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
fir 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 cn 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 patriotF.
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 ; capt., July,
1826 ; major, November, 1841 ; lient.-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-quartert, Woolwich, to Oxford, for the put-

pose of going through a course of instruction in
gymnastics, exercises of this kind being now an
important branch of Artillery training.
The detachment of Royal Marine Light Infantry
paid off from the Niger, returned from duty in New
Zealand, were yesterday inspected on parade by
Col. Campbell, Commandant at Woolwich, and
were granted the usual leave of absence.

SIR W. AR2II6TRON(I AND CAPTAIN
BLAKELY.

TO THE EDITOR OF " THE TIMES."

Sir,—l have just read in your paper of the 18th
Capt. Blakely's letter with reference to the remarks
made by Sir W. Armstrong at Manchester last
week.

I believe it was to myself that Sir William then
referred, as it was from my own lips that he heard
the wire system was patented, and he at that time
(I think in 1855) told me of his being in communi-
cation with Mr. Brunel on the same subject.
This is, however, of minor importance. Captain
Blakely and I had the same idea about the same
time. We subsequently became acquainted with
each other, and agreed to push the wire principle
jointly.

I have at various times spent both time and
money to induce the War Department to give the
system a fair trial.
I brought the subject before the Institution of
Civil Engineers in 1860, and I then proved by
strict mathematical analysis that the principle was
correct. I supported this by the result of experi.
ment.

My reasonings and my experiments have never
been for a moment controverted.

In winding up thz discusionthe President said,
" It was evident that Mr, Longridge had estab-
lished such a prima Jade case as should have en-
titled him to have received the attention of Govern-
ment."

I submit that Captain Blakely and I have done
all we could be expected to do, and more; and I
say with him that we have never for one instant
sought to place our private interests in the way of
the adoption by Government of our ideas.
Since Sir William Armstrong's speech at'Man-
chester I have again sought to induce him to try
the system. He decline stodo so unless by special
instruction from the War Department, which he
leaves to me to obtain. I have not much hopes of
doing so, but will try once more.
In the meantime I must be allowed to say that
Captain Blakely and myself have never sought to
impose any conditions, have never raised our rights
as patentees in the way of Sir William,Armstrong,
but have, on the contrary, always been most
anxious to give out gratuitous services to render
available an invention which affords the means of
constructing artillery of any calibre at a moderate
cost and with perfect certainty of success.
Sir William Armstrong states the great difficulty
he finds in making a 3001 b. gun on the plan he is
now pursuing. I can readily believe it ; nay,
more, I will say that I do not believe he will suc-
ceed. But on the wire principle I will stake my
reputation to make a I,ooolb. gun which gunpowder
cannot burst, and at'a less cost than the 3001 b. gun
Sir William is now making.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JAS. A. LONGRIDGE, •
Musketry Instructor, C.E.
18, Abingdon-street West, Sept 19.