocks emigration
at Melbourne
Sydney Mr. J. B. 1 c ,
Captain
in the ship to y
dispatched the Vimeira from Plymouth.n
the 15th of
agent,
ointed to leave Sydney o breeze
Neatby has appointed
wardland, by the Horn ; his home pas-
sengers January for
already booked.
an