The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

made in the effective swim. The first vote would be for
the number of men in the army for the public service. Tae
number of these men, deducting those who served in the
Bast Indies, end who were paid by the Ent India Company,
amounted to 108,398, making a small decrease tithe num-
ber taken last year of 210 men. The number of men
to be required this year would amount to nearly the
same as that required last year. There were some
change', however, necessary. There was • decrease to be made
in the regiments about to arrive from foreign service. During
foreign service they were kept at the strength of 1,000 men,
hut when they arrived home they would be reduced to 800.
That, with the reduction of some non-commissioned officers
in the regiments now on their way home, would cause • re
duction of 1,075 men. There were other similar reductions,
which would bring it to a decrease of 11,011 men. With
the exception of 210 men, this deficiency ve old be supplied
in the following manner; It was proposed to raise 682 men
for the garrison at Hong Kong, and to add that body to the
Ueylon Corp'. That was found economical in point of admi-
nistration, and as regarded the health of British soldiers.
He thought that, instead of making those soldiers who
maintained the honour and preserved the dignity of the
nation exiles from their country, it was better to make the
reduction in the way he had mentioned. He believed that
there was no regiment in India which had been there above
14i years, and he believed that there was no regiment at
home which was there a day more than four years ; but he
still hoped that, in the course of time, they would bring
down the longest absence to somewhat not much exceeding
13 years. He would now proceed to the neat
vote, which was fur the land forces for the ensuing year.
Upon that item them was a decreased expense (owing to the
appropriation in aid having amounted to so large • sum) of
44,11.5/., without which there would have been an increase
of 7,7161. The next vote was for the staff: and upon this
there was an increase of 8,3431., occasioned chiefly by the
force which had been seat to the Cape of Good Hope; and
he thought the committee would admit that in all such un-
fortunate wars (which they might call little wars if they
pleased), the usivrimst mode was to endeavour to settle them
in a little way. (Hear.) The additional troops which had
been sent there had laid the foundation for a well-
grounded hope that the next account we should receive
would be one of submission on the part of the Kaffir* and
preparation on our part to secure the frontier, after which
the government might be able to withdraw some of the
=to whose gallantry he Might be permitted to pray a
testimony. (Hear, beer.) And here he would my that
no corps had been more distinguished than the colonial corps
which he had before mentioned, and Col. Somerset their
chief. (Hear, hear.) The fourth vote related to public de-
partments, on which there was an increase of 2,093/., which
was caused entirely by the increase of postage. In the next
vote, the Royal Military Aralum, the charge for this year
was 17,6331., the charge for the last year having been
14,0621., showing an increase of 3,5711., which principally
arose from taking • vote of 2,0001. in furtherance of a new
system of education. The next was a vote for the volunteer
corps, which from their having been out on exercise more
last year than customary, amounted to an increase of 3,9391.
These formed the remaining votes for the effective services.
In the estimates of last year a vote was taken under this
head for 36,5001. for unprovided services, but it was not
proposed to take any vote of that kind this year, leavingm those
services to be defrayed as circumstances might require, which
would make • further reduction of 36,5001. upon the estimate
for effective services, from which, if they deducted the staff
17,9361., the sum of 18,564/. would remain, which, if added
to the decrease for the land force, would make a total de-
crease upon the effective services this year of 62,7151. (Hear,
hear.) He next came to the non-affective services. The
hon. gentleman, the member for Montrose (Mr. Home), had
stated that then was a large increase on those services this
year, and that he observed a steady increase in comparison
with the estimate of last year. Now, he must say, that suck
an observation was not fair, inasmuch as the vote of last year
was only given for three-quarters of a year end the vote of
this year was estimated four quarters. (Hear, hear.) The
fiat vote was for rewards for distinguished services, and
there was • decrease upon this vote, as compared with the
last four quarters, of 3391. The charge for thin year pre-
sented the gratifying appearance of 1,040/. given to meri-
torious non-commissioned officers in annuities of from 10/. to
201. per annum. The next vote was for the pay of goneral offi-
cers' upon which there was an apparent increase of 33,000/.,but
that vote contained the expenses of the brevet. 16,0001.
was to be deducted for the quarter, not charged in the last
year's estimate, and the reel increase would be, including
the brevet, 17,000/. The next vote was for retired full-pay,
which showed an apparent increase of 13,0001. ; hut, in
reality, there was a deduction from this charge of 2,0001.
They next came to half-pay ; and here, in reference to some
observations from the hon. member for Montrose, he would
say, that since 1830 this vote had been reduced from 720,0001.
down to about4oo,oool. He thencame to " foreign half-pay,"
upon which there was a decrease of 1,1451. The next vote was
fur widows' pensione;which last year amounted to 138,8191.,
and the vote of this year was for 131,8591., showing • de-
crease of 6,9601. Next on the list was compassionate allow-
ances, in which also there had been a decrease of 4.0001. He
now came to the out-pensions, the charge for this year show-
ing an increase of 45,3821. The whole charge on this esti-
mate was 1,236,7321., that of last year being 1,191,3501., not-
withstanding which, there were 961 men less on these out-pen-
sions than last year, at a charge of 14,0511. The first great
item of increase was a charge already sanctioned by the
house, namely, the relinquishment of the charge of pound-
age amounting to 50,000/.—an act of justice which no one
would regret. Then there was a charge of 6,0001. for
organising a body of Chelsea pensioners to proceed to New
Zeeland. The government proposed to send to that country
• body of 500 of these men, with their families, under the
charge of six officers, there to be located with certain ad-
vantages for seven years, and after that they would become
valuable settlers, in the meantime affording defence
to the colonists when called upon by the governor.
