morning and returned at night. Gower Street was broken up, and Charles and Fanny, went to live in the Marshalsea. Charles went as a lodger to an old lady in Little College Street, Camden Town. The good old dame afterwards became celebrated as Mrs. Pipchin, in "Dombey and Son." Here he lived for some time. "I suppose," he says, "my lodging was paid, for I certainly did not pay it myself, and I certainly had no other assistance whatever the making of my clothes, I think, excepted-1829 to 1831, before he reached the great object of his from Monday morning until Saturday night. No ad- ambition. At nineteen years old he entered the galvice, no counsel, no encouragement, no consolation, no lery. His father had for some time reported for the support, from any one that I can call to mind, so help Morning Chronicle. His son's first engagement was on me God." the True Sun. Afterwards he reported for the Mirror of Parliament; and finally, when he was twenty-three, hə was appointed to the parliamentary staff of the Morning Chronicle. About this time he first appeared in print. In the January number of the Old Monthly Magazine, in 1834, appeared a sketch called "Mr. Joseph Porter over the way." Dickens, in after-life, was in the habit of attributing much of his success to the varied experience he gained in his reporting days. At last the home in | liamentary reporter, and appears to have succeeded the family, except moderately well. The family then lived in Bentinck Street, Manchester Square. The son also determined to follow his father's profession. He learnt shorthand, and acquired general knowledge by reading closely at the British Museum. He was in the habit of speaking of those eighteen months "as the usefullest to himself he had ever possessed." He reported cases in Doctors' Commons and in the Law Courts for two years, from His Sundays he spent with his sister in the prison, calling for her at nine in the morning at the Academy in Tenterden Street, and escorting her back at night. So he went on, he says, it may be for a year or more, working from morn till night with "common men and boys, a shabby child." At his urgent request a lodging was found for him near the prison, in Lant Street, Borough, "where Bob Sawyer lodged many years afterwards." The family appear to have lived more We have now arrived at the period in Dickens's life comfortably in the Marshalsea, than in Bayham Street. when his original genius found vent. Since that first Here they were waited upon by a little maid-of-all- sketch had appeared in the Old Monthly, nine others of work, whom they had brought with them, an orphan the same kind had followed, the sketch in the August from the Chatham Workhouse. She afterwards ap-number of 1834 having borne the signature of "Boz." peared as the Marchioness, in the "Old Curiosity Shop." This was the nickname of his younger brother, AuAt last the elder Dickens was declared a bankrupt, gustus. On the failure of that magazine, Mr. Hogarth and he was released from prison. About this time a (whose daughter Dickens afterwards married) persuaded considerable legacy was left him, which unfortunately Mr. Black, the editor of the Morning Chronicle, to pubcame to him just before his discharge, and was paid lish a series of similar sketches in an evening edition of into court for the benefit of his creditors. The family that paper. These papers attracted much attention, and now removed to Somers Town, and thence young Charles people began to wonder and inquire who “Boz” was. trudged every day to his work, which was now re- These "Sketches" were published in a collected form in moved to Chandos Street, Covent Garden. A quarrel | 1836, and from that date Dickens may be said to have arose between the elder Dickens and Mr. Lamert, which commenced his career as an author. About the same ended in young Charles leaving the blacking business. period an eminent publishing firm made proposals to At the time of his escape from the blacking warehouse, him for the publication of a serial work of a lively he must have been about twelve years old, and he was character, with illustrations by Mr. Seymour. The offer then sent to a school in the Hampstead Road, kept by a was accepted, and the work developed itself in "The Welshman named Jones, until he was fourteen. He Pickwick Papers." "The Times of March 26, 1836," was described by school-fellows, now alive, "as a says Mr. Forster, "gave notice that on the 31st of that healthy-looking boy, small, but well-built, with more month would be published the first shilling number of than usual flow of spirits, conducing to harmless fun. the 'Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club,' edited He held his head more erect than boys usually do, and by Boz." The work achieved astounding success, and there was a general smartness about him." Another its author found himself a lion in society, and one of school-fellow says the school" was most shamefully mis- the recognised lights of British literature. The works managed, and the boys made but very little progress. which followed from his pen are too well known to reThe proprietor (Mr. Jones) was a most ignorant fellow quire mention here; they soon stamped the writer as and a mere tyrant, whose chief employment was to something more than the mere humorist, and caused him scourge the boys." "Depend upon it," says the same to rank among the public teachers of his time. In this observer, "he (Dickens) was quite a self-made man, and light Charles Dickens was regarded in his later years, his wonderful knowledge and command of the English and his unexpected death caused great and universal language must have been acquired by long and patient sorrow. study after leaving his last school." He also went to another school, kept by a Mr. Dawson, in Henniker Street, Brunswick Square. He soon afterwards became a copying clerk at a solicitor's-one Mr. Molloy, in New Square. He filled a similar situation with Mr. Edward Blackmore, of Gray's Inn, who describes him as-"A bright, clever-looking youth, and I took him as clerk. He came in May, 1827, and left in November, 1828, and I have now an account-book, in which he charged himself with the modest salary first of 13s. 6d., and afterwards 15s., a week. His taste for theatricals was much promoted by a fellow-clerk named Porter, since dead, with whom he chiefly associated. They took every opportunity, then unknown to me, of going together to a minor theatre, where I afterwards heard they not unfrequently engaged in parts. After he left me I lost sight of him until his 'Pickwick' made its appearance." The elder Dickens had now nothing to subsist upon but his government pension, which was not sufficient to support his family. He resolved to become a par In accordance with the wish of the people of England, Charles Dickens was buried in Westminster Abbey, on the 14th of June. Some days before the dean sent a communication to the family of Mr. Dickens to the effect that, if it was desired by themselves or by the public that he should be buried in the Abbey, he would do all in his power to facilitate the arrangements. Most fortunately, it was found, upon opening Mr. Dickens's will, that, although his instructions were explicit in forbidding all pomp and show, and all that "mockery of woe" which undertakers are at such pains to provide, he had named no place of burial; and therefore his executors felt that it was open to them to concur with the national wish, if they could only ensure secrecy as to place and time. This was arranged satisfactorily, and at an early hour in the morning the body was conveyed, almost before any one was stirring, in a hearse, from Gad's Hill to one of the railway-stations on the London, Chatham, and Dover line, whence it was forwarded to London by a special train, which reached the Charing Cross station punctu ally at nine o'clock. In a few minutes more the hearse, memorial, or testimonial whatever. which was plainness itself, was on its way down Whitehall to the Abbey, followed by the mourning coaches. His grave, which is only between five and six feet deep, is situated about a yard or a yard and a half from the southern wall of Poet's Corner. The spot was selected by the dean from among the few vacant spaces in that transept; and all of Charles Dickens that is mortal lies at the feet of Handel and at the head of Sheridan, with Richard Cumberland resting on his right hand and Macaulay on his left. His grave is near the foot of Addison's statue; and Thackeray's bust looks calmly down upon the grave of his old friend; Dr. Johnson and Garrick lie within a few yards of him; and the busts of Shakspere, Milton, and a host of other worthies, each of them the glory of English literature in his day, are but a little farther off. The grave, by the direction of the dean, was left open as long as the Abbey was open during the day, and, as the news spread about London, many visitors went to Poet's Corner during the afternoon to take a last sad look at the coffin of Charles Dickens. On the following Sunday afternoon the funeral sermon in the Abbey was preached by Dean Stanley, to a large congregation, amongst whom were several members of both houses of parliament, some dignitaries of the Church, and a host of literary men. Dr. Stanley took for his text the sixteenth chapter of St. Luke, nineteenth and following verses, which contain the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. He described Mr. Dickens as that gifted being who for years had delighted and instructed the generation to which he belonged. No age had developed like this the gift of speaking in parables, of teaching by fiction. Poetry, he continued, may kindle a loftier fire, the drama may rivet the attention more firmly, science may open a wider horizon, and philosophy may touch a deeper spring, but no works are so penetrating or so persuasive, enter so many houses or attract so many readers, as the romance or novel of modern times. By the writings of Charles Dickens it was clearly shown that "it is possible to move both old and young to laughter without the use of a single expression which could defile the purest or shock the most sensitive." He taught this lesson to the world, that it is possible to jest without the introduction of depraving scenes, or the use of unseemly and filthy jokes. But, the dean urged, there was something even higher than this to be learnt in the writings of Charles Dickens, and which it was well to speak of in the house of God and beside that new-made grave. "In that long series of stirring tales, now closed, there was a palpably 'serious truth-might he not say a Christian and Evangelical truth ?