The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-27 00:00:00

Lich sh© shall be, that's certain; wise, or I'll none;
viirtaous, or I'll cover cheapen her; fair, or I'll never
go), on her; mild, or came not near me; noble, or not
for au angel; of good discourse; an excdlcot musi-
cian; and her hair shall be of what colour it please
'cod." About as definite as this last would be the
Objection in the rac.,uth of the Chronicle and ethers,
tig,ainst the present or any other iklinistry, not of their
own formation, even if it combined all qualities, as per-
fect and as plentifully as to suit the captious fancif's of a
lenedict. A Ministry that shall suit a.ll tastes and meet
1 objections is a thing impossible, like any other per-
fections. In the present one there is at least such a
Combination of talent, experience, official capacity, and
young blood, as will satisfy the candid. More cannot
fairly be demanded, unless Lord Derby descends
io an olecticism in politic=, which is es objectionable as
electicism in religior. A fair and temperate advocacy of
t,is own views will command the respect of the nation;
we aro fain to believe, of all parties, however diversified
their opinions. For there are plenty of questions in
Which, if all cannot agree, yet all can combine—sanitary,
6ocitil, and even commercial—for the well-being and in-
terest of thy country.
ORDNANCE ESTIMATES.

The Ordnance estimates have just been issued and we
aro now able to see what the authorities propose to do
in this department oft he public service. Comparing the
sums about to be demanded from the Parliament with
those voted for similar purposes last year we find an in-
crease under the heads of pay and allowances of 36,742/ ;
under the head of commissariat and barrack supplies an
increase of 25,2991 ; and under " scientific branch" an
increase of 10,253/. The enormous cost of the Ordnance-
office itself is reduced from 75,950/. to 75,580/, showing
the wonderful saving of 3701. Other reductions en cer-
tain branches appear on the statement, which winds up,
however, with the announcement that 25 6661. more will
be required in the coming year than was asked in the
past. One thousand extra men are proposed to be
added at this addition cost to tho Ordnance military
corps.
There can be no better time than the present for in-
troducing to the notice of the new Master-General of the
Ordnance, and to the public, the defective state of the
royal regiment of Artillery; and when speaking of that
corps, we refer of course more particularly to the proper
expenditure of the sum it costa—that is to say, about
400,000/. a year of the public money. But first one
word about stores.
To the Ordnance the nation Las entrusted the care of
all our engines of war, powder manufactories, sea coast
batteries, and the organizations of the corps whose par-
ticular duty it is to work these engines and man these
batteries. And how has this trust been fulfilled? Sim-
ply thus: that at the end of six-and-thirty years of
peace there is scarcely anything of a satisfactory nature
to show for the vast sums expended. When we are ask-
ing for additional national defence, this becomes a really
vital question.
Our powder magazine, worth hundreds of thousands of
pounds, is situated on tae River Thames, and open on
every side. A spark from any Gravesend steamer, when
the powder is put out to dry, might occasion an explosion
which would shake the very Ordnance-office in Pall-mall;
whilst to protect this store from incendiaries, who might
in safety any night lay a train for its destruction, there
are not half a dozen sentries. Custom may be a good,
thing in its way, but it never can be shown to the satis-
f ictidn of the people of England, that because it has been
usual to store powder at Purfieet, it should there be
stored for the future; and that because some twenty
years ago not more than half a company of artillery
could be spared to garrison the place, that the garrison
should still be restricted to so small a force, when there
are hundreds of artillery-men learning carbine drill at
Woolwich for want of something else to do.
Our splendid and most valuable arsenal at Woolwich
is also totally unprotected. As far backas the time of tho
great French revolution, a distinguished officer —General
Tarleton—explained to the House of Commons its ex-
posed situation, but from that day to this nothing has
been done beyond improving certain field officers' quar-
ters. Yet we have fortified arsenals such as Portsmouth
and Plymouth, and central situations like Weedon,
where guns and cartridges could be much more safely
stored than at Woolwich. Such improvements would
not cost the nation one penny. There would be no oc-
casion for removing one brick from the Woolwich arse-
nal. Guns might be cast there; cartridges might be
manufactured there; but when once guns are finished
and cartridges packed, let them be at once sent off. If
stores are required at Gibralta, Canada, or even for our
own southern counties, could they not be forwarded far
more rapidly and expeditiously from our southern sea-
ports, besides affording employment to certaiu people—
termed fire-masters—who have for the most part nothing
to do? Another point, also, should not be overlooked.
Would it not be as advisable to mount such guns as are
already made in such batteries as we possess, instead of
keeping them looked up at Woolwich? Would it not be
better to use well what we have, than to be crying out
for extra money to build more batteries with? But
now let us turn to the Artillery.
If, however, the resources which we possess in arms
are not properly: applied, the state of the Ordnance corps
is still worse. There are at Woolwich five batteries of
foot artillery and three troops of horse artillery, which
should give us a complement of forty guns fit for service;
but how does the case stand? We find upon investiga-
tion that to put a troop of horse artillery on a war foot-
ing it woulil be requisite to break up the whole of the
three troops at Woolwich, and furthermore to beg
horses of the troop at Newcastle. Again, the foot field
batteries are formed for the purpose of bringing into the
field guns of a heavier calibre than those used by horse
artillery, but so far from this being proper, they have
only six-pounder guns, so that if the men were given
nine-pounder guns, they would have to leave their am-
munition-waggons behind. And all this sacrifice of effi-
ciency is made just to be able to " show off" on Wool-
wich-common, previously—as Sir Charles Napier well
says—to enjoying champagne, luncheons. Upwards of
some dozen companies of W(ifl are retained at Woolsvieb,
to guard our arsenal; a duty which the sentries in Ports-
mouth dockyard could do just us well, yet by keeping the
stores and guard at Woolwich ke withdraw twelve hun-
dred efficient men from our coast defences. Yet session
after session sees the representative of the Ordnance, get
up in his place in the House, and congratulate the
nation on the efficiency of the artillery.
The proposal to add one thousand men to the artil-
lery looks like an addition to our means of defending
England. Da not let the people be too sure of this.
This additional thousand men is to give, we aro told, ten
extra men for each company;—but half the artillery
companies are serving abroad, a fact which we can
scarcely suppose the Ministry to have been ignorant of
when their plan was made known. Consequently, our
thousand men may—so far as force in England its con-
cerned, be, in reality, m
only half that nuber.
The chief opposition to putting the regiment on a
proper footing arises from the difficulty of coming to
any agreement as to how promotion should be given to
the officer; in the higher ranks,—a consideration cer-
tainly of some weight, and which, unless duly settled,
would give, or rather does give, us officers eho from
age and debility aro totally unfitted for command. This
it was that caused a division of the regiment into bat-
talionc, each battalion having its head quarters at
Woolwich, with a lieutenant-colonel and an adjutant;
thus giving twelve colonels and twelve adjutants to do
what might be easy work for any two efficient officers.
Many a good plan for remedying this has been pro-
posed, but one was too French, another too Russian,
and so on—as if an English plan must be something
unique. We have imitated foreigners in too many of
their bad points to be too proud of adopting some of their
good unc3. There are, however, two well worthy of the
Master-C en erar e consideration—one made by
Hume end end the other by Colonel Chesney, the energetic
commander of the Euphrates expedition.
Mr. Hume proposes that the rank of second ptain
of artillery should be abolished as useler
sanFadid.
Is expensive.
is a
For its utility not a word could ever be
sort of brevet rank, its holder beingllae
t resent
captain in the
army, but a bond fide lieutenant of arti heA p ads to one
there are two captains to a company .twroy.
house—for the distinction of rank is not
_rst withsufficiently
great to induce the second captain to obey first
the
any great alacrity.
Colonel Chesney's proposal is to do away with the
present battalion system, and its consequent imposition
of field officers doing nothing at Woolwich. And really
Woolwich has so outgrown its original purpose, that the
sooner some decisive measure is taken to change the
whole system the better. At present we have an innu-
merable host of colonels, lieutenant-
colonels, adjutants,
and staff-surgeons actually not knowing what to do with
their time. But although the service would be at once
improved by Colonel Chesney's
plan, no Promotion
would be lost; for the colonel proposes that every two
31 shouldithafi be
eldcififocrenaretdoienotmo
batteries of field artillery
ran naenbaat-
tery on a war footing, it.
A judicious arrangement.
Probably the idea that the formation of another use-
less battalion at head-quarters would attract public at-
tention gave origin to the scheme of gi •
ving ten men per
company instead of raising one thousand men as an ad-
dition to our home force. But the time has gone by for
any public measure to be s
The nation likes to kno muggled up in the dark.
ea for what it pays taxes, and is
anxious that the mon
pended. ey so paid should bo properly ex-
Lord Harding° is be
a soldier of some reputation, and
has now an opportunity improvements
of making great
in the department which govern.
ich he has undertaken to
we
The country is willing to pay what is right; but, if
are to pay
well, let us be served • well. Let us have
military realities—not costly, tinselled, pipeclayed in-
efficient shams,.—Daily News.

