The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-02 00:00:00

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.
Capt. Caffin, C. 8., Navat
lery, yesterday visited Ireelwle. or
the purpose, it is said, of maki* ar Vgc nts
with the officers of the select committee for investi-
gating and carrying out the new principle proposed
for the armament of the fleet. A special committee
of some of the most able and scientific officers of her
Majesty's service has been appointed, of which the
following names have transpired, viz. :—Rear-Ad-
miral Sir T. Hastings, K.C.8., as chairman ; Sir X.
Burgoyne, Bart., G.C.8., Royal Engineers, In-
spector• General of
Fortifications; and General Sir
Howard Douglas, Bart., G.C.8., G.C.M.G.` 15th
Foot, Capt. Caffin to act as secretary to the com-
mittee. Sir Wm. Armstrong, Government Engi-
neer for Rifled Ordnance, having, inspected the
old Lancaster shell factory, in Woolwich Arsenal,
which is well fitted with Nasmyth's ponderous
hammers and other machinery necessary for his re-
quirements, is to take over that establishment as
his preliminary department. The additional sum
of £4,000 has been demanded as the minimum
required to put the factory in complete working
order for his purpose.
Admiral W. Bowles, C. 8.. hoisted his flag (blue
at the main) at noon yesterday on board her Ma-
jesty's ship Excellent (gunnery ship in Portsmouth
harbour), Captain R. S. Hewlett, C. 8., as Naval
Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth. The flag of
Admiral Sir G. F. Seymour, K.C.8., G.C.H., flying
on board her Majesty's ship Victory, 104, was after-
wards saluted by the Excellent with 17 guns,
which compliment the Victory returned with the
like number. At 1 p.m. Sir Geo. Seymour intro-
duced to Admiral Bowles the whole of the naval
officers in commission at the port. Sir Geo. Sey-
mour s flag as Commander-in-Chief, was hauled
down from the Victory's masthead at sunset. The
gallant admiral, with the members of his family,
arrived in London last evening. Lieut. George J.
Malcolm, late Flag-Lieutenant to Sir G. Seymour,
receives his promotion to Commander.
Her Majesty's steam-frigate Mersey, 40, yester-
day shifted her position in the steam basin at Ports-
mouth from the west to the north jetty. She is
complete in her rigging, together with her gun
gear, mats, gaskets, boats' gnlbes• &-o-,-tiltd tanks
in hoaxer_ She commenced coaling athnaking in---
stream cab)' 'ay,.. The whole 117. s
been done 0 supei endenC-C of Captain
Gordon and Mr. Ball, master of her Majesty's ship
Hannibal, who are also engarred upon the Royal
Sovereign, 131, in the steam basin, which is to have
her lo wer rigging fitted and bowsprit clothed, and
afterwards placed in the second-class steam reserve.
It is expected the Mersey will go out of harbour to
test her speed at the measured mile in Stokes' Bay,
&c., about the Bth inst., when, from her immense
steam power (1,000-horse nominal), the size of the
ship, her length, and beauty of model great results
are expected.

THE ARMY.

Yesterday afternoon the officers and men com-
prising the three battalions of infantry at Chatham
garrison, the battalion of Royal Marine Light In-
fantry, and the corps of Royal and East India En-
gineers now at head-quarters were marched from
their respective quarters to Chatham Lines for the
purpose of going through the manoeuvres of a bri-
gade field day. The battalions, which numbered
nearly 5,000 men of all ranks, having been drawn

up in review order, received General Eyre and
his staff in the usual manner on- their arriving on
the ground. The troops then broke up into divi-
sions and marched past in slow and quick time,
after which they went through a variety of evolu-
tions and brigade movements. It is intended to
have these brigade field days at very frequent in-
tervals during the fine weather, in order to exer-
cise the officers and troops at Chatham in brigade
movements previously to embarking for India and
the other foreign stations.
A number of Turkish medals have been received
at head-quarters, Chatham, for distribution among
those officers and men of the various branches of

