The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-25 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

THE " MISCELLANEOUS ESTIMATES ;" I. H. and 111.,
No. 108.—(Ordered by the Commons to be printed 13th
March, 1844.)—These estimates are always among the
most remarkable of the sessional papers. The various
services to which they relate are intimately connected
with the march of social improvement, of domestic civi-
lisation, and all the external indications of public great-
ness. They are the immediate evidence of the growth
or decrease of the national expenditure in its
civil departments. They bring under the notice of the
Legislature—once, at least, in each year—the aggregate
expenditure incurred by the legal, financial, and diplo-
matic appointments of the Crown. They demonstrate
the large appropriations annually made out of the re-
venues of the United Kingdom, to similar services, in
Ireland; and they show, in sufficient detail, the progress
of public works and municipal improvements, in the
metropolis and throughout the empire, in all cases where
these arc chargeable on the same revenues.
No. 1 of these " Estimates, &c., Miscellaneous Ser •
vices," for the year ending March 31, 1845, comprises
" public works and buildings." There are eight principal
items of charge under this head. No. I. is for " Re-
pairs, &c., of public buildings ; furniture, &c., for
various public departments ; certain charges for light-
ing, watching, rates and taxes ; also for maintenance
and repairs of Royal Palaces, and works in the Royal
gardens (formerly charged on the civil list), for the one
year from April 1, 1844, to March 31, 1845). The ge-
neral heading embraces TVindsor Castle (with the
Poor Knights' Houses, Tomb- house, Lower Lodge, Sta-
bles, Adelaide Cottage, Frogmore House, detached
buildings, &c., exclusive of internal repairs, alterations,
and additions of the state apartments, and those apart-
ments occupied by her Majesty and the Royal house-
hold) ; Hampton Court Palace—gardens, buildings,
farting-houses ; Hampton Court—Stud-house, Long-
ford River, Combo Conduit, &c. ; Ken' Palace—
stables, and buildings, belonging to her Majesty, on
Kew-green ; Kew—observatory, pagoda, pleasure, bo-
tanic, and kitchen gardens, forcing houses, Sze.; Kensing-
ton Palace—buildings in pleasure-gardens, &c.; Bucking-
ham Palace—for repairs of exterior of the building ; St.
James's Palace ; Royal Mews and Riding House,
Pimlico; Carlton House Stables external repairs ;
Marlborough House external repairs ; Royal Pa-
vilion, Brighton Palace—stables and outbuildings ;
Temporary Houses of Parliament ; Westminster
Hall ; Courts of Law and Record-room ; Privy Seal
and Signet-office ; Chapter House Record-room, State
Paper-office; and India Board, all at Westminster. White-
hall, including Treasury Chambers, Houses of First Lord
and Chancellor of the Exchequer ; offices of the three
Secretaries of State ; Council-office and Board of
Trade ; Whitehall Chapel ; Exchequer-offices ; Office of
Woods, &c. ; ditto of Ecclesiastical Commission, of
Receiver of Fines, &c. (Spring-gardens) ; Land Re-
venue Enrolment ; Almonry, Exchequer Seal, and
Polish Refugees offices ; Marshalsea Court and
house ; Gwydyr-house ; Whitehall-stairs and causeway,
to river there ; Horse-Guards buildings, together
with Paymaster-General's office, Army Pay, Judge-
Advocate-General's offices ; Guard, Orderly, and State- '
rooms ; Recruit-houses of the three Regiments of Foot
Guards ; Offices of Recruiting Department and Medical
Army Inspector (Duke-street) ; of Department of Ac-
counts and Board of General Officers ; Army Medical
Board, &c.; Stationery-office; National Gallery; Somerset
House, with official houses and apartments allotted to the
Senate of the University of London and School of De-
sign. British Museum, except the new buildings, which
are under Sir Robert Smirke.
We note this fact, having surmised, and deplored it,
in an article which appeared in The Sun of the 6th
instant, on the objectionable course adopted by
her Majesty's Government in not opening the designs for
these " new buildings to public competition. Not to
have done so, we must still contend has been a gross
neglect of duty on their part ; and we trust when this
part of the estimates comes to be voted, the attention of
the House will be specifically directed to it.)
Other offices included in this class are Deposi-
;o7y for Records in—the Riding-house (!), Carlton
Stables (probably for those written in running hand) ;
Insolvent Debtor's Court, &c.; Rolls Court, Chapel,
&c. ; Quen's Prison ; the Tower of London and
its various departments ; the Royal Mint; National
Debt-office; Metropolitan Carriage-office ; Royal
Military Asylum ; Irish-office, (Great Queen-street,
Westminster); Tower-hill-office for payment of
Greenwich Pensioners ; Chelsea Hospital and grounds ;
expenses of oil and gas lighting at Houses of Parlia-
ment, and public buildings and offices ; rents, &c., of
houses taken for the accommodation of public depart-
ments ; furniture for public offices and buildings ; and
additional services executed in 1843-44, but not pro-
vided for in the estimates of that year."
Under • this last head we find the Queen's Prison:
for furniture and fittings for the offices of
the Keeper, Deputy Keeper and Record De-
partment; and—for furniture and bedding for the
poor prisoners. We should like to have it aster
tained how much was expended on the latter objects,
and how much on the former, of this heavy charge of
1,500/.—(an additional charge, observe, in excess of
last year's estimate). We fear the " poor pri-
soneri " share " for bedding " will bear about
the same proportion to that of the " furniture
aid fittings" for the Keeper and Ins Deputy,

