The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-19 00:00:00

LON DON, WEDNESDAY .kIVENING, APRIL 19, 1864.

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! %II R. ALBERT SMITH'S MONT B\LIANC,
I.‘ il. including the BERNESE OBERLAND and the SIMPLON,
1 TI-11-4 EVENING, and 'Every Even'tig at Eight o'Clock, (except
Saturda}); and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday Mornings, at Two.
. st:th 33. (which can' be taken at. the' box. Offiel eve day from 11
s,
. • tills 4 ;area, Is.; gallery, Is.—Egyptian nag, OceadiltY•

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0•T ICE. CONSTANTINOPLE. The
Lecture accompanying the OH AND MI WING DIORAJHA
of cON.:TINTINO, LE is now delivered on Wednesdays and Satin,
drys by Mr. J H. ATNUE LEK; when tha progress and localities
of :he War µill be more particularly explained; and oo the other
chys, as by Mr. CHAR .ES KENNEY. A very clear and
excellent '.tap has been ad.l.d to the illtistratlons.—DallY at Half.
past Two and Eight.— Admission, Is. .
guYPrIAN HALL, rfccADlLvr.

SIDNEY
MAXOII. —MANsib N-HousE, lath
April, 1854.—Her 31r,st Graelons _Majesty having issued a"
Proclarnst.en appetizing WEDNESDAY, th • zfich of April Ina ant,
to be observed as a Day ot Sint illation and Frayer to Almighty tiod,
tia; cmploring arri atsis' ance 0,, her 31. j sty s arms for
the res oration of peace she Lord Mayan regatta that hi,- fe'low
C mats will Close their Shops and abstain ftont 411 business o Ilia
day, in ord,r that it may bo Sc'. outly and reverently observed by at
elas,es.

By Order of the LOrd Mator.
S. R. GOODMAN.

lIILDH,ALL, April 7,1854.—The Committee,
-,appointed for the Management and Control of the 3.farkots
of utts City will meet at Guildhall, on FRIDAY, the 21st April idat.,i
et One o'clock precisely, to receive Tenders for Letting Five Ware-
houses Irk liiilingsgate-market, net Thames street. Further parti-
cular: may be obtained at the Cemptioller's Office, Guildhall, or of
Mr. John Goldham, Colector of the Market. ' •
CHABLES PAiliObT, Comptroller pro tem.

rim ST. MARGAR.ErS ESTATE, RICH-
• ,
MOD.—The magnificent Jiansion and picturesque Para stt
sr Margaret's. opposite Rictimoni Gardeqs, ma, be Viewed. Dail',
between the hoars of 12 and Wo'cloct (Sundays xcep ed), by elude
only, to be lied of the .h.xecutive CoMmittee of the Conservative
Land Society.
Cards will he forwarded en application to
CHARLES LEWi4 (TWIN EISEN, Secretary.
Offices, 33, Norfolk•street, Strand, April 15, 1854.

SALE OF OLD STORES AT DEVOKPORT.
• ADMIRALTY, SoDDIRSZT-PLACE, 17th April, 1254.
THE Commissioners for.Eiecuting the Office of
Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
amilrelaui, do hereby give notice, that on TUESDAY, the 9th May
next, at 1U o'clock in the foieno.,n, time Comm, dore superintendent
will uat up to Sale in her Majesty's Dockyard It Devonport, several
i,ote of Old Stores ;`consisting of Oil Kspe, Shakings Spunyarn,
Uniayed Yams, 11am:tuts.% and Catty*: in piece., Hemp nakillifs.•
Cast Iron, &c., &c., all lying the said Yard. ,
Persons wishing to view time lots must apply to the Superintendent
for note, of a :mission for tint purpo-e.
Catalogues and Conditions of Sale may be had here and at the
Y ard. .

THE WAR.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
The exact number of 'persons who visited Woolwich
dockyard on Monday to go on board the Royal Albert,
131, 'screw now-' ready for launching, was
11,156 on the nunibers.fortning each party being reck-
oned up. The numbers whe'visited-the dockyard yester-
day for the purpose of going over the Royal Albert, ap-
peared to be greater than on Monday ; and Commodore
Superintendent John Shepherd very considerately al-
lowed the dockyard gates td be kept open an hour later,
or until 5 o'clock p.m., for the admission of the holiday
visitors, and thousands were much gratified by the indul-
gence afforded to them. •

The St. Vincent, 101, Capt. E. H. Scott, depot-ship
of Portsmotrth ordinary, will haul out of the fitting
basin to-day, preparatory to taking up her moorings off
Gosport.

The Penelope, 16, Paddle-Wheel steam-frigate, Capt.
Coffin, will haul 'out of th, .steam-factory basin into
Portsmoutb.harbour
The Janus, 4 grins, padd}e-wheel steam-vessel, Lieut.-
Commander Colin C. 'A. Kane, arrived at on
Monday at 215 p.m. She will lake in 'a full supply of
coals, and again return for cruising in the Channel.
The Rosamond, 6 guns, paddlewheel steam-sloop,
Commander George Wodehouse, arrived at Sheerness
at 5 a.rn yesterday from :Shields. She has proceeded
alongside the coal depot to fill up with coals, previous
to her departure to join the Baltic fleet.
Tlie. Cuckoo, 3 guns,. Paddle-Wheel steam-vessel, is
taken into the fitting basin at:tbearnesa, and bands are
set upon her to fit her for immediate service in the
Baltic.

