The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-04 00:00:00

TILE ABITY.

The Duke of Cambridge having approved the
formation of the 35th, 36th, 37th, and 38th com-
panies of Royal Engineers into four depot compa-
nies, the detachments of Royal Engineers at head-
quarters, Chatham, have been transferred to those
companies, and the arrangements connected with
their formation completed. The officers appointed
to the command of the new depot companies are
Capt. J. E. Comes, 35th ; Capt. E. 0. Hewett,
36th ; Capt. W. C. Phillpotts, 37th ; and Capt. L.
C. Barber, 38th. The other necessary transfers
will take place in the course of a few days. By a
general order issued by Col. Chapman, C. 8., Deputy-
Adjt.-Gen., the 38th company is to comprise the
staff, the detachments on special surveying and en-
gineering duties at Kensington, the whole of the
band, buglers, and supernumerary boys. The Wool-
wich detachment of tailors, numbering 50 non-corre-
missioned and men, will be transferred to the sth
company at Woolwich; The four depot companies
will, according to present arrangements, be perma-
nently established at Brompton. Lieut. A. R. Mac-
donnell has been ordered to Chatham, to take the
command of the 37th company until Capt. Phillpotts
joins headquarters.
An exciting rifle contest took place at the garri-
son rifle range, Chatham, on Tuesday afternoon, be-
tween Lieut. A. C. Wallinger and a number of the
sergeants of the Royal Engineers, in order to test
the merits of the Whitworth over the Lancaster
rifle—with which the Royal Engineers are armed
—when fired at long ranges. The challenge made
by Lieut. Wallinger was in effect that he would,
with his Whitworth rifle, attain a greater number
of points in firing 30 rounds than any number of
the sergeants, using the Lancaster rifle, could singly
obtain in 35 rounds, the range to be 700 yards. The
challenge was accepted by Sergt.-Major Jones, Co-
lour-Sergt. Douglas, and Sergts. Hill, Wright,
Gartshore, and Hartley, all of whom have under-
gone a course of rifle instruction. After firing his
30 rounds, it was found that Lieut. Wallinger had
scored the comparatively high number of 25 points.
Each of the non-commissioned officers then fired 35
rounds, when Sergt. Hill obtained the greatest num-
ber of points, his return giving 27, or two more than
Lieut. Wallinger, thus carrying off the prize offered
by Lieut. Wallinger, viz., £5. The shooting of the
other sergeants was likewise very good. The con-
test excited some interest, and a number of officers
and others connected with the garrison were present.
On Tuesday morning the 2d battalion of Scots
Fusilier Guards, which has been doing garrison duty
at Windsor Castle since October last, marched from
the Sheet-street barracks, under the command of Col.
Hepburn, and Proceeded by the South-Western
Railway for the Tower. On the same day the 3d
battalion of the Grenadier Guards, under the com-
mand of Prince Edward of Sage-Weimar, arrived
at Windsor Barracks from the Tower. Yesterday
the Royal Horse Guards, under the command of
Col. Baillie, marched from the Cavalry Barracks at
Spittal to Regent's Park Barracks, and will be suc-
ceeded by the 2d Life Guards from Knightsbridge.
The forts at Sharnmeade and Coal-house Point,
near the entrance to the river Thames, are now in
course of being, dismantled in order that they may
be reconstructed and mounted with an increased
number of guns of heavier calibre. A detachment
of the Royal Artillery, under the command of
Lieut. E. H. Thurlow, has been despatched to the
forts, where the men are now employed in dis-
mounting-the present armament. During the re-
construction of the batteries the Lords of the Ad-
miralty have sanctioned the floating batteries,
iEtna, 16, and Thunderbolt, 16, being moored in
positions contiguous to the sites of the forts for the
defence of the river. It is intended that
wtheh
thetwo
batteries shall be ultimately mounted with
Armstrong guns.

