The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-16 00:00:00

THE A.RIIII.

The Earl de Grey and Ripon, Under-Secretary
of State for War, accompanied by Major-General
Tulloh, Director-General of Ordnance, and Sir W.
Armstrong, K.C.8., yesterday paid an official visit
to the Royal gun factories of Woolwich Arsenal.
Having been receive.l by Mr. J. Anderson, resident
superintendent of the department, they proceeded
to the forge, and witnessed the process of winding
and welding one of the coils used in the formation
of the Armstrong guns. They next visited the finish-
ing shops, whence the guns are now being turned
out at the rate of 30 per week—namely, 10 100-
pounders and 20 12-pounders. After examining the
sighting of the guns, they proceeded to the store,
and inspected the new shunt gun fitted with the
wedge breech-loading arrangement, by which the
gun is fired three times per minute. A 20-pounder
gun, made by the celebrated Krupp, of Essen, in
Prussia, and which burst at proof, on Saturday
last, at the second round, was pointed out to his
lordship. The bore and rifling of this gun are on
the Armstrong principle, but the breech arrange-
ment is similar to that used in the Prussian guns.
the visitors, before returning to London, attended
the proof of a batch of 100-pounder guns at the butt.
The War-office authorities have issued a circular
with reference to smart money paid by recruits,
from which we extract the following :—" With re-
ference to the regulations quoted in the margin,
regarding the release of recruits from their enlist-
ment on payment of smart money, the Secretary of
State for War has decided that from this date the
distribution of smart money shall be as folblorwsir
to
meet the
dthed tpublic
8.
6d., the difference of is. being inten e o
sec. 44 of the
charge for the fee payable, under
Mutiny Act, to the magistrates'
To the recruiting party, as.. 6d.:
clerk for reporting
the smart. The smarts should, however, be brought
to credit in the public account at the full rate of
20s. each, the payment to the recruiting party and
the fee to the magistrates' clerk being charged
under the proper headings."

We understand that in a few days a grand dis-
play is likely to take place at Aldershott. A com-
bined attack is to be made on the fortifications at
Hungry-hill, which will be mounted with Arm-
strong guns. Pickets, patrols, and outposts will be
thrown out, extending from the Royal Arms to the
Lower Farnham Road.

Tho present strength of the camp at Colchester
is 66 officers, and 1,600 noncommissioned officers,
privates, and drummers, and 100 men in hospital.
The number of officers absent from the camp on
leave is about 100.
The prisoner Henry Warder, who was recently
tried by General Court-martial at Chatham, on
a charge of having deserted from the 17th
Lancers in the Crimea, in 1855, during the war with
Russia, has been released from custody, the Court
before which he was tried having, it is understood,
acquitted him.
The staff sergeants of the garrison at Portsmouth
held a meeting on Thursday evening to present
Staff-Sergeant-Major O'Neil with a testimonial on ,

It may be remembered that the .New York
Herald some time ago stated that Sir James Fer-
gusson, the member for Ayrshire, had acted the
part of a spy, and had conveyed messages from this
country to Jeff. Davis, the President of the Confe-
derate States. Sir James, who has just returned
home after a tour through Canada and the States,
thus rebuts the accusation :

!' Ayr, Nov. 12, 1861.

"Sir,—Since my return from America my atten-
tion has been called to the fact that a paragraph
from a New York newspaper, charging me with
having carried despatches or intelligence to or
from the Government of the Southern Confederacy,
has been noticed by the journals in this country.

It even seems to have been imagined that I had
committed some acts which, in the present excited
state of public feeling in the Northern States, might
have subjected me to detention or annoyance. Had
I not the honour to hold an office in connection
with this county, which entitles the public within
it to an interest in my good name, I should not
have thought it necessary to notice publicly such
idle tales, nor shall Ido so elsewhere. But al-
though I feel confident that to all whoihnow me
here no contradiction is requisite, lest -any may
think it due I beg to state explicitly that, in the
whole course of my interesting andinstructive tour,
I meddled in no way in the affairs of the Northern
and Southern States, Travelling solely with a
view to inform myself upon the momentous ques-
tion at issue, I committed no act which did not be-
become a foreigner and a private 'individual. I
complied with every regulation, however.excep-
tional, and did not attempt to cross the frontier
into the Southern States till I had called upon the
Federal general in command of the department, and
obtained his free and willing sanction to my doing
so. It is not my fault that a New York journalist
was incapable of understanding that a gentleman
could enjoy the confidence of the commanders on
both sides without abusing that of either. I would,
however, add that the libel of the New York Herald
was the only exception to the uniform and remark-
able courtesy which I had the pleasure of receiving
from' every person, of whatever rank, with whom I
tame in contact, whether in the ' United' or Con-
federate' States.—l am, &e.,
" JAMES FERGUSSON."