The Express. — London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

THE WAR. THE SIEGE OF We have official reports from Sebastopol, both French and Russian, to the 19th lost. The Moni ker states that the Asaiodee, which left the Crimea on that day, brings word that on the night of the 18th the Russians made a sortie from Sebastopol, but were immediately driven back. The siege works wen steadily pushed forward, and the besiegers grew stronger in their positions. A letter from before Sebastopol of the 10th says : " I write to you under the effect of deep emotion. At five yesterday . morning the whole line opened its fire with great vigour, and, curiously enough, the enemy did not reply at first. That delay enabled oar gunners to obtain the range most accurately. The weather unfortunately has not been favourable, as raia fell heavily all day, but the wind blew from us, and carried the smoke into the town. Nobody, the evening before, was certain that the fire was to open the next morning ; all that was known was that • sortie of the Russians was expected, and that the allied troops were ordered to be on the alert. The effect of the allied artillery has been most satisfactory, considerable damage being almost immediately dose to the Russian works. The naval squadron had been ordered to take up a position near the town, and to aid the land forces in their attacks, but the state of the sea prevented their approaching close enough, and the wild was so violent as to render the vessels being driven on shore almost a certainty. Admiral Brunt has anchored in front of the Bay de Strelesks, and should the weather improve he will stand in and act. As it is, the wind is falling. sod a movement is perceptible in the fleet. The French opened with 300 guns, independently of those of the English. The fire was continued during the whole of last night, in order to prevent the Russians from repairing the damage done to their works. Their ere has not been by any means equal to that on the 17th October,when the first attack took place. Yesterday, the French naval batteries had five men killed and twenty-two wounded, three officers being amongst the latter. I cannot say what loss has been sustained by the land batteries. We all hope that eventual success will crown our attack. The wet weather, though most disagreeable, has this advantage that it prevents any attack being made on our lines at least for some days. Were the Russians to attempt anything on the land side, they would be certainly repulsed." Another letter of the above date says: "For some days before, the last arrangements bad been made, sod the troops awaited with impatience the signal of the general attack. The firing of the allies may be considered excellent, and in the nurse of the morning some decisive results were clearly visible. On the right, the Malakhoff tower bad been considerably dialoged, sod the fire from the Ores Mamelon was almost silenced. Boas Raman vessels, which had taken up a position, were obliged to retire. Oa the left, the fire of the Rawilans was weak throughout the 9th; they were silent dental; the night, but began pretty weevily in the morning of the 10th. The fiataff bestial' was very much damaged, sad for a abort time was thought to have been silenced. The central bastion kept firing constantly, but slowly. The Qausatine battery kept firing steadily, although moth damaged ; 28 mortars from the Genoese fort and a Preach bat tery kept sending a heavy shown of large shot at it. The battery No. 28, which is mounted with 18 guns and is 180 metres in length. is the one that suffered most of those belonging to the French ; seven of the embrasures were destroyed on the 9th, and the glum could no longer act, but on the 10th they wen re paired. A lieutenant was killed in this battery. The marine battery No. 4 suffered rather severely, bat it kept up a brilliant fire. It had one sailor killed and 12 wounded—one of the latter is a lieutenant who retoroed to the battery after having his wound dressed. The losses of the allies have not been by any means considerable, and the fiat results have been satisfactory." (MOO TIM FRANCE. IFONDIUIT OF YRS DAILY NIFIFF.) PARIS, WIIMISIDLT 11111111110. The delusion that peace was likely to grow out of the Vienna Conference being now pretty nearly ex ploded—l say pretty nearly, ►ecause some people cling to it still—the question '• What is Austria going to do?" cannot much longer rentals unanswered. I have little doubt that by this very post a great deal of intellig , nce will reach England, tending to show that all goes swimmingly on at Vienna. You will learn that a protocol has been signed, setting forth is the most satisfactory m possible the reasons why the Conferences came to a barren conclusion. It will be shown that no act of Austria has hitherto manifested any disinclination to act up to the treaty of December 2, and it will be proved tri umphantly that she is bound in honour to declare war upon Ru•aia at once. Now, I venture to assure you positiveay—so far as it is possible to speak posi tively of any future event—that Austria will not draw the sword against Russia. How her excites will be framed I cannot divine ; but that no effective assist ance is to be expected from her in this grand struggle I feel certain, and, moreover, I know very well that the French Government has not in reality the slightest expectation of her support. The Conegitu gionnel to-day professes to believe the contrary, and says that Austria must join us, because if she do not she will break her word. This very inconclusive _ . argument is merely put forth to Lay a found►tion to reproach Austria with perfidy when the crisis comes. The following highly important telegraphic despatch has been received to-day WRDNISDRY, APRIL 25. Th• Corrsepondence Autrichtstitts, tae esmi•oillsial organ of the Austrian cominment, says tam. sontrary to w►at the Ost. Dwduhe Post has esztoensed, the Vises& Cadences* ite not IMAM up, bat that they wilt be tiontlaued without taterruption (sic). Oa this occasion the Correspoosiarocs Atifriciierms agita 'sprouts hopes of Discs. This, if the despatch be correct, represents tha semi•oelcial Austrian organ as giving a direct con tradiction to the statements of Lords Clarenda• and Palmerston in the houses of Lords and Conmaami That the Conterenoe is not broken up Medially b true; bat it is suspended 81111 die, and sespisibal cause tho purpose for which it assembled has altar► they failed to produce a result. Turning from the abortive Conferences, I happy to be able to express a confident hope that the siege of Sebastopol is really going on well. The government has received despatches, from which it results that the Allies hold commanding palliate; t h at our artillery is very efftctive I that