The Press. — London, England, 1854-12-09 00:00:00

DECEMBER 9, 1854 Corrtspoubtntt. (IT must be tmderstood that the Pease is not identified with the opinions of its Correspondents, though we insert no oorumunication which does not appear in some way deserving of publicity. The letters of our Correspondents are open to reply. We require only that the language of fair discussion be employed, and that due attention be paid to the facts stated. We beg that no mention may be made of our " ability, in- Mimics." &c., as we unhesitatingly strike our pen through every allusion of the kind.] COLONELS OF MILITIA. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—A great deal of discontent has been excited in the militia by the manner in which the Govern ment have conducted the selection of those regi ments which were embodied during the past summer and autumn. It is said that the political and social influence of colonels and the lord lieutenants of counties has had too much to do with the choice that was made, and that little or no regard was paid to the efficiency of a regiment, or its readiness to under take garrison duties. One of the best tests of the truth of these asser tions is undoubtedly an examination of the Army List to ascertain who are the colonels of the favoured regiments. If we find that colonels of political in fluence are out of ail proportion in number to those who have only their military merits to recommend them, we may form a very just suspicion of the state of the case. There are in England and Wales 94 effective regiments of militia. The colonels and lieutenant colonels of these regiments are as follows :—Peers, 18; members of the House of Commons, 17; not in Parliament, 59. But, as rmany of the peers are merely nominal colonels, we may transfer some of their regiments to the non-parliamentary colonels, and we shall have—Peers, 10 ; M.P.s, 17; not in Parliament, 87 ; or, classing the regiments as parlia mentary and non-parliamentary, we shall have 27 parliamentary against 67 non-parliamentary, or two and a half of the latter for every one of the former. The number of regiments embodied up to last month was eighteen. If these were chosen fairly from both classes, we should have five parliamentary and thirteen non parliamentary. But the facts are very different. Only six regiments have been embodied whose colonels were not in Parliament, and of these one was com manded by the eldest son of a peer. No less than twelve regiments have been embodied whose colonels were in Parliament. The House of Commons is peculiarly fortunat' Of the ten regiments commanded by peers three were embodied, being nearly one-third of the num ber. Of seventeen regiments commanded by mem bers of the House of Commons as many as eight were embodied, or nearly one half. Of the remain ing sixty-seven regiments only five, or one-thirteenth part, were embodied. Civilian colonels are not very fit to be chosen for the honour of first embodiment. So thought the Go vernment, for out of twenty-three non-parliamentary regiments with civilian colonels they did not select one. Of the regiments commanded by civilian peers, they took one. But of the seven regiments commanded by civilian At.P.s, they embodied no less than four; a larger proportion than fell to the lot of any other class of militia colonels. It is for the Government to exonerate themselves, if they can, from the suspi cions occasioned by this distribution of their militia patronage. It must be remembered that, in choosing inefficient or less efficient regiments for the first em bodiment, they have inflicted a great loss upon the really efficient regiments which were eager to serve. Their officers will be thrown back in their chance of obtaining commissions in the line, and the country is deprived of the services of regiments which would have been eager to volunteer in the present emer gency for colonial or for active service. I am, sir, your obedient servant, A MILITIA OFFICER. RED-TAPISM OF THE WAR-OFFICE. TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS." Sir,—ln the present important yet calamitous war, it is already sufficiently notorious and distressing that more of our brave soldiers have perished from the effects of climate and disease than from the mis siles of the enemy. The consolation which parents may derive when a beloved child has heroically fallen on the field of battle, is denied when death is occa sioned by dysentery, cholera, or exposure to incle• ment weather. With due knowledge of the severity of a Russian winter, the regiments stationed at tlibraltar, Corfu, and Malta, are suddenly ordered to the Crimea. These troops quitted England for a warm climate, unprovided with clothing indispensa bly necessary for the exposed heights of 13alaklava, and it is probable many will be sacrificed by this abrupt removal before proper clothing can reach the Crimea. The War Department advertises its readiness to forward to our soldiers packages delivered at a re• ceptacle in London; but even this small accommo dation is accompanied in practice, by conditions cal- THE PRESS. misted to cause undeserved misery and disappoint ment. Last week a family in the west of Ireland received from a son at Malta a request for transmis sion by the next Government vessel articles of cloth ing, his wardrobe not being adapted for the atmo sphere and duties of a camp life in the Crimea, to which his regiment was suddenly