The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-14 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

In a letter to a relativ—e at Plymouth, a young
officer connected with one of the war transports be-
longing to Messrs. Dunbar and Co., of London,
writes under date Hong Kong, May 27 :—" The
Minden, No. 37, Capt. Marshall, with Sikh In-
fantry, and the Hougomont, 36, Capt. Flamank,
with English infantry, sailed for the north about
10 days since. The Lancashire Witch, 73, Capt.
Mollison, is chartered for a hospital ship. The
Lascelles, 84, Capt. Tidmarsh, is attached to the
commissariat department. The Lady Anne, Capt.
Sinclair will, it is expected, re-embark troops and
horses, and sail direct for Shanghai, where a large
number of transports are already assembled. It is
reported that all the transports will muster there
until the entire armament is ordered forward. The
transports with cavalry have a full stock of water on
board, but it is not allowed to be broached, and
boats are sent ashore daily to keep the supply un-
touched. The chief portion of the transports with
cavalry and artillery are at anchor on that side of
the harbour opposite Hong Kong. They are under
the charge of her Majesty's paddlewheel steam
frigate Magicienne, 16, Capt. John E. Commerell,
and the paddlewheel steam sloop Fury, 6, Com-
mander John C. Wilson. On the 241 h of May
then) was much firing, and a great display of
colours on board the sloops of war. Colours were
also hoisted on board the transports. On the 27th
there was a kind of review of the lance cavalry,
artillery, and Armstrong guns, which appeared to
be of a satisfactory character. Several French
ships of war and some large steam transports are
in port. The French Admiral is on the most
friendly terms with the English commander. A
small Government steamer, called the Waterman,
will attend on the army and navy, and supply
them with fresh water distilled on board from the
sea. There are rumours of the collecting of a large
force amounting to thousands on or near the high
hills which surround one side of this harbour."

Her Majesty's ship Russell, 60, Captain Wode-
house, returned to her station at Falmouth, as one
of the Coastguard ships, on Saturday; and on the
same day the Russian steamer of war Lorelly, Cap-
tain Kuhn, after receiving a supply of fuel, sailed
from that port for the Mediterranean.
Her Majesty's paddle steam troopships Rhada-
manthus and Dee, Masters Commanding Sturdee
and Pullen, have arrived at Woolwich with cargoes
of returned victualling stores, the former from Ply-
mouth and the latter from Cork. The Rhadg.man-
thus has sprung a leak in the lower part off her
hull, and will most probably go into dock, as she is
now making some three feet of water per hour at
her moorings in discharge of her cargo.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Capt. J. M. Hayes to the Tar-
tar, commissioned ; Commander Sholto Douglas to
the Espoir, commissioned; Arthur J. Ireland, act-
ing assist.-surg., to the Lizard ; John Fisher; assist-,
surg., additional, to the Fisg,ard ; Peter Comrie,
assist.-surg., to the Centurion; Jas. R. Anderson,
assist-surg., to the Cambridge; W. R. Bennett,
assist.-surg., additional, to the Victory; W. D.
Smyth, assist.-surg., to the Haslar Hospital ; R.
Eustace and W. T. Carr, assist.-surgs., to the Ports-
mouth division of the Royal Marines ; T. R. War-
ren, to the Plymouth division of the Royal Marines;
Henry Brown, first-class assist.-engineer, to the
Fisgard, for charge of the machinery of the Spite-
ful; Matthew Litt, acting second-class assist.-engi-
neer, to the Cumberland, for temporary charge of
the machinery of the Victor ; Owen Douglas and
T. G. Sanders, acting third-class assist. -engineers,
to the Asia; and John Richardson, acting third-
class assist.-engineer, to the A sia, as supernumerary.

