The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-11 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Commodore Yelverton's fleet of coastguard block-
ships, consisting ( f the Majestic, 80, Capt. William
R. Mends, C. 8.; Blenheim, 60, Capt. E. Tatham ;
Cornwallis, 60, Capt. George G. Randolph; Edin-
burgh, 60, Capt. Edwin C. T. D'Evneourt ; Hawke,
60, Capt. William Crispin; Rogue, 60, Capt. Re-
ginald J. J. G. Macdonald; Russell, 60, Capt.
George Wodehouse ; Ajax, 60, Capt. John M. N.
Boyd ; and the screw steam frigate Dauntless, 31,
C. apt. Leopold G. Heath, C. 8., after being duly
inspected, as previously announced, by Admiral
Eden and Capt. Frederick, two of the Lords of the
Admiraly, left Portland harbour on Wednesday
and Thursday for their respective stations. The
Colossus, 80, Capt. F. Scott, C. 8., still bearing the
flag of Commodore Yelverton, remains at anchor in
that harbour, but is expected to leave for the Isle
of Wight in a day or two. The Biter gunboat,
tender to the Colossus, is also at Portland.
The following is an extract of a letter from a
gentleman connected with the navP.,l expedition to
China, dated Hongkong, June 2, which says :--
"According to my promise, I send you a line re-
garding the expedition, and al,o enclose an amus-
ing piece of impertinene,-e on the part of the
Celestial Canton mereilants. All the gunboats
have arrived, making the passage from England in
about six monits or so. The gunboat Bouncer
was exactly ;calf a year and 50 minutes from Ply-
mouth. 'arriving without an accident of any kind.
Tho fleet is now about to start for the Peiho, and
by the 10th all those destined to witness and assist
in the destruction of the forts will have left. Four
gunboats and a larger vessel remain to protect
Canton river, and I imagine that a larger military
force will be kept south than was expected, there
being some doubts, or rather suspicions, as to the
loyalty of the Cantonese. It is said that our allies
will not be ready for six weeks or so, which, if true,
will place them entirely in the background, for I do
not think the Admiral will wait. Talking of our
chief, he is, without -exception, the best man
adapted for the work, being active, clear-headed,
kind, very fair, and reserved, and, as everybody
knows, has no superior as regards bravery. With
this enormous fleet, the large transport department,
and sundry other duties, his place is very far from
a sinecure, and it is only a wonder to me how he
can do so well and give such universal satisfaction.
As to our success we have not the slightest doubt.
Most of the fleet have already started, and pro-
bably before the close of June our footing will
have been disputed. I imagine that the greater
share of the sea attack will be left to the gunboats,
as the large vessels will be unable to cross the bar ;
but on all these heads I will give you further
intelligence when I am able to speak accu-
rately. The land force will, I believe, be
as follows :—English, 25,000 bayonets, with
artillery, 900 cavalry ; French, 9,000 bayonets ;
while the number of guns our fleet can muster
amounts to nearly 3,000, two-thirds of which will
probably be brought into play, as it is stated that
the crews of the larger vessels (which are unable to
cross the bar) will form a strong naval brigade
under the command of Lord John Hay. The Cam-
brian goes to Singapore as senior officer, in conse-
quence of Sir Robert M'Clure invaliding, and the
Sampson remains here. It is almost wonderful to
relate that, considering the whole British force
has arrived, not a single casualty has occur-
red, not a vessel run ashore, not a boiler burst,
not an engine broken down, nor even a spar
been carried away ; an achievement that reflects
great credit on those connected with the transport
department and on the head of her Majesty's naval
service. The following bet has been offered and
taken The Canton Cotton guild have offered to
bet 50,000 dols. the allied force will be repulsed at
the Peiho. They will not stake a smaller slum and
are willing to deposit the amount in the bank on
the other side doing the same.' "
The screw steam Coastguard ships Ajax, 60,
Capt. John M. N. Boyd, and the Hogue, 60, Capt.
Reginald J. J. G. Macdonald, from Portland, ar-
rived in Plymouth Sound on Friday morning.
The screw steam Coastguard ship Majestic, 80,
Capt. William R. Mends, C. 8., left Plymouth
Sound on Friday for Liverpool.
The Torch, 5, screw gunvessel, Commander
Smith, tested her speed at the measured mile in
Stokes Bay on Wednesday, with the following re-
sult :—Draught of water forward, 12 feet 3 inches ;
aft, 10 feet 6 inches. Revolutions of engines, maxi-
mum, 94; mean, 95. Pressure of steam, 20 ;
vacuum, 25.5. Mean result of six runs, 8.843.
