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 John 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, furished 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 [the
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-
Major 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 hearingread
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 CRUSOE'S

ISLAND.

While on board the ship Golden Rocket, lying at
Greenwich Dock, °ye 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 lass 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 to
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.
The casks must be taken on shore and filled,
roiled 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 projett was found to be im-
practicable, and the convicts were 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 abede, no one ventured 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 by 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-
vice 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 concluded. 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 Messrsand . Se
Leymverour,
Peacock, and Co., and by .Iklessrs. Howard .
Australian and New Zealand Gazette.
HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION, BROMPTON.—On
Sunday muffin.. the Right Hon. and Right Rev. Lord
Auckland, Bishop of Bath and Wells, preached a sermon
at St. Andrew's Churchico, 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
derive o benefit been relieved, many of whom had
derived the greatest . 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 expenses, to meet which the regular
annual subscriptions did not exceed £3,000, leaving the
difference Atobre
amiedeinguptebytklheonuatniroenms churches,unremitting
e attention leg a-f
cthiee medical fte
officers and nurses, he concluded by, pointing
out that 114 persons were actually waiting admission.
collection was made. at the cicse of the service.