The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-24 00:00:00

THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPHS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave notice
that on 'Thursday he would bring in a bill to empower the
Postmaster-General to acquire and obtain the direction of
the electric telegraphs.

THE ARMY ESTIMATES.
The house then went into committee, of supply, and
Sir J. I'AELNGION rose to MOW the army estimates.

The gross total required for effective and non-effective
services was X 15,455,400 against £14,388,000 last year. The
right hon. gentleman proceeded to refer to the differentitems
making up the above totals, and remarked that, wi,h re-
spect to recruiting, it was at present progressing most
satisfactorily. There was a matter which he hoped soon
to see abolished, and that was the scenes that were now so
familiar at public houses, a matter altogether most objec-
tionable. (Hear, hear.) He was glad to say that General
Edwards, the Chief of the Recruiting Department, also was
of opinion that the using of public-houses for such a pur-
pose was altogether most objectionable, and it was pro-
posed to form recruiting depots in all the large
towns in the country. (Hear, hear.) They had at pre-
sent two of those depots—one in London and the other in
'Bristol, both of which had worked so satisfac-
torily, and an extension of the system could
not but be considered beneficial both for the
country and the recruit. (Hear, hear.) In the militia
there was an increase of £Bl,OOO, bat this was produced
by the receipt of allowing lodging money to officers.
The case of the Quartermasters had also been con-
sidered with respect to the same subject, and it had
been determined to increase the amount given to
them as lodging money, -viz., 108. to 14s. per week. He
also proposed to carry out the arrangement made by his
g Want friend the member for Huntingdon (General Peel)
of forming the militia into a reserve foie() of 30,000
men, ready at any emergency to join the regular
army, and General Lindsay had been appointed
to the command of that reserve force. The hon. gentle-
man then went on to refer to the charge of the volunteers,
which he said amounted in the present year to
£385,150, an increase of £24,150, and he expressed his
regret that he was unable to increase the capitulation
grant. In the number of neon there was a slight decrease
—from 137,245 to 136,650—and there were slight increases
in the clothing and barrack votes. On the Hospital vote
there was also an appa'rent increase of aboat £105,000,
caused by the transfer of the medical officers from one vote
to another. Sir John next explained his reasons for not
agreeing entirely in the report of the committee on retire-
ment in the Artillery and Engineers, and he congratulated
General Peel on the unqualified success of the change he
had made in the recruiting system, which was shown by
the large number of re-engagements, the unusually small
discrepancy between the actual establishment and the
numbers voted, and the improvement in the class of re-
cruits. He stated, too, his intention of carrying out some
of the recommendations of the recruiting commission as
to military schools. Passing to the Reserve Forces, Sir
John stated that in the Militia Vota there was an
'increase of a little over XBl,OOO, caused by an
increase in the number of men and by the allow-
ance of lodging money to the quartermasters. In the
Volunteer vote there was also au increase of £24,150, the
capitation grant having risen from £205,500 to £228,235 ;
while the efficients had risen from 115,427 to 124,605, and
the extra-efficients from 78,280 to 90,515. He canvassed
the claim of the Volunteer officers for an increase in the
capitation grant—justifying .his refusal—and announced
his intention to place trio Militia, Volunteers, and Reserve
forces generally under the command of one officer, Gen.
Lindsay. On the votes for stores and supplies, he explained
that the increase was chiefly apparent, arising from a trans-
fer of charge. It was proposed to convert this year
160,000 Enfolds to Sniders, against 210,000 last year, at a
cost of £159,604, and this would exhaust the Enfields
available for conversion. With regard to the arm of
the future, Sir John mentioned that no decision
had yet been come to, but Lord Spencer's sub-
committee was inquiring into it, and he expressed
a strong belief that no country possessed a better
arm than the Snider. Pointing out that it would be ne-
cessary immediately to undertake considerable expense for
arming the fortifications which we had already built in
different parts of the world, he announced his intention to
place the manufacturing establishments at Woolwich
under the control of a commandant, and in the concluding
part of hisspeech he canvassed at length the recommenda-
tions of Lord Strathnairn's Committee on Army Admini-
stration, and explained what be intended to do towards
carrying them out. Sir H. Stocks and General Balfour
had been added to the War-office, and they had already
drawn up plans for improving the external control of the
War Department and the ;system of audit, which would
lead to a considerable saving. They were also prepared
to recommend changes in the Transport Service, which
would give us a most complete system.
The Marquis of HARTINGTON complained of the
continuous tendency of the Army Estimates to increase
under the present Government, and contrasted it with the
decrease effected by the late Government. As to the plan
for reorganising the administration of the army, it would
require very close investigation, and he deprecated a pre-
mature discussion of it.