The Rinaldo, 17, screw, in the steam reserve, was
tried the same day, and the results were as follows:
—Draught of water aft, 12 feet 6 inches ; forward,
11 feet 3 inches. Revolutions of engines, maximum,
96.5 ; mean, 95-833. Pressure of steam, 20; vacuum,
25. Mean result of six runs, 11-781.
The Himalaya, screw troopship, Capt. J. Sec-
combe, sailed yesterday from Portsmouth for De-
vOnport.
The sailing sloop Elk, 12, Commander H. Cam-
pion, which arrived in Plymouth Sound on Thursday
afternoon, as reported yesterday, landed there one
distressed British subject and five naval invalids
from the Australian station, and proceeded imme-
diately up Channel for Chatham, where her crew
will be paid off, and she will be dismantled. She
is in very good condition. The Elk was commis-
sioned in May, 1856, and continued in the China
Seas until September, 1858, when she sailed for
Australia. She departed from Auckland on the
21st of April, at which time the Iris, Pelorus,
Niger, and Cordelia were at New Zealand. Thirty
men belonging to the sloop, and four of her guns,
were left behind to form a portion of the naval bri-
gade established there. Off Cape Horn, on June 8,
a very heavy gale from the eastward was experi-
enced. The Elk touched at St. Helena, July 1, and
spoke, July 8, lat. 2 31 S, long. 18.37 W, the Eng-
lish ship Floating Light ; July 10, lat. 1 22 N,
long. 23 55 W, the Spanish ship Julia, of Malaga,
and supplied her with 1,2001 b of bread and 2001 b.
of beef ; and July 11, lat. 43 14 N, long. 23 53 W,
the French barque Heloise, from the Isle of Bour-
bon, 91 days, for Marseilles, which must discharge
to repair, and will assemble at Queenstown ; she
desired to be reported at Lloyd's.
The Royal Adelaide, 104, and the gunboats
Steady and Penguin, are refitting at Plymouth for
the second-class steam ordinary.
The artisans of Devonport dockyard have co n-
menced coppering the bottom of the screw steam-
ship Howe, 121.
The hired transports Venilia, Capt. Page, and
the Eleanor, Capt. Findlay, moored alongside the
Royal Arsenal pier, Woolwich, yesterday com-
menced shipping, the former 750 tons and the latter
550 tons of hutting and other materials for the
Cape of Good Hope. The cargoes consist of ready-
prepared planks and timbers, 177 tons of flooring
bricks, 125 tons of slates for tanks, and ether
materials for the erection of two immense hospi-
tals, supplied by Messrs. Myers, the contractors,
for the accommodation of invalid troops from
India, Another material portion of the stores
consists of balks of iron, plates, girders, &c., in
complete readiness for being put together for the
formation of a couple of huge cooking-houses for
the supply of the hospitals, the latter materials
having been manufactured by Messrs. Tupper and
Co., or Limehouse. The erection of the build-
ings will be performed by the artificers of Royal
Engineers stationed at the Cape, and who are
about to be reinforced by Lieut. Coles and a de-
tachment from Woolwich.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander John E. F.
Risk, to the Indus ; Lieut. Mervyn B. Medlycott,
to the Royal Albert; Lieut. J. B. Scott, to com-
mand the Caradoc, vice Buckle, promoted ; and
Thomas Scott, first-class assistant-engineer, for
emporary service, to the Cumberland, for service
n the Myrtle.

TEE ARMY.

The officers and men of the 78th Highlanders, at
present stationed in Edinburgh Castle, entitled to
medals for service in India, were presented with
them on Thursday forenoon on the Castle Espla-
nade. The day had been previously fixed for the
distribution, and as it fortunately happened that
Lady Havelock, whose heroic husband bad com-
manded this gallant regimentin the first advance on
Lucknow, arrived on a visit to Edinburgh on Wed-
nesday, Col. Ewart, C. 8., who commands the regi-
ment, invited her Ladyship to distribute the medals,
which she kindly consented to do. The regiment
having been made to form three sides of a square,
the officers and men who had served in India were
called six paces to the front, when Colonel Ewart
(who had served with the 93d in India) introduced
Lady Havelock to the regiment, and expressed his
satisfaction that the Indian men were now to receive
the well-earned honour of the medal. The medals
were then handed by Lady Havelock severally to
the officers and men, as they were called forward,
commencing with Lieut. .Col. Henry Hamilton,
C. 8., and Lieut.-Col. M'lntyre, C.B. In all 13
officers, about 60 non-commissioned officers, and
250 men received the medals on the parade, and to
about 40 or 50 doing garrison duty, or absent from
other causes, they were subsequently given. Four
holders of the Victoria Cross were included in the
presentation—namely, Dr. M'Master, Colour-Ser-
geant M'Pherson, Corporal James Holliwell, and
Private Henry Ward. At the close the men gave
two most hearty rounds of cheers for Lady Have-
lock, who afterwards visited the barracks and
hospital, and in the wards of the latter distributed
' the medals to several of the men who, from sick-
: ness, were unable to be on parade. A great pro-
portion of the medals had two clasps—namely, for
th of September
the defence of Lucknow from the 25

to the 22d of November, 1857 ; and for its final
capture.
