The British Army is to be reduced to a peace
establishment, and the general outlines of the scheme of reduction are before us. The total force of 150,000 men or more—exclusively of the regiments in India—is to be reduced to about 125,000, with a corresponding reduction of officers. The regiments, at present of indefinite proportions, will be brought into a fixed scale of 1000 men each for infantry, while the cavalry regi- ments will be reduced from eight to six squadrons of some GO men each. Various corps of the service, however, instead of being reduced, will be retained in their developed proportions. The Artillery is one of these. The Land Transport Corps will be reduced in numbers, and reconverted into "the Military Train," with a more complete military organization. Of course this plan will throw out a great number of men ; and the men. rejected will be principally those who are damaged in health, who have never been fit for service, or have proved unsuitable for the life of a soldier. A great number of all of this class were taken into the Army during the rapid and somewhat indiscrimi- nate recruitment at the beginning of the Russian war. But while the War Department and the Horse Guards have been engaged in the process of taking down, they have also devoted them- selves to the work of building up. In fact, the Army will not be so much reduced as brought together awl reorganized. It will be relieved of its lumber, and placed Lt a state of greater efficiency than it could display even during the war. The lei- sure of peace will be employed in a more active pursuit of mili- tary exercises, and in the brigade or divisional practice of camp and field. For our military Ministers evidently devote them- selves to a most active development of the Army. Such is the way in which we recommence the peace with the newly-crowned Emperor Alexander ; who, in the intervals of his coronation business, is instructing his statesmen and diplomatists how to haggle over the details of the treaty of Paris, and to procrasti- nate the fulfilment as long as possible. Kars is surrendered, the Island of Serpents not yet. Our countrymen have encountered a cold reception at St. Petersburg, and they bring home reports which will strengthen the public opinion in favour of this new turn given to our "peace establishment" The reduction turns out to be reorganization, and the peace is an armed peace.
