The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-14 00:00:00

left. Eighth,l7th and 96th deployed on their front
companies. Ninth, 17th performed the manual and
platoon exercise, and then passed through the 96th
by fours. 96th performed bayonet ( xercise.
During these evolutions his Royal Hiolness fre-
quently expressed his approbation of the precision
and movements of the 17th and 96th, more
especially when marching past and daring the per-
formance of the manual and platoon and the bayonet
exercise. At half-past 2 o'clock his Royal Highness
was received in Plymouth Citadel by Col. Crofton
and the officers of the I'ith, with whom he lunched
in the mess-house, and then inspected the men's
quarters. Shortly after 3 the Duke embarked at the
lower fort, under a salute, in the paddlewheel steam
vessel Vivid, which left the Sound by the eastern
end of the breakwater and returned by the western
end. This excursion had reference, probably, to the
. intention of the Government to construct fortifica-
tions inside and connected with the breakwater. On
proceeding. up Hamoaze his Royal Highness was
saluted by the flagship Impregnable, 104, Capt. W.
H. Stewart ; the Curagoa, 31, Capt. H. Mason ; and
the gunnery ship Cambridge, Capt. A. Jerningham.
The Duke landed at Torpoint, on the Cornish coast,
and proceeded on horseback to Tregantle, some
three or four miles south-west, where a line of forti-
fications is in course of construction, for the purpose
of defending the Devonport Royal Arsenal from
any land attack in that direction. His Royal High-
ness returned through Mount Edgecumbe-park to
Cremyl beach, when he entered the Admiral's barge
and, rejoining the Vivid, IN as landed at Plymouth.
In the evening the Commander-in-Chief dined at
Mr.nt Wise, with Gen. Eden, where he was met by
a large party, which included Port Admiral Sir B.
Reynolds, K.C.8., Lord Valletort, Mr. Carew, the
heads of departments, and colonels of regiments.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge break•
fasted yesterday (Friday) morning with Major-Gen.
Eden, at Mount Wise, Devonport, and after a cur-
sory inspection of Keyham steamyard, to which
considerable additions are making, especially with
a view to its military connexion with the Cornwall
and South Devon Railway, he returned to Plymouth.
At the railway station Col. Crofton and a guard of
honour of five officers and 100 men of the 17th Re-
giment were in attendance with the Queen's colours.
At 10.45 his Royal Highness joined the express
train, and left for London under a salute from Ply-
mouth Citadel.

The following general orders have just been
issued from the Horse Guards, addressed to all
commanding officers, directing increased efforts to
be made in obtaining recruits for the army :
" His Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief
desires that commanding officers whose regiments are below
their establishments will send their bands and drums to one
of the nearest towns on all market-days, or on such other
occasions as may lead to a concourse of people, for the pur-
pose of raising recruits.
.. _

"By command,
" W. F. FOSTER, Deputy Adjt -Gen."
" Commandinc, officers do not seem to .be aware of the
consequences attending the employment of music on the
recruiting service, yet the uniform and repeated representa-
tions from all quarters clearly establish the importance of
attaching a drum and fife to every recruiting party where
such an arrangement is practicable.
"His Royal Highness the General Cornmanding-in-
Chief now desires that you will detail one drummer and
one fifer to join one of your parties employed on the re-
cruiting service, and you will at once submit the station of
the party you may select for this addition, when the neces-
sary authority will be sent to you.
"By command,..
" W. F. FOSTER, Deputy Adjt.-Gen."
Yesterday afternoon, in accordance with orders
Previously issued, the whole of the' officers and men
of the Royal Engineers now at head-quarters,
Chatham, assembled on their parade ground for the
purpose of witnessing the interesting ceremony of
decorating four non-commissioned officers of the
corps of Royal Engineers with good-conduct medals,
by order of his Royal Highness the. Commander-
in-Chief, for long and meritorious service. The
parade having been formed, Colonel Sandham
called the four non-commissioned officers to the
front, and, addressing them, expressed the plea-
sure he felt in being deputed to present each
of them with a medal and money gra-
tuity for long and meritorious service, and trusted
that the young soldiers then before him
would endeavour to imitate their example and
maintain an honourable character in order to obtain
the same reward. Each of the non-commissioned
officers was then handed his medal, which fastened
to his breast.' The names of the men thus decorated
are—Staff-Serg. R. Douglas, Colour-Serg. Robert
Coppin, Serg. G. Dadswell, and Corpoal J. Williams.
Sergs. Douglas, Coppin, and Dadswell also received
a gratuity of £l5 each, and Corporal Williams a
gratuity of £5: They have all been upwards of
20 years in the service, during the whole of which
period they have borne most exemplary characters.
The 32d company of Royal Engineers left
Bronapton Barracks, Chatham, at 6 o'clock yesterday.
morning and proceeded to Weymouth, at -which
port they will embark this morning for Alderney
in one of the Great Western Company's steamships.
The officers who left headquarters with the com-
pany were Capt. Wm. James Stuart and Lieut. C.
A. Lyon Campbell. Owing to the companies of
Royal Engineers at head quarters having given a
large number of men to the companies proceeding
to the Mediterranean, and also to fill up vacancies
at Gibraltar and Malta, the 32d company has. been
reduced very much below its establishment, and
now numbers only 40 non-commissioned officers and
men. The Royal Engineers will be employed in
repairing the fortifications of the island of Alderney.
Gen. Sir W: F. Williams, K.C.8., who is about
to retire from.the command of Woolwich Garrison,
yesterday assembled the corps of Royal Artillery
under his command in review order on Woolwich
common. The troops, in heavy marching order,
were formed in line at 11 ann. ; the Royal Horse
Brigade, with 18 guns, on the right, and the field
batteries, with 30 guns, on the left. The Ist brigade'
of siege artillery, consisting of 8 batteries, and por-
tions of other brigades in garrison, were drawn
up, and formed the centre of the line, to the
number of about 1,200 men. The General,
accompanied by Colonel Tombs, of the
Indian Horse Artillery, and attended by the
garrison staff, was received with the customary
salute, after which the troops marched past and,
performed a series of field manoeuvres, and retired
to quarters. It is. announced as tolerably certain
that Sir R. Dacres will be the successor of General
Williams at Woolwich, and that the review of yes-
terday was intended as a farewell visit. it is uni-
versally acknowledged at Woolwich that General
Williams has endeared himself to the garrison and
town by his uniform evenness of temper under
trying circumstances, as well as by his consistent
and just decisions in the various matters which
have been referred to his consideration, and he will
vacate his post to the extreme regret of a large ma-
jority of the inhabitants. The general was present
in lice evening at a grand entertainment in the
Royal Artillery mess-room, which was concluded
by a ball on a scale of unusual splendour, attended

