The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-22 00:00:00

THE ARMY ESTIMATES.

Cr,.. the Dade X....)

To-night the money for the army is to be voted
by the HOBOS of Commons; but before it is given
some questious will, we expect, be put to the govern-
ment. The army estimates, in spite of select coin-
mitten and panics of invasion, still bear the old ap-
pears:we!, with the exception of an addition of 3,rn
men, being an increase over the year 1848 of 1,327
men. The vote for effective services is 3,986,3081.,
being an increase over last year of 113,1221.; whilst,
for the non-effective services, there is a decrease of
28,2131. The actual increase, therefore, over last
year is only 81,4271. This is the work of the whigs,
which the tories now adopt. We are entitled to
ample means of defence; but to get this we mast
not allow the authorities to have their own way, er
waste will go hand in hand with inefficiency. Let
us bring • few points connected with the present
estimates under the notice of the new SECRETARY-
AT-Wen, the House of Commons, and the public
points carefully indicated by the late Committee on
army and ordnance expenditure, yet just as carefully
overlooked by governments V. and Tory.
The Life Guards and Horse Guards still keep up
an unnecessary proportion of officers, having •force of
eight troops, when their number does certainly not
justify more than seven troops, and even those would
be weak. In these times, when to prevent lavish
expenditure on useless branches we are said to cur-
tail our army to a greater extent than is perhaps
actually necessary, it is unfair to 'Wish so great an
expenditure on three regiments of household troops,
when fur the same cost six regiments of cavalry of
the line might be obtained. kor instance, the ceder
Del of a regiment of household cavalry gets 1,8001.
year, whilst a colonel of cleat!), of the line but
1,000/. Surely to command• regiment entrusted with
the care of the Sovereign should be considered an
honour and not a source of extra emolument. Under
the charge of recruiting, also, we find no alteration
with respect to the system pursued of buying three-
year-old horses for 261. 3e., and keeping them two
years &litre any use is made of them ; an arrange-
ment by which horses for the cavalry cost the
country actually not. a-piece before they are broken
in. to say nothing of risk of loss from these horses
either turning out badly or damaging themselves.
The Committee reported that the evidence of the
Inspector-General of the Cavalry deserved the atten-,
tion of the military authorities; but Major-General
BRUTIIEBTON appears to have been unable to instil
his ideas of proper retrenchment into the Horse'
Guards officials—perhaps his successor, the Duke of
CAMBRIDGE, may be more successful.
With respect to the Foot Guards, an ohnevades
must be made which may not be hero out of Moe.
During the last session of parliament, Sir DE LACT
Evora asked Lord JOHN ILVSSELL whether it was
true that a sum of 40,0001. was to be expended in
barrack arrangement for the Foot Guards in London;
a question which was also backed by remonstrances
on our part as to the wastefulness of spending that
large sum when there were so many empty barracks
in England. Lord JOHN liVW3ELLreilied that the plan
was not to be carried out; and so the matter then
dropped. lint within the last few months the works in
question have been begun ; and, as they could not have
been commenced without the sanction of the Treasury,
perhaps Sir De LACY EVANS will not object to re-
peat his question, and enable the country to
learn what reasons can be urged for this new Ord-
nance job.
In the clothing department there is also no
change. General officers—many of whom from age
and infirmity can know or care but little about the
real working of their own arrangements—still
furnish their regiments with clothing; yet in the
report on army expenditure we find this sentence:—
" Your committee, while they abstain from giving
any opirion on these proposals, strongly recommend
the consideration of the whole question to the govern-
ment with a view of ascertaining whether any
system can be devised which may be free from the
objections made against the existing practice, with-
out endangering the security for the regular delivery
of the clothing, the quality of the materials, and the
