The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-20 00:00:00

THE ARMI

The following circular memorandum relating to
soldiers' wives has been promulgated by the Ad-
jutant• General, Sir J. Yorke Scarlett :
With reference to article 65 of the regulations
for the purveyors, dated January 1,1860, by which
medical officers are permitted to draw upon the
purveyor for medical comforts, when deemed abso-
lutely necessary, for the wives, and children of
soldiers married with leave under a certificate from
the officers commanding, the Secretary of State for
War has, at the instigation of his Royal Highness
the General Commanding-in-Chief, been pleased so
far to relax the order for obtaining the commanding
officer's certificate before issue as in cases of great
urgency, where delay' would be injurious to the
patient, to permit the issue to be made on the certi-
ficate of the medical officer that the case requires
immediate attention, and with the understanding
that the requisition will be backed by the command-
ing officer as soon after as possible. His Royal
Highness therefore requests that commanding
officers will be most particular in their inquiries as
to the necessity of the issue before their signature
is obtained, as any abuse of this boon to the soldier's
family will inevitably deprive them of its continu-
ance."

The detachments of Royal Engineers who pro-
ceed to the Mediterranean with the 31st and 33d
companies, to augment the troops serving at Gib-
raltar, Malta, and Corfu,have been completed from
the non-commissioned officers and men composing
the depot companies at head-quarters, the whole of
them having gone through their course of instruc-
tion in pontooning, sapping and mining, and field-
works. The two companies, as well as the detach-
ments, embark at Portsmouth in the Himalaya, and
will leave Chatham on the 26th inst.

The large ranges of buildings erected on the south
side of Brompton barracks square, on either side of
the Crimean memorial arch, having been com-
pleted and fitted up for the use of the Royal
Engineers,: were yesterday appropriated to the
purposes for which they were built. The principal
block of buildings contains a large lecture theatre
capable of accommodating several hundred men,
together with class-rooms and school-rooms. The
range of buildings an the opposite side of the
Crimean arch include libraries, school-rooms, litho-
graphic, photographic, and printing and engraving
rooms, the whole of which are fitted up with all the
most modern improvements and inventions in con-
nexion with those branches of practical science.
We have to record the death of Major-General
Mercer, late Col.-commandant of the Woolwich
division of Royal Marines, who expired on Tuesday
last at his residence, Southsea. The deceased en-
tered her Majesty's service in 1803, and assisted at
the destruction of the French squadron in the
Basque roads. In 1810 he repeatedly landed on the
north coast of Spain, co-operating with the patriots.
In 1812, while on board her Majesty's ship Java,
he was engaged with and captured by the United
States' frigate Constitution. In recognition of his
services the deceased had been decorated with the
war medal with one clasp. His commission bore
date as follows :—Lieut., October, 1805 ; eapt., July,
1826 ; major, November,
1841 ; lieut.-col., Novem-
ber, 1846 ; col., May, 1851 ; and major-gen. in 1856.
A detachment of non-commissioned officers of the
Royal Artillery was yesterday despatched from
head-quarters, Woolwich; to Oxford, for the par.