Yesterday Col. H. Drury Harness, C. 8., assumed
the command of the Royal Engineer establishMent
at Chatham, vice Major. Gen. H. Sa.ndharn, promoted.
The 13th, 14th, 16th, and 19th companies of .
Royal Engineers, now employed on the Ordnance
survey of Great' Britain, having been reduced
somewhat below their required numbers, Colonel
Sir H. James, R.E., who is superintending the
trigonometrical survey, has made application
to the authorities for a number of additional non-
commissioned officers and men to be trans-
ferred from the companies at headquarters to
the surveying companies. In accordance with
this application about 50 of the most intelligent
mathematicians, surveyors, and draughtsmen have
been selected from the non-commissioned officers and
men at the Royal Engineer establishments, Chath am,
and these will shortly proceed from Brompton Bar-
reeks to the several companies at which their ser-
vices are require&
The experiments with Armstrong guns against
the martello tower at Eastbourne were continued
on Tuesday. The guns used on both days were a
40-pounder of 30 cwt., till 80-pounder of 63 cwt.,
and a short 100-pounder, weighing 53 cwt. The
tower was 48 feet in diameter, and 32 feet high.
The walls were 7 feet 3 inches thick on the land
side, and the roof was a massive vault, designed for
carrying a gun, and to be bombproof. Solid shot
and shell were used in about equal numbers, but
the chief damage was occasioned by the shells.
The shells from the light 100-pounder were pre-
eminent in the effect they produced. The principal
object of the experiment was to prove the destruc-
tive powers of the Armstrong gun and projectiles,
by completely shattering the land side of the tower
and the bombproof roof ; but the side nearest to the
sea, having become protected by the slope of fallen
material which filled up the interior of the tower,
was left standing. The tower became untenable
after the first 50 rounds. The gun of the tower had
been previously removed, and therefore it did not
share in the general ruin.

TIIE FATAL •OCURRENCE AT DOVER.

DOVER, FRIDAY.
We are to-day enabled to furnish more detailed
particulars of the frightful accident at Dover, of
which a brief notice has already appeared.
The Archcliff Fort battery, the scene of the me-
lancholy occurrence, has been regularly used by the
Artillery Volunteers since their organisation for the
purpose of gun drill. It lies to the westward of the
town, and is the nearest battery to Shakspere's
Cliff, which is on its right, the viaduct of the South
Eastern Railway running from one point to the
other. The fort is bounded on three of its sides by
a broad parapet, that ou its right overlooking a ditch
or foss which, cuts off the line of fortifications from
the adjacent country, the road to Shakspere's Cliff
crossing it by means of a drawbridge. At the time
of the accident the members of the corps in attend-
ance were engaged at target practice, which had
just commenced. Three guns, were mounted along
the front of the battery, and were pointed at the
target, which was placed the necessary distance out
in the Channel. The guns were the ordinary 32-
pounders used by the Royal Artillery, who had re-
peatedly fired the whole of them, and it is believed
they had all undergone the necessary tests, although
there appears to be little doubt that they have been
a considerle time in use. It was the centre one of
the three that exploded ; and from all that can beat
present ascertained there appears to be no doubt
that the explosion was owing to a flaw in the gun.
This point, however will be more fully cleared up
by the evidence of professional men at the inquiry
which will take place. As has been already stated,
there would seem no ground for believing that the
gun was imperfectly loaded, as, if the charge had
not been properly rammed home, the projectile
would not have reached so near the target as it did.
The direction of the ball is well known, several of
those who had ranged themselves along the parapet
at different parts to see the effect of the discharge
being unaware of the accident until they
had made their observations. All agree that
it was a very good shot. Lieutenant Thomp-
son, Sergeant Monger, Sergeant Matthews (in-
structing sergeant of the Royal Artillery), Gunner
Pell, and several other members of the corps were
upon the righthand parapet overlooking the ditch
before Mentioned, which is between 20 and 30 feet
deep, and on the explosion taking place six of their
number were hurled over—viz., Lieut. Thompson,
sergeant Monger, Corporal Austen, Gunner Bould-
ing, and Bugler Tucker, and a young gentleman
named Harris, the nephew of Captain Wollaston,
who commands the corps. Five out of the six were
carried over into the ditch, but the sixth, Mr. Aus-
ten, fortunately caught hold of some long grass.
which was growing on the outer edge of the pa-
rapet, and was thus saved from sharing the fate
of his unfortunate companions; indeed, he escaped
without any injury whatever. Mr. Tucker also
escaped injury in a most miraculous and extraor-
dinary manner, being able to get up from ths.
ground soon after alighting, and to walk away. It,.
was at once seen, however, that the injuries sus.
tained by at least three of the remaining Volunteerfi
were serious. Lieut. Thompson, it is said, got. upon
his legs for a moment, and, with that kindness of
heart for which he was always remarkable, .said to
those near him, "I am not hurt ; let us see about
the others !" but on turning round in the er ideavour
to carry out this benevolent design he fell back-
wards and expired without uttering another word..
