The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-21 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The Bth company of Royal Engineers, under the com-
mand of Capt. W. F. Lambert, left Brompton Barracks,
Chatham, before daylight on Saturday morning for
Southampton, to embark for China. A large quantity of
sappers and miners' tools, for siege operations in China,
have been forwarded from head-quarters,.Chatham, with
portable indiarubber boats, photograph apparatus, and '
every requisite used by the corps of Royal Engineers in
mining operations.
The European and American Steam Navigation Com-
pany's ship Argo, Captain Benson, left Spithead on Sa-
turday for India with detachments of troops to the
number of nearly 900. All on board went away in the
beet spirits and very comfortable, having got • well into
berth during the unexpected detention of the ship in port
by the Government or India Board authorities. Fine
weather prevailed on their departure.
Messrs. Rennie and Sons have completed three of a
number of small high-pressure iron gunboats, ordered
-by the East India Company for river service in India.
The principle on which these boats is constructed having
been proved to answer the expectations anticipated with
regard to speed, draught of water, dtc., 10 others are
ordered to be built forthwith. They are fitted with two
screw propellers, having one under each quarter, each
engine being distinct and capable of being worked alone,
which will enable the vessel to turn and slew round •
speedily in a very narrow compass. One boiler works
the pair of engines. They were last week despatched on
a trial trip down the river, having an engineer officer
from Woolwich Dockyard to verify the proceedings.
Their rate of speed amounted to 9 knots per hour, and
draught of water only 24 inches. For the purpose of
transporting these vessels to their destination they are
prepared so as to disconnect the entire hull, and enable
their being stowed in a ship's hold. One 12-pounder
gun is mounted amidships. The total length from stem
to stern is about 75 feet, and width 12 feet.
The West India mail steam-ship Australasian, having
been chartered by the East India Board, has been en-
docked at Southampton, and was to leave that port yes-
terday for Plymouth to embark troops for India.
Her Majesty's yacht Fairy, Captain the Hon. Joseph
Denman, embarked the Queen and Court at Cowes on
Saturday afternoon at about a quarter past 2 o'clock, and
landed them at the Clarence-yard, Gosport, at 10 minutes
pa,t, 3, where a special train, in charge of the Hon.
Ralph Dutton, M.P., deputy-chairman ; Mr. Crombie,
secretary; Mr. Beattie, superintendent of locomotion ;
Mr. Godson, chief superintendent, and other officers of
the South Western Railway Company, were in waiting
to carry the Royal party to Windsor.
The following vessels', now being built at Chatham
Dockyard, are in a forward state, and will be ready for
launching during the ensuing year, viz :—Hero, 91 ;
Hood, 90 ; Irresistible, 80; Mersey, 40 ; and Charybdis,
21; giving an aggregate of about 15,000 tons. Each
vessel is to be fitted as a screw steamer. The Mersey
and Charybdis will be launched in March next.
The following Royal Marine Cadets passed for com-
missions in the corps at the examination which con-
cluded at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, on
Friday evening :—Messrs. A. French, R. A. Georges,
H. E. Russell, R. G. Sharpe, T. M. Whale, E. 0. B.
Gray, W. N. F. Hopkins, and A. E. Otter.
Lieutenant J.. 3. S. O'Neill, 20th Regiment, has been
appointed Instructor of Musketry to the 2d Battalion at
Chatham.
Her Majesty's screw two-decker Victor Emmanuel, 31,
got up her steam in the basin at Portsmouth, on Satur-
day, to try the working of her machinery antecedent to
trial out-side the harbour.
The undermentioned mates have been promoted to be
lieutenants :
C. B. Dobbin (acting), J. Rozie, H. Kerr, M. E.
Porter, H. F. Nicholson, F. W. Inglefield, A. 0. Mac-
farlane (acting), E. Denny, W. N. Wise, F. De V. San-
ders, C. P. Roger, C. J. Brownrigg, Jas. Darling, Jas.
Murdock Stewart, T. H. Rose, C. R. Gayer, R. H.
Napier (acting), R. P. Fitzgerald, P. W. Pellew, and
S. G. Price.
Time following assistant-paymasters have been pro-
moted to paymasters :
J. Hearnden, T. R. Dinnis, W. H. Hilts, J. J. Hay-
ward, H. Sewell, J. Shepherd, J. Burke, W. Rogers,
and G. Barnes.
Mr. Benjamin J. Hooper has been appointed Master
to the Cornwallis.

