The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-20 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge went
down to Woolwich yesterday for the purpose of
delivering the prizes of merit to the gentlemen
cadets recommended by the Governor of the Royal
Military Academy as deserving rewards and prizes
for good conduct and acquirements ; and also to in-
spect two of the most important novelties of the
day, both of which are destined for immediate ser-
vice in China ; one is designed for the destruction of
human life, and the other for its preservation; Sir
Wm. Armstrong's new battery of 12-pounder guns,
and Captain Grant's new cooking battery. The
Duke arrived at Woolwich at 10 a.m. in his private
carriage, attended by Lieut.-Col. Thomas H. Clifton,
one of his aides-de-camp, and drove direct to the
Royal Military Institution on Woolwich-common,
where he was received by Gen. Sir Richard Dacres,
1C.C.8., Commandant of Woolwich, and the entire
garrison staff, together with the heads of all depart-
ments, in addition to whom were Major-Gen. Bloom-
field (Inspector-General of 'Cavalry) and his aide-
de-camp,Major Teesdale, • C. 8., Major-Gen. Sir R.
Airey, K.C.B.,QuartermaSter-General; Major-Gen.
Cameron, Vice-President of the Council of Educa-
tion; Major-Gen. Portlock, Lieut.-Col. Elwyn,
Lieut.-Col. Addison, &c., members of the council;
Col. Yorke, Inspector of Studies, and the entire
staff of civil and military officers attached to the
establishment. The company of cadets, who had
been stationed under arms on parade since nine
o'clock, performed the customary salute, and the
band of the Royal Artillery played the National
Air, the. Royal standard having been hoisted on'the
flagstaff at the saluting battery
,near the barracks.
The Commander-in-Chief then proceeded to a mi-
nute inspection of the company, who afterwards
marched past and went through a thorough course
of exercise, his 14 oyal Highness approaching and
examining each division carefully during the evo-
lutions, in order to ascertain, from personal obser-
vation, the state of drill and efficiency attained
by each individual cadet, some of whom
were occasionally called forward by the duke and
ordered to command the movements in turn. His
Royal Highness afterwards withdrew to the grand
dining-hall, where the cadets had assembled, for
the distribution of the prizes, and, after an, appro-
priate address, and many approving remarks rela-
tive to the accounts he had received of their past
studies, and the satisfactory number who had passed
for commissions in the army, he delivered them as
follows :—A Royal Engineer's regulation sword to
Mr. Buckle, first class, awarded for exemplary con-
duct while at the institution during the term of 15
months, and for acquirements and great proficiency
in study ; a double telescope to Mr. Gehle, Artil-
lery class ; an aneroid barometer to Mr. Ferrier,
Artillery class ; a similar prize to Mr. Gehle, sur-
veying class ; a pocket compass to Mr. Buckle,
lieldworks examination; a microscope toe Mr. Gehle,
for chymistry ; a similar prize to Mr. Whinfield,
for geology ; and a similar prize to Mr. Collins, for
excelling in examination on natural philosophy,
during 15 months' study each in the academy.
Also a best pocket sextant to Mr. O'Connor, first
class mathematics ; a prismatic compass to Mr.
Glancy, second class mathematics; a double teles-
cope to Mr. Sale, for first class fortification • a
prismatic compass to Mr. A. Smith, for second flor-
tification; a pocket compass to Mr. O'Connor, de-
scriptive geometry ; for ditto, a pocket compass to
Mr. Kelso ; a French dictionary (Napoleon Landais)
to Mr. Fowler, for French ; " Schiller's Works " to
Mr. Baker, for German ; a prismatic conipass to
2VIr. Rowley, for plain drawing; " Fergusson's •
Handbook of Architecture," to Mr. Greig, for land-
scape drawing; a similar prize, for a like attain-
ment, to Mr. Poole ; and a " History of Ferdinand
and Isabella," to Mr. Cunningham, for history and
geography. The establishment was afterwards
pronounced " broken up" for the vacation. The
following cadets were announced as having been
recommended. for commissions in the Royal Artil-
lery and Royal Engineers :—First class, l`tlessra.
Henry J. W. Gehle, Charles W. Whinfield, Stud-
ley V. Smith, Archibald L. Buckle, Edwin Mar-
shall, Peter G. Tarbet, William H. Patten,William
H. Collins, C. E. B. Leacock, Henry Gordon Palmer,
Marcus F. H. M4Causland, Thomas jessen, Simon
Simpson, Christopher W. Townsend, Francis F.