—of which we all needed much to be reminded, and of which in his own way he was the special teacher." The Poor Man had but one name given him in the parable; but in the writings of Charles Dickens he bore many names and wore many forms; now coming to us in the type of the forlorn outcast, now in that of the workhouse child struggling towards the good amid an atmosphere of cruelty, injustice, and vice. He helped to blot out the hard line which too often severs class from class, and made Englishmen feel more as one family than they had felt before. Therefore it was felt that he had not lived in vain, or been laid in vain here in that sacred house, which is the home and the heart of the English nation. His grave, already strewed with flowers, would henceforth be a sacred spot both with the New World as well as with the Old, as that of the representative of the literature, not of this island only, but of all who speak our English tongue. The dean then read the following extract from Mr. Dickens's will, dated May 12, 1869: "I direct that my name be inscribed in plain English letters on my tomb. .. I enjoin my friends on no account to make me the subject of any monument, I rest my claims to the remembrance of my country upon my published "In that simple but sufficient faith," concluded the dean, "Charles Dickens lived and died. In that faith he would have you all live and die also; and if any of you have learnt from his works the eternal value of generosity, purity, kindness, and unselfishness, and to carry them out in action, these are the best monuments, memorials, and testimonials' which you, his fellow-countrymen, can raise to his memory.", The organ pealed forth the Dead March in Saul as the immense mass of people left the Abbey. Many, however, lingered behind to gaze at the spot where the body of Charles Dickens is laid. DANIEL MACLISE, R.A.-In the person of Daniel Maclise, who died on the 25th of April, very suddenly, from an attack of heart disease, the world of Art in England lost one of its foremost members. He had only just attained the fifty-ninth year of his age, having been born on the 25th of January, 1811. His native place was Cork, but his ancestry was Scotch, While still young Daniel Maclise showed a great aptitude for drawing, and was anxious to become a painter. His wish, however, was thwarted by circumstances, and for a time he occupied a stool as a clerk in a bank in his native city. At the age of sixteen, however, he was enabled to follow his bent. Coming to London about the year 1828, he entered as a student at the Royal Academy, and during his course of study ob- |· tained not only the gold medal, but every other medal for which he competed. The summer of 1830 he spent in Paris, and for the next two or three years worked hard in making designs and sketches for the leading publishers, painting also, we believe, a few portraits. Many of his early etchings appeared as illustrations to Fraser's Magazine. He first exhibited at the Academy in 1833. At the death of Sir Charles Eastlake, the presidential chair of the Royal Academy was offered to Mr. Maclise, but eventually declined by him. His handsome face, '| his genial smile, and engaging manners rendered him a very agreeable companion and a most popular member of society, and his loss was extensively felt in many London circles. Maclise retained to the end his place as one of the first of our painters in popularity. SIR FREDERICK POLLOCK.-The right hon. Sir Fre derick Pollock, late Lord Chief Baron of her Majesty's Court of Exchequer, was the son of a saddler, who | kept a shop in the neighbourhood of Charing Cross. His father was a successful man of business, and had married a Miss Sarah Parsons, a lady of remarkable energy and force of character. Three of their children rose to distinction in the world. They were, first, the late Sir David Pollock, Chief Justice of Bombay; the third, Field-Marshal Sir George Pollock, is best known as the hero of the Khyber Pass and of Cabul; and the second was the chief baron. Sir Frederick was born in his father's house on the 23rd of September, 1783. He received his early educa tion under private tutors, and at the age of fifteen or sixteen went to St. Paul's School, where he distinguished himself above his fellows. In 1802 he went to Cambridge, leaving in 1806, after a brilliant undergraduate career. || Having chosen the profession of the law he was called to the Bar in 1807. He soon found himself in lucrative practice, both in London and in the provinces. After a successful practice of some twenty years he obtained the well-earned dignity of a silk gown, being made king's counsel in 1827. In 1831 Mr. Pollock was elected, in the Tory interest, for the borough of Huntingdon, which place he continued to represent until his promotion to the judicial bench. In 1834 he was made attorney general, receiving the customary honour of knighthood. In 1844 he succeeded his old friend, Lord Abinger, as Chief Baron of the Exchequer. As chief baron he showed himself an excellent judge -sound, safe, 'sensible, able and indefatigable, ever ready at his post, and inflexible in the discharge of his judicial duties. His legal merits were enhanced by his personal worth, his scrupulously honourable character, and his uniform courtesy and kindness to all with whom he was brought into contact, from the highest to the lowest. In 1866, in his eighty-third year, Sir F. Pollock resigned his office of Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and retired upon the judicial pension to which he had long before been entitled. At the same time he accepted a baronetcy. He died on the 23rd of August. MR. GEORGE WILSON.