The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-15 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The Commander-in-Chief, we aye informed, has
ordered that the kit which is to be issued to the
new Commissariat Corps is to be similar to that
now in use by the Royal Engineer Corps.
On Thursday last his Royal Highness the Com-
mander-in-Chief, accompanied by Major-General
Forster, KM., Deputy Adjutant-General, and, C
Clifton, Aide-de-Camp to his Royal Highness, C
in-
spected the 26th Regiment (Camercatians) on the
Pavilion grounds' at Weedon, and expressedhim-
self highly pleased with the appearance of that
corps. His Royal Highness was subsegnently con-
ducted by Capt. Smith, the military inspector of
saddlery, through the commodious storehouses of
the late army clothing depot at that station, which
at present contain small arms, and after a careful
inspection of the several stores, particularly of those
in the Saddlery Department, with which he ap-
peared highly satisfied, his Royal Highness left for
town.
The half-yearly inspection of the corps of Royal
and Indian Engineers was made at Chatham yes-
terday by Major-Gen. H. Eyre, commandant of
the garrison. The officers and men belonging to the
two corps assembled on the parade ground,
Brompton Barracks, at 10 o'clock yesterday morn-
ing, the non-commissioned officers and men being
in marching order. Owing to the large number of
recruits now at head-quarters, the detachments are
very strong, but several of the companies are below
their requirad strength. On the arrival of Major-
Gen. Eyre, who was accompanied by Col. H. Sand-
ham, Director of the Royal Engineer Establish-
ment ; Licut.-Col. Stanton, C. 8., Assist.-Adjt.-
Gen. ; Brigade Major Gordon, and other members
of the Staff, the whole force, which was under the
command of Lieut.-Col. A. P. G. Ross, received the
General with the usual salute. The troops having
been formed in quarter-distance columns, Major-
Gen. Eyre proceeded to make an inspection of each
company, passing up and down the front and rear
of each. The men's kits and accoutrements were
then inspected, after which Major-Gen. Eyre asked
if any man had any complaints to make, but there
was no response to this appeal. The corps were then
put through a few movements, all of which were
well executed, after which Major-Gen. Eyre briefly
addressed the officers and men, expressing his satis-
faction at the result of his inspection and the ap-
pearance of the men. The troops were then dis-
missed, after which Major-Gen. Eyre visitedseveral
portions of the Royal Engineer establishment,., in-
cluding the school-rooms, officers halls of study,
&e., and then proceeded to the Adjutant's office and
inspected the books and accounts of the corps. On
the previous day Major-General Eyre paid an un-
expected visit to Brompton Barracks, when he went
through the barrack-rooms and visited several parts
of the barracks, for the purpose of ascertaining in
what condition they were, when all were found to
be in very creditable order. The inspection occu-
pied the General until late yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday it was announced at Brompton Bar-
racks that the detachment of Royal Engineers,
selected to proceed to China for the purpose of
strengthening that force, are to be held in readi-
ness to embark for their destination on the 20th
inst, The detachments take out with them every
requisite in stores, including a liberal supply of
light clothing fit for the climate.
The two companies of the 33d Royal Wiltshire
Regiment of Militia, in command of Captain K.
Skeete, which arrived at Woolwich on the sth of
September for temporary garrison duty, were on
Thursday relieved by two companies of her Ma-
jesty's 9th Regiment of the Line, the East Norfolk,
in command of Major Charlesll. Leslie. The com-
panies consist, in addition to Major Leslie, of 4
subalterns, 1 assistant-surgeon, and 233 non-com-
missioned officers and men, the whole of whom, with
the exception of the married men, are quartered in
a portion of the Royal Marine Barracks vacated by
the Militia. The latter have proceeded on duty to
Dover, and on their departure from the garrison
they were played down to the railway station by
the regimental band of the Royal Marines. Their
conduct during their month's stay in Wool-
wich has been notified as orderly, peace-
able, and deserving of comment. On their
passage to the railway station they were saluted
with the good wishes of the inhabitants, and in
the thoroughfare near the station they were heartily
cheered as they turned to leave the town.
The battalion of Royal Marines, in command of
Col. Stransliam, were yesterday mustered in the
whole available force of 600 men, and were put
through a course of battalion movements on Wool-
wich-common. The young corps, composed totally
of volunteers and recruits, displayed a fine soldierly
appearance under arms, and went through ten
rounds of musket firing with blank cartridge, as
well as other exercises, such as forming, marching
past, &c., with remarkable precision and aptitude.
Fifty volunteers from the detachments serving
on board the Channel squadron have left Plymouth
Sound in the Avon, to join the Royal Marine Artil-
lery companies at Portsmouth, and their vacancies
have been stipplied with 50 privates (young soldiers)
from Woolwich.

Lieut. and Adjt. W. S. Morris, of the Plymouth
division of Royal. Marines, has received the gold
medal which was awarded to him by the Chamber
of Commerce, New York, for services performed on
board her Majesty's ship Agamemnon during the
laying down of the Atlantic Telegraph cable.

ALARNLyG FIRE IY COLCRESTER
CAMP.

COLCHESTER, Oct. 14.—Last evening, shortly
after nine o'clock, the entire camp was thrown into
the utmost consternation by the alarm of fire, and
very quickly the sounding of bugles and the roll of
drums conveyed the information to the inhabitants
of the town, who flocked in hundreds to the camp,
hut of course were not admitted within the gates.
The fire, it appears, was then raging in the kitchen
of the sergeants' mess of the 9th Battalion, situated
in the E range of huts, and composed entirely of
weather boarding. Besides the cook of the mess,
there were living, in separate compartments, be.
neath the same roof, two married soldiers, each with
a large family-, and a staff sergeant. The smoke
was first seen pouring from the kitchen windows,
and some soldier having imprudently smashed the
glass,
the flames burst forth with uncontrollable
fury, and in a few moments enwrapped the entire
building, which had been but recently painted.
The poor men had only time to snatch their sleep-
inr, children from bed and escape to safer quarters,
the progress of the flames being so rapid as to pre-
vent them from saving any of their furniture or
clothes, and they consequently have lest their little
all. The moment the alarm was sounded, the men,
who were just returning into camp for the night,
fell into rank, and - under the command of their
several officers, proceeded to the spot with the en-
gines and fire-screens with which the camp is pro-
vided, while others formed line and conveyed
buckets of water from the remoter wells. The
supply of water was good, but it was soon found im-
possible to save the building in which the fire origi-
nated,and efforts were put forth to prevent the spread
of the conflagration, which at one time threatened
the entire destruction of that part of the camp.
Several of the surrounding buildings, from the in-.
flammable nature of the. felt with which the roofs
are covered, and the newly painted timber of which
they are composed, were in great danger, and once
or twice ignited ; but by the application of wet
blankets and the stream of water poured from the
engine:, the flames were subdued, and by half-past
10 o'clock all danger was at an end. -Fortunately
there was a dead calm, for had the wind blown at
all fresh from either east or west, the destruction
of a great part of the camp would have been inevi-
table. The officers and men all conducted them-
selves in the most praiseworthy manner, Colonel
Street, Commandant of the 10th Depot Battalion,
being particularly conspicuous in encouraging the
men to work the. engines and fetch water. The
origin of the fire is at present unknown, but it will
undergo strict investigation. The system of warm_
inn flick huts by flues through the roof having
been defective, brick chimneys were substituted, so
that the fire cannot be traced to that cause, and the