The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-20 00:00:00

calculated upon a system of seniority, but if the
system of selection advocated by. Sir C. Trevelyan
were carried into effect, it would of course cause
the promotion of a certain number of officers to the
higher grades in considerably less time than that
stated in the table ; but such acceleration of promo-
tion, which is not susceptible of calculation, would
occasion a corresponding retardation in that of the
remaining officers.
c. and d. These circumstances would but very
slightly affect the prospects of an officer upon his
entrance into the service. _

e. With regard to the system of retirement pro-
posed by Sir C. Trevelyan, it may be doubted
whether the majority of the officers would derive
the benefit anticipated by the change.
For instance, table C, in the appendix, represents
the cases of officers of the several ranks of captain,
major, and lieut.-colonel, of the ages of 45, 50, 55,
60, and 65 years respectively, who may desire to
quit active service, and from this table it appears
that although the actual retired full-pay in the pro-
posed system exceeds that in the present, yet the loss
of pension to the widow generally more than coun-
terbalances the gain, and in almost every case an
officer could at present obtain for his commission
a sum which would purchase an annuity greater
than the retirement under the present or proposed
system.
The general answer to the second question ap-
pears to us therefore to be that, considering the
small benefit, if any, arising to officers from the
proposed alterations in pay and allowances (the
subalterns only Raining and regimental officers of
higher rank losing), and looking to the loss all
would sustain by the greater time it would take to
attain successive steps of regimental promotion, the
advantage in a pecuniary sense to each officer would
be diminished by the proposed changes. The pur-
chasing officer would save the interest of the money
he, under the present system, invests in commis-
sions, but would lose the accelerated promotion
attainable by purchase, with the increased ply and
other advantages pro, iously referred to which that
early promotion would secure him.
111. What would be the maximum charge of full-
pay retirements and half-pay, under Sir Charles
Trevelyan's scheme, estimated by him at—
Full-pay retirements . £210,622
Half-pay
After giving our best consideration to this ques-
tion, and after making careful calculations upon
the best data to be procured, we have arrived at a
result greatly differing from the estimate of Sir
Charles Trevelyan.
We estimate that the annual maximum cost of
retired full-pay of the army, founded upon the
establishment of 1857-B,.cxclusive of the House-
hold Cavalry, Foot Guards, and scientific corps,
would amount to £512,271, but as the number of
officers has .since been greatly increased, this
amount will be largely increased also.
In calculating this amount we have carefully
considered the cost of retirements, whether on full
or half-pay, in the Royal Artillery, the Royal En-
gineers, the Royal Marines, and the East India
Company's Service, and are of opinion that they
corroborate the estimate we have arrived at.

VV.. • • •••
We think it expedient here to advert to the com-
pensation for the general officers now on the list,
whose prospects of succeeding to the emoluments
derived from regiments would be taken away by
the change, as well as for the colonels of advanced
age, whose prospect of attaining the rank of gene-
ral officer, with its present contingent advantages,
would be indefinitely"postponed. It is impossible
to enter into any calculations on these heads, but
assuming from Sir Charles Trevelyan's explanatory
statement, that some compensation is intended, the
expense of it must clearly be added to the cost of
the measure, and will form a considerable item
beyond the amount here stated.
With regard to half-pay, the conditions upon
which it is proposed to be granted render . the
cost so uncertain that we cannot offer any satis-
factory opinion as to its probable amount ; but we
see no reason to object to the sum estimated by Sir
Charles Trevelyan as a conjectural amount.
IV. What would be the probable cost of com-
pensating officers now in the service who have
purchased their commissions, and who may wish
at any time to retire from the service ?
The cost of this compensation, though generally
alluded to, has not been included in Sir Charles
Trevelyan's financial statement, but it is an im-
portant element in the expense of his scheme.
According to a Parliamentary return (No. 2 of
the Appendix to the Report on the Sale and Pur-
chase of Commissions'), the gross value of the com-
missions of officers then serving amounted to
£7,126,030. But it is impossible to estimate
exactly the number of officers who would be dis-
posed to avail themselves of the opportunity of
selling their commissions to the pubic in preference
to continuing to serve under the proposed ar-
rangement. We have, however, calculated the
probable amount in the best manner we are able,
and have arrived at a total of £2,355,288, which
would allow of about one-third of the whole num-
ber retiring.
" Sir C. Trevelyan proposes in his statement to
compensate officers at current prices, but it is not
possible to calculate with accuracy the compensation
contemplated, in consequence of uncertain value
of commissions arising from the varying and excep-
tional character of the service of the Btitish army.