-The well-known chairman of the Anti-Corn-Law League, and therefore one of the chief leaders in the Free Trade movement, was born in Manchester, and in early manhood threw himself into the political life of his native town. Before the passing of the Reform Bill and the enfranchisement of Manchester he had distinguished himself by his energy and his usefulness, and he was therefore welcomed as a leader and associate by men like Bright and Cobden. He rendered important aid in securing the triumph of their principles, which took place in 1846; and after this time, the political atmosphere having become calmer, he found vent for his energies in the promotion of telegraphic communication in the country. He was also identified with the railway interest, and for some time before his death occupied the position of chairman of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company. He was also chairman of the National Reform Union, but the numerous engagements of his later years prevented him from taking a very active part in its operations. He died on the 29th of December. MICHAEL WILLIAM BALFE.-This celebrated operatic composer was born in Dublin in May, 1808, and received his first instruction in music from a bandmaster in the army. When scarcely eight years old he made his first appearance in public at a concert, and for some years afterwards he devoted himself to the practice of the violin. In 1823, although only fifteen years of age, he was engaged as principal violin player at Drury Lane, and soon afterwards he was entrusted with the occasional leadership of the orchestra. He went to Italy for the study of music, and there made his first attempt at composition, producing La Pérouse for the opera-house at Milan. In 1827 he appeared on the operatic stage in Paris as Signor Balfi, and met with some success as a bass singer. He remained on the Continent until 1835, when he returned to London, and shortly afterwards brought out at Drury Lane his Siege of Rochelle, followed by another very successful opera, The Maid of Artois. In 1839 he became lessee of the English Opera House, but the speculation failed, and Mr. Balfe transferred himself to the Italian Opera in London, as director, in 1845. He had, however, established his fame as a composer at the English house by the production of the Bohemian Girl in 1843, and the Daughter of St. Mark in 1844; and thence down to 1863 many well-known, although for the most part less popular operas, proceeded from his pen. In his later years he was conductor of music at Her Majesty's Theatre. He died on the 20th of October. THOMAS BRASSEY.-Mr. Brassey, the railway contractor, was born at Boughton, in Cheshire, in 1805, his father being a yeoman of that county. He was articled to a land agent and surveyor, and made his first independent start by contracting for a road in North Wales. In 1836 he made his first railway contract, for a small portion of the line between Birmingham and Liverpool, now a part of the London and North-Western Railway, and thereafter was widely engaged in similar undertakings, both in England and abroad. He amassed an immense fortune, leaving, it was said, the greatest amount of personality ever transmitted to his family by one person-equal to six and-a-half millions sterling, besides landed property. Mr. Brassey died on the 8th of December. CHAPTER XXVIII. Parliamentary Session: Opening of Parliament; the Queen's Speech; the Addresses of both Houses; Princess Louise's Dowry; Army and Navy Estimates; Indian Budget; Army Regulation Bill; the Budget; the Ballot Bill; Protection to Lodgers' Goods; Bank Holidays Act; Trades' Unions Bill; the Licensing Bill; the Intoxicating Liquors Licenses Suspension Act; Disestablishment of the English Church; the Metropolitan Water Act; Miscellaneous Measures; Close of the Session -Mr. Gladstone at Greenwich-The "Seven Points"-Republicanism. A.D. 1871. PARLIAMENTARY SESSION. HE session of 1871 was opened on the 9th of February by her Majesty the Queen, attended by the Princesses Louise and Beatrice. Her Majesty appeared in excellent health. The reading of the Royal Speech, one of the longest on record, was delegated to the Lord Chancellor : "My Lords and Gentlemen,-At an epoch of such moment to the future fortunes of Europe, I am especially desirous to avail myself of your counsels. "The war which broke out in the month of July, between France and Germany, has raged, until within the last few days, with unintermitted, and likewise with unexampled, force; and its ravages may be renewed, after but a few days more, unless moderation and forethought, prevailing over all impediments, shall sway the councils of both parties whose well-being is so vitally concerned. At the time when you separated, I promised a constant attention to the subject of neutral obligations; and I undertook to use my best endeavours to prevent the enlargement of the area of the war, and to contribute, if opportunity should offer, to the restoration of an early and honourable peace. In accordance with the first of these declarations, I have maintained the rights and strictly discharged the duties of neutrality. The sphere of the war has not been extended beyond the two countries originally engaged. Cherishing with care the cordiality of my relations with each belligerent, I have forborne from whatever might have been construed as gratuitous or unwarranted interference between