The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-17 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The First Lord of the Admiralty held a levee
yesterday afternoon at the Admiralty, Whitehall.
Tha-sailing Indianian Essex, Capt. John Lash,
belonging to Mr. George Marshall, of 18, Philpot-
lane, City, arrived at Spithead yesterday, from
Bombay, with officers, men, women, and children
on board, from various regiments serving in India,
in the following strength :—Capt. Tennant, 45th
Regiment, in command ; Lieut. .Hook, 45th Regi- •
ment ; Limit. Mackay, Otjth Regiment ; Lieut.
Richards, 103 d Regiment ; Staff-Assist.-Surgeon
Bourke, in medical charge of the troops ; Miss A.
Hough, private passenger ; 178 invalided non-
commissioned officers and soldiers, 11 women,
and 17 children. The Essex will discharge the
troops this morning at Spithead into a Government
steamer for transfer to the Royal Victoria Military
Hospital at Netley, and afterwards proceed to Lon-
don to deliver her Indian cargo. The ship left
Bombay on the Bth of February, and passed St.
Helena on the 2d of April.
On Wednesday night Mr. W. 11. Bayley, coroner
for Aldershott, held an inquiry at the K canteen,
North Camp, touching the death of Thomas Lilley,
aged 31, late Sergeant Instructor of Musketry of
the 70th Regiment, who was killed at the rifle butts
at Ash-common, as detailed in The Sun on Tuesday.
The first witness called was Corporal Patrick Gil-
lespie, who deposed—A little before 12 o'clock on
Monday I was at ball practice, volley firing with
the deceased Serg. Lilley. We had fired 10 rounds
when the order was given to throw away empty
cases and close the breech until the order was
given to reload. The deceased told us lie would
explain how to use tha rifle without raising the back
sight. He then marched us down to the 300 yards'
range. He then told us to take aim at his eye. He
commenced with the right-hand man (Serg. Pear-
son) and went down to the left. I was on the right
of Private Warburton when I heard the shot, and
saw the deceased fall. I afterwards acted as corporal
of the escort in conducting Warburton to the guard-
room. I did not hear him say anything. He has
lived in the same hut with me since the arrival of
the regiment at this station. He has always been a
very steady man, but he was very awkward at drill.
The proper way of ascertaining if the rifles are un-
loaded is for the rear rank of the party to take
" open order," each man then opens the breach of
his rifle and the officer examines it. This course
was riot pursued on the occasion of the accident.
Serg. Henry Page Pearson said—l am a sergeant
of the 70th Regiment stationed on the North Camp.
I was acting as sergeant of the section which
was volley firing on the morning of the 13th.
After 10 rounds had been fired at the 400 yards'
range the deceased gave the order to " throw empty
cases." We then advanced to the 300 yards' range
to commence independent practice. While the
markers were checking the targets deceased told us
to take aim without using the back, sight, but that
no man was to load until he was ordered. I was
righthand man of the squad. I snapped my rifle,
and deceased then passed down the line, and when
he had got to the end I heard the report of a rifle.
I leant forward and saw deceased falling. I ran up
to him and knelt down beside him. There was a
wound in the right cheek from which the blood was
issuing. He was quite dead. I have known War-
burton as a steady man, but he had the character in
the regiment of being an awkward one. I examined
his cartridge pouch after he was taken into custody,
and found only nine rounds. I asked him where
the tenth was, and he gave me to understand that it
must have been the one that had killed the deceased.
The section had never used the Snider rifle before
this course of ball practice. Colour-Sergeant John
'Hasler corroborated the previous witness's evidence,
adding that Warburton had a good character, but
was stupid. Capt. Wright, the officer in charge of
the squad, was also examined, and said the company
was efficient in the use of the Snider-Enfield rifle,
but he considered Warburton very clumsy, and not
intelligent. Surgeon T. o. Hession described the
nature of the wound, which was sufficient to cause
instant death, and the Coroner having summed up,
the jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of
" Accidental death."

'Yesterday the infantry, including the five regi-
ments of Militia in camp at Aldershot, had a field
day on the Queen's Parade, North Camp. This
was the first occasion during the training of the
Militia of their taking part in any manoeuvres with
the regular troops of the line. The regiments hay-

ing formed mass of contiguous column, awaited the
arrival of General Scarlett, who at 11 o'clock rode
on to the ground, attended by the entire staff of the
division. After a most minute and searching in-
spection, the 11 regiments marched past the salut-
ing point in open column of grand divisions in quick
time in the following order : —Pioneers, bands, and
drums of the Ist Infantry Brigade ; Major-Gen.
Really, and staff of brigade; 56th (West Essex)
Regiment, Ist Royal Surrey, Hampshire Infantry
Militia, 2d Royal Surrey ; pioneers, bands, and
drums of the 3d Infantry Brigade ; Brigadier-Gen.
Sir Alfred Horsford, K.C.8., and staff of brigade;
70th (the Surrey) Regiment, Royal Berks Militia,
Oxford Militia, and 72d (the Duke of Albany's
Own) Highlanders ; pioneers, bands, and drums of
21 Infantry Brigade; Major-Gen. Campbell, C. 8.,
and staff of brigade ; Ist battalion 18th (Royal
Irish) Regiment, 65th (2d North Riding) Regiment,
and the -14th (East Essex) Regiment. The regi-
ments next marched past from the reverse flank by
brigades at quarter-distance column, and again by
brigades in contiguous column also at quarter dis-
tance. The troops were then put through a number
of field movements, embracing the following :
Forming line, advancing, retiring by fours, chang-
ing front to the right and left, marching in echellou
by regiments and brigades, and finally forming
square and resisting cavalry. The movements were
skilfully executed, and the marching of some of the
Militia regiments would do no discredit to those of
the line. It was understood that yesterday's ma-
nceuvres were in anticipation of a Royal review to
be held next Tuesday.
Some interesting experiments were carried out at
Shoeburyness on Tuesday for the purpose of ascer-
taining whether it was possible to manufacture
armour-plates capable of resisting Palliser's shot,
For this purpose eight plates were manufactured by
Messrs. Brown and Co. and Messrs. Cammell and
Co., of Sheffield. Some of these plates were made
of wrought-iron faced with steel, others with alter-
nate layers of steel and iron, and a few with steel
in the form of a sandwich between the iron plates.
The exact thickness of each plate was seven
inches, and the gun from which the shot were
fired was also seven inches in bore. The results
may be summed up by saying that the shot ob-
tained a complete victory ; with reduced charges of
201 b. and 181 b. of powder the massive plates were
shot through and through, masses of iron and shat-
tered beams being hurled about in all directions.
With the small charge of even 151 b. of powder, all
the plates, excepting two, were completely pene-
trated. The best plate appeared to be one of Messrs.
Cam:nell's, which had upon it a hard face of steel.
A number of distinguished visitors witnessed the
experiments, including Admiral Tegethoff, who
commanded the Austrian fleet at the battle of Lissa.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Dover Farrant, master, to
the Asia, additional, for service in the Ariadne ;
and W. Johnson, paymaster, to the Dauntless.