The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-13 00:00:00

MILITARY GOSSIP.

The intentions of the Government with respect to the
Army are of course kept as close as possible, but notwith-
standing all the precautions observed, rumours uniformly
get into circulation previous to the formal disclosure, and
as uniformly these rumours are found to have had con-
siderable foundation in fact. The air of Pall-mall and
Whitehall is now heavily laden with premonity military
rumours, and the first of these we shall notice is that Her
Majesty's Ministers have determined on a grand muster
of the defensive forces of the country, in the course
of the summer, at some central trysting-ground
—say Cannock Chase. It is now some years
since we ourselves suggested such a muster as a
means of testing the real numbers of Volun-
teer army, and as presenting a " great fact" to the
notice of our Continental neighbours. The present inten-
tion is, we have heard, to muster Army, Militia, Yeo-
manry, and Volunteers altogether ; and we have no doubt
that if this be done, and done with a will, such a
demonstration will be made as will induce a certain
eminent foreign statesman to hesitate before he again
describes the English flag as "an old rag which he
tear to pieces whenever he likes." Such a muster
to be effectual, should number at least half a million
of armed men, and railway companies and all other
controllers of means of railroad transit, should be
called on to give their patriotic aid in bringing the
troops to the ground. The coming Army Estimates
are of course being heralded into publicity by a regular
batch of rumours. The money increase is fixed d'avance
at three millions to be spent on stores and artillery,
rather than on numerical increase in the rank and file.
Our single torpedo is no longer to enjoy its unenviable
distinction, and it has also been suddenly discovered
that our Artillery cannot get on without about 1,000 ad-
ditional ammunition waggons. The Purchase System is
to go either as a whole, or, what we yery much fear, on!
in part, and a separate estimate of between seven and eigh,
millions will be required to carry out the change.
Following the destruction of purchase, must come the
abolition of Army agency, and this will save about £42,000
a year.--United Service Gazette.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
The United Service Gazette says :—The Royal warrant
just promulgated provides that " a man discharged from
the Royal Navy and enlistld. in the Regular Army shall
reckon towards pension his previous service in the Navy,pro-
vided twelve months did not elapse between the dates
of his discharge from one service and of entry
in the other." Such service will also reckon towards
good-conduct pay, provided the man was in
receipt of that pay when he left the Navy.
The same rule has long applied to the Royal Marines.—
The Major-General commanding at Woolwich has issued
the following order :—" In consequence of the prevalence
of small-pox and scarlet fever, the Major-General com-
manding desires that until further orders no passes or
furloughs be granted to non-commissioned officers and
men to visit London. Those proceeding on furlough to
the country are to be ordered through London by under-
ground railway ; they are to be instructedi to leave the
metropolis without delay. We understand that
the Veterinary Staff of the Army is to be supple-
mented by the appointment of one Staff Veterinary
Surgean, whose duties will be those of Veterinary
Purveyor. He will have the charge of all stores and
drugs appertaining to the service, and will be custodian
of the Veterinary Museum at Woolwich.—An officer of
Royal Engineers is to be added to the staff of the Topo-
graphical Department of the Army, with the pay of a
Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General at head-quarters.
The good-service pension of 2100 per annum, vacated by
the death of Dr. John Wilson (1824), has been awarded to
Dr. James Wingate Johnston, Retired Inspector-General
of Hospitals, 1868.

The Army and Navy Gazette says :—We understand
that the Captain Committee will adjourn on Monday for
a fortnight. Rumour states that the late Controller of
the Navy was summoned to appear before the members
to give evidence, but declined to answer the questions put
to him, The Controller has completed the extra term of
five years granted to him by the Duke of Somerset. It
is proposed to establish a school of instruction for
officers of the Irish Militia, similar to those
at Aldershot, London, Woolwich, &c., in April.
Lord John Hay retired from the representation of Ripon
in order to complete the sea time necessary to save him
from being placed on the retired list under the recent
Admiralty regulations. The name of Rear-Admiral
Tarleton, C. 8., has been mentioned in connection with
the office of a Lord of the Admiralty in the event of Lord
John Hay deciding upon retiring from the post he now
holds, as also that of Rear-Admiral Cooper Key.

It is said that the long_ continuance at Versailles
of Mr. Odo Russell, the Under-Secretary for Foreign
Affairs, will be warmly criticised in the House of Com-
mons, and that use will also be made of some of the
allegations made in the Duc'de Gramont's pamphlet. It
is now said that the first knoWledge which Prussia had of
the withdrawal of Prince Leopold's candidature was
derived from the French Government.