The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-28 00:00:00

ORDNANCE ESTIMATES.

Mr. MONSELL, in submitting the ordnance estimates,
said he should endeavour, as shortly as he could, to explain
the reasons for the increase in the different votes ; and he
thought he should be able to satisfy the house that some,
at least, of that increase would leave for future years a
permanent annual saving. Upon the first vote, the in-
crease of the Royal Artillery was 53,023/. ; the Engineers,
29,461/. ; and the increased recruiting necessary for the
addition to the forces, 20,1671. It would be hardly neces-
sary for him at present, after the statements made by his
right hon. friends who had preceded him, to give any rea-
son for this increase ; but he thought he would be justified
in giving very shortly a statement of the condition in
which the artillery force now was. He was happy to say
that the schools, which for several years had been pro-
gressively increasing, were admirably regulated. The
Royal Military Repository had now in it a class of 24 non-
commissioned officers, who, besides acquiring a know-
ledge of the use and transport of military machines, were
taught geometry, mensuration, and all those other studies
which were necessary to the discharge of their duties.
The Royal Artillery Institution, which was an institution
of more recent foundation, had this year been opened, and
already it had conferred very great advantages indeed in
the way of a thorough system of education upon the offi-
cers of the artillery force. So great was the interest taken
in this establishment that the annual subscriptions on the
part of the officers themselves, which were last year 1531.,
had risen this year to 4201. A course of lectures was about
to commence upon those subjects which were the most use-
ful for the officers of the artillery to be acquainted with—
military carriages, polytechnics, &c.—and in addition to
this Lord Raglan, the Master-General of the Ordnance, last
year, for the first time, established a class of young men
who had just received their commissions, and sent them
to the continent with an experienced officer, to visit the
best fortifications upon the continent, so that they might
become acquainted with those improvements in the sciences
connected with the artillery which were likely to render
them most efficient in the discharge of their duties. He
did not know if it had ever occurred to any gentleman
here to compare the state of the artillery force now about
to leave these shores for the East, and the condition of
that force which, under the late Duke of Wellington, and
amounting to about the same number, quitted these shores
for the Tagus in 1808. He thought nothing could be more
remarkable or more satisfactory than such a comparison.
In every singular particular the greatest possible improve-
ment was manifest. In the first place, instead of the small
howitzers of 4 2-sths and 5i inches, the howitzers now
sent out are 12 and 24 pounders, longer, heavier, more
effective, and of the best possible description. In the ord-
nance in 1808, in each of the batteries there were three
kinds or different sorts of guns used, which caused
great confusion in the supply and expenditure of ammuni-
tion. At present there are only two kinds in use, and the
system adopted is very simple and uniform. In 1808 civil
artificers accompanied the field batteries, and were found
most unserviceable and troublesome ; but now, instead of
civil artificers, military artificers form a component part
of every troop. At the former period there were no in-
structions for exercise, and every captain used his own
discretion ; at the present time the most clear and precise
instructions are laid down, and are in the hands of every
artillery officer, the effect of which has been to secure a
perfect uniformity in the execution of all duties committed
to them. The code of finance regulations was not settled
in 1808, from which many hardships arose ; but now the
finance regulations are in the hands of every commanding
officer. Perhaps one of the most striking contrasts between
the two forces was in the sort of horses sent out. Any gentle-
man who would refer to the despatches of the Duke of Wel-
lington would find that the horses which accompanied the
artillery in 1808 were very inefficient, and were described
by Colonel Hardinge as a set of broken-down Irish horses,
taken from the Irish commissariat. They were utterly
useless when they came into action, and their inefficioncy
frequently necessitated the leaving behind of guns at a
time when their services were most important. The ar-
tillery force about to leave our shores would have 1,000
horses in the highest possible condition and order. Then
with regard to pontooning, any gentleman who had at all
studied the history of the Peninsular War would be aware
that the difficulties occasioned by a deficiency of pontoons
were remarkable. He believed it was only the year before
the expedition he was now referring to, that in South
America our forces were stopped for several days by a
trench eight or nine feet wide, on account of the absence
of pontoons. A sufficient number of pontoons would start
with our forces now, and they would be altogether in the
highest possible efficiency. He might mention many more
particulars to the house, but he would not weary it by
going any further into the subject. He had, however,
thought it of importance to point out the greatly increased
state of efficiency of the artillery force, which everybody
knew was the most important arm at the disposal of any
country in a time of war. He would proceed next to the
increase in Vote 2 on the commissariat supplies, the greater
part of which increase was occasioned by the extraordinary
rise in the price of forage and other articles. The increase
of price in that vote alone amounted to 158,0001. In the
barrack supplies which were necessary this year he took an
increased quantity on account of a miscalculation last
year; 35,2981. was the increase occasioned by the increase
of price; and the increase of 32,0001., was for the increase
necessary to be made to the number of stores. Upon Vote
3, for the Ordnance-office, there was a decrease. The ,
Treasury committee, which sat upon the Ordnance and in-
vestigated most minutely the whole of the proceedings car-
ried on and the payment of the officers employed, state that
several of them are most inadequately paid, and, instead
of a reduction, he was happy to say they recommended
several of the payments to be increased. Upon Vote 4, the
salaries, allowances, and contingencies in establishments in
the United Kingdom and colonies, there was a decrease of
somewhere about 10,0001. The decrease in the colonies Vras
very large, and was likely to be a permanent decrease, as
many of the establishments which had been decreased in
the West Indies, Canada, end other places, were not likely
to be again augmented. Upon Vote 5, the wages of arti-
ficers, there was an increase of upwards of 20,0001., alto-
gether occasioned by the increase of wages rendered neces-
sary in the Royal carriage and other departments, through
the anxiety to provide an additional number of carriages
for the ships now fitting out for the Baltic fleet and a.
