tion of the twin-screw. Lastly, came the quality of defence, which problem he would solve by having one or more heavy guns on board small ships.

There is one great advantage possessed by these iron ships over their wooden sisters, which will tend greatly to reconcile us to their disadvantages, and to their additional cost; and this is becoming more apparent every year. We allude to the consequent reduction in the number of seamen required. With much greater power an iron-cased ship has a smaller complement; the Black Prince, for instance, has a crew of about 100 men less than the Edgar. On the other hand, she has more officers. Again, the Enterprise has only 109 men, while a much larger corvette, the Wolverene, has 275 men, each ship having about the same number of officers. This leads us to again turn to the Estimates, where under Vote I, we find an important difference between the number of officers required in 1865-66, and in 1864-65. The numbers stand as follows, viz. :

Flag-officers in commission and their retinues.
Superintendents of yards and their retinues
Commissioned and other officers

Subordinate officers

Total

1864-65.

1865-66.

188

210

30

57

3667

3861

The number of petty officers and seamen is less last year than it is now. This increase in the number of officers naturally brings with it a proportionate additional expense, and accounts partly for the sum demanded under the head of wages being about £100,000 more than it was last year. The scale of pay having been raised is another reason for this difference. We have always been amongst the most strenuous advocates for an increase of the pay of officers of the Navy, and we hailed with much satisfaction the report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the subject. Many of the recommendations of that Committee have since been carried out, and although we are still of opinion that the pay of officers in her Majesty's Service is not equal to that which the position they hold requires, we cannot but admit that the Duke of Somerset and his colleagues have done much towards improving the salaries and allowances of naval officers in commission. Sir John Pakington first mooted the question, and put it in a light so strong before the members of the House of Commons, that the present Board have had no difficulty in carrying out their views. It appears, then, that the sum of £268,736 is now required for the wages and pay of officers and seamen beyond what has been wanted for the same numbers six years ago; in other words, that this sum is added to the annual cost of the force at present in commission. It further pears that, while in 1859 the average rate of pay of all classes

ap

below the rank of flag-officer, was £64 5s. 7d., it has now been raised to £74 5s. 4d., and that during the same interval the pay of the marines has grown from £58 12s 6d., to £61 2s. 4d.

The same tendency to improvement is also to be found in an examination of the vote for provisions and clothing, or as it is still termed by the Naval Departments, "victuals and clothing" for seamen and marines. With a reduction in the numbers to be provided for, there is an increase in the sum to be required. This increase on the present Estimates is, however, attributable rather to causes which are beyond the reach of the Admiralty than to any change which has been made in the seamen's rations-causes which everyone who has anything to do with paying tradesmen's bills constantly experiences. The sailor is now fed as well as any one in the same state of life-better, indeed, than most artisans and labourers employed on shore; his food is better in quality and more in quantity. There are some little improvements which might probably be effected; such, for instance, as allowing soft bread to be issued occasionally in lieu of biscuit; but they are not of sufficient importance to demand immediate attention. While on this subject, we may mention that the Secretary of State for War has decided on making immediate alterations in the scale of diet for troops when embarked, including the substitution of soft bread for biscuit, of porter for rum, and of preserved meat, occasionally, for salt beef and salt pork. The details of this new scheme are not yet settled, but they will, we understand, show a vast improvement in the diet, and add greatly to the comfort of her Majesty's land forces when embarked.

There is little change in the amount or in the form of the Vote for Admiralty Establishments at Whitehall and Somerset House. The executive and the account branches of the office still continue a considerable distance apart, and there appears to be little probability that any change in this respect will be made at present. There are, no doubt, considerable difficulties in the way of bringing the two departments under the same roof; otherwise it would have been done long ere this; for each of the Boards of Admiralty which have been in power during the last ten years, has held the opinion that the business of the Navy would be more expeditiously and more economically carried on if "my Lords" and their principal officers were within hail of each other. None can be more convinced of this than the junior members of the Board, who are obliged to waste some time during every day in visiting their offices at Somerset House. There is one part of this division of the Estimates which we are at a loss to understand. After giving the salaries of the six Lords Commissioners and their two secretaries, the Estimate provides for the salaries of five "Principal Officers of the Navy:" the controller, accountant-general, storekeeper-general, controller of victualling, and medical director-general. On looking further on in the same Vote, however, we come to

the titles of what appears to be other principal officers-the director of transports and the director of works-each of them having the control of departments not so large, perhaps, as some of the others, but of equal importance.