(Hear, hear.) Upon the last vote---superannuation
allowances—there was no increase at all. The re-
sult upon the non-effective services was then as follows:
there was an apparent gross increase of 254,890/., but
there was to be set against that the quarter omitted to be
taken in the last year, 218,9791. ; the actual incr.-me there-
fore, would only be 35,9111,, sad if that were taken increase,
the
decrease on the effective services, amounting to 62,7171., it
would show a decease, instead of an increase, span thr ser-
vices of this year, of 26,8061. And when it was con-
sidered that +50,0001. was to be accounted for as
an addition to the Chelsea pensions already agreed
to by the house-17,0001. for the brevet, and upwards of
15,0001. for the additional day in the next year—it being
leap year—the committee, he thought, would admit that
every attention had been paid to economy. (Hear, hear.)
The hon. member for Montrose had slid that the object of
the departments was to make their estimates as high as
possible; but he (Mr. F. Mauls) could undertake to say for
the department to which he bad the honour to belong, that
they had endeavoured to make their estimates in low se paenble.
He would now make one or two remarks with regard to the
army generally. Its condition with reference to reliefs he
had already stated. As to the mortality—from the steps
which had been taken some time ago, by ameliorating the
state of the troops in the West Indies, putting barracks in
better places than they were in Jamaica and other islands,
and employing the black troops on duty in unhealthy &inn-
tions, tne mortality in the West India islands, with the ex-
ception of Antigua and one or two others, was reduced to
1 3.10 per cent. In the Mediterranean, up to the 31st of
March, 1846, the mortality was 1 3-10 per cent. ; in the
twenty years preceding it was two per cent., showing •
marked improvement. In Bermuda, Nova Scotia, Canada,
New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, it was 1 3-10 per cent.;
in the period antecedent to 1836 it had been 2 1-10 per cent.
In New South Wiles, Van Diemen's Land, and the Cape of
Good Hope, in 1846, it was 1 4-10 per cent. ; and it had
been nearly the same in the period preceding. In St. He-
lena, Mauritius, and Jamaica it was I 9-10 per cent., or 19
in 1,000; previous to 1836 it ha/ been 91 in 1,000. The
alteration had been effected in Jamaica by the substitution
of teeth meat for salted rations, but, above all, by the erec-
tion of barracks in the high lands of Jamaica instead of low
situations. (Hear, hear) In the unhealthy stations, in-
cluding the rest of the West Indies and Ceylon, while the
mortality was greater than could be wished, namely 4 4-10
per cent., it had been 7 6-10 previous to 1836. In-Hong
Kong the mortality was 320 in 1,000 ; but he hoped that
this rate would be lessened by the substitution of colonial
for British troops. In India, the mortality was still large ;
but, by the exertions of the noble lord now bolding the
supreme command in that country, who bed been much
impressed by the subject, he rammed that much good would
be effected, and that healthy barracks would be erected in
the highlands above Madras and Bombay, and in the ranges
of the Himalaya mountains. Till something of that kind
was done, there was no hope of reducing the present mor-
tality there. • vote of '2,0004. was proposed for the estab-
lishment of schools in the Royal Military Asylum. It
was proposed to establish there a school for train-
ing echoolmesters, • model school, on the principle
of which the regimental schools would be established,—and
an infant school, consisting, as it had hitherto done, of the
orphans and children of British soldiers, under certain dr-
cranstances. This was the plan of the right hon. gentle-
man who had preceded him, and it did him infinite
credit; it not only laid the foundation of a system of educa-
tion for the children of the soldiery, but of the soldiers
themselves, by which they !night be qualified to render
themselves useful when their period of service expired.
The libraries were increasing gradually and progressively.
In this year there was en increased supply of 10,000
volumes for the army libraries ; and a vote of 2,0001. for
that purpose would be liken in this year's estimates. With
regard to discipline,--fteui the month of July, up to the
close of the year, there had only been five instances of
corporal punishments. (Hear, hear.) As the system of
military prisons became more perfect sad more established,
corporal punishment might be expected to die away al-
together. (Hear.) The prisons generally were working
as well as could be wished ; there were now nine in Eng-
land, four in Ireland, and one in Scotland. The reports
from the governors and chaplains were most satisfactory.
The effect on the morals of the soldiers was most consider-
able: their being separated from the contamination of the
civil gaols was one of the greatest boons ever conferred upon
the army. (Hear.) From these prisons, the man returned
fit for duty ; whereas, it required days, weeks, and some-
times months, to render them fit for service, after quitting
the civil gaols, under the old regulation. Severe aa was the
punishment in the military gaols, In no instance had the aol-
diem been injured in their minds, but in many cases they had
Men reformed. The labour in these prisons was complained of
as too severe; but it did no injury to those undergoing it,
while it was severe enough to prevent any temptation being
held out to a soldier to commit an offence for the purpose of
getting Into the prison again. (Hear, hear.) In miens
ether paints, the attention of government bed been directed
to the entelioration of the condition of the soldiers. A vete
of 6,0001. would be taken in the ordnance estimates, for the
establishment of wash-houses in barracks. (Hear, hear.)
As • proof of the disposition of the government to promote
the welfare of the soldier in every particular, might be men-
tioned the remission of the duty of 50,0001 formerly charged
as poundage to old soldiers, end the proposal to limit the period