The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 17, 1861.

FROIII TILE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

OSBORNE, AUG. 5.

The Queen was this day pleased to confer the honour of
Knighthood upon Roundell Palmer, Esq., her Majesty's
Solicitor-General.
TREASURY CHAMBERS, AUG. 12.

The Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury have
been pleased to appoint the Right Hon. Lord Stanley, M,P.,
to be a Trustee of the National Portrait Gallery.
WAR-OFFICE, AUG. 16.

Ist Regiment of Dragoon Guards—Lieutenant Charles
Levett to be Captain, by purchase, vice Walter Clopton
Wingfield, who retires • Cornet William Potter Stephen-
son to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Levett.
3d Dragoon Guards—First Lieutenant Henry Langtry, from
Antrim Artillery Militia, to be Cornet, by purchase, vice
Dawson, promoted.
6th Dragoon Guards—Lieutenant Henry Reginald Forster
has been permitted to retire from the Service, by the sale
of his Commission.
Bth Light Dragoons—Lieutenant Walter Tuckfield Golds-
worthy to be Adjutant, vice Michael Clarke, who resigns
that appointment.
13th Light Dragoons—Captain Fit z Roy Donald Maclean
to be Major, by purchase, vice Alexander George Dick-
son, who retires; Lieutenant Walter Sydney Tucker to
be Captain, by purchase, vice Maclean; Cornet William
Mitchell Innes to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice
Tucker.
Royal Artillery—Surgeon Thomas Connor O'Leary, M. 8.,
from the 45th Foot, to be Surgeon. The Commission
of Paymaster William Shepherd to be antedated to the
14th May, 1861.
Coldstream Guards—William Chafyn Grove, Gent., to be
Ensign and Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Carter, pro-
moted.
Ist Regiment of Foot—Lieutenant George Hall, from half
pay, late Land Transport Corps, to be Lieutenant, vice
Samuel Seggie, appointed Quartermaster 9th Light
Dragoons.
4th Foot—Ensign John Rimington Sharp, Gent., to be
Ensign, by purchase, vice George Hall Hall, who retires.
11th Foot—Ponsonby Sheppard, Gent., to be Ensign, by
purchase, vice Watson, promoted; Denis Bingham,
Gent., to be Ensign, without purchase, vice Alexander
Willoughby Montgomery Moore, appointed to the 97th
Foot.
13th Foot—Major Henry Christopher Marriott, from the
82d Foot, to be Major, vice Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel
George Latham Thomson, who exchanges.
15th Foot—Alfred Sebastian Boom, Gent., late Ensign,
Elthorne Militia, to be Ensign, without purchase, vice
Thomas Prince Lloyd, appointed to the 93d Foot.
16th Foot--Captain and Brevet-Major Richard John
Evans, from the 27th Foot, to be Captain, vice John G,
Dartnell, who exchanges.
17th Foot—Charles Earnest Gaitskill Burr, Gent, to be
Ensign, by purchase, vice Dwyer, promoted.
20th Foot—Ensign George Frederick Harris to be Lieute-
nant, by purchase, vice Frederick Fox, who retires.
27th Foot—Captain John George Dartnell, from 16th Foot,
to be Captain, vice Brevet-Major Richard John Evans,
who exchanges.
33d Foot—Major Arthur Sisson Cooper, from half-pay, late
25th Foot, to be Major, vice Thomas Wickham, who re-
tires upon half-pay.
43d Foot—Spencer Perceval Talbot Nicholl, Gent., to be
Ensign, by purchase, vice Tod, promoted.
45th Foot—Staff-Surgeon-Major William Home Fairbairn
M.D., to be Surgeon, vice Thomas Connor O'Leary
M. 8., appointed to the Royal Artillery.
47th Foot--Quartermaster, with the honorary rank of Cap
tain, John Dunlop, from half-pay, 75th Foot, to be Pay-
master, vice Captain Henry Charles Watson, appointed
Paymaster of the School of Musketry.
48th Foot—Lieutenant Arthur George Wyse to be Captain,
without purchase, vice Cairnes, promoted.
55th Foot—Staff-Surgeon Thomas Parr to be Surgeon, vice
Henry Somers, M.D. deceased.
63d Foot—Captain Falkland Townshend Logan Paterson
to be Major, by purchase, vice Charles Le Mesurier, who
retires; Lieutenant George W. Clutterbuck to be Cap-
tain, by purchase, vice Charles Celquhoun Pye, who re-
tires; Lieutenant John Richard Ramsbottom to be Cap-
tain, by purchase, vice Paterson ; Ensign Thomas At..
kinson to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Clutterbuck ;
Ensign Thornton Scovell to be Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Richard Halliday Archer, who retires; Ensign John
Pollard Mayers Burton to be Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Ramsbottom ; Gentleman Cadet Henry Nicholas
Bayly, from the Royal Military College, to be Ensign,
by purchase, vice Atkinson ; Alexander Hovenden Gold ie
Taubman, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Sco-
vell; Thomas Foster, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase,
vice Burton; Lieutenant Charles Henrylinahan to be
Adjutant, vice Clutterbuck, promoted.
78th Foot—Ensign Andrew Murray to be Lieutenant, by
purchase, vice Malcolm McNeill, who retires • Robert
Lockhart Daglish, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice
Murray.
82d Foot—Major and Brevet Lieutenant. Colonel George
Latham Thompson, from the 13th Foot, to be Major, vice
Henry Christopher Marriott, who exchanges.
84th Foot—Assistant-Surgeon Herman Bicknell has been
permitted to resign his commission.
86th Foat—Lieutenant Duncan Stewart to be Captain, by
purchase, vice Edward John Lees, who retires; Ensign
Francis Glasse Marshall to be Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Stewart ; Henry Wise Ridley Blackett, Gent., to be
Ensign, by purchase, vice Marshall ; Lieutenant Thomas
Yardley to be Adjutant, vice Duncan Stewart, promoted.
93th Foot—Ensign Francis Russell to be Lieutenant,
without purchase, vice George Gregg, deceased.
97th Foot—Ensign Alexander Willoughby Montgomery
Moore, from the 11th Foot, to be Ensign, vice Fulford,
promoted.

