The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-16 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY AT ALDERSHOTT.

The opening of the military season at camp was
marked by the visit of her Majesty to Aldershott
on Satirday. It was expected in the beginning of
the week that the Royal party would arrive at the
Pavilion early in the morning so as to afford time
for witnessing the evolutions of the troops during
the day ; but if such an arrangement was ever in-
tended it was not carried into effect, as it was past
15 o'clock before the Royal cortege reached camp,
and no movements of any kind took place among
the forces. Her Majesty, accompanied by the
Prince Consort and the Princesses Alice and
Helena, arrived at the Farnborough station at a
quarter to 5 o'clock, where they were received by
'eutenant -General Knollys, Commanding-in-Chief
at Aldershott. The Royal party at once entered
their carriages, and, escorted by a detachment of
the 10th Hussars, drove to the Pavilion, where a
guard of honour from the 9th Regiment was sta-
tioned. The preparations, with a Royal salute
fired from the North Camp, were all that marked
the visit of her Majesty. Not half a dozen people
were along the road to see the cortege pass, and
there is no doubt but that this absence of crowd or
mobbing on these occasions is one of the reasons
which makes her Majesty so partial to visiting
this bleak spot. In the evening the Royal party,
attended by a few of the chief officers in camp,
visited and inspected the recently erected
permanent barracks, near the little hamlet which
gives its name to the whole cantonments. The in-
fantry barracks have been occupied for some time,
and are found to answer all the high expectations
which were formed of their efficiency. With the
troops they are exceedingly popular, and would be
still more so but for the fact of all the parades being
formed of loose flint stones, which destroy their
shoes so rapidly that this, in conjunction with
other causes, renders it almost impossible for the
men to keep out of debt. Among the other causes may
be reckoned the excessive fatigue which all the
corps have in turn to undergo in making roads,
banks, levelling parades, &c. These duties beyond
all question form one of the most important por-
tions of a soldier's education, a portion, too, which
till lately, has been most sadly neglected in the
English army. When this training was first
begun at camp the troops employed on such
fatigues were allowed extra, pay, which made the
work popular, and reimbursed the men for the un-
doubted loss they suffered in wear and tear of uni-
form, boots, &c. Within the last 12 months, how-
ever, this extra allowance has been withdrawn,
and as a matter of course the labour has become
vastly disagreeable since it has ceased to pay.
There is no doubt but that in principle soldiers are
bound and ought to render their service in camp
duties of all kinds without requiring extra allow-
ance for such necessary fatigues as road or parade
making. At the same time it would seem that,
when this labour involves a wear and tear of
clothes to such an extent that the men cannot keep
out of debt, a small allowance to secure them from
loss might be made without incurring an expense
worth speaking. of, or establishing a precedent
which might be injurious to discipline. The Royal
party, after inspecting the Cavalry Barracks,
which are already occupied by the men and horses
of the artillery, with the 10th Hussars and a por-
tion of the 4th Dragoon Guards, proceeded to a
newly-finished wing of the block which has only
just been completed, and which, in a short time,
will be filled by the cavalry corps expected at
camp. The Royal party then returned to the Pa-
vilion, where they remained for the night. Yes-
terday, morning her Majesty and the Royal family
attended Divine Service in the church at the
Camp, where, to prevent the crowding which would
otherwise doubtless have occurred on such an oc-
casion, tickets were previously issued to the regu-
lar congregation only, and beyond these none
were admitted. In the afternoon her Majesty
drove out in the vicinity of the camp, though the
Royal party must have been considerably incom-
moded by the blinding clouds of dust which almost
obscured the face of the country, and which can be
seen nowhere in such distressing perfection as on
the bleak-looking sandy plains which surround the
camp cn all sides.