peat d► • structiori has been wrought on the Russian works, asi that an assault might be made with OIIOOe4IO at ossn is, however, judged better, in order to spare unne cessary lose of life, to prolong the bombardment. I cannot say that an assault will be made after all, bat I sincerely believe that when the whole truth comes oat it will be found that the progress of the siege is mach more satisfactory than might be inferred from the unwise pains taken by the government to sap prees sews. Apropos of the enppriesioo dams, the Cambia slaapla letters, which ought to have been delivered early this morning, are all detained at the poet. cake. The following despatch, of doubtful authority, I. important, if true : Tzturn, WIDIIISDAT. TM Owens li Triage revs that the Saila& ANpuf-tb► Has the Dalai Albert had rya snowed is attespelag to Sores tbe fatly el tho port of Sebastopol. mad bad beam soak lsi the Itosstoss. It le to be observed that the Marseilles doepatelme, which give news down to a date a day later, my not a word of this event. It is probably as There ham been so striking feature at the Bower. The Bente ram We., dates at 60. 30s. AUSTRIA. On the 18th &battery of field-pierce, the sixth with which gen-cotton only us to be need, left Visalia for Gallia.. Other batteries of the same kind are being prepared in the arsenal of the capital. SPAIN. MADRID. 4ratL 23, The Cortes have approved srttaiTsiitiiiofihe Bill for the Bale of Ecclesiastical Property. The Duke of Baileo has been appointed Governor of the Pelee% and the Marquis de Perak@ Grand Chamberlain. F.NSIARE AND THE UNITED STATES. COPENHAGEN, Aran. 19. On the 12th inst., the charge d'affairse of the United States to this court, Colonel Bedinger, had an official interview with the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, in which he delivered the formal notice of his government of the cessation of the treaty of the 26th April, 1826, between the two countries, after the lapse of the term stipulated in the treaty (twelve months), expressing himself at the same time with his usual energy of character, and with a force of language which the American diplomatists so well know bow to adopt when they wii.h their hearers to know that they are in earnest, and will not suffer themselves or their country to be trifled with. THE EASTER FAIR AT LFJPSIC. LEIPSIC, Asian 20. From the complicated state of European polities and the consequent urcertainty as to peace or war, as well as from the great rise of priors in provisions of every description, nobody was led to form any sanguine expectations of the result of our Easter fair. Still at a 'ff., early period a considerable num ber of Greeks arrived here from Moldavia and Wal lachia, who made very large purchases during the Easter week, in manufactures generally, and espe cially is ilk goods. In the meantime, the number of purchasers and sellers from other parts continued to arrive very numerously, so that the fair may be said to be very well attended. Up to the present seasset the business done in our two great articles of laathwt sad cloth was exceedingly brisk. The gentiles of the former, wish the exception of some paresis of sole-leather, were all sold immediately, at prices folly equal to those of the last fair. With respect to sloths and woollea manufactures in general, time woe a very good assortment of buckskins and similar fancy staffs, though the quantity brought to the fair was perhaps inferior to that of last year, which may be ascribed to the high current prices of wool, inducing many manufacturers to limit the amount of their produce to small parcels. The pros. tration of this branch of commerce in America caused the number of purchasers from the United States to be much less than usual, and this was not without exercising a certain illation°, on the trade. Oa the other hand, the number of large parakesere hem Italfilwitzerland, Bavaria, Frankfort.erthisaleierr, molZasiburg, and the north of Europe generally Was ads , lhowty, and most of the large depots are sold. 11 same few large purchasers bays hitherto hang book k was mere for the purpose of depressing the rises dna bums they do not want to buy. It is, there =improbable that the cloth fair will not be di ant week. As regards the priers I may all that se advance of from one to two dollars per glees cm these descriptions sold by the piece, and 24 aswignissibms per ell on those sold in that way, was beef y paid for cloth, and from 3 to 4 newgroschens par ell more for buckskins sod other fashiosable sorts of goods than at the last autumn fair. THE PRUSSIAN CHAMBERS AND THE BOUND DUES. BERLIN, Arm 29. On the opening of the Chambers slier the late Easter recess, the report of the cummtttes on the pro posal of Herr Singer, tor the abolition of the Sound Dees, was the order of the day. The original motion was, "That the Second Chamber expresses its coo elation that the government will take the first fa vourable opportunity for the total abolition of the Sound Dues." A fresh motion of Herr Singer, in the shape of an amendment, was worded thus:— "Thu Chamber expresses its opinion, that the pre sent situation of public affairs is peculi ,sly adapted tor taking decisive steps towards the abolition of the Sound Does." The debate being closed, a division took place. Singer's amendment was rejected, and the original motion psased by a large majority. THE COURT OF ROME. 711111 DAILY Haws.) ROME, Aran. 20. The Pops's prodigious weep from destruction the other day, at the 'Rosemary or fit. Agnes, bids fair to rival bis " &smalls definition of the Immaculate Conceptioa," in giving rise to ecclesiastical ceremonies and rejoicings throughout Christendom. The Iridium ordered by the senate sad cossell of Rome. at the ancient church of Aracsii, on the capitol, was a splendid affair, and fully attended by the municipal and ttovernmest authorities, as well as church dignitaries. sad the French and Austrian pserals, De Montreal and Noyes. The baulked/as was given each eveniog by one of the car. dine. who had escaped destructios, the msgistrssy having expressly invited for that purpose Cardinal Carvelho, patriarch of Lisbon; Cardinal &A +member', arch bishop of Prague; and Cardinal Pattie, the Pope's ricer. Wednesday, befog the last day of the' tarmacs, his Helium repaired in state to the church, accompanied by the Sacred College, and the Ambrosias hymn was snag by the clergy and an immense crowd of people, after which the wend of the Freseismis monks harangued the Pope on the subject of his easspe, alluding, as usual, to the Immaculate Cosceptioe, and the dogmatic definition thereof, in terms of admiration sad gratited•. Pio Nono replied in a similar strain, and then admitted the monks end miasicipel councillors to the sacristy to kiss his 'coot, Mersin