The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-17 00:00:00

1855.

.71IE 11:4

The screw steamship Nile, 91, Captain A. P. E.
Wilmot, C. 8., sailed from Plymouth on Saturday
for the West Indies.
The paddle-wheel steam tender Avon, 3, G. Day
Second Master, from Portsmouth, arrived on Satur-
day at Plymouth with seamen for various ships
there.
The Snake, 4, screw steam gunvessel, Commander
Henry Harvey, and the Renard, 4, screw steam
gunvessel, Commanchr James G. Goodenough, both
left Spithcad yesterday for the China station.
The Portuguese man-of-war Sagres passed the
Wight on Thursday, on her way to Lisbon.
The screw steam despatch vessel Flying Fish, 6,
Commander Hope, steamed on Friday from Hamo-
aze into Plymouth Sound.
The screw steam-frigate Amphion, 36, Captain
Thomas Cochrane, from Portsmouth, arrived in
Plymouth on Friday, and saluted the flag of the
Port Admiral.

The Ringdove, 6, screw, Commander Craigie,
steamed out of Portsmouth harbour on Friday to
the trial ground in Stokes' Bay, to test machinery
and speed at the measured mile. The results, under
very unfavourable circumstances of weather, gave
the vessel an average speed. of 10.398 knots, ma-
chinery working well, with a good supplforsteam.
After the trial the Ringdove returned into harbour
and berthed in her old position, alongside the south
jetty of the dockyard.
The Turkish screw steamship Shadia, 90, left
Plymouth on Friday for Constantinople. When
passing through the Sound she hoisted the British
ensign, and fired a salute of 21 guns.
The Brazilian corvette Bahiana, 22, left Plymouth
on Saturday.
Admiral Sir Charles Fremantle, K.C.8., who has
held the naval command at Plymouth for three
weeks in the absence of Port-Admiral Sir B. Rey_
nolds, K.C.8., struck his flag on board the Royal
Albert, 191, Capt. B. Rice, on Saturday. The
command devolves now on Rear-Admiral Sir Thos.
Pasley, Admiral-Superintendent of Devonport
Dockyard;
The repairs of the Encounter, 14, and of the
gunboat Violet, at Plymouth, are completed. The
gunboat Snap will be ready .by the 17th inst. ; the
Royal Albert, 121, on the 20th ; the Centaur is
appointed to go on trial the same day ; the gunboat
Bouncer will be finished on the 24th, and the sloop
Hydra on the 19th of November.

Twelve rafts, eaoh consisting of six pontoons,
have been constructed at the Royal Arsenal, and
will be forwarded by the overland route to China,
to be used for river operations by the troops in that
country.
The Wesel, steam vessel, commissioned last week
by Commander Raby for service in the River Plate,
is ordered to have a crew of 70 officers and men.
NEW GUN BoArs.—An order from the Admiralty
was received on Saturday by the captain superin-
tendsnt, Capt. George Goldsmith, C. 8., for two gun
boats to be built at Chatham Dockyard. They arc`
to be named the Torch and Plover; they are in-
tended to carry one pivot .gun of 95 cwt., and two
long 68-pounders.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :-,-Commander S. Skipwith,
to the Prometheus, commissioned ; Thomas Hart,
master additional, to the Fisgard • W. H. Fawch-
mer, master additionul, to the Wellington ; John
Andrews (b), surgeon superintendent to the Sir
John Lawrence convict ship ; J. A. Kite, acting
second-class assist-engineer, to the Nile; W. Walker,
acting third• class assist.-bngineer, to the Welling-
ton, as supernumerary ; D. Dunn, acting third-class
assist.-engineer, to the Asia, as supernumerary ;
and J. Robertson, acting third-class assist.-engineer,
to the Wellington, as supernumerary.