A re-arrangement of the office of the Controller of the Navy is provided for under this Vote. Last year it consisted of, amongst others :

One Chief Constructor,

Two Constructors, each
One Inspecting Officer

·

£900

£500

£650

£700

£400

This year it is as follows, viz:One Chief Constructor (as before) at a salary of Three Assistant-Constructors each at a salary of One Surveyor and Inspector of Contract Works One Valuer and Inspector of Dockyard Work Two Assistants to ditto, each The three assistant-constructors being substituted for the two hitherto employed; the title of "inspecting officer" being changed to that of " surveyor and inspector of contract works ;" and the valuer and inspector, with his two assistants, being added to the staff. These, with an increase of £3,000, under the head "Legal Department," for fees to counsel and special charges of law agents employed by the solicitor on Admiralty business, comprise all the changes worthy of note in the third division of the Estimates.

Passing by, for the present, the Coast Guard service, Royal Naval Coast Volunteers, and the Royal Naval Reserve-which together show a reduction of about £16,000-we come to the Vote for the "Scientific Branch," which is not a large item in the grand total of expenditure, but which is shown in greater detail than almost any other. It gives the sums to be paid for a portable 18-inch Altzmiuth (£280), and for a portable German transit instrument (£148;) it awards only £500, instead of the £1,000 voted last year for "rewards, experiments, and other expenses;" and it provides for the salary, allowance for subsistance, and travelling expenses of the director of education. It also provides the sum of £300 for "annual contribution towards the funds of the Royal United Service Institution," a fact on which we heartily congratulate the Duke of Somerset and the officers and manager of that excellent institution, which will also, we are pleased to learn from the Army Estimates, come in like manner under the patronage of the War Office. The surveys in progress are the east coast of England, and the English coast generally, Portsmouth Bar, the Channel Islands, the Adriatic, Malta Channel, China and Japan, China Sea Shoals, Vancouver's Island, Newfoundland, Bermuda, West Indies, Bay of Fundy, Cape of Good Hope, coasts of Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Queensland. These correspond with the list of last year, with the addition of the coast of New South Wales, and the omission of

the North Sea, British Channel, West coast of Scotland, Nova Scotia, and New Zealand.

Since the reform in the method of keeping the accounts of the dock-yards was commenced, at the instance of the Royal Commissioners, various changes have been introduced as regards the arrangements of the various Votes connected with the building, repairing, and equipment of her Majesty's ships. A more elaborate mode of vouchers and documents necessitates a more extended clerical and working staff. Thus, we find in the Vote headed "Her Majesty's Establishment at Home," that the salaries of some of the officers are omitted, while the sums required for the incomes of others are inserted; and, in accordance with the memorandum recently issued by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, the pay of the store-receiver and of the measurers is not voted, but the salary of the " inspector of stores" is added. To enable us to form a correct idea of the total expense of the dockyards, it is necessary to abstract the sums voted in four or five parts of the Estimates; to bring together the chief items contained in Votes 6 and 7, "Her Majesty's Establishment at Home and Abroad," comprising the salaries of the officers; in Votes 8 and 9, " Wages to Articifers in her Majesty's Establishments at Home and Abroad ;" in Vote 11, "New works, buildings, machinery, and repairs ;" and Vote No. "Pay of Admirals, Commanders, and Captains Superintendent." The cost of each of

1,

DEPTFORD YARD.

£10,905

50,246

7,800

£68,951

There are some other small items which cannot be shown separately under each yard, and which, added to the above figures, make the total charge for the dock-yards at home, £1,561,401. The expenses of the foreign yards are estimated as follows:

Salaries of officers

Wages of artificers

New works, buildings, &c.

£25,980

58,111

76,310

£150,401

thus raising the estimated sum required for all the Naval Establishments, both at home and abroad, to £1,711,802.

Having ascertained the sum proposed to be expended, let us now see what return we are promised for the money. This is the first year that the question can be satisfactorily answered on official authority, Lord Clarence Paget having presented to Parliament a programme of ship-building works to be undertaken in her Majesty's dock-yards during the year 1865-66. At Deptford, then, one fourth-rate and a sloop are to be completed, a sloop is to be commenced, and several vessels are to be repaired. At Woolwich, an iron-plated corvette is to be launched, six ships are to be completed for sea, after launching, a sloop and four store ships are to be repaired. At Chatham, two large armour-plated ships are to be launched, one large armour-plated ship is to be commenced, as also is a sloop, two vessels are to be repaired. At Sheerness, four ships are to be completed for sea after launching, the reserve is to be maintained, and four ships are to be refitted. At Portsmouth, seven ships (some of them of the largest class) are to be completed for sea after launching, the reserve is to be maintained, and repairs are to be done on several vessels. At Devonport, one sloop is to be built, four ships are to be completed after launching, several ships are to be repaired, and the reserve is to be maintained. At Pembroke, three sloops and one armourplated corvette are to be built and completed for sea, and one iron-cased frigate is to be completed for sea after launching. Moreover, large works are to be done, buildings erected, repairs effected, and machinery added to the several yards.

Under the important Vote of naval stores for the building, repair and outfit for the fleet, and coast guard, steam machinery, and ships built by contract, it is intended to allow the Storekeeper