90th Foot—Staff-Surgeon Cornelius Clark Rutherford, to
be Surgeon, vice Richard Cooper Todd, appointed to the
Staff.

2d West India Regiment—Ensign John Sheil, from the
Ceylon Rifle Regiment, to be Lieutenant, by purchase,
vice Bellamy, promoted.
Ceylon Rifle Regiment—Josiah Erskine Collins, Gent., to
be Ensign, by purchase, vice John Sheil, promoted in the
2d West India Regiment.
STAFF.—Captain and Brevet-Major Alexander Aber-
crombie Nelson, Unattached, Assistant-Inspector of Rifle
Volunteers, to be Fort-Major at Guernsey, vice Major and
Brevet• Colonel John llankey Baiubrigge, Unattached,
promoted Major-General.

BREVET.
Col. Alexander Tulloh, of the Royal Artillery, to have
the temporary rank of Major-General while serving as the
Director of Ordnance. _

Lieut.-Col. Edward 'Whitmore Scovell, 96th Foot, hav-
ing completed five years' service in the rank of Lieutenant-
Colonel, to be Colonel in the Army under the Bth clause of
the Royal Warrant of Oct. 14, 1858.
Major Montagu Hamilton Dowbiggin, 99th Foot, to be
Lieut.-Colonel in the Army.
Second Captain Theodosius Webb, half-pay Royal Engi-
neers, to be Major in the Army.
Capt. Edward H. Langmore, Bengal Infantry, to be
Maj,,r in the Army.
Sergeant-Major It in. Ilawtrce, of the Army Hospital
Corps, to have the lo al rank of Ensign while ernpkyed as
Acting Captain of Orderlies at the General Hospital, Wool-
wich.

MEMORANDIIM.—The undermentioned officer upon half-
pay has been permitted to retire from the service by the
sale of his commission, under the condition of the Horse
_ _

Guards' Circular Memorandum of the 15th February,lB6l:
—Second Captain Theodosius Webb, hall-pay Royal En-
gineers,

BANKRUPTCY ANNULLED.
William Porter Walton, corn merchant, Kingston-upon-
.ull.

BANKRUPTS.

Edwin Henry Spark, wholesale jeweller, Great Coram-
street, Russell-square, to surrender Aug. 29 and Sept. 24,
at half-past eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy.
Daniel Terry, smith, Dover, Sept. 2, at twelve, and Oct.
1, at two, at the Court of Bankruptcy.
Robert Griffiths, innkeeper, Llantrissant, Aug. 27 and
Sept. 24, at eleven, at the Bristol District Court.
Joseph Hamerton, worsted manufacturer, Shibden,
Yorkshire, Aug. 30 and Sept. 20, at eleven, at the Leeds
District Court.

