The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-05 00:00:00

THE ARMY AND NAVY.

(From the United Service Gazette of this day.)
TILE DUKE OF WELLINGTON VERSUS EARL GREY.
—We have good reason for stating that the manner
in which the contemplated reduction in the army is
to take place has not yet been determined on, Earl
Grey, the Colonial Secretary, on the one hand,
urging the withdrawal of troops from the coloniei as
the most effectual mode, but which is strongly opposed
by his Grace the Commander. in-Chief.
Tina CAPTAINS' LlST.—Captain Sir Eaton Travers,
K. 11., has accepted the retirement, under the Order
in Council of 1846, with the pay of 18s. per diem.
This retirement brought Sir George Back within the
half-pay list of 12s. 6d. per diem, so that Captain
M'Quhae (1835) has succeeded to that grade in con-
sequence of the death of Lord Colville.

Major. General Henry Godwin, C. 8., has succeeded
to the Unattached Pay of 253. per diem. He is an
officer of distinguished service, having served with
the expedition to the Ferrol in 1800, and to that of
Hanover in 1805. He afterwards proceeded to the
Peninsula, and was present at the passage of the
Douro, the defence of Tarifa, and the battle of
Barossa, where he was severely wounded. Previous
to this he was a volunteer in the expedition to Malaga,
and was present at the attack on Fuengarola. In
1822 he proceeded to Madras, in command of the 41st,
and in 1824 embarked for Burmah, serving the whole
of the difficult campaign in that country.
COMMISSARIAT OF ACCOUNTS.—The establishment
of officers under Deputy Commissary General Wil-
liam Hayward, stationed in Van Diemen's Land
during the past six years, has been removed from the
Army List. The establishment was ordered home a
twelvemonth ago, the new arrangements for control-
ling-and auditing the expenditure of the Commissariat,
and of the convict system rendering it no longer
necessary. The officers of the Commissariat are
expected early in the spring.
STRENGTH OF TDB NAVY ON THE IST OF JAN.,
1850:—We rather understated the force of the royal
navy afloat last week. Reckoning supernumeraries
and boys in the dockyard) and stationary ships,
Kromnen employed on the coast of Africa, and en-
gineers in the different steamers in ordinary, the
number of officers, men, boys, and marines in com-
mission on the Ist of Jan., 1850, was about 39,600.
Of these the marines ashore numbered about 6,500.
Lieutenat-Colonel Clarke, Acting Assistant-Quar-
termaster General at Kilkenny, has returned to that
city from leave of absence in England.
Lieutenat-Colonel Brough, Assistant-Adjutant-
General at Belfast, is on a visit to his native county,

Carlow, at his friend's, Mljor C.)opr, at Shurle

COAVICT GUARD.—The volunteering of the Pen-
sioners to form companies on board ships for the
conveyance of convicts to the Australian colon is
still being carried into effect, and the men are all to
assemble at Tilbury Fort for organiz:tion previous to
embarkation.

POLICE COMMISSIONERS.—CapIaiu William Hay.
w'nose valuable services as Lispecting Superintendent
of Police, have justly led to his appoin,inei,t as b
Commissioner, on the retirement of Sir Charl,:s
Rowan, passed upwards of twenty sears in the army.
He was always in the cavalry, and for the last five
years in the sth Dragoon Guar Is, from w! ich reti
runt he retired by the sale of his commissionit, 1829.
RELIEF OF REGIMENTS.—The Indian Mail, which
arrived yesterday, brings papers of a late date, from
one of which we extract the following characteristic
order by Sir C. Napier.
" Nov. 3.—His Excellency the Commander-iri
Chief has received the most extraordinary letters
from Officers commanding corps, both regular and
irregular, praying to have the destination of their re-
giments changed. TheCommande-in-Chief begs to in-
form these gentlemen that the troops are meved to suit
the public convenience, and not the convenience of it.di
viduals, and he desires that such ao unsalier -like and
disorderly military practice may not again take place,
to the disgrace of discipline- The Commander in
Chief seldom, intentionally, leaves any one letter
unanswered, but he will not, in future, reply to letters
of such a nature as these; for this once he assures
these gentlemen that not one of their unmilitary
requests shall be complied with.
"By order of his Excellency the Commander in•
Chief.
"PAT. GRANT, Lieutenant-Colonel, Adjutant-
General of the Army."
THE 50• GUN FRIGATE "NANKIN."—This splendid
frigate, building at Woolwich dockyard, designed by
Mr. Lang, jun., will be launched in the present fi-
nancial year, ending the 31st of March next, and will
be forthwith fitted for sea, and commissioned as soon
as ready to try her qualities with the Leander, Inde-
fatigable, and Arethusa.
REDUCTION OF THE NAVY ESTIMATES.—We have
good reason to believe thrt the reduction in the Navy
estimates for 1850.51 will be consideeable, amounting
to more than a quarter of a million. The reduction,
it is said, will not affect seamen, but 1.000 Marines
less will be voted, and the savings will be in their
provisions and pay, and in the decrease of stores, &c

