The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-06 00:00:00

was 103,5441., which was made up by the addition of half
abattalion of engineers and a battalion of artillery, amount-
ing to 73,446/. ; additional staff for the movement of troops,
11,200/. ; and a MIA of 12,9941. consequent upon the in-
creased bounty now offered. He need hardly point out the
necessity for increasing the engineer and artillery force-a
force which was now about 7,000 loss in strength than it
was in the year 1814. No force in any country could have
distinguished itself more than our artillery and engineer
corps had done in the recent operations in the East. (Hear.)
s
It was a remarkable fact that our platforms before Seba -
te;pol had required so little repair that, although shells
bad exploded over our magazines, not one of them had
r
been blown up. The next vote he had to submit was for
barrack supplies, and it showed an increase of 103,4931.
3,
The sum required for barrack supplies amounted to 30,400/.
including supplies for the camp at Aldershot, 36,0001. for
foreign troops, 40,0001. for the depot about to be formed at
Malta. There was a sum of 115,0001. for great-coats, and in
the amount for boots and shoes there was an increase of
43,5121. The clothing for the foreign legion was 90,000/.,
men and and clothing for the militia, an increase of 56,9504
Ho might add to his former remarks respecting the
warm clothing, that the Government had sent out an
experienced officer with an experienced clerk, and
some of the best labourers from the Tower, well
accinaint4cl with the package of stores, to Balaklava,
there to collect the warm clothing and send
them to a storehouse in the Bosphorus, with a view to pre-
serve them for future use. Vote 3 was intended to be
withdrawn. There were certain changes likely to be made
in the Ordnance-office' and when those were effected an
estimate would then be presented to the house. On vote 4
there was an excess over last year of 19,5041. for Ordnance
establishments. There was an increase in the home esta-
blishments, 5,954/. ; lodging the Irish militia, 10,0001. ;
lodging the foreign legion, 2,500/. ; and additional clerks
of works, 9381. However, in every colonial establishment,
except those situate near the seat of war, there had been a
diminution of expense, and the decrease upon that head
would have been greater had it not been for the necessity
of forming a new establishment in the Bosphorus. Vote 5,
for wag,:cs 368,8921., was 81,0271. i n excess of last year,
arising of course from the enormous demand for labour at
the different establishments. There was a diminution of
16,3361. in the amount asked for the new gun factory at
Woolwich. That circumstance was remarkable, and he
wished to explain it. In May last he found the supply of
shells wus very deficient. If at that time any great action
had been fought, either en land or at sea, it would have
been impossible to replenish the magazines, and the coun-
try would have been exposed to great danger. Finding
that to le the case, he sent for an officer of most distin-
guished•scientio talent, Captain Boxer. That gentleman,
upon the circumstances being explained to him, undertook
to meetethe difficulty if he were allowed to make use of an
old storehouse at Woolwich for the manufacture of flumes
and bouching of shells, and to erect machinery at a cost of
about 7,0001., which sum he undertook to save the country
in the fast six months. He (Mr. Monsell) readily agreed
to that proposition-the factory was constructed, and in
one week's working it saved the country 1,2001. The fac-
tory wild not work continuously, as the supply of car-
cases of shells could not keep pace with the production of
the facbory. A. few items would show the great advan-
tage which the factory had proved for the country. Before
its establishment there were 500 Afoorsom fusees made
weekly ; afterwards there were 1,030, and a saving of 1411.
Of shelds.prepared for fusees there had been 3,500 per
week; since the establishment of the factory the number
was 10,257, at a saving in wages of 1101. There had been
3,000 wooden fusees made weekly, now there were 10,000,
at a saving of 721. The result was, that whereas in May
the lumber of 8-inch shells in the storekeeper's departments
was 4,398, it now amounted to 10,886. He was perfectly
aware that: this country, with its manufacturing powers so
extensively developed in all articles of ironwork, ought to
prodhce any number of shells which could possibly be re-
quired ;. boat still the fact remained that we had now been
a year DA war and that a sufficient number of shells had
not been :supplied. The demand had, in truth, been much
greater than the supply. It was found also that a consi-
derable increase had been made by the contractors in the
price of shells supplied to Government. In 1852 8-iuch
shells were supplied to Government at 71. Bs. per ton, but
the price charged in 1855 was 131. 165., making an in-
crease of 61. Ss. per ton. No doubt it would be said that
this increase was caused, to a certain extent, by the in-
crease in the price of iron ; but the coat of iron of the
quality of -which shells were made, which was, in 1852, 31.
