The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-30 00:00:00

THE ARMY

Major-Gen: Sir R. Dacres, K.C.8., Commandant
of Woolwich Garrison, with the sanction of the
Commander-in-Chief, has left Woolwich on tempo-
rary leave of absence. The duties of the command
have in consequence devolved on the senior officer
in succession, Col. Teesdale, TULA., inspector and
purchaser of horses. The whole of the available
force of the garrison, headed by the Acting Com-
mandant and Staff, yesterday performed a march of
about 8 miles in the country, in lieu of the ordinary
garrison drills, in heavy marching order, accom-
panied by the regimental bands.
Mr. John Anderson, late Inspector of Machinery
in Woolwich Arsenal, who, since its establish-
ment, has been intrusted with the direction of
Sir 'Wm. Armstrong's rifled ordnance departments
and whose inventions in various branches of machi-
nery have been rewarded by liberal Government
gratuities, yesterday received the appointment of
resident superintendent of the Royal Gun Factories
in Woolwich, at a salary of £l,OOO per annum.
Telegraphic messages have been despatched from
the Admiralty to Woolwich and Gravesend, con-
taining orders for her Majesty's ship Himalaya,
Capt. John Seccombe, to return forthwith to Ports-
mouth, at which port she will embark for convey-
ance to Queenstown the 2d battalion of the 21th
Regiment, consisting of 27 officers, 900 men, 62
women, and 60 children.

The Maggie Miller, hired troopship (whose arri-
val at Portsmouth with discharged European sol-
diers on board from Calcutta was reported in The
Sun yesterday), has proceeded to Gravesend, where
the soldiers ;•ill be disembarked.

Thu ship Nuogett, of Liverpool, W. H. Bond,
commander, under charter to the Government of
India, sailed from Kurrachee for London on the
29th of Sept., with a detachment of the Bombay
Fusileers and Artillery-417 men, 6 women, 6 chil-
dren, and 8 officers--and arrived at the Cape of
Good Hope on the 11th of Nov., where she was de-
tained by a heavy northerly gale till the 17th. She
reached St. Helena on the 28th of Nov., and pro-
ceeded the same day. Captain Bond reports the
troops, officers, and crew all well. Two soldiers who
were shipped invalids had died at sea, and three
others were loft in the hospital at Cape Town.

THE .111LI2'ARY RIOT AT ALD EBSHOTT.

Yesterday morning the inquest into the circum-
stances connected with the death of James King, a
private in the Ist Regiment of the King's Own, or
Tower Hamlets' Militia, who was killed by a gun-
shot wound daring the riot at Aldershott on Christ-
mas night, was held at the Tilbury Hotel, in the
town of Aldershott, before Mr. S. Chalmers, the
deputy-coroner for Hants.
The first.witness examined was Major Charles
Adams, in temporary command of the Ist 'rower
Hamlets' Militia on the 25th inst., who said—Three
companies of my regiment were quartered on that
night on the north side of the west block in the
permanent barracks. As is customary with most
regiments the Christmas dinner of the men was
provided by the officers on Sunday last. My
men dined as usual at one o'clock, and I
was present throughout the greater part of
their dinner ,to see that they had everything com-
fortable, but I did not again see them till I was
called out that evening from ray dinner at about 8
o'clock. A non-commissioned officer called me out
Of the room I was dining in and told me that a row
was going on in the barracks. Up to that time I
had heard. of no disturbance whatever. -While the
non-commissioned officer was 'still speaking to me a
second came up and said that the riot was becoming
more serious. I gave the usual necessary orders
and went at once towards the barracks. As I did
so I heard and saw the first shots fired from the
quarters of the 24th, which was immediately fol-
lowed by one or two others. When I rot there the
barracks were in a great state of confusion and 'up-
roar. The night was one of the darkest, I recollect.
The few usual lights in the barracks had been put
out by some persons, and all the buildinz was almost
in the most perfect darkness. It was so dark that

it was impossible to see anything. The stairs lead-
ing- to the quarters of my men were crowded with
men of the 24th. It was tco dark to see whether
these latter had anything in their hands. I had
ordered the "assembly" to sound, for the firing was
still continued. The firing was then all from the
24th's side, but the noise of the reverberation was
so great that it was at first hard to say that it was not
coming from both sides. Indeed, my first impression
for the moment was that the fire of the men of the
24th was being returned. The soldiers of the 24th com-
pletely blocked up the stairs leading to the quarters
of my mon so that they could not come down. I
saw no shots fired from the quarters occupied by
my men, but it was difficult to distinguish what was
going cn at all. I placed myself in communication
with the commanding officers of the 2d battalions
of the 24th and 21st Regiments, and in about ten
minutes or a quarter of an hour the firing ceased.
There was great uproar and confusion on both sides
of the barracks, audl heard windows being smashed
amid loud shouts. It was impossible to distinguish
the names that were called on both sides; it was a
perfect melee. When I gained the third platform
or gallery occupied by my men it was entirely
covered with coal and broken glass. Dr. Holloway,
of the 24th, came up with me, as it was reported
that a man was shot. I went with the doctor at
once to the room No. 52, where it was said the
wounded man lay. The deceased, King, was there
on his bed, lying on his stomach, and apparently
insensible. When my men saw me enter with the
doctor they called me to seethe deceased, and raised
his shirt and' showed me the bullet wound, which
had entered his back and come out on the right side
of the abdomen, where the intestines were protrud-
ing. Dr. Holloway at once said the case was a
hopeless one, and the man might not live half an
hour. A stretcher was at once procured, and the
deceased was removed to the hospital, where he died
next morning. I remained on duty at the barracks
the rest of the night, but no further disturbance
took place.
George &Sawyer, private in the Ist Tower Ham-
lets'. Militia, said—l was in the room when
the deceased was killed on Christmas night last.
Deceased, with others, had been singing Auld lang
sync," during which we heard a great many
of the windows outside smashed, but I advised
them to take no notice of it and not to go out. In
a minute or so afterwards I heard the firing begin,
and saw the flashes through the window an heard
the balls. Deceased was pointing out where he had
put some beer for the morning, when he suddenly
called out " I am shot"' and fell on his side and
rolled over. I felt for the wound, but could not find
it, and told deceased he was only " larking ;" but a
comrade pulled up his shirt, which was bloody, and
then we saw the wound—a little hole, bleeding
slowly.
At this stage of the proceeding- the inquiry was
adjourned for I'o minutes, after which the evidence
was resumed as follows:

Sergeant John Banks, of the 2d Battalion of the
24th Regiment, said—A few minutes past 8 o'clock
on Christmas night, while on my way to visit my
company, I overtook some men who appeared to be
quarrelling. They were coming from the canteen
to their own quarters, but it was so dark I could
not see whether they were- my owu men or not.
They all went up to the landing occupied by the
King's Own Militia still quarrelling all the way,hough I could not distinguish what about, nor see
whether or sot they bad Anything in their hands.