The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-11 00:00:00

MILITARY.

The following changes of the stations of officers of
the Royal Engineers took place during the last month :
—Colonel G. C. Du Plat, K.H., recently recalled from
Warsaw, is appointed brigadier•general of the forces in
the Engineer department of the Ordnance service in the
East ; Colonel M. A. Waters has returned home from
the ISLaurittus, and has proceeded on leave ; Lieutenant-
Colodbl Daniel Bolton, recently returned from New
Zealand, after a short leave of absence since he came
home, has been ordered to the Can• of Goad Hope ;
Lieutenant-Colonel Henry P. Wolff has arrived from
Quebec, Canada, and proceeded on leave ; Lieutenant-
Colonel Henry Servants, returned from Malta is now at
Manchester ; Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Aldrich, of
the London district, has obtained leave of absence.

Captain John William, recently professor of fortifica-
tion at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, has
proceeded to Malta ; Captain Thomas Fen wick, from
Littlebampton to Portsmouth ; Captain Hon. W. F.
Keane, for some time past serving at Montreal, Canada,
is ordered to proceed to join the forces in the Crimea.
Captain Henry Grain has removed from Kingston,
Canada, to Halifax, Nova Scotia ; Captain Horace W.
Montague has left Corfu for the seat of war in the
East ; Captain Frederick W. King left Woolwich in
command of the 2d company of Royal Sapper. and
Miners, and is now on passage in the Royal Albert,
121, screw steam-ship, for service before Sebastopol ;
Captain E. C. Demolyns, recently stationed at Ports-
mouth, has proceeded to the Crimea. Lieutenant L.
J. A. Armit has proceeded from Dublin to Malta; Lieu-
tenant B. A. Wilkinson, recently stationed at Toronto,
Canada, is now employed •n surveying service ; Lieu-
tenant Sidney B. Farrell. recently stationed at South-
end, is now stationed at York ; Lieutenant George Ran-
ken, recently stationed at Quebec, is now at Edinburgh ;
Lieutenant W. 0. Lsnno, recently stationed at Ceylon,
has proceeded to the seat of war in the Crimea ; Lieute-
nant Edward R. James has proceeded from Alderney to
Malta.

iTHE MILITIA.
The Northumberland Light Infantry Regiment o
Militia are to he embodied on Tuesday, the 9th o
January next, at Alnwick, and are to hold themselves
in readiness to march to any part of the United King-
dom. The nominal strength of this regiment as enrolled
is 1,277, but this number has bean reduced below 1,000
by enlistments into the regular forces and other causes.
A vigorous enlistment will be necessary to make up its
full complement.
The Notts Militia are new undergoing a term of drill
at Newark. The reginteut numbers 900 men, and since
they have been in training their progress has been very
satisfactory.
The Leicestershire Militia are to assemble on Thurs-
day next. Recruiting in the town has been carried on
during the week with good success. The regiment now
numbers 933 men.
The 2d Royal Lancashire (Liverpool) Militia, under
the command of Colonel Sire Thomas Hesketb, are
called out for permanent duty, to commence on the
18th instant, with training and exercise, at Ererton,
Liverpool.
The West York Rifle Regiment (late the Ist West
York Militia), under the command of the Hon. E. G.
Menckton, is under orders to assemble at Pontefract
on the 19th inst. This regiment has contributed nearly
:00 volunteers to the line, and it is yet about 900
strong.
The North York Rifles are to assemble at Riohmond,
Yorkshire, on the 12th inst, for permanent duty.
The Royal Denbigh Rifle Militia has furnished 31
volunteers to the regular army, and has its complement
of men enrolled—viz., 432.
The Monmouthshire Light Infantry Regiment, now
stationed at Newport, has given a number of volunteers
to the Grenadier Guards, and last week 80 fine active
young men left the corps as volunteers for the 23d
Welsh Fusiliers and other regiments. The regiment is
actively engaged in recruiting its strength up to the
proper establishment.
The 4th Royal West Middlesex Militia afurnt prishe esent
stationed at Hasler barracks, Gosport, has d
more than its full quota of volunteers. At the date of
the War-office order for volunteering the strength of
the regiment was 528. The commanding officer'afforded
every encouragement to the men to volunteer, and the
result has been that 142 have been parted with, and 36
more have passed the doctor, and are waiting for the
recruiting officer's sanction to join their new regiments.
The West Kent Militia regiment will assemble at
.aidstone in January.

ALA/MING TIIIINDIRSTOM—`Pe learn from a corres-
pondent that, on Sabbath last, the towns of Newton-
stewart and Strabane, with their vicinities, were visited
by a sudden storm of thnnder, lightning, and rain. The
storm coinnienced about noon, but did not reach the cli-
max of its fury until about two o'clock. Previous to the
thunder, at the time when the people were engaged in
devotional exorcises in the churches, the atmosphere be-
camelarge print. About two o'clock a large ball of
so dense that it was almost impossible to read even
tolerably
fire passed over the town of Strabane, with a terrific his•
sing sound, and after proceeding about a mile and a half,
the bolt, as it is termed, descended with a noise resem-
bling the discharge of a park of artillery, struck in its
progress a stack of oats, the property of Mr. J. Crockeor tt,
of Edymore, in the neighbourhood of Lifford, and pigh
of Clonleigh, and instantaneously set it on fire. Several
persons beheld the strange phenomenon, but werend
much appalled that they were afraid to approach
render the assistance necessary for extingung the
blaze and saving the oats from destruction. The conse-
quence was that the entire stack was consnined ; and
when the fire had ceased, large holes, which still remain,
were found where it had formerly stood, the forked
lightning having thus found a passage and buried itself
• in the bowel!' of the earth.--Derry paper.