The Sun.
London, England, 1867-10-16 00:00:00

Naval and Mtlitary IntellLence.

On Monday evening a telegram was received at
Aldershot from the Horse Guards, ordering the 72d
highlanders, under the command of Major Hunter,
to be held in readiness to move at short notice to
Liverpool and Manchester, should their services be
required ; the baggage and women and children to
remain behind. At the same time the II battery, 9th
brigade Royal Artillery, received orders to move by
march route yesterday morning at 9 o'clock for the
same destination, to await final instructions at the
first billetting place—Reading. The battery-110
men, 95 horses, and 6 guns—accordingly left yes-
terday morning, but up to 1 o'clock midday the
Highlanders had not received any further orders,
although the light baggage and necessaries were
ready, so that the regiment would have been able,
if required, to march at two hours' notice.
The 43d (Monmouthshire) Light Infantry, Lieut.
Col. F. H. Synge, was officially inspected on Mon-
day and yesterday by Major-Gen. Campbell, C. 8.,
commanding 2d brigade at Aldershot. Major-Gen.
Hodge also inspected on the same day the Royal
Engineer Train. With these inspections the half-
yearly course for the Aldershot division has termi-
nated.

Yesterday Major-Gen. F. Murray, commanding.
the forces at Chatham, made his half-yearly inspec-
tion of the depots of the regiments attached to the
3d battalion of infantry. The whole of the officers
and troops were formed in front of their respective
quarters at St. Mary's Casemate Barracks, shortly
before 11 a.m. yesterday morning, in heavy march-
ing order, whence they marched to Chatham Lines,
where they formed up in contiguous columns of
companies in readiness to receive the General com-
manding. The troops on the ground consisted of
the depots of the Ist and 2d Battalions of the 10th
Regiment, 2d battalion of the 14th Regiment, Ist
and 2d battalions of the 22d Regiment, 34th Regi-
ment, and 45th Regiment, the whole under the
command of Col. the Hon. J. J. Bourke. On the
arrival of Major-Gen. Freeman Murray, attended by
Capt. F. S. Herries, 65th Regiment, aide-de-camp,
Brigade Major W. W. Lynch, 2d Royals, and other
officers of the Staff, the troops gave a general salute.
Gen. Murray then inspected the arms, kits, and ac-
coutrements of each corps, and afterwards witnessed
the troops go through the customary inspection
movements. The officers and sergeants of the various
corps were subsequently inspected in the sword
exercise, and on the troops being dismissed to their
quarters General Murray went through the Case-
mate Barracks and inspected the men at dinner.
Yesterday afternoon the whole of the corps were
again assembled on Chatham lines, in review order,
each man being provided with 10 rounds of blank
Snider ammunition. At 3 o'clock General Murray
arrived on the ground, and immediately had the
officers and troops put through a variety of move-
ments to test the efficiency of the officers and men
in Light Infantry and company evolutions. The
inspection of the depot did not terminate until late
yesterday afternoon. _ _ _

The Field Marshal Commanding in Chid has ap-
proved of Assist.-Surg. Francis R. Hogg, M.D.,
R. A., being appointed for permanent duty with the
Riding Establishment, Royal Artillery, and also to
performthe medical duties connected with the Female
Hospital and Garrison Staff at Woolwich.

The three batteries, sth Brigade Garrison Ar-
tillery, some time under orders for Madras, took
their departure yesterday morning from head-
quarters, Woolwich, and proceeded by special train
for Portsmouth to embark on board the Indian
troopship Serapis, Capt. Soady. The marching out
strength of the batteries was as follows :—Col. G.
B. Shakespear, in command ; Capt. C. G. Lascelles:;
second captains—the Hon. H. Hare, J. H. P.
Anderson, gunnery instructor, and 11. R. L. Morgan;
Lieuts. E. R. Ellis, J. R. S. 0. Hewitt, out in the
Corcyra. The departure of No. 2 battery guns is
consequently delayed for a short time. A large
number of rockets of every requisite description
manufactured at Woolwich for the use of the Abys-
sinian expedition, to be fired from the mountain
guns, has been despatched to Portsmouth for ship-
ment for Alexandria. Closed arm-chests from the
Tower, containing the new Snider rifles, with which
the sth brigade batteries are to be armed on their
arrival in Madras, but to the use of which they were
at present perfect strangers, were sent with the
troops yesterday morning. Their first duty on their
arrival in India will be a course of drills in breech-
loading exercise. The troops all left in a high state
of discipline, and were exceedingly healthy and well
conducted during their long stay in Woolwich. Co].
Reilly's (0.B.) B battery, B brigade Royal llorse
Artillery, marched out of Woolwich garrison yes-
terday morning en route for Leeds and Bradford.
Capt. Ridout commanded in the absence of Colonel
Reilly, who is at present engaged as a Boundary
Commissioner.

