The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-03 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The General Screw Company's steam-ship Golden
Fleece, Captain Scales, transport No. 75, arrived at
Southampton from the Black Sea yesterday morning.
The Golden Fleece sailed from Eupatoria on the 4th
ult., with 519 horses on board, all of which were disem-
barked at Sizepoli, and proceeded thence to Constanti-
nople, which port she left for Malta on the 10th, sailing
again for Southampton on the 16th. The Golden Fleece
did not touch at Gibraltar. During the voyage from
Malta this transport has experienced a succession of
heavy weather, and strong head winds. On the 20th of
February she passed the bark Come On off the Seven
Capes ; on the 25th spoke the brig Scipio, in lat. 37,
long. 9 W., bound to the southward. The Golden Fleece
sailed from Southampton with horses and troops on the
20th of June last, since which she has been actively oc-
cupied in the transport service. During that period
there have been conveyed by {this vessel, to and from
various ports in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean,
249 officers, 5,104 troops, and 3,879 horses, besides pas-
sengers, the ship having travelled a distance of upwards
of 19,000 miles. With the exception of the necessity of
docking the Golden Fleece is quite ready for sea, the
interior of the vessel being more like a ship recently
fitted out than one just returned from active service.
The Transit screw steam-transport, belonging to the
fleet, Commander C. R. Johnson, R.N., went into
Portsmouth harbour on Friday evening and hauled
alongside the doeitysr3, to land her invalids and passen-
gers, which was effected on Saturday afternoon. They
consiste I of 19 of the 54th Regiment ; 16 of the 66th ;
16 of the 94th ; 1 of the Royal Sappers and Miners ; 25
of the Royal Artillery ; 10 of the Northamptonshire and
54 of the Royal Lancashire Militia, in military charge
of Lieut. H. N. Browne of the West York Militia. They
proceeded to temporary quarters.
The Comet steam-tug towed the new steam gun-boat
Opossum from Northam to Portsmouth en Saturday to
be fitted ; and the Chub steam gun-boat left Portsmouth
for the rendezvous to the third and fourth divisions of
the gun-boat flotilla in Portland Roads, where the fol-
lowing of their members amembled on Friday :—Her
Majeity's ship Sanspareil, screw, 71, Capt. A. C. Key,
C.B. ; the Lark, Magpie, Badger, Sheldrake, Skipjack,
and Redwing. The Charon, Bouncer, Haughty, ,Her-
ring, Julia, and Peiter are expected te join this rendez-
vous from Woolwich in a day or two.
The new and powerful cranes or shears have just been
erected on the jetty of the gun-wharf at Portsmouth.
They are required for shipping the mortars on board the
vessels of the fleet. A number of these, 13-inch, of
5 tons weight each, are ready for shipment, and others
are daily arriving and expected, to the number of 140.
An enormous consignment of shell is also on its way,
viz., 30,000 13-inch, 30,000 10-inch, and 0,000 8-inch.
About 30 tons of other ammunition also were received
oa Friday. Extraordinary stores of munitions of war
are being accumulated at Portsmouth, where the powder
magazinee are quite full, and additional depots are about
being made by mooring old ships for that purpose in the
upper part of the harbour beyond the great magazine at
Priddy's-hard.
The steam-transport Charity left Portsmouth yester-
day ter Liverpool, and the Alps will embark to-day a
number of officers and men of the 99th Regiment for
conveyance to Ireland.
After a week's absence, on a trial cruise, the screw-
fteam-ship Orion, 91, Captain J. Erskine, returned to
Plymouth Sound, on Friday. She has been as far west
as long. 6 deg. 30 sec., in lat. 49 deg. 30 sec., and has
had still weather all the time. Her engines are in ex-
cellent order, but the controller pipe, which was split
and carried away last year in the Baltic, is to be re-
placed by a new one. The position of the leak has not
been discovered, and she continues to make 2 feet 8
inches per day. The repairs if the Orion will be com-
pleted in the Sound.
The paddle-wheel steam-vessel Prospero sailed from
Plymouth for Pembroke, on Friday, and the paddle.
wheel steam-vessel Avon for Portsmouth on Saturday.
The gun-boat Soap, which sailed from Plymouth on
Thursday with the screw steam-ship Sanspareil, burst
her cylinder outside the harbour, returned to the Sound,
and, her repairs Leing completed, sailed again for Spit-
head on Friday.
The crew of the London, 90, Captain Jarvis, got up
topmasts at Devonport on Saturday.
An Admiralty order just promulgated promises to re-
move a great difficulty felt in the treatment of sick and
wounded seamen at naval hospitals. In these establish-
ments there has always been a want of pi operly trained
nurses of good character. The candidates admitted were
generally without qualification for such very peculiar
duties, and, after gaining experience in the, wards, the
remuneration was eo small that efficient persons had no
'inducement to remain. From the let of April next a
new scale of pay and allowances is to come into force.
The pay of the male nurses is to be increased from Bid.
a-day and provisions, to ls. 6d. a-day with provisions
and a complete suit of uniform, besides a working dress
annually ; that of female nurses to 201. per annum,
provisions, two suits of clothes annually, and a cloak
every three years. In the lunatic wards of Haslar Hos-
pital, where the duties are still more peculiar, and re-
quire a lecger training, the two chief attendants are
,to
have their pay and allowances increased from 2s. 31. per
day, a suit of clothing annually, and provisions, to 3s.
per day, a suit of uniform and working dress annually,
and provisions. Four of the senior male attendants are
to have their pay increased from ls. 6d. to 24. per day,
and the female attendants to receive the same pay and
allowances as female nurses. In addition, a gratuity of
51. is to be given each year to that male or female at-
tendant who has most ably performed his or her duty,
and as a relief from constant association with lunatics,
each is to have a week's leave on full pay during the
year.

