CORRESPONDENCE.

[With the view of promoting the interests of the United Services, this department of the MAGAZINE is open to all authenticated communications, and therefore the Editor cannot hold himself responsible for the opinions expressed.]

THE RULE OF THE ROAD AT SEA.

Sir, The Steering and Sailing Rules are international, and were agreed to by thirty-six other maritime countries. They were framed in 1862, and abrogated the custom, and practice of the sea, which had existed for centuries, but the practice still obtains.

Mr. Holland, M P., six times in the House of Commons either moved for papers, or asked questions of the Government on the subject, and he says (Parl. Pro. 115, 1869, No. 54) " on each occasion of my doing so, I have received either an evasive reply, or had a promise which has never been fulfilled, of the papers being forthcoming after communications (which were pending) had taken place with France, and other governments."

Sir John Hay twice brought the question to the notice of the House of Commons and the President of the Board of Trade, February 29th, 1869, says, "the House will hardly expect that I, who am not a sailor, should enter into minute and technical points to which he (the Honourable Member) has drawn attention," and on April 24th, 1859, he says, "I think it would be very disadvantageous to appoint a Committee, and disturb in this country by inquiry any question which all maritime nations at least believe to be satisfactorily settled."

While, therefore, the question is thus pending before the House of Commons, the Board of Trade on February the 19th, 1868, through the Foreign Office, addressed the French Government enclosing papers, and the French Government reply, Art. 60, "Cet article me parait dangereux dans sa réponse. Il y a là une appréciation qui va bien au delà du texte du réglement international."

By the Merchant Shipping Act of 1862, it is enacted that Her Majesty may from time to time, on the joint recommendation of the Admiralty, and the Board of Trade, by order in Council, annul, or modify any of the said regulations, &c.

On the 11th of February, 1868, (No. 33) the Privy Council, in the strongest terms condemn the course about to be pursued. "In other words, the existing rules are condemned by the course proposed to be taken." "The indirect consequences would, their lordships apprehend, prove exceedingly inconvenient." Their Lordships must observe that it appears to them dangerous in principle to attempt to give in an official paper, that interpretation of the existing law, which appertains to Courts of Justice only."

"If Great Britain were to set the example of issuing an official paper to explain and illustrate her own rules, there is no reason that each of the maritime powers should not do the same thing in other forms, &c" "If the existing rules are imperfect they ought, in their Lordships judgment, to be rendered more complete by the addition of further rules emanating from the same power as the rules themselves, and clothed with the authority of the law. But the interpretation of the rules must,

according to all sound legal principles, rest with Courts of Justice alone, and cannot safely be assumed or anticipated by any administrative department of Her Majesty's Government."

July 14th, 1868, (No. 41,) the statutory concurrence of the Admiralty was given.

August the 4th, 1868, the order in Council was issued.

23rd October, 1868, (No. 48) the Government of Hamburg notify, "that it has altered its own regulations relative to the same matter," 24th October, 1868, (No. 49) M. Delzanni writes, "Athènes-j'ai l'honneur de vous informer que l'ordonnance explicative des Articles 11 et 13 des réglements pour prévenir les rencontres en mer, à eté portée à la connaissance des marins Hellènes."

18th November, 1868, (No. 50) Russia has ordered analogous regulations.

January, 15th, 1869, (No. 51), Sweden and Norway has made known the following additions, &c.

February 11th, 1869, (No. 52), "France has adopted the catechism!! as re-arranged by the Board of Trade, but desires to maintain certain reserves and modifications with regard to some articles."

March 9th, 1869, (No. 53), Mr Gray writes from the Board of Trade to the Foreign Office, "in short it is for each country to act in such a manner as her laws and method of procedure may require, in order to promulgate and give effect to the explanation of the rule."

In the Merchant Shipping Code (Schedule to Prevention of Accidents Act), the order in Council is incorporated with the Steering and Sailing Rules.

Yours obediently,

WILLIAM STIRLING LACON.

RAILWAY ARTILLERY.

Sir,-In a letter respecting "Railway Artillery," in the United Service Gazette of February 25th: there appear certain ommissions when compared with my manuscript.