The effective strength of the camp, which has
been lately reduced by the departure of the North
Down Rifles, 650 strong, and 550 officers and men
of the 100th Royal Canadians, now amounts to
14,200 men of all arms. Deducting camp guards,
sentries to keep the ground, and non-effectives, the
force which will be reviewed in the Long Valley
by her Majesty to-day will amount to about 11,000
infantry, with 1,200 cavalry, 18 guns, and propor-
tionate detachments of Engineers, and Military and
° Enoineer train. The first brigade, composed of the
2d battalion of the 4th, the 11th Regiment, the
36th Regiment, the Staffordshire Militia and North
Wilts Rifles, with a battery of artillery, will be
under the command of Major-General Lord William
Paulet. The 2d brigade, consisting of one battery
of artillery, Ist battalion of the 9th, 2d battalion
of the 11th, 3d West York Rifles, East Kent Militia,
and Oxford Militia, will be commanded by Major-
General the Hon. A. Spencer. The third brigade,
of the 2d battalion of the 47th, a detachment of the
100th, the Antrim Rifles, and the Stirlingshire
Militia, will be under Major-General Lawrence ;
Major-General Lawrenson commands the cavalry
with one troop of Horse Artillery. The Antrim
Rifles, 750 strong, are a recent addition to the
strength of the camp, and make up the deficiency
caused by the removal of the North Down Rifles.
Of the regiments now in cantonments the 2d
battalion of the 4th is under orders for Corfu, and
the 36th is also likely to go to the Mediterranean.
These regiments, we believe, will be replaced by.
the 4th battalion of the 60th, and the 2d bat-
talion of the 22d, each about 850 strong. There
will also, we understand, be a large addition made
to the Cavalry forces, and about the Ist of June, or
soon after, this arm of the service in camp will be
reinforced by the Ist Life Guards, the sth Dragoon
Guards, 18th Royal Irish Hussars, and very pro-
bably the 11th Hussars. These, with the addition
of another troop of Horse Artillery, one for the
Heavy Cavalry, and one for the Light, will give an
effective cavalry force of somewhere about 4,000
sabres. A considerable addition is also expected to
the Infantry, but mostly of militia regiments, and
a summer camp will be formed as usual at Cove-
common. The Ist of June is the date at present
fixed for some regiments to march out and encamp
at ,Woolmer. This date is of course only named,
subordinate to the condition of the weather. While
at Woolmer, the whole force will be on the usual
field rations, killing their own meat, making their
own bread, and in all respects living as if on actual
service against an enemy. Each brigade will pro-
bably remain a week at Woolmer, returning to
Aldershott when another division is ready to occupy
its place. To prepare the men for this mild kind
of campaign, but which, mild as it is, is of the
greatest service to the troops when they do com-
mence active service, men of each company are
already being instructed in the important duty of
killing their own meat and making and baking
their bread. As a flock of between 50 and 60 sheep
are killed and consumed each day in camp, there is
BO lack of opportunity for the men acquiring a
competent knowledge of how their food should be
slaughtered and prepared. Mr. Stevens's bread_
making machine has been tried by the men, and is
found to answer very well, completely kneading the
flour, and turning out whiter and better bread than
that made by hand. Some few kinds of field ovens
are also being tested at camp, and a very simple
one by Mr. Robinson, of the Commissariat Depart-
ment, is likely to answer well.
During the prevalence of the easterly winds the
camp has not been so healthy as it usually is at this
season of the year, and the proportion of deaths has
risen much above tha average.

MANCHESTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE
NEW INDIAN TARIFF.—A meeting of the directors of the
Manchester Chamber of Commerce was held on Thursday,
the principal business at which was the consideration of the
new Indian tariff, imposing increased import duties. Mr.
Edmund Potter, president of the chamber, occupied the
chair, and there were 17 members of the board present.
After some discussion, a resolution was unanimously
adopted, and ordered to be sent to Lord Stanley, President
of the India Board, deprecating the resort to increased import
duties on manufactured goods as a means of raising perma-
nent revenue. In the course of the discussion it was agreed
to be desirable not to prejudice the steps taken by the Indian
Government in the present extraordinary emergency as re-
gards finances, theresolution adopted being a protest against
the continuance of the new system, or any extension of it
hereafter, as calculated to be greatly injurious to England
and to India, and as detrimental to the interests of free trade.
By a subsequent resolution the president and vice-president,
with Messrs. Henry Ashworth, A. Findlay, and Murray
Gladstone, were appointed a committee to consider and re-
port upon the whole subject of Indian finance,—Manchester
Guardian.

CLEVER V
...SCAPE OF A PRISONER.—On Friday
terning a clever esce was made by a man named White
ta custody, at the London-bridge station of the South-
watteite7wßhailway. It appears that about two months since,
Railway o had been in the employ of the South-Eastern
Company for a period of 15 years, absconded from
Ashford, h
tity of leatltvrmg been previously detected stealing a quan-
his apprehension A warrant was subsequently obtained for
day or two ago, :.,hut nothing more was heard of him until a
tam information wheilC
tithe railway authorities received cer-
was then taken charge of to his capture at Deptford. He
to the railway police, at°thebY Inspector Hodson belonging
Bricklayers' Arms station and
at once conveyed to London.hiaPrevious to leaving for Ash-
ford, Inspector Hodson took prisoner into the room of
the
offence, w managheren , bef
he exhibited e whom haepwpoaerencrfronted respecting his
trition. Arrange-
ments were then being concluded for his tiose transmission
paitift his posi-
t° Ashford, when the prisoner contrived
Lion nearer the door, which had been left
perceived by the inspector, and adroitly lefi tcZeen, un-
closing the door after him and locking the inspectorroon
manager in, the key of the room having been left in the lock
on the outside. Before an alarm could be raised White had
succeeded in making his escape, and has not since been
hard a