The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence'

The United States ships of war Miantonomah,
screw (twin), 4 guns, 800-horse power (nominal),
1;500 tons, Capt. J. C. Beaumont, and- Augusta,
paddle steamer, 8 guns, Capt. Alexander, Murray,
arrived and anchored at Spithead on Saturday
morning from Queenstown, en route to the Baltic.
The customary interchange of salutes followed be-
tween the American ships and her Majesty's ship
Victory, the flagship of the Naval Commander-in-
Chief at Portsmouth and of the south-west district,
Vice-Admiral Sir T. Pasley, K.C.8., and also with
the saluting battery on the King's bastion of Ports-
mouth town fortifications. Capts. Beaumont and
Murray soon afterwards landed from their ships at
Portsmouth dockyard, and, accompanied by Mr.
James Garratt, the United States Consul at Ports-
mouth, paid official visits to Vice-Admiral Sir
Thomas Pasley at the Admiralty-house in the dock-
yard ; to Lieut.-Gen. Sir George Buller, K.C.8., at
the Garrison Government-house, and to Rear •Ad-
miral Superintendent G. G. Wellesley, at his official
residence in the dockyard. Admirals Sir Thomas
Pasley and Wellesley, accompanied by their suites
and a large party of naval and military officers,
during the afternoon embarked on board the steam
yacht Fire Queen, and proceeded to Spithead, where
they paid a lengthened private visit to the Mian-
tonomah and Augusta. The turret ship has been
very much admired on account of her novel con-
struction and the general excellence of her internal
arrangements. Great numbers of people from the
mainland and the Isle of Wight visited the ships on
Saturday and yesterday. The stay of the two ships
at Portsmouth is expected to extend over a week or
ten days.
The Hon. G. V. Fox, Assistant-Secretary of the
United States' Navy, was expected to arrive at
Portsmouth from London this morning.
The Helicon, paddlewheel despatch vessel, Com-
mander Morgan Singer, is ordered to proceed from
Portsmouth to Hamburg and embark his Royal
Highness Prince Christian, for conveyance to Eng-
land.

The armour-plated ship Caledonia, 30, Capt. the
Hon. F. A. C. Foley, at Devonport, is expected to
leave early next month.
The armour-plated ship Lord Clyde, 24, was re-
moved on Friday from Hamoaze into Plymouth
Sound, where she shipped her powder on Saturday.
The War Department steam storeship Lord Pan-
mure sailed on Saturday from Woolwich arsenal,
laden with powder and a full cargo of stores for
Bull's point and Devonport. The Raglan took her
departure with a similar cargo for Portsmouth, and
the Bomarsund laden with naval guns for Chat-
ham. The Sir George Seymour completed loading
with building materials, and sailed for Bermuda.
The Celestial Queen went alongside the red buoy
off Woolwich arsenal on Saturday, and took in pow-
der and other stores for Colombo. The Venus,
laden with powder, &c:, sailed for Sierra Leone ;
the Red Riding Hood, with shells, &c., sailed for
Hong Kong ; and the Star of Hope, with building
materials, left for the Mauritius. The steam screw
ship W. Corry, which has been taking in the shore-
end of the Atlantic cable at llenley's manufactory
at Woolwich, on Saturday completed her ship-
ment, and is ready to join the Great Eastern at
Sheerness.

The orders issued for the supply of batteries and
equipments for St. John, New Brunswick, and
various other places are partially completed at
Woolwich. An immense storage, for magazine use,
of metal powder cases is in readiness for shipment,
as well as gun-carriages, waggons, &c., on the old
principle, and 20 7-inch 6k-ton guns, and 12 9-inch
12-ton guns, with cast-iron carriages and platforms
complete, on the new method for Halifax, for trans-
porting over the sands and soft roads, with case-
mate and dwarf platforms complete, are now ready
at Woolwich for embarkation.

Mr. G. J. S. Lefevre, M.P., Junior Lord of the
Admiralty, paid his first official visit to Chatham
dockyard on Saturday, accompanied by Mr. H. W.
R. Walker, auditor of dockyard accounts, and Mr.
W. Robinson, valuer and inspector of dockyard
work, and was engaged for a considerable portion
of the day in the inspection and examination of the
system of dockyard accounts,
diaries, &c., at that
establishment, in which he was assisted by the offi-
cers of the dockyard.
The depot companies of the Ist and 2d battalions
of the 4th (King's Own Royals) Regiment, after
being inspected on the general parade-ground,
Chatham, by Major-Gen. Sir R. Walpole, K.C.8.,
left that garrison on Saturday morning, and pro-
ceeded by special train to Parkhurst, where they
join the Depot Battalion at that station. The de-
pot of the Ist battalion of the 4th numbered three
officers, seven sergeants, four drummers, and 117
rank and file, with 15 women and children, together
with the following officers, viz. :—Capt. G. 11.
ICittoe, Lieut. M. F. Thrupp, and Ensign F. C.
Turner. A portion of the depot of the Ist batta-
lion of the 4th, under the command of Lieut. C. R.
Hammond, remained at Chatham, for the purpose
of embarking with the reinforcements about being
despatched to India. The depot companies of the
2d battalion of the 4th King's Own numbered seven
sergeants, one drummer, and 98 men, with 39
women and children, and the following officers—
viz., Captain C. Eccles, Capt H. J. Bower, Lieut.
W. T. Freeman, Lieut. It. A. Knox, and Ensign
T. Blackwood.

Orders have been received at Chatham for bar-
rack accommodation to be provided at that garrison
for six additional infantry depots, which will shortly
arrive at that station. These depots are the 2d bat-
talion Ist Royals, and the Ist battalion 2d Royals,
from Cork; the Ist battalion Bth Regt., from Dub-
lin ; the 2d battalion of the Bth, and the 2d batta-
lion of the 14th Rcgts., from Newry ; and the 30th
Regt. from Parkhurst. Eight depots have received
orders to be held in readiness to proceed from
Chatham, in addition to those who have recently
left—viz., the Ist and 2d battalions of the 12th Regt.
and 77th Regt., to Gosport ; Ist and 2d battalions
of the 19th Regt., to Sheffield ; Ist and 2d battalions
of the 20th Regt., and the 102 d Royal Madras
Fusileers, to Shorncliffe, at which latter station as
well as Sheffield it is intended to form new depot
battalions on the removal of the whole of the depots
from Ireland.

The regimental returns of the target practice at
Aldershot, just issued, show the figure of merit of
battalions and companies, the marksmen per cent.,
and the number of points obtained by the best
shots in the division at that station to be as fol-
lows :-52d Regiment—figure of merit—battalion,
101.54 ; best company, 122.12 ;
marksmen per
cent., 6.27. 66th Regiment—figure of merit, bat-
talion, 984.2 ; best company, 97.08 ; marksmen per