May I request as a favour that you will be kind enough, to find a place in your next number, for the present additional proposals. The station guns and all necessary appendages, to be furnished by Government and the Royal Artillery pensioner-instructors, to receive (in addition to their pay), some small increase "also from Government," and their "moderate" services to be given gratis to the railway company, as additional ticket takers, assistants in the office, or goods department -in fact to aid in a general way, in the economy of the line, as best suited to their powers of body and mind, thus increasing the staff, and enabling the company to give time occasionally for gun drill. The Railway Artillery porters," to be distinguished by wearing a "brass gun" on the cap and sleeve, that of the instructors being of gold embroidery, the whole force to be armed, when on duty, with a cutlas and a revolver. I have it from an experienced station manager, whom I lately met with, that such an arrangement, would most probably be found quite satisfactory to a railway company and a fair eqiuvalent for the occasional short employment of a portion of their men. It is to be remembered that the gun exercise can be learnt at any odd moment, under the railway shed, (whether wet or dry), the gun being “housed along with the fire-engine-the expense would form but a small annual item in the estimates, for what? for a national force of a thousand guns, (it might be increased to) manned by experienced, powerful artillerymen. The world would "look on," and hold their "awed" tongue for ever, whilst loom and counting-house might work their money-making willwithout an after-thought even of nervous alarm. One of the great dis

advantages of a popular government, is the" party " necessity of bidding for popularity. At an election rival candidates in the name of their respective parties, run a race of political promises, whilst in the House of Commons, party bids for power or its continuation, (especially since the lowering of the suffrage has conferred political influence upon every low, ignorant, depraved sot) upon similar economical grounds, perfectly irrespective of the real interests of the country, and the worst is, that what is mis-cailed the great liberal party, will take the lead until education becomes more general, and liberality is found out to be the grossest "illiberality." Matters run thus, "Liberality," looks for a tradesmen ministry, supported by the mob, advocating selfish, false, ill-judged, short-sighted, un-patriotic, cheese-paring economy, whilst on the other hand, a wise conservative process, finds support amidst the gentry, the nobility, the descendants of the chivalry of England, of all that is knightly, noble and bright in motive, and in honour-men generally speaking, whose blood has been often shed for England in past ages, and who at the present moment stand prepared to give the last drop of that blood, the last shilling in their purse, ere vital harm should befall England; whilst popularity hunting economisers, taikers and declaimers made haste to consign their money to foreign funds, discharged their workmen, and skulked their persons behind desk and counter, fortunate if they could then escape the fury of the poor misguided mob or the polite attention of the enemy. As regards" political economy," I will give you a case in point, a small one comparatively speaking, but I have seen a few capfulls of snow precede an avelanche. It is now a good many years since I was staying with one of our public store-keepers. I had often remarked in one of his large stores an immense quantity of first rate infantry accoutrements, belts and pouches, I should imagine sufficient for some thousands of soldiers. It so chanced, (as is too often the case) that "party policy" made it necessary at the moment to turn the political enemies flank, in attack, by "cheap estimates," and increase the future apparent public credit balance, to meet the appoving eye of "King Mob." My poor friend, a most upright, conscientious public servant, came to me in sad dismay, he had received orders from London to sell the belts in question, in lots, by auction, for whatever they would fetch, but being "war material," ready for an armed force, they were not to be disposed of in their complete state, but were ordered to be cut up, (the material when "chawed up" as the Americans call it, being available for the manufacture of some shop article or other, I forget what.) This was bad enough, but now comes the political pith of the story-the ink which marked the belt item of credit in the public ledger, had scarce time to dry, when one of our (at that time, continually occurring) panics took place, and accoutrements were ordered to be prepared and bought at "any price," to clothe once more the accoutrement pegs which had just been denuded of their burden. It is now many years, since this circumstance occurred before my eyes, but it is an instance of English governmental war proceedings, of yesterday, to day, and I hear will be to-morrow. Cloud after cloud passes over and over, and no permanent sunshine shines from the political war office horizon. Money is lavished without stint or reckoning when any ministerial party object of the day, but the "armed life" of the country suffers for it. It is on this account that I advocate, and seek to make popular, an "efficient arming" of England, which "cannot " well be interfered with, which moreover will cost but little extra, and standing upon a "broad railway" and country basis cannot well become an object of party tricks, party skulking or political scheming As a case in point, did not a parcel of poor boys, (lately recruited) under heavy fire for the first time, skulk in the trenches before Sebastopol, when ordered to the

assault of one of the batteries, and that before the eyes of the French, their gallant officers and non-commissioned officers, fell in shoals in their endeavour to bring them up to the bayonet's point, when their inherent British pluck, man to man, would have carried everything before it, no they could not at the moment face the first sudden startling fierce baptism of fire (as it is now the custom to call it). Had the ranks of the attacking regiments been filled with old discharged soldiers, the Russian works would have been carried with a bound, as they were immediately afterwards, by regiments who had already played a glorious part, and thus had double sanguinary duty to perform. England is somewhat like a labourer, who would break his spade when his stomach was full, and bellow out for it, when the same stomach was empty, this is the reason why I would have England's armed life placed beyond the political clap trap of parties ("if you will scratch my back, I will scrtch yours,") and as regards the political danger of "an armed nation," such is England under God's infinite mercy, such is England's Queen and constitution, that she is safe as a bird in her ocean nest, though her armed and disciplined children circulate by millions in her veins, the sword point is for the enemy, the hilt is in the hand of patriotism, loyalty, law and honour of a free people whose private destinies and family prosperity is in their own power of a nation generally more or less, with the teachings of a pure bible in their hearts, making their responsibility still deeper before God and man. "Pro Rege et pro focis."

