The Sun.
London, England, 1867-09-04 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

A notification has been received at Chatham gar-
rison from the Horse Guards that the following
campaigns will form the subject of examination in
military history and geography at the examination
for admission to the Staff College, to be held in
July, 1868 :-1. Campaign of 1813 in Germany,
with the battle of Dresden, in detail. 2. Campaign
of 1814 in Champagne, with the operations against
Blucher, 7th to 15th February, in detail. Candi-
dates will be expected to have an accurate know-
ledge of the geography of the seat of war in both
campaigns, with reference more especially to mili-
tary operations, and to make a rough sketch of any
portion of it that may be required.
Assist. Commissary-General J. H. Sale has been
appointed to the head of the Commissariat Depart-
ment at Chatham, and yesterday joined at that
garrison, relieving Assist. Commissary-General A.
W. Downes, who is about to proceed with the
Abyssinian Expedition.
Brevet-Major J. Thompson, 50th Queen's Own
Regiment, with a detachment of 100 non-commis-
sioned officers and men, have proceeded from Cha-
tham to Milton barracks, for the purpose of under-
going a courseof instruction in the use of the Snider
breech-loading rifle, relieving a similar detachment
of the Ist battalion of the Bth Regiment, under the
command of Capt. W. J. Watson, the officers and
men of which have completed their course of rifle
instruction and re-joined at the garrison.
Nos. 11 and 12 troops of the Military Train, at
Aldershott, are held in readiness to move from the
camp at an early date. The former will proceed to
Ireland, and the latter to Shorucliffe. They will be
replaced at Aldershott by Nos. 5 and 21 troops, from
Woolwich.

The detachment of the B troop of the Royal
Engineer Train, at present stationed at Shorncliffe,
will return to Aldershott on the arrival of No. 12
troop of the Military Train.
The following changes have just occurred in the
Aldershott division :—Major-Gen. Hodge, C. 8., has
assumed the command from the Ist inst., during
the absence on leave of Lieut.-Gen. the Hon. Sir
James Yorke Scarlett, K.C.B. ; Col. Wyatt, C. 8.,
65th Regiment, has taken over the command of the
2.1 Infantry Brigade from the 2(1 inst. Assist. Com-
missary-General Irvine is temporarily detached from
the Aldershott division on special service in Spain.
Deputy-Assist. Commissary-General Cattell, having
been placed under orders for the West Coast of
Africa, is struck off the strength of the division from
the Ist inst. Lieut. Douglas, 15th Hussars, has
been granted leave of absence from the 31st of
August to the 30th of September, 1867, pending his
retirement from the service.

