The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-19 00:00:00

Naval anc. Kitnary inteiligence.

The troops stationed at Chatham garrison, consisting
of depots of the lins forming the provisionalany,a t
Sappers
tattalicn,
the Royal Engineers, the East India Company's
and Miners, and the Royal Marine Llght Infantry, pro-
ceeded to Chatham lines on Wednesday afternoon for the
purpose of going through the mai,ostivres of a field-day.
The depots of the provisional battalion took up their po-
sition in the centre with the Engineers and Marines on
their right and left, with their respective bands. The
whole brigade were then put through a variety of evolu-
tions by-Col. W. H. Elea, cowman lant of the garris.tn,
which they performed in a highly efficient manner. The
troops were marched off the ground at 4 o'clock.
Lieut. P. Chute, 84, h Regiment, has been appointed
Acting Aiijuiant to the Provisional Battalion, Chatham,
in the place of Lieut. J. Armstrong, 40th Regiment,
who bus proceeded to Ireland with that carps.
In consequence of an order received from the Horse
Guards by Cu!. H. Anderson, in command of the troops
at St. Mary's Barracks, Chatham, 180 men were yester-
day discharged from that establishment, selected from
the Ist Dta,zoon Guards, 4,.h Royal Irish Dragoon
Guards, sth Dragoon Guards, 3 , Light Dragoons, 10th
Hussars, 2d lI iyals, 3d Buffs, 4th Kit g's Own, 7th
Royal Fusilier., 15 h, 19th, 21st Fusiliers, 27tr&
killens, 28. h, 331 Duke of 34th, 37,12,
40th, 41st W- i, , 42d Hghianders, 48th, 49th, 50th
Queen's O NO, 51s' L gh,. Infantry. .55th, 56. u, 57th,
60th Riles, 71s Higniand Light I.,faiitry, 77 h, 79,h
Highlanders, 87, h Royal Irish Fu-diers, 88, h Connaught
Rangers, 92d Highlanders, 93 f Highlanders, 97th and
98th Regiments, with troops from the Ist and 2d Batta-
lions of the Rifle Brigade.
Troops to the milliner of 100 men of all ranks, belong.
ing to the 3d Buff:, 21st Fusiliers, 46th, 57th, and 71,-.t
(Highlanders) Regiments, were yester lay inspected at
Fort Pitt, Chatham, by Dr. J. It. Taylor, C. 8., and all
of them being unfit for further service will be discharged
from the army.
Her Majl.ty's screw steam storeship Hesper arrived
at Spitbeady-sterday from Cape Verd and Madeira, for
'which ports she sailed some time since with medical com-
forts, &c., on the occasion of those islands being visited
with cholera. Her dates are St. Vincent's, November
22 ; Madeira, December 7. From the lgth to the 17th
inst. she experienced heavy westerly gales. She brought
no news or passengers.
Her Majesty's screw blockship Pembroke, 60, Capt.
Fraser, got up topgallantmasts at Portsmouth yesteroay.
Her Majesty's steam frigate Shannon, 51, Captain W.
Peel, C. 8., is completing coal at Spithead for service.
She made several trials of her speed again at the mea.
cured mile on Wednesday, which were deemed so far
satisfactory.
H. M. steam-tender Fire Queen, Master Commander
W. F. Paul, was undocked ye.terday, after baying re-
paired a little damage which she incurred in Cowes
harbour on Tuesday.

H.M. steatuvessel Lizard, 3, Lieut. Christopher, ar-
rived at Portsmouth in the night of Wennesday with
supernumeraries from the eastward, and left on her re-
turn with others yesterday.

The Alban, 8, steamvessel, Lieut. De Blaquiere, left
Portsmouth yesterday morning for the westward.
With a view of obtaining more positive confirmation
of the resistance afforded by the plates of iron which
form the outer casting of our newly•constructed floating
batteries, a bulkhead, 14 feet by 12, has been erected
in Woolwich Arsenal marshes, for the purpose of
carrying out some experiments connected therewith.
The bulkhead was composed of solid timber, similar

to those of a ship's hull, firmly bolted together, so
as to consolidate a depth of 1 foot 8 inches, and laced
with tour sheets of rnlltd and hammered iron, full

four ihches thick. The butt thus constructed was
well secured by a number of strong spurs, and fixed at
an angle of 8 degrees in the most appropriate locality,
selected for the purpose, in the practising range in the
vicinity of the Arsenal. Lord Panmure had expressed
his intention of being present, as well as Sir B. Hawes
and Mr. Peel. They were nor, however, in attendance.
Independently of the members of the select committee of
tie Arsenal, who were present were Rear-Admiral Sir
George Sartorius, Capt. Crawford Caffin, C. 8., Director-
General of Naval Artillery, arid newry-appoinied Direc-
tor-Generai Lf Stores ; Mr. Watts, R N., As-istan Sur-
veyor of the N rvv ; Cot. Lefroy, R.A. ; Gen. Cator,
R.A. ; Capt. Younghusbano, R.A. ; Capt. Campbell,
R.A.; Col. Anderson, R H.A.; Professor Wheatstone,
F. R.S., &c. From the imp .rtance attached to toe ex-
periment a thorough test was ordered to be applied.
Twenty-four rounds were successively fired from one of
the la, aviest guns, a 68-pounder, weighing 95 cwt., and
charged tvi,l 16th. of powder and au 8-inch shot. The
experiment at the commencement waytested over a
range of 600 yards, which was subsequently reduced
to 400 yards Fit een shot were of cast and nine of
wrong It iron. The effect produced by the former on
the iron coating was scarcely perceptible, except when it
truck the rolled sheets, and then no further than

