The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-06 00:00:00

THE ARMY ESTINrATES.

After some remarks from Sir H. WILLouo miff and Mr.
ANGERSTEIN, the house went into committee of supply on
the army estimates.
On the vote of £262,216, less by £2,000 than was origi-
nally proposed, for defraying the expense of the medical
department of the army,
Colonel NORTH called attention to the present ineffi-
cient state of the medical department of the army, and ob-
served that, RO far from carrying out the recommendations
of the committee of 1858, in favour of having one surgeon
and two assistant-surgeons to every regiment, there were
no less than 200 medical vacancies in the army. The hon.
and gallant member referred to the evidence of the Com-
mander-in-Chief, Sir Ricbard Airey, and other experienced
offictrs of distinction, to show the necessity of having the
medical staff of the army increased ; but such was the state
of things at present, that, although there were 200 vacan-
cies, medical students could not be induced to enter the
service. _ .

_
The Marquis of HARTINGTON admitted that there was
considerable diffisulty in obtaining a proper supply of medi-
cal officers for the army, but he could not allow that that
was owing to the provisions of the warrant to which the
gallant colonel (North) had alluded not having been car-
ried into effect. On the contrary these provisions had been
very fairly given effect to. Ile was afraid that if the defi-
ciency was to be met, it must be through the House of Com-
mons granting increased remuneration to
the medical
officers of the army.
The vote was agreed to.
On the vote of £783,783, for defraying the charge of the
disembodied militia,

Colonel DUNNE complained that the expenses thrown
on subaltern officers in the militia deterred gentlemen from
joining that branch of the service.
Colonel NORTH said that the fcrage allowance to
mounted officers in the militia was very inadequate.
Lord ENFIELD said that it was at present very difficult
to obtain subaltern officers in tl2c militia.
The Marquis 'if HARTINGTON believed that the allow-
ances made to militia regiments for expenses incurred dur.
ing the period they were out for training were in general
sufficient.
The vote was then agreed to.
The vote of .£17,886 for defraying the charge of the
yeomanry cavalry generally was likewise agreed to.
On the vote of £39,3C0 for the permanent duty, training,
and exercising of the yeomanry cavalry,
2dr. LAWSON rose to oppose. nom h3aring the speeches
of the noble lord the Prime Minister and the noble lord the
Under-Secretary of State for War, he had voted against
calling out the yeomanry cavalry this year. A week after-
wards he read a paragraph in the Times newspaper, stating
that a deputation of yeomanry cavalry officers had waited
on the noble lord, and the noble lord had said that, since
the last vote in the House of Commons, the Government

had carefully considered the subject. He (Mr. Law.on)
only regretted that the Government had not "carefully
considered the subject" before calling upon the house to
vote upon it. (Laughter.) "Within the last few days ad-
vices hed been received from New Zealand—(laughter)—
that were so favourable, that the Government would be able