2s. 7d.per ton, in 1855 had only risen to 31. 18s. 4d. per
ton, being: an increase of 165. 2d. The amount of fuel re-
quired for the manufacture of a ton of shells was said to be
5 cwt., meet at that calculation, the cost of fuel for manu-
facturing Shells would be 4s. 9d. per ton in 1852, and in
1855 6s. 2/1., making an increase of ls. 2d. In the sa no
way, the labour which, in 1852, cost 11. 7s. lsr ton, in
187)5 cost 1/. 9s. 6d., according to the authority of ono of
the largest manufacturing firms in Bradford-ono of the
principal places where the manufacture of Government
shells was carried on ; and, lastly, the freight from that
district. which, in 1852, was 10s. per ton, in 1855 had risen
to 11., being an increase of 103. This made altogether an
increase of 11. 108. ld., leaving an increase which could
not be accounted for of 4/. 17s. 11d. The Government,
therefore, feeling the immediate want of shells-though
they knew that, in time, they should be able to obtain as
many as they might require-taking into consideration the
great increase of the price of shells, and the advantage of
puttingthemselves in a position to control the contractors,
and being sensible, moreover, of the importance of attach-
ing a foundry to the Royal Laboratory, where they might
be able, at a moment's notice almost, to supply any number
of any given sort of shells which might be wanted on a sud-
den emergency, had determined to establish this foundry
at Woolwich ; and he wasfirmly convinced that, had it only
been established six months ago, a saving would already
have been effected of more than the amount, 10,0001., which
was asked for its construction. It would be of the great-
est service, too, in enabling the contractors to learn with
greater rapidity how to make the particular sorts of shells
which were required, for at present considerable time was
lost before they were able to construotthemwith thatacou-
racy and perfection which were indispensable in thews ar-
ticles, and he was sorry to say that very frequently the old
contractors were backward in allowing the new contrac-
tors to inspect their modes of manufacture. This vote,
however, for the shell foundry was net the only ono which
he was about to ask for on account of machinery in con-
nexion with the Royal Laboratory; but it must be remem-
bered, with regard to all these works' that they wore re-
quired for the manufacture of articles for which there was
no demand in the country except on the part of the Go-
vernment, and that the country, therefore, to be prepared
for the commencement of a war mustsither have kept large
stores of these articles or elsehave had establishments in which
these stores could be rapidly replenished. Now, nothing
could be more inexpedient than to keep large stores at a time
when every day was bringing forth new discoveries, and
when a thing that was new one day was obsolete next. As
a mere matter of economy, it was of the greatest possible
importance for the Government to endeavour to put them-
selves in a position to be able toutairufacture shells rapidly
by means of machinery; and that, in a few words, was
the justification of the vote for machinery generally. In
vote six there was a considerable increase over last year in
the estimate for small arms; while in vote seven, which re-
lated to 'mks, buildings, and repairs at home and abroad,
there was another large increase, occasioned by tho erec-
tion of new barracks on the western height of Dover, at
Gosport, and at Aldershot. In vote eight, for the scien-
tific branch of the Ordnance Department, there was an
increase of 3,8281. over the estimate of last year. The great
item in this estimate was for the ordnance survey, and
perhaps it would be interesting to some hon. members to
know what was the precise state of that survey. Last
year there was some controvery as to what should be the
size of the survey, but after considerable inquiry a deci-
mal arrangement was adopted of somewhere about
twenty-four inches to the mile. At the present moment
the experiment was being made of endeavouring to
work this survey by means of contracts through pri-
vate individuals, and by means also of piece work. Al-
ready a considerable quantity of piece work had been laid
out, and in the course of three or four months so much ex-
perience wonld have been obtained as to enable the Ord-
nance to come to a final decision upon it. The hon. gen-
tleman having apologised for detaining the committee so
long, concluded by moving, "That 1,402,9611. be voted to
her Majesty as a supplementary estimate of the charge
which will probably be incurred during the year 1854-55,
for Ordnance services."
