GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND. 



363 



cordingly 27,074 officers and 723,495 men, to- 

 gether 750,509, with 59,954 horses. In the 

 regular army, mustering 194,495 officers and 

 men, 16,618 are cavalry, 33,789 artillery, 5,703 

 engineers, 128,238 infantry, 2,475 in the colo- 

 nial corps, and 7,672 in the departmental ser- 

 vices. According to a parliamentary return, 

 there were 5,738 English, 785 Scotch, and 

 1,386 Irish officers in the army in 1878, and 

 of the rank and tile 124,708 were of English, 

 14,235 of Scotch, and 39,121 of Irish birth. 

 Nearly all the colonies maintain militia and 

 volunteer organizations. Separate from the 

 army but having a military organization, are 

 the armed police of Ireland, numbering about 

 14,000 men. India has a native military po- 

 lice of 190,000 men, in which the superior 

 commands are filled by Englishmen. 



The navy, unlike the army, of which the 

 government is vested in the crown, is a per- 

 manent establishment, governed according to 

 a settled code, by the Board of Admiralty, 

 which consists of five members. The first 

 Lord of the Admiralty always has a seat in the 

 Cabinet. The navy was composed in 1882 of 

 74 ironclads, including some not completed, 

 about 300 other steam -vessels, and 120 sailing- 

 ships. (See NAVIES OF EUROPE.) 



The British navy is manned by 45,300 offi- 

 cers, engineers, seamen, boys, etc., and 12,400 

 marine troops, artillery and infantry, with their 

 officers, besides 18,400 in the Royal Navy Re- 

 serve, and 3,550 volunteer artillery, making a 

 total effective force of 79,650 ; 21,513 more are 

 employed in construction. 



FINANCES. The finance accounts for 1881- 

 '82 make the total revenue for the year ending 

 March 31st, 85,822,282. The yield of the cus- 

 toms duties, which are confined to tobacco, 

 spirits, tea, wine, raisins, coffee, chiccory, cocoa, 

 and some minor articles, is estimated at 19,- 



278,000. The excise taxes produce 27,240,- 

 000, of which 23,522,922 comes from the ex- 

 cise duty on spirits and malt, 2,024,619 from 

 the license taxes on brewers and dealers in 

 beer, spirits, wine, tobacco, etc.; 1,562,239 

 from the licenses for carriages, dogs, hunting, 

 male domestics, coats of arms, right of carry- 

 ing weapons, and various professions; 12,- 

 260,000 from stamp duties on contracts, wills, 

 successions and legacies, receipts, marine in- 

 surance, bills of exchange, banks, license cer- 

 tificates, patents, gold and silver manufactures, 

 playing - cards, and proprietary medicines ; 

 2,725,000 from the land and house taxes; 

 9,945,000 from 'the income-tax; 7,000,000 

 from the post-office; 1,630,000 from tele- 

 graphs; 380,000 from the domains; 1,219,- 

 262 interest on advances for local improvements 

 and on Suez Canal shares ; and 4,136,020 from 

 other sources. The balance on hand April 1, 

 1881, was 5,923,661. Of the expenditures, 

 29,665,945 go to pay the interest on the pub- 

 lic debt, the consolidated debt calling for 21,- 

 393,802 ; 1,664,438 for the civil list, courts of 

 justice, and other charges on the consolidated 

 fund; 16,419,038 for the civil service; 29,- 

 201,038 for military and naval expenses, of 

 which 16,309,585 are for the army, 1,100,- 

 000 for the army on Indian account, 500,000 

 on account of the expedition to Afghanistan, 

 535,000 for wars in South Africa, and 10,- 

 756,453 for the navy, and 8,522,097 for the 

 postal and other services; total, 85,472,556. 



The total revenues raised for local adminis- 

 tration in 1879-'80 were 63,046,664: 30,- 

 971,396 from direct taxes, 6,244,327 from 

 indirect, 1,666,227 from public property, 

 3,396,806 contributions from the national 

 Treasury, 15,103,882 by loans, and 5,664,- 

 026 of other receipts. The local expenditures 

 in the three kingdoms were as follow : 



FOREIGN RELATIONS. At the close of the 

 year the British expeditionary forces were still 

 in Egypt. In a circular note, dated January 

 3d, Lord Granville announced the " desire " of 

 her Majesty to retire them when the state of 

 the country and the organization of the means 

 to maintain the authority of the Khedive will 

 permit. During the interval the position in 

 which the British Government finds itself im- 

 poses the duty of giving counsel so as to make 

 sure that the order of things to be established 

 will have a " satisfactory character and possess 

 the elements of stability and of progress." For 

 the future regulation of the Suez Canal, he pro- 

 poses an agreement among the powers that the 

 canal should always be free for the passage of 

 vessels ; that in time of war naval vessels of a 

 beUigerent should be subject to a detention, 



and should not be allowed to land troops or 

 munitions of war; that no hostilities should 

 take place in the canal or its environment, or 

 anywhere in Egyptian waters, even when Tur- 

 key is one of the belligerents ; but that the last 

 two rules should not apply to measures neces- 

 sary for the defense of Egypt. Another rule 

 forbids the construction of fortifications on the 

 canal or in its vicinity. The British minister 

 speaks of a new scheme for the financial ad- 

 ministration in the interest of the bondholders 

 to be submitted later. He proposes to place 

 foreigners on the same footing with Egyptians 

 with respect to taxation. The army is to be 

 reduced, and in compliance with the earnest 

 wish of the Khedive will be commanded by 

 English officers. For the maintenance of pub- 

 lic order a separate body of police and gen- 