THE STAFF COLLEGE. The following General Order relative to new
ugulati°llB regarding the examination of officers

for admission to the Staff College was promulgated
yesterday from the Horse Guards :
The following regulations regarding the exami-
nation of officers who (may be candidates for ad-
mission to the Staff College in February, 1862, are
published for general information :
There will be vacancies for 15 officers, two of
whom may belong to the Royal Artillery.
HOME STATIONS.
Officers serving in the United Kingdom who are desirous
of entering the Staff College, will be examined in London
on the 22d of July next, and following days.

Commanding officers of Royal Artillery, and of all regi-
ments and depots of the cavalry, guards, and line, on the
home stations, will forward to the Adjutant-General,
through the usual channel, for the consideration of the
General Commanding-in-Chief, the applications of such
officers as wish to compete for admission, together with the
necessary certificates.
These applications should be sent in not later than the
15th June ; after which date the officers, approved of by his
Royal Highness, will be instructed to place themselves in
communication with the Council of Military Education,
with the view to their receiving the rules for the examina-
tion.

FOREIGN STATIONS.

At foreign stations the following regulations will be
stricay adhered to :
The examination will be held on the 22d July and fol-
lowing days, ci:' As soon after chat date as the examination
papers shall be rect,4Yed by the Council on Military Educa-
tion.

A Board of Officers will beappointed by the general offi-
cer in command, and will cone: at of three officers, one of
whom to be, when practicable, a staff officer, having the
rank of field officer, and the other two, if possible, not ander
the rank of captain. One of these officers will belong to
one of the Scientific Corps, where any such officer can be
obtained.

The examination will be conducted by means of the same
printed questions as are set for the examination of candi-
dates in London, and they are to be answered in the pre-
sence of the board.

The board will give to each candidate a number which he
will affix to each of his examination papers, instead of his
name. He will retain the same number throughout the
examination.

The board will give to each candidate a paper of the
printed examination questions on each subject at the time
specified for the examination in that subject.
The candidates will write their answers to the questions
in the presence of the board, and their papers, together
with the printed examination questions, will be collected
at the hour appointed, and made up into a packet, which
will be sealed before being taken from the examination
room.

The board will, immediately on the conclusion of the
examination, forward the papers of the candidates to the
general officer commanding, for transmission to the Council
on Military Education, accompanied by a certificate that
the candidates obtained no assistance from books, or help of
any kind in their examination. The board will, at the same
time, forward the names of the candidates, corresponding
with their index numbers in the examination, in a separate
envelope, for transmission to the Council of Military Edu-
cation.

The following will be the order of the examination :-
Ist Day—Military Drawing, three hours ; Hindustani,
three hours.

2d Day—Fortifications, three hours ; ditto, three hours.
3d Day—Mathematics, obligatory portions, Ist paper,
three hours; ditto, 2d paper and voluntary portions, Ist
paper, three hours.
4th Day—Mathematics, voluntary portion, 2d paper,
three hours ; military history, Ist paper, three hours.
sth Day—Military history, 2d paper, three hours; mili-
tary geography, three hours.
6th Day—French, three hours. Chemistry, three hours.

7th Day—German, three hours. Geology, three hours.
There will be, in all cases, an interval of not less than
one hour between the two periods of examination on each
day.
The papers will be collected at the appointed hours by a
member of the board; any candidate, however, who may
have finished his examination paper on any subject before
the hour named may deliver it into the hands of a member
of the board. Candidates will bring their writing and draw-
ing materials, instruments, &c. ; and also the tables of
logarithms they are in the habit of using. No other books
or notes of any description will be allowed to be used.
It is scarcely necessary to observe that no communication
whatever will be allowed between the candidates at the exa-
mination.

Officers commanding regiments abroad are to transmit
to the general officer in command a return of the officers
desirous of competing, together with a medical certificate of
good health and fitness for the active duties of the staff.
Such officers will then be ordered to join at headquarters for
examination, or at any other places which may be selected
for the convenience of those at the more distant stations.

