The Express.
London, England, 1850-03-09 00:00:00

eorraptiaa, sad he would tutu kis bock upos it ; he would
vote ea neither dd.. (Hors the boo. sad gallant instober
took up his kat, sad walltod out of tha house amidst sours of
Isukter.)
The bowie thou divided—
Fee the soden is, ping into cossaittee 272
For the anteadesitat B9-183
Oa Ike dells beide re-opened vre found the house in swa-
nkier. sad

Mr. Fox MAULS proposing the first vote, the number of
men. He telmstmet that he should not have asked the house
go into oemilMfase ea thatlate hour had he intended to
els man than tit them the vote for the member of
be osssmratuai be the army for the miming year.
With sewed Ss ell other motions connected with the army
estimales. he should reserve all explanation as to them tor
a fatties ostemetemity. He, however, underetood that though
he this year presented a reduced estimate as to the camber
of met as Impend with former years, it was the intention
of his hoc. irked the member fox Montrose (Mr. Hume) to
move for a still further reduction, and to take the sense of
thetionuaittes upon the question. (Hear.) Last year when he
(Mr. F. Mauls) proposed a vote of 103,000 men,
his hoe. friend moved to reduce it to 100,000, and now he
proposed a vote below that amount, viz., 99,128 men, his
hon. (rived still moved a further redaction. Wick reference
to that number, another statement made by the hon. member
for the West Riding, followed by that of the right hon.
member for Manchester, and that of his hon. friend (Mr.
Home), he desired to draw attention to the fact, that, so far
from the military force, when once accumulated to a very
considerable strength, being always maintained, the strength
proposed for this year showed a very considerable diminu-
tion as compared with that of 1848 9, that reduction being no
less than 14,719 men. (Hoy.) But then it had been said,
" though you reduce the number of men, you do not reduce
the number of offieen." In this reapect, too, if hon. gen-
tlemen would turn their attention to the estimates of the pre-
sent year. they would and with a reduction of 4,000 men
the government propooed to reduce the number of
officers by 128. (Hear, hear.) Touching briefly
on this subject at so late an hour, he would
draw attention to the fact, that, so far from the
effiNtril of the army bevies bee, more than proportionably
increased from 1836 down to the present date, as cod. pared
with the increase is the number of men, as had been alleged,
wherewein 1885 the proportion of offieen to the men was as
1 in 17 ; at present it was only 1 in 20, and in every increase
which had been matte since 1835 until now, the proportion
which the officers bore to the men, was, 1 officer to 162 men.
(Hear, hear.) The (oily other point he should notice war,
as to what the hon, member tor the West Riding had said
in reference to keeping up the officers while they reduced
the men. (Hear, hear.) lia was not an advocate for
maintaining an undue properties of officers, but still less
was he an advocate for reducing the proportion of officers
so low as to be basely sufficient to command the men at
the time. (Hear, hear.) He was convinced that the most
economical way of maintaining a military force
was to maintain it in that state of efficiency
with regard to officers, that if an exigency arose it might
be increased in the shy rtest pcsaibls time and at the least
poseitile expense. (Hear, hear.) Now, with reference to
the number of men proposed fur the ensuing year, if hoe.
gentlemen would look t' the estimates, they would find a
reduction, as compared with lest year's estimate. of 4,126
in all. This was effected by the reduction of 128 officers,
308 nu-commissioned officare, and 3,690 privates; and
' the mode in which that reduction h 4 bean effected was
by reducing the 2nd battalions, which were raised in 1845
(as the means of foaming the army at that time), and
bringing back the double battalion regiments to their for-
mer position of *aisle battalion regiments. The reason
for electing the alteration in this way was simply this—
that that mode of increasing the army wee not found, on
the whole, to be tt at which gave the great-
est amount of e fficieet y. These 2nd battalions,
in many instances, were far from being complete;
they were not provided with those complete establiehmente
which the Ist battalion hod; and in the messes and ail those
minor arrangements, there was a luck of that c.mfori which
vs. necessary. Therefore, having determined upon reduc-
ing the amount of the military force, it seemed to the
government much better to ernes to the old elate of things,
before the increase of 1845 and leen was made, end to
maintain in its integrity the depot system et 1823. (Hear,
hear.) With these observations he would submit the vote
of the smallest fer,e the guverament felt themselves justified
in proposing for the service of the year 1850.51, consistently
with these reliefs which the house had detain:tied should
be given to thus regiments seining in the colosies—that
force being 98,128 men. (Hear, hear.)
The vote having been put by the chairman,
Mr. HUME thought the right hon. gentleman had stated
sufficient reasons why they should take a Curtner time for
coustdering this vote, and for obtaining that ezplanatien
which the right hon. gentleman had not tome to give to
night—(a laugh(—why so large a force was wanted. It
was his intention, when the vote came to be discussed, to
submit a d. fi Atte motion in regard to it, viz., to re-
duce the number of men to 90,000, being half the
surplus of the present tone, ever that of 1835, and he
hoped, if they succeeded in that, to r.cluee by the
recce half neat year. (Hear.) This was the vote upon
which the whole of the other items of the military ezteendi•
tore followed, and the house would not do their duty if they
passed it without full consideration.
The question that the chairman report progress having
been put,

Mr. F. MAI:LE regretted that his hon. friend had not
stated his intention before they usut lulu uutatuittee, tpcetve
' when he pr ,posed to go into committee, he and Mond his
hon. friend did not intend is object to the vote of the number
o' men. His bon. friend required en explanation why it
was tlerwary to =simian the number of men proposed.
He was quite ready to give thst explanation, provided his
hon. friend woe Stiiiill2 at thrt late b-ur to stay and hear it.
('' Too late," front Mr. Hume ) If his hon. friend hsd said
it wee too lets ten tolnutoe ago, he should not have troubled
the eomm Pee with any observations.
Mr. B. OSBORNE really thought the hon. member for
Mos.rosa was making no unreasonable riquest. (Hear,
hear.) They were by this vote called upon to vote 6,000,0001.
of money, and his right hon friend treated it es a mere .Ito
and raid, it is only 20 mintris past 12, let us vote it. This
war cot a rtipecdul way of treating the people of this
country. (lieu, hear, and • cry of " ult !" from the pro-
'cell mist beaches.) He recognised in that interrupti xi the
tones of an how friend, an ex cavalry offi er. it. would
till that bon. gentleman that very conaiderablo reductions
might be made, and must be n.ade, in that bradco of the
service he had so lately belonged to. He should support the
motion.

Lad J. RUSSELL observed that if his right hon. friend
had misunderstood the hoe. member for kl,..ntruse that he
did not object to this vote being taken to-night, there was no
intention to press the matter. (Rear.)
The house having resumed,
REAL PROPERTY CONVEYANCE BILL.
This bill was read a second time.
TURNPIKE ROAD AND BRIDGE TRUSTS (IRE-