Another large detachment of troops left Chatham
Barracks on Saturday fur the purpose of proceeding to
the School of Musketry at Hythe, where they will un-
dergo a thorough course of instruction in the use and
practice of the Enfield rifle under Cal. Hay and Lieut.-
Colonel Wilford.

The authorities at the Horse Guards have appointed
three normal schoolmasters to be attached to the provi-
sional battalion at Chatham for the purpose of instruct-
ing the troops belonging to that garrison. Col. Eden
has issued an order, directing that one-half the recruits
of the provisional battalion are to attend school every
day, and also the whole of the recruits belonging to the
depot of the 91st Regiment. Perini sion is also accorded
to those volunteers who raay feel so inclined to attend
Fcheol every evening excepting Saturday, and a number
of volunteers have already availed therr4elvei of this
leave. The boys belonging to the garrison are instructed
daily.

The authorities at the War Department having de-
cided that all the recruits proce,Altag to India and to
the colonies shall for the future be supplied with rifles,
great exertions are being made by Capt. Wm. Nott, 83d
Regiment, the instructor appointed at Chatham, that the
whole of the troops shall he thoroughly acquainted with
the use of that weapon, so as to be able to impart instruc-
tion to others in their respective regiments on joining
the head-quarters. Col. Jervis is also carrying out the
wishes of the War-office on this head, a certain number
of the troops being instructed every day at the practising
ground, St. Mary's.creek.
The result of ;orne carefully conducted tria's and ex-
periments with various kinds of gun metal has convinced
the authorities of Woolwich Arsenal that the Nova
Scotia charcoal iron possesaes capabilities of greater re-
sistance as well as other desirable qualities in a s uperior
degree. They have therefore recommended its adoption
for the purposes of the new foundryand gun factory there.
The War Department has just concluded a contract with
the Acadian Iron Company for a large and regular
supply of that material, which, it is considered, will also
he brought extensively into use, as, with such ready
means of procuring superior gun metal now at their dis-
posal, Government will be relieved of that dependence
on foreign countries for an article of the greatest import-
ance, which England herself has not the means of pro-
ducing. The Government of Nova Scotia have shown
a strong desire to encourage the manufacture of iron of
these mines, and have agreed to appropriate extensive
tracts of forest land in the immediate vicinity of their
works for the purposes of the company. The Nova
Scotia iron has been pronounced to be perfectly adapted
for the higher qualities of steel, and all those other pur-
poses to which Swedish and Russian iron has in times
past been exeusively applied.
On Saturday morning Sir C. Wood, First Lord of
the Admiralty, accompanied by Rear-Admiral Sir M.
F. F. Berkeley, paid a visit to Woolwich Dockyard for
the purpose of inspecting the despatch and gun-boats.
They were joined by the Superintendent of the yard,
Commodore Shepherd, and the officers commanding the
various vessels under fitment there, over which they
were successively conducted. They expressed them-
selves extremely satisfied with the rapid progress of that
department.
The following appointments were made on Saturday
at the Admiralty :
Captain the Hon. J. R. Drummond, to the Victory,
vice Gordon ; C. H. Eden and W. R. Kennedy, mid-
shipmen, to the Calcutta ; A. Cavendish, naval cadet,
to the Calcutta ; J. G. Risk, Surgeon to the Exmouth ;
J. T. M. Brenner, Surgeon to the Rodney ; J. Christie,
Surgeon to the Sanspareil • W. Livesay, Surgeon to the
Fisgard ; M. Hamilton, Surgeon to the Wellesley ; C.
A. Anderson, Surgeon to the Calcutta; W. C. Nutt,
Surgeon and Agent at Sick Quarters, Poole ; G. B.
Moore, Assistant-Surgeon, to the Calcutta ; C. E. Play-
fair, Assistant-Surgeon, to Greenwich Hospital; Win.
Patrick, Assistant-Surgeon, to the Duke of Wellington ;
J. Young, Assistant-Surgeon, to the Excellent ; S. A.
Willis, Assistant-Surgeon, to the Exmouth ; J. B. Mur-
phy, Acting Assistant• Surgeon, to the Calcutta; C. It
Godfrey, Acting Assistant-Surgeon, to the Tyne ; and
F. Braddon, Clerk, to the Vulture. 1

LIVISRPOOL BURIAL-GROUNDS.—At the meeting of
the Liverpool Health Committee yesterday attention
was drawn to the dreadful condition, caused by over-
crowding it with bodies, of the St. John's churchyard,
near St. George's-hall ; and also of the equally danger-
ous state of St. Paul's churchyard, both in the midst of
dense populations. The subject was ordered to be
brought before the Town Council.
VALUE OF AGRICULTURAL STOCIZ.—At the annual
fat stock sale on the farm premises of the Duke of
Newcastle, at Hardwick, last week, 105 S:iuthtlown
wethers realised from 465. to 68s. each ; 70 Southdown
gimmers brought 399, to 50s. 6d. per bead ; 115 South-
down ewes realised 335. 6d. to 574. ed. per head ; 20
Southdown bogs sold at from 278. 6d. to 369. each ;
10 Southdown rams were knocked down at from 60s.
to Gas. per head ; l5 short-horned heifers, fetched from
18/. ss. to 271. I.os. per head ; 2 prime short-horned
cows, 21/. 10s. and 32/. ; 2 Ayrshire cows, 221.105. and
26/. 10s. ; a 4-year old bull, 27/. 10s. ; a 2-year old bull,
29/. The sheep altogether realised 9561. 4s. 6d., and
the beast", 5041. 155.; total, 1,4601. There was a good
attendance at the Fide. The Duke of Newcastle wal
present,