The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-17 00:00:00

Capt. J. T. Gordon has been appointed to the
good service pension vacated by the promotion of
Capt. R. F. Stopford, to the rank of Rear-Admiral.
The following ships were yesterday taken up by
the War Department to ship stores from the mili-
tary store department at Woolwich :—Sea Breeze,
'Hannibal, Heather Bell, Silurian, Harbinger, Ex-
celsior, Superior, Port Royal, and Mail Packet.
Mr. Hall, instructor of novices, her Majesty's re-
ceiving ship Fisgard, Woolwich, and staff of engi-
neers, officers, and assistants from the factory, yes-
terday left Woolwich for Greenhithe, in readiness
to embark at an early hour this morning on board
the model screw steam schooner Ranger, on a trial
of her machinery for the information of the Board
of Admiralty. The Ranger will proceed experi-
mentally as far as the Mouse, for the satisfaction of
the engineers, and continue her voyage to Ports-
mouth, during which time her sea-going qualities
are ordered to be registered with precision.
Letters of the 31st of March last have been re-
ceived from Valparaiso, from her Majesty's ship
Termagant, Capt. Hall. She had a pleasant pas-
sage from Montevideo, through the Straits of
Magallan. All well. She proceeds up the coast to
Vancouver's Island.
The paddlewheel surveying steamer Bann, J.
Wells, master, got up steam on Tuesday, and went
outside Plymouth Breakwater to try her machinery;
she returned to Hamoaze, and was then taken along-
side Keyham yard. Her engines answer well. An
accident, unfortunately, occurred during the trial.
A labourer, John Parker, belonging to the Keyham
works, was on board in attendance on a party of fit-
ters from the yard. The engineers *ere employedbe-
low in repairing some defects♦ under the immediate
orders of Mr. Ward, the inspector of machinery,
and, to effect the object desired, it became necessary
to turn the paddlewheels, which several men at-
tempted to do with handpikes through a hatchway
in the paddlebox. While so engaged the engine was
suddenly set in motion, thereby causing a heavy
blow on Parker's face from the handspike he was
using, and forcing him down on the paddlewheel,
which seems to have made at least one revolution
before he was rescued. Parker's nose was fractured
and depressed, and he has received extensive
wounds on• the face and head and thereby lost much
blood. He is now in the Naval Hospital at Stone-
hoase, and there are hopes of his ultimate recevery.
The screw steamship Royal Albert, 121, Capt. H.
J. Laeon, flag of Rear-Admiral Sir C. Fremantle,
was taken out of Keyham basin on Tuesday, and
placed at her moorings in Hamoaze. Her crew were
paid wages the s tme day in the presence of Admiral
Sir T. Pasley, and obtained leave of absence.
Steam was got up on board the Royal William,
91, at Devonport, on Tuesday, by the contractors,
to try her machinery.
The gunboat Biter was appointed to be taken out
of Keyham steamyard yesterday, and the gunboat
Goshawk to be placed in.
The War Department steamer Balaklava was
placed alongside the Royal William Victualling
Yard, Plymouth, on Tuesday, to ship stores saved
from the transport Havering.
The naval instruction brig Nautilus, 6, Lieut. B.
Grant commanding, took another cruise on Tues-
day, and returned to the Sound.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Virago, 6, Com-
mander Montagu B. Dunn, from Portsmouth, ar-
rived in Plymouth Sound yesterday morning.
The officers and men of the steam reserve at
Portsmouth were yesterday mustered on board the
Asia, Capt. G. T. Gordon, guardship of steam ordi-
nary at that port.
The Himalaya screw steamship, Capt. John Sec-
comb2, arrived at Spithead yesterday morning from
the West Indies, with troops on board, as enume-
rated in The Sun of yesterday. She steamed into
Portsmouth harbour at 4 p.m., and landed the troop
baggage on the south jetty of the dockyard. The
troops will disembark early this morning, and pro-
ceed by special train to Farnborough, marching
thence to the C unp at Aldershott. The Himalaya
is afterwards expected to proceed to Devonport
(reported to pay off), having some rather extensive
defects to make good in her machinery. She has
also carried away one of the blades of her Griffiths'
propeller.
Lieut. Charles G. Lindsay has been appointed to
the Marlborough.
The West Essex Militia are to be reviewed on
Monday at Chelmsford, and the members of the
neighbouring volunteer corps have been invited to
take part in the proceedings. The Essex Rifle
Militia are also about to be inspected at Colchester
by Col. Wood, commandant of the camp at that
place. 1

THE ARMY.