THE ARMY. ,

Yesterday morning the East India troopship
Matilda Wattenbach, 954 tons, Captain Denkin,
which arrived in the Thames, from Calcutta, on the
previous day, with wounded and disabled troops on
board, disembarked her military invalids at Cus-
tom-house Quay, Gravesend, under the direction
of the officer appointed for that purpose. The
Matilda Wattenbach, after embarking her troops,
to the number of 230 noncommissioned officers and
men of nearly every cavalry and infantry regiment
serving in India, sailed from Calcutta on the 22d
of March, touched at St. Helena on the 18th of
June, and sailed thence the following day, the
entire passage to Gravesend occupying 142 days,
including detentions. The troops brought home
belong to the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Lancers,
17th Lancers, Royal Artillery, Ist battalion 3d
(Buffs), Ist battalion 6th, Ist battalion 13th.
(Prince Albert's Light Infantry), Ist battalion
19th, Ist battalion 23d (Royal Welsh Fusiliers),
34th, 35th, 37th, 43d (Light Infantry), 54th, 60th
(Royal Rifles), 733, 77th, 80th, 82d, 89th, 90th
(Light Infantry), 92d (Highlanders), 97th, and
99th Regiments, the Rifle Brigade, and Army
Hospital Corps, together with 20 women and
37 children, and the following officers :—Capt. J.
Hare and Lieut. A. Morgan, 60th Rifles ; Lieut.
A. G. E. Morley, 43d Light Infantry; and Assist.-
Surg. W. S. Oliver, M.D., who was in medical
charge of the troops. Soon after leaving the Bay
of Bengal dysentery broke out among the troops on.
board, and, notwithstanding the unremitting exer-
tions of the medical officer, proved fatal in a num-
ber of cases. The total number of deaths on board
was 17, including three men of the Royal Artillery,
two of the 43d, two of the 99th, one of the 3d, one
of the 23d, one of the 60th, one of the 73d, Sergeant
Ireland, assistant instructor of musketry, one sailor
of the Naval Brigade, one seaman, and three child-
ren, There was also one birth during the passage.
The provisions and water running short the vessel
was obliged to put into the Mauritius, and likewise
into the island of Flores, one of the Azores, at both
of which a supply of fresh meat, vegetables, and
water was obtained, the latter island being left on
the 30th of July. The vessel experienced a tre-
mendous hurricane when off the Cape, which lasted
four days, during which she carried away her fore-
royal yard and had her bulwarks stove in, besides
sustaining other injury. After the troops had dis-
embarked at Custom-house Quay they were imme-
diately forwarded to Chatham, when 17 men were
admitted into Fort-Pitt hospital for treatment, and
the remainder went into quarters at St. Mary's
barracks. The Royal Artillery proceeded to Wool-
wich.
The funeral of Major G. M. Stopford, late Adju-
tant of the Royal Engineers, took place at Chatham
yesterday, with all the honours usually accorded
to an officer of the deceased's rank.

Mr. Anderson, superintendent of her Majesty's
rifled ordnance at Woolwich, yesterday resumed his
duties after a short absence on survey of the vari-
ous departmental branches of the war establish-
ment. In passing from the railway station at
Dover at the moment of the lamentable catastrophe
at Archcliff Fort battery OR Thursday last, in com-
pany with another gentleman attached to the esta-
blishment, a huge fragment of the broken gun
passed with great rapidity. over his companion's
head, giving them the ominous announcement of
the occurrence. The Armstrong establishment at
Woolwich, extensively engaged in manufacturing
the 100-pounder guns, continues to progress with-
, out the slightest interruption. The first batch of
that class of ordnance is in a forward state of pre-
paration, and will be completed about the end of
September. A number of huge rollers, intended to
form the chambers of the guns, have been received
from Elswick, and are lying in piles and pyramids
outside the factories, in readiness for completion.
The only one of that description yet produced is the
short 100-pounder employed in the destruction of
the martello tower at Eastbourne.
The Norfolk Artillery Militia, under the command
of Lieut. Col. Astley, have returned to Yarmouth.
The regiment will shortly be disembodied.