The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-05 00:00:00

711 E NAVY.

The Excellent, gunnery ship at Portsmouth,
Capt. Hewlett, C. 8., will shortly be taken into
dock for overhaul and repair. It is expected the
Colossus, 80; screw, in the first-class steam reserve,
xilicte,ke _up —the „Excellent's moorings, "when she
will tnily test the cupola furnace, recently fitted on
board her, for the filling of hollow shot with mol-
ten metal.

The Lords Commissioners of the Admir Illy re-
turned to town by train from Portsmouth on Sa-
turday morning. The workmen of the dockyard
and Royal Clarence yard received their customary
half-holyday on the occasion of their Lordships'
annual inspection on Saturday.
The Pearl, 20, screw, Capt. J. Borlase, C. 8., fit-
ting at Portsmouth, has sent up her lower and top-
sail yards and placed battens on her rigging.
The Arrogant, 47 screw, Capt. W. Edmondstone,
in dock at Portsmouth, fitting as senior officer's
ship on the coast of Africa, is having stern gun-
room ports fitted to increase her ventilation.

The Harrier, 174 screw, Capt. Sir, M. M'Gregor,
at Portsmouth, has stripped to her lower masts.
She pays off about Wednesday next.
Steam was got up on Friday on board the screw
steamship St. George, 91, at Devonport.
The screw steam sloop Grayhound, 17, is ap-
pointed to be undocked to-day (Monday) at Key-
ham, Plymouth.

The screw steam despatch vessel Flying Fish, 6,
Commander Hope, arrived on Saturday evening at
Plymouth, from the. squadron in Torbay, where the
ships arrived on Friday. It is understood that they
will separate about the 21st inst. The screw steam
frigate Diadem, 32, Capt. W. Moorsom, C. 8., will
probably go to Plymouth to repair spars, &c.
One of Sir W. Armstrong's guns, an 80-pounder,
forged at the Elswick factory, was tested in the
long range at Shoeburynoss on Thursday last, in
the presence of the Ordnance Select Committee of
Woolwich Arsenal, and gave the most wonderful
results as regards accuracy, &c. The flight ob-
tained was 9,000 yards, or upwards of five miles.
The military store screw steamship Lord Pan-
mure, Mr. J. T. Moore, commander, arrived off
Woolwich Arsenal on Saturday, from Devonport,
laden with stores for the Tower.

The Pitt coal depot, in the steam basin at Ports-
mouth, is ordered to be fitted with machinery for
coaling the fleet at Portland.
Commander the Right Hon. Richard James Vis-
count Gilford, has been promoted to the rank of
captain. This officer obtained his commission as
lieutenant 15th September, 1852, and served in the
Imperieuse, 51, screw frigate, in the Baltic fleet,
from December, 1852, to the close of the Russian
war. He was appointed to the Raleigh, 50, Com-
modore the Hon. Henry Keppel, C. 8., on the 4th
September, 1856, where he served on the East
India and China station until re-appointed to the
Calcutta, 84, flag ship, on the same station, in
August, 1857. He was promoted to the rank
of commander 26th February, 1858, and has held
the command of the Hornet, 17, screw steam-sloop,
on the East India and China station since the 9th
March, 1858.

Mr. Frederick F. Morgan has been appointed
surgeon to the Pearl, 21, screw.corvette.

THE ARMY.

It may possibly serve to elucidate the question as
to how far it may be desirable to resort to corporal

punishment to instanee the results of a totally dif
ferent system, pursued at Chatham, at which gar.

rison the infliction of the lash is resorted to only
on the very rarest occasions. During the present

year there have been certainly not more than half-
a-dozen soldiers flogged at that garrison, and these
only men whose ruffianly propensities rendered all
other descriptions of punishment unavailing. In the
last two cases of corporal punishment both the men
flogged had openly refused to obey the orders of
their commanding officers when on a full parade of
the troops, and had made use of mutinous lan-

guage, when, of course, the requirements of the ser-
vice rendered it necessary that a severe example
should be made, one of the men receiving 50 lashes
and a long term of imprisonment, and the other 25
lashes and imprisonment. Notwithstanding that
the lash is but seldom resorted to, the discipline of
the troops at Chatham is, perhaps, not equalled,
and certainly not excelled, by those of any other
troops in England, although there are seldom less
than 5,000 men belonging to various branches of
the service quartered at that garrison. This result

has been brought about by the prompt measures
resorted to by the Major-General commanding for
maintaining discipline among the troops under his
command. When released from military control the
conduct of the men is equally praiseworthy. Mili-
tary brawls in the streets—a thing of almost nightly
occurrence in many other garrison towr.s—are al-
most unknown in Chatham, strong pickets being
stationed in the streets to remove any man to the
barracks on the slightest indication of a disturbance.
In order to provide amusements for the troops, and
to entice them away from the low beerhouses and
dens of infamy in the town of Chatham, the Major-
General has sanctioned healthy games, space in the
barracks being provided for skittles, nine-pins, fives,
and other amusements, while a piece of ground is
appropriated entirely for the use of the soldiers on
which to play at cricket. In addition to this a
large room has just been appropriated at Brompton-
barracks in which the men can practice single-stick,
fencing, and boxing, and this is nightly resorted to
by the troops at that barracks. Reading and news-
rooms are also provided in the barracks for the men,
who have the use of well-furnished libraries. The
result of this effort is that the troops are kept from
debasing pursuits, which in other garrisons lead
them to desert, and commit crimes which render
them amenable to courts-martial.
Orders have been received at Chatham for the
following officers at that garrison to embark for
India with the reinforcements of cavalry and in-
fantry proceeding to join the service companies of
their respective regiments, viz.,—Major T. Teulon,
35th Regiment ; Lieut. W. B. D. Alderson, 77th
Regiment; Lieut. J. Wilkinson, 81st Regiment;
Ensigns W. Trocke, C. J. Stone, and A. C. Crook-
shank, 33th Regiment; Ensigns J. E. K. Morley
and J. Hogarth, 43d Light Infantry ; Ensigns A.
-C. F. Armstrong, H. F. H. Gibsone, and J. Fraser,
73d Regiment ; Ensigns G. A. White and E. N.
Mosley, 77th Regiment.
On Saturday Major-Gen. Eyre, the Commandant
of Chatham, assembled the whole of the officers and
men of the various East India depots who are under
orders to embark for India on the general parade-