The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-25 00:00:00

2HE NAVY.

The portion of the Channel squadron which is at
Plymouth is nearly ready for sea. The Revenge is
lying inside the Breakwater, and may proceed to-
day to join the Warrior at Portland.
The gunboat Porpoise, tender to the Revenge,
having proved defective, is ordered to be superseded.
The screw steamship Mohawk, 4, Commander E.
11. Howard, from the Mediterranean, last from
Spithead, arrived yesterday in Plymouth Sound,
where her crew was inspected. In the afternoon
the Mohawk will proceed into Hamoaze, prepara-
tory to her being paid off.
The crew of the Cambrian, 40, Commodore James
M‘Cleverty, at Devonport, will be paid off to-day.
The screw steamship Orion, 89, Capt. William C.
de Vere, from the Mediterranean, arrived off Ply-
mouth Sound yesterday afternoon, and then pro-
ceeded to Sheerness, where her crew will be paid
off.
The crew of the screw steam sloop Greyhound, 17,
Commander Sullivan, at Plymouth, were inspected
on Wednesday by Capt. Jerningham, and exercised
at target practice. Yesterday she went from the
sound into Hamoaze, where her present cre w will
be paid off. On the arrival of the Gladiator, 6,
Commander Henry D: Hickley, at Plymouth, her
crew will be transferred to the Greyhound, which
is not to be dismantled.
His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Constan-
tine of Russia embarked from Ryde pier yesterday
on board her Majesty's steamer Fire Queen, Master-
Commander Paul, and crossed over to Portsmouth
to visit the dockyard. On landing at the King's-
stairs he was received by Vice-Admiral Sir H. W.
Bruce, Rear Admirals Hon. G. Grey and J. E.
Erskine. He returned to Ryde in the Fire Queen.
The Portuguese screw steam frigate Bartolemo
Diaz arrived at Spithead yesterday from South-
ampton, for the purpose of docking. She will be
placed in the dock lately occupied by the Warrior,
at high water to-day ; and, as the Hero, 91, screw
steamer, Capt. Ryder, also requires docking, it is
very probable that she will go into the new dock
at the same time as the Portuguese corvette, there
being room to spare after taking in both vessels.
The Assurance, 4, screw steamer, Commander C.
Aynley, arrived at Spithead yesterday morning,
from the Mediterranean, having sailed from Malta
on the 9th inst.
The President, 51, being nearly completed, and
ready to be undocked during the next spring tides,
orders were received at Chatham yesterday for the
hired shipwrights and mechanics who have been em-
ploye& on her to be discharged to-morrow, their ser-
vices being no longer required. It was generally un-
derstood that the hired shipwrights entered for the
President would,on the completion of that vessel, be
transferred to the Bulwark, 91, which is to be con-

verted into an armour-plated 51-gun screw frigate, 6

the Royal Oak and Ocean class,but the final orders for
the proposed alterations of that vessel not having
yet been received at the dockyard, the discharge of
the shipwrights will be made to-morrow, and addi-
tional hands entered as they are required.
An Admiralty circular was yesterday received at
Woolwich, announcing that a medal roll is in course
of compilation of the officers and seamen who are
entitled to medals and clasps for the late China war.
In order to make the roll in question complete, a
list of the officers and men in each division of the
Royal Marines is tobe prepared, showing under the
name of the ship in which each person served the
number of clasps he claims in addition to the medal.
Should any officer or marine have been engaged in
any active operations against the enemy between
the dates of the first and second periods of the China
war—viz., June 27, 1858, and July 31, 1860, and not
have been present either before or after that date, a
separate list of such exceptions ought to accompany,
but not be included in the roll to be forwarded.
An Admiralty order has been received at Wool-
wich instructing an immediate reduction in the ex-
penditure of the factory branch of the dockyard,
on the plea, OS stated, of the heavy expense incurred
in the construction of the Warrior, and the conse-
quent scarcity of funds, the reduction to be effected
in the following manner :—Of the total number of
men employed in the factory—namely, 550,150 are
to be discharged, and the standing wages of those
retained will be curtailed one-third, the hours of
work to commence in future at 8 and terminate at 4.
The principal draughtsmen, now earning 7s. per
day, or £2 2s. per week, will be reduced to £1
95., losing 13s. per week; and the labouring men
will receive 10s. only. This severe and uncalled for
measure has, of course, created great dissatisfac-
tion among those who suffer from it.