Barham, George A. Noyes, Henry St. S. C. Borren,
Edmund H. Wickham, Robert J. P. Saunders,
Vincent Wing, and Seymour de L. Lacy. Second
class, Messrs. John R. Smith, Albert J. Hopper,
William Masterson, Reginald F. Morris, George
Harris, Louis J. G. Ferries, Stephen W. Jenner,
Arnold C. Wallinger, Henry Robinson, Augustin
C. C. Mackenzie, Edward Harvey, Morton L.
Porter, Frederick Schack, Henry L. Williams,
William R. Stirke, Pringle D. Barclay, Henry
Graves, Thomas John Jones, Richard T. Mallet,
James L. Bell, Henry Baines, Henry T. T. Sandes,
James R. Yule, Robert T. Farquhar, John Younger,.
Thomas Mulrenan, Charles J. Deshen, Francis C.
H. Hallett, W. F. Nelson, Hugh F. H. Brodie,
Edward Ireland, Richard W. Chute, and George
M. B. Hornsby; total, 54.
After the inspection of the company of cadets,
and the delivery of the prizese his Royal Highness,
accompanied as abeVenamed, proceeded to the-re-
view ground, where the entire body of infantry and
artillery stationed in the garrison were drawn up
for inspection, together with the new Armstrong
battery, and Capt. Grant's cooking battery. Both
were fitted with all their equipments for actual
Service in the field, consisting of thirty carriages,
each drawn by four horses. The destructive
battery appeared to be supplied with all the ap-
pliances which modern warfare demands and human
skill an ingenuity can devise. This is the first.
field
.battery which has been constructed and,
equipped on Sir Williara's principle, arta it is in-
tended to he forwarderl, to China by the overland
route, where it will be fairly tested by the experi-
mental officers appointed to work it. The cooking
battery, although of more humble pretensions, is
equally important in its way. It is composed of six
artillery wavon..s, upon which are fitted all the
for the, cooking. f0r5,000
men. _r
requirements necessary-
Pf‘ of them are .. s.ated vral waat are
termed" ambulating ambulating hoilc.'.r," and the other three
with " pontoon kettles." The former p7oVicles the
means of cooking while troops are on the march,
and the cooking may be carried on at any place,
wherever wheel carriages can travel. Each ambue
leting boiler is capable of ccoking for 800 men, and
weighs 6cwt., so that a regiment of that strength
may have its dinners ready to serve immediately it
halts after a long day's march. These three wag-
gons were yesterday put into practical ope-
ration, by cooking for one portion of the

troops assembled, and the other three were fitted
with the pontoon kettles for cooking on the
ground, and where wheel carriages cannot tin-
verse, these kettles may be slung on horses or mules.
The cylindrical form of these cooking vessels
pcsses.ses an advantage over the ordinary shaped
camp kettle, as they form perfect flues for the fires
to act upon a large portion of their surfaces, and the
dinners for 700 men were well cooked in an hour
and a half, with one set ofkettles, boiling, steaming,
and frying. They are also convertible into a pon-
toon raft or bridge for the passage of infantry across
rivers, hence the name pontoonettles. One set of
kettles was yesterday appropriated to this purpose,
to show the mode of constructing the raft, which is
extremely simple, and quickly done. The inventor
stated, for the information of the Duke, that with
two sets of these kettles he would engage to trans-
port the whole of Sir W. Armstrong's battery of 12
pound guns, &c., across the Thames. A second set
was put in operation to show the mode of cooking
in the ground ; and, in about an hour and a half,
boiled beef and soup, with legs of mutton and po-
tatoes, which were steamed in old powder barrels,
were well cooked and ready to serve, besides a good
supply of beefsteaks and onions, with fried bacon,
prepared in some huge fryingpans provided to an-
swer the double purpose of meat dishes to cut up
the messes. The third set of kettles were left in the
waggon, with all their fitments and tools for sawing
and felling trees for fuel, pickaxes and tools for dig-
ging trenches, &c., in order to show the mode of
packing for transport and travelling with troops on
the march. It was intended to put the-,Armstrong
gun through a course of firing in Plumsfead-marsh,
but in consequence of the unfavourable state of the
weather the 'order was cancelled, and his Royal
Highness returned at an early hour to London.
The first of the additional ten battalions which
it is understood the Government has decided on
having raised, is to be formed at Preston, where the
2d battalion of the 25th Regiment is to be raised.
The command of the battalion has been conferred
on Col. Allen. Orders have been received at Chat-
ham for Capt. H. C. Wilkinson to proceed from that
garrison to Preston, with 60 men, to commence the
formation of the battalion: The regiments to which
it is understood second battalions will be attached
will be up to and including the 35th Regiment.
Lieut.-Col. W. H. March, of the Chatham Divi-
sion of Royal Marines, has received orders to pro-
ceed to China, to command one of the battalions of
Royal Marine Light Infantry.