The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-17 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Captain H. C. Hardinge, 26th Cameronians, has re
lioved Captain C. R. B. Calcott in the command of the
depot of that corps at the Provisional Battalion, Chat-
ham, the latter officer having received orders to hell
himself in readiness to join the eervice companies of the
26th Regiment at Bermuda as an instructor in the En-
field rifle, with which weapon the troops of the 26th
have been armed.

The Lords of the Admiralty, in order to assimilate the
rewards granted for service in the Royal Marine corps
with those awarded in regiments of the line, have signi-
fied that the term of service in the Royal Marines is in
future to be estimated by years and days only.
The paddle-wheel steamer Avon, 3, tender to the Ina-
pregnable, left Plymouth on Saturday evening, to relieve
the homeward bound ships in the Channel.
The screw steam-ship St. Jean d'Acre, 101, Captain
G. V. King, having had her copper examined and re-
paired, was taken out of dock at Devonport on Monday,
and the iudus, 78, was placed in dock for examination.
The screw steam-ship Cornwallis, GO, is ordered to be
placed in dock at Devonport fur examination and re-
pairs.
Her Majesty's ship Lucifer, which arrived in the Mer.
soy a few days ago, left Liverpool for Portsmouth yes-
terday with the fitting,,, &c., of vessels chartered by
Government from Liverpool as transports during the
war, but which have now been discharged.

DR. JOHNSON'S REPORT ON PARMA.
MENTARY DEBATES.

(Front the Literary Gazette.)

In the autobiography of Sylvanus Urban, the last num-
ber contains an account of the Parliamentary debates,
commenced sth May, 1738, and which, for some years,
formed a remarkable part of the literary labours of Dr.
Johnson. The idea of disguising the report of the pro-
ceedings, under the form of debate in the senate of Lilli-
put,originated with the historian Guthrie, who prefixed
anintroduction, in which he said, " We doubt not
but our readers will be much pleased with the appendix
to Captain Gulliver's account, which we received last
mouth, and which the late resolution of the House of
Commons, whereby we are forbidden to insert any of the
proceedings of the British Parliament, gives us an oppor-
tunity of communicating in their room." Many interest-
ing historical details as to the authorship of the debatesare
collected by the writer of the autobiography, and several
misstatements aro corrected as to the part taken by Dr.
Johnson in the work. He was the sole composer of the
debates in the years or sessions 1740.1-2 and 3. He did
not write an v of the earlier debates, as is affirmed by Mr.
Croker, these being contributed by Mr. Guthrie. The
anecdote is related of Johnson's interview with Nichols,
whom he sent for a few days before his death, and refer-
ring to these debates, he solemnly declared that they were
the only part of his writings that gave him any compunc-
tion, but that, at the time of his writing them, he did
not think he was imposing on the world. It will be re-
membered that the conscientious moralist ceased to write
the debates on finding that many persons believed them to
be genuine, saying, "he would not be accessory to the pro-
pagation of a falsehood." Shortly after Johnson's death
his debates were collected and arranged as a supplement to
the edition of his works then recently issued by the London
booksellers. They were published in 1787 by Stockdale, in
Piccadilly, with a preface by Chalmers, the author of
"Caledonia." Mr. Wright has pointed out the imperfec-
tions of this work, which does not contain several of his
best compositions, including the debate on Mr. Sandy's
motion for the removal of Sir R. Walpole, on the 13th
Feb., 1741. Mr. Wright's researches were unfortunately
unknown to the editor of Johnson's works, published by
Pickering, and Talboys and Wheeler, in 1825, the 10th and
11th volume of which are reprints of Stockdale's edition
of the debates. We strongly support the wish expressed by
Sylvanus Urban, that the debates may bo included in the
collection of Johnson's works, now editing by Mr. Peter
Cunningham, in the series of the British classics.

REDUCTION OF THE INCOME-TAX.—DUBLIN, ,Tuesday.
—A highly influential meeting has been held, the High
Sheriff in the chair, which resolved unanimously to
petition Parliament to reduee the income•tax to sd. in
the pound after April next.