The Majestic, 81 guns, new screw steam-ship, Capt.
James Hope, C. 8., &c., got up steam yesterday morn-
ing, and proceeded from Sheerness to Black Stakes,
where she is now taking in her powder, shell, &c., pre-
paratory to her departure for the Baltic.
The Columbine (late 12-gun sloop), sailing coal depot,
has been towed down to Sheerness from Chatham, and
taken into the fitting basin 'for some alterations, after
which she will fill up, and proceed to the Baltic.
There are now fitting in the basin at Sheerness, for
immediate service, the Formidable, 84 guns ; the Tar-
tarus, 4 guns, paddle-wheel liteam-sloop ; the Cuckoo, 3
guns, paddle-wheel steam-vessel ; and the Miranda, 15
guns, screw steam•ship, Captain Edmond M. Lyons.
The Siren, 16-gun sloop, is also undergoing altera-
tions and fitting for immediate service,

No. 26 transport sailed from Spatula for Queenstown
yesterday morning.

The Meglent, 6, steam troop-ship, Commander John-
son, hauled out of dock into the steam factory basin at
Portsmouth yesterday morning. She will speedily em-
bark troops for the East.

A COMMISSARIAT FOR THE BALTIC FLEET.

Letters from officers in the Baltic complain bitterly,
and with much justice, of the want of a commissariat.
Exchange at Copenhagen on bills is ruinously high, and
stock of all kinds extravagantly dear. The officers are
much in want of money, but are loth to cash their bills
at such a loss. it is truly astonishing, and discreditable
to the authorities, that •no Admiralty commissariat has
been organised. The officers of the fleet ought now to
be receiving.their pay monthly in cash, or bills, if it suits
better. Were there but a company pf infantry there, or
a' dozen artillerymen, there would be a commissariat
organised for their convenience, with a military cheat
well supplied.

cartridge as received froni the store, and 60 froth
another musket, with the grease wiped off, wetting the
bullet in the mouth before loading ; the result proved
that the wetting of the bullet is a perfect Substitute for
grease under the circumstances. The whole 60 rounds
were wetted without the slightest incovenienco to the
firer, and were loaded with ease, excepting in cases when
tbe grains of the powder had got between the paperaud the
bullet, a defect which was common to both systems of
loading, and which has long been known to be unavoidable
in the cartridges made up in this manner, but which
will be totally obviated in the bag cartridge about to
be introduced into, the service. The extra time taken
in loading with the wetted cartridge is due to the time
occupied in putting it into the mouth. It may, I think,
be safely recommended that,' whenever the greaSe is
melted away or otherwise removed, the bullet should be
loaded in this manner.

"In order to ascertain the effect of loading the _Mini()
musket with xpherical bullet, I had 60 rounds fired from
the common (smooth bore) musket, loaded in the ordi-
nary way, and the time noted ; 60 rounds were then fired
from the Minie musket, wetting the bullet, reversing it,
and tearing off the paper, as if loading with the Minie
cartridge ; it was found that the first 30 rounds.
loaded with ease, but that,subsequently it began to load
. very bad, continuing to do so until the 60 rounds were
expended. The time occupied in, firing was 45 minutes,
or about the same time occupied in loading with the
Minie bullet in the same manner. The accuracy of fire
was found to be greater than with the common musket.
" Whilst on this subject I would venture to call atten-
tion to the fact, that the trsops proceeding' to the East
axe unprovided with any regular means of carrying oil,
without which the Minis musEerwill soon become taw
less, the shallow grooves will, soon be obliterated, and
even the smallest particle of ,hard rust in the barrel has
often been found sufficient to cause the bullet to strip.
Many soldiers have proiided themselves with oil, but it
cannot be expected that all should put themselves to this
expense. I would suggest that, in preference to every
man carrying a small bottle (as is the custom, I believe,
in the French service), it would be better that it should
'be carried by companies ; one man might be told off after
firing, to oil the barrels of a whole company.
"The following is a return showing the particulars of
the above-mentioned trial, and likewise some additional
rules, which it is found necessary to have issued for the
guidance of those using the MiniS musket :

0.)

DeseriptiOn of Experiment,

Sixty rounds of Minie cartridge
(greased as received froth the Ord-

iiance) fired from a Minis musket at
a target. Distance, 200 yards
Sixty rounds of Minie cartridge,
wetted with the mouth (the grease
having been scraped off), fired from
a musket at a target at 200 yards
Sixty rounds of spherical ammunition,
fired from a common musket. Dis-

tance, 200 yards*
Sixty rounds of spherical ammunition,
fired from a Minie musket, cartridge
reversed, and the bullet wetted in
the mouth, at 200 yardst