The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-26 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

A telegram from Antwerp was yesterday trans-
mitted to Capt. Gordon, C. 8., superintending the
Military Store Department in Woolwich Arsenal,
from Commodore Edmonstone, C. 8., senior officer
of the port at Woolwich and the Thames, informing
him that the Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia
would embark on board the Osborne on Friday,
and would be in the river this morning.

Her Majesty's 5-gun screw steam vessel Torch,
Commander G. A. Douglas, from the West Coast
of Africa, will be paid out of commission this
morning at Woolwich. Her boilers are thoroughly
worn out, her engines are still in good repair, and
the ship, on an inspection made by the Commodore
Superintendent Edmonstone, prior to being stripped,
was reported clean and efficient. After being paid
off she will be placed in the third division of reserve,
to be brought forward for service.

No. 2 battery 7-pounder mountain guns and
equipment for the Abyssinian service having been
left behind at Woolwich by reason of the Corcyra,
which was to have shipped the battery, having a
full cargo of forage and other bulky stores, the
battery was yesterday embarked on board the steam-
ship Mendosa in the East India Docks, and is now
ready to take her departure, for Madras.
In consequence of the repeated threats from
anonymous correspondents to the Capt.-Superin-
tendent of Deptford dockyard, the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty have ordered the detach-
ment of Royal Marine Light Infantry stationed there
to be strongly reinforced. The following draught
has been accordingly despatched by Lieut.-Col.
Stewart from the Woolwich division—Capt. Gus-
tavus F. Munro, Lieut. Hobbs, three sergeants, one
corporal, and 65 privates.
The following promotions were made yesterday :
—Commanders, promoted to the rank of Capts.—
IL A. Parr, C. D. Lucas, H. Maitland, and St. G.
C. Irvine. Lieuts., promoted to the rank of Com-
manders—J. B. Michell, J. S. Tonkin, C. Hiving-
ton, IL S. Thompson, P. W. Stephens, 11. Hand,
F. H. I3lackburne, C. G. Stanely, K. Mainwaring,
and C. E. Foot.

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HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL, Oct. 24.
The Queen wont out in the morning with
Princess Beatrice, and her Majesty drove out in
the afternoon with Princess Christian.

THE CROWN PRINCESS OF PRUSSIA.
The Independance Beige announces from Ostend,
that in consequence of the sudden indisposition of
;he Crown Princess of Prussia, the intended visit
o England which she was about to make with her
itoyal husband has been necessarily abandoned.

The Prince of Wales, accompanied by Count
Gleichen, honoured the Strand Theatre with his
presence last evening.
Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess
Christian of Schleswig-Holstein are expected to arrive at
Windsor this morning from the royal family circle At
Balmoral.

The Marchioness (Dowager) of Waterford will
leave Charles-street, St. James's, on Monday next for Cur-
raghniore, county Waterford.

London Orphan Asylum Competition.

(From the Builder of to-day.)
The managers of this important charity have ob-
tained a large piece of land close to the Watford
Station on the London and North-Western Rail-
way, and are about to erect buildings on it to
accommodate 400 boys and 200 girls, with facilities
for extension when needed. It consists of about 86
acres, 20 for the institution and 16 foe protection,
so to speak, on which latter houses will probably be
built. A limited competition having been decided on,
designs have been sent in by Messrs. Belcher, G. S.
Clarke, John Collier, Henry Dawson, F. R. Peck, E.
C. Robins, Thos. henry Watson, and F. Williams—
eight architects, who have sent nine seta of drawings.
The grounds on which Mr. F. Williams was invited
to the competition are not obvious, as he is evi-
dently a tyro, and has sent a design which maY
at once be put on one side. The committee offer
three premiums, £250, £l5O, and £lOO, and their
desire is, of course, understood to be to employ the
author of the design selected as No. 1 to carry it
into execution as architect, or with such modifica-
tions Is may be found desirable. The sum named
for expenditure i 5£65,000. The designs are com-
modiously exhibited in a large room in Old Jewry ;
all the competitors have adopted Gothic as the
style (one, Mr. Collier, sending an alternative de-
sign in a modern dwelling-house style), and we
may add, that the majority of the designs are set
fOrth with most creditable artistic skill.

Competitors were informed, if we understand
rightly, that each 50 boys were to have an estab-
lishment of their own,—day-room, matron's room,
offices, dormitories, and so forth. Schoolrooms,
large dining-room, swimming-bath, the adminis-
trative department, chapel, and infirmary wer°
amongst the other chief requirements, and the waY
iu which these aro provided by the several compe-
titors, the amount of light and air given, the modes
of approach, means of supervision, &c., when
judged of by the various officers of the establish-
ment, will of course materially influence the selec-
tion. Beyond convenience and commodiousness,
however, the committee must see that they obtain a
building which shall be worthy of the charity and
fitly mark its nobleness.
Mr. Dawson has produced what seems a very
good plan : all the rooms are well open to air and
sun.
Mr. Watson's design presents a more important
pile of buildings externally, with an estimate of
£65,350, the adoption of a third storey aiding to
cheapen.
Mr. Peck places six of his boys' homes on tbe
ground-floor and two above. He gives handsome
elevations, including a lofty campanile, of red brick
and freestone dressings, with tastefully adorned
chapel, and estimates the cost at £55,000. Tbe
cause of its less cost as compared with some of On
other designs, which have many cubic feet of build-
ing less, is not immediately obvious.
Mr. Robins has adopted the pavilion system, and
with much skill, each home for girls as well as boys
radiating from a connecting corridor. Whatever,
advantage this arrngement might have upon the
boys' side, it would probably be found less work-
able for the girls, where the same amount of sepa-
ration is not desired. The elevations look business'
like, and the cost is put down at £71,000. 11°
design deserves fall coasideration, and will doubt"
less have it. The living-rooms are on the ground
floor.
Mr. G. S. Clarke, by showing where other build-
ings are to be erected within the quadrangle in the
event of greater accommodation being required, 1145
rendered his plan unattractive. Indeed, without
these the ground seems to us too closely covered.
A number of small courts in 'a building of this
character, and in the country, are scarcely defen-
sible.. The elevations are artistical and effective, .1f
we except the centre portion, which has too inneu
the character of modern German Gothic, with th!.o
buttresses and pinnacles running up the face of
to please us quite. The cost as the dcsign stand,
the designer says, would be more than the cony
inittee name, £65,000 ; but, if the building be re"
duced to their requirements, it could be done f°r

the money.
Messrs. Belcher give some handsome elevatiouSt
partly faced with stone, and name £67,500 as °Io
cost of the building they would like to erect.
Mr. Collier, in his design, follows more the ola
almshouse type than the other competitors 113°
done, and puts down for it £62,000. His alteraty
tive design, three stories in height, and very 111011°-
tonous, he estimates at £57,000.
The committee, we are told, have already gioa,
long consideration to the drawings, and
amongst them an architect, Mr. Geo. Pown3'
There is every reason, therefore, to expect, reran?:
bering, too, the importance they must:attach to ou
taining the best possible building for their purpose'
that justice will be done to the competitors.