The Press. — London, England, 1858-01-02 00:00:00

THE PRESS, JANUARY 2, 1858. would at present urge upon our readers is this—that the exchange of diplomatic eourtesiei is a poor equivalent for the ruin of British merchants and loss of British prestige. Strong representations having been made of the delays in the transmission of the Indian telegraphic despatches from Cagliari to this country, the French and Sardinian Governments caused searching inves tigations to be made into the conduct of the clerks at Corsica and Sardinia. It was discovered that a message was delayed seven hours at Sassari, and fifteen hours at Bonifaccio, and in consequence nearly the whole staff in Corsica has been replaced by the French Government, and several clerks have been dismissed in Sardinia. The French Government has also directed that some of their officials shall be em ployed solely on the English business, and Englishmen will be sent to Spezzia and Cagliari to secure the instant transmission of the Go vernment despatches. It is hoped that by these means the vexatious and causeless delay hitherto experienced will be for the future obviated. The submarine line from Cagliari to Malta and Corfu was thrown open to the public yesterday. When people heard that Lord HARROWBY left the Cabinet on the ground of ill-health, every one was sorry. He is an accomplished scholar, and he possesses scientific knowledge enough to set up a " College for Tutors." He is not a bitter politician, nor a violent par tisan; and, altogether, his Lordship is eminently respectable, though his joining a Liberal Cabinet was indiscreet, to say the least of it, " What ails him?" was therefore asked with feelings of much sym pathy. Is his complaint cerebral, gastric, neuralgic, mesenteric, hepatic, or something else invented by the doctors, and sure to end in "ic "? We are happy to dispel the alarm of his friends, and to assure them that Lord Hsaaowny is suffering only from an intensely severe attack of political dyspepsia. His Lordship cannot digest a single mouthful of Lord PALMERSTON'S Reform Bill. It has troubled him with night mare, and depressed his constitutional spirits. Change of air, and prohibition of dangerous hills of fare, was indispensable, and, accord ingly, Lord HARROWBY has retired in defence of his own and the British Constitution. Sir CHARLES WETHERELL c mvulsed the House of Commons by denouncing the Bill of '3l as " Russell's Purge." Lord HARROWBY has no fancy for any political quackery, even if advertised as " The Premier's Patent Elixir for Improving the Growth "of Revolutions." It would certainly have been better for himself if Lord HARROWBY had never joined the Ministry of Lord PALMERSTON. He was in a false position from first to last, and resignation has been almost forced upon him. Neither as au administrator nor as a debater did Lord HARROWBY gain any fame, and, on the whole, we think that his Lordship gained less than any one else who ever joined Lord PALMERSTON. The Council of Military Education have lost no time in following up their first step towards the Reform of Military Education by an other of almost equal importance. A memorandum has been issued by the Commander-in-Chief stating the rules which have been decided upon fur the reorganisation of the existing educational establish ments for candidates for commissions. From this memorandum, which will be found in extenso in another part of our columns, we learn that her Majesty has decided that the education for all arms of the service shall be given at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst ; that sixteen to eighteen years shall be the ages of admission; that ap plication must be made to the Commander-in-Chief for permission to compete at one of the half-yearly examinations ; and that at the close of the period of study, which will continue for two years, the most suc cessful candidates will be permitted to select the corps of Royal Engineers or Royal Artillery, or will receive commissions without put , chase in the Cavalry or Line—those selecting the Ordnance Corps being removed to the school of application at Woolwich. To appre ciate the extent and importance of the change involved in these pro visions, it is necessary to remember that up to the present time the education of officers for the Ordnance Corps and for the Line has been entirely disiloct; the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich being devoted to the preparation of officers for the Royal Artillery and Engineers, while the College at Sandhurst was confined exclusively to the instruction of candidates for commissions in the Cavalry or Line. The result of this arrangement was that no Sandhurst cadet, however talented or scientifically dis posed, could hope for a commission in scientific corps, and that, on the other hand, not a few of the Woolwich dices, whose tastes and inclina tions would have well fitted them for the Line, were forced into the Artillery, to be looked down upon by their more scientific comrades. With a Commander-in-Chief so anxious for the full and complete fliciency of the army in all its branches such an anomaly could not .ong last, the influence of his Royal Highness the Duke of CAM BRIDGE has happily triumphed over the obstinacy of Lord PANMURE, end from the 28th of January will date the commencement of a new system. Notwithstanding that the first examination will be lold on that day, two years must elapse before any of the cadets then 13 admitted can be transferred to Woolwieh, and, therefore, in order to supply the vacancies in the ArtMery and Engineers, it will probably be necessary to hold two, or even perhaps three, more of the public