The Miscellaneous Estimates for the year have in part been
published. The amount for Public Works and Buildings is 815,8291. (increase over 1853, 44321.) ; Salaries and Expenses of Public Departments, 1,094,7861. (increase, 61,3711.); Law and Justice, 1,478,851/ (increase, 97,423/.) ; Education, Science, and Art, 722,812/. (increase, 124,3891.) ; Colonial, Consular, and other Foreign Services, 333,460/. (decrease, 13,8611.) The items show an increase of 3000/. (260,000/. to 263,000/.) in the vote for Public Education in Great Britain ; of 11,000/. in the case of Ireland ; of 50,000/. for Scientific purposes. Towards buildings at the British Museum 101,142/. is proposed, being an increase of 78,442/. over the vote of last year. For Printing and Stationery the increase is 39,000/. ; for Colonial Convict establishments, it amounts to 98,000/.
The Select Committee appointed to consider "the cheapest, most, ex- peditious, and most efficient mode" of providing small arms for the pub- lic service, have not sanctioned the view that the Ordnance Department should take the manufacture into its own hands. They recommend a continuance of the contract system, with such modifications as will give the contractor greater confidence in the continuity of orders, and by this means men of skill and capital will be induced to apply themselves heartily to the manufacture. As a check upon extravagance in price, and for testing the applicability of machinery to the construction of the mus- ket, it is recommended that the manufactory at Enfield be continued ; and that separate accounts be kept, so as to ascertain distinctly the matter of cost. Sir William Molesworth was the Chairman. Much discussion and numerous divisions took place in the Committee on the subject of the report.
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