The New York herald., 1876-03-02

intention OF Congress ana the WISH oi inc
country; and what with sales of stores
and stoppage of recruiting and general
economy, we should think Mr.. Ran
dali very liberal if he gave the Secre-
tary $25O000 under this head. This
is one of the great leaks of the Navy Depart
ment, and here Mr.. Randall can save at one
blow 81, $50, 900 and hurt nobody. Next
comes the Bureau of Yards and Docks, for
which Mr.. Robeson thinks he ought to have
$500, ,000-$100, 900 more than last year. He
has just sold the Philadelphia Navy Yard
We hope Congress will order him to sell also
those at Boston and New London, because
they are useless, and that at Kittery answers
every purpose. In any case, with the navy
on peace footing, 100000 is a large sum
for the Bureau of Yards and Docks, and Mr..
Randall will be extravagant if he gives more.
The Bureau of Provisions and Clothing,
which asks for 81, ,339, 900, ought, with
largely reduced naval force, to get on with
the odd $3.50, 900, and we trust will get no
more. Finally comes the Marine Corps. There
has been a rumor that it would be abolished.
This we should think mistake. Marines
are needed in our ships and navy yards.
The marine is a naval policeman. But it
has become, under the liberal hand of Mr..
Robson, monstrously expensive establish
ment. For petty force of 800 men he has
a general, colonel, lieutenant colonies,
majors. 20 captains, 60 lieutenants, and so
on; and he has even an item of $4,000 for
horses for these gallant horse marines.
With the navy on peace footing 500 would
be more than suf1icient-indeed, 800 would be
enough-a and instead Of 1926, 900, which the
good Robson demands to support his
marines, he could very easily get on with
S250,OOO. We trust Mr.. Randall will give
him no more.
Leaving the navy proper we discover un-
der Public Works" an additional demand
for 81, 725 600 for new structures and repairs
at navy yards. Half million is quite
enough for this. We do not need any new
works this year, and we trust Mr.. Randall
will refuse to give moro than the con-
siderable sum we have named. What he
gives above that will be spent for politics.
Reckoning up the savings we have pro-
posed we find them to amount to over
SO, ,OOO, ,0O0--in precise figures, 50, 1877, 800
This will leave Mr.. Robson still the pre-
posterously large sum of $l3, 500,0 900 to
spend on a peace navy. 1t is too much, and
we hope Mr.. Randall will know how to
reduce our estimates as we have reduced
those of Mr. Robson. Our navy on a
peace footing ought not to cost us more
than $4,000, 900; S10,000,000 would be a
very handsome sum, and if Mr.. Randall
gives more we shall think him a very ex-
travagant public man. And we beg him not
to make the mistake of cutting down the
pay of officers on active duty This pay is
not too large; it is barely sufficient and to
decrease it would be wrong to the families
of the officers. His business is to put the
whole navy on o strictly economical peace
footing, and he need not touch the pay of
the officers left on active service.
The Devastating Floods in Hungary.
We learn from the latest kilograms regard
ing these destructive inundations that they
have caused Immense devastation and dis
tressing loss of life in the valley of the up
per Danube The sudden melting of the
eastern Alpine and Carpathian mountain
systems has swollen the rivers which derive
their waters from these regions, causing
them to overflow their banks and inundate
the low lands. We have not as yet received
any information regarding the effect of the
February thaw on the volume of the Rhine
waters but telegram from Paris informs
us that the Seine has risen to a food level
and that the alluvial plains in the vicinity
of Paris are already under water The
devastation which has been caused in
Austro-Hungary and particularly at Buda-
Pesth on the Danube has not been
equalled since the great floods of 1885,
Buda and Pesth are situated on high ground
at opposite sides of the river, and are con-
nected by great suspension bridge, which
spans the narrow river channel between the
two cities. The town of Althofen is a
suburb of Buda and built on the low
ground. This place has been almost
destroyed by the floods, two-thirds of its
entire population of eighteen thousand
people being rendered homeless. The
Danube at Buda-Pesth forms the only outlet
for the vast volumes of food water which
have poured down from tho watersheds
drained by the river and its tributaries west
ward and northward. The narrow channel
is the gateway through which these waters
escape into the lower Danube. At this
point, then, gorging of the waters
has taken place, and the floods,
as through great sluiceway, rush
downward with resstless force, sweeping
everything before them. According to tele-
grams from the desolated districts great fears
are entertained for even the buildings which
have withstood the floods up to the present
time. The walls, although sapped by the
waters arc also supported by them to some