Mr. Monger and Mr. Harris were conveyed to the
military hospital, which is about a quarter of a
mile distant from the fort; but in. the case of Mr.
Monger death took place immediately after his
arrival. Mr. Harris was found to be suffering from
concussion of the brain. He. still lies in a very
critical state, but the medical, men give hopes of
his recovery, Boulding was not seriously hurt, and
was taken to his own home in a fly.
The gunner who applied the match, Mr. Had-
low, jun., was wounded in the head, but not very
severely. He behaved with great courage and.
coolness, beseeching those who were about him, as
soon as a bandage had been applied to his head, to
give their sole attention to those who were more
seriously injured. Mr. Gilfillan, who was standing
near was struck upon the arm by a splinter from the
exploded gun, whereby the limb was rather badly
fiuctured. We are happy to state, however, that
he is going on favourably, and that at present the
only fatal casualties are those already alluded to.
Dr. Astley, who is one of the lieutenantn of the
corps, was present at the time of the occurrence,
and Mr. Ottaway, Mr. H. Coleman, Mr. Walter,
and other medical men were on the spot i n a short
time after.
From what we can ascertain, the gun pi trted just
below the trunnion, the muzzle droppin g to the
ground, and the breach being blown about 30 yards
to the rear. The remaining portion was split into
fragments, which were sent in all direction s. Two
of the pieces were blown over the left side of the
battery into the goods station of the South. Eastern
Railway, and it is said that one of these Is• ears un-
mistakeable tokens of the defective character of the
gun. The other piece, which is three or i 'our feet
in length, was deeply imbedded in the gr ound by
the violence of the concussion.
Mr. Monger, who carried on the business of a
tobacconist in Snargate-street, leaves a wife and
two children. Mr. Thompson was a soli( ;itor and
the coroner for the borough. He also held the
offices of registrar of Dover Harbour ani l clerk to •
the county magistrates. He was us Liversally
esteemed for his kind and amiable demean .our, and
his loss will be deeply regretted by all d egrees of
his fellow-townsmen. The authorities c f the be-
rough are placed in some difficulty as to no .e opening
of the inquiry upon the bodies; but Mr. I Knocker,
the town-clerk, has telegraphed to the recorder,
Mr. W. H. Bodkin, who, it was thou gh t, would
apply to the Lord Chief Justice, in whcim. rests the
power of appointing a person to conduc t f,he usual
coroner's investigation in cases of this ;tie lure. It
is thought the inquiry will be opened t 3-morrow
(Saturday).
We have obtained the following nar rt dive from
the lips of Mr. S. D. Squier, who was No. 1 man atthe gun which exploded. He says,—,, I: was stand-
-
ing at the rear of the gun at the rite] t. imimnto
diately behind the group who were lin rlthed e
em.
a
the ditch. They were standing
upon
nd . about a
bankment on the right of the battery, _
dozen yards in advance of the muzzle of: the gun.
who 1 d
On the discharge of the gun,and sa fired,
so_ on as the
smoke cleared away, the volunteer
ich blood was 4tricl :ling, and
Hadlow, came running towards me w ith his hand
to his head, from vrh
immediately a cry was raised that 'two men were
in the ditch. I ran round, and or!, getting there
I found that Mr. Thompson, Mr ' . Monger, Mr.
James Tucker, Mr. Boulding, and m
Harris, the
nephew of the captain, had bee n blown into the
trench. Mr. Thompson was lying on his back,
breathing hard, and his life was fast ebbing. He
appeared to have been injured in his back, from
which blood was flowing ver r
freely. Monger
presented no appearance of in. jury, but was in-
sensible."
Mr. Squier adds, with respect to the cause of the
accident, that after the charge had been rammed
home, and as the gun was be ing run along the
platform previous to its dischaa •ge, it was a good
deal shaken by the uneven sta to of the platform.
Military men will be able to jui Igo wh
possible for the charge to have Iseen shaken out of
its position by this means. TI [se
Volunteers who
ether it was
rammed the charge were gunnel. .rs Pell and Penn,
both muscular men, and well at' lapted for the dis-
charge of their duty.
The greatest gloom prevails b .1 the town, and a
tsrtially cloed.
large number of the shops are