the assembled crowd from the lofty steps of the quondam temple of Capitoline Jove, and retorting well satisfied to the Vatican. Besides these solenoids, thank.glvhare sad tridues have bees began in all the principal churches of Rose, sad eatosate Iron the previsees inform ne that the bishops have set co foot similar rejoicings I. their respective Moons, sad their sample will probably be followed by the prelates sad faithful of all catholic Bares. Rose I. daily disgorging crowds of foreigaers, who bad docked hither for the Ruler oeremasies, asd who are huwabag sorthwarde sow that the bet weather has set is. Aa empties to the areal remise is daily expected ia the pence of Meg Lewis of Bavaria, who has arrived at Flame* on bin way hers. When the fall took place, Pk No.. had jest scavenged meat dibbly with the little fellows si the Propsuada, disiinitive surs's @sr, sad levities the French psasU to *lmre a yeses Ramis% sine* the two matins semi WM. Th. Frets* (mural had as immediate es pial= Pied the affair was the result of a cosspirau, and smiled sae Wee, I. a load mike, " Nose seams teshis I " • see sad a doss eked ef dui drowsed all farther elleemellens. sad ski whale employ were plI MM m Ws a bugs growsdNeer weft nerd fee presi MISS' M W eV VINO MOIL The ides ler help Sibs seediest *see, ?atria. a Nest esti Mama Isms was met lessestsbie; hat until the Pips was Need se ableseies wee paid to his ee say se sin. His lffielleses, who had idles epos Mossigese Boreabb. semetry of Prepammds, sees nude himself hosed, stereeles hie eseembeen thee be we, Rabat; and he had sides owe. mid prawn of Wad is minion Sees .seed his, samesiet whams was sae ef the Pro hope, to whose be oak" I asglad yes are sot reirr a yes see whet • kohl Wes it le be NI with a Pope." The 'Sabel ekes nos &ease eat to a not selascholy s a tt i r a i m beet alp w as" sad No sal jetund is all keneesh tbet the Pope soak set help rally ing LiT s . pawtfia that tls sfaht be the ant sf • pressenelsd esespiney, senipsiese penes wen Mow dist* seat Se smoke doe heseeng been% sad the Perash reard, sot Silt the men of the Besse sotbe• viiist, meet elm of hie ems similar awn Is leek eta the Satter; bet Ikea that Net observation it woos seas that the neeters is Wily attributable to the &sued seedlike of the Wins sad the mayardesable utilises, of those was had to sake peeparstiose to. the Pepe's ['sp ike. It la Numbed that, bad the downfall hiss fatal to his lieffstes sad Cardinal Astaccelli, moms usury political fed beg might base hoes mealfeetod by die 8'....; bat the Pram* swims is the Sty is quits meatiest to maintain midis order, semis; adaW afferdod by isles». phis sesse.istkes Its nqsasties redeems- THE . EXPitES - 8,. THIIRSDAi ARMY REFORM. THE STAFF OF THE ENGLISH ARMY. TO TSB SDITOI OH TEI DAILY trews. Sia,—What recollections of nepotism rise before my " mind's of e" as I write the word " Staff !" On this topic more than perhaps almost any other connected with army reform, de the civilians ot England require enlightening. If the country could but get knowledge of the way in which Staff cbers obtain their appoint ments, I should not have any fear as to whether our whole military system will or will not be refiymed. All I pretend to do is to give the electors of the nation a plain statement of facts connected with the service. Twelve years' experience in that service should give roe a little knowledge of the working of the scheme, and, without vanity, I think it has done so. The ignorance of the great mass of Englishmen who have served in the army . regarding all matters connected with the service, is astonishing. But I can account for it. Until the late disasters in the Crimea brought soldiers, and all that concerns soldiers, into prominent notice, the public of this country were under an impression that the courage which every Englishman,lrishman, and Scotchman inherits as part of his birthright, would carry ns through any campaign. Thanks to Government mismanagement —and, allow me to add, to the military blunders of Lard Raglan—the eyes of the nation are getting a little opened on these subjects. A little enlighten ment is ail they now require, and the premare from without will force upon miniver, what Lord Palmer ston as yet Deems determined to obstruct—namely, an entire and sweeping reform of our whole military system. In former letters I have exposed the manner io which officers, by sheer force of money, get on io the service. I also devoted one or two of these comma sications to showing up the bartering, exchanging, bujiog, selling and brokering in commissions, which I are events of every days' occurrence. I will now do' my best towards exposing the way in which officers get appo rated to the Staff of the English army. If I were put on my oath in a witness-box to-morrow, and on that oath asked the question, " Did you during the twelve years you served in the Royal Army ever know an officer appointed to the Staff of that army from either his personal merit or his military (requirements r my answer would be, " No; in one single instance did I know or hear of a nomi nation to the Staff, except on the gross& of private interest, _personal canoe:ems, or other similar na me.' I don't sey that here and there a Staff ellen may not be found who is perfectly well qualified for the appointment he holds. For instance, every man who remembers "Clarke, of the Greys" when he was a regimental officer, must sekeowledge that be is a very proper man for the situation of Assistant Quartermaster-General at the Horse Guards, the post which he now fills. The same may be said of Major Morris, of the 17th Lenore., lately appointed one of the Deputy Assistant Adjutant Generals at head-quarters; but these—with a few others—are the exceptions, not the rule. From "General Henry Viscount Hardinge," commanding in Chief, down to the three dozen young sides-de amp serving on the staff in the Crimes, personal interest, and that alone, has been the means of getting officers appointed to the staff If any one doubt what I say, let him ask such officers as have spent their time and mousy in studying at the senior department of Sandhurst. whether they have, in a professional point of view, derived the slightest benefit from the examinations they have pawed or the honours they have taken at that institution P I venture to say that not one of these gentlemen will affirm he h"s gained the slightest advantage even from haviug passed the very highest exa mination at Sandhurst. How. then, are officers appointed to the Staff ? By personal or family interest, and by that alone. On looking over the Army List you will find it an almost universal rule, that every general officer holding a command has one or more officers of his personal Staff of the same name as himself. I