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

THE IMPERIAL VISIT 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-
ing in the Royal yacht was given up, and no visit
of inspection was paid eit►'er 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 a7aiu on board the
Reine 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 of a
Royal or Imperial visit to the clippers James Baines
and Champion of 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 scrambli rig 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 ia
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 31,'
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 quantity 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 has behaved
throughout by cheering 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, how they were resorted
to at the time of the Crimean campaign, and with
what result. The question of clothing for our
troops going to India just now occupies the atten-
tion 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 EL
Willoughby as to what provision had been made on
that subject, the Under Secretary of War (Sir John.
Ramsden) said, " the most satisfactory way in
which he could answer the question would be by
reading, with the permission of the house, the list
of the articles issued to the troops on their arrival in
India, in addition to the ordinary supply of necessar
ries/Sic. With this customary official preface, which
it will be observed, commits no one to anything, Sir
J. Ramsden read out a list of summer clothing like
a cricketer's outfit, concluding with the announce-
ment that, in order to insure materials best adaptod
to the climate, they were " made on the spot'?
This "made on the spot" will be the loophole of
escape in the present instance, for, if questioned
again, Sir J. Ramsden 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-
giments arriving in India receive their light cloth-
ing ! But the statement which chiefly pacified the
House, and to which we beg to direct attention,
iwnaws thhiechcohnecsluaidd,—
ing remark of the Under-Secretary,
" 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 fact, 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 have 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 sailed yesterday—the 97th, 20th, and
part of the 42d Highlanders. Yet we know that
these men had not a single cap cover, and that they
will land in India in the same uniforms in which.
they quitted Aldershott and Shorncliff, without as
much as a cloth to cover the hideous black shako,
which is truly nicknamed in those regiments the
" Sepoy's Friend."—Times