The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-25 00:00:00

distri

A.VA VAL AND MILITARY LNIELLIGENCL. SPORTING

\Ye have good reason for stating that "
owing to insecure foundation, of more than ordi-
nary magnitude, have lately occurred on some of
the river-front portions of the dockyard extension
works on St. Mary's Island, in the Medway. In
fact, it has been several times recently asserted by
men iu charge of hands employed thereon, that
with reference to portions of the works their labour
has been directed rather to secure that which has
already been done than to make further progress.
The foundations, for many feet in depth, have to
be laid in oozy mud, in which it is next to impos-
sible to obtain that firmness and permanence of
base so essentill in works of such enormous tring-
ni!ude an I of such cost to the natiGu.

11cr Majesty's Indian troopsh7p Serapis sailed
from Malta (for Portsmouth) at 10 p.m. on Friday
the 21st inst.

The Turkish ship of war Avni hall, from Lon-
don arrived at Plymouth on Saturday morning,
and is al pointed to leave the Sound to-day fur
Constantinople. She was built at the names Iron
Works, Blackwall ; is of 1,400 tons British mea-
surement, and is plated with 6-inch armour
fore and aft, and 5-inch all round the battery.
The Avui Pah has on board 320 tons of coal, 87
tons shot and shell, and the weight of her four 300-
pounders, with their slides, &c., is 79 tons, making,
with stores, water, &c., a total of 500 tons. Au
average speed of 121 knots has been accomplished.
A similar vessel, of 1,000 tons and 500-horse power,
was launched from the same works on Monday, for
his imperial Majesty the Sultan, constructed from
designs by Mr. E. J. Reed, C. 8., also to carry four
300-pounders ; a greater speed is, however, contem-
plated from the increased proportion of the engines
to the tonnage of the ship. The Greek turret-ship
King George was put out of Millbay on Saturday.
She will probably leave to-day in company with
the Avni Alah.
The 10th company of Royal Engineers, at pre-
sent attached to the Military School of Engineer-
ing at Chatham, and which did such good service
in the Abyssinian Expedition, will receive, it is ex-
pected, the medals for the campaign in the course
of a week or two.

The office of naval storekeeper of Sheerness dock-
yard will be abolished at the close of the present
financial year, and Mr. J. Creasey, storekeeper,
'placed on superannuation. This determination will
probably involve some other important changes in
Sheerness yard.
It is at length known to what extent the forth-
coming reduction of hands in Sheerness dockyard
will reach. The following are the official figures :
—From the factory department, 180 men; ship-
wrights, 90 ; caulkers, 7 ; labourers, 25 ; hired
men of different trades, 226; giving a total num-
ber of 528. It is understood that the above numbers
will be taken, as far as possible, from the younger
and non-established bands, and that in very few
cases will the older, experienced workmen (un-
loss upon medical examination they are declared
to be unfit for labour), be either discharged
or superannuated. During the last few days the
Lords of the Treasury have refused to sanction the
discharge and superannuation of 17 men from
Sheerness (whose names had been forwarded to the
Admiralty, and by them in due course to the Trea-
sury), on the plea that the medical certificates were
not sufficiently explicit in the reasons why the men
were recommended to be strut off the roll of the
dockyard. This has done much to restore con-
fidence among many who, by reason of their ap-
proach to the ages of 55 and 50 years, thought
they were likely to be among the first to be pen-
sioned. The total financial reduction in Sheerness
dockyard is expected to range from £23,000 to
£27,000 per annum.