have known aides-de-rump selected by general officers from various motives. I was once on the Staff in that capacity myself. A very worthy general, now dead and gone, selected me for his aide-de-camp because he had known my parents very well some twenty years before he met me. My predecessor in office was sent back to regi mental duty because he was given to flirting with the governess of the General's daughters. A friend of mine, who returned last year from Bombay, told me' that the late Lord Frederick Finclarenor—at that time Commander-.a-Chief of Bombay—had turned off his Staff no less than two Military Secre taries and three aide-de-camps, became they were given to flirtations with otoer men's wives. My informant further stated that his Lordship was at the time on the look out foe a purely moral Staff, bat bad great difficulty in finding what he wanted. About 11 years ago I remember a General Officer of the Queen's army commanding a division in the North West of Ind ia,whose aide-de-campwas selected on account of his knowledge in rearing and feeding poultry for the General's table. And so on I might fill three or four columns of your paper with similar anecdotes of officers beit.g selected for the Staff, owing to qualifi cations which are anything but those in which a sol dier should take a pride. In England we have bat one Cavalry General, properly so called, namely, the Inspector-Genersl of Cavalry. The officer now holding this appointment is Lord Cardigan. But his lordship's aide-de-camp is Captain Maxie, of the Coldstream Guards, an infantry officer. When Lord Lucan commanded the cavalry in the Crimea, his aide-de-camp was his eon, Lord Bingham, also of the Coldstream', and also an infantry officer. Major- General the Hon. J. Y. Scarlet', who now commands the cavalry division before Sebastopol, has for one of his aides-de-camp, his nephew, the Hon. W. &select, of the Soots Fusilier Guards, another infantry officer. On the other hand, Lieut.-General Sir Richard England, commanding the Third Infantry Division of the Army in the Crimea, has for one of his aide-de-camps Lieut. the Hon. (oh, those honourable') C. Keith, of the 4th Light Dragoons, a cavalry officer ; and in the Second Infantry Division of the same army, one of the De puty Assistant Quartermaster-Generals is Brevet Major Thompson, of the 10th Hussars, • Cavalry officer. With the single exception of Lord Bingham, who was for a few weeks in a cavalry regiment, none of these officers have ever served except in the branch to which they now belong. Is not this—as you ex pressed it not longagoin a leading article—like setting the groom to nurse the baby, the gardener to cook the dinner, the housemaid to drive the carriage, and the Gook to clean the hones ? Mr. Roebuck's committee seem to waste a vast deal of time in asking questions which the recruit of yesterday could answer. Wby don't they inquire bow the staff of the Crimean Army is constituted? Why don't they ask whether the right men have been put in the right places in the force now before Sebastopol? If they did so, don't you think that much at which the world sow wonders would be made plain? Suppose that a railway company were to allow their secretary to drive a looomotive, their accountant to manage the points, a porter to take the secretary's place, and a guard that of the to ooentant—what would be result P You and your readers can answer that question better than I ass, Yet this is exactly the way matters have Mien managed in the Crimean Staff. Even in tie t appointments things are not better. I like much to hear Sir De Lacy Evans's Neal opinion as to what he thinks of Moe General Eatcourt or General Airey. Will ony man who knows the A B C of mili tary matters say that, with a competent Staff, we sheald have had the fearful amount of misman agement at Sebastopol which has lost es so many lives P In the name of truth, let us put the saddle on the right horse. I don't deny that many blun ders were committed by the home authorities, but, as a soldier who has MD not a little service in his day. I feel convinced that no amount of good management in England would have served the army before Sebes- Wel. when the Staff of that army was composed of men perfectly unfit for the situations they held. What mold the Doke of Newcastle, or any other minister, lie in England, when apathy and ignorance ruled the 'temp before Sebastopol? God help our brave fellows Is that °amp, unless Parliament do their duty to the errantry, and insist upon an immediate reform in all Near military departments. I lave more to say on the subject of the Staff, MR mist do so in a futon letter. When we come Ileilliespee the qualifications required for a French !bee Officer with the little that Is thought news fir an Englishman holding a like appointment, EvENINO, APRIL • 26, 1855. r your readers will be able to judge pretty clearly as to what was the Game of nine-tenths of oar disasters in the Crimea. ONE WHO HAS SERVED SIX YEARS IN THE CAVALRY. AND THE SAME TIME IN THE INFANTRY. Loathe, April 24,1855. FIRST REPORT OF THE GENERAL We resume our notice of this report, one of the most Instructive dormant. ever issued by a governmetital department. Acceriiii.g to the report, the gross postal ro of Austria in 1862 was 906,8061.; of Beattie, 77,6481.; of Denmark, 70.9631. ; of France, 1,864,3801.; of Holland, 116.2171.; of Prussia, 1,286,6961.; of Berrie, 771,0801. ; of Seamy, 133 6771. ; of Sweden, 66,8581.; of the United States, 1,273,7731.; of Great Britain, 2,422,1884 The postal revenue of Liverpool in 1864 was 91,9091.; of Man chester. 74,7361.; of Dahlia, 63,6761.; of Edinburgh, 41,6121.; of Onegow, 68,1361. Dublin is the only place amongst the large cities sod towns in which the postal re venue Is decreasing. The But Indies, the Cape of Good Elope, Mauritius, and Van Diemen'. Lead, are the only important depeadeneies to which the postage cn letters from England is more than 64. The Postmaster-General con siders that the general redaction of the colonial postage t• 61. has proved a good measure, and that there is a prospect of the reduction being adverse], which will be of immense imperanee, partlealarly with respect to the correspondence of the Ent Indies, which is enormous from this country. A century ago 74 0 00 1 . was paid out of the postal ninnies for pensions; at the present time there are only three, vie., 4,7001. a year to the Duke of Grafton es representative of the Decker of Cleveland, which command in 1686; 4,0001. a year to the heirs of the Duke of Schonberg, which eanneseed in 1696; sad 6 0001. a seer to the Duke of Marlborough, whist suer me red in 1708. In the Accountant Gentili% rase, 80,000Postm asters' letter bills, and 6,600 receipts foe disburse. meats hive to be examined every week. Tbe