Attention is called in " divisional orders," at
Aldershott, in the instruction for volley and file
firing, as laid down at pages 171-2 of " Field Exer-
cise." It is recommended that, whenever practicable,
volley firing shall be performed byboth ranks kneel-
ing, and file firing by the front rank kneeling.
Since the augmentation of pay to the army the
number of men who have weekly been sworn before
the magistrates for renewed service has been very
considerable. It is understood that the extra pay
will he given to all men who have taken their dis-
charge since the Ist of April, and that all men will
receive an additional penny from the date of their
re- engagement. The whole camp now wears a con-
tented air, no doubt one effect of the increased pay.
The next boon to the soldier has not yet been sug-
gested, but at Aldershott it might be made to con-
sist iu the exemption of old well-drilled soldiers from
field evolutions, except on special occasions.
The duties of the Board of Admiralty being
nearly completed, several of the members have left
Devonport. Yesterday morning the First Lord,
Mr. Corry, M.P., and the First Sea Lord, Sir A.
Milne, K.C.8., left their yacht, the Enchantress,
shortly after 10 o'clock, and witnessed some gun-
nery practice on board the Cambridge, Capt. the
Hon. F. A. C. Foley. From the gunnery ship they
went to the Armstrong gun drill ship Foudroyant,
to the iron turret ship Prince Albert, 4, and the
training ship Impregnable, 78, Capt. F. S. Trem-
lett, where they ware occupied some time inspect-
ing the condition and progress of the boys. It is
understood that Mr. Corry and Admiral Milne will
leave Plymouth to day in the Minotaur for Bantry
Bay, and that their lordships will be accompanied
by the Enchantress, the Achilles, Bellerophon, Lord
Clyde, and Pallas.
The hydraulic gun vessel Waterwitch, Com-
mander P. Sharpe, made another trial yesterday
over the measured miles in Stokes Bay, near Ports-
mouth—this time by Admiralty directions—at a
trim of 2ft. by the stern. The ship's draught of
water was agreeably to these orders made to register
9ft. 9in. forward, and lift. 9in. aft, the mean im-
mersion of the ship being, therefore, not in excess
of that of her last trial, but rather one inch less,
there being a less quantity of coals on board by 15
tons than on the former trial. Commander Wells,
her Majesty's ship Asia,repre.sented the commanding
officer of the steam reserve in charge ; Mr. Steil, the
Admiralty Inspector of Machinery Afloat, with Mr.
Barnes, Asiistant-Constructor of the Navy, were
present from the Admiralty ; Chief Inspectors of
Machinery Afloat John Ward, of the Portsmouth
steam factory department, and George Murdock, of
the steam reserves, attended to conduct and report
officially upon the result of the trial. Assist.-Mastcr
.S. W. Brain represented the shipwright department.
The only really important circumstances attending
the day's trials were the run of the ship over the
measured mile with full-boiler power, as fixing the
mean rate of speed obtained. In all, or almost all,
trials of ships for speed over the measured mile
there is certainly a want of precise instruction as to
the time of tide at which a vessel must enter upon
her six runs over the course. To say that if a vessel
is run three courses with the tide and three runs
against the tide must necessarily give a ship her
true rate of speed is giving expression to a most
absurd fallacy, if the state as well as the direction
of the tide is not taken into proper consideration.
This latter course was precisely the one followed
yesterday in the trial of the Waterwitch, and, most
unfortunately, it told seriously against the power,
whatever the extent of that may be, of the hydraulic
principle. Thus, it was high water at the buoys of
the measured mile in Stokes Bay not very long
before the ship was entered upon her runs, so that
at 1 p.m., when she was on her first run from east
to west, she carriel with her the first drain of the
ebb, the wind also being in the same direction as
the tide. At 2 30 p.m., when the ship had finished
her six runs for full speed, the tide was in its full
strength, running still westward, and would con-
tinue so for nearly two hours longer. The effect
of this arrangement was that on each return run
from the westward theWaterwitch had an enormous
disproportion of tide resistance, and the result of
such mal-arrangement is simply that she made a
much less rate of speed than she has made on any
previous trial. Her magnificent engines worked, as
usual, with chronometer-like regularity, smoothness,
and power, and her trim at the water-line was be-
lieved by those most qualified to judge to be that
most suitable for the ship'srapid progression through
the water. Under these circumstances there can be
but one explanation of her apparent deficiency in
speed, which is that the vessel was entered upon her
runs over the useasursd mile at too early a state of
the west-going tide. The figures obtained from
the six full-hoiler power run were as follows :
'Time occupied in each run—No. 1, 6 min. 16 sec. ;
Nos 2,7roin. 30sec.; No. 3,6 min. 6sec. ; No 4,7 min.
; No. 5, sinia. blsee. ; No. 6, Smin. 25secs. ;
speolof sbip in knots each ran-9.574, 8.000, 9.83 G,
7.660, 10-465, 7'213. Mean speed of ship, 8 879
knots. Revolutions of hydroulic wheel, each run
—40.69, 41 20, 40.65, 40.59, 41.33, 41.11. Mean
steam pressure, 26'51b, ; mean vacuum, 25.5 inches.
Th-e wind was from S.E. at an average force of 3,
and therefore in exact direction with the tide run-
ning westward over the course. Four runs at half-
boiler power over the mile gave the ship a mean
speed of 6.326 knots. On her last trial she obtained
a mean speed of 6.040 knots. The fact of the loss
of speed on the full power runs and the gain on the
haft-power runs would appear to confirm the truth
of our remarks on the necessity of starting a vessel
on her runs over a tidal course of water at a Proper,
and not an improper, state of the tide. The loss of
speed by the ship on the full-power runs has already