by 700 or 800 persons, comprising the officers and
their families, and the residents in the neighbour-
hood. Col. Bloomfield, A.D.C. to her Majesty,
Inspector-General of Artillery, and 2d Commandant,
is deputed to the command pending the appoint-
ment and arrival of the future commandant.

any way whatever. After what they had heard it
was his desire that they should, think the matter
over, and when- they had-decided upon the course
they had intended to take he would be happy-to meet
them. (Hear.) At the outset he proceeded to
reply to some objections which seamen were said to
entertain against joining the navy. The first of
these was the use of the " cat" on board of men-of-
war. It was only bad skulking characters who
were punished. The man who behaved himself
well was well treated and cared for. (Hear.) They
laid great stress in reference to alleged cruelty in
the navy, but they forgot to mention how men were
frequently used in the merchant service. The press,
however, during the past year had not told them of
a single case of cruelty perpetrated on board of a
man-of-war, but it had told them of a man in the
merchant service having been tied up before a fire
and roasted to death. (" Shame.") In making these
remarks he did not wish to excite any unkind feel.
ing against the mercantile marine; far from it.
(Hear, hear.) Many men who had not been in the
navy fancied that the old system pursued in the last
war was still in use, and that any of the officers of
a ship could order a man up for punishment. This
was not the case. A captain alone had this power,
and before he could carry this order out he must
allow a certain number of hours to intervene between
the sentence and the punishment, so as to allow time
for cool and calm reflection. No man, so long, as he
was entitled to wear a good conduct badge, was con-
sidered liable to corporeal punishment, except in
cases of mutinous conduct or for desertion. Capt.
Pim then proceeded to discuss the wages question,
and considered that the wages given in the navy
were betteethan those given in the merchant service.
In the navy an ablebodied seaman received £2 9s.
a-month ; extra for good conduct, 7s. 9d., and sav-
ings, 55., making the total receipts £3 ls. 9d. This
made his income for the year amount to about £37.
He contrasted this with the wages given in the mer-
chant service, which he calculated at about £4 per
month. Only about eight voyages, he said, were
made in the year, so that the total income would only
be at that rate about £39. Continuous employment
was given in the navy, and therefore he considered it
preferable in a pecuniary point of view to the mer-
chant service. He also stated that the clothing was
obtained at a cheap rate, and that the men were only
charged ls. per pound for tobacco. The victuals were
excellent, and if a man wat not able to consume the
whole of the provisions served put to him, he re-
ceived pay in hard cash for those he returned. (Hear.)
If a seaman continued in her Majesty's service for
10 years he was eligible' for a pension. If a man
continued 20 years in the service, of course, he was
entitled to a much larger pension, for instance, the
cook on board the Gorgon, who was present at the
meeting, had £2B a-year pension, and £47 2s. 11d.
his present pay, making his total income for the
year amount to £75 2s. 11d. (Hear.) As he
came across in the ferry boat that evening he ob-
served a number of poor old broken down fellows
trying to pick up a few pence in the sculler-
boats. This or the workhouse seemed to be the only
refuge for the old sailor in the merchant service.
How different was this from the state of the old
men-of-war's men. The other day at the Sailors'
Home, a young fellow objected to the navy on ac-
count of the risk. Well, if they meant the risk of
war, such persons had better stay away. If, how-
ever, he meant the risk attending shipwreck, he
might inform him that more than 2,000 merchant
vessels were-wrecked to one man-of-war. (Hear,
hear.) If persons did not like the smell of powder
they had better stay away, for he expected that-
they would have plenty of it by and by. (" Hear,
hear," and laughter.) After alluding to the north
country seamen—a number of whom he would like
to see join the navy—he concluded by inviting any
present to address the meeting.
Mr. CHARLES LIDDLE was the first seaman to
accept the invitation given by the gallant captain
to address the meeting. The seamen, he said, were
not afraid to go on board a man-of-war on account
of any risk to their own personal safety. By no
means. There were, however, other objections which
they entertained. The Government had not treated
the British sailor in a proper manner, but he had no
doubt that if the safety of England was placed in
jeopardy, they would, notwithstanding, repel any
foe who dared to attempt to set his feet on English
soil. (Hear, and applause.) He referred to the
lash as one objection to seamen joining, and cons
sidered that it was a brutal and unnatural treat-
ment, for which some other mode of punishment
ought to be substituted. (Hear, hear.) It was also
desirable that there should be some provision made
for the wives and families of those who lost their

yes in the service of their country. (Hear, hear