change in the batteries of the Royal Artillery. The next
vote was, for stores, and there was an increase upon it
amounting in the whole to 267,8551. Of this sum the in-
crease occasioned by the new machinery which it was pro-
posed to erect at Woolwich and in its neighbourhood, in-
cluding the gun factory, upon which he should have to
say a few words hereafter, amounted to 138,000/. Deduct-
ing that 138,0001. from 267,000/., 129,0001. remained, of
which 79,0001. was for increase in price, leaving 50,000/.
only to be accounted for. 25,6001. of that sum was on
account of small arms, 6,8271. for gunpowder received on
account of the equipments of frigates of the navy ; and
there was another item for the carriages of the artill.ary,
which had already been referred to. The next vote, for
works, buildings, and repairs at home and abroad, -was
902,8211. ; and of that sum 336,7561. was required for for-
tifications and other works already sanctioned by Parlia-
ment ; and 262,6871. was for ordinary and current ex-
penses. Now, that 262,6871. for ordinary and current ex-
penses was an increase upon the same item in last y a
ite right
ts
to
of somewhere
to ereabtohue house4o," thatl, and
that h e
increasetthought
was mainly occasioned by the incidental items having
been in no instance this year reduced. It had been
considered expedient to pursue that course, though the
system had been usually adopted of reducing evory
year the incidental items sent in to the different sta-
tions throughout the country, amounting to some
25,0001. At the end of the year it was found impossible
without suffering serious injury, to take away this surplus,
and applications had then to be made to the Treasury to
allow the money to be given from some unexhansted sur-
plus, so that the apparent reduction at the beginning of
the year was no real reduction at all. Of the remaining
immediatelyp
urehas e of land
enclosed.at
ground
forun
increase in this vote there was an item of 100,0001. for the
d had
acamp,beenwhich pr
u °wham se
a very moderate rate, at sums varying from 101, to 12/". an
(Xi beat
acre, and at any future time it would be quite possible to
realise any idea of the house with regard to the formation
of a camp. The next item he had to allude to was one of
85,0001. for a practice range at Woolwich, and he had
shortly stated the other day, in answer to the hon. baronet
the member for Westminster, the reasons for that vote.
There had been for many years a practice range at Wool-
wich, which, he believed, had auswered every purpose per-
fectly well until some 12 or 14 years ago. At that period,
when the use of steam upon the Thames had become so
largely increased, the range was found unsafe in conse-
quence of the number of vessels continually passing. As
it was perfectly essential, however, that the artillery force
should have constant practice, it was of the last importance
that that arm of the service should be preserved in every
way possible. He thought the house would agree with him
that no vote he had to propose was really of greater import-
ance to the service than this, and he believed none would
be more cheerfully acquiesced in. Abroad a sum of 2,:)00/.
was required for the erection of a garrison hospital at Ce-
phalonia, which would be the means of effecting an annual
saving of 1901., now paid. The increased accommodation
required at elta would entail an expenditure of about
7,0001., and a sum of 10,0001. would be required for the
improvement of the defences of St. Helena. It was
thought proper, however, merely to ask for 2,5001. this year.
3000/. would be required for additions and alterations at
the cadets barracks at Woolwich, and he thought no altera-
tions were more imperatively required ; for absolutely
the
three in
cadets at Woolwich were obliged to sleep two or y
a room, and they had no place whatever to study in. By
the-
the proposed alterations every one of the 40 cadets would
be provided with a separate room. A. sum of 7,0001. or
8,0001. would also be required
for increased hospital
stations, gas, &c. '
ac-
commodation, drainage at various Upon
Vote 8, for the Ordnance surveys of the kingdom, 25,000 i.
additional was taken for the ordinary survey, and he might
now mention tho precise positiont of this matter with re-
gard to the scale of the survey as inow stood. The house
would, perhaps,
ho ai.are, on the authority Duke of the of
Wellington, that. the Irish scale was adopted in Great
Britain. It had been found to answer exceedingly well in.
Ireland, but in Scotland, a year or two ago, a strong feel-
;ng arose against it —it was either too large or too small--
d it was considered too large.
he believeDu • ring last year
the question was submitted by the Treasury to the most
scientific men in the country, who generally thought the
scale should be larger. It was now proposed by the Tree.
h eery to submit the question again for the decision of scien-