The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-18 00:00:00

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regiments in o 'pr fir store extended trial ,
e -d ace select Commits
having- satisfied theme, Ives of the value of the it
vention as a military weapon. These rifledmnskets
have an accurate range of 1,200 or 1,300 yards.
They are the same length as the Enfield rifle, and
of equal precision with the Whitworth ; indeed, on
referring to the report of the National Rifle Asso-
ciation recently published, it appears that the three
prizes, the Prince Consort's, the, Duke of Cam-
bridge's, and the Duke of Welliragton's, each at
800, 900, and 1,000 yards, and open to all comers
of all nations, were each won with Westley
Richards' breach-loaders, the gums used having
been made for the Government. This is sufficient
to show the accuracy of the guns st:t long ranges,
and their adaptation for military purposes. This
firm has also large contracts on hand for breech-
loading cavalry carbines, rifled on the same prin-
ciple as the muskets. They are a light and handy
weapon, being only 61b. in weight, and having an
accurate range of 1,000 yards. Somme of these arms
were sent to China for trial during the late war.
IThe report sent home relative to then by Sir Hone
Grant is most satisfactory in every respect. The
ammunition is represented as being the strongest
and best adapted for military purposes of any that
has been served to the troops; it is further added
that a missfire is almost unknown. These breech-
loading weapons, from the rapid manner in Which
they can be loaded, have double and treble the effi-
ciency of weapons on the ordinary principle. They
would be invaluable as an arm for the volunteers in
the colonies.
General Sir Richard Dacres, Commandant at
Woolwich, and the Hon. I. R. Drummond,
Commodore-Superintendent of the dockyard, ac-
companied by other officers, yesterday weld
down from Woolwich
,to Purfleet for the purpose
of inspecting the detachment of Royal Artillery at
that station, and also to carry out the annual sur-
vey of the powder stores and other Government
establishments there. They proceeded to Graves-
end, and inspected the floating defences moored on
either side of the river. Returning to Woolwich,
a modification of Mr. Clark's smoke-preventive
apparatus adapted to war vessels became the subject
of their inspection. It was found to act very well.
The system is now ordered to be employed for two
other vessels in the Royal navy now at Woolwich
—namely, the Bustler and the Monkey.
In answer to the appeal forwarded by General
Sir Richard Dacres, Commandant at Woolwich,
through her Majesty's Privy Parse, on behalf of
the orphan children of the late unfortunate gunner
of the Royal Artillery, Hugh Davis, an official
reply has been received by the widow, inforMing
her that no claims for further allowance can be
entertained by the State. The widow and children
(the youngest only a few months old) are, therefore,
destitute, and but for the indulgence of General
Dacres, who has compassionately allowed them a
few days' grace, they would have been, some days
ago, removed from the hut in which they are still
living by sufferance.
Lieut. John E. Toiler, Lieut, James Gore Booth,
and Lieut. H. G. Pilleau have been transferred
from the Royal Artillery to the Royal Engineers.
Lieut. C. W. Townsend, of the 11th Brigade, is
raised to increased pay therein, vice Campbell. The
following officers of the Royal Artillery are placed
as Colonels on the Staff of the army serving
in Great Britain and Ireland so long as
they shall be employed—Colonel Burke Cuppage,
south-eastern ; Col. Franklin Dunlop, C. 8.,
south-western ; Col. A. A. Shuttleworth, western ;
Col. J. W. Ormsby, Ireland ; and Col. J. W. Fitz-
mayer, C. 8., Aldershott. Col. Charles James
Dalton is placed as a Colonel upon the Staff of the
army serving at Gibraltar, while commanding the
Royal Artillery at that fortress. The following
transfers have been ordered :—Lieut. H. G. Hill,
from No. 5 battery, 2d brigade, to No. 1 battery,
12th brigade, at Plymouth ; Lieut. W. M. Tollner,
from the depot brigade to No. 1 battery, 12th bri-
gade, to do duty at the Cape of Good Hope. The
following Lieutenants, who obtained their commis-
sions on the Ist ult., are to be posted as annexed :
Lieut. H. L. Smith to 15th brigade, sth battery,
Duncannon Fort; Lieut. John Keith, 13th brigade,
Bth battery, Secunderabad; Lieut. Alex. Grubb,
15th brigade, Ist battery, Pembroke Dock ; Lieut.
E. D. Shafto, 2d brigade, 4th battery, Dover;
Lieut. James" Wall, 7th brigade, 3d battery, Quebec ;
Lieut. Samuel Pym,2d brigade, sth battery,Dover;
and Lieut. F. T. Bircham, 6th brigade, 7th battery,
Corfu. The following exchanges have been ap-
proved :—between Lieut. Strange, of No. 1 bat-
tery, and Lieut. Tremlett, of No. 2 battery, 13th
brigade. The former has joined his battery at Se-
cunderabad, and the latter will return to this coun-
try with No. 1 battery. Lieut. Wells is transferred
from No. 1 to No. 3 battery, 7th brigade, and will
remain in Jamaica on the relief of the former by
the latter from Canada.
Orders have been issued to strengthen the fortifi-
cations of Portsmouth at the salient points of their
sea face, and the approaches to Spithead, with 40 of
the 100-pounder Armstrong guns. The sites se-
lected to receive them on the town lines com-
prise the pivot platforms of the three traversing
68-pounders guns of the St. James's-gate, the Sema-
phore 8-inch shell battery, and the King's Bastion.
The auxiliary batteries of Southsea Castle and the
new fort at Lumps will each be supplied with two
of these weapons. Blockhouse Fort, Moncton Fort
and auxiliary earthworks, and the Browndown
batteries will receive their proportion. The re-
mainder will be distributed between Hurst Castle
and the forts of Cliff-end and Victoria, near the
Needles.
The York sailing transport, Captain Redpath,
sailed at 11 a.m. yesterday from Spithead for Dub-
lin, with the detachment of the 87th (Royal Irish)
Fusileers on board she brought home from China.