Edward Wevill, broker, Liverpool, Aug. 26 and Sept. 16,
at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court.
Charles Brittain, builder, BeLington, Cheshire, Aug. 26
and Sept. 16, at eleven, at the Liverpool District Court.
John Edward Elford, grocer, Bayswater, Aug. 26, at
half-past twelve, and Sept. 18, at one, at the Court of
Bankruptcy.
Edward Simons, Italian warehouseman, Newgate-street,
City, Aug. 27, at half-past twelve, and Sept. 11, at half-
past two at the Court of Bankruptcy.
John Milhench, Thomas Wroe, Benjamin Taylor, and
John Hopkin, cotton spinners, Oldham, Sept. 3 and Oct 15,
at twelve, at the Manchester District Court.
George Scrivener, provision dealer, Wigan, Aug. 26 and
Sept. 17, at twelve, at the Manchester District Court.
Thomas Bell and John 'Wiseman, grocers, Sunderland,
Aug. 23, at half-past eleven, and Oct. 4, at half-past
twelve, at the Royal Arcade, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
John Christian Benjamin Wild, licensed victualler, St.
Mary Axe, City, Aug. 28, at half-past eleven, and Sept.
18, at half past one, at the Court of Bankruptcy.
Henry Augustus Hope, hay and /straw salesman, West
Smithfield, Aug. 26 and Sept. 18, at half-past one, at the
Court of Bankruptcy.
Wm. James Epps, nursery and seedsman, Maidstone,
Aug.2B, at eleven,
Baaruptcy. and Sept. 18, at two, at the Court of

SCOTCH BANKRUFTS.
John Brait, draper, Gatehouse, Kircudbrightshire.
William Porteous, manufacturing chemist, Clydeford,
near Rutherglen, and in Glasgow.

SPURTING INTELLIGENCE.

LUDLOW RACES-FRIDAY.

The Corporation Handicap of 5 sovs each, with 25 added,
for two-yr-olds and upwards; the second to save his
stake; winners extra, &c. About five furlongs. 9
subs.
Captain Christie's Spicebox, 4 yrs, Bst 81b (G. Fordham) 1
Mr. Owen's Deserter, 3 yrs, sst 131 b (H. Taylor) 2
Betting-4 to lon Spicebox. Won by two lengths.
The Weston Handicap of 5 sovs each, with 40 added ; for
three-yr-olds and upwards ; the second to save his stake ;
winners extra, &c. About one mile and a quarter. 15
subs.
Mr. Lincoln's Nightingale, 4 yrs, 7st 51b (inc. 31b extra)
(H. Taylor) 1
Captain Christie's Medora, 3 yrs, fist (E. Taylor) 2
Mr. Adam's Wortham, 3 yrs, Est 61b (carried 6st 81b)
(H. Grimshaw) 3
Mr. Lincoln's Petra 5 yrs, 7st 121 b (car. 7st 131 b (Lynch) 4
Mr. Owen's Irish Emigrant, aged, 7st 51b (Entwistle) 5
Mr. Sly's Yorkshire Miss, 5 yrs, 6st 131 b.. .. (A. Saddler) 6
Betting—b to 2 agst Nightingale, 4to 1 agst Medora,
sto 1 each agst Wortham and Irish Emigrant. Won
by half a length, the second beating the third by a neck.
The Oakley Park Plate of 50 soya, for two-yr-olds ; colts,
Bst 101 b; fillies, Bst 71b; winners extra. Straight half-

mile.
Mr. Stevens's Ethel, Bst 121 b (inc. 51b extra) .. (Payne) 1
Mr. Edwards's Palermo, Bst 131 b (inc. 31b ex.) Kendall) 2
Captain Christie's My Partner, Bst 71b .... (W. White) 3
Mr. Wadlow's Ace of Trumps, Bst 101 b.. (G. Fordham) 4
Mr. Rich's Miss Eliza, Sst 71b (H. Grimshaw) 5
Betting-4 to lon Ethel. Won by two lengths; My
Partner a bad third.

