The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-27 00:00:00

THE ABMI

The arrangements announced in The Sun of
yesterday for a review of the troops in garrison at
Woolwich,-to take place this morning, were last
night cancelled by a garrison order from Gen. Sir
Richard Dacres, 1C,C.8-, Commandant, owing to
the unfavourable state of the weather.
By direction of the Ordnance Select Committee
a series of trials has been made at Sheerness for
the purpose of testing the efficiency of a new sys-
tem of signalling, by means of the oxyhydrogen
lime light, the invention of Captain Bolton. The
experiments were made on Wednesday and the
previous evening, one of the signals being plaeed
at Southend, a distance of nearly six miles in a
asraight line, and the other at Sheerness. The
experiments commenced at nine o'clock, and signals
were received with astonishing rapidity at Sheer-
ness from Southend, and vice versa. The apparatus
is of exceedingly simple construction, and is easily
worked. The method in which it is used bears a
great similarity to that in which the ordinary tele-
graph is worked. Its correctness in recording and
transmitting messages of any length or difficulty
must prove of great importance in "the event of a
campaign. The invention is to be subjected to
some further trials on board the Excellent training
ship at Portsmouth, when the distance between the
points of communication will be considerably in
creased. Notwithstanding the dullness of the
weather during the experiments at Sheerness, the
signals were remarkably bright, the beautiful lime-
light shining out over the water with astonishing
brilliancy, and being clearly discernible by the
naked eye without there being the least chance of
misinterpreting the indications.
The whole of the dismounted armament distri-
buted over the batteries, forts, and fortifications
at Chatham, consisting chiefly of the old 33-
pounders 50-cwt. guns,l2, 18, and 24-pounder car-
ronades, and other kinds of disused ordnance, having
been removed into the ordnance stores, the detach-
ments of the depot and coast brigades, Royal
Artillery, under the command of Lieut. Ritchie,
who have been occupied in the work of
dismounting the guns for several weeks past, re-
turned from Chatham to head-quarters yesterday.
The total number of guns removed from the forti-
fications is nearly 150, nearly all of which are of a
kind which have become obsolete for a great num-
ber of years. The carronades and most of the large
guns will be forwarded to -Woolwich, where they
will be broken up for gun metal. The most impor-
tant of the batteries at Chatham, as well as the new
defences :about being erected, will be armed with
100 pounder Armstrong guns.
Yesterday Col. W. R Nedham, Commandant of
the Royal Artillery, completed his half-yearly in-
spection of No. 4 battery, 9th brigade, Royal Artil-
lery, stationed at Chatham. The whole of the horses,
men, and officers of the battery were drawn up
under the command of Major Mackay, the battery
being provided with their 12 pounder Armstrong
guns, waggons, &c. On the previous day Colonel
Nedham inspected the dismounted portion of the
battery, and also the books and accounts.
The weekly brigade of the troops stationed at Ports-
mouth garrison took place yesterday on Southsea-
common, Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., having the command.
Toe troop on the ground consisted of the B field
battery of the sth brigade Royal Artillery, 6 offi-
cers, 96 non-commissioned officers and men, 94
h,,rses, 6 guns (12-pounder Armstrongs), and 6 wag-
gons; the Ist battalion 2d Queen's, 19 officers, and
568 non-commissioned officers and men ; the Ist bat-
talion sth Fusileers, 18 officers, and 448 non-com-
missioned officers and men ; the 2d battalion 18th
Royal Irish, 19 officers, and 501 non-commissioned
officers and men ; the 49th Regiment, 12 officers,
and 343 non-commissioned officers and men ; the 6th
Brigade Royal Artillery (garrison), 11 officers, and
248 non-commissioned officers and men; giving a
grand total of 107 officers, 2 720 non-commissioned
officers and men, 94 horses, 6 guns, and 6 waggons.
The troops formed on the common at 2 30 p.m., in
columns of companies, with the artillery on the I
right, the bands neing massed opposite the saluting
point. On the arrival of Lord W. Paulet the force
marched past in open and close column, the Field
Artillery leading, and reformed in column on their
original allignment. The right next advanced
with artillery. The whole was thrown into
squares in echelon, with the artillery on the right,
opening a rapid and well sustained fire for some
minutes, and concluding with a volley from right
to left. Changing front, a strong line of skir-
mishers were sent in advance with their sup-
ports, the main and reserve force advancing
in two lines, with a demi-battery of artillery on the
right and the remainder in reserve. The skirmishers
retired, still keeping up their fire as they closed in.
The advanced line of the troops, supported on its
right flank by artillery, retired, reformed line, and
opened fire, repeated the last movement, and finally
withdrew bY -c"nPani es of four to the rear, a line
of skirmishers being thrown out to cover the move-
ment, aided by artmeryAfter some heavy and
continuous firing from the stronge line of skirmishers
the bugles called them in on
aeaflank'
of the main
body of the force, where they threw
squares to resist cavalry, the remaintaher ern
o.selves into
at the same time forming squares in
eefhei" the force
and
opening fire in conjunction with the artillery,At '
the close of a long sustained file fire each
e
fired a volley, reformed column, threw out a fin®
skirmishers, who were quickly recallbd, and the
troops, as at the commencement, formed in columns
at quarter distances. This closed the proceedings,
which we believe were only preliminary to a dis-
play on a far greater scale during the ensuing
week,
when the more salient points of the seaface
of the works will join in the mimic warfare.

. „
The followinf; tenders for the construction of six
of the new forts on Portsdown and its western ap-
pmaches have been accepted by the Government :
For Wallington, that by Messrs, Lee and Sons,
Nine Elms, Vauxhall, London; for Fareham and
Newgate, that by Messrs. Wilson, Great Suffolk-
Street, Borough, London ; and for Nelson, South-
' vrick, and Wedley,, that by Messrs. Tread well, Par-
lianient-street, Wes tminster.

I
T'aa NATIONAL GA-LL ERT.—The Nationa.al-
a
le win ,
fr 780,, ta."4B next Saturday, the 28th inst. In consequeAce
before fhertlitturit 4leekterntions it is not expected to be re-opened
i
u Ilqvember.