The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

TEE PERMANENT BARRACKS AT

ALD

About four years ago grouse could have been shot
on tie middle of Aldershot-heath, where now a
town is springing up with all the rapidity of c
nial enterprise. drapers' shops and general ir ales-
men, flaring tiverus all gilt and stucco, erects and
rows of houses will soon cover the sp: t where few
months since the errant w,,ggott stuck fast in ruts
from -which not Jupiter nor all Olympus could have
moved it: Allowing for theA i
n
ural nereve of
population, it is a somple matter of calculation to
find in which one out of a few years henc3
shot, according to our m ,dery notions, w:11 be
striving for its corporate rights and looking out for
au eligible .M. P. to contest the new-formed borough.
The permanent barracks in course of eiec'iou are
in themselv,s Sufficient to form a hands .me and
populous town, ni and .wh, to th, se are ridded the
many buildings which a large milita.y depot uatu-
it is easy to see that the day
rally draws around it,
is not remote when the camp will be lost in bricks
and mortar, and Aldershot have as little resetn-
Mance to a "tented field" as Portsmou:ll, Winchez-
ter, or Chatham. A bri-f di-scription of their naYure
and ex eut may not be without its interest.

The main portions of the new buildings, then,
extend in tTo long lines from the Farnham road
to the old village of Aldershot in the south camp.
Between them is formed the chief parader-ground.
for the infantry. This parade is levelled, gravelled,
and cmnplete i. Though oaly intended for the
svolutious of 4,000 men, more than double that
number could easily be drilled on it, for it is up-
wards of three-quarters of a mile in length by 400
feet wide. The permanent barracks enclose the
north and smith sides of this fine space, those on
the north being intended for infautry and field
batteries, and on the south for the cavalry. In all
they would accommodate 4,000 intently, 1,600
cavalry, and two batteries of artillery, or, with.
engineers, military train, staff, and departmental
officers, about 7,000 of all arms. The infantry
barracks are divided int') three blocks, forming
each a spacious quadrangle, W.th a court-yard in the
centre. E ich of these quadrangles is in itself a eem-
plete barrack with all the out offices, store rooms,
school-rooms, &e., for a regiment. of 1,300 men.
The officers of each regiment have distinct
buildings to them elves, which are placed so as to
separate the larger blocks cont aiming the men.
The fronts, therefore, of all the infantry buildings
abut direcily on the north side of the parade, as
those of the cavalry do on the sow h. It is difficult
in these architectural matters to convey a clear idea
of the position and arrangement of edifices by mere
description. We shall therefore only say that the
quadrangles for intantry are composed of a double
row of buildings 80 feet apart, which form one side
of the squire, and are for the use of the privates.
The quartermaster's store-room, tailors' and shoe-
makers' rooms, staff sergeant's quarters and mirss-
rooms, and the infant school' rooms form the second
side. The canteens for the mea and non-commis-
sioned officers, with adult schoolroom, librery, and
reading room, make the third, and the quarters
allotted to the married men of the n-giment
the fourth. There is a guard house at the
end of each block, and small stables for
the horses of infantry officers in the rear.
Such is the general arrangement for the foot regi-
ments, and the manner in which the details
are carried out will, when finished, make the whole
beyond all comparison the most complete, airy, and
commodious barrack yet erected in the kingdom, or
buildings
even in Europe. The two front lines of
for the privates are divided into a series of spacious
chambers, 55 feet ling by 22 broad, and 12 high.
Each of these will contain beds for 23 men, wiih a
email apartment partitioned off in the corner for a
non-commissioned officirr. A stout iron shelf rack
is fixed round the chamber, on which the knapsacks,
&c.' are to be stowed, and the musket placed in rho
rest at the head of each bed. On the ground floors
are the cooking rooms, four in number, each of
which will cook for 350 men ; and next to them
are the washing-rooms, fitted with stout, serviceable
apparatus, and ample in accommodation. A lift,
worked with an ordinary crap, is placed inside the
main entrances for raising coals, baggage, &c., to the
two upper stories. As we have said, the two lines of
barracks for the men in each block are placed one
behind the other and 80 feet apart, and, in order to
render this at all times a dry playground and drill
yard, a roof of glass and iron stretches between the
buildings covering the intervening space. It is on
the old ridge and furrow principle of the Exhibi-
tion, and, while admitting as much light and air as
if the men were on the open heath, it is of course
at all times a complete protection against unfavour-
able weather. The space thus secured for exercise
to each regiment is 80 feet broad by 240 long—
quite enough for all purposes of recreation, or even
of common drill. The inner sides of the barracks
face towards this enclosure, and a covered balcony,
11 feet broad, is constructed outside each story of
sleeping chambers, in which the men can sit and
survey at their ease whatever is going forward in
the yard beneath. The canteens are spacious and
comfortable. Those for the privates are on the
ground floor ; for the non-con missioned officers
superior accommodation is provided on the upper
story. The school-rooms, staff-sergeants' quar-
ters, and regimental store-rooms are all well
placel and substantially. fitted up, while the
reading-rooms and library attached to each block
are as comfortable and as well adapted to their
purpose as the most studious could desire. Her
Majesty has already signified her intention of pre-
senting 250 volumes towards the formation of the
library of each barrack.
The married men's quarters form, as we have
stated, one whole side of the infantry quadrangles.
Each couple is allowed one room, and to a certain
number of rooms a wasbhouse is attached with all
the requisite conveniences. This is a great improve-
ment on the disgusting and immoral custom of com-
pelling the married men and their wives to sleep in
the general barracks, with their beds only divided
from those of the private soldiers by a small cur-
tain of baize or calico.