With reference to paragraph IV. of the revised Regula-
tions for the Staff College, published with the General
Order No. 743. of the 23d of January, 1860, which directs
"That if the commanding officer of the regiment or the
general officer commanding cannot recommend the appli •
cation of any candidate, the grounds of objection are to be
distinctly stated." It is to be observed that as there will not
be time at distant foreign stations to refer to the Adjutant-
General on the subject, such officer should, in all cases, be
permitted to undergo his examination, on the understand-
ing, however, that the objections urged against his applica-
tion will still be submitted fpr the decision of his Royal
Highness the General Commanding-in •Chief.
General officers commanding at foreign stations will place
no restrictions upon officers competing further than the exi-
gencies of the service may absolutely require. It will be
understood that the rule by which only one officer can be
spared from a battalion at a time, for the purpose of study-
ing at the Staff College, does not apply to candidates from
battalions which have officers now at the college, but whose
course of study will terminate in December next.
General officers commanding at foreign stations will select
the hours for the examination which are best suited to the
climate and circumstances of.the country, taking care, how-
ever, to conform strictly to the number and distribution of
the hours, as detailed in the foregoing regulations.
On the completion of the examinations general officers
commanding should transmit the candidates' papers to the
Vice-President of the Council of Military Education,
Whitehall-yard, with the least possible delay, in order
to enable officers from distant stations, who may be suc-
cessful in the competition, to join the college early in
February. They will at the same time forward to the
Adjutant-General a return of the officers examined, with
their certificates, as required by the regulations. In the
event of there being no candidates, general officers com-
manding will notify the fact to the Vice-President of the
Council without delay.
Officers serving abroad, who may be successful candi-
dates,' will be allowed the regulated passage money home,
on joining the Staff College.

The names and examination numbers of the candidates
who are successful in the competition, as well as of those
who prove themselves qualified, and the examination num-
bers alone of candidates who fail, will be published imme-
diately after.the reports of the examiners have been re-
ceived by the Council of Military Education, with the total
number of marks gained by each candidate, and his place
on the lists.—By order of his Royal Highness the General
Commanding-in-Chief,
JAS. YORKE SCARLET; Adjutant-General.

THE SUN, ,LONDON, THURSDAy, EVENING, APRIL 4, 1861.

Head, one of the directors, and shortly after the appoint-
ment of the committee, Mr. B. Baker, the secretary of the
company, addressed a letter to the management in Canada
informing them of the circumstance, and stating that the
selection of the committee had the full concurrence of the
directors, giving the names of the persons elected, and
adding that they were all persons of high character and
position, The London letter-book contains a copy of this
letter; let the directors produce::, and kl
compare it with the description of the committee now given.
—I am, sir, your obedient servant (for the committee),
"H. H. CANNAN, Chairman:

" Tuesday, Aprll 2."
Annexed is a letter concerning the nomination o
the Committee of Investigation of the Great Wes
tern of Canada Railway :
" Sir,—Referring to a letter from Mr. H. H. Cannan, the
chairman of the Committee of Investigation, which appears
in some of this morning's papers, on the subject of the con-
stitution of that committee, Mr. Head, one of the directors,
requests me to commnLicate to you his version of the man-
ner in which it was formed. He says :
" Mr. Head moved for an entirely different committee,
composed, as he explained, of large and impartial share-
holders. It was only in deference to what appeared to be
the wishes of the majority present that Mr. Head concurred
in the appointment of the present committee, composed en-
tirely of persons known to be hostile to the Board, on the
broad ground that the directors cared not who were ap-
pointed, if they would only act justly. Mr. Cannan and his
friends refused to serve unless the committee was entirely
composed of their own party.'
" On the other side I send you a copy of the only letter
I wrote to the management in Canada, 'after the appoint-
ment of the committee, in which I referred to the indivi-
duals composing it.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,
" BRACKSTONE BAKER, Secretary.
" Great Western Railway of Canada,
" Gresham-house, April 3.
" FROM MR. B. BAKER TO MR. C. J. BRIDGES, IN
CANADA.

"`April 6, 1860.
" I enclose you a report of the meeting, and you will see
by the minutes of it forwarded to the secretary that a com-
mittee was appointed, who will immediately commence
their labours, and every facility will be afforded them, by
communicating all the information they require and by
giving them access to all our books and papers. These gen-
tlemen hold together nearly 5,000 shares, and upwards of
£lOO,OOO money value of investment, which is a guarantee
of their personal interest in the concern.' "