There are also many officers who have purchased
their commissions who have been placed upon half
pay by reductions, whose claim to realise their out-
lay could not be refused if the commissions in the
army became purchaseable by the public, and which
would require to be added to the above amount.
V. Would there be any, and if any, what expense
thrown upon the War-office by the abolition of army
agents ?
We have no doubt that some expense would be
the result of such a change, but we are not prepared
to say to what extent ; we believe, however,, that
the additional expense would absorb a large portion
of the saving estimated by Sir C. Trevelyan under
this head.

Having thus determined, to the best of our abi-
lity, the answers to the questions proposed, we next
proceed to show their bearing generally upon Sir
Trevelyan's statement.
Sir C. Trevelyan has estimated that a net reduc-
tion of £51,866 a-year, as compared with the present
expense of the purchasing portions of the army,
would result from his propositions, but differing as
we do from him in the important item of the ex-
pense of full-pay retirements, we estimate that an
increase of about £220,000 Per annum would be
thrown upon the public, •to which must be added
the cost of compensating officers who have purchased
their commissions, or obtained by service a claim to
sell. This estimate, being based upon the regulation
prices, would 133 greatly increased should it be ad-
mitted that officers" would have a fair claim to be
compensated at such additional rates as are well
known to have been generally p tid by them.
We hav% however, to observe that there are
circumstances which may not improbably add
still more to this increased expenditure, arising
out of the proposed discontinuance of widows'
pensions, which are proposed to be discon-
tinued, on account of which a saving is credited in
favour of the new scheme. It appears to us that
even if they were discontinued by regulation, the
Government would feel itself bound in justice, or
would be compelled by public opinion, in numerous
instances, to admit the claims of widows and chil-
dren whose husbands and fathers had died from the
effects of climate or service, leaving their families
in distressed circumstances.
In conclusion, we have to remark, that we have
confined our inquiries mainly to the financial bear-
ing of Sir C. Trevelyan's proposition, and have not
considered it our duty, nor the intention of Lord
Panmure, that we should give an opinion upon the
expediency of the other changes involved in the
proposition under consideration, such as the aboli-
tion of agenoy, the discontinuance of a variety of
allowances, the establishment of a staff corps, the
system of voluntary and compulsory full-pay retire-
ments, &c., still less upon the general question of
the purchase and sale of commissions in the army.
We have thought it desirable to obtain the opinion
of a qualified actuary in corroboration of the several
calculations we have made, whose statement is
appended. (Signed)
B. ,HAwEs.
H. K. STORKS.
ALEX. M. TULLOCII.
JOHN CROOMES.
W. O. MARSHALL.
W. MARVIN.
War-office, June 3, 1858.

_ ----
HARBOURS OF REFUGE.—The Commission ap-
pointed by her Majesty to inquire into the necessity for the
construction of harbours of refuge on the coasts met on Sa-
turday in the Sessions House, Liverpool, to receive evi-
dence on the subject of the commission. As only partial
publicity had been given to the inquiry, but few witnesses
came forward to tender their evidence. The evidence, how-
ever, which was 'adduced went to show that a , harbour of
refuge was necessary at the Skerries ; that Rankiey, in the
Isle of Man, would-be the best peat for a harbour in that
island ; and that if the bar at Carlingford harbour were
deepened it would form a most important subsidiary har-
bour for the shipping going south up the Irish channel.
The inquiry was adjourned till one o'clock to-day (Mon-
day.)
SUICIDE OF A LIVERPOOL MERCHANT.—The
Liverpool coroner held an,inquest yesterday (Friday) on the
body of Mr. Henry hillock, 30 years of age, who destroyed
himself by firing a pistol into leis mouth, at the house of a
Mrs. Headley, in St. Jarnes-strect, Liverpool, where he had
taken temporary lodgings. It appeared that hillock, who
is the son of a-West India- merchant, had a wife living in
Cornwallis-street, Live/Viol, but for mme:tinle- had'been'
keeping company with a prostitute, who was with him at
the time he took the lodgings, and whom-he represented to
be his wife. It would appear that pecuniary circumstances
-led to the committal of the rash act. The jury returned a
verdict that the deceased committed suicide while labouring
under temporary insanity, • •