The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-10 00:00:00

The Floods.

From all parts of the country reports reach us
of the damage caused by the floods which have
followed the melting of the snow and the heavy
rains of Monday night. In Berkshire the Thames

leas overflowed its banks, and the meadows on
either side of the Great Western Railway are
entirely covered with water, and communication

between many places in the county has been
eeriously interrupted. The Rennet and Avon

Canal has also laid under water the pasture and
other land on both sides of it for a distance of thirty
:miles. Some portions of the Berks and Hants
;Railway are almost under water. The meadows
abutting the Loddon are also inundated, and from
either the Great Western, South-Western, or
South-Eastern Railways, the country for miles pre-

tints a very cheerless prospect. The river between
Staines, Windsor, Eton, Clewer, and Maidenhead

has been gradually rising as the water comes down
from the upper country. The swollen stream has

greatly increased iu volume, and the water has
begun within the last few hours to encroach upon
the land, meadows, and. low-lying pastures upon
its banks. There is a good deal of water out
upon the land at Clewer, near the vicinity
of the new race-stand lately erected for the
Windsor race meetings on the Ray Meadows.
Staines Moor is partly flooded, and the ditches
and water- courses round Wraysbury and
Datchet are overflowing. On the . Great
Western Railway, between West Drayton and
Langley, there is also a good deal of water out,
which, of course, will be much increased by the
heavy showers of this afternoon.
The Trent in the neighbourhood of Nottingham
has .suddenly inundated the whole of the meadows
along its course. Yesterday the water was only 2ft.
below the level of 1852. There has been great diffi-
culty in rescuing the flocks and herds from the ra-
pidly advancing waters, but no fatal accident has
yet been heard of. In Leicestershire and Derbyshire
the floods are causing serious damage.
Yesterday the rivers in the North Riding of York
presented the appearance of vast lakes. It is stated
that for 21 years there has been no flood so high as
the present. The eastern part of the Vale of Picker-
ing, between Malton and Scarborough, is under
water, the Old Derwent being quite half a mile
across for miles in length, but this is not more than
a repetition of the four floods from which this dis-
trict has suffered since last July. It is in the western
part of the Vale which drains the whole county as
far north as Guisborough that the waters are doing
serious mischief. Bilsdale, Bransdale, Farndale,
Rosedale, and Newton-dale, with their several rivers,
are all at high flood. From Malton-hill their courses
across the alluvial tract of country can be seen for
miles, and the appearance of the country from the
Wolds is completely changed. Except for buildings,
stacks, and trees, the lower tracts seem to have given
place to permanent lakes. The roads from Malton
to Pickering and Kirby, and all roads across the low
country arc under water. At Newsham and Howe
bridges quite five feet of water is on the roads, and
of course all attempts to cross are fruitless. The
union of the old Derwent and its tributaries withthe
Rye and its tributaries has caused the Derwent
proper to overflow in a manner not remembered
since 1846. The water on each side is four or five
feet deep. The Scarborough Railway is only a few
inches clear of the flood. Mills, breweries, and other
works at Malton are flooded out, part of the roads
and several yards are flooded, and some houses are
surrounded. Except on the line east and west
Malton station has become an island. The Malton
Waterworks are for the fourth time entirely over-
head. At 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon the rivers
were still rising, and rain continued.

THE AMERICAN ARMY.

The system in force in the United States of fur.
Dishing, through the PRESIDENT, for the informa-
tion of the nation, full annual reports from the
head of each Department of the Government, is
an admirable one. Among the most interesting of
these documents is that of the Hon. E. M. STANTON,
Secretary of War. The tale told by this Minister
is marvellous, and one that cannot fail to be gra-
tifying to the people. It records how the De-
partment dealt with the debris left on its hands,
both of men and materials, on the close of the
successful War. The entire number of volunteer
troops to be mustered out was, on May 1, 1865,
1,034,064. By the 20th January, 1866, 918,722
volunteers had been paid up and discharged. By
the Ist of last November this number was in-
creased to 1,023,021, leaving in the Service 11,043
volunteers, white and coloured. The regular Army
now comprises 10 regiments, or 120 companies, of
cavalry ; 5 regiments, or 60 companies, of artillery ;
and 45 regiments, or 450 companies, of infantry.
Of these, 2 cavalry and 4 infantry regiments are
composed of coloured men, and 4 infantry regi-
ments of men who were wounded on service. The
troops have been regularly paid, and the demands
of the discharged promptly met. During the fiscal
year ending June last $10,431,004 were disbursed
to the Army and Military Academy, and
$248,943,313 to Volunteers. The health of the
and the threat-
hgtoclhed'skill and care of
et rnoeodp
as t
thasa ckb eoef n
c, hoonl e
rt
ah twh
through
ooul eg ,
the surgeons, iu a great measure averted. Out of
every 52 treated for all causes of white troops one
has died. The mortality among the coloured
troops has been greater, for out of every 29 cases
treated there has been one death. During the year
64,438 patients have been admitted into hospitals,
of whom, on the last day of the fiscal year, only
97 remained under treatment. One hundred and
eighty-seven hospitals are spread over the country,
with a total capacity of 10,881 beds. The States
are divided into 13 military departments, each
under the command of a general officer. MEADE
has his head-quarters at Philadelphia, HOOKER at
Detroit, CANBY at Washington, SCHOFIELD at
Richmond, SICKLES at Charleston, TIIO3IAS at
Louisville,
SHERIb-kN at New Orleans, ORD at
Little Rock, llANcocic at Fort Leavenworth,
COOKE at Omaha, TERRY at Fort Snelling,
M‘DowELL at San Francisco, and STEELE at Port-
land, the whole being under the command of
General GRANT. Over 207,000 horses and mules
have been sold for $15,269,075,
about 4,700 bar-
racks, hospitals, and other buildings, were disposed
of for $447,873. Five hundred and ninety ocean
transports have nearly all been got rid of, and of
262 vessels employed on the rivers none now
remain. Of the military railroads, officially stated
to have reached an extent of 2,630 miles, and to
possess 433 engines and 6,605 cars, all have
been transferred to companies, upon condi-
tion of loyal organisation of directors. Not-
withstanding the sale of these large amounts
of stores an adequate supply of War material re-
mains on hand to meet any emergency that can
possibly arise. The stock of clothing, equipage,
subsistence, arms, ammunition, and field artillery,
is sufficient for the immediate equipment of large
armies. The disbanded troops stand ready to respond
to the national call, and 1,000,000 men can be or-
ganised, armed, equipped, and whatever portion
of them is required concentrated at the points mili-
tary emergency may designate. The Secretary can
therefore assure the nation, that though the war
expenses have been reduced to the footing of an
economical peace establishment, military strength
remains unimpaired and in a condition to be promptly
put forth. The aiming of the troops remaining in
the garrison has been carefully considered. A Board
of competent officers met on March 10, and, after