Footprints? General states in his report that gnat facilities would be afforded to the Foot-Moe if the public) would post lenen and newspapers as early as possible, write the number of the house and the name of the street end town legibly on the address of every letter, sad provide a letter-box at every door. There sea be no doubt that immense num bers of letters are delayed or seat to the Dead Letter-OMo., owing to the stupid nomencletare of streets and numbering of houses is England. In no civilised country in the world is this so disgraceful as in Great Britain. The Postmaster-General states that there are 60 King stree% 60 Queen-streets, and 60 Joha Mints sad William streets in London. livery street in au coatinuou line, or • weU &flan part of it, should banana name didn't hos ell as►en is the sun city or tows, sad the house should he numbered i• a noonsive order, from one upwards. The to sansbets should never occur fa the seats street, not even on the opposite side of it. " A mamma in London." says the report, "living hetweea timbers 14 sad 16, numbered her boom 94, bermes she had aa old braes plate +lib that number ea it which had lama mad for a former redden. A bandied years ego the remits of the Poet- Aloe wan 140,0004 it is now 2i maniocs sterling. &sty veers ago the Basile were sosvayed at a rate of three and four miles as hour ; they are now conveyed 30, 40, and 60 miles an hour. The two great postal retention have been Palmer and Hill—the former a theatrical manager and the latter a seentary in the Colonial-oam. Neither had ever seen the inside of a post-office, when they propounded their reform.. Palmer revolutionised the Intend sad Hill the uterus; arrangements of the Past-dies ; the former increased the speed of conveying the mails, and du latter reduced the postage of letters. The great scheme of Palmer was sag. sated to him by Pules tradesmen mad letters of import snap by private creches instead of by the post bags on none', and that of the letter by seeing poor people refuse high pretested lstten because they could not afford tu pay fur them, and because by looking at the addrses on them they contrived to gain all the information they wanted. la 1764 the packet service coot 10,0001. a year, at the pre sent time it eosu Ekio,oool. In 1839. 190,000 Poet-Oleo mune, orders were granted. In 1865, the number granted was 101 millions. Aceordieg to the report a mall convey . . . ace for canylog government deopacies was established in 1481. James I. established a post for coaveyhas foieigu letters, and ►is eon atablished as inland post. In 1644 a weekly conveyance of letters Wall parts of the k ngdom was establthed. Is 1683 a penny poet. and in 1708 a halfpenny post was established in London. Is 1838, the stamp on newspapers wag reduced from :id. to Id., which caused a •rest increase to the number which passed through the Post .•fike. From the earliest period to the present day, every time the postage was reduced and greater facilities given to the public, the pawl revenue accessed. Lord Canning gives groat credit in his report to the late Lieut. Wombats, for opening the Overlaid Mail route to India. In the archives of St. Martin's-lc-Grad, the accounts of the Post °Mee revenue are perfect from 1686 to the present time. Amongst them is as item of eapeadituro in 1687 entered that—. Paid to Edward Lick, of Hounslow, fora man to de liver letterset the camp, M." From these archives it appears that ell the postmasters in the West of England were well affected to William 111., and rendered him great amistance when he landed in this country. These documents also re veal some curious particulars of the abase of the franking system. Among the items franked by the H mail pockets is 1695 were " aims parcels of cloth for the cl,thing colonels in Lords Grey and North's regiments." Also a peek of hounds. Only just before the franking privilege was abolished it is well known that a pair of buckskin hunting breeches were franked by a Rumanian official to go by pest, and were enclosed in a cover and sent in the mail beg. Lord Canning is troubled with great disco and 'marriage inventors for the improvement of the Post ale'. "Crude, ill considered schema," says his lordship, "conceived in ignorance of the simplest details of the bold ness of the Postcffiee, or pilfered from inventions already well known, reach me in plenty, generally followed by pressing claims for remuneration." Cases of detested wholesale and retail robbery of newspapers before they are posted are mentioned In the report as having been athibuted to Poet-office delinquencies. The present staff of Bt. Martin's le-Grand consists of 2,600 persons. There are now nearly 6,000 more Poet offices in the United Kingdom than there were 16 years ago. Thhasil communication with the Isle of Wight, Isle of Mao, Scotland, Ireland, and the north of Eagland, and that ta the Clyde. has recently been, or is in program of being, im proved. Travelling poet oMess have just been istrodused into Inland. The Postmaster General still 000siders it best to leave the arrangements for the mail communication between Constantinople and the Crimea with Lord Raglan. Revisions, with improvements in the scales of salary, have t just been made at the Postnaces of Edinburgh, Dublin, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Bristol, though not yet carried Into area The encouragement which the Postmaster-General has gives to Ms subordinates to insure their lives has already led to 200 Insurances. The report ' intimates the probability of the pater, on newspapers and closed mails to and through Prato, from England, lying reduced, and that "so far as facilities for all intercourse by I pat can well, the intimate relation of England and Prance will be promoted,* the utmost" In 1740 there was only a post from Lades to Edinburgh three those a week, end oa ' are ocession the mail tam the English to the Bata metro , polls contained one letter. I. 1623 a mail containing ' despatches for the Secretary of State was seat by express from Plymouth to Louden in 67 hours: elates trains perform the distance sow in five ►ours. PATRIOTISM IN NBA •The patriotic spirit which animates the colonists 0 , New Brunswick, tad which was evideneed by the munidoence of the legislative vote in aid of the Patriotic Fluid, has sot abated. The pri vate sabecriptioas already received by the Liesteseet. Governor ammo to 3,0001., and at least 2,0001. more la easildendy ezpseted to bs dentin. Mortisp aratinse to he held in every tows sad village, sad eves is the beekwood esttlessets, a., which spirited resrlutioss are pasted, sad subsuiptioss paid to the Patriots Peed. But this is spiel!: Kr. Pesky, the gourrseseat emigration *Seer at 8t Jobe, has proposed to the execetive of the preview to great