The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-10 00:00:00

THE IMPERIAL visir TO OSBORNE.

There is literally nothing to record regarding the
movements of the Imperial visitors. As we informed
our readers at first, there is no probability of their
tour being extended beyond the precincts of the
Osborne demesne. During Saturday even the air-
ingin the Royal yacht was given up, and no visit
of inspection was paid either to the James Baines
or the Champion of the Seas. The weather only
was the cause of the latter change of intention, as
even up to 10 o'clock the visit was fully anticipated
by the authorities. Yesterday was of course passed
in quiet, and to•day (Monday), at 2 o'clock p.m.,
their Majesties will embark a2ain on board the
Reins Hortense, and return to France.

. .._
During all the early part of Saturday the weather
was wet and very squally, blowing in sharp cold
gusts from the north-west, so that all hope eof a
Royal or Imperial visit to the clippers James Balms
and Champion (f the Seas was finally abandoned.
The vessels lay at Spithead steady as rocks amid a
rather plunging sea, with one-third of the men, as
usual, keeping their incomprehensible watch over
the rain and sky, sheltering themselves under bul-
warks, or looking over the side with a bilious des-
pair, auguring badly for their comfort in the Chan-
nel. There was the usual number of last commis-
sions to the shore, and from the shore perpetually
going forward, while the troops below were getting
their breakfasts amid a Babel and confusion to
which an Eastern bazaar is nothing. Trusses of hay,
piles of canvass, spare stores, game, and live fowls
strewed the decks in abundance, the latter occasion-
ally adding to the animation of the scene by getting
loose and scrambling overboard in spite of the furious
zeal of the soldiers in pursuit. The most general
employment on board seemed that of letter-writing.
Every one seemed to have a few last words to say,
from the officer with his half-a-dozen notes down to
the poor private labouring heavily and wearily in
the construction of every line or sentence. Mr.
Mackay (one of the owners of the Black Ball line)
visited both ships to see that all the arrangements
for the convenience and comfort of their gallant
freights on the voyage had been thoroughly carried
out, and the result of the inquiry was most gratify-
ing. All that could possibly have been done by the
contractors has been done, and a printed notice was
posted about the ships on Saturday stating that the
owners did not intend to limit the troops to the al-
lowance of bread according to the scale of the East
India Company, but trusted to their honour that,
while making use of any quantity they might require
none would he wasted. In
_accordance with this

liberal regulation, open casks full of biscuit are
placed at intervals along the troop decks, so that
every man helps himself to any qhantity he pleases
and at any time. When Mr. Mackay quitted the
ships on Saturday the troops showed their apprecia-
tion of the liberality with which he ha, b-haved
throughout by chew iug almost loud enough to make
Spithead echo.
All right-minded readers of our Parliamentary
debates must often have shrunk with horror from
the pictures drawn of anonymous newspaper writers
when their " mis-statements " are exposed by the
officials of the House of Commons. Who is. not

conversant with the variety of flat contradictions
which are always kept on hand to meet these
" anonymous" emergencies, bow they were resorted
to at the time of We Crimean campaign, and with
what result. -The question of clothing for our
troops going to India just now occupies the atten-
ton of all persons who wish well to the Government

of that empire. On Thursday night, in the House
of Commons, in reply to a question 'from Sir H.
Willoughby as to what provision had been made on
that subject,. the. Under Secretary of War (SirJoha
Ramsden) said, " the most satisfactory way in
which .he could answtr the question would be by
reading, w,ith the permission-of the house, the list:
of the articles issued ) the troops on their arrival in
India, in addition to the ordinary supply of necessa-
ries,"&c. With this customary official preface, which
it will be observed, commits no one to anything, Sir
J. Ramsden read out a lint of summer clothing like
a cricketer's outfit; Concluding with the announce-
ment that, in order to insure materials best adapted
to the climate, they were " made on the spot."
This " ma'de on the spot" will be the loophole of:
escape in the present instance, for, it questioned
again, Sir J. Ramsdell will, of course, be armed.
with statistics to show, that six months is the'
shortest time in which the adopted clothing can be
"made on the spot." Now, we are requested, on.
the best authority, to state that in nearly every:
case it is six or eight months before any of the re-,
giraeuts arriving in India receive their light cloth-
ing ! But the statement which chiefly pacified the
House, and to which we beg to direct attention,
was the concluding remark of the -Under-Secretary,
in which he said,—
" In addition to these the troops now going out
to China and India have been provided with-white'
cotton helmet and forage cap covers. In fa't, the
Government have taken every precaution to main-
tain the health and comfort of the troops."'
For this direct assertion
.we regret to say there is
not the least foundation. No " white cotton hel-
met" or " forage cap covers" of any kind or de-
scription whatsoever have been issued to the troops
which hatre lately left our shores. In heavy
marching order they have embarked ; in heavy
marching order they will disembark in India, and
must, of course, in the present emergency, instantly
move against the mutineers. It is no exaggera-
tion to say that the officers of the corps which have
lately started have been oppressed with dread as
to the effects of the climate on their men while
muffled in their present equipment. If any regi-
ments should have been provided for, surely it was
those which sai'ed yesterday—the 97th, 20th, and
part of the 42d Highlanders. Yet We knOw that
th-se men had not a single cap cover, and that they
will laud in Ihdia in , the same uniforms in which
they quitted Aldershott and Shomcliff, without as
much as a cloth to cover the hideous black shako,
which is truly nicknamed in those regiments the
" Sepoy's Friend."—Times