General PEEL pointed out that for our increased ex-
penditure we had got a vastly improved system of recruit-
ing, and had armed our troops with breech-loaders. The
usual desultory conversation followed, embracing all the
points touched on in Sir J. Pakington's speech. Towards
the close of it Mr. Otway moved to reduce the total num-
ber of mon to be voted for the army by 2,758, being half
the garrisons of the West Indies and the Mauritius,
grounding his motion both on economical and sanitary
grounds. Ile contended that our garrisons in these and
similar stations were of no military value, that their real
defence must be by sea, and ho also insisted that our
colonies should bear a greater share in tha expenses of
their own defence.

Mr. CARDWELL also spoke in favour of impressing
on the colonies that they must no longer trust entirely to
British troops for their defence. Major Anson and Capt.
Vivian spoke in favour of the motion, and
Sir J. PAKINGTON gave further explanations of the
Estimates, and to Mr. Otway he replied that these colonial
garrisons were a part of our old policy which could not be
changed in a moment. Ultimately Mr. Otway withdrew
his motion, and the vote of 138,691 men was agreed to,
making up, with the sums taken already on account,
£5,378,379 pay allowances and charges.
.£1,239,807 Commissariat establishment.

Several orders Were advanced a stage, and the house
adjourned at 5 minutes past 1 o'clock.

SPECIAL CONSTABLES.—'rhe period for which
special constables were sworn in last December, after the
alarm occasioned by the Clerkenwell outrage and explo-
sion, has in many instances expired ; the warrants of many
others will expire this day ; and others in the course of

the present month. It is not, we believe, intended by her
Majesty's Government to ask for any fresh powers, but to
rely on the ordinary powers of the City and Metropolitan
police force for the preservation of the peace. The jus-
tices in special sessions alone have the power to order
plyment from time to time of such reasonable allowances

to special constables for their trouble, loss of time, and
expenses, and also order the payment of such expenses as
may have been incurred in providing staves and other
necessaries. It is understood that the justices of the
various divisions in the metropolis will meet in the course
of next week to make the orders usual in such cases.
THE VOLUNTEER REVIEW AT PORTSMOUTH.—
The lodging-house keepers at Portsmouth aro asking such
unreasonable sums for accommodation during the week of
the forthcoming review that there is every probability that
the number of volunteers who attend the review will be
much smaller than on previous Easter Mondays. From ss.
to as much as 20s. per night is asked for single beds in
private houses. The mayor and the review committee,
aided by the local press, are doing what they can to show
the folly of such conduct, but at present with little success.
The people seem bent upon " killing the goose that lays the
golden eggs," and their success in fleecing visitors on the
occasion of the naval review last year has encouraged a
repetition of their greediness. It is creditable to the hotel-
keepers to state that, with few exceptions, they have let
their beds to the volunteers at the usual prices, varying
from ls. 6d. to 3s. per night.
FENIAN EXCITEMENT IN VICTORIA, VANCOUVER'S
ISLAND.—SAN FRANCISCO, March 9.• Advices from. Vic-
toria of the 7th of March state that the excitement caused
by the threatened Fenian invasion continues. A gunboat
had been stationed in the harbour, and a largo body of
Marines placed on board. The powder magazine opposite
the city and the different engine-houses were strongly
guarded. The volunteers bad received orders to hold
themselves in readiness in .ase their services should be
required. Every precaution had been taken to secure the
safety of the city. The nature of the startling informa-
tion was only known to the authorities, but the general
impression prevails that they have been hoaxed.
THE TEA TRADE, March 23.—The deliveries in
London, made up for the week, are 1,390,3461 b., being a
decrease of 2,380,7801 b. compared with the previous week.
SOUTH KENSINGTON MUSEUM.—Visitors during
the week ending March 21 :—On Monday, Tuesday, and
Saturday, free from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., 10,968 ; on Wed-
nesday, Thursday, and Friday (admission 6d.), from 10
a.m. till 5 p.m. 1,697—t0ta1, 12,665. Average of correspond-
ing week in former years, 10,773. Total from the opening
of the Museum, 7,255,358. Patent-office Museum, South
Kensington.—Number of visitors for the week ending
March 21, 8,720 ; total number sines the opening of the
museum free daily (12th of May, 1858), 1,261,042.
THE Loss OF THE JAMES C. BELL.—This vessel,
a wooden sailing ship of 600 tons, with a cargo of coal for
Bombay, was abandoned by her crew off the coast of Corn-
wall, and afterwards wrecked, at the beginning of the
month. A Board of Trade court inquiry sitting at Liver-
pool yesterday acquitted the captain, and restored him his
certificate.

By an error in making up the coal returns on
board her Majesty's ship Minotaur the amount con-
sumed on the occasion of her continuous steaming
trial on Wednesday last between Spitbead and St.
Alban's Head was stated to have been 95 tons. It
should only have been 75 tons; and thin included
what was burnt before and after the six hours' trial,
in taking the ship out from and bringing her back
to Spithead.

The newspapers aro teeming with references to econo-
my in tea by co-operation. Horninan and C'o. have for 80
years co- operated through Agents to supply tea on more
advantageous terms than by the ordinary channel; their tea
reaches the consumer in the same pure state as it leaves the
grower, as it is secured in packets.