The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-19 00:00:00

MILITARY REFORM.

A correspondent of the Star, writing on the sub-
ject of army organisation, expresses some apprehen-
sion that the new Secretary for War intends to limit
his reforms to a few insignificant reductions. The
standing army, exclusive of the troops in India,
amounts, in round numbers, to 130,000, but it is
doubtful whether we could send a corps of 50,000
into a continental theatre of war. Such a
result is totally incommensurate with an expen-
diture of over £15,000,000. The most effica-
cious reform, in the opinion of this writer,
would be to place the militia under the
game authority as the regular troops. At present we
have double establishments for a single purpose,
different storehouses and a different staff, all causing
double expense. Many officers of the line on half-
pay would be willing and competent to officer the
militia, while as matters now stand recruiting is im-
peded by the existence of two services who
bid f! ga i nst each other. The only obstacle
in the way of a closer union between the
line and the militia is the loss of patronage which
such a change would entail on the lord-lieutenants.
At the present time, if we were driven into a foreign
war. we could not take the field with a force of 30,000
regular infantry. Were the militia organised in a
scientific manner, with a reduction of the army
estimates, we should be able to hold about 200,000
combatants ready at a week's notice.

LORD GRANVILLE ON CHAMBERS OF AGRICULTURE.
On Saturday evening Lord Granville presided at
the annual dinner of the Shropshire Chamber of
Agriculture, and in the course of his address he
referred to the important position which such
chambers are rapidly assuming, and traced out
the work which lay before them. In regard to
several difficult questions he thought they might do
great good. There was the relation between land-
lord and tenant ; there was the question of the
game laws, which had occasioned more. bad feeling
between landlord and tenant than all their
other disagreements put together. Questions
of the drainage of land and of the utili-
sation of sewage also claimed the attention of
chambers of agriculture. Then, again, with regard
to education, much had to be done. No class in tliB
country was more deeply interested in the spread of
education than the agriculturists. No merely
elementary education would carry a farmer through
his work in the present day. It behoved agricultu-
rists to move with the march of education, if
they would avoid a diminution of material wealth,
the loss of social influence, and the decay of political
power. Lord Granville advised the chambers to
keep themselves perfectly independent of politics,
and he cautioned them, in dealing with the question
of rating, to remember that all such measures would.
be severely criticised. The large and influential
company present on the occasion bore testimony to
the accuracy of the noble earl's estimate of the
increasing importance of these institutions.

TILE EMPLOYMENT OF BOYS AND WOMEN IN AGM-

CULTURE.

The Hon. E. Stanhope, as assistant-commissioner
to the inquiry into the e7:tension of the Factory Act
to agriculture, had an interview a day or two back
with the Cheshire Chamber of Agriculture. He
stated that the result of his inquiry hitherto had
been to produce
.an impression against the rigid
application to agriculture of the rules of the Factories
Act. In the conversation which followed, the altera-
tion in the opinions of, at any rate, the better-class
of farmers, as to education, was vciy marked.
Though the majority thought it inexpedient that the
Factories Act should be extended as proposed, only
one ventured to say anything against education
generally, and he placed it as a matter for great
doubt, giving, not his opinion, but the opinion of
neighbouring farmers, for whose obtuseness he hslf
apologised. Notwitlistanding his moderation, no
sooner had he done than he received a tolerably
severe snubbing for what he had said. He was told
that the chamber by no means recognised the opinion
he had given forth as the opinion of the county
generally. This " march of intellect" bodes well for
the speedy passing of a measure dealing thoroughly
and once for all with the education question.