' been explained. The gain of power in the half-
power runs was owing to the conditions of the tide
being reversed—the two runs, 1 and 3, being made
to the westward on the greatest force of tide, and
the return runs, 2 and 4, on the lesser force ; not in
true, but in disproportionable strengths. Whether
this ;theory is right or wrong the subject is quite
important enough to demand careful investigation.
Some trials were made in turning circles at fall and
half power, but they were wholly of an unimportant
nature in every respect.
The iron ship Minotaur, 34, Capt. James G.
Goodenough, flag of Rear-Admiral Warren, C. 8.,
commanding the Channel Squadron, with her ar-
mour-plated consorts, the iron screw steamship
Achilles, 26, Capt. Edward W. Vansittart ; the
iron ship Bellerophon, 14, Captain Reginald J. J.
G. Macdonald ; the ship Lord Clyde, 23, Capt.
Roderick Dew, C. 8., and the corvette Pallas, 6,
Capt. Matthew Connolly, which left Portland at
4,30 a.m. on Monday, hove in sight at Plymouth
at 2 p.m. the same day, and shortly after entered
the Sound.
The paddle-wheel steam frigate Valorous, 16,
Capt. Charles C. Forsyth, recently returned from
the Cape Station, is now alongside the dockyard,
Devonport, where she will be dismantled and stripped.
Her crew will be paid off iu a few days.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Sub-Lieut. Thomas T. A.
Smith, to the Rodney ; Henry B. Callender, mid-
shipman, to the Terrible; William Ball, engineer,
to the Medusa ; John T. Kelly, engineer, to the
Liffey ; and William Oates, second class assist-en-
, gineer, to the Liffey.

Railway and other Companies.

NORTH BRITISH.

A meeting of shareholders in the Carlisle and Sil-
loth Bay Dock and Railway section of this company
was held at Carlisle yesterday, for the purpose of
considering what effect the new Act of the North
British Company would have upon the Silloth pro-
prietary. Mr. J. D. Carr in the chair.
A statement was read which had been prepared
by Mr. John Irving, one of the Silloth directors,
who in the interests of the company had watched the
progress through Parliament of the North British
Railway Bill (Carlisle deviation), by which powers
were sought to create a pre-preference stock
amounting to £1,875,625, bearing interest not ex-
ceeding 5} per cent., in order to enable the com-
pany to discharge the whole of its obligations. That
bill, he said, having passed the House of Commons
unopposed, was opposed in the Lords by parties de-
sirous of issuing £9,000,000 of ordinary stock at
£2O, equivalent to 80 per cent. discount, instead of
a pre-preference as sanctioned by the shareholders
at their Wharncliffe meeting. An alternative pro-
posal was also made for creating preference stock,
ranking next in order after the existing preferences.
With reference to those proposals the Right
Ilonourable W. E. Gladstone, a witness in
favour of the bill, gave evidence that "to raise
preference stock placed at the bottom of the list
would be by far the worst plan of the two," and
" would not be equitable to the ordinary share-
holders, because it would throw upon them the
whole burden created by the difficulties, although
they only formed one-third of the governing and
managing body of the company. Mr. Stirling,
chairman of the company, when under cross-exa-
mination, agreed with the view that preference
shareholders having voting power had an equal re-
sponsibility with the ordinary shareholders ; and
that the scheme of raising ordinary stock would be
to throw the whole burden upon the ordinary share-
holders who were in the minority, for the results of
a policy which was the work of the majority who
were to bear no share of it. The Lords' Com-
mittee decided against the creation of a preference
stock of £1,875,625, but gave other powers reducing
the amount to £1,050,000. Mr. Irving contended
that however hardly the creation of a permanent
stock at an enormously high rate of interest might
bear upon the ordinary shareholders, its pressure
-was much more unjust upon the Silloth proprietary
who had no voice in the management, inasmuch as
their interest was entirely dependent upon upon the
dividend declared on the ordinary. North British
shares.

