The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-25 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

Col. /*body, R.E., has not been appointed by the Govern-
ment to the office of Lieut.-Governor of British Columbia.
The post to which he has been nominated is, we understand,
that of Chief Commissioner of Public Lands and Works. He
will also command a detachment of Royal Engineers.
A Dublin paper contains the following items of intelli-
gence :—" We are sorry to hear that information has been
received of the death of Col. Wm. Campbell, commanding
the Bays in India, of fever. Col. Campbell was Private Se-
cretary to Lord Eglinto❑ on his first coming as Lord-Lieu-
tenant of Ireland. The 2d Battalion Sth Regt., quartered
at Mullingar, are under orders for Gibraltar. It is reported
that H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, Gen. Sir H. Douglas,
and Gen. Lord Clyde are to be raised to the rank of Field
Marshal. An encampment is again to be formed at Wood-
lands next week."

The recent visit of Major-General Peel, the Secretary of
State for War, to Chatham has already been attended with
great benefit, and :several important improvements are in
contemplation, in order to promote in an increased manner
the health and comfort of the numerous troops quartered 111
that garrison. During the inspection of the barrack-rooms
in Chatham garrison by General Peel it was pointed out
that a great impr3vement would be effected if the number
of soldiers now apportioned to each barrack-room could
be somewhat reduced, in order to give additional space to
those troops remaining, who have to continue in the same
room daring the day and night. The number of men now
occupying each room is 16, and occasionally 18, exclusive of
women, and this number was often exceeded before the
camp was formed at the Spur Battery, when the barracks
were very crowded. It is now proposed that the maximum
number of men in each room shall be 12, which number is
never to be exceeded. Each man will also be supplied with
of increased quantity of fuel during the winter months.
Several other minor alterations have also been directed to
be carried out at Chatham Barracks, which will prove of
great benefit to the soldiers quartered. there. On Gen. Peel
visiting Brompton Barracks, which are occupied by the
Royal and East India Company's Engineers, his attention
was directed to the hospital for sick troops, which is placed
in the very centre of the barracks, and, indeed, occupies
nearly ef one side of the building, the healthy
troops being quartered iii ati...t «he
same hoildinrr_ It ',Am
appears that the obnoxious system of crowding sick and
healthy troops together in the same barrack is at length to
be abolished, the authoriles at the War Department having
arrived at the determination to erect an hospital on a suit-
able site at Chatham for the sole accommodation of the sick
troops belonging to the Engineers and Ordnance corps,
together with those in the East India Company's service
quartered' at Brompton. By this arrangement additional
space will be afforded the Royal Sappers and Miners, who
are at present very much crowded, and, as a natural conse-
quence, sickness is more than usually prevalent. An addi-
tional storey will also be added to one portion of Brampton
Barracks, in order that barrack-roam may be provided
for the additional companies, which will be formed as soon
as the contemplated augmentation of that /important
arm of the service has been carried into effect. Several
additional huts are to be erected near Prince Henry's
bastion, adjoining those occupied by the depots comprising
the 3d battalion, so that a larger number of men may be
hutted before the winter sets in. The present state of St.
Mary's Barracks, which are used almost exclusively as a
depot for the convalescent sick and wounded troops on their
arrival at Chatham from India, and after their discharge
from hospital, the condition of which has recently attracted
a great deal of attention, was particularly investigated by
Gen. Peel. As the large hospital at Southampton, to which
the whole of the invalids will be transferred, is now nearly
completed, it has been determined not to expend any large
outlay of money in making extensive alterations at St.
Mary's, and that building will thud:3re be permitted to re-
main in its present condition, which is altogether unfit for
the recep,ion of invalid, or indeed any other of her Ma-
jesty's troops, until the invalid establishment has been re-
moved from Chatham, when it is intended to quarter other
troops there. Fort Pitt will at the same time cease to be used
as a hospital for the sick and wounded troops arriving from
India and the colonies, and will he appropriated to troops, it
being the present intention of the authorities to quarter ar-
tillery at that fort. Most of ne improvements aid altera-
tions ordered by Gen. Peel are to be immediately carried
into effect.
The following district order was issued yesterday by the
Commander-in-Chief of the Sauth-west District :