A special messenger was yesterday despatched
from the Ranger's Lodge, Greenwich-park, inform-
ng the authorities of the Royal Military Academy
at Woolwich that the recovery of Prince Arthur
from the mild attack of small-pox, under which he
has been suffering for some days past, is very satis-
factory.

ller Majesty's screw troopship Serapis, Captain
Soady, sails from Portsmouth this morning for
Alexandria, on her first turn of duty in the relief of
her Majesty's troops in India. This ship will sail
with a total number of 1,554 people on board, all
told.

Yesterday afternoon, at high tide, a successfu
launch was effected from the yard of the contrac

tors, Messrs. Maudslay, Sons, and Field, East
Greenwich, of a new artillery raft, built for the
Admiralty. There were present Capt. W. R. Mends,
C.B. (Director of Transports), Capt. CL ook-
ington, R.N., and a large number of visitors. The
raft has been constructed on the plan and under the
superintendence of Capt. W. R. Mends. Its object
is not the saving of life at sea, but the landing of
troops, horses, guns, &e., from the transport ships
lately built for the Indian service. It consists of
four cylindrical pontoons, 37ft. long by 4f t. Gin. in
diameter. It is hemispherical at the stern ends, and
bowshaped at the fore ends. These pontoons are
constructed of steel and iron, the upper part of the
cylinder being of steel, and the lower part of iron,
so as to insure the righting itself when in the water.
The deck, 34ft. Gin. by 26ft., is secured to four
spars, which lies across the pontoons by means of
lashing, and an arrangement of iron bars like ordi-
nary hatch bars. It is also surrounded by stan-
chions and ridge poles, from which canvas hangs to
prevent the horses seeing the water close to them.
The deck is also covered with matting to prevent
the horses injuring themselves by struggling when
lowered from the yardarm. The bow is also con-
structed to rest upon the beach, allowing the troops
and guns to disembark. The raft is capable of land-
ing about 300 men or two field guns and their full
detachments, including horses, &c. Great care has
been taken in the design to avoid the use of any-
thing in the rigging of the raft which is not readily
found on board any ordinary steamship. After the
launch some few experiments were made, and the
raft was propelled with perfect ease against tide
with the oars provided. Much satisfaction was ex-
pressed with its appearance, and it is proposed to
build four more for the Indian transports. Mr.
Baskcombe, the Government inspector, superin-
tended the building on behalf of the Admiralty.
The Government steam tug Monkey afterwards took
the raft in tow to Woolwich, where some experi-
ments will shortly be conducted by Captain W. R.
Mends and a staff of Engineers and Artillery
officers.

JUDICIAL STATISTICS, 18G6.

(From the Solicitors' Journal.)

Commencing with the police and constabulary
these returns exhibit an increase this year in the
strength of the force, amounting to 478, or upwards
of 2 per cent., and consisting of 9 superintendents,
25 inspectors, 36 sergeants, 323 constables, 53 ad-
ditional constables, and 32 detectives. As compared
with the population the police are as 1 to 893, having
been in 1865 as 1 to 902, a difference apparently slight,
but when the increase of the population is taken into
consideration it is in reality of great importance. One
noticeable fact with regard to the police is that the
cost of the force has increased by upwards of £78,000
and that this increase in expenditure is to be ac-
counted for not only by the increase in the numbers
of the police, but also to some extent by the higher
scale of pay which has been generally adopted. This
increases the average cost per man, which in 1865
amounted to £75 4s. 3d., and in 1866 to £77.
The total cost of the police and constabulary is
£1,829,105, of which amount the public revenue
contributes £441,947. There appears to have been
a decrease in the number of the criminal classes at
large, amounting to 3,060, or 2.6 per cent. on the
numbers of the preceding year. How the numbers
of the criminal classes at large are ascertained we
are unable to state, but the returns inform us that
all thieves and known depredators are included, and
that persons known to have been living honestly for
12 months are not enumerated. Vagrants and
tramps would appear to be on the increase ; in 1865
they numbered 33,690, in the three years preceding
that period they averaged 23,339, but in 1866 they
were 35,191. The reason for this large increase
may form a useful subject of inquiry by the Poor-
law Board:especially as a gaol is usually considered
to be a pleasanter habitation than a workhouse by
those well accustomed to both. In London the
criminal classes are in the proportion of 1 to 222 of
the 'population. In addition to those at large who
number 113,566, there are in local prisons, 16,708 ;
in convict prisons, 7,018; and in reformatories,
3,635 ; making a grand total of 140,927 persons of
the criminal classes.

