The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 13, 18G31

Paid.

Closing
Price.

83 0
82 83
2U 30

3 4
75 77
70 72

101 103
at 31i
6 7
15 6
105 107
101 103
121 125

95 97
4B !tip

0 47
25 3,)
27 23

1251 126i1

4 49
Is 14
12 15
iis )16
85 87
31 It
113 li4

104 107

Business

sn f

31A 1

48i
18j

115 i
EG

1131
1(7

105 j

72
93

:tLJ!:.4I' DM:UItITIJL ~

I No

190
100
100
li;0
100
100

,SSEs,

WO
100
100
all
100
100

10) 1011
93 1001
08 luo
86 87
t 5 b 7
103 105
106 IC9
107 109
106 108

DS 100
110 111
105 107

104 106
106 LOS
107 109
1(6 198

99 10
9J 101
98 99
Phi

97j 981

102 104
103 105

100

104 I

103
1021

.100
1100
15
100
100

101} 1

3 4
5} 6a
431 445
10 1f 2
4 5
2 24
1a 2
8 9
14 2
4 5
17 18

18 19
11 14
18 40
21 24
6 8
6 64
2i 11
60 70
5 7

2 3
2 24
29 It
380 400
i i
474 42i
13 14

1U 12
61 66
ISS 195
75 80
18 11
21 23
82i 87i
7 9

CORN.

MILITARY EXPENDITURE FOR 1866-67.

A return has just been issued to Parliament,
showing the expenditure on the military services of
the country for the financial year ending March 31,
1867, as compared with the army estimates for the
same period ; and it is satisfactory in the highest
degree to find that the difference between estimate
and expense is less than fifty thousand pounds.
Considering that the amount dealt with is nearly
fourteen millions and a half, it is creditable to the
War-office authorities, and especially to the
Accountant-General's department, that so large an
account should be closed and audited within less
than twelve months, and that there should be so
little difference in the sum total, though that little
is on the wrong side. The army estimates are
divided into twenty-seven votes, and these again are
classed under two general heads :—First, Effective
Services, including-1. Regular Forces. 2. Auxi-
liary Forces. 3. Stores. 4. Works and Buildings.
5. Other Services. And, secondly, Non-effective
Services. Under the head of Regular Forces are in-
cluded seven votes, on every one of which there was
an increase upon the sum voted, amounting among
them to more than £220,000. The chief items of the
increase in regular forces are said to have been caused
by the continued employment of troops in New
Zealand, and an increase of the forces in British
North America ; the large number of recruits raised
to fill up casualties in regiments returning from
abroad—levy money figuring for nearly £B,OOO, and
allowances and gratuities to soldiers discharged in
consequence of the Limited Enlistment Act, or de-
sire to settle in New Zealand. The commissariat
charges exceeded the estimate by £105,000, partly
owing to New Zealand expenses, partly to the
Fenian raid in North America, and partly to two
military expeditions, of which probably scarcely
one of our readers ever beard—the movement of
troops to the frontier of Basuto country, Natal, to
protect the Boers, and the expedition against San
Pedro to resist an attack of native Indians on the
mahogany works belonging to the British Hondu-
ras Company. Clothing figures for an excess of
£41,000, due either from technical reasons of ac-
count, or caused by the large force proceeding to
Canada last winter drawing winter clothing. Bar-
rack establishments call for £25,000, and the in-
crease is not satisfactorily accounted for, except that
it is said to be partly due to increased attention paid
to sanitary regulations. Divine service takes £6,000,
and martial law nearly £5,000, owing in part to the
strange innovation of allowing certain prisoners to
be defended by counsel, and employing shorthand
writers to take down the evidence. Medical ser-
vices, which can never be grudged, demand some
£22,000 over the estimate.

The other excesses were in auxiliary forces,
£lO,OOO on account of the great increase of men
who joined the army reserve force—a well expended
sum ; and £64,000 for the manufacturing depart-
ments, included under the head " stores ;" this last
item being owing to improvements in carriages
being at once carried out instead of a delay occur-
ring till the next year, and the purchase of addi-
tional material for the gun factories, which was not
counterbalanced, as had been expected, by a saving
in the laboratories, owing to the increased demand
for ammunition for Snider rifles. " Miscellaneous
services" claim £29,000 for expenses incurred by the
Ordnance Select Committee in experiments, re-
wards to inventors of small arms, Contagious
Disease Act, field allowance in New Zealand, &c.
A few minor items close the lists of excesses.
The savings, on the other hand, are considerable :
£59,000 for Irish Militia, not called up for training;
£7,000 for Yeomanry not called out owing to the
cattle plague; £133,000 for stores, £59,000 of
which is in consequence of reserves made with the
consent of the Treasury ; £44,000 for works and
buildings postponed or abandoned ; £3,000 on mili-
tary education, by reason of the reduced number of
cadets at Sandhurst ; £2,000 on administration of
the army; and £31,000 in full-pay, pensions, &c.,
owing to the number of casualties much exceeding
the estimate.

