frigates, eight large screw steamers, carrying from forty to fifty guns each; four or five transports, and six or seven brigs mounting three guns each.

Note. The above was in type when Peru and Chili made the announcement that they had concluded the alliance anticipated by the writer, and made a joint declaration of war against Spain.

THE NAVY ESTIMATES.

The ancients had a saying, that a great book was a great evil. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty do not appear to have adopted these words as their motto, for year by year they have increased the size of all the volumes issued under their authority. The present "Queen's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions," are much larger than those which preceded them, and there is added to them, the book of "Instructions for Paymasters of the Navy;" the "Dock Yard Instructions," about to be issued are, we are told, very extensive; the "Instructions for Superintendents and Officers of the Victualling Yards," are much more copious than those which they superseded. The same may be said of the Naval accounts and returns laid before Parliament, especially the Factory and Yard Accounts, the Labour Charts, and the statements of ships building, repairing, converting, &c. And their Lordships have maintained their character for expensive printing in the volume entitled the "Navy Estimates for the year 1866-67," which extends to upwards of two hundred pages.

The bill which has been prepared under the auspices of the Duke of Somerset, presented to Parliament by command of Her Majesty, and introduced to the House of Commons by Lord Clarence Paget, is, as usual, a heavy one, but not quite so heavy as that presented twelve months ago for 1865-66. The total sum demanded for the ensuing financial year is £4,071 less than that voted for the present year; so far therefore a step (although but a very short one) is advanced in the direction which these Estimates have been taking for some years past. The amount

For the year 1866-67 is £10,388,153

1865-66 it was

10,392,224

Therefore it is clear that considerable reductions have been made during the last six years; and instead of speaking of the Navy as costing upwards of twelve millions, we can now consider the annual charge about ten millions. During the last four years the Estimates have on the whole varied very little; and this variation appears to be still less if the "net amounts, after deducting the extra

receipts and repayments paid to the Exchequer" be taken, instead of the gross sums: the figures will then be as follows:

Net amount of expenditure, 1863-64

£10,472,298

10,483,678

10,234,633

10,238,990

And these are the sums which should properly be taken, when speaking of the expenditure for the Navy.

There are many changes this year in the mode of making up these Estimates. They are much more explicit, and they give greater explanation as to details than formerly. Like all important volumes, they have a table of contents at the beginning: this is a great improvement, and we doubt not will be of much assistance to the uninitiated, in enabling them to find the various items. Much of the detail, which was in former years printed in the body of the Estimates, is now transferred to the appendix, which is really as large as the Estimates themselves. On the whole, we consider the alterations in the arrangement of the various votes judicious, although the comparison of the several items is thereby rendered much more difficult. This inconvenience will not, however, be felt in future years.

The items on which there is a decrease are those for Wages, Victuals, Admiralty Office, Coast Guard, Scientific Branch, Naval Stores, and Half-pay-while those for Dockyards, Medical Establishments, Medicines, Marine Divisions, New Works, Martial Law, Miscellaneous services and Conveyance of troops, show an increase or we should more properly say, an apparent increase, for in many instances it arises from sums being transferred from one vote to another. Thus in the vote for the conveyance of troops-an expense which we contend ought not to be borne on the Navy Estimates, although it should be controlled by the Admiralty-there is apparently an increase of £$2,208; but on examining the various items, we find that the sum of £129,312 is inserted under this vote, on account of the expense of Her Majesty's troop-ships, for wages, victuals, coals, &c. In former years, the charges for these vessels were included in the other votes, so that if the present Estimates had been prepared in the same manner as they used to be, the figures would stand thus, viz. :

Therefore there is really a decrease under this head of expenditure, to the extent of £102,704-or nearly one-fifth. These figures serve to show how large a proportion of the troop service is now performed in Her Majesty's ships, and that the Admiralty are now convinced that the system, which we have so frequently deprecated, of paying the public money into the hands of private shipowners, instead of spending it in the service, is not the best and the least economical. While, however, this vote now shows the total amount required for transport service on account of the Army, it does not contain the figures of all the transport business performed by the Admiralty. To make this complete, there must be added £26,993 for the pay and wages of the crews of Her Majesty's store-ships, of about £8,000 for their provisions, and of about £25,000 for coals; also £16,500 for freight on provisions, and £23,000 for freight of naval stores and medicines, which will bring the transport vote up to £502,281.

66

As usual, the largest item in the Navy Estimates is that which stands first, Wages to seamen and marines," £2,862,704. This is less by £82,302 than it was last year, but when the allowance of £69,503 for Her Majesty's troop-ships, and pay of superintendents of dockyards is made, the difference is insignificant. Neither might any great difference be looked for, as the numbers of men are nearly alike, viz. :

There is consequently a reduction of 1,350 men, of which 486 are seamen, 50 are Coast Guard men, and 600 are Marines. But this

is not really a reduction in the force actually employed, as by the return contained in the voluminous appendix, printed at the end of the Estimates, it appears that, during the whole of last year, the number of men borne on ships' books was always less than the number voted, and that on the 31st December last this deficiency amounted to 1,791. men. With this slight change in the number of men, there is also a small reduction in the number of ships in commission, as will be seen from the following abstract of ships and vessels in commission during the last four years:-

1862.

1863.

1864.

1865.

cluding Tenders 90 237 327 93 243 336 92 233 325

90 230 320

Contrasting 1865 with 1862, there is a great falling off in the number of sea-going line of battle-ships, frigates, and corvettes, while there is a corresponding augmentation of iron-cased ships, of which we appear to have many more now in commission.

As we have already stated, the item for "Wages for seamen," &c., is the largest in the Estimates. There are, however, several other large sums paid in the shape of wages, pay, or salaries, of which we append an abstract :

Dock and Naval Yards, Victualling Yards, &c.

1,527,513

The whole of this large sum will be paid to the officers and servants of the Crown, and the greater part of it will be spent in this country. So also will the principal portion of the remaining four millions comprised in the Estimates, to contractors and others; so that we must remember that when we are asked to expend ten millions on the Navy, we are not asked to throw away that sum, or to transfer it for the benefit of others; but we are asked to return it to a portion of those who have contributed their quota to it, when collected as Revenue or Customs, and paid into the Exchequer. It is necessary that this fact should always be borne in mind, when speaking of the expenditure of the country; for as is well known, there are those who would fain persuade their hearers or their readers, that every penny spent on the Army, Navy, or Civil Service is absolutely lost to the people of England.

There are certain items in the first vote which we cheerfully recognise as being on the increase year by year-such as good conduct pay, and prizes for good shooting. On the other hand, there is an item which we are always glad to see extremely small, that for raising men for the fleet. It is only £200-a clear proof that there is no difficulty experienced now, as there was formerly, in obtaining proper crews for Her Majesty's ships.

Many of the rules which govern the amount required for wages, are applicable to the vote for "Victuals and Clothing." The dif ference between this year and last is immaterial; and this may be taken as a proof that the exorbitant prices which have been paid by private individuals for some of the principal articles of consumption, have not yet been demanded from the Government. The Controller of victualling deals in wholesale quantities with wholesale houses, the public usually deals with retail shop-keepers in small supplies, and thus pay the enormous profits which the retailers impose on their customers. The fact that the wholesale rates do not altogether regulate the retail prices has been demonstrated during the last twelve months, when the graziers and cattle dealers have been obliged to dispose of more beasts than they would have done had not the cattle plague begun, and so have been at the mercy of the butchers, who have, however, taken advantage of the rinderpest to advance the prices of meat beyond all precedent. There is one portion of the vote No. 2 which appears to be always the same,-that for sea