a million acres of its vaeast lands to the crows, to be appor tioned, at the teratinatios of the war, armies domain British soldiers sad militiamen, sad the widows and emboss of these who fell is the service, es audition of actual bottle nose. The propeshies was favourably received, sad a saes• mines ef the esseutive essaell boo the matter soder quasi dentists. The peewees et seinirisi laud is British Awe rice at the impleades at their term of 011/Ville will probably be a strew halsersesst to sassy to eslist,.ead the settlement of a badge mob Ines is the peeving; es a seed system, would be a gematesiveatege to New Brassy/1814 end meat* a tie Wines the obey sad Beglead that essld as,., be esurred. Tb. servile, of Mr. Perky is the week= if New Brasswielt bare just bees rewarded by his smokes* is the poeS of ifitherres Omemississer, seder the BsMeosellp Treaty, on the resommesdatios of the Goversir-Gemerral end Mr. ihempies. THE ARMY BEFORE SEBASTOPOL. would have hese very dedrahle if adequate attention mild have been paid to the matter. The Chairesee then read a estantanication relative to the supply and eoestructlon of the huts Mr the (WWII, by Messrs. Price sad Cotter, representing that they sent la their plans and speeilleatiOns to the anthoritioe, but received no communications for several weeks, and that when they applied to the Ordnance their plans and specifications were lost. and they were requested to furnish fresh ones. That the Duke afterwards ordered them, on his own personal re sponsibility, to sake the huts, bat that • peremptory order afterwards acne from the Ordnance telling them to step the works. That the Duke agile ordered them togo on on hie own verponsibility, and that the huts were finished and reached the Crimea only wt en they ceased to be wanted, and that thousands of men and horses were lost owing to the delay. The Dale—That statement, as is too often the awe, is a very highly-coloured ono in many respects, no doubt. I heard that the plane bad been Jost; but that the MR. ROEBUCK'S COMMITTEE. On the re-sesembliog of the committee yesterday, in pursuance of his appointment by the house, Captaia Gladstone took his seat at the committee table. His Orson the Doke of Newcastle was first examined by Lord Seymour in amplification of points in previous day's evidence, and said that on the breaking oat of the war he (the Duke) became immediately responsible to the public fur the persons who were appointed to commend ; mad although he thought that the selection of all officers for command is the army should be made I. the first instant:* by the Commaaderin•Cbief, be was of opinion that where it was summary to take the opinion of the Secretary of State, the Seeritary of State was the proper person to submit shoat appniniumints to her blajesty rata.; than the Clmmander•in•Chief. There was an iacongrui y is tits present arrangossant which was not to be found in any other political system. The division of the two departments of war and ordnance did not materially diminish nonce sent word to stop the works is trio. o,llrerentesof opinion atom se to the proper form of their constrnetnia, and the Ordnance sent to stay the works until that point wan determined; but that tne delay, which was only one of two or three days, entsiled disasters, he (the Doke) utterly decied. It wee true the huts 11,17iTOJ late in the Crimea, the amount of correepondiace. One Tay important change would be the concentration of the whole of the war departments under one building, and mane Cu, permanent head, as in the French system. This would provost th. perpetual correspondenee backwards and forwards, and enable the various heeds of departments to cansunicate with treater facility with one another, if the whole were slider one roof. He (the Duke) told Dr. Stabil that the ommisaariat would be responsible for the supply of stores and medical comforts ; but be authorised Dr. Smith to make purchases of them, end to suable him the better to do so allotted him a purveyor for the purpose. He thought that to give him a permanent power of expenditure in the medical departmert would be in expedient, and a proper responsiility was thrown upon him, but not an unlimited power. The an• but in ample time to save the troops from disaster. lie (the Duke) was not in the habit of contradicting th• thousand and one falsehoods that were frequently promul pled publicly, but the statement that Mown. Price and Co. did not supply the English government betore they had fu filled a similar contract with the French government. was altogether erroneous; the !al being. that the French did not contemplate placing their troops in huts, but only in the tents d'alori ' and until such time as :the Brithh huts were made, and he (the Duke) gave Messrs. Price and Co. a letter of introduction to the French Emperor with • view to their tarnishing a supply of them for the French army. He was not sure whether the decision that caused the delay arose with Sir Frederick Smith or the Ordnance and some farther delay arose in consequence of the break of gauge in conveying the buts from Gloucester to South amptoo. The smhessador at Constantinople wee required to supply information as to the fortress and force at Sebas topol, but did not. Admiral Dundee stated in a l etter to 's . - yr. see the War-affix what he believed to be the effective forme of _ . .... -• satisfactory state of the hospital at Scutari was first em,buteietn for manydidnottues oat tote cilat in co rrtth Russia irs.n C w r tit bad b brought to his grace's notice, though not officially. in the A u in .. the middle of the month of October. When complaints were Sobestopol—Mr. Upton, who, with his years road dent bad eon soner, but he did not know what became of him. He must made in the public press, and by private letter, be sent for infected a greater portion of the works—was taken pet. Dr. Smith, who ex; revved his iseredulity en the subject. .. ... ____,,_. officer ,_ supreme command _, positively contradict the statement that say propowl wall son ar ta 'n f e i medical d wume not the mesas o f corr 6 7: made through Admiral Dundee to the government to supply abases, and of placing the hospital In an efficieunti any e ach any l h in p f ro or po zna es ti on l was n mele ll tb ade e ambassador any would have state, it was his duty to report it to Lord Raglan. communicatedated it to the government et home ; bat no doubt He (the Duke) was convinced that to a considerable extent it was to be classed among moray other visionary scheme, of r tt a r o c i w to as some round g theyr onn w d e f r o e r e tk iag ese gen cio te m d p . lain i ts h , e b commandantbe had s uch, amongst others, as the taking of &beam I b be kind that were made to the ambeseador et the period— ballo..ns ; indeed, he