The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-30 00:00:00

Nava] and Military Intelligence.

A circular granting compensation to Crimean officers
for the passage home of their horses has been issued.
The circular states that the Secretary of State for War,
having had under consideration the question of granting
compensation to officers who were not provided with a
free passage for their horses on the return borne of the
army from the East, has decided to allow 301. per horse
(exclusive of bat animals) In lieu of such free passage,
and to cover any loss sustained by staff and regimental
officers in disposing of their chargers with reference to
the General Order issued on the subject dated Head-
quarters, Sebastopol, 26th of April last. Certain regu-
lations are prescribed by the circular, in order that the
necessary documents may be forwarded in support of
claims for compensation.
A circular making considerable alterations and increase
in the existing rates of regimental lodgmg-money has
been issued to the army by order of the Secretary of
State for War. _ .

The authorities at the War Department intend making
a large addition to the strength of the Royal Sappers
and Miners, by the formation of one or more additional
companies to this corps. The recruiting for this branch
of the service is going on briskly, and several detach-
ments of recruits have recently joined the head-quarters
at Brompton-barracks, Chatham.
An order has been received at Chatham garrison from
the Horse Guards, directing that the soldiers belonging
to the depots of regiments at the Provisional Battalion
who were enlisted at the commencement of the late war
for a period of two years, and who are not willing to be
re-enlisted, are to be forthwith discharged from the ser-
vice. It is expected that a considerable number of the
troops whose period of service has expired will not quit

The Riverdale and the Echunga transports arrived at
Spithead yesterday with stores from the Crimea. The
first named has also on board a quantity of ammunition,
shell, &c., and the latter Commander Johnson, of the
Transport Service, and men of the Army Works Corps.
The Highflyer, 21, screw corvette, Capt. Shadwell,
went out of harbour to Spithead yesterday afternoon, and
saluted the flag of the Commander-in-Chief, prior to sail-
ing for the Cape of Good Hope.
The Melville, 72, was towed to Cowes from Porti-
mouth yesterday morning, to be fitted up as a storeship
by Messrs White for the East India station.
The Flying Fish, 6, screw despatch boat, went out of
harbour at Portsmouth yesterday to try her machinery.
She averaged about her previous speed.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Salamander, 6, Com-
mander G. T. Mecham, from Cork, arrived at Plymouth
on Sunday, with Rear-Admiral of the White Sir H. D.
Chads, K.C.8., one of the members of the Court ap-
pointed to inquire into the conduct of Capt. Superinten-
dent J. Nies, of the Royal William Victualling yard.
His Excellency Musurus Bey, Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister from the Court of Constantinople, will, it,
is said, pay a visit shortly to the port of Plymouth. The
object of the Turkish Ambassador is to transact some
public business on board the Payki Zaffir, 104, now ut
anchor in the Sound.
The steam-corvette Cruiser, 17 guns, Commander Fel-
lowes, having under her charge the gun-boats Stanch,
Haughty, and Forester, for the East Indies, put into
Falmouth on Friday with very strong contrary winds
and bad weather, to await a favourable opportunity of
getting to the southward, as none of them are using
their steam power for the present.
The Dee steamer, Master Commander Pullen, left
Falmouth on Saturday for the eastward.
The Colossus, 81, screw, Captain Thompson, is pre-
paring to sail immediately for the Mediterranean.
The Powerful, 84, Captain T. L. Massie, has been
ordered to be paid off at Chatham to-morrow, after
which she will be placed in ordinary.
I'he Racoon, 21, and the Charybdis, 21, two of the
new class of screw steam-corvettes, building at Chatham
dockyard from designs furnished by Sir Baldwin Walker,
C. B. , Surveyor of the Navy, are pr easing very
rapidly,
and are expected to be ready for launching
early next year. The Cadmus, 21, the last of this
class of vessels recently launched at Chatham, made a
trial trip on Friday of her machinery which was found
to answer satisfactorily.
The Hero, 90, screw steamer, building at Chatham,
has a large number of shipwrights working on board,
in order to bring her forward for launching.
The Southampton, 50, has been taken into dock at
Chatham for the purpose of undergoing repairs in order
to fit her for sea. It is understood that she is in-
tended for the Coastguard service.
Extensive alterations and improvements ate in pro-
gress at Chatham dockyard. Among other alterations
will be the construction of a large new dock., on the
site of the second slip, which will be capable of accom-
modating vessels of the largest class in the navy.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steam vessel Banshee was
yesterday morning warped out of No. 3 dock and taken

into basin at Woolwich, after repairs.
The screw steam sloop Rattler, in the dry dock at
Woolwich, has been found so thoroughly overrun with
the dry rot that she has been pronounced unfit for fur-
ther service.
The transport ship Norwood, 849 tons register, Capt.
Bristow, arrived at Woolwich pier yesterday from the
East, laden with 140 tons of ammunition, carts, wag-
gons, one troop boat and gangway, prove,ions, water-
casks, arid fittings for 425 men and 15 officer.
The Albatross, transport, is discharged from the Go-
vernment service at Wool w ich.
The freight ship Norval is being laden in the West
India Docks with 95 tons of ordnance stores, ball, am-
munition, combustibles, and $1 tone of clothing. She
is to sail to-morrow.
The annual inspection of the Royal Artillery troops,
which commenced on Friday at Woolwich, was resumed
yesterday morning. The Commandant, Sir W. F. Wil-
liams, accompanied by Col. Bloomfield, Aide-de-Camp
to her Majesty, and attended by the garrison staff, rode
up to the review-ground at 10 o'clock, and was received
with the customary honours. Monday being the
day appointed for the inspection of the field batteries,
they were supplied with 15 rounds of ammunition per
gun, and were drawn up on the commcn in two lines,
ready for the Commandant's inspection, under the com-
mand of Colonel Anderson, C.B. The inner line was
composed of three divisions, Nos. 1, 3. and 4, c insisting
of the H and Q, the V and I, and the X and P batteries,
under the respective commands of Lieutenant-Colonel
Buchanan, Colonel Fitzmayer, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Phillpotts. The outer line was comp sed of Captain
Pigou's and Captain Travers's small arm reserve, Major
Lennox's battery (under instruction), and Captain and
Adjutant Bruce's detachment. The following captains
and subaltern officers of the various brigades were like-
wise in attendance—namely, Captains Gibbop, Q
Battery ; Williams, V Battery ; Clark P Battery ;
Thrupp, X Battery; Jones, Na, •2, Ball-cartridge
Brigade ; Brabazon, H Bat ery ; Hardy No. 4
Battery ; and Travers, No. 3, Ball-cartridge Brigade ;
Lieutenants Belmour, No. 4 Battery ; Pitt, No 3,
Ball-cartridge Brigade ; Bazalgette, P Battery ; Sha-
kerly and Law, X Battery ; Brown, No. 2, Ball-car-
tridge Brigade ; Majendie, No. 2 Battery ; Dyer and
Whinyates, J Battery ; and Ravenbill and Auley, of the
V Battery. From the soft state of the ground, occa-
sioned by the late rains, no movements were performed,
and after passing through the ordinary inspection the
batteries were ordered to return to quarters. At 2 p.m.