The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-21 00:00:00

THE WEATHER AND. THE PARKS.-LOSS OP
THREE LIVES.

The scenes which occurred yesterday in, the various
royal parks Were such as can with difficulty be described
—for scarcely ten minutes elapsed withoutihe ice break-
ing and precipitating -several persons into the ivater be-
neath. From the time the Royal 'Humane Society's
men were called off duty on Saturday evening, a large
number of sliders and skaters continued to amuse them-
selves upon the ice until nearly two o'clock a.m. The
thermometer at the Royal Humane Society's Receiving
House, Hyde-park, fell in the course of Saturday night
to 24, being three degrees warmer than on the previous
night, but during the middle of yesterday it rose to 32.
Bills were posted in each park warning the public of the
danger they exposed themselves to if they ventured upon
the ice, which was described as being exceedingly rotten
and fast thawing.
On the canal which is called after Sir John Duckett,
and skirts the east side of Victoria Park, three persons
lost their lives. Between 4 and 5 o'clock two boys were
walking on the ice near Watson's lock, and were heard
to express their intention of trying how far it would
bear. They had scarcely passed the lock-house when
the ice gave way, and'they fell into the water. A man
unknown, dressed in the garb of a butcher, went from
the bank on the ice with the intention of rescuing them,
but the ice broke under him, and he was immersed. A
youth next made an attempt, and he also unfortunately
met a similar fate. Re was followed by another boy,
who put out a stick, in the act of doing which the ice
gave way by his weight, and he fell in the midst of the
four who were already in the water, and who were
clinging to each other. At the moment there was
neither a rope nor a drag with which to assist them while
on the banks were the brothers of the two lads, who
could with difficulty be kept out of the water. Some
persons tied several silk handkerchiefs together, which
were thrown to the spot, by which and other means two
were got out. A man named Johnson, who lets boats
on the canal, brought up one of his boats, by which time,
the drags having been obtained from the City of Paris
and the lock-house, a search was made, and in about 15
minutes the bodies of the youths were found. One was
taken to the lock-house, where it was undressed and
placed on a sofa before the fire. The second youth was
conveyed to the City of Paris public-house. Surgeons,
were soon in attendance, exhausted every resource of
their art on the two lads, but in vain ; both were be-
yond mortal aid. The body of the man has not yet
been found.

THE ARMY ESTIMATES.

The estimates of the effective and the non-effective
army services, from the Ist April, 1853 to the 31st of
March, 1854, bearing the signature of the Right Hon.
Sidney Herbert, the Secretary-at-War, have just bee'
printed, in pursuance of an order of the House of Com-
mons, made so recently as Thursday last. From this
document—one of more than ordinary interest, perhaps,
at the present moment, when the question of our national
armaments is so canvassed, we propose to make a few
extracts, in anticipation of the discussion which it must
shortly and necessarily undergo in the House of Com-
mons. Beginning with the effective services, the land
forces proposed to be' maintained for the service of the
United Kingdom (exclusive of the troops in the East
Indies), for the year ending 31st March, 1854 on which
the first vote will be taken, amount to 102,283 men,
being an increase over the last year of 346. The
estimate of the charge of the land forces at home and
abroad (vote 2) is 3,625,7831, being an increase on
the preceding year of 23,716. The charge of
the general staff officers and officers of the hospitals
serving at home and abroad, and of the garrison of the
Tower of London (vote 3), is estimated at 162,8971.,
which is less than the cost of last year by 6,7101. The
estimate of the allowances to the principal officers of the
several public departments, their deputies, clerks, and
contingent expenses (vote 4), amounts to 98,4641.
higher by 2,507/. in comparison with last year. The
charge of the Royal Military College (vote 5) is put
down at 16,8881., which is lower than that of last year
by 2531. The expense of maintaining the Royal Military
Asylum and the Hibernian Military School (vote 6) is
estimated at 18,0201., being an increase of 4841. upon
the previous year. The estimate of the charge of the
volunteer corps (vote 7) is 88,0001., showing an increase
of 4,0001. over that of last year. There is, therefore, a
total increase of the estimate for the effective services
over that of last year of 23,7441.
Turning to the non-effective service, in which there is
a very marked decrease in almost every item, the esti-
mate of the rewards for distinguished military services
(vote 8) is stated to be 20,2501., being an excess of
4,6071. over that of last year. The charge of the pay of
general officers, not being colonels of regiments (vote 9),
is estimated at 55,0001., less by 6,0001. than the previous
year. The full pay for reduced and retired officers (vote
10) is stated to be 50,0001., being the same as the pre-
ceding year. Half-pay and military allowances to re-
duced and retired officers of her Majesty's land forces
(vote 11), 358,0001., being a decrease of 7,0001. Half-pay
and reduced allowances to officers of disbanded foreign
corps, pensions to the wounded foreign officers, and
allowances to the widows and children of deceased
foreign officers (vote 12), 34,6281., being a decrease of
2,288. Pensions to widows of officers of her Majesty's
land forces (vote 13), 117,6371., being less than last year
by 1,7501. Probable charges on the compassionate list
of allowances, as of the Royal bounty, and of pensions,
gratuities, and allowances to officers for wounds (vote
14), 79,5001., a decrease of 3,5001. Charge for Chelsea
and Kilmainharn hospitals, and the in-pensioners (vote
15), 28,1491., decrease 6661. Charge of the out-pen-
sioners of Chelsea Hospital, of pensions granted to dis-
charged negro soldiers, of pensioners from Hanoverian
corps which served with the British army in 1793, 1794,
and 1795, and of the military organisation of out-pen-
sioners in the United Kingdom (vote 16), 1,235,800/.,
showing an increase of 8,9971. Charge of allowances,
compensations, and emoluments, in the nature of super-
annuations or retired allowances to persons formerly
belonging to the several public (army) departments (vote
17), 36,0001., being a decrease of 1,5001. Thus it will
be seen that there is a decrease, more or less consider-
able, in the non-effective service estimates in every vote
save two, viz., the rewards for military services and the
out-pensions ; but the increase in those two votes,
amounting together to 13,6041., weighs somewhat seri-
ously against the aggregate decrease (22,704) in the
other items, reducing, as it does, the decrease in the
non-effective service estimates to 9,1001.
The sum of the figures given above is, that the total
estimate for the effective services for the year ending
March, 1854, is 4,010,0521., as compared with 3,986,3081.
the estimate of last year, showiqg an increase for the
forthcoming year of 23,7441. ; whilst the total estimate
for the non-effective services for the ensuing year is
2,014,9641., as compared with 2,024,0641., the estimate
in 1852-53; being a decrease for the forthcoming year of
9,1001. The total increase in the estimates in both the
effective and the non-effective services, taking them toge-
ther, for the year 1853-54, as compared with that of
1852-53, is 14,644/.
From a statement at the end of the document of
which the above is a summary, we also learn that the