The Duke of Cambridge has issued an order di-
recting the bounty paid to those men who re-enlist
after 12 months' absence from their regiments to be
reduced from 30s. to £l.
The following very important General Order has
been issued to the various divisions of the Royal
Marines from the Admiralty :
" Admiralty, May 1, 1860.
"The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
have been pleased to signify that soldiers who may
have claimed their discharge from the army under
the Limited Enlistment Act, or obtained it by pur-
chase, or by a free discharge, and who shall enlist
in the Royal Marines within two years of the date
of such discharge, are to be allowed to reckon their
former service in the army towards pension on com-
pleting 21 years in the combined services. Each
man must produce a certificate of good character
from the corps in which he has served, and must
be of the regulated standard height, and generally
clesirable man for the Royal Marines.
" No man is to be enlisted who is above 30 years
-of age."
The 3d battalion military train, in command of
Major M'Court, encamped at Woolwich, being
under orders to relieve the 2d battalion, Lieut.-Col.
-Robinson, at Aldershott, started yesterday from
the encamp ment on Woolwich-common. Two
troops, commanded by Capts. Morrison and Wool-
ridge, Licuts, Keogh and Ramsay, yesterday per-
formed the first day's march, and the remaining
squadron, together with the headquarter's staff;
will leave this morning. The dismounted men and
the sick will be conveyed by railway. The offier,-;rs
'composing the staff consist of Major M'Court, Capts.
Powell and McFarlane, Paymuter Willins,
Quartermaster Salford, Lieuts. Keogh and Powell,
and are aer.rmoirmiteo, by a train of 36 waggons.
A 12-Ib. `snow:gilt iron experimental gun, upon a
principle varying between that of Sir Wm. Arm-
strong Dr. Church, manufactured by Mr. Mor-
gan, w'.sB yesterday tested at the proof butt, Wool-
in the presence of Col. Tulloh, R.A., In-
Bp'eetor of Ordnance, and the officers of the depart-
'ment. The exterior of the piece nearly resembles
that of the Armstrong. The bore is eliptical, and
the grooves four in number. The proof charge was
confined to 2ilb. of powder, and an elongated shot
weighing 121 b. The test was perfectly satisfactory,
and the opinion generally expressed was, that it
was doubtless a good ordinary gun, devoid of any
special qualifications or superiority. No exrieri-
meats as to the range were entered into, th'J object
being simply to test the method of loading and the
possibility of any escape of gas, &c.
some interesting trials of the new reech-ing
rifled carbine, the invention of Mr.b Leitch,loa took
place on the practising ground of the Royal Engi-
neers at Chatham, on Tuesday afternoon, in the
presence of a number of scientific gentlemen and
others connected with the Royal Engineer De
art-
ment. It had originally been intended
forp Mr.
Leitch to make some competitive trials with his
breech-loading rifle against the best marksmen of
the Royal Engineers with the Lancaster rifle, the
authorities at Chatham having granted permission
for the trials to be made. Owing, however, to the
rifles brought by Mr. Leitch not having been cor-
rectly sighted and adjusted, the competitive portion
of the trials was necessarily postponed. Mr. Leitch
then exhibited the telling effects of his breech-
loader, when fired at long ranges, with satisfactory
results. The range first selected for the experiments
was 500 yards, which was afterwards increased to
900 yards. Upwards of 200 rounds were fired in
all, without a single instance of miss-fire or fouling,
or the slightest escape of the powder gas
With
ing itself. The rifle was loaded with the ut at-
most ra-

pidity, the movement of loading and firing being
almost instantaneous. The experiments gave com-
plete satisfaction. Mr. Leitch shortly intends mak-
ing some further trials on a much larger scale at
Chatham.

way, the engine and train would have been hurled
over into the premises of the gas works, a height• of
some 20 or 30-feet. The traffic along this part of
the line is very considerable, perhaps 150 trains
passing to and fro in the course of the day; and
had there been one approaching on the other lines
when the engine went over, the consequences pos-
sibly may be imagined. After some hours' exertion,
one of the blocked-up line of rails was sufficiently
cleared to allow the trains to pass through, but it
was late before the engine was got away and the
whole liwestored.
The usual notice of the accident has been for-
warded to the Railway Department of the Board
of Trade, and the directors of the company have
directed an inquiry.
Mr.. Gill, the surgeon, of Bow, attended the lady
who was so badly hurt in the face.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
The return for the week that ended last Satur-
day exhibits a considerable reduction in the deaths
of London. In the previous five weeks they ranged
from about 1,200 to 1,400 ; they have now declined
to 1,111. In April the mean temperature of the,
air was 42.5 deg. ; in the last fortnight it had been
51.5 deg.; and latterly the south-west has been
the prevailing wind.
In the 10 years 1850-59 the average number of
deaths in the weeks corresponding with lait week
was 1,067 ; but as the deaths in the present return
occurred in an increased population, they should be
compared with the average raised proportionally
to the increase, namely, with 1,174. The result of
the comparison is satisfactory, for the actual num-
ber of deaths was less than the estimated number
by 63.

By comparing the tables showing fatal causes in
the last three weeks, it will appear that small-pex,
scarlatina, and whooping-cough have decreased,
while measles and typhus have increased. From
small-pox the deaths in successive weeks were 20,
18, 16; from scarlatina 33, 35, 25 ; from whooping
cough 56, 53, 42. From measles there were in the
three weeks 37, 38, and 53 ' • from typhus 34, 24,
and 34. From measles three deaths occurred in
St. Mary, Marylebone ; three in St. John, Padding-
ton; four in Bow ; three in St. Mary, Magdalen,
Bermondsey ; three in the West sub-district of
Greenwich. In the previous week the deaths from
phthisis, bronchitis, and pneumonia were respec-
tively 167, 139, and 59; last week they were 141,
88, and 62

Three persons died from burns, namely, a female
servant, aged sixteen, whose clothes had, caught
fire, the daughter of a lighterman, aged one year,
from the furniture of the room taking fire, and a
woman who died in University College Hospital
from burns received by some means not described.
The daughter of a smith, aged two years, was fatally
scalded by upsetting a teapot. Of eight persons
who died from suffocation, seven were infants suf-
focated in bed, and one wRs a labourer, aged 22
years, ,who was killed by the floor of a house in
Lombard-street giving way. A child died at Plum-
stead from scurvy, A woman died in Bethnal-
green from uterine haemorrhage, " aggravated by
occupying an apartment in which nine other per-
sons slept." And a woman, a hawker of lace, died
on door-steps in Woburn place, in consequence of
her stomach being pierced and heart wounded by a
fish-bone two inches long which she had swallowed.
Last week the births of 786 boys and 819 girls,
in all 1,605 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1850 59
the average number was 1,627.

JOBBERY AT TILE HORSE GUARDS.