The Stewards' Cup of 25 sovs, added to a Handicap of 5
sovs each, for 3-yr-olds and upwards ; the second to save

his stake. Winners extra, &c. About a mile. 9 subs.
Mr Wadlow's Flirtation, 3 yrs, 7st 41b .. (H Grimshaw) 1
Mr. Sadler's The Gift, 5 yrs, Est 91b (car. Est 121 b)
(A. Sadler) 2
Mr. Byrn's Caliban, 3 yrs, Est lib.. (E. Taylor) 3
Betting-6 to 4on Flirtation. Won by a length; Cali-
ban a bad third.

The Ludlow Handicap of 5 sovs each, with 40 added; the
second to save his stake ; winners extra, &c. ; about one

mile and a half ; 11 subs.
Mr. Cliff's Nosegay, 5 yrs, 7st 71b (in. 51b extra)

_
(11. Taylor) w.o.
Mr. Lincoln's Petra, 5 yrs, 7st 111 b ....(Gardiner) t
Mr. Adam's Wortham, 3 yrs, 6st 41b (car. Est 81b)
(H. Grimshaw) 3
Mr. Barber's Foxhead, 3 yrs, Est llb (E. Taylor) 4

Betting-5 to 2on Nosegay. A dead heat ; Mr. Cockin
having declared to win with Nosegay, the latter walked
over. Gardiner was not aware of the declaration, neither
had the owner a shilling on the race.

The Herbert Handicap of 3 sovs each, with 25 added, for
2-yr-olds and upwards ; the second to save his stake ;

winners extra; the winner to be sold for 50 sow ; straight

-
half mile.
Mr. Sadler's Sweetmeat filly, 3 yrs, Bst 7lb (A. Sadler) 1
Mr. Owen's Corumba, 3 yrs, Bst (H. Grimshaw) 2
Mr. Byrn's Camperdown, 2 yrs, 7st (J. Taylor) 3

Eveen betting between the Sweetmeat filly and Corumba.
Won by two lengths ; a bad third. The winner was
bought in for 61 guineas.

BETTING AT MANCHESTER-FRIDAY.

There is but little to notice in the betting here. For the
Ebor Handicap Stockade has nearly displaced Virgilius in
the position of favourite, and the next two in request were
Bally Edmond and Lady Trespass. For the St. Leger
Ripon and Janus were fairly supported, whilst against Big
Ben there was some " hedging money" that was rather
freely laid at 20 to 1. Closing prices :

EBOR HANDICAP.
7to 1 agst Virgilius (offered)
Bto 1 agst Stockade (wanted)
10 to 1 agst Moorcock (offered)
12 to 1 agst Bally Edmond (taken)
12 to 1 agst Lady Trespass (taken)
16 to 1 agst Prologue (taken)
16 to 1 agst Sir William (offered)
ST. LEGER.
2to lon the field (offered, take sto 2)
11 to 1 agst Lady Ri?on (taken)
12 to 1 agst Kildonan (offered)
16 to 1 agst Janus (taken and offered)
20 to 1 agst Big Ben (taken)
THE DERBY.
30 to 1 agst Cellarius (taken)
68 to 1 agst Duke Rollo (taken)

HORSES STRUCK OUT OF THEIR ENGAGE-

MENTS.

August 9, at 1 p.m., Convivialist, out of all engagements ;
Hopeful Duchess, out of Reading and Devon and. Exeter
engagements ; Little Dick and Ithwbus, out of Reading
engagements.

-August 10, at 9 a.m., Adam Bede, out of Euville Welter
Cup. Wolverhampton; Lucknow, out of Thames Handicap
at Reading; at 5.15 p.m., Olive Branch and Santa Claus,
out of Reading Nursery ; Umpire, out of the Berkshire
Stakes, Reading.

August 12, at 9 a.m., Fairwater, out of Devon County
Cup; Anthem, out of Surrey and Middlesex Stakes, Egham;
at 4'25 p.m., Canary, out of the Great Ebor Handicap,
York.

August 13, at 9 a.m., Serino and Squire Percy, out of
Reading engagements ; Sharpshooter, out of Plymouth and
Oxford engagements ; Paleface and Sinila, out of all engage-
ments; at 1.5 p.m., Vesper, Marine, and Chance Shot, out
of handicaps; at 4.34 p.m, Redpole, out of Devon and
Plymouth engagements ; at 8 p.m,, Kildrum, out of all
engagements in 1861.