After hearing the statement read the meeting ad-
journed till the 15th inst.

GREENOCK AND AYRSHIRE.

The half-yearly general meeting of this company
was held on Thursday in Glasgow ; Provost Grieve
in the chair.

The rcportstated that £287,210 had been received
on clpital account, and £291,686 expended, leaving
£4,476 due to the bank. A joint arrangement had
been made with the Caledonian Company and the
Greenock Harbour Trustees, with reference to the
position of both railway companies at the Albert
Harbour and access thereto, and the agreement had
been confirmed by the Greenock Harbotir Act, 1867.
Messrs. Furman and M'Call, the engineers, stated
in their report that a large quantity of work had
been done. The first tunnel from the Greenock end
of the line—and which was the longest —was nearly
completed, and the other tunnels were well advanced.
The Cartsburn and Bridge of Weir viaducts would
be finished in a few weeks. The piers of the large
viaduct over Devol's Glen were nearly erected, and
the arch stones were ready for this work. The
bridges, and culverts, with few exceptions, were
finished. About 70 per cent. of the excavations on
the Bridge of Weir contract had been made, and
there had been about 160,000 yards of rock and
earth removed on the Greenock contract.

The CHAIRMAN moved the adopti Al of the report.
He said that an arrangement still remained to be
made between the Ayrshire Company and the Har-
bour Trustees in regard to the approach to their
mineral station, and he believed that there would be
little delay in coming to an arrangement that would
meet the views of both parties. The engineers had
informed him that in the cour.3e of next summer
they hoped the line would be in full operation. He
need not say how much the opening of the line
would conduce to the progress of Greenock. They
would then have two independent lines, one leading
to the coal mines of Ayrshire, and the other to those
of Lanarkshire. They would thus have a most
wholesome competition, from which the port would
no duubt receive a great benefit. They would have
also two independent lines leading into England,
which was of very great importance. It appeared
to him that the effect of the Ayrshire line would be
to increase the prosperity and importance of
Greenock.

Sir A. ORR seconded the motion for the adoption
of the report, which was agreed to.
Mr. Neil Robson and Mr. J. Morton were re-
elected directors ; and Mr. I). Johnstone was re-
elected an auditor.

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the
proceedings.

WATERFORD AND LIMERICK.

The half-yearly general meeting of this company
was held on Friday at Waterford ; Mr. W. Mal-
comson in the chair.

The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was taken as read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, said it
was a pleasure to the directors to meet the share-
holders with an increase in the receipts from nearly
every branch of traffic; and though, from the in-
creased expenses of working and interest charges,
this surplus was largely absorbed, it was a satisfac-
tion to see a continued vitality in their traffic.
They were aware of the movement, iu "which the
directors had taken much interest, to induce the
Government to purchase the entire of the railways
of Ireland at fair prices. Fur himself he believed
that their doing so could be made the means of
much good to the country. He had no fear as to
the action of the executive if all Irish railways would
be true to their trusts, and if their furnished ac-
counts should be found correct and useful. And
though they might be called by some a bankrupt
interest, he believed it would be found, with but
very few exceptions, that all the lines were paying
their working expenses, and would be paying all
their interest charges, had the primary legislation
for railways only allowed an irredeemable debenture
ii:zue. Should Government not purchase, he trusted
that they would act on the suggestion of the Royal

_ .„,..
Commission, and assist with loans, at a moderate
rate of interest, such companies as the new Com-
mission n tight recommend. Indifference had been
carried tvo far, and he believed that the Govern-
ment could, with great advantage to the country,
assist the Irish railways.
. The motion was seconded by Mr. A. &Emus,
and carriei unanimously.

The dividends-were then declared on the several
classes of shares, and a vote of thanks to the chair-
man terminated the proceedings.

LONDON GENERAL OMNIBUS (LIMITED).

The half-yearly general meeting of this company
was held yesterday at the offices, Finsbury-square
—Mr. F. J. Law in the chair.