slightly skinning the surface in the immediate spot
struck. The nine wrought iron shots were each flattened

by the force of the contact, and fell to the ground with•
out making, any vi,ible impression nn the surface of the
target, Ttie cast iron shots, being broken into frag-
ments, a so fell harmle-sly to the ground; the last, how-
ever, penetrated the iron coating, and remained partially
embedded in the woodwork. The result consequently
re-ts thus :—Out of the 24 experimental ditcnarges 21
effected no damage, two fell wide of the mark, and one

pierced the target.
taken into
The freight-ship Lieutenant Bellot is chartered by
Government for the transport of light Ordnance stores,
such as bedding, pails, brooms, &c., and to fill in her
essel Trident, commissioned by
magazine witu powder and ammunition for Gambia.
wad
yesterday morning undocked at Woolwich,
yesterday steamer
morning-
Her ags.
NO
()oil:. ihei nler adiMoroodcsneki; at Woolwich
7.
paddle-wheel
ii
fi.et-Cew al
hom eii vi
for
lafridArtreimetved into basin in order to be stored and equip-
.

appointments were made at the Ad
ped for sea.
Theal t y
mu" this
der J. M. Cooke (1852) to the Simoom,
troop ship.
Commander G. T. M. Purvis (b) (1852) to the Me-
* following:—
afternoon
Comm)
Biers, troop-ship.
Seoon,i•Maiter Philip Sy vret to the Dasher.
Aseistaut.therk Henry G. BrolieuAiir to the Indus.

--------.
ADMIRA.LTY CIRCULAR.
EXPENSE IN MESSES OF HER MAJESTY'S SHIM.
ADMIRALTY, DBC. 12.
My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have lately
bad reason to believe that much
eater expense has been
incurred by the messes of officers in some of her Majesty's
ships than is sanctioned by the rules and customs of the
service;
and, from complaints which have been made to
their lordships, that mess debts
gr
have not been liquidatedat the proper time for payment by the officerscontracting
them, and claims have consequently been made upon
for
offi-
cers who
were subsequently appointed to su
the discharge of debts, to which they had given no sanc-
tion. i
My Lords have to call the attention of the officers of the
order teat they may be
fleet to these irregularities,
inrdships desire that the
avoided in future ; and their lordships
pt such measures as will
offi-
cers of the ward room
will
'enteamed with credit and coin-
enable their messes to be inatoce,
and thus set a becoming
fort, and free from extravargst.
example to the junior of.rceoom
messes, my Lords have on
In regard to
the hadgi,lreught to their notice circumstances
several occasions . mi,uganagement, which have been
of extravagance anaessardy
high subscriptions, and the
caused by the
winesunnec and
spirits, totally at variance with
use of expensive ervica and the pecuniary means of the
the custom of the s

°Llieers'of putting a stop to such irregularities my
With a view P
never exceed the sum of sight pounds for
Lords direct that ths subscriptions to the gun - room
messes shall
that the monthly subscriptions, including
all extras, shall not be more than thirty shillings.
and
further desire that no wine, except port
sherry or wine of the same class and price, std no
and
t the ship's allowance, be used in the
spirits, emoeP gun-
enltth-senicrei,oar:
room messe
No wine, s.
spirits, or beer are to be received on board of
her Majesty's ships without the written approval of the
officer in command.
Their lordships have also been led to believe that in soma
of her Majesty's ships messruen, under the designation of
stewards, are still permitted to carry on the sale of provi-
sions. wine, spirits, Ste., to tbe measesof he officers as wallas
to the men, iu direct contravention of the Admiralty Order
of the 3 •th May, 18;,1. The attention of the officers of
her Majesty's ships is mile to this subject,
As nr.thing
can tend so much to irregularity in a mess, as well as
to injury to the discipline of a ship, 28 to permit
any person to make a traffic by
spirits, &c., stead of the messes being properly conducted
by their caterers. the sale of provisions.
',
The Conituauders-in-Chief and Senior Officers in com-
maw+ of Stations are hereby directed to take the necessary
steps for carrying out these oroe .
To all Flag-officers,
• ~„ —By command of their
Lordships. R. OSBORNE.
and Commanding Ocers of her Majesty's Ships and
Vessels. Commanders•io-Chief, Captains,ffi