August 14, at 5 p.m., all Lord Stamford's horses and
Neophyte out of Egbam engagements.
August 15, at 9 a.m., Leveret, out of the 'Weston Handi-
cap at Ludlow ; i t 1 p.m., Man-at-Arms and Prince Im-
perial out of Egham engagements; at 2.30 p.m., Rouge
Dragon out of the St. Leger.

great execution can be done, as the birds will not
sit. On Wednesday, on the Gleneagles moors, one
gun in two hours killed nine brace of grouse, one
brace of snipes, and two brace of plovers. At Du-
chally Mr. Mylne and party shot eight brace and
some other game. On Strathallan and Carim moors
good sport is enjoyed. A large quantity of game
was despatched from the Crieff Junction on Wed-
nesday for London. Prices are good, as few birds
have yet been in the market.
CRIEFF.—The weather still continues unpropi-
tious for the sport on the moors. Heavy showers
-
of rain have fallen every day since Monday, and in
on the Perth estate.
many cases sportsmen have not ventured out yet.
On Monday afternoon, in the course of three hours,
Owt i n
Tuesday
uokensi
killed
ea dy (filbert2a6n d Wednesday
brace e
daontfhesd
c grouseoatey they bagged an , M.P., and Col. Tyr
im-
mense number of game. On the Balhaldie estate
two guns shot on Tuesday 35 brace of grouse and
12 hares. In Strathtay, Monzie, Glenalmond, and
Strathbraan the sport has been also good. The
train on Wednesday afternoon from Crieff railway
station took away 50 boxes of game from Drum-
mond Castle and Glenturret grounds alone. The
boxes and hampers yesterday were also nume-
rous. The birds are selling from ss. 6d. to 7s. per
brace. _ _

GREENOCK.—The sport in this neighbourhood
was interrupted on Wednesday by a heavy fall of
rain. On the 12th Sir R. M. Shaw Stewart, Bart.,
M.P., killed 15 brace on Greenock Moor in a few
hours, and a townsman on the hills in the neigh-
bourhood of Dunoon bagged 16 brace. Mr. Taylor,
of Rockbank, near Campbelltown, shot upwards of
30 brace on his moors. The birds are very wild,
rising at a distance. of 40 yards. Game is very
scarce in the market, and sells at the following
prices :—Grouse, 7s. per brace ; hares, 3s. each ;
rabbits, ls. 6d. per pair.

FORTIFICATIONS OF PORTSDIOUTR.

Forty 100-pounder Armstrong guns are ordered
to be forwarded to Portsmouth, to be placed on the
salient points of the sea face of its defences and the
western approaches to Spithead. On the old Ports-

mouth line three of these guns will replace the pre-
sent 95-cwt. pivot smooth-bore guns, mounted at
the St. James's-gate, the Semaphore 8-inch shell-
gun battery, and the one on the southern angle of
the King's bastion. The auxiliary earthen redans,
east and west of Southsea Castle, will receive two
each, and the cavaliers of the new forts at Lumps
and Eastney will also be armed with the same de-
scription of weapon. Cumberland Fort will also
receive one, if not two, and will complete the sea
face of the defences on the island of Portsea. The
remaining portion of the guns will be distributed
between Blockhouse Fort, the auxiliary earthen
batteries of Fort Moncton, and at Browndown, the
earthern batteries at Hurst Castle, the fort at Cliff-
end, and Victoria Fort. The addition of these guns
will add much to the effectiveness of the defensive
works at the Needles entrance, and would also be
of great service at Fort Moncton and in Stokes
Bay ; but on all the points of the works bearing di-
rectly upon Spithead, more especially on the " No-
man" and the " Dean"—that is, the passage between
those two shoals, their service to their friends and
.damage to an enemy, when the new forts are con-
structed, will be more problematical. An engage-
ment between an enemy's fleet and the marine forts
would render any support from the batteries on
shore entirely out of the question, owing to the
smoke which would envelope the whole expanse of
water from Bembridge harbour to Southsea Castle.
Under these circumstances any discharge from the
forts at present existing at Portsmouth, or from the
projected ones on the Isle of Wight shore, would be
quite as likely to strike a fort as it would a ship.
Enemy's ships, too, will have this advantage—the
smoke of battle will not obscure their passage in
the deep water ways. The huge forts will not only
pilot their adversaries past the shoals in safety, but
will also point out the exact position of Portsmouth
dockyard, which, if the iron-clad ships really are
invulnerable, they can shell with a certainty even
from amid the smoke of the engagement.
The fortifications, present and projected, for the
defence of Portsmouth harbour, dockyard, and
arsenal may be divided into three sections, inde-
pendent of the works to defend the approaches to
Spithead and the southern shores of the Isle of
Wight :-
1. The inner line of defence, comprising the lines of for-
tification surrounding the towns of Portsmouth, Portsea,
and Gosport, with the Blockhouse double-tier fort, and
Point Shell Battery, on either side the harbour's mouth.
2. Southsea Castle, Lumps, Eastney, and Cumberland
Forts, with their auxiliary e rthen batteries. The liilsea
lines, guarding the only entrance to the island of Portsea
by land. The line of detached forts (5) from Frater Lake to
Stokes Bay, and the defensive works along Stokes Bay, be-
ginning with Fort Gomer and its auxiliary batteries, and
ending with Fort Moncton, opposite to Southsea Castle.
3. The marine forts at Spithead, the extensive works on
Portsdown-hill, sewn miles in extent, and the large de-
tached forts in advance of the forts between Browndown
and Frater Lake, and situate respectively at Lee Farm,
Roome, Newgate, Old Ford, and Wallington, the two latter
lying north and South of Fareham,‘and guarding the ap-
proaches
to the west end of Portsdown.