competitive examinations. Front that time, however, it may be ex pected that open examinations will cease, and be replaced by the com petition of candidates who have been nominated by the Commander in-Chief. The advocates of open competition, however, need feel no uneasiness, for it has been found that the high rate of contri bution required of cadets at Woolwich (1251. per annum) has provided sufficiently for their social status, and we are sure that the sole differ enee will be that the candidate, instead of, as at present, " informing " the Secretary of State that he is coming forward at the next exaini " Lion," will, through his parents, " request the permission " of the Commander-in-Chief to compete, the answer in both cases being " that " his name is noted." In conclusion, we heartily congratulate his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief and the Council of Military Education on the way in which they have inaugurated their labours; and we cannot but entertain a confident hope that their endeavours in the good cause of the reform of army education will be crowned with success. The lamented death of Mr. Justice MOORE, following so closely on the decease of Mr. Justice JACKSON, has placed two Irish judeships at Lord PALMERSTON'S disposal, and, as a probable consequence, will give him the nomination of two new Law Officers of the Crown. It is likely that the Attorney-General for Ireland will accept the puisne judeship, which, according to prescriptive right, will be offered to him. It would be strange, indeed, did he aspire to anything higher. He is by univer sal consent regarded as one of the most fortunate men in his profes sion. Though a painstaking mercantile lawyer of some repute, he was never a foremost man. His talents are of an inferior order, and he is neither au elegant scholar nor an accomplished advocate. It is likely that it would have been his fate to have addressed the Bench all his life instead of the Bar, had it not happened to suit Lord ABERDEEN'S purpose to fall in with the Sadleir conspiracy. Speculation is rife as to the chances of Mr. CHRISTIAN accepting a judgeship at common law. An equity lawyer of high ability, with a private character above reproach, no one would grudge hint any reasonable promotion. His friends say that he will not lose this opportunity of escaping from the cares and fatigues of an onerous branch of the profession, which have already shaken his health. In that event it is probable he will be placed in the Common Pleas, and that Mr. FerzouasLo will fill the seat occu pied by Mr. Justice MOORE. Then will come the question who are to be Attorney-General and Solicitor-Geneed. IVe believe we shall be correct in assuming that Mr. BREWSTER will b 3 Attorney- General. He held that office under Sir R. PEEL and Lord ABERDEEN, resigning it when the latter Minister was overthrown. Mr. BREWSTER has the advantage of being a Protestant whose convictions do not render him hostile to the pretensions of the Roman Catholic party. He was once a stanch Conservative, but a change has come o'er the spirit of his dream, and he is now perhaps Inure a Whig than any thing else. He is, however, a man of indubitable ability, taking a first rank in the Irish Bar ; and his appointment would, therefore, be unobjectionable, viewed as the act of a Whig Government. The difficulty, we imagine, will be to adjust the rival claims of the many aspirants to the office of Solicitor-General. Mr. DEASY, M.P. for Cork, and Mr. Ser geant O'BRIEN, M.P. for Limerick, both Roman Catholics, are spoken of by their friends and themselves as the coming men. The former is much the superior man ; but the latter is most in favour with the Roman Catholic party, being the more bigoted of the two. Then Mr. I. Burr, M.P. for Youghal, and a Protestant, is also named for the dis tinction. He is a recent convert to Palmerstonism ; and, if we are not misinformed, lied a short time ago a pleasant trip to \lenta in a quasi diplomatic capacity. He is not a man, however, whose appointment would reflect credit upon Lord PALMERSTON, although we should prefer it to that of the others we have mentioned, and on this ground. Law Officers of the Crown have by custom a claim to seats on the Bench as they fall due; and we really think, as there will be five judges of the Roman Catholic persuasion out of twelve, it would be a subject of grave concern that another member of that creed should be placed in a position where it is very probable he would have to wait but a short time in expectation of a seat on the Bench. Mr. MARTLEY ' S name is also mentioned as one of those who would be likely to be offered a judgeship, should it be declined by Mr. FITZGERALD or Mr. CHRISTIAN. He is Commissioner of the Encumbered Estates Court, a sound lawyer, and an amiable man. His promotion would give offence to none but those whom it disappointed of personal preferment. It is high time Lord PaLmEas - roN should bethink himself of what are certain to he the results of a systematic jobbing of high legal appointments. To pack the Bench, after the example of JAMES I 1., as is recorded in 111,1 CAULAY'S " History of England," would be only the prelude of disaster to the country. The law would cease to be respected, and the admi nistration of justice would become a mockery and a disgrace. The Roman Catholics' claims were conceded in 1829, but if they are to continue to monopolise all the patronage of the Crown, independent of their merit, and apart from their qualifications, an "Emancipation Act" will become necessary for the Protestants of Ireland. It is they who will be'compelled to demand toleration at the hands of the State.