The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-15 00:00:00

THE CONTROL DEPARTMENT.

The Times publishes the warrant &oft up by Sir Henry
Storks, by which a control department is established at
the War Office. The state of anarchy and confusion has
lasted long enough. For more than two years Sir Henry
Storks, assisted by Sir William Power and General Bal-
four, has toiled unremittingly at removing the confusion
under the pressure of much opposition not altogether
disinterested. His efforts have not, however, been
without success, and last Friday a royal warrant
received Her Majesty's signature, which has called int 6
existence a controlling element over the discordant
branches that have hitherto provided for the supply of the
army, and which promises a great increase of efficiency
with at the same time a large reduction of expen-
diture. By the terms of this warrant the different
Departments of Military Supply and Transport are
to be amalgamated into one body. These depart-
ments were the Commissariat, which provided for
the food and fuel of men and horses while in
health ; the Purveyor's Branch, which had charge of the
feeding of the sick; the Store Department, which held the
custody of other stores ; and the Barrack Department,
whicn was intrusted with the care of buildings. These are
to be fused into one service named the Control
Department, superintended and directed by a
single officer, the Controller-in-Chief, acting under

the orders •of a Secretary of State for War.
The ranks of the administrative officers of the
department are to be—controller, with the relative rank of
Major-General; deputy-controller, with the relative rank
of colonel ; and assistant-controller, with the relative rank
of lieutenant-colonel. The appointments to the depart-
ment are made by the Secretary of State for War, on its
first formation, by the selection of competent officers from
the existing departments of supply, from the War
Office, and from the army generally. In the latter
case the officers are not to be below the rank of captain.
The department is subdivided into two Sub-Departments:
(1.) The Supply and Transport Sub-Department, including
the Army Works Corps. (2.) The Pay Sub-Department.
The duties of the former are to receive, hold, issue, and
account for, under the orders of the administrative officers
of the DepartmeLt in each command, all stores (including
clothing) and provisions for the service of the army,
and to superintend and direct all laud and inland
water transport. The duties of the Pay Sub-
Department are to receive and account for,
under the authority and direction of the administrative
officers of the dspartment in each command on behalf of
the Secretary of State for War, moneys receivable and
payable on account of army services. After the first for-
mation of the department the administrative officers are
to be selected-1. From commissaries in the Supply and
Transport Sub-Department. 2. From combatant officers
of the army. Combatant officers so selected must have
not less than five years' full-pay service as commissioned
officers, and must have passed through the Staff College.
The ranks of officers of the Supply and Transport Sub-
Departments are to be—commissary, with the relative
rank of major; deputy-commissary, with that of captain;
and assistant-commissary, with that of lieutenant.
Appointments in this Sub-Department are to be made
from competent officers or others by the Secretary of State
for War. Officers selected are to undergo a probationary
service of twelve months as acting assistant-commissaries.
before final appointments to the Sub-:Department. The
ranks of officers of the Pay Sub-Department are to be—
Paymaster, with the relative rank of major; deputy pay-
master, with that of captain; and assistant paymaster,
with that of lieutenant. The appointments in this Sub-
Department will bo conferred upon competent officers and
others selected by the Secretary of State. The organisation
of the Control Department is thus exceedingly simple. One
single department, with two subordinate branches, will in
future perform the duties hitherto supposed to be per-
formed by four separate administrations. The saving in
the numerical establishment of officials will be very great;
there will be one responsible chief answerable for all
matters of supply and transport in each command, and
with every army, so that if faults are committed the
blame will no longer be bandied backwards and forwards
between contending disputants. The saving of corres-
pondence by the fusion into one of four distinct depart-
ments will be large.

The Echo says with reference to the subsidence 01
he Thames Embankment, that the report is absurd, " and
there is no cause whatever for alarm. The subsidence be-
hind the wall of the Embankment is Perfectly natural in the
case of newly-made ground, and it is not improbable that
the paving will need adjusting again before the settle-
ment is perfect. The weight imposed by the construction
of the Metropolitan District Railway may have increased
the subsidence, but this is not necessarily a matter which
should cause any alarm or excitement."

Earl Grosvenor has issued his farewell address to
the electors of Chester. His lordship says he is happy to
say "that he shall not lose the privilege of social relations
with the citizens," and his regret in wishing them farewell
" can only apply to the expiration of many years of direct poli-
tical service." Ile hopes to be allowed to serve them still,
and "to the end it will he his endeavour to cultivate the
goodwill and the friendly feeling of all classes of the citi-
zens, which the ties of more than twenty years have taught
him cannot be too highly valued, or too carefully pre-
Eerved."

A seaman at Kirkdale beat his little daughter so
severely that in a few days sho died. The surgeon exa-
mined by the coroner's jury distinctly traced the death to
the flogging with a strap. The coroner put it to the jury
whether the father had exceeded " parental authority"(the
child was two and a halt years old), and the jury "sympa-
thising deeply with the parents" brought in a verdict of
"manslaughter, with a recommendation to mercy." The
prisoner had the option of a small amount of bail, but this
wits not forthcoming, and the man was removed to prison
to await his trial.

THE ROYAL AcADLAlY.—Arrangements are being
made for an exhibition of great interest in the new rooms
cf the Royal Academy during the early months of the
ensuing year. A committee of Royal Academicians is now
busily at work collecting from the various private galleries
in the Kingdom a number of fine works of the old masters,
which will be opened to the public in January. Thus, the
old British Institution Exhibition will be adequately
replaced, probably on a larger scale. The collection will
also include as many of the works of Stanfield and Leslie
as can be got together. The Academy have in their own
possession a most important work, with which the general
public have no opportunity of becoming acquainted—the
copy, by Oggion, of the cenacolo of "Leonardo da
made for the Ceratos of Pavia—the most perfect memorial
existing of .11e great and now dilapidated inasteri*Po.
Observer.