Mr. A. G. Church, the secretary, having real the
notice convening the meeting, the report, an ab-
stract of which appeared in 7he Sun, was taken as
read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the
report, said he met them on that occasion with
mixed feelings of pleasure and regret—with plea-
sure because the directors were enabled to present
them with a moderate dividend out of former re-
serves of net revenue, and regret that they were not
able to present them with a dividend out of the ope-
rations of the past half year. In 1860 they had
passed through a similar period of trial and diffi-
culty, with this distinction that they had no reserve
to fall back on, and were greatly in debt. On this
occasion they bad ample funds, and were out of
debt; it showed the wisdom of laying by a reserve
fund for liens of difficulty, to insure them some re-
turn on their capital. No doubt they had all read
the report, as he had, most carefully, and he believed
there never was a more truthful document published
of the affairs of a company. Great credit was due
to the general manager, Mr. Church, for the facts
he had thus placed before the proprietors, as it would
enable them to see the difficulties with which the
board had to contend during the past half year. By
the skill of the general manager their position bad
been improved, they had reduced the number of
opposition omnibuses from 67 in the corresponding
period of last year to 26 in June last, the result of
this was an addition to their receipts of £5,000.
They had reduced the number of unprofitable omni-
buses by 16. They had not only saved £5,120 by
ceasing to run those unprofitable omnibuses, but had
added to their working stack. They had carried this
out by having a higher standard of working horses,
by which their efficiency would be prolonged. They
had adopted also a system of training the horses for
the very heavy work of passing over the stones of
London. Mr. Church had m ide a saving of £2,200
i❑ the wages of those employed on the unproduc-
tive omnibuses. Under the head of omnibus main-
tenance everything required was obtained by public
tender and contract on the best terms. The prin-
cipal features in their report as affecting their re-
ceipts and expenditure were the state of the weather
and the price cf provender. They had received
£26,000 less in the past half-year, owing chiefly to
the state of the weather. A wet day made a diffe-
rence in their receipts of £3OO or £4OO, which was
a very large sum to lose. The provender for the
horses had cot them £24,990 more than the corres-
ponding half of 1865, making a difference of
£51,000, in their net receipts, but this was a matter
beyond their control. The general manager had
devised a means by which a better check was kept
on the conductors,•by compelling them to mark on
a paper the fares received. He had also requested
the shareholders, when riding in the omnibuses, to
assist him in carrying out that arrangement, which
would be beneficial to all. The proposed dividend
would come out of accumulated profits. He consi-
dered the past half-year as an exceptional one, and
it formed no criterion of what they might expect in
future half-years. He had no doubt they would
meet again with smiling faces and declare dividends
as before out of the net earnings of each half-year.
They had invested one of their reserve funds iu
Consols, and if they realized that investment now
they would make a profit of £3,000, and by placing
the reserve on equally safe security they would
realize a larger income from the investment. He
concluded by moving the adoption of the report,
and that a dividend of 2s. per share, being at the
rate of 5 per cent. per annum, be declared payable
on and after the 10th inst.

Mr. T. LuLHAat, a director, seconded the motion.
Mr. S. HERAPATH thought that under the cir-
cumttances of bad weather and depression of trade
the report was very satisfactory, and there was no-
thing at present to shake confidence in the vitality
of the undertaking or in the future prospects of the
company.

Mr.- HALL congratulated the shareholders on
having a report that showed them the real position
in which they stood. Ile felt much obliged to the
directors for having induced them to set aside a por-
tion of the profits in previous half-years as a reserve
to meet a case like the present, when they had made
no profit to divide as in the past half year.
Mr. NODES complained of the management at
considerable length, and concluded by moving that
the meeting be adjourned, and that a committee of
investigation be appointed with full powers to
examine and report on the affairs of the company'
on the 31st October next.

Mr. HEDGCOCK seconded the motion. After a long
discussion it was negatived, and the motion of the
chairman was carried.

The directors were authorised to invest the reserve
funds in home or colonial Government Securities or
in East India guaranteed railway stocks or deben-
tures ; and the proceedings concluded with thanks
to the chairman and directors.