The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-16 00:00:00

TILE NAVY ESTIMATES.

The navy estimates for the year 1861-62 are now before
us. They show that the customary paragraph in her Ma-
jesty's Speech has not been without a meaning this year
at any rato, and that they have been "framed with a due
regard to economy," the total vote being less than that of
last year by a sum of more than £BOO,OOO.
The 17 votes into which the navy estimates are divided
amount in the aggregate to £12,029,475, of which
£10,432,632 is for the effective service, the, remainder
being for half-pay, pensions, and the conveyance of troops.
The votes for the effective service are 13 in number. We
will give them in a tabular form, and afterwards refer to
each in detail :

Wages to seamen and marines X3,122,580
Victuals for ditto
Admiralty Office
Coast Guard Service, Royal Naval Coast Vo •
lunteers, and Royal Naval Reserve
Scientific Branch
Her Majesty's establishments at home 172,917
Her Majesty's establishments abroad • 33,640
Wages to artificers, &c., employed on her Ma-
jesty's establishments at home
Wages to artificers, &c., employed on her Ma=
jesty's establishments abroad
Naval stores for the building, repairing, and
outfit of the fleet, steam machinery, and
ships built by contract
New works, improvements, and repairs in the
yards, &e.
Medicines and medical stores
M i seal an eous services 90,510

L 10,431,632

The first vote, for the wages of seamen and marines, is
less than that of last year by £354,177. Tho principal saving
is effected in the vote of £1,882,592 for the wages of 47,000
officers, seamen, and boys. Last year, 54,000 were voted,
the total sum required first for wages, and subsequently
for increase of pay to officers, being £2,241,945. It must
not be understood that these 47,000 constitute the
whole strength of our navy. 2,000 officers, seamen, and
boys, at an expense for wages of £107,033, are required
for surveying, troop, and store ships. This item is
almost identical in amount with that of last year—in
every case, indeed, where we do not express the contrary,
this may be understood. For 2,000 boys in training ships
£19,203 is required, for 4,000 officers, &c., employed in the
coast-guard service afloat £154,915 (a decrease being shown
here of nearly £10,000), and for £l,OOO officers, &c., for the
coast-guard service on shore, £182,369. The total number
of men and boys thus required is 59,000, the total number
for last year being 66,100. The total number of marines
required is 18,000, the total sum asked being £148,772.
100,000 of these men are for service afloat and 8,000 for ser-
vice ashore.

The vote for victuals does not require much examination.
It is £129,828 less than it was last year. Passing over the
third vote for the Admiralty •effice with the remark that
an increase of £877 is to be observed here, we come to the
fourth vote of £253,422 for the coast-guard service, Royal
Naval Coast Volunteers, and the Royal Naval Reserve. A
saving of £34,303 is effected on this vote. It may be sum-
marised as follows :—For the coast-guard service, £145,142,
this sum being of course independent of that voted for
wages to the coast guardsmen under the head of wages to
Volun-
teers . seamenz2B72Bdo marines—toran d for
the
Naval Royalßeserve
e rNavalve.:BoC,oooaos.t
Tne vote for the scientific branch, though very interest-
' ing in its details, can hardly claim much attention from us
at present, being unimportant itOts amount, the succeeding
two votes having nothing remarkable about them. In the
eighth, however, we notice a very important reduction from
the corresponding amount for last year, no less than
£328,555 being saved here. This vote is for the wages of
artificers employed in her Majesty's establishments at home.
The saving is effected in the item for " naval yards, includ-
ing yard services afloat, and teams." This item, which was
£1,347,727 for the last year, is £1,011,251 for that ensuing.
For the item, "victualling yards, including hoys," the
amount is £15,565, nearly the same as the corresponding
sum in the last estimates. There is an increase in the cost
of the medical department from £8,764 last year to £14,239
this. The item for the transport department is trifling.
The marine infirmaries require £3,891, and the police divi-
sions, embracing naval and victualling yards, and medical
establishments, £36,774.
Vote 10 now claims our attention, This vote amounts to