NIAGARA SUSPENSION BRIDGE.
Whilst public attention is properly directed to, and
interested its, the result of the great work of Mr.
Stevenson at the Menai Straits, it may be worthy the
attention of the British public to know that in
other countries the works of genius, by the
extension of science, are progressing also to a great
extent.
We consider the bridge across the Niagara Falls
of that description, and the following account from
the Canada papers will be read with interest. It is
from the Rochester Daily Advertiser :
" Mr. Editor,—Having seen several attempts at a
description of the suspension bridge, and all more or
less erroneous, I trust I shall be pardoned for a In ief
sketch relating to said work as it now stands, being
merely a temporary structure as compared with the
original design.
"Early in the spring of 1847, while at dinner at
the Eagle Hotel, in the village of Niagara Falls,
there were present Charles Elet, jun., the engineer of
the bridge, the writer, and several other gentlemen,
when the subject came up how the first wire was to
be got over the river. One proposed the steam boat
—another, a small boat to take a line across ; another
would throw a bomb-shell over, with a cord attached
to it, with several other equally practicable projects,
were advanced, when Mr. Elet himself suggested the
use of a rocket, by which he expected to throw his
first line across the gulf. This seeming to be the end
of prepositions, Mr. Fisk, of your city, addressing
Mr. Elet, said, with your leave, and a promise not
to ridicule the idea, if it should prove a failure, he
would, in a more simple and cheaper mode, attempt
to get a line across the gulf. This being agreed to,
those present desired to know what method he should
pursue to get a line across. Well, gentlemen, I have
not the lest objection to tell you all about it, provided
you adhere to the promised conditions—not to laugh
at me. Now, gentlemen, says Mr. Fisk, my plan
and the instrument used, will be the same kind used
by Franklin to draw lightning from the clouds, an
instrument that any ingenious schoolboy can make in
an hour—a kite.
" Mr. Elet remarked that he did not see why it
would not succeed, and gave his consent to have it
tried. Mr. Fisk then called upon an intelligent boy
by the name of Walsh, who soon bad a kite con-
structed, and on the second trial threw a line across,
making it fast on the opposite side, by doubling
which a small rope was drawn over, and in six or
seven doubles strength sufficient was acquired to
take over the first small cable of 36 wires. This was
the one used to pass Mr. Elet over is his little iron
car, and next himself and lady, and many others
passed over on this slight fixture. Since which the
present structure has been reared, resting on wooden
towers 50 feet high, over which pass 14 cables of the
following dimensions :—viz., Five of 36 wires each ;
five of 72 ; one of 125 ; and three of 150 wires-
-1,115 wires in all.
" To these is the bridge suspended, and is capable of
sustaining a weight of nearly one thousand tons, yet
so slight in its appearance to strangers, that some will
not pass it, through fear of its instability, yet heavy
teams pass it; five at one time were on it, of Colonel
Mann's Circus, besides many droves of cattle have
passed it. It is now perfectly safe as a common
thoroughfare ; but will all give way to one of the
grandest structures in the world, as soon as it is re-
quired for railroad purposes, for which, from the
exertions now being used by the directors and
people on both sides, it seems likely to be required
within a year or two. The railroad structure will
require 16 cables of 400 wires each, all laid straight
—not twisted, as some have it—but wound with small
wire, and when completed, with its massive stone
towers, will sustain a weight of more than 6,000
tons beyond its own weight, a structure worthy,
as one of art, to stand by the side of nature's
grandest—the Falls of Niagara. For this and other
improvementsindebted to
t contemplated
Hon.
Charleso B. Stuart,
rfi ni sh ed a o
who
r ht e publ
si c
ded o he
merit abler pens will yet render to him the honour
due."

COURSE OF
Amsterdam 12 234
Ditto, at sight • • .... 12 0
Rotterdam • • .• 12 234
Antwerp•• •••••••• •• •• 25 67%
Elamburgb • M.B 13 12%
Altona• •••••••• • •• • • ••
Paris, 3 days'sight • 25 45
Ditto, 3 months 25 6734
Marseilles •••••••• .• •• 25 6754
80urdeaux......... . 25 67%
Frankfort on Maine.. •• 122
Peter sburgh, Sil. Rble .• 37%
Vienna, effec. flo•• •• 11 24
Trieste, ditto.... • • .... 11 24
Madrid ••••• • •• •• •• •• 49%
Cadiz •• .••• •••••••••• 49%
Bilbao•• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Barcelona •• •• •• •• •• ••
Se 7111••• •• •• •• •• • • ••