The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-03 00:00:00

THE ABDIY .

In consequence of the difficulty experienced by
many of the agriculturists in Kent in obtaining a
sufficient number of hands for reaping operations,
owing to the great scarcity of labour, several of the
farmers in the neighbourhood of Chatham have
made:most urgent applications to the military authca-
rides to allow a number of the troops now quar-
tered in that garrison to be employed for a short
time in assisting in getting in the harvest. The
authorities have granted the application, and orders
have been forwarded to the Major-General com-
manding at Chatham giving permission for a large
number of the troops belonging to the three bat-
talions of infantry to be placed at the disposal of
those farmers who may require their services. The
troops are to be paid regular wages, which will be
approved by the military authorities, and none but
men of the best character will be allowed to be eMi-
ployed in this description of labour.
Intelligence having been received at the Horse '
Guards that the 20th company of Royal Engineer,
now stationed in the Mauritius, to which they prO-
ceeded in 1853, have been reduced considerably be-
low their proper strength, in consequence of deaths
and other casualties, the authorities have decided ,
on despatching the 27th company, under the com-
mand of Captain A. W. Durnford, to that station,
for the purpose of assisting the 20th company in
prosecuting the engineering and other works on
which they are now engaged. The 27th company,
which is novtat Aldershott Camp, will join head-
quirters-at -Chatham, where its strength will be
made up to 120 men prior to its embarkation.
A variety of projects having lately been under
consideration at Woolwich, with a view of advanC-
ing the sanitary condition of the soldier, by improv-
ing the means of preparing his daily food, whether
in birraks, on the road, or in camp, a number of
patent cooking inventions have been introduced,
each of which has presented advantages over the
old methods, which, it is admitted, proved so cala-
mitous to the British soldier during the Russian
war, An effectual trial of several of Capt. Grant's
ambulatory and other kitchens was yesterday made
on Dartford Heath, under the inspection of Major-
Gen. Sir It. .Dacres. K.C.8., Rear-Admiral C. S.

Dacres, C.B. (the General's brother), and the prin-
cipal officers of Woolwich garrison. The whole of
the disposable force of the Royal Artillery stationed
at Woolwich were paraded in marching order for

that purpose, in front of the barrack, it half-pat
eight yesterday morning, and marched in two divi-
sions to Dartford, the Ist division taking the Dover
road through Welling, and the 2d division proceed-
ing through Elthqm and Bexley, and arriving at
the heath at 11 o'clock. An appropriate space,con-
sisting of au extensive range of the heath, was
taken by the troops on their arrival, and occupied
as encampment quarters, where in the course clf
half-an-hour about 300 canvas tents were pitched,
and at half-past one the whole of the officers and
men dined with the same facility and comfort as in
permanent barracks. Captain Grant's battalion
and hospital cooking-waggons, recently tested in
Woolwich arsenal in the presence of the sanitary
committee, followed in the rear of the march, as
well as canteen, &c., but the preparation 'for the
dinners was not performed, as on the former occa-
sion, on the road, to give an opportunity of fairly
testing the capabilities of the pontoon cooking
stoves at the same time. For the erection of these
latter stoves, trenches were dug in the form of a
cross, in which four pontoons were laid, served by
an iron chimney about two feet in height, easily
adapted or removed. The fires were lighted in the
trench at the four angles, and the current of air
was easily available for keeping the fires in good
condition. Every description of stewing, boiling,
&c., was thus carried out, and, by a most ingenious
method applied to the top of the chimney, a large
frying-pan provided excellent beefsteaks and
rashers of bacon. The battallion cooking waggon
was packed on each side of the boiler with 2001 b.
of wood, which serves as a clothing, while the heat
assists to dry the wood if green or wet, from the
weather. This apparatus supplied 170 gallons of
vegetable soup, and weighs 10cwt. 81b., and also
supplies vegetables and meat, stewed, boiled, &c,,
in the usual manner. The hospital cooking wag-
gon contained 140 gallons, and cooked the rations
of 500 men. The weight of the last-named appa-
ratus is 13cwt. 114-Ib. The additional weight is
made up by the extra number of cooking vessels
and other arrangements necessary for giving greater
variety in the culinary requirements for hospital
use. The results of this and other trials show that
150 lbs. of wood are sufficient to cook the three
daily meals for 500 men, being an advantage over
the old system, in which the Government allow-
ance was 31bs. of wood per man a day. After the
dinners wcrc over the pontoons were formed into a
raft, and their efficiency satisfactorily proved on a
piece of water on the heath. The General, accom-
paniedct by Capt. Grant, made a persorl insdesire peion
of the whole of the operations, and, with a
of
gaining an impartial judgment on the matter, made
various inquiries of the men themselves, from whom
replies.
The received the most ample and satisfactory
The troops were permitted to recreateuntil 6, when they recommenced their march and
returned to Woolwich at half-past 8.
on the heath
heath

we quote some interesting Cures
[ADVERTISEMENT. Indigestion
(Dyspepsia), Flatulency,
without Medicine of_s bilious and Liver complaints,
Constipation, r
ejorst:mption and Debility by Du Barry's
delicious Revalenta Arabica Food. Cure No. 49,832.
Coug.h, Asthm
from dyspepsia, nervousness, asthma, cough,
Wortham Ling, near Diss,. Norfolk—Fifty years indescrib-
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flatulency, spasms, sickness at the stomach,
tiitoinn,,,,s, have been removed by Du Barry's excellent
indvsatvil°Peinnata, Arabica Food.—MARIA. JOLY. Cure No. 3,906.
—Thirteen years cough, indigestion, and general debility
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47,121.—Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of Nazing Vtcarage, Wal-
tham Cross, Herts, a curs of extreme nervousness, indiges-
tion, gatherings, low spirits, and nervous fancies. Cure 48,314
Miss Elizabeth Yeoman, Gateacre, near Liverpool, a cure of
ten years dyspepsia, and all the horro rs of nervous irritability.
In tins, at is. 6d. ; lib., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d. ; 51b., 125.; 121 b.,
265. The 101 b. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on receipt of post-
office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Regent-street, London.
Fortnum, Mason, and Co., 182, Piccadilly; Abbis, 60,
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