The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-22 00:00:00

SELKIRK SHIRE.

the Merie electors has intimated to
ri‘e4l;Pis.'intention to retire
from Parliamentary life at the close of the present
rs Eliotof sLoon
rhkasrht
session, and two candidates have already offered
themselves for the seat. Lord Henry Scott, son of
the Duke of Buccleuch, comes forward in the Con-
servative interest, in compliance with a nume-
rously-signed requisition. He states his intention
to support " those constitutional principles and
Protestant institutions under which our country
has enjoyed so,large a measure of prospesity," and
also to consider anxiously all measures of ameliora-
tion which can be adopted without impairing those
great principles and institutions. The Hon. Wm.
Napier has also addressed the electors in the Libe-
ral interest. He describes himself as a sincere and
progressive reformer and thorough frectrader. To
the present Government he promises his faithful
adhesion so long as they continue to carry out their
present policy. After some laudatory remarks on
Lord John Russell and the Premier, Mr. Napier
expresses his approval of the financial measures of
Mr. Gladstone. On one point only, the non-exten-
sion of the franchise, he thinks the Government
open to censure, and pronounces tho present to be
the most reactionary House of Commons which has
for years represented the country.

THE NAVY.
Her Majesty's yacht Fairy arrived in Portsmouth
harbour on Saturhy evening from Osborne with
the Duke and Duchess de Montpensier, the Princess
Isabella, and suite on board, on their return from a
visit to her Majesty. Their Royal Highnesses
landed at the dockyard, and immediately left by the
South Coast Railway for Worthing.
The Illustrious, 72, late guardship of sailing or-
dinary at Portsmouth, has been ordered to have her
masts taken out and to undergo other alterations,
for the purpose of being adapted for the instruction
of officers and men in the use of the Armstrong
gun.
The gunboats at Haslar, numbering about 30, are
to have Armstrong 40 and 100-pounders substituted
for their present armament of 32 and 68-pounders,
an order having been received at Portsmouth di-
recting this alteration to be carried out with all
despatch, so as to place at the immediate service of
the Government, wherever they may be required, a
powerful and effective fleet of this most useful class
of vessel. They will form a portion of the first-
class steam reserve at this port.
e r
eßaodyi
na le
readiness
rtsoe naahl
ippi e4ro,oWt
oonoal w
ofi eghu,
no
an
aSnad-
The hired transports Fanny and Tay were made
ftausrtd
aaytthe Royai Arsenal pier, Woolwicb, on Sa-
turday, in
general The .w
waarr stores
Departmentfor t the e
eltselaanin de
steamer
fL l‘olrd al t ap.
Mr. H. T. Moore, commander, sailed from Wool-
wichomdreer on Saturday to embark 800 barrels of powder
at Purfleet for Devonport. The remainder of her
cargo consists of guns, &c., for Pembroke.
The named vessels have been chartered
by thefollowingv
Department to load from Woolwich
lar
the— n —namely,
Sarahe l y,
At hnen
,Mf
oarr gcaarpeet
TDoawvni s
wfoirththwe amr
amuartiteiruisal;s
the Jeannette Kitson, for Halifax ; the Agnes, for
Newfoundland ; the Percy, for Hobart Town ; the
Adventure, for Sierra Leone; the Gottenburg, for
Gibraltar ; and the Mermaid, for Auckland, New
Zealand.
Her Maj esty's iron paddlewheel steam vessel Ante-.
lope, now ready for commission, went down the
river on Saturday from Woolwich, rigged and stored
21, 350 horse-power,
corvette Pylades,
fsisosatretToiassrhmefdearevcrrstieecoldrereeyfv on a trial of her engines. The trial was
at Chatham, rtwo be placed in the third division of the
.
Without any of her bulk-
heads or internal fittings being disturbed.
The Arethusa, 51, 500 horse-power, is ordered to
be removed from Chatham to Sheerness, as soon as
undocked, to he fitted and brought forward for
e

easternu
commission.
Majesty'sCeHcilerW 2
W.was paid off at Sheerness on Sa-
turday, after having been in commission nearly four
years, during which period she has been employed
principally i
Her Majesty's screw liner Marlborough,
Captain Stewart, C. 8., bound from Portsmouth for
i Buckley,t hel •g n sloop Persian, Commander
waters.
131,
the Mediterranean, bore 11/3 from the westward on
Thursday evening, and anchored at the back of
Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, where she remained on
Friday, with the wind from the south-west, and
weather " dirty."
A statement appearing in The Sun of Friday
last of a conical 100 pounder shot, fired from Wool-
wich-marshes, having alighted in dangerous proxi-
mity to the houses at Barking, in Essex, the autho-
rities of the Royal Arsenal are desirous of rendering
an explanation of the occurrence. It took place in
the following manner :—A row of 14 Armstrong
guns was laid down according to the usual method,
to be tested in front of the proof butt, the firing
commencing at one end, and proceeding in rapid
succession by the action of electricity. The day
being showery and the ground wet, it is supposed
that the shock from the preceding seven then fired
had disturbed the slippery skid 9f No. 8 gun, giving
it a slight elevation, and thus causing the charge
1 to take effect in the upper part of the butt, which,