The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-05 00:00:00

TILE ARMY.

A review of the troops stationed in and around
Portsmouth, with whom were brigaded the local
Volunteer Artillery and Rifles and a troop of the
Hampshire Yeomanry Cavalry, took place at Ports-
mouth yesterday, and concluded with a series of
manoeuvres, in which the whole force were engaged
in opposing the landing of a supposed enemy, and,
failing in this, retiring within the town, covered by
the guns of the fortress and its outworks. The
weather was most favourable for the display, and a
large number of people was present to witness the
proceedings, some having come for the purpose from
a considerable distance. The rather confined piece
of ground upon which the review took place was
swampy in parts, but not in so bad a state as might
have been expected from the great quantity of rain
which has lately fallen. The troops formed in line
of contiguous columns of battalions on Southsea-
common at 2.30 p.m., with the mounted batteries on
the right and the Royal Marine Light Infantry on
the left. At 3 p.m. Major-Gen. Lord Paulet, C. 8.,
commanding the garrison and the south-west dis-
trict, arrived on the ground, accompanied by a bril-
liant mounted staff, and passed along the line of
troops. Marching past in quick and slow time fol-
lowed. The bands of the various corps were amal-
gamated into one, and as each regiment passed by
the march peculiar to each was played. First in
order of march came the mounted batteries of Ar-
tillery, consisting of six officers, 104 non-commis-
sioned officers and men, 87 horses, 6 guns, and am-
munition waggons, with their attendant hospital
-waggons, looking, as the field batteries always
do, solid and servicelike. Next followed the F troop
of the Hampshire Yeomanry Cavalry, under the
command of Captain Beach, M.P. for North Hants,
a remarkably well-mounted body of men. These
were succeeded by the 2d Hants Artillery Volun-
teers, under the command of Major S. Hall, and
remarkably well they looked as they marched
steadily past—albeit they are not "show soldiers,"
merely meant for State occasions like the present.
The 2d Hants were succeeded by the sth and 6th
Hants Rifle Volunteers, under the respective com-
mands of Major Vallancey and Capt. Purvis. The
grays and greens of the Volunteer
.Rifles formed a
pleasing contrast to the uniform of the corps which
had preceded them. The men marched in capifal
time, and the manner in which they afterwards
performed the various movements which fell within
their sphere of duty in the afterpart of the day's
proceedings reflected credit alike on officers and
men. The 10th Brigade of Royal Artillery, with
their more gorgeous uniforms, followed the Rifle
Volunteers, the whole of the Artillery on the ground
being under the command of Cul. H. Dunlop. Next
to the 10th Brigade came the Ist Battalion of the
11th Foot, under Col. Moore, who marched past
like a wall. The 2d Battalion of the same regi-
ment followed, under Col. Jenner, who marched
also exceedingly well. The Bedfordshire Light
Infantry, under Col. Gilpin, followed next. Next
came the 2d Battalion of the 19th Regiment, under
Col. Warden, and the Royal Marine Light Infantry,
under Col. Mitchell, who made an equally good
appearance with their predecessors. In fact, as was
remarked on the ground by competent judges, it
was very possibly owing to the fact of the regular
troops and the Volunteers being brigaded together
that the whole body made such an appearance, each
apparently endeavouring to emulate the other. At
the conclusion of the marching past the 10th Bri-
gade of Royal Artillery and the 2d Hants Artillery
Volunteer Corps marched off the ground and
manned the guns mounted on the works of the town:
The field operations then commenced, the Rifle
Volunteers and the cavalry being thrown forward
to the south-east of Southsea Castle, the cavalry
afterwardsretiring ant the Rifles lining the seabeach
and opening asmart fire upon the supposed advancing
enemy,endeavearing to force a landing from his ship-
ping. Southsea Castle, which was manned by the
Durham Militia Artillery, opened fire with shot
and shell at the same time from its six and eight-
inch guns. The Royal ma
rine Light Infantry sent
as skirmishers to support
up strong detachments
the Rifles, and eventually relieve them, while the
mounted batteries moved Up, and also opened fire
on the advancing foe. The firing Was very heavy
here, and prolonged for some time, and the
mimic
scene had an appearance of reality lent to it by the
rushing sound of the solid shot. through the air
seawards and the bursting of the 8-inch shells fired
from the batteries of Southsea Castle. The landing
of the enemy, however, appeared to have been sue

cessfully effected, as the whole force retreated, or
rather retired in echelon battalions, towards the
fortress, forming squares to resist cavalry, &c. To
the 'westward of the castle line was reformed facing
the sea, and a strong fire again opened, assisted by
the glitz from the main lines of Portsmouth; and
so fiercely Was this kept
up that the whole of the
ground, with the troops and spectators, was com-
pletely enveloped in the " villanous vapour" of the
smoke from the guns. The force then fell back by

the left, forming two lines, coveredby skirmishers,
and succeeded in gaining the shelter of the works
of the town in tolerable order, the guns on the lines
meanwhile keeping up a furious cannonade. This
concluded the day's proceedings—a day on which
the regular troops displayed their trained skill
and the Volunteer forces proved the Tselves to be
not unworthy to stand alongside th 2r more expe-
rienced brethren.

Yesterday detachments of troops belonging to the
Ist battalion, 19th Regiment, 75th, 81st, 91st, and
94th Regiments, arrived at Chatham garrison from
Eastbourne, where they have been stationed for
some time, in order to go through a course of long-
range rifle-firing previously to embarking for India.
Detachments of non-commissioned officers and men
belonging to the several East India depots at Chat-
ham were yesterday selected to proceed to Eastbourne
to relieve those troops who have completed their
course of rifle instruction at that station.

The new steel gun (rifled), invented by Mr.
Lynet Thomas, recently forwarded to Woolwich
Arsenal, from the Mersey Steelworks, for experi-
ments at Shocburyness, has been fired in the long
range, the result of which is as follows :—The gun,
charged with 281 b. of powder and a shot weighing
1601b5., obtained a flight of 10,000 yards, or 51
miles. Arrangements are being made to carry out
a course of trials and experiments with the gun
which are ordered to take place shortly, in the pre-
sence of the Select Committee of Woolwich Arsenal.

A couple of skeleton 68-pounder guns, cast at
the contract works of Lowmoor, and received at
Woolwich Arsenal, were yesterday completed, with
a view of testing the efficacy of strengthening east
iron guns, according to Sir W. Armstrong's experi-
mental principle, suggested as a means of convert-
ing the old guns into rifled ordnance. The breech
of the gun is thoroughly enveloped in a coating of
brass three inches thick, applied to the gun heated
to an equal temperature, so as to insure the per-
manent adhesion of the two metals as one insepar-
able substance. The guns are smooth-bored, and
will undergo a severe preliminary test preparatory
to an extension of the system, if found successful.