DISTRICT ORDER, AUG. 23, 1858, BY MAJOR-GENERAL

THE HON. JAS.ronri...l?, SCARLETT.
" Her Majesty having been pleased to promote Lieut.-Col.
Wright, Assistant Quartermaster-General, to the command
of a battalion, he necessarily vacates his appointment in the
south-west district, and will cease to perform the duties from
the 23d inst. Lieut.-Col. Conolly, Brigade Major, as a tem-
porary measure, will from that date do duty as Assistant
Quartermaster-General, and Captain Thursby, A.D.C., as
Brigade Major. While congra u wing Colonel Wright on
the promotion his services have so well earned, the
Major-General cannot but be sensible that he is deprived
in his district of an officer whom it will be very difficult
to replace. The duties of the south-west district during
Lieut.-Col. Wright's tenure of office on the staff have not
only included the usual routine business of a very consider-
able body of troops belonging to the district, but also em-
barkation and disembarkation of upwards of 180,000 men and
7,000 horses. In the arrangements necessary for despatching
them from Portsmouth, or receiving them from other sta-
tions by rail, not a single accident has occurred, nor a man
or horse been mis-sent, or any sort of delay taken place,
owing to the admirable arrangements of Colonel Wright,
combined with his instructions from head-quarters. Vessels
at Spitbead have been visited in all weathers and at all hours
when necessary, and no pains spared by Colonel Wright to
insure by due inspection the orders of Government for the
comfort of troops on board being carried out, asd every con-
venier.ce secured to them. In the zealous and uncompromis-
ing performance of these duties, Lieut.-Col. Wright has, by
his temperance and discretion, gained the confidence of all
with whom he has had intercourse, and of none more than
the general officers under whom be has served."

In consequence of the volunteering from the Militia to the
Line being opened, there will be no field-day at Aldershott
to-day.

The A troop of Royal Horse Artillery, in command of
Major Le Mesurier Tupper, left Woolwich on Monday for
Canterbury, in charge of a bat tery of 18-pounder siege guns.
Two batteries of the same calibre guns were yesterday de-
spatched from the Royal Arsenal for Colchester, to add to
the fortification of the coast defences, and two other bat'e-
ries have left for Hythe and Eastbourne, in charge of Capt.
Bent and Capt. Milward, R.A. The extra labour thus sud-
denly entailed on the Royal Carriage Department has de-
manded an increase of hands, and an arrangement has been
made to complete and turn out two batteries per week.

Ilor INTELLIGENCE.—Kent : The reports which
have been received from the several hop growing districts
invariably speak of the great improvement which has taken
place in the appearance of the grounds during the last few
days. The long drought, however, followed by the recent
warm rains, has given to the plantations in many places the
appearance of bearing two crops at the same time—one
having attained the size of fullgtown hops, while the other
is still is burr. The prevailing opinion among planters
appears to be that although the yield will be less than last year,
it will still be much too large to be profitable. The quality
generally, however, is stated to be excellent; though in a
few places in the Weald, we are informed, the flea is still
doing some mischief among the forward kind. In Goudhurst
there are this year thout 60 acres less in plant than last
year, while in the neighbouring parish of Horstnonden there
is a diminution. Were this reduction of the quantity grown
general, it would soon make itself felt upon the market
price; but such a method of adapting the supply to the
demand is only partial, some parishes having largely in-
crewed their acreage of hops during the past year. Picking,
we are told, will be general in the Weald in the beginning
of next week, while in Mid and West Kent it is not ex-
pected to be general till the Bth or 9th September. Sussex
and Surrey : The accounts from the plantations in these
counties speak of the progress of the hops during the past
week as very great. The grounds generally are looking
healthy, and the hops promise, if favourable weather con-
.iuues, with warm nights, to attain a large size. In some
districts, however, we still hear of pieces of slack bide, and
that the crop is chiefly an outside one. Duty called
£25,000 to 060,000.—Softh-,Eastern Gazette.