ordered. The re quest, as may be imagined, was instantly complied with ; and the articles being carefully placed in a suitable package, and to avoid delay on its route as a parcel between Cork and London, a trusted domes tic was despatched with instructions to deliver it at the office in London. On his arrival at the desig• nated place, a well dressed official having measured the box, declared that " it was an inch beyond the regulation size, and that it could not. be forwarded." The entreaties and remonstrances of the faithful bearer being alike ineffectual, he with admirable pra deuce betook himself to a friend of his master's family residing in London, an Irish M.P., supporting the Ministry. This gentleman had an interview with the Secretary at War, who gave an order for the reception and transmission of the box. There are numerous families having children in the Crimea who cannot afford the expense, or might not suppose it would be necessary to send a servant in charge of a parcel for the East. Such persons might fairly suppose that, by payment of the usual charges for its conveyance by railway, its progress to the seat of war was secured. It is however, evi dent that, under certain circumstances, the box would be refused ; and for want of a Ministerial M.P. the gallant soldier's life may perhaps be sacrificed by such unworthy official absurdity. How are families in remote parts of the kingdom, or brave fellows in the trenches at Balaklava, to ascertain the exact number of inches allowed for the box which is to contain the flannel garments or blankets necessary to preserve life in the inclement position in which their country has required them to perform their duty ? When Parliament reassembles, there will, I hope, be one at least of our representatives found suffi ciently humane and independent to inquire into these proceedings with the view of preventing the disastrous consequences that must result from a rigid enforcement of such regulations. I am, sir, your obedient servant, ANOIICUS. TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS." Sir,—l enclose a sovereign, and request that as long as it lasts you will send out five copies of the PRESS weekly, for the use of " The Officers and Men of the Bth Hussars," Balaklava.—Your obedient servant, J. F. BAUMAN. St. John's College, Cambridge. [The copies of t he Plass shall be forwarded as desired.—Ed. Prem.] THE SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE SHOW. THE Prize Cattle Show of this year, though not con taining so great a number of either cattle, sheep, or pigs (289) as have been exhibited in former years, yet compensates in some measure for the alight decrease in this year's entries by the great improve ment in the breed of the stock, and the gradual discontinuance of the over-feeding system, which was becoming a positive evil. Monsters of adipose accumulation, were, it is true, still to be seen amongst the animals exhibited, but they did not, as formerly, obtain the prizes, their triumphs being reserved for the public days, when the unlearned public in some degree compensated by their admiration for the con tempt with which they were passed over by the judges. The animals who this year obtained the prizes were neither the largest nor the fattest, but those which were distinguisned by symmetry of form, solidity of flesh, and the possession of those " points " which, when found in combination, form the breeder's desideratum. Among the agricultural implements there were not many new inventions exhibited. The principal novelty consisted of a self-holding lever plough and general cultivator, invented by Mr. Blaydon, and manufactured by Messrs. Plenty and Pain of Newbury ; and this invention is one more step towards the solution of that difficult problem, cul tivation of land by the application of steam-power. Mary Wedlake, among her numerous implements, showed an economical and effective machine for cutting straw and bruising corn at the same time. Messrs. Deane and Dray showed several effective machines for winnowing and cleaning corn, from 1,2(X) to 2,400 bushels a day. Messrs. Cottam and Hallam, among a large collection, exhibited a small and exceedingly useful instrument for domestic purposes, for mincing meat, herbs, fruits, and other matters in general use for culinary purposes. During the week the number of visitor; has been above the average of former year; and the exhi bition may be considered to have been highly suc cessful. i NEW METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET. THZ Metropolitan Cattle•roarket, which has been eon. Wanted in Copenhagen-fields, Islington, under the Mile. 1163 tion of Mr. J. B. Bunning, the City architect, is fast approaching to such a state of completion as will admit of its being opened for use. The works are of a very exten sive nature. The site of the market proper is an equal. sided rectangle, having a fall from the west corner to the south, east, and north corners, and includes an area of about fifteen acres, of which one acre is appropriatd to the pig-market , and an equal area to the calf-marke e t. The banking-houses, twelve in number, are placed in the centre of the market, and out of the centre of these will rise a lofty clock-tower, which is just now beginning to show itself above the roofs of the banking-houses. The Electric Telegraph Company will have a station in the building. Accommodation is provided in the market