Colonel DUNNE wished to say a few words upon the
general subject of these estimates, and, in the first instance,
he deprecated the establishment of a permanent hospital at
Smyrna or Rhodes, because ho knew, from personal expe-
rience, that those localities were so unhealthy as to be quite
unfit for the purpose. (Hear.) With regard to supplying
greatcoats to the army, he was sure the Ordnance would
not, for a considerable time, be able to supply them-cer-
tainly not to the militia regiments ; and as several regi-
ments in Ireland were suffering great inconvenience from
the want of greatcoats; he would suggest that permission
should be given to the colonels to supply greatcoats them-
selves in the same way that the other clothing was fur-
nished. (Hear.) The boots which had been sent out to
the Crimea were not large enough for the purpose to which
they were to be adapted, nor were some of the tentA,
owing to their being sent out without lining. Now, as to
warm clothing ; the 90th, 46th, and 63d regiments were
seat out late in November, without any supply at all,
and the consequence had been that the regiments wore
completely decimated almost directly after they reecho I
the trenches. Could not all that have been avoided
by furnishing the regiments with warm clothing before
they, went; but it was in this way that half our army had
been destroyed. They had absolutely perished, indeed,
through the neglect of the authorities at home. (Hoar.)'
With regard to the manufacture of muskets, he did not
coincide with some of the hon. gentleman's observations,
nor did he think it prudent for us to send out patterns to
be manufactured by foreign contractors at Liege and else-
where, because they would always be ready to furnish the
enemy with supplies of the same musket before executing
our orders, provided they got a higher price for it, which
the enemy was rarely indisposed to give. (Hear, hear.)
objected to the erection of new barracks in Ireland,
r'. "'lngested that the many thousand stand of arms now
the naelees in that part of the kingdom should bo distri-
buted to the militia and pensioners. (Hear, hear.) Ile
urged that no timei should be lost in settling the length of
the now ligns
to have this point musket, as it was most important
pou
decided. He could not conclude with-
for
out
thep Guards in exressiir,
apprehensioapprehension that the
his hope that t present quarters
lc:onus/meld prove quite insufficient,
h
le
some explanation with regjtienz tthisman would give them.
Mr. KUNTZ could perceive
inproveinent in the pre-
no i
sent estimates, which were owieheez„, old dish re-hashed.
weatimic I before the
Last year Mr. Whitworth,
committee, had stated that 5,0001,
establishing an adequate manuactoy of ireeX_Melielenattaf(b)r.
in addition to the vote of 25,0001. for the tuft.; Now,
lishment in the estimates of 1854„ and 15,000/.
the supplementary estimates, or 40,0:)01. altogether°,then
were now asked to vote a second sum of 40,000/., making
the enormous amount of 80,0001. in all. None of the state.
relents made by persons connected with the Ordnance had
been verified by the result. The hon. gentleman had not
told them why he had received a much less quantity of
arms than he had calculated upon. The Board of Ord-
nance was in fact a type and sample of all Government
establishments from beginning to end ; men were placed
in all sorts of offices to do all sorts of duties without pos-
sessing any real knowledge or qualifications for them. Ho
wanted to show them the true reason why they had received
only 50,000 rifles in 1834. The contracts were not made
till the month of June last, but the patterns for the men
to work upon were not delivered until the months of
August, September, and October, and the materials to
work with not until _November; yet they wondered that
the quantity they wished had net been received. (Hear.)
Had the contract been made and the patterns given out in
due time; he ventured to say that the 90,000 rifles would
all have been finished before now ; but such had been the
blundering of Government about the order for bayonet.,
that half of the guns had been prevented from being finished
for want of bayonets. As it was, they would soon have a
supply of 2,000 a-week ; and if the business were attended
to in a fair and tradesmanlike way, the present number of
lex.6itameight very speedily be doubled. They had already
whence
io a large sum upon the Enfield manufactory,
,000 rifles a-week might be furnished ; yet last