The Sun.
London, England, 1867-11-08 00:00:00

The Royal Sovereign, 5, screw turret ship, tender
to the gunnery ship Excellent, under the temporary
command of Lieut. Poland, of her Majesty's ship
Excellent, returned into Portsmouth harbour yester-
day morning from Spithead, and resumed her usual
harbour moorings. Practice with shot and shell from
the new 9-inch rifled gun in third turret was made
on Wednesday off Sandown-bay, with very satis-
factory results. Capt. A. Hood, C. 8., her Ma-
jesty's ship Excellent, Capt. R. Scott, R.N., and
other officers were on board officially to witness and
report upon the firing, &c.
The War Department vessel Lord Vivian arrived
at Woolwich yesterday from Dublin, laden with
the old-pattern cartridges and
.smallarm ammuni-
tion, to be replaced by those of the Boxer pattern,
and also other returned stores.
The armament of the double-screw composite gun
vessels of the Beacon and Dwarf class is to be in-
creased by the addition of a couple of the
20-pounder breechloading Armstrong guns.
Her Majesty's iron steam storeship Buffalo went
down to Woolwich yesterday from Deptford and
commenced coaling, in readiness to proceed to Rouen
to take on board the War Department and naval
stores exhibited in raris for transport home.
Mr. Reed, Chief Constructor of her Majesty's
navy, was a passenger by the up-train from Calais
for Paris which met with the serious collision on the
27th ult., but two days elapsed after the accident
before he felt any serious effects from it beyond a
severe shaking. He has since been lying for some
days at Corbeil, in France, suffering from a concus-
sion of the brain, but is, we are glad to be able to
state, now considerably better, and is expected to
be sufficiently convalescent very shortly to return
to England and resume his duties at the Admiralty.
Perfect repose and quiet are still imposed.
In consequence of several cases having recently
occurred of engineer students, apprentices in her
Majesty's service, who have been educated at the
School of Naval Architecture, Kensington, having
immediately on the completion of their period of
study entered the service of private firms, an Ad-
miralty order has been received at Chatham direct-
, ing a new clause to be inserted in the indentures of
all apprentices, who will in future be required to
enter into a bond, in the sum of £5O, to remain in
her Majesty's service for five years after the com-
pletion of their term of apprenticeship and scholastic
Course.

Yesterday the chartered troopship Countess Rus-
sell, taken up by the Hon. Council of India for the
conveyance of reinforcements to Kurrachee, com-
pleted the embarcation of her officers and troops at
Gravesend. They consist of one officer, three ser-
geants, four corporals, 109 men, and 18 soldiers'
wives and children of the Royal Artillery ; two
officers, one sergeant, 15 men, and three women
and children of the 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars ;
one sergeant, one corporal, 15 men, and two women
of the 20th Hussars ; one officer, one corporal, 10
men, and six women of the 21st Hussars ;
two officers, one sergeant, two drummers, one
corporal, 39 men, and 18 soldiers' wives
and children of the 36th Regiment ; one officer,
one sergeant, two corporals, four men, and
19 women and children of the 10th Bengal Fusiliers;
and one officer, one staff sergeant, one corporal, 56
men, and 14 women and children of the 106th Bom-
bay Light Infantry, giving a total of 9 officers, 8
sergeants, 2 drummers, 10 corporals, and 289 men,
with 34 soldiers' wives and 48 children.
Yesterday the chartered sailing troopship Dibhur
commenced the embarkation at Gravesend of up-
wards of 400 non-commissioned officers and men,
with 8 officers, for Kurrachee, the troops being
selected from various cavalry and infantry regiments.
The embarkations were effected under the superin-
tendence of the officers of the Staff from Chatham
garrison.

Major J. B. Edwards, assistant field officer for
military discipline at the Royal Engineer establish-
ment, Chatham, has been transferred to Portsmouth,
for employment under the commanding Royal En-
gineer in the south-west district.
A general court-martial assembled at Chatham
yesterday, by order of the Duke of Cambridge, for
the trial of Private James Jackson, 82d Regiment.
The court was presided over by Col, F. G. Nuth,-.11,
commanding the First Division of the Depot Bri-
gade, Royal Artillery ; Col. J. H. Laye, Deputy
Judge Advocate, conducting the case, and Capt. G.
W. Northey, Adjutant of the 2d Depot Battalion,
the prosecution. The prisoner was arraigned for
having on the occasion of the finding and proceed-
ings of a district court martial, before which he
had previously been tried, being read over to the
assembled troops, made use of violent and mutinous
language, to the prejudice of good order and mili-
tary discipline. Although the prisoner has been but
a few years in the service, he has scarcely done any
military duty, as he has passed the greater portion
of his time in prison. Ile has been tried by court-
martial five times. The court found him guilty, but
the sentence will not be promulgated until the pro-
ceedings and finding of the court have been sub-
mitted for her Majesty's approval.
Major-Gen. St. George, C. 8., Director of Ord-
nance, having resumed his duties at the War Depart-
ment, on his return from leave of absence, went down
to Woolwich, and held a consultation with the heads
of departments relative to the estimates for the en-
suing year's expenditure. Col. Clerk, superinten-
dent of the Royal Carriage Department, made a
demand for a new block of offices, rendered neces-
sary in consequence of the close proximity of the
present offices with the range of steam hammers and
machinery recently introduced, The whole of the