economy of the public expenditure, which the pre-
sent mode of clothing the army has apparently
afforded." Now, whether it is more satisfactory to
have our army clothed by contractors liable to
penalties fur non-fulfilment of contracts, or
whether the "clothing-colonel" system should con-
tinue, it is easy to decide. It on scarcely improve
the morals of officers for them to find a Formulary
advantage from pickings oat ot.yanis of red baize
and cotton lees, nor can it be wkeite to the die'►-
ciplhse of a regiment that the soldiers should occa-
sionally cast any but plement rodeskas en the
individuals who give them tightfitting, thin sloth
ante, or drishop pieshing beets. " Clothier
colonels " are an hem of a disgrace which mot
again and spin be relieved to until the military
authorities are shamed into relimaing the system.
The medical department also shows no 'hasp,
although the recommendation ci the committee
was atoms on this ealotet. " Your committee di-
rected their attention to the practicability of having
esemedicaldepartmenthethewholears , aponwhich
eabjelit they would rue to the • of the
liscamaavnAT-Waa and Earl OMIT, both of whom
ceocur ia opinion that not only great economy bet
mach sometimes would morns were the ordnanse
modish departmet merged in that of the army,
mike me motel and with em system d mosey-
meat. Your - - weld Mershon recommend
hat ne bine Amalie hot is egoist, this Mira*
*M." Bat eannelitese_ sigma t is eastrivamise
selcao. he is WI &melees mid the
If the essmittee seminally appoistethe
alf stilary Pala will lake the
troelririlloOk at Oak aged eel the
amp to
they MB hod thst they Wive
navel themeekves gnat deal of missinery Seel&
To item em eta& seggellons haa the lightest at
ties pdt.
Bet them ti eke Wm in the estimates whisk
curse
ampVl elibmities It is • demand of 12,0001.
4agemes. This is probably with the
lutanist Wig a camp of instruction during
the sammts, bet le not this rather like beginaing at
=rat leaving the foundation still its poor
Nate ? How can it be expected that pa-
lmy elms will take an interest in their profession,
when hind-working; men are rather despised than
The entrance examination of racers
fir 110 mew is a satire es the whole system,
and semi err mew of atria to same parish school
hen to an Whelks he 'mg men of position.
Whet are the hob d the faise- ohm P What'
required of him ? To be olio to reed and write ;
to have a trifling knowielp of the history of
England; and to know the mm of the prin-
cipal rivers and towns is limps dunk are
the heads of a military exandnailles Thm, as to
the subsequent tests, to what do any extend?
Why, merely, that during four or Bre years service
officers should have become acquainted with the daily
routine of their regimental duty. That they should
know oompanydrill ; be acquainted with the forma of
courts martial ; in fact, that they should know exactly
what they cannot pmeibly avoid becoming acquainted
with without any effort whatever. No trouble is re-
quired to be taken. There is no examination as to
who will be tint, and obtain honours ; the effort is only
to avoid being "plucked." The desire is not how
high you can reach, but bow low you can go in
!safety. But suppose that officers do work and in-
struct themselves? Suppose they go to Sandhurst.
as many . do—that they pass need ezeileadene
and obtain great credit, what us to sit fhb
to them ? Dies it reocummill them he at
vacancies, for posts of briphe mlloe, military WNW ,
toy, deputy easistant qmetimmeW general, or WI,
other situation where the want ofproper informant
is often sensibly felt? No sash diet. A man psi
to Sandhurst, besiege .hie esiment is alma.
Because having gene hem* 16 time at
he does not wish torahs& to Jamaica ori
Bat even to get this adsbelegv requires Mena. He
mug have • cools all mmt M sheik him peso has
to get leave to Mimi Witieff• sod he mint have
the dread of posastil Amato' to drive Mei to
latelligiMe state ' sines pear
WWI hawk, k the army se Mee mos
▪ etas M playing resbam
end edis
asPal*aff des
ranks le It themselves kr
etemenk.

Lad DUST; la his prams of oar dsfeaeive faros
remarked that our army was a perfeatioa is its way.
It I to be bagel it is so, sad that 111 future wan we
my sot haw b sollir—as we always have suffered—
tarthe bleeders of oar staff. Brute memo
Call very well *pima ijuoraut Ileboeiit