THE RETIRED ADMIRALS .-By the death of Sir Fran-
cis Beaufort, Rear-Admiral Hercules Robinson becomes
entitled to be placed amongst the senior 25 of the retired
admirals, and to receive the pay of his flag rank. The
present senior of the retired list is John Thompson, E
who (as Sir F. Beaufort was) is styled a rear-admiral
only, although by his seniority in the service he is en-
title to the grade of vice-admiral of the rod. There is
something very unfair in thus depriving retired flag offi-
cers of their legitimate rank. It is contrary to the prac•
tics in the sister service, and is extremely galling to
many of I officers who, I,ke Sir Francis Beaufort, con
eider themselves deprived of the position which is their
due, and which their contemporaries on the active and
reservel. half-pay lists are enjoying.
PAYMASTERS IN CHIEF.—Five more of the senior pay-
masters have, we observe, been retired as paymasters in
chief. It is a fitting, and no doubt gratifying acknow-
ledgment to the officers thus promoted, and for that
reason we are happy to notice the fact ; but we should
he very much better pleased to see the rank made bona
fide, and an active efficient paymaster in chief attached
to every flag ship to superintend the paymasters' accounts
of the fleet or squadron.—United Service Gazette.
The naval cadets belonging to the Illustrious, at Ports-
mouth, have been granted five weeks' holidays.

Sig. LAIVRENCE ON TEE STATE OF

OUDE.

The following is an extract from Sir Henry
Lawrence's article on Army Reform in the Sept.
(1850) number of the Calcutta Review (only seven
mouths before the commencement of the mutiny),
which throws considerable light upon the powerful
and obstinate character of the opposition there, and
is interesting as a late expression of the opinion of
this distinguished man on a subject which he so
well understood :
" Oade has long been the Alsatia of India. In that
province were to be met, even more than at Hyderabad
or at Lahore, the Afreedee and Durukzye of the Khyber
the Belooch of Khelat, and the Wazeree of the Sulimani
range. There also congregated the idle, the dissipated,
and the disaffected of every native state in India. Added
to these were many deserters from the British ranks, yet
the Contingent of 12,000 men has been almost wholly
filled from the old Oude army. The reason assigned
for the different lice of coaduct is, that the Punjab was
conquered, but that Oude fell in peace. In this there
is a fallacy, little understood, but not the less a fallacy.
Proportionally few of the instigators of opposition at
Lahore, and in the Sikh army, were Sikhs. They were
British subjects, many of the British deserters. The
general feeling f the Sikhs was hardly hostile. Many
of the Sikhs were friendly, decidedly so, as compared
with the Hindostanees in the Punjab service.
" The King of Oude employed 59,000 soldiers ; his
chiefs and officials at least as many more. Of these vast
numbers, one-fifth at the utmost have found employment
in the police and irregular corps. Yet these levies, with
half-a-dozen regular corps, form the whole army
of occupation. This seems a grave mistake.
Why not, at least, make a change l Why not move
some of the Punjab regiments that have been keeping
constant watch and ward on the Indus for seven
years to Oude, and send some of the King's people to
the North-west ? The King had some 8,000 artillery
of these about 500 may have obtained employment, the
rest, old and young, are Sikhs world. Surely, if there
was,
danger in employing in 1849, it would be well
to remove some portion of the Oude levies from Oude,
where such materials for mischief still remain. In the
province are 246 forts, besides innumerable smaller
stronghol !s, many of them sheltered within thick jun
shouldglesall
In these forts are 476 guns. Forts and guns
be in the hands of Government, or the forts should be
razed. Many a foolish fellow has been urged on to his
own ruin by the possession of a paltry fort ; and many a
paltry mud fort has repulsed British troops. . . .
" The 80,000 or 90,000 disbanded Oude soldiers are
the brethren of the British sepoys ......
"A paragraph in the Delht Gazette, announcing that
the Oude authorities are disposed to dispense with the
service of the regular regiments for Lucknow, tempts a
few further words of caution, though we do not alto.
gether credit the newspaper report. The earliest days of
annexation are not the safest. Be liberal;2considerate,
and merciful, but be prompt, watchful, and even
quietly auspicious. Let not the loose characters,
fl ,ating on the surface of society, especially such
a society as Lucknow, be too far tempted or trusted.
Wellington's maxim of ' keeping the troops out of eight'
answered for England ; it will not answer for India.
There must be trusty bayonets within sight of the under
standings, if not of the eyes, of Indian subjects before
they will pay willing obedience or any revenue. Of late
years the wheels of Government have been moving
very fast ; many native prejudices have been shocked.
Natives are now threatened with the aboliton of poly-
gamy. It would not be difficult to twist this into an
Attack on Hindooism. At any rate, the faster the vessel
glides the inure need of caution—of watching the
weather, the rocks, and the shoals.
Felix quern facirmt aliena pericrala °Warn."'