-~:a ~., .

as Falstaff's one halfpenny-worth of bread did to his .
f certain gallons of sack. 'The " total probable expense
1 for these ordinary works and repairs,' (together with
the charge for the " additional services," to which we have
just recurred, 1,8961., and for repairs of buildings and pri-
sons in the Isle of Man, 300/0, is 101,549/. To this sum
is to be added " probable expense of repairs to public
1 buildings and palaces in Scotland, law courts, &c." (in-
eluding a charge. of 1,298 Z for " furniture and fittings
for the Hall for the General Assembly of the Church of
Scotland, 1,298 Z ---a rather severe account) :-these
1 being estimated at 10,641/. The general aggregate of
these amounts, 112,190 L, show an increase on the similar
estimate for the year 1843 and 1844. of 6,5.54 L
No. 2. Estimated expense of Temporary Howes of Par
-
1 liameat, including 125/., expense of works, &c., that will
I probably attend the warming and ventilation, nder Dr. .
Reid's directions (House of Peers) ; and 1,150 Z for
ventilation and warming, under direction of Dr. Reid
(House of Commons) ; and for rent of rooms and addi-
tional chambers, &c., 5,4201. One is tempted to observe,
here, that Dr. Reid, without any disparagement to his
high character, appears "to have blown hot and cold" for
some years past, with no inconsiderable emolument to
to himself.

No. 3. .New Houses of Parliament (Iterum Barry) ?
-Probable expense of the works 'for ,year ending
March 31, 1845, beyond sums already _voted by Parlia-
ment, viz., " a further account of superstructure of
Houses of Lords and Commons, central`hall and con-
necting corridors, the Victoria tower, the Royal, gal-
lery, portion of the south front, the clock tower, and
the west front towards New Pataceiard, 60,0001."
No. 4. Trafalgar-square.-For supply of water fur
playing the fountains in this square, including also the
supply of water to the several public offices, and official
residences in the neighbourhood of Whitehall and
Downing-street, the New Houses of Parliament, and
for watering the streets in the above loos-
lity, 7,000/. (We cannot understand why' all
these liabilities are to be visited on these
improvements. The water-works, in the language of
the corporate companies, are to " supply high and low
service," it is evident. This estimate is truly a " mis-
cellaneous" one.) The charge on account of the new
Houses, however, as compared with 1843, shows a de-
crease of 80,0001.; and for Trafalgar-square, on a similar
comparison, a decrease of 5,000/.
No. 5. Estimated expenses for Holyhead Harbour and
Holyhead and Shrewsbury Roads, &e., 4,1641.
No. 6. Caledonian Canal.-Estimate for the year,
50,0001. ' • showing an increase of 45,0001. of charge over
1843. Last year the whole sum voted for this
magnificent and truly valuable work was buts,oool. We
are glad to find that it is to be properly maintained..
No. 7. Probable charge for maintaining and repairing
Public Buildings in department of the Commissioners of
Public Works in Ireland, 26,1161 ; of Inland Navigation,
230/. ; and of Donaghadee Harbour, 3251. :-together,
26,8711. Excess over same charge for 1843, 1,4951.
No. 8. Works and repairs for Kingstown Harbour,
8,000/. ; showing a decrease for this estimate as com-
pared with last year, of 2,0001. Total of this set of Mis-
cellaneous Estimates for the current year, 273,645/.
No. 11. of these Estimates comprises the "Salaries and
Expenses of Public Departments," under the following
three-and-twenty heads, viz.:-
1. Two Houses of Parliament £59,350
2. Treasury
3. Secretary of State, Home Department. 26,567
4. Ditto, Foreign Department 54,500
5. Ditto, Colonial Department
6. Privy Council-office, and Office for Trade 32,641
7. Lord Privy Seal
8. Paymaster-General
9. Comptroller of the Exchequer, Paymaster
of Exchequer-bills, and Paymaster of
Civil Services
10. State Paper-office
11. Ecclesiastical CommissiOners (England) 3,200
12. Commissioners, Poor-laws
13. Mint, including coinage 63,286
14. Public Records
15. Inspectors and Superintendents of Factories 9,700
16. Offices in Scotland
17. Household of the Lord-Lieutenant of Ire/and 6,464
18. Chief Secretary's-offices and Privy Council-
office, Ireland
Paymaster of Civil Services, Ireland 4,
20. Commissioners of Public Works, Ireland 10,784
21. Secret Service
22. Printing and stationery
23. Printing proclamations, &c., Ireland 4,950

