The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-25 00:00:00

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Naval and Military inteilig ence.

A banquet was given at the Royal Naval College., per,
mouth Dockyard, last evening, to the officers of the Im-
erial Preach Navy who atten :ed the review iu hhs Impe-
rial Majesty's corvette Du Chayla, commanded by Captain
tgueville, whose officers are Lieutenants Dewatre and
Tit. \rd, Ensigns Garrey and A. Hamelin. The deputation
on b. acrd consists of the following officers :—Rear-Adiniral
Juri nde la Graviere ; Captains Belveze, Pironne au, Dide-
lot, I. 'othuan' Benic, Le Jenne, and Chaperon ; Lieutenants
E. HI anelin, Zed°, Dubarquis, Boelle, Touboulic, de Jon-
quiere 5, de Beaulieu, Hocquart, andLafont ; Eneigns Le
Roux o to Villiers, de Barbarin, Flouriais, and Bu'quet, Com-
naissaii e de la Marine.
The banquet was given by the admirals and captains of
the Iles tat Spithead. The College was suitably "ap.:
pointed " for the occasion, and the dinner was furnished
from the Crown and Sceptre, Greenwich.
Tho Erebus iron floating battery, built by Napier, of
Glasgow, arrived at Spithead on Wednesday evening. She
is the most seaworthy-looking of any battery yet seen at
Portsmouth. She was towed into harbour yesterday after-
noon.

The hospital-ship Belleisle,"Captain Hosken, was yes.
terday officially inspected at the Motherbank by Sir John
Liddell, C.B. , Director-General of the Medical Department
of the NaVy, who expressed himself highly gratified with
the hospital arrangements made by sledical Inspector
M`Kechuie, Dr. Beith, Staff Surgeon, and the rest of the
medical staff. She has now 95 invalids on board from the
fleet at Spithead.
The Lords of the Admiralty visited the fleet at Spithead
yesterday in the Black Eagle. Their Lordships' flag-lien.
tenant for the day of the review (Mr. W. Lang, May 12,
1847, of her Majesty's ship Hogue)'tlfey have promoted to
the rank of commander.

Two new iron mortar floats, Nos. 114 and 115, built at
Messrs. Mare's, arrived at Woolwich on Wednesday even-
ing, and were yesterday morning taken into basin for fit.
ment. There still remain at Messrs. Scott Rweeell's esta-
blishment some eight or ten gun-boats in process of being
built, and which, according to the stipulation with Go-
vernment, are yet to be completed. Messrs. Pitcher's
contract for supplying a stated number of mortar floats is
also unfulfilled.
The Alma contract Ordnance vessel is being laden from
Woolwich Arsenal with shrapnel and other shot and ahell
for Portsmouth ; and the Inkerceann is taking in a cargo
of mortar beds and gun-carriages for the same port.
The daily number of mortars and guns under proof at
the Arsenal-butt, Woolwich, is now reduced to the small
amount of four or five. The transit of bombshells and 'hat
to and from the various departments of the Arsenal
grounds has almost ceased, and given place to the vast
preparations for the great fete shortly to take place in
London. Some of the machinery in the great laboratory.
room has been removed to clear a space for the preparation
of rocket tubes and other pyrotechnic materials.
The paddle-wheel steam-sloop Virago, 6, made a trial of
her engines from Plymouth to the Eddystone on Wednes-
day afternoon.
The sloop Grecian, 12, Commander George Blame, in
Hamoaze, had her masts taken out on Wednesday. Her
crew are ordered to be paid off to-day.
The steam-frigate Liffey, building at No. 3 slip in De-
vonport Dockyard, is intended to be launched on the 6th
of May.
The forefoot and timbers of the Captain hulk, burnt in
Hamoaze in 1813, have been raised, and were deposited in
Devonport Dockyard on Wednesday.

Yesterday the Emperor (screw steamer), Kangaroo, and
' Bahian& sailed from Liverpool for the Crimea with stores
and ammunition. They will bring back British troops.
To-day detachments of the 2,1 Dragoons and Bth and 11th
llussars will embark at Liverpool for Dublin, which place
the lith Lancers will shortly leave for Live pool.
A memorial, signed by about 100 Paymasters of the
army, has been presented to Lord Panmure, in which they
beg his lordship to recommend the state of that branch of
the service to her Majesty, that she may be pleased to
grant some improveruent in the pay and rank of Paymas-
ters, to compensate for their increased responsibility and
the additional work they have to perform, and to place
them in the same position as other ranks in the service
who have benefited under recent warrants. The memorial
refers to various disadvantages under which Army Pay-
masters labour. Large amounts pass through their hands,
and much labour is entailed upon them from the complica-
tion of accounts arising from various causes. Another
allegation in the memorial is that the introduction of rail-
ways has caused a great increase of their labour. It is also
stated that great improvements have taken place in the
promotion of officers, from which the memorialists are ab-
solutely debarred. They then contrast their position with
that of Navy Paymasters, to show that it is much more
favourable than their own. Having stated these alleged
disadvantages, the memorialists proceed to make various
suggestions as to the rank which they should hold on ap-
pointment and after certain length of service, and also in
regard to an increase of pay. They then pray that some
modification may be made respecting their retirement.
To this memorial the following answer has been received
from Sir B. Hawes, the Secretary to the War Department,
dated Anril 14, directed to Paymaster Burney, Depot Bat-
tali, n, Preston :
" Sir,—l ant directed by the Secretary of State for War
to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22d of
January, enclosing a memorial signed by yourself and
other Paymasters of the army, and to acquaint you that
Lord Pawn ure, having given it a full consideration, has con-
sented to the honorary rank of Major being conferred
upon those Paymasters who may retire upon half-pay
after a service of 30 years, but his lordship can coo no
grounds for granting honorary rank to this class of officers
while on full pay, nor for increasing the rate of retirement
allowed to them by the warrant of the Gth of October,
1854."

MARKET NEWS.—(This Day.)