The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-13 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

The following important circular has just been
issued from the War-office, by order of the Secre-
tary of State for War :
" Mr. Secretary Herbert desires that the particu-
lar attention of all the engineer officers should be
called to the necessity of exercising the strictest
economy of the public funds in the design of works
and buildings for military purposes.
" Cases have been recently brought before him
where the provisions of the estimates submitted to
the War-office have been so excessive that they
must have been prepared by inexperienced subor-
dinates, and forwarded by commanding engineers
without consideration or study.
" All such designs are, it is true, submitted to an
examination in the War-office, and a reduction is
thereby often effected ; but the effects of such re-
vision are often arbitrary and unsatisfactory, un-
like savings effected by officers will are thoroughly
mastering the requirements they have to fulfil, and
who meet them in the most skilful and economical
wanner.

" There is reason to fear that there are engineer
officers who consider the duty of designing beneath
their notice, and who are too ready to place in the
hands of subordinates duties which engineer offi-
cers in most other services in Europe perform un-
assisted, and which are really among the highest
functions of the architect engineer, be he military
or civil.
" It being considered that military works ought
to be designed by military men, in order that mili-
tary requirements may be fully attained, it is most
illogical to place their duty in the hands of the civil
branch of the department when there are military
officers available.
" Mr. Herbert does not allude to the works of
fortifications, which on account of their magnitude
it has been necessary to make special arrangements
to carry out, but to the fulfilment of the numerous
current services for barrack-store and general pur-
poses, amounting in the aggregate to a very large '
annual sum, which are executed from the designs
made at thehead-quarters of each engineer distinct.
"Mr. Herbert wishes that the designs for new
works should, whenever it is practicable, be pre-
pared by an engineer officer whose name shall be
attached to the design. When it is necessary to
employ a civil member of the department he, also,
shall sign the plan, and have the full share of re-
sponsibility which attaches to the designer.
" The person employed should consider carefully
what is the object to be attained and the means of
attaining it ; he should compute the number of per-
sons, or quantity of traffic or stores for which he
has to provide accommodation, and subordinate not
only the dimensions of the different parts, but the
degree of solidity, permanence, and finish given to
them to the object in view. He should carefully
consider the origin of the proposal, and whether he
cannot avoid a new construction by the repair, re-
storation, or appropriation of some existing build-
ing. The Secretary of State for War will always
be glad to consider such proposals if made with care
and deliberation.

" A few instances may be quoted wherein, from
no want of professional skill, but rather from want
of preliminary thought and consideration, consi-
derable unnecessary expense has been incurred or
proposed.
" In a recent instance a bridge was recommended
across the moat of an obsolete fort, when a cause-
way of earth would have answered every purpose.
A drawbridge, of a size and strength equal to the
traffic of the entrance of a fortress, has been con-
structed to an insignificant coast-battery.
" The bridge may have been faultless as a bridge,
but the first thing to determine was whether it was
indispensable, or whether it could not be replaced
by some cheaper, but equally useful expedient. A
jetty as required to ship ammunition from a
magazine, the conditions being that 3,220 barrels
and cases should be put on board in six hours.
Railways were in use at the magazine in question,
and the trucks running upon them each carried 20
cases. There were, therefore, 161 truck-loads to he
conveyed to the head of the jetty and to return
empty in six hours, or one truck-load every two
minutes. To accomplish this it was proposed to
construct a jetty to carry six double lines of rails,
which would have given an average traffic of one
truck every 12 minutes on each line. One double
line of rails was found ample, and the work has
been executed for one-seventh part of the original
estimate.

" But when the proper plan and dimensions are
arrived at care and judgment are required in select-
ing the most suitable material, and applying it in
the mode best calculated to attain solidity at as
little cost as possible. It is often bad economy to
build in too
It temporarynla a manner, but the converse
yearsamr materials
tre required,
qii
is also true.
The best materialsnshooul
be cheaper to build every 10
anul iswr ev
when
ut buth than
t mayytsinkd b
ea,
provided
dee sdu
where
hienr
estone.
is quite proper to use inferior
they will answer the purpose as
well.
r Herbertna ent ,
butd
oes not wish absolutely to pro-
scribe m
and with judgment, it should be used sparingly
and
neverb cause any sensible
increase to the cost of the
plinths, seldom make
appearance
of
a building
to
the
interior a t all
ings.
Heavy cut
stone dressing, cornices, and
an addition to the buildings,
commensurate with their cost.
" High finish or expensive fittings
of any part of military buildings are
still more to be
avoided, and are out of place in a profession where
simple and frugal habits should be encouraged
among all ranks.
" Ogineer officers should endeavour to make the
case their own, and do for the pubic service what
they would do for themselves had they to find the
funds.
' "Large as the public revenue of her Majesty is,
it is the bounden duty of every citizen, and, above
all, of every officer in her Majesty's pay, to make
the revenue go as far as it can.
" Mr. Secretary Herbert feels confident that many
officers of engineers do give him tha assistance ho
requires, and all can if they will only make the at-
tempt. Mr. Herbert sometimes hears as an excuse
for costly work that ' it is necessary to do credit to
the service,' but he is not prepared to give credit to
any officer for an injudicious application of the
means placed at his disposal from the public purse.
" B. HAWES."

A large party of the cavalry and infantry troops,
to the number of 123 of all ranks, who have recently
arrived at Chatham, having been invalided home
from India, left the establishment, St. Mary's Bar-
racks, yesterday morning, to join their respective
depots, the whole of that number having income
convalescent, and after medical inspection pro-
nounced fit for further service, Thirty wounded
and disabled troops of various corps, who were
found to be totally unfit for further service, were
also discharged from the service at Chatham yes-
terday, and forwarded from that garrison to their
respective homes.
No. 7 battery of the 2d brigade Royal Artillery,
consisting of 111Djor Clifford, in command, ',lents.
ardle, Smithctt, and Laughlan, 127 non-commis-
sioned officers and men, 14 women and 19 children,
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday by train from
the
Dover- On the troops alighting from the train at
the Landport terminustilitehryeystwateillmaairnatlieled,gahreraidsoend
by the band of ti