The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-04 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The following gratifying circular was put in orders yes-
erday at Portsmouth garrison, and promulgated through-
out the district :
" The Major-General has much pleasure in making
known to the garrison that lie has received the commands
of her Majesty, through his Royal Highness the Com-
mender-in-Chief, to express to the officers and soldiers com-
posing it her approbation of the appearance and movements
of their respective tegiments this day, and also her satisfac-
tion at the arrangements which were made for her recep-
tion. The Major-General cannot conclude without return-
ing his thanks to Cotonel Wright for his exertions in
milking the necessary arrangements."
On Friday Lieutenant-General Lord Seaton, accompa-
nied by his staff, inspected the sth Royal Irish Lancers and
the other troops in the garrison at Newbridge, with whose
fine appearance he was greatly pleased. The sth Lancers
(new regiment) number 700 men, but as yet they are not
mounted or fully equipped. On Saturday orders were
issued for volunteers for the Enniskillen Dragoons, who,
preprratory to their departure for India, are Otte augnennted
to 791 men of all ranks. The moutent the announcement
was made by Colonel Sullivan 300 of the sth Lancers stepped
out of the ranks and offered to volunteer. Fifty men only
being required, this number was selected, and on the same
evening they left, in charge of an officer of the sth Lancers,
for Brighton, to join the head-quartere of the Enniskillens.
The entire battalion of the Royal Marine, stationed at
Woolwich was yesterday morning paraded in the batrack-
square, in command of Colonel 'Patton Brown, the com-
mandant, with cicsed gates, to beer the promulgation of the
sentence of a general court-martial, held on Monday, the
'26th ult., fir the trial of Patrick Smollen, a private of
the 4th company, Woolwich division, for acts of gross
insubordination, and threatening to murder his command-
ing officer, Captain Kennedy. The evidence was gleaned
principally from the information of a Mr. Brown, a Scrip-
ture reader, who happened to be at the prisoner's quarters
about three we.ks ago, when the prisoner entered in a very
excited state, and drawing a bayenet which tie had concealed
about his poison, said that he had been loitering about for
two hours in the Charlton-road in the hopes of meeting his •
captain, and vowing that if lie had fallen in with him he
would have taken his iife. Mr. Brown without delay pro-
ceeded to the Royal Marine Barracks and reported the facts
to the adjutant on dnty. The prisoner, whose character is
noted as bad," and who had on a former occasion while
nerving on board ship made use of a similar threat towards
his commanding officer, was accordingly arrested and con-
fitted in one of the cells. The general court-martial, under
the presidency of Lieutenant-Colonel Congdon, R.M., tak-
ing a lenient view of the case, awarded the prisoner four
years' penal servitude. It appears that the prisoner, who
is a married man, had nourished a feeling of vengeance
against his captain for some supposed undue severity in de-
priving his wife of the company's weekly washing, and bad
gone about with a determination of putting his terrible
threat into execution. Captain Kennedy returned to
barracks by another route, and thus deprived the in-
tended murderer of his victim. Six companirs of the Royal
Antrim Rifles, in command of Colonel the Marquis of
Donegal, occupying quarters b the west square of the
Artillery Barracks, Vl'oolwich, yesterday spread canvas
at the Green-hill encampment, near the Artillery schools.
The removal of the troops is rendered necessary, now that
the whole of the Royal Morse Artillery have left the
garrison, to enable the Engineers to commence the
long-projected arrangements for building an additional
story to that range of the barracks, which is to take place
without further delay. The A and K troops, in command
of Major Ward and Major Le Mesarier Tupper, commenced
au organised course of gun practice, firing shot and shell at
a target on the Sands at Shocburyness, on Monday, which
is to be continued day, the weather permitting, until their
return to Woolwich.
Yesterday the following draughts belonging to the East
India Company's depots at Chatham left that garrisonand
proceeded to Gravesend, where they embarked on boars
Genghis Khan for Kurrachee, fur the purpose of reinfod r
the service companies of their respective regiments sercda
in India,—viz.:—Nine men of the 7th Royal Fusrvil
Captain George A. Ryan, Ensign William H. Ralstoniflid
10 men of the 70th Regiment ; 14 men of the 81st ( loyal
Lincoln Volunteers) Regiment; and Ensign J. Knox and
70 men of the 94th Regiment. The Harkaway, which has
been taken up by the East India- Company for the convey-
ance of reinforcements to Calcutta, will embark her troops
at Gravesend to-morrow, and the Barham, for Madras,
will embark the reinforcements proceeding in that vessel on
Saturday next, at Gravesend.
A party of 15 non-commissioned officers belonging to the
East India Company's Sappers and Miners, having corn-
pitted a course of instruction in sapping and mining and
fortification at the Royal Engineers' establishment, ( ha..
tham, left Brompton Barracks yesterday and proceede to
Warley, for the purpose of embarking for India.