THE ARM

The long-expected military night display at
Portsmouth took place on Friday evening, but
merely resulted in a fierce cannonading of some half-
hour's duration from the sea face of the works com-
manding the entrance to,POrtsmouth harbour. No
demonstration by troops on Southsea-common or by
landing parties on the beach took place, as on a
former occasion, the only object sought to be at-
tained being to ascertain the length of time it would
take to summon the men from their barracks and
man the different batteries by an unexpected alarm
at night. As arranged, none besides the General
commanding, with his staff, were supposed to know
the precise time that had been fixed upon for the
purpose. At 10 p.m. on Friday. evening Major-
General Sir J. Yorke Searlett, K.C.B. accompa-
nied by Colonel Lake, C. 8., took up his position
on the stone tower on which formerly stood the
semaphore, but now forming a platform for long
32-pounders. Shortly afterwards three guns fired
in quick succession gave forth the expected alarm
signal, and the tramp of troops at the " double"
was quickly heard through the quiet streets of the
old town as the artillerymen hurried to their posts.
A single gun from the different points of the forti-
fications—Southsea Castle, Spur Redoubt, Point
Battery, Blockhouse Fort, and Fort Monckton—
soon afterwards told that all were ready and at
their posts. Two more guns from the King's Bas-
tion gave signal to open fire, which was instantly
responded to from 75 guns, 6 and 8-inch, the majo-
rity of them of the latter calibre. The effect to a
certain extent was very grand; but a bright moon-
light night and the absence of wind, which caused
the smoke to hang round the faces of the batteries,
detracted much from what, no doubt, would other-
wise have been a magnificent spectacle. Blockhouse
and M °nekton Forts, as seen from Southsea•common,
were " veiled in vapour," the edges of which were
fringed with a lurid light as discharge after dis-
charge followed each other in rapid succession from
their eight-inch guns. Southsea Castle, from hav-
ing no batteries to windward, showed itself more
boldly as each discharge from its walls brought
out in strong relief its auxiliary batteries, the
artillerymen working their guns on its walls and
its ancient stone tower or keep. It was evident, even
to the non-military eye, as it scanned the line of
firo, that this point of the defences would be de-
stined to play an important part should it ever again
become necessary to defend Portsmouth from the
attack of an enemy by sea. At the close of the can-
nonade some thousands of people had assembled on
Southsea-common, evidently expecting that the
proceedings would have been of a more lengthened
character. _ _ _

------.
In consequence of the difficulties and delays us-
ually experienced in embarking and disembarking
troops proceeding to and returning from foreign
service, owing to the want of a sufficient knowledge
on the part of the officers and men of this portion of
their military duties, orders have been received at'
Chatham directing iat the whole of the officers and
men belonging to the regiments attached to the
three battalions of infantry at that garrison arc to
undergo a course of instruction in embarking and
disembarking from vessels. With the view of faci-
litating the instruction of the troops in this impor-
tant part of their work her Majesty's ship Tyne, at-
tached to the resGrve at Chatham, has been placed
at the disposal of the military authorities of the
garrison; and after the necessary preliminaries have
been arranged a certain portion of the garrison will
be daily or frequently instructed in embarking and
disembarking from that vessel, under the direction
of properly qualifis officers who assisted in the
landing of the troops in the Crimea. A number of
the boats belonging to the ships of war lying in the
Medway are ordered to be got ready, and these will
be used in conveying the troops from the shore to
the vessel and relanding them. Each man is to be
fully equipped and in heavy marching order ; hut
his knapsack will be removed before quitting the
shore, no soldier, under any circumstances, being
ever permitted to embark carryinghis knapsack.
Several additional recruiting parties have been
despatched from the head-quarters of the Royal
Engineers at Chatham in consequence of the want
of skilled artisans, surveyors, draughtsmen, and
mechanics to fill up the vacancies in that corps.
The 2d battalion of the 18th (Royal Irish) are ex-
pected to arrive in Waterford from the Curragh this
day (Monday), when they will embark on boardthe
Adelaide, and proceed to replace the 60th Rifles at
Aldershot.

Under the sanction of the Chaplain to the Forces,

lectures on scientific subjects and concerts are to be
given at the barracks, Chichester, every Wednesday
evening, commencing on the 2d of November.
The Hon. Capt. A. E. Clarke, Royal Engineers,
who has been appointed by the Duke of Newcastle
the Commissioner to conduct the selection and pur-
chase in Europe of the arms and munitions of war
requisite to complete the defences of the colony of
Victoria, Australia, was formerly a member of the
Victorian Cabinet, and is now at the head of the
Engineers' department at the camp at Colchester.
Capt. Clarke's new appointment will not interfere
with the duties he is now performing at Colchester.
Her Majesty's ship Seaflower, Commander Carver,

has been -lying in the river Orwell, near Ipswich,
her officers having been engaged in making a sur-
vey of the bounds of the local oyster fishery.
Last Friday morning the screw steamship Ade-
laide, 2,060 tons, Capt. Bowen, arrived off hook

Tower (Irt lanri) frOrdPortsmouth, having on board
the 4th battalion of the 60th Rifles, which are to
be stationed in Waterford for sone time, with de-
tachments at Dungannon, Dungarvan, and Youghal.
The entire number of persons on board is 087, as
follows :-747 rank and file, 33 officers, 48 non-
commissioned officers, 20 buglers, 40 corporals, 52
women, 47 children, and 6 horses.
The party of the Donegal Infantry Militia which
has arrived at the camp at Colchester is 185 strong
and is under the command of Major Hamilton, who
is accompanied by Capt. d'Arey, Lieut. Mackenzie,