A further discharge of hired hands-20 ship
wrights, labourers, &c.—was made at Chatham
dockyard on Saturday. This makes a total of nearly
70 men already discharged out of the large number
who will have to leave before the end of the finan-
cial year to bring down the numbers to the new
limit fixed by the Admiralty. The men who have
been working " factory hours " in Chatham dock-
yard have not since the change of hours was made at
the beginning of the year received the extra 6d a day
which they asked for and believed they would ob-
..air, and which would bring their wages up to the
level of those granted to other men in the yard.
rhe case of the late factory men is a very hard one.
['hey now earn less, ranging from Bd. to ls. 3d. a
:lay, according to their trades, than they did when
working longer hours. Some years ago when other
men got 61. a day advance the factory hands got
none, on the ground that they earned higher wages
by working longer hours. These men are now
being paid less than the majority of the people
employed in the yard. It is only natural that much
dissatisfaction is felt at this treatment.
A detachment of Royal Engineers selected from
the troops of the Military School of Engineering to
proceed to Melbourne to work the Mint there, and
who have received instructions in the art of coin-
ing at the Royal Mint, London, are in daily expec-
tation of leaving headquarters at Brompton Bar-
racks to embark for Australia.
A general order has been issued from thelDeputy
Adjutant-General's Office, Royal Artillery, Horse
Guards, and promulgated at Woolwich, direct-
ing a specified number of non-commissioned officers
belonging to the Royal Artillery, not under the
rank of corporals, and principally sergeants, to pro-
ceed to "Woolwich, from the various stations under-
mentioned, on the 31st inst., to go through a course
of instruction in the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich,
preparatory to a long course of training in gunnery
at the School of Gunnery, at Shoeburyness, under
the command of Col. E. Elwyn, Royal Artillery,
Commandant and Superintendent of Experi-
ments. The non-commissioned officers have been
selected at the following stations—viz., six from
Dover, three from the Isle of Wight, three from
Shoeburyness, two from Aldershott, two from Dub-
lin, and one each from Norwich, Manchester,
Athlone, Fermoy, Kilkenny, Hilsea, Guernsey,
Portsmouth, Gosport, Shorncliffe, and Maidstone,
being 27 in all. On their arrival atWoolwich they
will be joined by 12 who have been selected at
headquarters, bringing the total number of the
class up to 39. They will proceed to Shoebury-
ness on the 31st of March.
During the past week no combined field move-
ments have been executed by the Aldershott Divi-
sion, but the various brigades have been exercised
independently. Tho whole of the troops at the
camp look in admirable condition, and in the highest
state of efficiency. With such soldiers the com-
manding officers must feel able to execute any field
manoeuvres they may desire, but before the re-
view season fairly commences the constitution of
the division will undergo considerable altera-
tion. The 7th and 23d Fusiliers are already
under orders to leave the camp, and, in addition to
the regiments which will replace them, it is expected
that the 91st Regiment will be moved from Dover
to that station at an early date. Considering the
number of troops stationed in Ireland, it is not an-
ticipated that the strength of the force at the camp
will be very great in the coming spring, Probably
the troops which Will be quartered there will con-
sist of three regiments of cavalry, ten infantry regi-
ments, and the different corps of militia, which
during the past two or three years have been sent
thither for their annuhl training. Spring drill will
intervene before the field-days commence in earnest,
and before the summer fairly sets in the militia
will, doubtless, be replaced by various crack corps.
Sham fights on au extended scale will then be
executed, in accordance with the new military

tactics.
Capt. Legett, 69th Foot, late Brigade Major i❑
the eastern district, has been appointed deputy-
governor of Portsmouth Convict Prison.

TIIOU SANDS OF PRESENTS AT PARKINS AND G OTTO'S.
—Portrait albums, dispatch boxes, writing cases, dressing cases,
dressing bags, envelope cases, blotting books, inkstands, desks,
stationery cabinets, bookslides, work boxes, tea caddies, hand
bags and reticules, card cases, purses, scent bottles, cigar cases,
card trays, pocket books, ornamental articles in china, bronze
gilt, and elegantly mounted for mantel shelf, drawing and library
tables ; bagatelleboards. indoor croquet and indoor games of all
kinds; Bibles, Prayer-books, and Church Services in every type.
Thousands of the above articles, all perfectly new and fresh.
6mall articles carefully selected and sent post paid upon re-
' payment. Qatalogueo free.

1-THIS DAY

CITY BETTING.—Tars DAY.
WATERLOO CUP.
4 to 1 agst Lord Lurgau's nomination (offered)
20 to 1 agst Mr llland's nomination (taken)
25 to 1 agst Dr Richardson's nomination (taken)
30 to 1 agst Mr F. Johnston's nom. (taken)
1000 to 25 agst Mr Deighton's nomination (taken)
40 to 1 agst Mr Foulke's nom. (taken)
LIVERPOOL GRAND NATIONAL.
18. to 1 agst Q. C. (taken)
2000 to 90 agst Tathwell (taken)
1000 to 45 agst The Colonel (offered)
23 to 1 agst Costa (offered)
25 to 1 agst Tho Lamb (offered—take 20 to 1)
200 to 6 agst Nuage (taken)
100 to 3 agst Fertullagh (taken)
1000 to 30 agst Snowstorm (offered)
40 to 1 ag3t Count Horn (taken)
40 to 1 agst Doctor (taken)
40 to 1 agst Harvester (taken)
4U to 1 spat Cristal (taken)
40 to 1 r.gst David Copperfield (wanted)
40 to 1 agst Pearl Diver (offered)
1000 to 15 agst Scarrington (wanted)
1000 to 15 agst Fan (wanted)
1000 to 80 agst Mr 13rayley's lot (wanted)
sto 1 agst Tathwell 1,2, 3 (taken)
TWO THOUSAND.
400 to 100 agst Kingcraft (offered)
9 to 2 agst Sunshine (offered)
500 to 60 agst Astolfo (offered)
12 to 1 agst Bridgwater (taken)
7 to 4 agst any two coupled (offered)
DERBY.
1000 to 150 agst Sunshine (taken)
1400 to 100 agst Bridgwater (taken to £5O)
20 to 1 agst Sunlight (offered)
1000 to f.. 0 agst Astolfo (taken)