the service at that garrison who took part in the
campaign in the Crimea.
Yesterday a detachment of Royal Engineers,
consisting of 22 non-commissioned officers and men,
left Brompton Barracks, Chatham, for the Military.
College at Sandhurst, where .they are to be em-
ploied in the instruction of the students in sapping
ana
The steam transport ship Melbourne arrived last
night at Woolwich pier, bringing Major Barry's
2d company, 4th Battalion, Royal Artillery, from
Barbadoes ; Captain Margesson's 6th company, sth
Battalion, from Barbadoes ; and Captain M'Crea's
Ist company's, Bth Battalion, from Jamaica ; Major
Barry's company's consisted of Lieut. Tottenham,
commanding, in the absence.of Major Barry, on
leave, Lieut. Saunders, 4 sergeants, 3 corporals, 4
bombardiers, 61 gunners, 1 trumpeter (total, 75),12
women, and 24 children. Captain Margesson's
company was composed of Lieut. Purcell, in com-
mand, 3 subalterns, 4 sergeants, 3 corporals, 1
bombardier, 61 gunners, 1 trumpeter (total, 74), 10
women, and 22, children. The Ist company,
Bth Battalion, comprised Capt. Nl' Crea, commanding
the whole force on board, 1 lieutenant, 5 sergeants,
3 corporals, 4 bombardiers, 39 gunners,l trumpeter
(total, 54), 10 women, and 14 children. The Mel-
bourne, on her outwardvoyage, sailed from Graves-
end, Nov. 6, with draughts of Royal Artillery for
the West Indies, and arrived all well.

Capt. Snow, Royal Marine Light Infantry, three
subalterns, and 168 rank and file, belonging to the
Woolwich Division, Royal Marines, yesterday re-
lieved Capt. Ellis and a similar detachment, on duty
at the Victoria Victualling and Dockyards at
Deptford.

The Military Store Department of Woolwich
Arsenal yesterday despatched by rail to Eastbourne
27 68-pounder guns, together with gun carriages,
platforms, and stores complete, and to Newhaven
20 of the same calibre, to reinforce the battery de-
fences on that line of coast.

Col. Willoughby and Mr. Arnold, Deputy and
Sub-Inspectors-General of the Council for India,

yesterday inspected a batch of 230 siege guns of
heavy calibre, for coast purposes in India. These
guns, which vary from 24 to 68-pounders, will be
conveyed in various ships to be taken up for the con-
veyance of other stores during the present month.

HEALTH OP LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From he Registrar-General's Report.)
The total deaths registered in the metropolitan
districts, which in the previous week were 1,156,
rose to 1,226 in the week that ended last Saturday.
In the 10 years 1849-58 the average number of
deaths in the weeks corresponding with last week
NVIS 1,223 ; but as the deaths in the present return
occurred in a population which has increased, they
can only be compared with the average raised in
proportion to that increase, a correction which will
make it 1,345. The public health is therefore, at
present, so far in a satisfactory state, that deaths
were less by 119 than the number which the ave-
rage rate of mortality for the end of February
would have produced.
The mortality from scarlatina (including diph-
theria) exhibits a considerable decrease on the re-
turns of previous weeks. At the end of January
the deaths under this head, in a week, were 113 ;
at the end of February they were 68. But those
from diphtheria appear to be no less numerous, for
out of the 68 deaths 21 were from this disease, which
occurred in the following sub-districts :-1 in
Brompton, 2 in Belgrave, 1 in St. Margaret, West-
minster. 1 in Regent's-park, 1 in Islington West, 1
in St. George, Bloomsbury, 1 in St. Giles' South, 1
in St. Mary-le•Strand, 1 in St. Clement Danes, 1
in Gosvvell-street, 1 in West London North, 1 in
London City, North-east, 1 in Hackney-road, 1 in
Ratcliff, 1 in Bow, 1 in St. Peter, Walworth, 1 in
Peckham, lin Greenwich East, and 2in Lea. There
were 11 deaths from smallpox, 6 of which occurred
in the East districts. Sixty-four children died from
whooping-cough. Diarrhoea was fatal in only 6
cases, all of which occurred to children. Seven
children and 2 adults died of syphilitic disease ; 2
persons from intemperance, besides 3 from delirium
tremens. The deaths of 5 nonagenarians are re-
corded, the oldest of whom was a man who died at
the age of 95. The widow of a licensed victualler
died at the age of 93 in the Licensed Victuallers'
Asylum, Peckham, where she had been an inmate
for the last 27 years.
Last week the births of 991 boys and 949 girlE—
in all 1,940 children were registered in London. In
the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-58
the average number was 1,693.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 30.166
inches. The menu daily reading was above 30
incises on every day till Saturday. The barometer
fell from 30.50 inches on Wednesday to 29.67 inches
on Saturday. The mean temperature of the week
was 44.1 deg., which is 5.1 deg. above the average
of the same week in 43 years (as determined by
Mr. Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was
above the average throughout the week, and on the
first three days was about 8 deg. above it. The
thermometer in the shade rose to its highest point,
56 deg., on Monday, and fell to its lowest point,
31.8 deg., on Friday, or below the freezing point of
water. The whole range of the week was, there-
fore, 24.2 deg. The mean daily range was 15.7 deg.
The difference between the mean dew-point tem-
perature and air temperature was 6.3 deg. The
mean degree of humidity of the air was 79. The
mean temperature of the water of the Thames was
45 deg. The general direction of the wind was
south-west. No rain fell during the week to any
measurable amount.