The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-25 00:00:00

ing been in existence for twelve months. There wa
no special requiremeits that made it necessary that it
should-be at once enforced on the Government, but that
on the contrary time ehould be given to allow the system
to develope itself and prove its advantages over others.
Viscount GODERICH replied.
The house then divided, when the numbers were—
For Lord Goderich's motion
Against it
Majority ..... ... --21
(Loud cheers.).
GRAND JURIES (IRELAND) BILL.
Sir D. NORREYS obtained leave to bring in a bill to
relieve grand juries from fiscal duties, and to place the ad-
ministration of local affairs in Ireland in elected councils.
ARMY SCIENTIFIC CORPS.

Captain L. VERNON called the attention of the War
Department to the prempective promotion and the estab-
lishment of the Scientific Corps, with a view to maintain-
ing their efficiency in peace, for the purpose of war. He
said that at x first sight this appeared but an ordinary
question, but he thought he should be able to show the
house that it was more of a national than a departmental
one. The Duke of Wellington established the corps of
Sappers and Miners in 18)8, and had he possessed them
earlier he would not have been defeated at Burgos. After
the war, peace brought that stagnation that in a short
time the efficiency of this corps was reduced, and at the
breaking out of the past war they found it at so low an ebb
that it was unable to carry on the siege of Sebastopol
without the assistance' of the Naval Brigade, which was
increasing one department at the expense of another. Had
this corps been kept up in. an efficient manner during the
time of peen(); it would haye cost the country less money
than had been expended, in carrying on the late war,
in consequence of. its inefficiency. Had the Sappers
and Miners been kept up, the redoubts would have stood
the Russian. fire muck better than those constructed by
the Turks, and. they would not have had that military.
massacre Which took place at Balaklava, of the cost
of which the country was not aware. It appeared a
base and sordid view of the question to put a money value
upon human life, -bet ,there was no alternative _n estima-
ting the cost to the country. Every infantry soldier, be-
fore he pulled a trigger in the field, was estimated to cost
the country 100/., every cavalry man 2001., and his horse,
according to a calculation in the public newspapers, 2001 ,
but which he took at 100'. The disastrous charge put
hors de combat at Mildew. 422 men and horses, which at
400/. each amounted in round numbers to 160,0001. The
Sappers and Miners could have made the road to Bala-
klava, and that great blunder need never to have been,
committed, the formation of the Army Works Corps, at a
cost of 480,5951., neither would they have required the con-
struction of the railroad, at a cost of 400,000/., or near
70,000/. per mile. Had there been Sappers and Miners in
sufficient force the troops could have been housed and the
horses sheltered, and. Inkerman defended, and all those
disasters from before which regiments melted away would
not have occurred, especially the 63d, the men of which
melted away in a week, at a cost of 100,0001. to the
country. The gallant gentleman then referred to the sys-
tem of promotion with regard to the military branches of
the Ordnance that had been turned over to the Horse
Guards. There were 14 generals mentioned in that book,
and they were all purchased men, and they were pitied
against the marshals of France, who had risen from the
ranks, and they beat them all. They beat them back from
the lines of Lisbon to the very gates of Paris. That was
purchased men against men who had risen from the ranks.
Practically, the system in France did not work well ; for
recently a French officer, in coming home from the Crimea
in the same transport as some English officers, said that
no man could get on in France unless he had interest in
the bureau of the War Department. Such was the system
in France, which, indeed he believed was the cause of
the loss of many of the best men in the French army, as
any one could see who observed the class of discharged
soldiers who were constantly lounging about the este-
minets of Paris. Now with regard to the engineers,
of which he was an officer. He had served for
five and twenty Years in the lowest grades of that corps be-
fore he obtained his promotion, with a pay something less
than that of the driver of a Paddington omnibus. Was
that the state toWhich they would reduce the whole army?
He thought the fortified places ought to be held by artil
lery battalions. He believed that if the course which he
had sketched out had been followed, thousands of lives and
millions of money would have been saved.

The SPEAKER asked WM° hon. and gallant member
intended to make any motion ?
Lord PALMERSTON.— The hon. member has executed
his notice. We perfectly agree with him in the import-
ance of the subject, and it shall receive the best attention.
The subject then dropped.
PUBLIC MONEYS.
Sir F. BARING-, in moving for a Select Committee to
inquire into the ,receipt, issue, and audit of public moneys
in the Exchequer, the Pay-ofice, and the Audit Depart-
ment, said he did not desire anything in the shape of a fi-
nance committee, or' to inquire into the detailed mode of
keeping books, but to examine the general accountability
of public depaittnents. This accountability ought, he said,
to secure a cheque that the money voted by Parliament
was not only spent, but spent for the particular service
for which the money was voted. He then proceeded to show
by details which do not admit of being condensed or ana-
lysed, that there were points which required investigation
in the public accounts kept in the departments in question,
and that large portions of those accounts had been with-
drawn from the Audit Board without the sanction of Par-
liamen t.

Mr. GLADSTONE said no person could have listened
to the speech of Sir F. Baring without being convinced
that it contained Matters fit for further inquiry. The
:whole subject of the receipt and audit of the public ac-
counts, including questions not open by Sir Francis,
ought to be inquired into in a comprehensive manner.
Thoroughly concurring with him, therefore, in the object,
he had in view, he ventured to suggest to him and to the
Government that the proper course, considering the com-
plicated nature of the subject, wonld'be to follow previous.
examples, and address her `Majesty to appoint a commis-
.

sion.