believed that he (the Duke) had at y and too absurd to be communicated by the ambassador to of the hospital was responsible for everything, but no tom. least 100 suggestions of the sort, but they were too monstrous the government at boom. Salt pork and salt beet were plaints were made that distinctly implied that blame rested selected as the principal food of the army, of course because with the commandant. Steps were taken at • subsequent they could not always depend upon the supply of fresh period for sending oat another commandant, sad this was rdend for by th ib e e waggons and d zi e o ve d r e l l t a ll y in t p .o o k f only cancelled on its being ueertained that Lord Raglan meat. No doubt, when the men were suffering from drat had taken on himself to appoint Lord William Poole, tory, salt meat was the very wont Mod that could be gives whom Lord Raglan spoke of highly. The responsibility of authorising expenditure was conferred on. Lord Stratford them. ttnlin cont racts o pleas in the eontracta for the Miniii rifles, but gr d bosom he bad the mo th s of obtaining all requisite supplies occurred in the execution of th °comets O n e eat of t he from the Turkish government that others had not, his in- first subjects to which he turned his attent'on on becoming Santee being considerable, He could obtain things from Minister for War wee the supply of the Miele rifles end the Turkish government that be could sot obtain in the other small arms ; and in consequence of the delay in the manufacture of thee' she ordered 2.5,000 rifles to bis market ; and he had other facilities besides thine connected manufactured at Liege, ar w m hich had the effe ct, among others, with his position. It was not intended, however, that Lord of precluding the manufacturers there fro m latitude g a Stratford should penonelly interfere with the hospital, but large order for rifles for the Russian government, which wan th the should obtain everything that was requisite on the I'ven just after winless had ordered them teacake the 25,000 er the Esglieh troops. (A laugh.) representation end requirement of the medical autbori- rifles t By Lord Seymour—He found suck olffi ealtles getting Sal. It would not hive been a fair thing to have t h e bi r called upon an ambassador to attend to the wants of a smell elms, that he was obliged to go to Liege for them. hospital of 6,000 or 6,000 person*, but Lord Stratford was There was no department in which the w fermi" were more authorised to draw upon the government at home to any cumbersome then in the uedicel department; and we tied all the inconvenient* of the complicated and cumbrous amount of fends that might be requisite for the hospital. forms without any of the regularity which these f orms were When the expedition was preparing in August rm. Smith meant to ensure. iaioreted him that • large amount of accommodation, and By Mr. Roebuck—Generally speaking, as he had said on stores, and medial comforts, had been provided, in 'epee. the preceding day, he had no reason to complain of the sub. tattoo that the army could not enter the Crimea without ordinates of his department. They were all exoeediegly festive, lo ; but the system under which they worked was de mos great action. The necessary orders were sent by the and did not ensure that hearty coope r ation u with War-office, and if after the engagements at Alma sod the chief which was so highly desirable; fehmessan there was • waist of aceommodetion end sup. By Colonel Lindsay—Whoa parliament voted the money plies, he (the Doke) did not think that any blame attached for increasing the army, be was undoubtedly of e pinion that the bounty given to men entering the army would have to him in that respect ; though, generally speaking, he was been greatly increased. He thought the spekm of army rh dissatisfied with the organisation of the medical department, °Tu fti ng , t h roug h t h e militia, as at present condscted ' was de and of the ordnance , end of the commissariat, being under teeny*, and that many parts of the country were entirely the control of the Treasury. At an early period be anti. oeglaeted, and he had stated that opinion in the proper ciliated that the system of sea transport would be found quarter. lie was not very strongly of opinion, he must say, that it would have been desirable , ea the de aratioo of defective in its working in time of war, and he was con- war, to call out the whole of the old disembodies, mili tia. firmed in this opinion by the fact of the Admiralty having The bounty for the militia was need twice, once after the given it up, and he felt confident that in such • war as news of the ha the of Inks-raison strived in this country. this the NM treasport system would not work well unless it mu and mice before that, after the breaking out of the war. placed entirely under the mat moment of tbe Mininer of War. The militia, however, was not under his department. The . government had not the power to embody the militia unit The transport board would have to work for the Admiralty the act of parliament was pared, and that act did not receive as well as the War Department, and would have to convey the royal swat till the let May. notes and provisions for both the army and navy ; but as isy General Peel—The selection of Lord Rastas, and of the army was so much more depsedent on it, be thought two or three other general., were all submi- tad by hies to it ought to be under the Dews-910f the Minister of War, to the cabinet. He did not think it necessary to submit the whom it should be responsible He consulted Lord Her. names act several subsequent appointments; but all inn. dingo cad other militery •uthorities as to keeping up the portent metiers connected with the campaign were by him expeditionary form of 26,000 men first sent out to Turkey, po rtent either the no ti ce of the cabinet; and although, not merely ones, bet repeatedly. It had been frequently nomirmhy, he was the Wainer of War, every member of rid that there was no reserve, 'be fact being that Sir G. the cabinet shared with him the responsibility attaching tO C ethcart's division, of between 6,000 and 7,000, subst quently the direction of the war. sent ow, in reality formed a reserve ; and the War Depart- By Mr. Lays-re—There was rip meeting of the cabinet meet immediately set about preparing another reserve of , ill August, after the prorogation of Parliament, or in Sep 10,0P0 strong, a large portico of which consisted of ogi ten.ber, although that was an exceedingly important period menu celled from the colonies in January. The total num- of the campaign. There were one or two irdividual members ber landed on the 14th of September et Old Fort amounted of the cabinet shoat from Lonoon daring the whole of that t. 27 600 men, and it wee