The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-12 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

We have authority for stating that there is no
foundation for the statement of our Chatham corre-
spondent to the effect that Sir Jahn Burgoyne has
retired from the service, and has resigned his office
as Inspector-General of Fortifications. All that has
been done is to readjust the War Department, and
Sir John Burgoyne's services remain, as they have
been for upwards of 50 years, at the disposal of his
country.
The Ist brigade of Garrison Artillery, equipped
for infantry practice, and furnished with 15 rounds
of blank cartridge ; and the 4th brigade of Field
Artillery, furnished with an equal amount of
ammunition for their guns, were yesterday assem.
bled in marching order at 11 o'clock, on the Artil-
lery-parade, Woolwich,
,and were marched to the
review-ground, and drawn up in contiguous quar-
ter-distance columns, the infantry forming fthe
centre, flanked on either side by the guns of the
4th brigade. Arrived about the centre of the Com-
mon, a heavy fire of artillery was opened from a
battery of guns stationed on the eminence at the
rear of the Cadets' Academy, whereupon a rapid
advance was ordered, and after a sharp conflict, in
which various unsuccesfful attempts were made to
capture the enemy's position, they were ordered to
retreat. The troops were commanded by Major-
General Sir Richaad Dacres, K.C.8., Commandant,
attended by Lieut.-Col. Hopkins, C. 8., Royal Ma-
rine Light Infantry, Major Reilly, A.D.C., Brigade-
Maj or Shaw, Deputy-Assistant-Quartermaster•Gen.
Capt. Freeth, and other officers of the garrison.
-Yesterday the corps of the Royal Engineers and
the East India Sappers and Miners, now at
Brompton barracks, Chatham, were drawn up on
their parade-ground for the purpose of hearing read
the finding and sentence of a district court martial,
which assembled on Saturday last for the trial of a
Sapper of the Royal Engineers, , named Williams,
who was tried on the separate charges of having
used highly insulting and offensive language to-
wards a non-commissioned officer of the corps, for
trying to knock down a corporal who was in the
execution of his duty and for making away with
his regimental necessaries. The prisoner has only
been about 15 months in the service, and a short
time ago was sentenced to 112 days' imprisonment
for knocking down.a sergeant and a corporal. The
Court found him guilty of the present charges, and
adjudged him to receive 50 lashes, and also to be
imprisoned for 56 days. On the finding and sen-
tence of the Court being submitted to. Major-Ge-
neral Eyre for approval, the sentence of the cor-
poral punishment was commuted to 42 days' hard
labour, making 98 days' imprisonment the prisoner
will have to undergo. The infliction of corporal
punishment in the Royal Engineers is exceedingly
rare.

A VISIT TO _ROBINSON CRUSOB'S

ISLAND.

While on board the ship Golden Rocket, lying at
Greenwich Dock, we were permitted by Capt. C.
N. Pendleton to examine his log book, in which he
gives an account of his visit to the Island of Juan
Fernandez (Robinson Crusoe's Island). The ship
was on her last passage to this port from Boston,
and had on board 55 passengers (25 of whom were
ladies), who intend to make California their future
place of residence. Getting short of water, Capt.
Pendleton decided to stop at Juan Fernandez for a
further supply, and therefore shaped his course
thither—the island being nearly in his track. At
6 p.m. on the evening of March 24 they doubled
the eastern end of the island, and at 7 rounded fo
off the Bay of St. Joseph, at the head of which the
few inhabitants now remaining on the island are
located. The facilities for loading water at the
island Capt. Pendleton represents to be not very
good. '[he casks must be taken on shore and filled,
rolled back into the water and parbuckled into
the boat. While the crew were at this work the
passengers rambled off in different directions to
make discoveries. The island is 25 miles long by
about four in breadth. The land is very high,
rising in rugged, precipitous peaks—one of them,
called Tunkque, 3,500 feet above the level of the
sea. The peaks are generally overhung with
clouds. The valleys are .exceedingly fertile, the
grass growing to the height of six or eight feet.
Figs, strawberries, peaches, and cherries abound
in their season. The Golden Rocket was there in
the season of peaches, and the valleys and hill
sides were full of trees loaded down with delicious
fruit. Captain Pendleton bought four barrels of
the inhabitants, and the passengers about as many
more. Strawberries flourish best in December and
January. There are three remarkable caves in the
sides of the hill facing the harbour about 30 feet in •
length, 25 in width, and about the same in height.
The inhabitants now number but 14, of whom
Messrs. Day and Kirkaldie, from Valparaiso, are
the chief persons ; they have been appointed over-
seers of the island by the Chilian Government.
Formerly a penal colony, numbering 500, was
located here, and the caves above mentioned were
used by-them, but the project was found to be im-
practicable, and the convicts \Yee -taken back to
the mainland. The Golden Rocket anchored on
the opposite side from that upon which Selkirk
lived, and there being a mountain to cross to reach
the Robinson Crusoe abode, no one verdured to
make the journey. The best landing is on the
eastern side, but the water is 20 fathoms deep at'
the head of the bay, and in some places so bold is
the shore that a boat tied bv her painter and drift-
ing to the limits would be in 75 fathoms. An im-
mense number of goats are running wild over the
island, and an abundance of fish are taken on every
coast. The water is obtained from a number of
never-failing rivulets trickling down over the rocks
from the cloud-capped mountains.—San Francisco
Times.

Advices have been received from Suez that 550
bales of silk, worth about £50,000, have been saved in good
condition from the wrecked steamer Alma, and placed on
board her Majesty's steamer Furious, which left Moorshed-
gerah for Aden on the 24th June, Much of the baggage
had likewise been saved and forwarded to Aden.

TENDERS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN MAILS.—The
decision on the tenders sent in for the Australian mail ser-
viee by the Panama route has not yet been made, and we
believe there is ground for supposing that it may be delayed
until after the inquiry of the select committee of the House
of Commons on postal contracts has been concludel, We
understand that seven tenders were sent in ; amongst others
by the Peninsular and Oriental, the Cunard, and the Royal
Mail Companies; by Messrs. Croskey, and Messrs. Seymour,
Peacock, and CO., and by Messrs. Howard and Lever.
Australian and New Zealand Gazette.
HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION, BROMPTON.—On
Sunday morning the Right Hon. and Right Rev. Lord
Auckland, Bishop of Bath
.and Wells, preached a sermon
at St. Andrew's Church, Pimlico, on behalf of this hospi-
tal. In appealing for aid, his Lordship stated that, since
the opening in 1846, no less than 6,750 in-patients and
46,255 out-patients had been relieved, z.nany of whom had
derived the greatest benefit. The. hospital now accommo-
dated 200 in-patients, provided with every comfort so re-
quisite to the disease, and which the poor could not obtain
at their own homes. At least £B,OOO was required for the
necessary annual expei:ises, to meet which the regular
annual Bubscriptions did not exceed 43,000, leaving the
difference to be made up by donations at churches, lega-
cies, &c. After alluding to the unremitting- attention of
the medical officers and nurses, he concluded by pointing
out that 114 persons were actually waiting admission. A
'collection was made at the close of the service.•