THE ARMY, NAVY, AND VOLUNTEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIII, Issue 4292, 23 February 1884, Page 9 (Supplement)

THE ARMY, NAVY, AND VOLUNTEERS.

[By Map.tixi-Henki.]

Lieutenant Lowry, of H.M.S. Espiegle, made some sensible comments at a social meeting of the seamen of that veesel and the Lyrtelton Navals. In his remarks, he said "it was always a special pleasure to see the Royal Navy and the Volunteers pulling so well and cordially together. He would remind the Naval Artillery Volunteers that in the hour of the country's need they would probably be the first to be called upon to meet the foe. By the water he' must come, and on the water they must meet him, if they wished to keep fighting and bloodshed from their own hearthstones. They should especially exercise in boat work, and, at the earliest opportunity, he drilled at guns mounted afloat. In the end a system of naval defence must prove the truest economy for New Zealand. There was no power that he knew of which could move a stone fort at Port Chalmers to help Lyttelton, or heavy land batteries at Wellington to. drive an enemy from before Auckland. On the other hand, the telegraph could summon every Naval Artillery Volunteer and every war vessel in Aew Zealand to assist to crush an euomy's ship or squadron off any threatened point. Again, tho heaviest shore batteries and thousands of soldiers would not save • Lyttelton from the humiliation and grave pecuniary loss of finding their port blockaded by the smallest of Alabamas while days were being spent in bringing up an Imperial cruiser, which perhaps at the time might bo engiged chasing a foo reported on one of the great oceantrat'e routes.

The "Broad Arrow" of December Sth; states that detachments of the Royal Engineers are ordered to proceed to Australia and New Zealand in connection with coast defences, .',,

The Port Chalmers Naval Artillery had a total of 71 men on parade at a daylight in-; spection on February 16. ' ' I

An account of the cost to France of the war_ with Germany, just issued by the audit department, puts the total down at £341,440,000.

The Christchurch City Guards are going in for an extensive outfit. . They decided ata meeting lately to send Home an order for; great coats, waterproof sheets, and: water bottles. Why the water bottles '!

The Union Steam Shipping Company are issuing return fares at single rates to Volunteers desirous of attending the meeting at Ellerslie next week. Similar concessions are made to competitors' wives.

In a match at Dunedin, between the Dunedin Naval Artillery and the Dunedin Hussars, ranges 200, 400, and 500 yards, seven shots at eacli range, ten men a side, the Navals scored 731 ; Hussars, 6SS. On the Navals' side there were three scores over 80 points, Petty-officer Jack heading the list with the fine score of 88 points. .

A smart little skirmish re Colonial cavalry has been going on between Lieut.Colonel Sarpood, who is, organising the Victorian militia as " War Minister,'.' and a cavalry major who objects to some of the reforms proposed. The Colonel, a3 ,in artillery officer, holds a very high opinion of his branch of the force, and considers cavalry as an almost useless encumbrance in an army whose motto is defence, not aggression.

Dr. Nicholaeff, of the Russian Medical Service, has been publishing some articles in one of the St. Petersburg papers on the proportion of suicides in the various Euro: pean armies. According to him, to every 1,000 troops the number of suicides are at the following ratio :—Austria, 1-0 ; Prussia, 088 : the English Army in Europe, 0.-36 ; the English Army in India, 0 14; the French Army in Europe, 0-35 ; the French Army In Africa, 0-55; Italy, O-37; and Kussia, 025.

An Australian paper makes some not undeserved comments upon the condition in which cemeteries of soldiers who fell in colonial wars are kept: "The cemeteries in New Zealand, where hundreds of British soldiers are buried who fell in action against the Maoris during the troubles from '(>0 to r(>s, are overgrown with weeds, overrun with pigs, and scandalously neglected in every way. For the repair, of some of them in the Waikato, a large sum was voted by Parliament, but the vote .was deliberately devoted to the repair of roads through property.".