Against the general plan of these infantry bar-
racks only one objection can be urged, but our readers
will be inclined to agree with us in the opinion that
it is a most serious one. In the centre of the quad-
ra.n7le2, and not more than 100 feet from the sur-
rounding buildings, the expense magazines of
each regiment are fixed. It is true that they are
brick buildings of great strength and thickness
of wall, but they of course have both a door and a
window in them, and where men can enter, and
must daily enter, fire can easily penetrate also. As
a general rule many cartridges will not be kept in
them, but occasions must often happen when they
will contain at least 70 rounds per man, or upwards
of 2,0001 b. of powder. To keep such a mine of ex-
plosives in the centre of a crowded barrack-yard,
exposed daily to all the chances which must arise
from casual neglect and unavoidable accident, seems
a literal "tempting of Providence." The engineers
who devised this plan know well that if any unfor-
tunate accident should occur the explosion of such
a mass of powder confined in a strong small build-
ing would have the effect of a gigantic mine, and
level the whole of the surrounding quadrangle with
the dust. We believe we are correct in stating
th,t some ( f the highest military authorities in our
service have expressed their most decided disappro-
bafon of this arrangement, Which seems the less
excusable when other and actually more convenient
localities in the rear of the buildings were at the
disposal of the engineers.
The barracks for the infantry officers are of course
light, handsome, and commodious. The stables
are perfect models. The infantry barracks ate
is e
quite fin'shed, and each day the order to furnish
and fit them for the reception of troops expected
to arrive. The cavalry buildings will not be ready
before the spring of next year.
About two monthsago between 17,000 and 18,000
men used to muster in the long valley on a lie!cl-
day. Now the number is lit, le more than 4,000,
--viz., the 15th, 22nd, and 96th Regiments, the
4th Light Dragoons, and 6th Enniskidens, with
one troop of Horse Artillety, two field batteries,
three companies of Engineers, and a battalion of
e Military Train. But even this small remnant
iAsrttoilbleeryst,iwllifttrtliweroreedoumepecaln, fieosr
otlfietttireooEp
th
iienkiinlgi e telos
will leave the camp for India on
nn
nouf i nileoerrsse,
mapreanaylsfoollouwaleornoliV.deedrsuetsodabye.
Monday next,
Thearrd t6ltreh rEe
ready to leave camp at a t' momen s notice.

TiE NAVIGATION OF THE NEVA.—The following
notice, issued by the Russian Moistly of Marine, rela-
tive to the navigation between Cronstadt and St Peters-
burg, was yesterday posted at Lloyds: Russian Consu-
-Ist° General, London, 17-29 August, 1857. Notifi-
C stion. Captains of merchant vessels of a great
draught of water having notwithstanding the injunc-
tions to the contrary of the competent authori-
ties of the ports of Cronstadt and St. Petersburg.
and es en without pilotq, entered the channel of the Neva
and inn aground, causing thereby great obstruction to
the navigation of the channel, the Imperial Ministry of
the Marine has issued the following regulations :—TI o
captains of merchant vessels are erjoined : 1. To con-
form themselves strictly to the directions of the eon-,
manders of the guard ship and light vessel. 2. Not to
enter the chvnnel unless they have a pilot. 3. Not to
attemptrtel7s.seapassage from
their
vessels
sCr s
er
whentradt to S
loaded
draw Petersburg,
snore
than eight feet, and in the contrary case, either to
ighten the vessel or to come to an anchoz upon the first
requisition to that effect made by the commanders of the
guard ship and light vessel. 4. Any vessel of whatso-
ever nation or dimensit n which, notwithstanding the
injunctions of the competent authorities, shall infringe
the above mentioned regulations, will be liable to pay
' tine of 25 silver roubles."