The number of indictable offences in the year

1866 not summarily disposed of was 50,549, and in
respect of these crimes 27,190 persons were appre-
hended ; this is a decrease from the preceding year
of 3.2 per cent. on the first number, and of 6.3 per
cent. on the second. The proportion of apprehen-
sions to the number of crimes was, in 1866, 53.7 per
cent. ; in 1865 it was 55.6 per cent. ; in 1864 it was
56.2 per cent. ; and in 1862 58.2 per cent. Evi-
dently, then, it appears that the more crimes that
are committed the smaller is the proportion of per-
sons apprehended. This fact has been noticed in
previous years ; and we have also this additional
fact, that out of the 27,120 persons apprehended,
no fewer than 8,002 were discharged by the magis-
trates. We are therefore entitled to conclude that,
while 50,549 crimes were committed, only 19,188
of the offenders were actually discovered, and that
at least three out of every fivecrimes go unpunished.
This proportion refers to the amount of crime re-
ported to the police. If we could arrive at any sta-
tistics of the actual amount of crime committed, the
proportion would, of course, be much lower; it is
sometimes estimated at one-sixth.

The number of offences reported comprises 131
murders, being four less than in the previous year,
and 45 attempts to murder, as against 51 in the pre-
ceding year ; and under the class of offences against
the person we find a total of 2,861 in 1866, against
3,123 in the previous year—a decrease of 8.4 per
cent.; and in most of the other descriptions there is
a corresponding decrease. Of the murders, eight took
place in the metropolitan police district and one in
the city of London.
In respect of these 2,861 offences against the
person, 2,896 persons were apprehended, and 1,646
were discharged by the magistrates ; the number
convicted being a proportion of 78.6 per cent., while
the proportion in the previous year was 82.8 per
cent., and in 1863, 83.3 per cent. With respect
to offences against property, the proportion of per-
sons apprehended scarcely exceeds 50 per cent., and
the number committed is very much smaller, being
about 30 per cent. of the whole number apprehended.
Besides those apprehended and committed for in-
dictable offences, 339,091 persons were summarily
convicted by magistrates, and a further number of
142,679 were discharged, having been brought be-
fore magistrates to be dealt with under their sum-
mary jurisdiction. The increase in the number of
persons proceeded against in this class was in 1866
at the rate of 5 per cent. over that of the preceding
year, and of 25 per cent. over that of 1859,while in
the number of convictions there was an increase
over the previous year of 8.3 per cent. Among the
penalties imposed we find that 1,131 were sent to
reformatory schools, 471 to industrial schools, and
that 596 were whipped. Among the persons ap-
prehended for indictable offences, as well as those
summarily proceeded against, there is the usual pro-
portion of " known thieves," &c. ; but it is remark-
able that out of the 508,960 comprised under this
head no less than 200,827 are described as persons
of previous good character, and 175,335 as of " cha-
racter unknown.," showing that probably more than
half these offenders s ere fresh recruits in the ranks
of crime; in fact, 36.2 per cent of the whole num-
ber is the proportion of those known as thieves or
otherwise bad characters. The returns also show
that 13,629 " known thieves" are at large, of which
number 2,734 are in the metropolis.
Appeals to Quarter Sessions against summary
decisions of justices were 91, and there were besides
these 69 cases stated for the opinion of the Superior
Courts under the Act 20th and 21st of Victoria,
chap. 43. In 1865 there were 50 such cases statedi;
the appeals to Quarter Sessions were the same in

number.
Coroners' returns for the year 1866 are up to the
31st of December, instead of the 29th of September,
as are most of the other returns, and they exhibit
the result of 24,926 inquests. In these the verdict
was murder in 272 cases, manslaughter in 223,

suicide in 1,360, and accidental death in 11,262 ; the

remainder ascribe death to other causes of different
descriptions. As regards inquisitions by coroners
it is remarkable that the number of verdicts of
murder exceeds by more than 100 per cent. the
number of murders reported by the police—the latter