parties, neither of whom had shown a readiness to propose terms of accommodation such as to bear promise of acceptance by the other. I have been enabled, on more than one occasion, to contribute towards placing the representatives of the two contending countries in confidential communication; but until famine compelled the surrender of Paris, no further result had been obtained. The armistice now being employed for the convocation of an assembly in France has brought about a pause in the constant accumulation, on both sides, of human suffering, and has rekindled the hope of a complete accommodation. I pray that this suspension may result in a peace compatible, for the two great and brave nations involved, with security and with honour, and likely therefore to command the approval of Europe and to give reasonable hopes of a long duration. "It has been with concern that I have found myself unable to accredit my ambassador in a formal manner to the Government of Defence which has subsisted in France since the revolution of September; but neither the harmony nor the efficiency of the correspondence of the two states has been in the smallest degree impaired. "The King of Prussia has accepted the title of Emperor of Germany, at the instance of the chief authorities of the nation. I have offered my congratulations on an event which bears testimony to the solidity and independence of Germany, and which, I trust, may be found conducive to the stability of the European system. "I have endeavoured, in correspondence with other powers of Europe, to uphold the sanctity of treaties, and to remove any misapprehension as to the binding character of their obligations. It was agreed by the powers which had been parties to the treaty of 1856 that a conference should meet in London. This conference has now been for some time engaged in its labours; and I confidently trust that the result of its deliberations will be to uphold both the principles of public right and the general policy of the treaty, and, at the same time, by a revision of some of its conditions in a fair and conciliatory spirit, to exhibit a cordial cooperation among the powers with regard to the Levant. I greatly regret that my earnest efforts have failed to procure the presence at the conference of any representative of France, which was one of the chief parties of the treaty of 1856, and which must ever be regarded as a principal and indispensable member of the great commonwealth of Europe. "At different times several questions of importance have arisen, which are not yet adjusted, and which materially affect the relation between the United States and the territories and people of British North America. One of them in particular which concerns the fisheries, calls for early settlement, lest the possible indiscretion of individuals should impair the neighbourly understanding which it is on all grounds so desirable to cherish and maintain. I have, therefore, engaged in amicable communications with the President of the United States. In order to determine the most convenient mode of treatment of these matters, I have suggested the appointment of a joint commission; and I have agreed to a proposal of the president that this commission shall be authorised at the same time, in the same manner, to resume consideration of the American claims growing out of the circumstances of the late war. This arrangement will, by common consent, include all claims for compensation which have been, or may be, made by each government, or by its citizens, upon the other. "The establishment of a Prince of the House of Savoy on the throne of Spain, by the free choice of the popularly elected representatives of the Spanish nation, will, I trust, ensure for a country which has passed with so much temperance and self-control through a prolonged and trying crisis the blessings of a stable government. "I am unhappily not able to state that the inquiry which was instituted by the government of Greece into the history of the shocking murders perpetrated during the last spring at Dilessi has reached a termination answerable in all respects to my just expectations, but I shall not desist from my endeavours to secure the complete attainment of the objects of the inquiry. Some valuable results, however, have in the meantime been obtained, for the exposure and the repression of a lawless and corrupting system, which has too long afflicted the Greek Peninsula. "The anxiety which the massacre at Tien-tsin on the 21st of June last called forth has happily been dispelled; and while it will be my earnest endeavour to provide for the security of my subjects and their trade in those remote quarters, I count on your concurrence in the policy that I have adopted of recognising the Chinese government as entitled to be dealt with in its relations with this country in a conciliatory and forbearing spirit. "The parliamentary recess has been one of anxious interest in regard to foreign affairs. But I rejoice to acquaint you that my relations are, as heretofore, those of friendship and good understanding with the sovereigns and states of the civilised world. Papers illustrative of the conduct of my government in relation to the several matters on which I have now summarily touched will be laid before you. "In turning to domestic affairs, I have, first, to inform you that I have approved a marriage between my daughter Princess Louise and the Marquis of Lorne, || and