Z 743,441
Total of increase, as compared with estimate of 1843,
34,9951. The items on which this increase is noted, are
the following votes :—For the two Houses of Parlia-
ment, increase 8,0001. ; Foreign-office, ditto 11,7731. ;
Colonial-office, ditto, 9321.; Privy Council-office, ditto,
359/. ; Comptroller of the Exchequer, and his subor-
dinate departments, ditto, 3451.; Poor-law Commis-
sioners, ditto, 1,518 ; printing and stationery, .ditto,
20,209/.
No. "IL of these Estimates comprises " Law and' j'us-
tice, under the following classification :-
1. Law charges (England) including arrears... 230,000
2. 111 int prosecutions, relating to gold aud eilver •

coin
3. Expense of prosecutions, and removal of con-

-victs, foimerly paid from county-rate; 10,000
4. Sheriffs' expenses, England •, Queen's Re- • .
membrancer's-office ; officers of the
Court of Exchequer, &c.
5. Insolvent Debtors' Court 13,368
6. Prison at Parkhurst ; building and fittings 5,750.
Establishment and expenses
7. Prison at Pentonville ; building and fittings 3,999
Establishment and expenses
8. Penitentiary, Millbank, building and fittings 5,000
Establishment and expenses
9. Criminal lunatics, Bethlem Hospital ...... 3,972
10. Inspectors of Prisons, Great Britain ; and
Prison Board, Scotland . 6,500
11. Criminal prosecutions, and other law
charges, Scotland
Sheriffs' expenses, Scotland
12. Criminal prosecutions, and other law
charges, Ireland ~
13. Police of Dublin
14. Convict Depot, and Constabulary Barracks,
Dublin 6,337
15. Convicts at home, at Bermuda, and at Gib-

raltar
16. Convict Expenditure, New South Wales
and Van Diemen's Land

.£873,194
The total increase on this class of estimates, as com-
pared with 1843, is 32,859/.

LETTERS OF MART, QUEEN OF SCOTS, illustrative
of her Personal History, edited by Agnes Strickland. A new
edition of the above interesting work has just appeared, com-
plete in two volumes, uniform with Miss Strickland's "Lives
of the Queens of England." " The Life and Times of Mary,
Queen of Scots (says the Edinburgh Courant) claim a pecu-
liar degree of attention, not only as an important portion of
history; but as a story deeply romantic and tragical, which
is calculated to engage the sympathy of every reader. The
present publication contains the whole of Mary's Letters that
have yet come to light, besides many that are yet unknown ;
and being all arranged in chronological order, with historical
notices, explanatory of the matters to which they refer, they
present a connected series of documents more clearly illustra-
tive of the important events of this period, than any work
which has yet been published. The work furnishes a most
valuable addition to our stock of historical knowledge, and
gives a new aspect and deeper interest to the history and
character of the unfortunate Scottish Queen.