' The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave expla-
nations in reply to Sir r. Baring, justifying the transfer of
the accounts from the Audit Board, which had been con-
sequent on the consolidation of the War Departments. He
believed that the audit of our public accounts was never
in a more satisfactory state than at present. With regard
to the motion, if the house thought it desirable that at that
period of the session, and without any special ground being
shown, a committee was capable of dealing with so intri-
cate a question, he should, he said, offer no opposition to
it ; but he a'reed with Mr. Gladstone that the inquiry
would ba much more effectually conducted by a small com-
mission.

Mr. BOWYER could not concur with the argument of
the right hon. gentleman,. who said that there was nothing
special in the present time to call for inquiry into the pub-
lic Service. He should support the motion as modified by
the right hon. gentleman the member for the University
of Oxford.

After a feat words from Mr. Williams, Mr. Ellice, Sir
H. Willoughby. and Mr. Henle:,
Lord PAL lIERSTON said that the subject was one of
considerable in. ment, more especially in a time of war,
for no one could say but that the accounts of the country
should be properly' audited. That was at least his impres-
don, and he believed that the inquiry, if properly con-
ducted, would result in showing that practically the public
expenditure is and has been satisfactorily accounted for.
He might add that the impression in his own mind was
that, from.certaihcircutnstances which had been stated, it
was desirable that an inquiry should take place, and the
only-thing-to consider- was, what was the best way of carry-
ing out such au inquiry ? The impression of his friend the
member for the University of Oxford was, that a commit-
tee would be the best, but he (Lord Palmerston) believed
that a committee: would not answer the desired purpose.
However, ho should not oppose the appointment of a com-
mittee, and, if that was not satisfactory a commission
could be appointed afterwards: In cases of this kind some
attention must be had to public impression.
Sir F. BARING agreed with the noble lord at the head
of her Majesty's Government, and hoped that no objection
would be raised to the committee, for it was desirable that
the public should be satiined that the public money was
properly expended.
The committee was then agreed to.
Mr. KENDALL obtained leave to bring in a bill to
amend the laws relating to the assessment of mines to
the relief of the poor.
EXHIBITION OF FIREWORKS (DUBLIN AND

EDINBURGH).
Mr. GROGAN niovei that an humble address be pre-
sented to her Majesty, praying that, as an exhibition'of
fireworks has been ordered for the amusement and gratifi-
cation of the inhabitants of this metropolis, she will be gra-
ciously pleased to direct that similar exhibitions of fire-
works be made for the amusement and gratification of the
inhabitants of Dublin and Edinburgh.
Mr.-BLACK seoonded-the motion.
Mr. HORSMAN said the suggestion which had bee*
made would be acted upon.
Lord PALMERSTON said the Government did not in-
tend to make any objection to the motion. It was quite
right that the three great cities of the empire should hare
the opportunity. of sharing in the rejoicings in which the
whole country would share when they knew the terms of
peace.
After a short conversation the motion was agreed to.
JURIES (IRELAND) BILL.
The second reading of this bill was deferred till Thursday
next.

The comraittee on the Joint-Stock Banks was postponed
till Monday.
The Drafts on Bankers' Bill' was read a third time and
passed. _

The home adjourned at twenty minutes past
_1 o'clock.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—;This Day.)

LoHisoN, April 25.—Wind this day at noon, E. ;
light breeze and fine.
PLYMOUTH, April 24.—Wind E S.E.—Arrived—Cor-
nueopia, from Buenos Ayres. Sailed—Gambia (s.), for
the west coast of Africa.
FALmounr, April 23.—Wind S.W., fresh.—Arlived—
Lebanon from Mauritius ; Cathcart, Sierra Leone. Off
the port;—Flora M`Donald, from Colombo.
SuribEREAND, April M.—Wind E.S.E.—Sailed—Birch-
grove, for Madras.
NEWPORT, April 24.—Arrived—W. S. Lindsay, from
Havre, fur. Now York • Cito, Antwerp, for St. Thomas.
LIVERPOOL, April 24.—The Princess Marie, of Irvine,
is supposed to have been towed into Toberinory harbour
on the lith inst..

LOWESTOFT, April 24--The Jeffery, of Padstow, is on
Corton Sapd,
31.4.MF0RT.-:-Sailed—Gertrude, for Quebec.

(PER ELEOTRIO TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Morning.
Arrived—Si*.Brothers-, Othello, Eliza, Emma, Kate,
Gertrude, Cherub, and Azoff, from Cardiff ; Manney and
Titania, Sunderland ; Jessie, Newport ; Johnny Boy,
Swansea ; La Rollie, Cherbourg ; George, Plymouth.
Sailed—George, for Cardiff ; Rosetta, Sunderland.
. LIVERPOOL, riday Morning.
S.E
Sail d—Edwards, for Newfoundland; Celina, Havre ;
Hy. Metcalf, Corfu; Dundonald, Genoa.
QUEENSTOWN, April 23.

Wine E. _
Arrived—Dunsandle, from Callao; Varna, Syria Liffey,
Barbados; Ocean Traveller, Baltimore.
Sailed— Jassy, Barbados.

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPFI.)
GRAVESEND, Friday, 9.59 a.m.
Wind It.-; tide, 6 hours' ebb ; fine.
Arrived,.April 21—Isabella Teek, from Algoa Bay.
Arrived, April 25—Rover, from Guernsey.
Sailed—Mary Agnes Duff, for Singapore.
DEAL, Friday, 9.32 a.m.
Wind cabal.
Passed—Vesta, (s.s), from Oporto, for London; Sophia,
London, Leghorn ; Osprey, London, Messina.
84°14"4744bi11e, from Colombo, fox London.