CRITICAL NOTICES.

THE ROW IN OUR VILLAGE. By Martius. (Provost and Co.) Though there is a vulgarity in the title that we dislike, we must say that this sixpenny brochure is neither worse nor better than the Legion of pamphlets, of the "Dame Europa's School" style, which have lately flooded our table. It takes the French side, and is rather severe on "Mr. Williams, the minister of the Bethesda chapel," and his man Beeswax, "so named on account of his wonderful capacity for sticking to things that didn't belong to him." Those who like this style of thing will find "Martius" quite as entertaining as any of his compeers; and that there is a liking for it we infer from the fact that we noticed in a country paper a week or two ago, that for two successive nights audiences were found to listen to the reading of some half-dozen or more of the series in the quiet little Kentish village of Charing, which it seems boasts of a Lecture Hall. We advise its managers to add "The Row to their répertoire.

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SUGGESTIONS AS TO THE REORGANIZATION OF THE ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. By a Staff Surgeon-Major. (Printed for Private Circulation.)

We have received a copy of this pamphlet, but have no clue to its authorship. The chief features of the proposed organization appear to be (1), the abolition of regimental hospitals, substituting dispensaries, and thus saving one officer per regiment; (2), the formation of general, garrison or camp, and detachment hospitals, to which cases too serious for the dispensaries shall be sent; (3), a change in the titles of medical

officers; (4), military governors of hospitals to be dispensed with, their place being filled by a medical officer. The details of the plan must be studied in the pamphlet itself, but we may say that the author conceives that it will be found to combine "increased efficiency" with "decreased cost." This is the character given by their authors to every scheme of the present day, and the prospect is a very seductive one; but we have never yet seen it realized, and we greatly doubt whether we ever shall be so fortunate: one of the two may be gained by almost any course, but the combination is the difficulty.

The late date at which they came to hand obliges us to defer till next month our notices of several publications; especially Sir William Hamilton's pamphlet on The Army of Great Britain," and Vice Admiral Sir William H. Hall's on "Our National Defences."

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

NAVAL GUNS OF THE FUTURE.-At the proof butts of the Royal Arsenal on Saturday last the proof of six 25-ton guns, of 11-inch bore, the only guns of that calibre in the service, was completed. They were manufactured in the Royal Gun Factories some time since, and are now ordered to be brought forward for trial with all convenient speed. The guns have been proved with varying charges up to eighty-seven and a-half pounds of powder and 6001b. shot, the proof cartridge being, as usual, one-fifth more than the service charge, which for this gun is 60lb. In appearance they are nearly as large and not unlike, the great 35-ton gun (the "Woolwich Infant") which still lies in front of the butts, the principal difference being in the outer coil or jacket, which is much stouter in the case of the heavier gun, and covers more of the inner tube. The bore of the 35-ton gun is eleven and a-half inches in diameter-only half an inch more than those which are 10 tons less weight, but the additional half-inch permits an increase of the powder charge to 150lb., and the projectile to 700lb., and renders the big gun theoretically capable of throwing a shell of that weight about six miles. The 11-inch guns are now built upon the Woolwich principle, the system which is now universally adopted at the gun factories for guns of all sizes. Between thirty and forty 10-inch guns, each weighing 18 tons, are lying near the new pier, ready for shipment, some for land service at various stations, and others for mounting on board ironclad vessels. Ten more of the 35-ton guns are to be manufactured with all speed, and at least one of them has been commenced. They are especially intended for the Navy, and will be probably first used in the three large breast monitors now building. Two of these ships, the Thunderer and Devastation, are of 4,400 tons' burder, and the other, the Fury, is of 5,000 tons. Each vessel is to carry four of the 35-ton guns, in two turrets, two guns being placed side by side in each turret.

THE LATE ADMIRAL SIr ALEXANDER BALL. The Royal Engineers at Malta, while excavating beneath the salients of the sea faces of St. Elmo for the purpose of securing the foundations for the new armament, came suddenly on the vault containing the remains of Admiral Sir Alexander Ball, who, 70 years ago, raised and commanded the Maltese Battalions which, in union with the British forces, blockaded for two years the French garrison in Valetta till it was starved out, and obliged to surrender Malta to the British Crown. The remains of Sir Ralph Abercrombie lie in a neighbouring bastion which is also under alteration.