I have declared my consent to this union in council. "Gentlemen of the House of Commons,-The revenue of the country flourishes, and the condition of trade and industry may, though with partial drawbacks, be declared satisfactory. The estimates for the coming year will be promptly laid before you. "My Lords and Gentlemen,-The lessons of military experience afforded by the present war have been numerous and important. The time appears appropriate for turning such lessons to account by efforts more deci sive than heretofore at practical improvement. In attempting this you will not fail to bear in mind the special features in the position of this country, so favourable to the freedom and security of the people, and if the changes from a less to a more effective and elastic system of defensive military preparations shall be found to involve, at least for a time, an increase of various charges, your prudence and patriotism will not grudge the cost, as long as you are satisfied that the end is important, and the means judicious. No time will be lost in laying before you a bill for the better regulation of the army and the auxiliary land forces of the Crown, and I hardly need commend it to your anxious and impartial consideration. "I trust that the powerful interest at present attaching to affairs abroad, and to military questions, will not greatly abate the energy with which you have hereto. fore applied yourselves to the work of general improvement in our domestic legislation. "I commend anew to your attention several measures on subjects which I desired to be brought before you during the last session of parliament, but which the time remaining at your disposal, after you had dealt with the principal subjects of the year, was not found sufficient to carry to a final issue. "I refer especially to the Bills on Religious Tests in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, on Ecclesiastical Titles, on the Disabilities of Trade Combinations, on the Courts of Justice and Appeal, on the Adjustment of Local Burdens, and on the Licensing of Houses for the Sale of Intoxicating Liquors. "The inquiry made by a committee of the Commons House being now complete, a measure will be placed before you on an early day for the establishment of secret voting. "A proposal is anxiously expected in Scotland for the adjustment of the question of primary education. With reference to the training of the young in schools on a national scale and basis, that portion of the country has especial claims on the favourable consideration of parliament; and I trust the year may not pass by without your having disposed of this question by the enactment of a just and effective law. "The condition of Ireland with reference to agrarian crime has, in general, afforded a gratifying contrast with the state of that island in the preceding winter; but there have been painful though very partial excep tions. "To secure the best results for the great measures of the two last sessions which have so recently passed into operation, and which involve such direct and pressing claims upon the attention of all classes of the community, a period of calm is to be desired; and I have thought it wise to refrain from suggesting to you at the present juncture the discussion of any political question likely to become the subject of new and serious controversy in that country. "The burdens devolving upon you as the great council of the nation, and of this ancient and extended empire, are, and must long continue to be, weighty. But you labour for a country whose laws and institutions have stood the test of time, and whose people, earnestly attached to them, and desiring their continuance, will unite with their sovereign in invoking upon all your designs the favour and aid of the Most High." men, with 400 guns, for the protection of the kingdom. All the battalions of the Guards, and twenty-three battalions of the line, were raised to a war strength, "as being the first for active service;" and two companies for transport service and one for supply were added to the Army Service Corps, besides an addition of a "Telegraph Troop" to the engineer train. As regards the reserve forces, the militia was to be raised to the full strength of its establishment, though not increased. The entire force, however, was to be The address to the Crown was moved in the House of Lords by the Marquis of Westminster, seconded by the Earl of Roseberry, and after a few remarks by the Duke of Richmond and Earl Granville, was agreed to. In the commons, the address was moved by Mr. Hamil-made effective by drilling and training on improved ton, and seconded by Mr. Samuel Morley. Mr. Disraeli severely criticized the foreign policy of the government. Mr. Gladstone replied, and after some observations from Mr. Newdegate and Sir J. Elphinstone, the address was agreed to. PRINCESS LOUISE'S DOWRY. principles. The Volunteers were encouraged by an additional grant of 73,3007. The "First-class Army Reserve," already in excess of the estimate, was to be again raised to 9,000, and the "Second-class Army Reserve"-the enrolled pensioners-to be raised to 30,000. The regular army was increased, especially in the artillery, up to a strength of 133,000 men, exclusive of regiments in India. About 30,000 men could be immediately added from the militia and First Army Reserves, and if the militia was kept up to its full establishment and well trained, that would