TATTERSALL'd—Last Evening.
WATERLOO (COURSING) CUP.
20 to 1 agst Mr Spiuk's nomination (taken)
TWO TIIOUSAND GUINEAS.
13 to 1 agst Bridgwater (taken)
DERBY.
6 to 1 agst Sunshine (offered)
16 to 1 agst Bridgwater (offered)
35 to l_agst Cymbal (taken)
LIVERPOOL GRAND NATIONAL.
20 to 1 agst Q.C. (taken and offered)
22 to 1 agst Tathwell (taken and offered)
25 to 1 agst Costa (taken and offered)
25 to 1 agst Lamb (offered)
1000 to 30 agst Surney (taken and offered)
1000 to 30 agst Snowstorm (taken)
1000 to 30 agst Nuage (offered)
200 to 6 apt Fertullagh (taken)
1000 to 30 agst David Copperfield (taken)
1000 to 30 agst Doctor (offered)
300 to 9 agst Pearl Diver (taken)
40 to 1 agst Little Rogue (taken)]
40 to 1 agst Cristal (offered)
1000 to 20 agst Count Horn (wanted)
IGOO to 20 agst Roving Maid (offered)
500 to 10 agst Casso Tete (taktn)
500 to 10 agst Harvester (taken)

RACING FIXTURES-187 0.
FEBRUARY.

Lincoln l5, 1G I Derby ., 22, 23
Harrow 17, 18 I Nswton 25, 2G

MARCH.
Nottingham... 1, 2 1 West Somerset l6, 17
Liverpool B, 9, 10 I Warwick 29, 93, 24
Pontefract 14, 15" I Epsom 29, 80
Cambridgeshire l4, 15 1 Bromley 31 and April I
APRIL.

Northampton 5, 6
West Drayton 7, 8
Thirsk 7, 8
Kingsbury lB, 13
Durham lB, 19

Newmarket Craven 18 to 22'
Abergavenny 21, ,2
Lewes
Croydon. 28, 2?

Newmarket Ist 5p....2 to 5
Chester. lO, to 13
Winchester lO, 11
Salisbury l2, 13
York 17, 18
Doncaster 19, 20

Jl
Croydon _ 8 9

Manchester 8,9, 10
Ascot 14 to 17
Windsor 91, 22

Newmarket 5 to 8
Nottingham 12, 13
Chelmsford l2, 13
Reading- I', 13
AU

Brighton 2, 3
Brighton Club 4
Lewes ............5, 6
lam
11, l2O
Wndsor
Bromley l6, 17

Harpenden 2O, 21
Bath - 24, 23
Stamford 26, 27
Croydon 26, V
Epsom 31 to June 3

`NE.
1 Newton 22, 23

Hampton 23; 24
Bibury Club 2l
Stockbridge...3o, and Jolv 1

West Drayton 14, 15
Huntingdon 19, 20
Kingsbury 2l, 22
Goodwood - '• 6, 29
3-LIST.
StocktE'_ l7 to 19
I Oxford lB, 19
1 York 23 to 25
Plymouth
I Derby ';0, 31
I Weymouth 'lO, 31

SEPTEMBER.
Warwick 6 7 i Richmond 9t., 21
Abingdon 8, 9 I Western Meet (Ayr) 21 to 23
Doncaster 13 to 16 I Hendon °2, 23
Hampton 20, 21 I Newmarket is( Oc% 27 to 30
OCTOBER.
Bedfol-d 4, 5 I Newmarket 2n 0ct..10 to 14
Leicester
Bromley 6, 7 I Newmarket 110t'n...21 to 29
.NOVEMBER.
Liverpool 8 to 11 I Shrewsbury 14 to 18

STEEPLECHASE FIXTURES-1870.
FEBRUARY.
Birmingham 8, 9 I Harrow
Derby 10, 11 Newton 25, 26

MARCH.
Liverpool 8,9, 10 1 8rem1ey......31 and April 1
West Somerset 16, 17 i Cheltenham.. 31 Fuld April 1.
Warwick 22 to 24 I