THE ARMJ.

Yesterday morning the whole of the troops nom•
posing the 9th and 10th battalions stationed at Col.

cheater were assembled on garrison parade to wit-
ness the interesting ceremony of decorating four
old soldiers with good conduct medals. The men
whose meritorious conduct was thus publicly recog-
nised were—Provost-Sergeant Brack and Private
Bishop, both of the 66th Foot ; Private Lally, let
battalion sth Fusiliers ; and Private Tabrum, 44th
Foot ; each of whom had been connected with his
depot for several years, and some of whom wore
three or four good conduct stripes. Three of the faur
soldiers also received money gratuities in addition
to their medals.

Major-Gen. Rumley, Inspector-General of Infan-
try, yesterday resumed his inspection of the depots
in Colchester camp by a careful examination of the
battalion and hospital books, and returned to Lon-
don in the afternoon. It is understood that the
general condition both of the men and the buildings
composing the camp was found to be highly satis-
factory.
Yesterday a further discharge of troops, to the
number of 165 non-commissioned officers and men,
took place from the invalid establishment, St.
Mary's, Chatham, the whole of that number having
been found to be unfit for further service. The
troops discharged belonged to the Military Train,
Ist (Royals), 4th (King's 0 iva), sth (Fusiliers), Bth
(the King's), 12th, 13th (Prince Albert's Light In-
fantry), 15th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 29th, 31st, 34th,
35th, 37th, 43d (Light Infantry), 51st (Light In-
fantry), 52d (Light Infantry), 56th, 61st, 66th, 75th,
77th, 81st, 83(1, 88th (Connaught Rangers), 91st,
and the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiments. The dis-
charged men were forwarded to their homes at the
publie expense.
The 17th and 24th companies of Royal Engineers
will, on their arrival at Portsmouth from the Medi-
terranean, proceed, the 17th to join headquarters at
Chatham, and the 24th to Aldershot camp. The 9th
company will leave the camp immediately on the
arrival of the 24th and proceed to Woolwich, reliev-
ingthe
the sth company, which will return to Chatham
same rill- The sth company, since it has been
stationed at-Woolwich, has been employed in various
engineering duties of that garrison, and has been
reduced to about 10 men of
all ranks. On its arrival
at headquarters, however, it will be completed to
its fall number from the, depot companies at Chat-
ham.

The officers and men composing the batteries of
the first division of the depot
uric
%de, Royal Artil-
lery, at Sheerness, were drawn np yesterday
morn-
ing on their parade ground to witness the Presenta-
tion of a silver medal, together with a
X 5, which had been awarded by the Duke of Cain_
bridge to Gunner Alfred Cavanagh, of No. 2 bat-
tery, for long service and good conduct. The medal
was presented by Lieut.-Col. Talbot.
The Royal Artillery stationed at Portsmouth were
yesterday officially inspected in marching order on
the Governor's-green, by Major-Gen. Lord W. Pau-
let, C. 8,, Lieut.-Governor of the garrison and com-
manding the district.
Col. Campbell, commanding the Woolwich divi-
sion of Royal Marines, yesterday assembled the
battalion on parade, and selected 20 volunteers from
the Light Infantry to be transferred to the Artillery
division. Each man selected was required to be
sft. Bin. in height (the average height of the divi-
sion being Mt. 6in.), and suitable in every other re-
spect for the Artillery, who are not expected to re-
emit their own men, but,
by a manifest injustice,
are Permitted to deprive the Light
Infantry of the
VITT Ix
8t men when they have
state of_been drilled to a
4isbt beingefficiency.oo 4Zreat attention was paid as to
number of recruits were yes-