MR. C. H. ADAMS'S ORRERY.---Mr. Adams con-
tinues to deliver his popular astronomical lecture at tho
English Opera House, to attentive and intelligent audiences.
his clear and succinct explanations of the earth, its attendant
planet, the moon, her influence on the tides, and the theory
of those eclipses common to herself and the sun, are syste-
matically given, and the illustrations afforded by means of a
tellurian, mechanical transparent apparatus, and a magnifi-
cent vertical Orrery, impart additional attraction, and fine ef-
fect to the whole. A more appropriate intellectual amusement
for the Thursdays and Fridays of Lent and Passion-week could
not be conceived, and the patronage he obtains evinces the
popularity of his sterling entertainment.
THE SEES or ST. AsArn AND BANGOR.—Rather
than take away a Bishop from Wales, give her another. We
do not want a temporal Peer for the purpose of a chief pastor
amongst the mountains of Wales; we want a laborious,
hard-working man, like the Bishop of Toronto, who is not
afraid of storms of rain, and wind, and snow. We do not
want him to be furnished with a burning chariot and five
thousand a year. This way is proper for the Bishop whom
the State and Constitution of England have been pleased to
number with the Princes of the land ; but for a Bishop to re-
side in the midst of his rural diocese, and to be engaged in
daily works of necessary performance, we want a plain,
humble, able, and indefatigable man, with an income suited
to his situation.—Church and State Gazette.—[We seldom
concur with this high-Church Periodical, but the remarks in
this paragraph deserve great praise. To this system must
the English Church come at last.—En. Sun.]
The Society of British Artists opened to private
view, on Saturday, their twenty-first annual exhibition, pre-
paratory to throwing it open to the public at large to-day.
There was a considerable number of persons of rank
and consequence present; and the day being fine, the several
works on view were seen to the greatest advantage. The
number of pictures exhibited this season in the rooms of the
Society of British Artists is seven hundred and forty-six ;
the number of marble figures, models, and other works in
the department of sculpture, is twenty-eight, which make in
all seven hundred and seventy-four productions of the pencil,
the chisel, and the modelling stick; as the amount of the en-
tire collection.
In consequence of the decease of Mr. Huskisson,
Collector of Customs at St. Vincent's, the Commissioners
have recommended the appointment of Mr. Taylor, the
landing surveyor, to the vacant collectorship, and Mr. Tay-
lor's place will be filled by the promotion of Mr. Robert
Nugent Dunbar, now landing surrevor at St. Lucia.
The salary formerly received by Mr. Huskisson was
1,500/. a year, but Mr. Taylor will only receive 600/. ;
and the old salary of the landing surveyorshin at St. Vin-
cent's will also be reduced to 2501. a year, making the tete
saving on these two places alone 1,1501. per annum. We. are
glad to see that in the establishments, at home and abroad,
every reduction is made consistent with the public service.
In all the West India Islands, the duties of the officers of
Customs have been of late years much diminished by the abo-
lition of the Four- and-a-Half per Cent. duties.—Observer.
OUR MODERN POETS.—Crabbe, Rogers, Words-
worth, Scott, Coleridge, Southev, Campbell, Moore, Byron!
Of this glorious brotherhood, who once were all living at the
same period, the survivors are Rogers, Wordsworth, Camp-
bell, and Moore. Byron, the youngest of the band, was the
first to be withdrawn from it ; he died in 1824, in the thirty-
sixth, or thirty-seventh year of his age ; Crabbe, in 1832,
in his seventy-eighth ; Scott, a little later in the same year,
in his sixty-second ; Coleridge (who was for some time e
contributor to this paper), died in 1834, also in his sixty-
second; Southey, in 1843, in his sixty-ninth. Of the sur-
vivors, Rogers is the senior, having been born in 1762 ; be
is, consequently, in his eighty-second year. He first distin-
guished himself in the year 1786, by an "Ode to Super-
stition ;" his " Pleasures of Memory" did not appear till 1;92.
Wordsworth was born in 1770, and is in his seventy-fourth
year ; Campbell, whose " Pleasures of Hope" appeared in
1799 (born in 1777), is in his seventy-seventh ; and Moore,
in his sixty-fourth, having been born in 1780. Long laity
they be preserved to us.—Post,