2 MARCH 1867, Page 2

The Ministry will be beaten or saved on the Reform

Bill, but if that question had not superseded all others, their Estimates would have.brought them into a scrape. They want in round figures half a million added to the immediate and as much to the per- manent expenditure of the Army and Navy together. Out of all this, so fax as we can perceive, before the official explanation, we are to get nothing at all, except a possibility of having some more

armour-clads by and by. This, if - cotrect, is baby play. This journal has steadily maintained that England needs a great fleet, and ann army of reserve, and both will cost money, but that is no exenae for increased estimates with an army not increased, and a fleet alma which nobody seems to know anything. Where's the cake for the penny? Mr. Gladstone assented in his speech on the Address to the necessity of an army of reserve, but if he does his duty, he will not allow an extra shilling to be spent till the country haehefore it an intelligible plan, and the possibility of an intelli- gible result.