give us 120,000 men more. Altogether, from 200,000 to 250,000 fighting men, besides the Volunteer force, would be available for service in these islands. No idea of compulsory enlistment appeared to be entertained. More than a third of the whole increase on these estimates-in fact, a million of money-was allotted to the provision of guns, gunpowder, gun-cotton, small-aims, torpedoes, ammunition, and the transport services connected with such material. On Monday, February the 13th, Mr. Gladstone proposed the dowry for the Princess Louise. He moved a resolution granting an annuity of 6,000l. to her royal highness, which, he explained, would be supplemented in Committee of Supply by the grant of a dowry of 30,000. Mr. Gladstone pointed out that the civil list had never precluded similar applications to parliament, and cited numerous instances in support of his opinion. The provision was not immoderate, compared with analogous grants to the daughters of George III., for instance. Replying to the suggestion that the Crown ought to save out of its income for these purposes, he The new 35-ton gun would be issued to the navy, a pointed out that, though the Queen's income was large, reserve of field-guns provided for the artillery, a new its application was to a great extent predetermined; and small-arm introduced, transport carriages completed on that during the whole of the present reign, its economical management had been an example to every house-approved patterns, and new stores of camp equipage suphold in the country. The civil list, he argued, when plied for our camps of instruction. The ammunition for the new breech-loaders would cost just half as much settled at the commencement of the reign, did not conagain as that for the old Enfield rifle, and "pebble powtemplate provisions of this nature, nor would it be conder" would contribute to the increased charge. Nearly venient that it should. He pointed out that, though 300,000l. were to be spent upon engineering servicesthe Crown lands now produced an income only about "surveys of defensive positions around London, and equal to the civil list, if they were managed in the between London and the coast," torpedo defences, new same manner as a private estate, they would put the sovereign in possession of the largest income in the fortifications, and other works for the protection of our country. He preferred, however, to put the question. on higher grounds, dilating on the political importance of supporting the dignity of the Crown in a becoming manner; on the value of a stable dynasty, and on the unwisdom of entering into too minute pecuniary calcu lations on such an occasion. The motion was seconded by Mr. Disraeli, and was carried by acclamation. The marriage portion of 30,000l. to Princess Louise was carried by 350 against 1. In the country, however, it must be confessed that the feeling on the subject was not quite so unanimous. At Nottingham, Birmingham, and other places, the proposed grant met with much hostile criticism. ARMY AND NAVY ESTIMATES. The army estimates for the ensuing year, which had been anxiously anticipated, were issued on February 11th. They showed an aggregate vote this year of 15,851,7007., instead of the 12,965,0007. asked in 1870, or an increase amounting to 2,886,7007., or nearly three millions. The additional expense was to be thus apportioned:-The number of regular troops was increased by 19,980 men-5,000 artillery, 2,000 cavalry, 12,000 infantry, and 1,000 to the subsidiary services of the army. Six batteries-that is, thirty-six guns-were added to the Horse Artillery; twenty garrison batteries were converted into field-batteries-giving 120 additional field-guns; and the remaining garrison batteries were strengthened. As a net result, and assuming that all the augmentation went to the force stationed in these islands, there would be a regular army of 100,000 shores. The navy estimates, shortly afterwards issued, showed a net increase over the previous year of 385,826. The total amount of the estimates was 9,756,3567., and the and repayments, was 9,280,3567. net amount, after deducting estimated extra receipts INDIAN BUDGET. At an early period of the session Mr. Grant Duff failed to procure a large attendance of members to listen to his lucid and exhaustive exposition of the Indian budget: he drew it from two sources-the actual accounts of the year ending March 31, 1870, and a telegraphic summary of the approximate accounts of the year just ended. In the year 1869-70 India had a deficit of 20,0007., but for the year 1870-71 there was a surplus of a million, chiefly arising from opium, the income being 51,000,0007., and the expenditure 50,000,0007. But the receipts of the year 1869-70 were better than those of the preceding year by 1,638,3957, the great increase being in the land revenue, while the customs had fallen off, and the opium revenue had decreased by half a million. On the other side of the account there was a comparative reduction in expenditure of 1,254,5097., the chief reduction being in ordinary public works. Passing to the year just begun, Mr. Grant Duff held out the hope that, unless some unexpected calamity occurred, the income-tax would be reduced, and explained the details of the experiment about to be tried of decentralizing Indian finance. As usual, there would be a difficulty in making both ends meet; and Mr. Grant Duff went on to discuss the alternative mode 5 D |