The total excesses on the entire estimates are
shown to amount to £329,043 and the surpluses to
£280,563 ; leaving a balance against the estimates
of £48,480. In replying to the War Minister's request
for permission to defray the excesses as far as pos-
sible out of the surpluses, the Lords of the Treasury
point out that a sum of £63,000 (more, as we now
see, than the total balance of excess on the whole
estimates) was only sanctioned by them on the dis-
tinct statement that a saving would be effected on
the Royal Laboratory vote of £40,000, and of
£23,000 on the vote for the carriage departments ;
and that, as these savings did not occur, that they
have unwittingly sanctioned an expenditure in ex-
cess of the estimates ; and they beg that " the
Secretary of State may issue such instructions as
may cause more care to be takes- when the sanction
of this board for increased expenditure is sought for
in future."

A statement is appended to the return, showing
that all accounts received by the War Office up to
date were included in the return ; and that only
twelve accounts had not been received in the War
Office when the general account was closed ; these
were from New Zealand, Honduras, Barbadoes, and
India.

One point deserves special notice; the apparent
saving of £133,000 on stores does not, according to
the Lords of the Treasury's showing, exist. They
write, "In place of a saving of £133,000, there
has been an excess of expenditure over the amount
granted by Parliament of £59,862. This dislre-
pancy arises from the fact that, in place of re-
ceiving repayments to the amount of £50,683, as
shown upon the estimate, the actual repayments
in aid of the vote have been £243,623 ; that is
£192,940 more than was taken in abatement of the
vote." After entering into details, and quoting a
similar instance occurring in the previous year, their
lordships continue It appears to my lords that
these instances clearly prove that the present system
of crediting transfers and repayments in aid of the
votes entirely vitiates the control of Parliament over
expenditure, by introducing into the grant an ele-
ment of great uncertainty, which occasionally places
at the disposal of the departments large sums beyond
the amount appropriated by Parliament to the ser-
vice." This is, we trust, the beginning of a reform
in expenditure.

MARKE,Ts—(This Day.)

The trade in most departments continues dull, with very
little variation in price. At Mark-lane there was only a
moderate attendance to-day, and the rates paid for nearly
all articles were the same as on Monday.
A short supply of English wheat
was taken off slowly,
at unaltered rates.

--
Foreign in fair supply, but not offered on longer terms.
Flour quoted as before, with a retail demand for Eng-
lish and foreign.

Barley quite as dear.
Beans and pus in limited demand. Rates anchanged.
Oats continue to arrive slowly, and are firm, although
the demand is no& brisk.
TALLOW.

The market is firm at 43s to 43s 3d spot, 43s 6d to 43s
9d April to June; 44s 6d last three months.
LEADENIIALL.
NEWGATE AND
MEAT.—The supplies of dead meat have been light,
and prices firm, with a good demand.. To-day the market
is barely so strong. Beef, 3s 2d to 48 2d; mutton, 3s 4d
to 4s 4d; veal, 4s to 55 4d; pork, 3s 8d to 4s 8d; lamb,
6s 8d to 7s 4d.

-PovlTny.—The poultry market is scantily supplied and
prices unaltered.;;Pfgeona as an exception are plentiful and
cheap.
Eggs remain at 95 for English and 7s for French per
120.

COTTON.
LIVERPOOL, March 13.—Market unchanged. Americans
weak. Sales probably 10,000 bales.

MANCHESTER, Tuesday. --Prices continue steady, but
there bas been no increase of business to-day, and sellers
complain that they have found buyers more reluctant to
.give out orders than they were yesterday. A small general
business goes on daily, but producers are not so extensively
under contract as they were a few weeks back, and it is
only the unremunerative nature of the prices offered which
prevents them taking advantage of any fair offers which
aro made to thern.—Manchester Guardian.

THUNDERSTORMS.—A curious fit of rough weather
for March set in in the North Riding on Tuesday night,
whop and during next day several smart showers, with
thunder and lightning, occurred. During Wednesday the
weather was very mild, and a considerable depth of
rain fell.