DR. MARK,

(From the Lancaster Gazette.)

We hasten to express our extreme regret that an
erroneous statement should have originated in our
columns of last week, respecting the liabilities of
the above gentleman. They are not £40,000, as
stated, but only about £2,000. We deeply deplore
this mistake, the more so—since the report has
already reached a wide circulation, and may have
a prejudicial effect upon Dr. Mark. We could have
no vindictive feelings in publishing so gross a mis-
take, had we not received information from a party
pretending to know Dr. Mark's affairs. We have
on the contrary and at all times expressed our full
appreciation of the eminent services Dr. M. is ren-
dering to this country, not only by fostering a love
and taste for music amongst the rising generation
by his effective system of musical education, but
also for the spirit and energy he has displayed in
establishing single handed a National Institution
r
in the midst of.us, from which he intended to Tom.
branches in every locality in the
maintained
i, takiienfd his
For the last three years he has
large establishment at an
expendi-
ture of £lO,OOO, having noth:f he ,i
e of his works
but t
re-
ceipts of his concerts and the._
to depend upon, and travelling
with a num-
ber district.
that
has
occasioned is th the
n-
ffi
of boys giving concerts and lectures to illustrate
his plan practically in
every
resources
suciency of these
.
his noble exertions, this temporary step in and we
pity
consider it a great pi that so valuable
a public in-
stitution as the Royal College of Music, likewise
the energies of its worthyfounder, should be crippled
for incites and for the want of efficient and annual
aid; and when it will be more generally known that
Dr. Mark has laboured for thelast 15 years, and
devoted his honest earnings during that time,
amounting to upwards of £lOO,OOO, in promoting
his scheme, we consider Dr. Mark's present position
a most painful and undeserved one. The public is
greatly indebted to him for his services ; he is the
originator of a great national idea,which has already
advantageously developed itself in the organisation
of numerous juvenile bands since "Dr. Mark and
his little men" have been known about the country;
and we are glad to learn that as soon as Dr. Mark
is at liberty he has fully determined to continue his
labours, and we trust that the public will encourage
him anew in his noble endeavours, and that he may
receive sufficient aid from our wealthy friends, and
eventually the reward he so justly merits, both from
her Majesty's Government and the people of Great
Britain, as a national instructor and a great musical
reformer.

Letters from Toulon state that, owing to recent
events in the United States, the Preach Government is
going to reinforce its squadron on the coasts of that c,oun•
try. Rear-Admiral d'Herbiughein, it- is said, has been
selected for thecomamd.

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