The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-22 00:00:00

TIIE TWO SERVICES.

We have more than a usually full weekly budget
of news respecting the " the two services," as they
are still called, as though there were no civil service.
In the first place, Mr. Cardwell has made such rapid
progress in his department that the army estimates
are already in the hands of the printers, and will, it
is expected, shew a reduction of over one million
sterling. Mr. Childers follows hard upon his col-
league with a reduction rumoured at from £900,000 to
a round million. Of course these reductions have
not been effected without inflicting suffering upon
divers persons. The barnacles do not like being
removed from the ship's bottom. It is understood
that Mr. Gladstone has interposed in order to mitigate
their sufferings as much as possible. He has made
to the chiefs of the spending departments
the recommendation which Izaak Walton
made to Piscator, in baiting his hook with
a frog, " treat him as though you loved
him." To Mr. Childers especially has this
advice been tendered, and a number of Admiralty
clerks who had been dismissed have been reinstated.
No objection is offered to Mr. Childers when he
practises economy at his own expense, and so he is
to be allowed to pass his self-denying ordinance, by
which First Lords of the Admiralty are henceforth to
surrender their official residence at Whitehall for
the public service. The Pay Office will be removed
to Dover House, next door; so that all departments
of the Admiralty will be brought together as far as
possible, to the disgust of the legion of messengers
who used to be employed. Another piece of economy
is spoken of at the Admiralty. No successor is to
be appointed to Rear-Admiral Wellesley at Ports-
mouth, but Sir James Hope will be asked to transact
the duties of superintendent as well as those of
commander-in-chief. To balance this piece of
economy Mr. Cardwell means to abolish three
lieutenant-colonels of the Guards. He will have
to make other reductions and changes if he is
to keep up with his competitor. For instance,
Mr. Childers has ordered all Admiralty clerks to be
at their posts punctually by ten o'clock ; whereas
the War Office clerks may come at any hour, pro-
vided they complete six 'hours of work between ten
and six p.m. Mr. Fellowes (Mr. Seely' sclerk, who
did such good service in exposing Admiralty pais"
doings some three years ago) means to intro-
duce the system of double entry, so that Govern-
ment may comprehend at a glance the position
of any speculation into which they have
entered. Again, the further drilling of the Royal
Naval Coast Volunteers is to cease on the coasts of
England and Ireland, and for the future is to be con-
fined to Scotland ; this is the beginning of the
end. Here, however, Mr. Cardwell is nearly up to
Mr. Childers, for the Irish militia are not to be called
out for training this year. Clearly the competitive
system, now for the first time introduced into the
C a binet, is working well.
woOLWICII DOCKYARD.

Woolwich dockyard is to be closed, but not sold.
Were we engaged in a naval war we could not afford
to be without it. So it is to be let to a shipbuilding
firm, if one will offer, on condition that immediate
pissession shall be given to the Government in case
of hostilities; compensation of course being made to
the tenants.