for 34,980 sheep, in 1,749 pens (with a reserved space for considerable extension), and 13481 fr.et of rail for the tieing of 0,918 bullocks. The pig and calf markets are placed on the west side of the quadrangle, affording accommodation for 1,425 calves and 900 pigs, and raised sufficiently high to allow of the pigs and calves walking from the level of their respective standings into the carts. Roofs, sul.ported on iron columns, and projecting so as to shelter the carts which may be standing in the road passing from north to south, are being placed over these markets. Water-posts are fixed about twenty-seven yards apart, and, by means of a leather hose and jet, will afford facilities for thoroughly cleansing the market and lairs. North of the • market two taverns are erected, between which will be placed a fountain. On the east side some private slaughter houses are built, and on the west two public slaughter houses, in which 01X) bullocks can be killed weekly. South of the public slaughter-houses a meat-market is being con structed. On the south side of the New-road, a cattle sta tion will be formed in connection with the North London Railway. Houses have already grown up around the mar ket. The cost of the works now going on will be about 300,0001. MR. BULL'S SOMNAMBULIST—ABBY DEA N. (From Dickens's Household Words.) AN extremely difficult case of somnambulism, occurring in the family of that respected gentleman Mr. Bull, and at the present timeideveloping itself without any mitigation of its apparently hopeless symptoms, will furnish the sub ect of the present paper. Apart fro m its curious psycho logical interest, it is worth investigation, as having caused and still causing Mr. Bull great anxiety of mind when he falls into low spirits. I may observe, as one of the medical attendants of the family, that this is not very often the case, all things considered: Mr. Bull being of a sanguine temperament, good-natured to a fault, and highly confident in the strength of his constitution. This confidence, 1 regret to add, makes him too frequently neglect himself when there is an urgent necessity for his being careful. The patient in whom are manifested the distressing symptoms of somnambulism I shall describe is an old woman—Mrs. Abigail Dean. The recognised abbreviation of her almost obsolete Christian name is used for brevity's sake in Mr. Bull's family, and she is always known in the house as Abby Dean. By that name I shall call her, there. fore, in recording her symptoms. As if everything about this old woman were destined to be strange and exceptional, it is remarkable that, although Abby Dean is at the head of the Upper Servants' Hall, and occupies the post of housekeeper in Mr. Bull's family, nobody has the least confidence in her, and even Mr. Bull himself has not the slightest idea how she got into the situation. When pressed upon the subject, as I have sometimes taken the liberty of pressing him, he scratches his head, stares, and is unable to give any other explanation than " Well ! There she is. That's all I know." On these occasions he is so exceedingly discon certed and ashamed that I have forborne to point out to him the absurdity of his taking her without a character, or ever haying supposed (as I assume he must have sup posed) that such a superannuated person could be worth her wages. The following extracts from my notes of the case will. describe her in her normal condition : " Abby Dean, Phlegmatic temperament. Bilious habit. Circulation. very sluggish. Speech, drowsy, indistinct, and conftmed Senses, feeble. Memory, short. Pulse, very languid. A remarkably slow goer. At all times a heavy sleeper, and difficult to awaken. When awekened,peevish. Earlier in life had fits, and was much contorted--firston one side and then on the other." It was within a few weeks of her inexplicable appear ance at the head of Mr. Bull's &wily, that this ancient female fell into a state of somnambulism. Mr. Bull observed her--I quote his own words—" eternally mooning about the House, ' and putting some questions to her, and finding that her replies were mere gibberish, sent for me. I found her on a bench in the Upper Servants' Hall, evidently fast asleep (though her eyelids were open), and breathing stentoriously. After shaking her for some time with Mr. Bull's assistance, I inquired, " Do you know who you are r She replied, " Lord Abby Dean, to be sure I said, "Do you know where you are ?" She answered with a sort of fretful defiance, " At the head of Mr. Bull's establishment." I put the question, "Do you know what you have to do there 7' Her reply was " Yes; nothing." Mr. Bull then interposed, and informed, me, with some heat, that this waste utmost satisfaction he had been able to elicit " from the confounded old woman," since she first brought her boxes into the family mansion. She was smartly blistered, daily, for a considerable time. Mustard poultices were freely applied ; caustic was used as a counter irritant ; setons were inserted in her neck ; and sbe was trotted about, and poked, and pinched, almost unremittingly, by certain servants very zealous in their attachment to Mr, Bull. I regret to state that under this treatment, sharply continued at intervals from that period to the present, she has become worse instead of better. She has now subsided into a state of constant and confirmed somnambulism, from which there is no human hope of her recovery.