The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 24, 1859.

PUBLICATIONS.

THE NEW NOVEL.
Now ready, at all the Libraries, in 3 vols.,

rr,HE WAY OF THE WORLD,
By ALISON REID.
Hurst and Blaekett, Publishers, successors to Henry Col-
burn, 13; Great Marlborough-street.

NEW WORK BY MISS KAVANAGH.
Just ready, in 3 yids., post Svo,

S E v

A R S

EN Y E
By JULIA KAVANAGH,
Author of
.
"Nathalte," "Adele," " The Two Siellies," &e.
Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

VOTICE —A New Edition of Sir JAMES
-L EMERSON TENNENT'S work on CEYLON will be
ready next week. London: Longman, Green, and Co.,
Paternoster-row.

This Day, Two Volumes,' Post Ootayo, 18s.,

MISREPRESENTATION : a Novel. By ANNA
11. DRURY.

By the same Author,
FRIENDS AND FORTUNE. Second Edition. 6s.
THE INN BY THE SEA-SIDE. An Allegory. 2a.
London: John W. Parker and Son, `Peet• Strand,

SPERM A TORRHCE A.
]3y F. B. COURTENAT,
And formerly Surgeon to the Metropolitan Infirmary for the
Cure of Strictures of the. Urethra.

Just published, price 2s.,"free by post, 2s. 4d.,

ON

" The aim of the author is to present a common-sense riew
of the Causes, Nature, Consequences, and Treatment of this
Disease, as also to free these questions from the Professional
Fallacies, the Popular Delusion., and the exaggerations of
Quaclthy by which they have hitherto been surrounded, to th•
destruction of the health and happiness of thousands. These
objects are discussed in a common-sense and highly practical
manner.''---31edical Circular.

7111, NA V.l' .

The Ariadne, 20, screw frigate, just commissioned
at Chatham by Capt. E. W. Vansittart, is very
nearly completed in the shipwright department, but
it will be some time before she will be out of the
. hands of the engineers. Several of the officers have
already joined, and, notwithstanding that she has
' only been commissioned a few days, men are enter-
ing very fast, this fine frigate appearing to be a
favourite with the blue-jackets and the captain very
popular. There is no doubt that her requisite com
plement of 400 men will be obtained in a short
time. The following officers have taken up their
commissions :—Hon. C. St. George Crofton, lieu-
tenont ; C. Fox, master ; F. G. Pearce, paymaster;
W. B. Dalby, surgeon ; J. Patterson, chief engineer;
W. Steil, second class assistant engineer; J. Parry,
third class assistant engineer; F. Martin, acting
second class assistant engineer; J. Smith and T.
Ritchie, acting third class assistant engineers; and
A. Hertzel and W. M. Mitchell, assistant clerks.
The wrew corvette Charybdis, 21, now being
rigged at Chatham, is to be taken into the fitting.
dock evacuated by the Ariadne, 26, to be brought
forward for the steam reserve, first division.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander Henry S.
Hawker to the Fisgard ; Lieut. C. Pringle to the
Royal Albert ; Lieut. A. J. V. Collins to the
Queen ; Lieut. Wellesley Gregory to the Icarus
and It. Moorman, paymaster, to the Queen.

THE ARMY.

In order to enable the non-commissioned officers

and men of the Royal and Indian Engineers now
at head-quarters, Chatham, to acquire a knowledge
of military drawing and fortification, an evening
class has been formed at Brompton Barracks,which
is carried on under the direction of ths officers of

the Royal Engineers, and is already attended by
a number of the most intelligent of the non-com-
missioned officers. The system of fortification taught
is that known as Vauban's, in the drawings and de-
tails of which the Royal Engineers under instruc-
tion have made considerable progress.
Yesterday a number of military tailors were sent
from Chatham garrison to Woolwich, where they,
will be employed in assisting to complete the cloth-
in.' for next year, Several improvements are to be
made in the description of clothing now worn by
the troops, among which the greatcoat is to be im-
proved upon, and a better description of cloth used
than that of which the coats arc now made. Each
coat is also to be supplied with a larger cape than
that now worn, which will make it much warmer
than the greatcoat in use.

WAR STORES FOR Grimt.—WooLwicrr, Nov. 23.
—An immense quantity of stores, consisting of
howitzers, shot, shell, rockets, and other ammuni-
tion, has been prepared at the Royal Arsenal for
immediate shipment to China in vessels taken up
by the 'War Department. Captain Grant, 11. A., in
accordance with instructions to that effect, will im-
mediate superintend the construction at the Royal
Arsenal of an ambulatory cooking apparatus, pon-
toon kettles, &e., on the principle tested in the pre-
sence of his Royal Highness the Commander-it-
Chief, at Hyde Park, and on a scale sufficient to pro-
vide the means of cooking, by various processes, for
at least 5,000 men. The pontoon kettles are to be
so constructed that they may be used, in a case of
emergency, for- the rapid formation of a bridge,
which, can be easily throWn across a river for the
passage of troops.
On Monday Major-Gen. Bloomfield, Inspector-
General of Artillery, reviewed the City,of Dublin
Militia Artillery, at present stationed in the camp
at Cole:iester. The corps presented a very credit-
able appearance.