DEATH or A ncunisnor Menu y.—The venerable
Dr. Murray, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, whose
dangerous illness was noticed in this paper yesterday, died
at a quarter to six o'cldek on Wednesday morning, at his
residence in illountjoy- square, Dublin. The death of this ex-
cellent prelate, whose life has been a model of Christian for-
bearance in a country where such an example is invaluable,
is deeply regretted by moderate men of the several religious
denominations. The parish priests and prebendiaries of the
diocese are to assemble in a day or two, to select a Vicar-
Canitular, Who will be entrusted with the ecclesiastical an•
thority until the appointment of a new Roman Catholic Arch-
bishop.
A decree has just been issued by the Spanish Go-
vernment fobse discharge of certain certificates, amounting
to 600,000/..ued in 182 S, in sat:sfaction of claims of Bri-
tish subjects, according to an arrangement between the two
nations. The rate of interest paid upon them has been 5 per
cent., and it was stipulated that Spain should have the op-
tion of redeeming them during the first four years from the
date of their issue at 55, and at any subsequent period at 60,
her-
upon giving six months' notice. She has now availed
self of this clause, and therefore it is at the latter price they
will be paid off. The debt having been arranged wader the
auspices of the British Government' who would have felt
bound to maintain the rights of the claimants in case of de-
fault, the interest has always been regularly met, and the
price or the certificates itt the market WAS 144 ht has 66.