The greater portion of the first section, the origi-
nal lines of defence in front of Portsmouth and Port-
sea, landward, have long been acknowledged to have
become useless for the purposes of defence. A large
portion of the Portsmouth lines, from the town bas-
tion to King James's•gate, it has been determined to
level with the ground, and. devote the space gained
to the erection of barracks and the formation of
parade grounds, &c. To make this really sensible
work appear ridiculous, however, it has been deter-
mined, at great cost, to connect the remaining por-
tion of the old Portsmouth lines with the Portsea
lines, by bastion and curtain, in the good old style.
The suburbs have so sprung up around Portsmouth
since these lines of defence were first carried out
that a dense population resides up to the very foot
of the glacis, from Southsea Common to the termi-
nation of the Portsea lines on the beach of Ports-
mouth harbour, near the north-eastern extremity of
the dockyard. As a consequence, all guns from
these extensive and expensive works, not pointing
exactly seaward, point with droll significance at the
bedroom windows of the inhabitants of the two
towns. While bastion and ravelin thus situated are
crowded with cannon of all calibre and descriptions,
Southsea beach, which forms one side of the Ports-
mouth harbour channel from the sea, is without a
single battery or gun, fcom the King's Bastion of
the town lines we have just spoken of to the auxi-
liary earthworks of Southsea Castle. Bastion and
curtain, rampart and moat, which frown so terribly
against the people they are intended to protect,
might surely be more appropriately placed on the
sea beach, where one day they may do service against
an enemy, than be kept inland where the houses of
the inhabitants are gradually closing round and
growing over them. Of the second line of defence
the chief fault seems to be landward. Southsea
Castle and the adjacent forts and batteries are all
able to do good service, although many faults exist
in them. The same remarks apply to Fort Monc-
ton. The line of defence along Stokes Bay assumes a
formidable appearance as it becomes further deve-
loped, as do the lines of Hilsca ; these latter will be
gigantic creations, and are daily making their trace
more plain to the eye of the uninitiated as their
earthen bastions and curtains, connecting the flank
casemated batteries, are being thrown up by the con-
tractor. In nearly a straight line from the south-
west shore of Portsmouth Harbour to Stokes Bay
' are fire detached forts, two—Gomer and Elson—
complete, and three others in course of construction.
This line of forts is now allowed to be not only bad
in situation, but bad in design. Fort Gomer has
always enjoyed an unenviable reputation, while the
other completed work, Fort Elson, has been eva-
cuated by the Royal Artillery quartered in it to allow
of repairs being effected in less than 12 months' time
of its completion. It is now ordered to have 15 of
its heavier guns removed, and replaced by the same
number of lighter calibre. But these lines of forts
are stated to be useless, and it is therefore necessary
to have another girdle, and hence the advanced forts
at Roome, Lee Farm, and Fareham. The forts just