VOLUNTEER CAVALRY.

our regiments of cavalry would appear in the field
with a score of men or so. Again, what service the
irregulars might perform reconnoitring, as from
their intelligence the General would be enabled to
depend on their reports !
If such formations would be useful—and I think
no one can doubt it ; if it is. imperatively necessary
to strain every nerve to put ourselves in a proper
state of defence—and I think no one can doubt it
who has read the article in the Times of the 15th,
and has watched the throbbing pulse of the most
feverish nation of the Continent, our opposite neigh-
bour—what is necessary to form these bodies of
irregular cav dry ?
There are at present many hundred gentlemen
amusing themselves hunting ; they could without
one shilling of expense to the country, and II ithout
much trouble to themselves, be of this incalculable
service. From the great heat of the summer we
are likely to have many frosty mornings; on such
days, instead of kicking their heels doing nothing
but growling at the weather, let them form parties
of 10 or 12, and, under the word of command of one
of their number, if a cavalry drill sergeaut is not at
hand, learn to move together and practise a few
evolutions ; it will merely be good exercise, and keep.
both man and beast in condition. The only
evolutions necessary are simple enough—to walk,
trot, canter, and gallop in double and single
rank—to wheel, to advance, which they know
well enough, to pull up sharp, go about by threes,
and retire on the instant, which will be more diffi-
cult to teach them. Then some singlestick prac-
tice, and using the sword, especially on horseback,
not that it often comes to hand•to-handl combat, bul
he knowledge gives confidence, and confidence w:.

enable a man- to do wonders against any odds, ol
which Lieut. llodson in India gave a brilliant
example. Then it accustoms the horse not to swerve
and plunge when a sword whisks past his ears, and
may save the rider from the annoyance of cutting off
his own horse's ears—a not improbable. result if he
has never learnt to use his sword on horseback.
We come next to the use of their especial arm, the
I.:ince, and practice is necessary to enable a man to
carry and handle this with effect. The lance, which
for regular cavalry charges is, in my opinion, a use-
less weapon, for this species of irregular work is un-
rivalled, from the reach it givee ; besides, it can be
used to picket a horse to, and at worst, if found an
incumbrance, may be thrown away. The only other
weapon required is a revolver—a dangerous wea-
pon to put in the hands of cavalry, enticing them to
burn powder to frighten infantry or one another,
instead of coming to Close quarters. But, as in this
case such a result need not be feared, the pistol may
safely be recommended as likely to be occasionally
useful. :Our irregulars are now armed, viz., with a
lance, a sword, and a revolver, 'for which they re-
quire the accoutrements of a sword-belt with sabre-
tash and a cross-belt, with cartridge-box and tele-
scope, or field-glass (opera-glass) case. Holsters are
useful, but the pistol should be carried on the
sword belt, as it is when accidentally dismounted
that the pistol is most likely to be required.
The unifOrm ? what better could they wear than
the common hunting-costume with the scarlet coat?
Well, to save appearances and prevent the enemy
having any excuse to hangaman who fell into their
hands as an unlicensed soldier, let us throw in a
helmet or a hunting cap with a'funny plume. Oh,
but how conspicuous a red`coat would be! Has it
never struck any of the partisans of invisible coats
that in the confusion and smoke of action it is diffi-
cult to tell friend from foe, and that the introduction
of distinctive uniforms was, as with crests in olden
time, to guard against such mischance ? Has the in-
troduction of rifles and distant fighting done away
with the necessity of this distinctiveness. Ask
any ono who was at Inkerman if he did not hear

the men curse the hour when they went into action
in greatcoats, instead of as a " thin redline," saying
that-it was impossible till they came close upon him
to tell a Russian from au Englishman. It was a
drizzling, misty day; are wo not as likely to have
misty days in England ? Then we were at close
quarters, and one would imagine nothing could be
more dissimilar than the outlines of our men and
of the Russians in their flat broad caps and Noah's
ark greatcoats.

-When you come to long distance rifle shooting
no human being can guess your country. Many a
poor fellow of the rifle volunteers will, if ever the
occasion comes for active service, and he finds him-
self potted at from the rear, regret the hour when
fancy was allowed unlimited sway in picking out
invisible grays. I should say the greater the dis-
tance at which you are to fight the more marked
should be your uniforms, and certainly neither the
French nor any other continental nation has made
their uniform less marked in consequence of the in-
troduction of rifles. Why, Sir, with us every vo-
lunteer corps has a different and more curious uni-
form ; no human being except the tailor who de-
vised them knows what they belong to at 20 yards'
distance. If you ask, you.are answered, " Oh, I
suppose it is ,a rifle volunteer.' in action a bullet
may ask the question.. I have digressed ; I have
nothing to 'do with volunteer uniforms, but I wished
to point out that there, were two sides to the ques-
tion of conspicuousness ; and for our irregular
cavalry, who are to 'be herd, there, and every-
where in small parties, I should say, let them wear
something nobody can mistake them in—the colour

Englandims alw-ays fought in. Any one can pro-
tect himself from the enemy, but to be taken for an
enemy by both—and to be mistaken is in all
probability to be shot at—is rather awkward.
Hoping that this may find a place in your
columns, I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
11. E.
Junior United Service Club, Nov. 22.