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

THE ARMY.

The annexed General Order relating to the Staff
College has just been promulgated

a Horse Guards, 5.117%, May 12.
" The following regulations regarding the examination
of officers who may be candidates for admission to the Staff
College are published for the information of the army, in
reference to the first part of the General Order, dated
Feb. 4.

"HOME STATIONS.

" Officers serving in the United Kingdom who are desir-
ous of entering the Staff College will be examined iu Lon
don on the Ist of August next.

" Commanding officers of Royal Artillery, Royal Engi-
neers, and of all regiments and depots of the cavalry,
Guards, and line on the home stations will forward to the
Adjutant General, through the usual channels, for the con-
sideiation of the General Commanding-in-Chief, the appli-
cations of such officers as wish to compete for admission,
together with the necessary certificates.
" These applications should be sent in not later than the
let of July ; after which date the officers approved by his
Royal Highness will be instructed to place themselves in
communication with the Council of Military Education,
with the view to their receiving the regulations for the ex-
amination.

"FOREIGN STATIONS,

" At foreign stations the following regulations will be
strictly adhered to :
"A Board of officers will be appointed by the General
officer in command, and will consist of three officers, one of
whom to be, when practicable, a Staff officer, having the
rank of field officer, and the other two, if possible, not un-
der the rank of captain. One of these officers will belong to
one of the scientific corps, when any such officers can be
obtained.

" The examinations will be conducted by means of the
same printed questions as are set for the examination of
candidates in London, and they are to be answered in the
presence of the Board.

" The Board will give to each candidate a number,
which he will affix to each of his examination pal ers, in-
stead of his name. He will retain the same number
throughout the examination. _

" The board will give to each candidate a paper of the
printed examination questions on each subject at the time
specified for the examination on that subject.
" The candidates will write their answers to the 'ques-
tions in thepresenceof the board, and these papers, together
with the printed examination questions, will be collected at
the hour appointed, and made up into a packet, which will
be sealed before being taken from the examination-room.
" The board will, immediately on the conclusion of the
examination, forward the papers of the candidates to the
General officer commanding, for transmission to the Coun-
cil of Military Education, accompanied by a certificate that
the candidates obtained no assistance from books, or help of
any kind, in their examination. The board will at the same
time forward the names of the candidates corresponding
with their index numbers in the examination in a separate
envelope for transmission to the Council of Military Edu-
cation.

" The following will be the order of the examination
First Day.—Mathematics—Obligatory portion, first paper,
three hours ; ditto, second paper, and voluntary portion,
first paper, three hours. Second Day.—Mathematics—
Voluntary portion, second paper, three hours; Military
History, first paper, three hours. Third Day.—Military
History—Second paper, three hours; third paper, three
hours. Fourth Day—French, three hours ; Chemistry,
three hours. Fifth Day.—German; three hours ; Geology,
three hours. Sixth Day.—Fortification, three hours ;
ditto, three hours. Seventh Day.—Military Drawing,
three hours ; ditto, three hours
" There will be in all cases an interval of not less than
one hour between the two periods of examination on each
day. The papers will be collected at the rppointed hours
by a member of the board. Any candidate, however, who
may have finished' his examination paper on any subject
before the hour named may deliver it into the hands of
a member of the •board. Candidates will bring their
writing and drawing materials, instruments, Sze., and also
the tables of logarithms they are in the habit of using. No
other books or notes of any description will be allowed to be
used.

" It is scarcely necessary to observe that no communica-
tion whatever will be allowed between the candidates at the
examination. Officers commanding regiments abroad are to
transmit to the General officer in command a return of the
officers desirous of competing, together with a medical cer-
tificate of good health, and fitness for the active duties of

the staff. 8-ucli officers will then be ordered to join at head-
quarters for examination, or at any other places which may
be selected for the convenience of those at the more distant
stations.

" With reference to paragraph 4 of the Horse Guards'
Memorandum of the 17th of December, 1857, which directs
'that if the commanding officer of the regiment or the
General officer commanding cannot recommend the applica-
tion of any candidate, the grounds of objection are to be dis-
tinctly stated,' it is to be observed that, as there will not be
.time •at -distant foreign ritgtions' to' refer to the Adjutant-
General on the subject, such office'r' should in all cases be
permitted to undergo his examination, on the understanding,
however, that the objections urged against his application
will still be submitted for the decision of his Royal High-
ness the General Commanding-in-Chief.
" General officers commanding at foreign stations will
place no restrictions upon officers competing, further than
the exigencieA of the service may absolutely require. Only
one officer can be spared from a battalion at a time for the
pprpose of studying at the Staff College ; but this rule will
not prevent the examination of candidates from battalions
which have officers now at the College, whose course of
study will terminate in December next.
" General officers commanding at foreign stations will
select the hours for the examination which are best suited
to the climate and circumstances of the country, taking care,
however, to conform strictly to the number and distribution
of the hours as detailed in the foregoing regulations.
" On the completion of the examinations at their head-
quarters General officers commanding should transmit the
candidates' papers immediately to the Council of Military
Education without waiting for those of out-stations, and in
like manner they should forward without delay the papers
from each out-station as soon as received.
"Officers serving abroad who may be successful candi-
dates will be allowed the regulated passage money home on
joining. the Staff College.
"The names and examination numbers of the successful
candidates, and the examination numbers alone of the un-
successful candidates, will be published immediately after
the reports of the examiners have been received by the Coun-
cil of Military Education, with the marks gained in each
subject, and the place attained by each candidate.
"By order of his Royal Highness the General Command..
ing-in-Chief.

cg G. A. WETHERALL,
Adjutant-General."
His Royal Highness the General Commanding-
in-Chief, attended by Gen. Forster, ICH., and
accompanied by his Aide-de-Camp, Col. Lord
Burghersh, C. 8., Coldstream Guards, visited the
Rifle Depot Battalion at Winchester last week.
The battalion, which is commanded by Col. Nor-
cott, C. 8., comprises the depots of the Ist, 2d, 3d,
and 4th battalions of Rifle Brigade, and the depots
of the Ist, 2d, and 3d battalions of the 60th Reg.,
and numbers nearly 1,500 men, was formed on
parade in open column of companies, right in front,
and was minutely inspected by his Royal High-
ness, after which they marched past in slow and
quick time and weiit through a variety of field
evolutions and movements, and were also put
through the manual and bayonet exercise by 1119 or
Macdonell. At the conclusion of the inspection
his Royal Highness expressed himself much pleased
with what he had seen, and highly complimented
Col. Norcott upon the state of efficiency and dis-
cipline of the battalion. Several draughts belong-
ing to Indian depots are under orders to join the
service companies of the regiments early next
month.

On Saturday orders were received at Chatham
for the 18th company of Royal Engineers to pro-
ceed at six o'clock this morning to Weymouth, for
the purpose of being employed in putting the line
of coast in that neighbourhood in a thorough state
of defence, and erecting batteries and earthworks
for mounting heavy guns in those parts which
are now unprotected. During the time the Royal