The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-26 00:00:00

Norman or Saxon if one had succeeded in defeating
the other. But the spirit of the nation and of the
Church had been too strong for either of those par-
ties, and he trusted that it would continue thus
strong, in order that all might claim the blessed pri-
vilege of social intercourse and Christian commu-
nion. " If," said the dean, " any have tried with
untiring energy to drive us out, the true Christian
retaliation will be with untiring forbearance to try to
keep them in, even although we might be inclined
most strongly to condemn their practices. Thus
would peace be secured without any compromise or
fusion of outward ceremonies, but upon the great-
ness of God's love and the greatness of man's duty."
The dean concluded a sermon which was listened to
with deep attention by earnestly deprecating divi-
sions between ritualists and anti-ritualists, ra-
tionalists and anti-rationalists, counselling rather
an appeal to Him who had been emphatically termed
" the Prince of Peace."

The choir and transepts were densely crowded
during the service, and an unusually large number
of persons remained during the administration of the
Holy Communion.

Naval and Military Intelligence.
Her Majesty's screwsteamship Gibraltar, 81, Capt.
Robert Coo te, which arrived at Plymouth on Monday
morning, left Malta on the 6th Dec., and Gibraltar
on the 15th, on which day the armour-plated screw
steamship Ocean, 24, Capt. Chandos S. S. Stanhope,
from Plymouth, arrived in the bay. By the Gib-
raltar, 29 military invalids come from Malta, and
Lieut. Whalley, Royal Artillery, and 31 military
invalids from Gibraltar. Fair weather prevailed on
the passage. She spoke on Sunday, the 23d inst.,
at 11 a.m., lat. 48 42 N., long. 7 10 W., the Eng-
lish ship Omar Pasha ; at 1 p.m., lat. 48 43 N., long.
7 15 W., the Dutch ship Hebe ; at 140, the English
bark Floating Cloud and the ship Antrim, and at
2 30 p.m. the Bremen bark Alida and the English
ship Canute. The Gibraltar was commissioned on
the Bth September, 1863, at Plymouth ; after dis-
charging her ammunition she will be taken into Ha-
moaze, where her crew will be paid off. It is pro-
bable that she will relieve the Canopus, 8, as re-
ceiving-ship at Devonport.
Her Majesty's ironclad ship Northumberland, 26,
6,621 tons, 1,350-horse power (nominal), went
down the river yesterday, in charge of Commander
J. Hodges, assistant master-attendant of Sheerness
dockyard, and accompanied by the Adder, the
Monkey, the Bustler, and the Locust steamers. She
was navigated by a party of 200 seamen and riggers
from the steam reserve at Chatham and Sheerness.
Her machinery was in charge of Mr. Collins, chief
engineer of the vessel, Mr. Anderson representing
Messfs. Penn and Son, the makers of the engines.
The Northumberland is to be prepared for sea at
Sheerness, but will probably shortly be removed to
Devonport.
In consequence of the very great wear and tear
caused to the granite tramways and roadways in
Chatham dockyard by the heavy armour plates and
other descriptions of iron for the vessels building
constantly passing over them, and the great expense
and delay in the work of the yard arising from their
frequent repairs, it has been found advisable to take
up the paying alongside the factory adjoining the
dock in which the Hercules is building, and relay
the roadway with pigs of iron ballast, as being both
cheaper and more durable than any other material.
Notwithstanding the adverse remarks made by Mr.
C. Seely, M.P., as to the employment of iron ballast
for tramways, the experience of the last few years
has proved that it is incomparably cheaper than any
other material for roadways in a yard like Chat-
ham, where the traffic is so large. With regard to
the statements that have been made as to the value
of the iron ballast, it is worthy of remark that the
Admiralty some short time since invited tenders for
the purchase of a quantity of that at Chatham dock-
yard, when the prices offered ranged from £1 18s.
6d. per ton, the lowest, to £2 45., the highest. As
to the relative cheapness and durability of pig iron
for tramways, experience has shown that the iron
paving is superior to granite. In the case of one
portion of Chatham dockyard, adjoining the lead
mills, over which heavy loads are passing at all
hours, the iron tramways laid down eight years since
have not required a farthing outlay upon them since,
while the granite tramways in other parts of the
yard are a constant source of expense. From the
causes stated there is little doubt that iron will
shortly supersede the whole of the granite roildways
in Chatham dockyard.
Owing to the corps of Royal Artillery being now
considerably below its proper complement, an order
was yesterday received at head-quarters, Chatham,
directing recruiting to be opened in all the districts
for that branch-of the service, the recruits obtained
being at once forwarded to the nearest depo
brigade.

In accordance with an order received at Chatham
No. 6 battery of theist division depot brigade Royal
Artillery will proceed from head-quarters to Wool-
wich on the Ist of January, from and after which
date the invalid depot of the corps will be removed
to that station. Under this arrangement the inva-
lids and time-expired men of the Royal Artillery
will be forwarded, on their arrival from abroad,
direct to Woolwich, instead of Chatham, as has
hitherto been the practice, and thus prevent the ne-
cessity for keeping two separate establishments.
Major the Hon. C. W. St. Clair, 57th Regiment,
has been appointed President of the garrison sani-
tary committee at Colchester, in the room of Major
Jones, Bth depot battalion.