The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-31 00:00:00

The inner work of the line of defences stretching
from Stokes Bay, on the shores of the Solent, to
Frater Lake, on the western and upper portion of
Portsmouth harbour, has within the past fortnight
been vacated by the Royal Artillery who have been
stationed there since its completion, some few
months since, for the purpose of extensive repairs;
and yet this work over its entrance gateway bears
the date of 1859. So recently has the work been
occupied that only four of its guns are at present
mounted, the platforms in most instances not being
yet laid, and in others the metal not yet being laid
on the stone of their traverses. The trace of the
work presents an irregular triangular shape, with
its apex cut off on its central front, which is con-
structed to mount six 8 and 10-inch guns. Its
right face and flank will mount seven guns of
the same calibre, all the guns on then two
faces, with one exception, firing through em-
brasures. The gun referred to exceptionally
works on a central pivot, and fires en barbette,
commanding an advanced earthwork thrown
out on the right flank and rear in the direction of
high water mark in Portsmouth harbour. The
left face and flank of the work mounts eight guns
on the terre-pleine, with four 10. inch in bomb-
proof casemates on the terre-pleine a la Haxo. The
enceinte of the work contains also three mortars.
The gorge or base of this irregule,. triangle is
closed by a long brick one-story building containing
quarters for officers and men, and with an entrance
gateway in the centre. Parallel with this row of
buildings, and perhaps 25 or 30 feet further in the
enceinte, runs another range of quarters, which are
strongly faced with earth to the r-ont of the forti-
fication, and which has very much the appearance
of being an after-thought grafted upon the original
design; it, however, must tend greatly to the
security of the quarters in its rear in the event of
any bombardment from the front. The whole is
surrounded by a ditch provided with caponnieres
at its salient angles. This ditch has, however, been
designed at too acute an angle, or due allowance has
not been made for the want of tenacity in the soil,
as along its greater extent slips of earth have
occurred from its sides which, if not arrested, must
eventually level it with its glacis. A walk round
the ramparts in the interior of the work shows a
good command of the surrounding country, but
everything has a strange neglected appearance—
the unlaid platforms, the embrasures already under-
going alterations and repairs, and, worse than all,
a mass of the brickwork at the angle of the
western pivot gun, some six or seven feet square,
having split from parapet to terra-pleine, and
fallen partially forward, leaving a space of several
inches between it and the remainder of the brickwork.
A glance at the base discloses the cause of this ;
the foundation of the work has given way, and
the superincumbent weight is subsiding and
breaking up. Proceeding along the flat roof of the
quarters which close the rear of the fort, the parapet
wall on its outer edge displays similar symptoms of
subsidence by its cracks and irregularity of outline.
'This is more discernible at the wings than in the
centre. Descending from this roof, and entering
the rooms below, the means taken to prevent this
subsidence and general break up are at once visible
—at least, all that have been commences at pre-
sent. They consist of the ceiling having been cut
through in each instance to the lower part of the
joists, and the insertion of a heavy iron girder,
which is let into the walls on each side of the room.
This would appear to a common sense visitor to be
merely adding to an already too great superincurn-
bent weight which the foundation is too weak to
carry. Another great and evident fault in the ori-
ginal design of the work is the fact of its being
open to an enfilading fire from its right flank and
rear in the direction of the Nelson column on Ports-
down. The contract work appears to have been
well performed, externally and internally; and in
the instance of the torn brickwork, the bricks
themselves have been broken apart by the force
brought to bear upon them, but the cement itself
has reuluined firm. We have thus a work standing
guard at one end of an important line of defence
utterly untenable from faults of design or construc-
tion in less than 12 mouths after it is completed, or
before its guns can be mounted for its defence.
By the death of Major-Gen. S. B. Boileau (1858),
belonging to the fixed establishment of general
otHcers, a Pension for distinguished and meritorious
services becomes vacant, and is placed at the dis-
posal of his Regal Highness the Commander-in-
Chief.

,
Col. Anthony Blalcia,d Stransham
commanding
the Woolwich division of Royal Marines, received
the official notification from the Board of Admiralty
on Saturday last of his promotion to the rank of
Major-General, and retired from the command. He
is succeeded by Col. Fielding Alexander Campbell,
now Col.-Commandant of the division.

In consequence of the intention of the Govern-
ment to reduce the strength of the whole of the
British regiments serving in India, orders were on
Saturday received at Chatham Garrison from the
Horse Guards directing the various recruiting
parties to join the depots of their respective
regiments, with the exception of one non-com-
missioned officer and one man of each corps. fly
the proposed reduction the strength of each of the
India depots at Chatham is to be reduced to 100
non-commissioned officers and men, all beyond that
number will be sent, early in the ensuing spring, to
join the service companies of their respective regi-
ments at headquarters.

The establishment of French classes for the in-
struction of the non-commissioned officers of the
Royal Artillery at Woolwich, under the direction
of M. Baron, has thus far progressed most favour-
ably, and the example is now being followed up by
various other grades throughout the regiment. A
couple of additional classes, consisting of the male
and female teachers belonging to the regimental
schools, have been organised, 12 of the former and
6 of the latter constituting two separate classes. A
number of the most intelligent gunners of the regi-
ment have also made application for instruction in
similar manner. As the time thee 91111)1031Q in-