The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-22 00:00:00

TILE ARMY.

The Megrera screw troopship, Commander Hen-
derson, will embark detachments of troops, &c., at
Portsmouth, at 3 p.m. to-morrow, as follows :—For
Gibraltar—Royal Artillery-10 men, from Wool-
wich ; Ist battalion, 25th, 4 officers and 40 men,
from Athlone; 2.battalion, Bth, 1 man ;100th Foot,
76 men, 3 women, and 4 children, from Parkhurst;
and 31st, 1 man. For Malta—Royal Artillery-32
men and 2 women from Woolwich; Assist.-Xtaff-
Surg. Gaussen, from Walmer ; with several naval
officers and a number of midshipmen recently
passed out of the Britannia cadet training ship, pro-
ceeding to join their ships in the Mediterranean
fleet on appointment.
The 2d battalion of the 19th Regiment, under the
eommand of Col. Warden, marched out of Ports-
mouth garrison on Saturday afternoon to Southsea-
common, where they were officially inspected by
Major-Gen. Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., commanding
the garrison and the South-Western district. The
regiment, mustering 10 companies of 31 file, marched
past in slow and quick time in a very steady man-
ner, notwithstanding the slippery and unfavourable
state of the
.ground, owing to the late continuous
rains. The regiment was then put through the
manual and platoon exercise by the Brevet-Major,
and the bayonet exercise by the Adjutant. Light
infantry movements followed, which were carried
out until nearly
dusk, and the whole was gone
through •
in a steady and soldierlike manner. At the
close of the
regiment in
manoeuvres his lordship addressed the
eulogistic terms, and said that their
movements showed a marked improvement since he
last saw them at -Aldershott; the officers appeared
to have a good command
of their men, and the whole
seemed to know their
duties. His lordship also
spoke in terms of praise of the general conduct of
bad b
the men since they
meen in the garrison, and
also of the internal economy of the regiment gene-
rally. This inspection coZ
in
Royal
n garrison.
as the inspections of
the infantry stationed
The 15th brigade of
Artillery, stationed at
Gosport, will be officially inspected
Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., to-day,
by Major-Gen.
The Horsfall monster iron gun, which has been
recently erected near Southsea Castle, is about to
be temporarily removed further to the eastward of
the castle, for the purpose of further testing the
gun and its powers of range, the necessary tackle
and purchases having been erected in position for
the purpose. The gun weighs 22 tons, throwing a
shot of 3361 b (spherical), with a charge of 761 b of
powder. The position in which the gun has hitherto
been placed, commanded, at short range, the en-
trance to the harbour channel by the Spit buoy,
and the gun is too unwieldy in itself, as at present
mounted, for any other purpose. Half the service
charge of powder would be sufficient at this short
range, but it has been said the gun has a slight de-
fect in the chamber, and hence the resolution for a
further test.

The Royal Engineer Permanent Committee at
Chatham, as well as the Ordnance Select Commit-
tee, having made a highly favourable report of the
newly-invented iron-band gabion, the invention of
sergeant-Major J. Jones, R.E., Gen. Sir J. Bur-
Wlne, the inspector-general of fortifications, has
gi'm directions for the invention to be adopted
generally
in the service, and included in the list of
stores to .;„._mpany armies in the field. The new
gabion
by bandz of common or galvanised
sheet-iron, known tu, 20-inch
gauge, 31- inches in
width, fixed on 'mode% pickets, the advantages it

possesses over the old kind of wicker gabions

hitherto in use by the Royal Engineers in the con-
struction of their earthwork and defences being of
the most striking character. The old description of
gabion occupies three men three hours in making,
whereas on a recent occasion, in the presence of his
Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and staff,
two sappers made one of the iron gabions in four

and a-half minutes. From experiments made it has

been ascertained that 100 men can make 5,400 of

the iron-band gabions in nine hours, while the same
number of men, in the same time, would only

make 100 wicker gabions. The number of wicker I
gabions used at the siege of Sebastopol by our
forces was 19,300, and had the iron-band gabions
been then adopted they could have been constructed
by 100 sappers in four days. The chief merits of
Sergeant-Major Jones's invention are that they are
more portable, inasmuch as 100 of his gabions re-
quire less room for stowage than six of the wicker
ones; they are much lighter, each weighing only
291 b., or 311 b less than the old kind; they are much
cheaper, costing, complete, ss. ld. each, or ls. ld.
less than the present description ; more simple in
their construction, and more durable, The latter is
not the least of its many superiorities, the iron-band
gabions in use at the Royal Engineer establishment

having been subject to the most severe treatment
without sustaining any apparent injury, while six
of the wicker gabions were rendered entirely use-
less during the same period. The official report
made to the Inspector-General of Fortifications de-
scribes the invention as possessing the advantages
of all other iron gabions without their disadvan-
tages, and as being the most serviceable yet intro-
duced. Being of iron, they are, of course, incom-
bustible. On the recommendation of Gen. Sir John
Burgoyne, the inventor has succeeded in making
the iron bands of the gabions useful for constructing
flying suspension-bridges for the passage of troops
and guns, one of these bridges, having a span of 5.9
feet and formed out of the bands of 16 gabions, hav-
ing been formed over St. Mary's-creek, Chatham,
the description of which appeared in The Sun at
the time. The same bands are also capable of being
used for the construction of hospital beds and am-
bulance litters, and for stabling and hutting for
cavalry and infantry troops on active service.
The annexed circular memorandum, addressed to
general officers in command of troops, and officers
commanding Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers,
has been promulgated :

" Horse Guards, Oct. 13.
" It having been brought to the notice of his
Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief
that there are no definite instructions as to the
points on which officers commanding Royal Ar-
tillery and commanding Royal Engineers should
confer when projects for additions or alterations to
works of defence are being prepared, his Royal
Highness has, with the concurrence of the Secre-
tary of State for War, approved the following in-
structions on the same subject, viz. :
" When an engineer officer receives orders to
draw up plans for a battery, or for alterations to
existing works of defence, he should consult with
the officer commanding Royal Artillery as regards
the position and relative importance of the work,
the number and nature of the guns, and their direc-
tion of fire, the number of traverses and position of
magazines, whether guns should be-casemated or
not, or whether they should fire through embrasures,
or be mounted en barbette—all these being subjects
for joint consideration.
" The position of artillery stores, shell-filling
rooms, side-arm shed, their internal arrangements,
the distance between the guns, and general form of
embrazures, are points which, perhaps, belong more
exclusively to the province of the Artilleryman than
to that of the Engineer ; but it is to be observed
that the circumstance of the site may sometimes
prevent the latter officer planning the work pre-
cisely as the former would most desire, and a joint
consultation is the best mode of arriving at a satis-
factory conclusion."
The following circular memorandum has been
issued, addressed to infantry :
" Horse Guards, S.W., Oct. 11.
" With reference to the circular memorandum
from this department, dated Oct. 6,1859, General ,
No. 193, describing a new pattern aide-flag with
socket, which has been prepared and deposited at
the Horse Guards for future guidance, commanding
officers of infantry regiments and depot battalions
are now informed that the Secretary of State for
War has approved of the socket for aide-flags being
in future made at the Small Arms Factory at En-
field, and supplied gratis to the troops, on applica-
tion to the War-office; the flags and wooden handles
being obtained, as heretofore, by the regiments
themselves. " By command,
" JAMES YORKE SCARLETT, Acljt.-Gen."