subsequently increased to between period ; bat be thought it was unfair to ask him who they 33,000 and 34,003 strong, and 1,100 ...airy, wbe• Lord were. Besides, if he endeavoured from his imperfect recol itaglan landed in the Crimea. Lord Herding. drew up a lection, to state exactly which of the eth.ost ministers were memorandum es to the reserves, and it was in con- absent from Loud. n during that period, he might run the sequence of a communication with him that the re risk of doing injustice to individuals. He himself never serves were made. In some instances Lord Reese'. left hie p oe t i n London, except for a very short time, despatches were not communicated to Lord liouinge, when he was called on to attend Prince Albert to the camp hut he (the Duke) always communicated to Lord Harding. at Boulogne. It would have been no doubt more [hoes despatches he thought it was desirable he demist egree..ble to himself if the whole of the cabinet ministers see ; end latterly be communicated to Lord Harding. not bad been in London during that time, and it would also only despatches but private letters. He was apprehensive have relieved him of some personal responsibility which of so many women being wet out with the army ; but the otherwise attached to him. He believed Sir James military authorities thought the soldier., being accustomed Graham remained at the Admiralty Curing the whole to a certain number for wa bias ant other purposes, would of the time in question, except when I e was visiting the be disaa`i-fled if they did not go with them. He believed oulPorlc, or when he was in attendance on the Queen at that is this Menthes fewer women went oat than had eirdi• Balm -cal. He necessarily undertook, on bit own personal airily been the case. It was impossible to have any flied responeibility,thveralliMMlTlS in reference tothe campaign idea as to the arrangements *teaser, for the wintering of when his colleagues in the cabinet were out of town. Had 'be army in the Crimes, so long as the result of the siege the events or the campaign, however, taken ouch a tore as of Sebastopol was unknown ; but admirable winter qu.r. to make it necessary to change the whole character of the tees, Sebastopol being takes might hews been bad in the cempaico , or to tak e any ocher important step, he should, meth of the Crimea, or the liosphonts, And he provided fur oleos++, have summoned the whole of his &Teague. to bosh coon- genefee. town by telegraph. He had already explained in his The Chairman—How did you provide for the contingency speech in the H- use of Lords, on the let of February, to of wintering in the Crimea ? what extent Lord John Russell communicated to the calif. The litike—lf they had taken Sebastopol, that Conan. net his opinions es to the mode in which the war was being rosy would have provided for itself. carried on, and he should not like to go into the matter The Chairman—Did you provide for the contingency of Maio. The army was well supplied with fresh meat up to not taking Sebastopol t—l nnnnn t say. the battle of lokerinann ; and after that, except f+ a &tort The Chairmen—Because that contingency has happened, Period, and that exception only applied to a portico of (A laugh.) the army, the troops had supplies of fresh meat The Duke—But that is not the contingency I allude to. as often as twin a went. Barring accidents by Prom the moment I apprehended that a winter campaign storm in. the have seek Boa , be thought ti s e army in the in the Crimea was inevitable, from that moment I made Criss -le ormolu have been supplied with a larger prop errion provision for the supply of warm clothing end ether things. of fresh meat. The formation of del Gli for live animals He (the Duke) was not aware that the efficiency of the must have been a work requiring much labour and iime, service was impaired by say forms or vouchers required is end when Colonel /damned° undertook the rood net of communications with Lord Raglan. Great complaints were the land transport he made the success of it to depend very made es to those conseeted with the commissariat, end he much on the establishment of such deport at interval. all appointed two officers to prepare new forms of • less Dorn- along the shores of the Black Sea. Wiverproof clothing Plirateed character than tbose that went out with the army. bad been supplied by himself to the troop. to a very large He thought the present system of audit, without reference extent; be thought that was done in September, and even to expenditure, was necessary, as ealcalated to check die. in August a number of waterproof watch cats had b e en honesty. There were inconvenieneies attaching to them, ordered by him for the sentinels. but he was afraid that if they were removed greet abuses Mr. Leyard was proceeding to interrogate his grace on would be introduced, and that the public would be et the the subject of army promotion, when, at the request of mercy of dishonest servants. The maps of operation sent Lord Seymour, the room was ordered to be cleared. Alm, from the Crimea were not so good as those drawn by th e an interval of nearly half an hour, the public were again French engineers; not for want of good Ines is the British admitted. engineering corps, which contained some of the first in the By Mr. Layard—He world ; but the fact was, the maps were lot well done; stripe's to Lord Hardioge on the subject of appointments in not because he supposed the government had expended a the army in the Crimes. but he hod expressed his opinion large sum is mapping during peace. The circumstance privately and verbally to his lordship on some of those ep os. to be debited to the Board of Ordnance, hut it was loointmetsts. Riot certainly no suggestion was made by him ° m u l a i r t o m 7 th a t the eye...cram officers were fully e h. to Lord Hardie:we in reference to any appoir.tment which see in the °penmen. of the siege ; and that it did not was not acted upon. Be would have tolerated such a arise from any deficiency of West in the corps. He (the thing. If his suggestions as Secretary for War had not Duke) hod recommended that the appointment of legal ad- been immediately ateended to he should have resigned his viser to the Ordnance should not be filled up ; bat +thee. office. His opinion was that the whole staff system of the uad, he [owed it necessary to withdraw the nommen army in this country was erroneous His belief was that d a d s .. H e was not a ware whether Lord E a gl et , sent an we ought to have • staff of the army something like that of officer to Lord Stratford to make afraegements with refs- the continental armies; without that the evils of the exist. reuse to supplies for the army ; bat Lord Raglan comma- iog system would be removed. He stated to Lord ideated with Lord S ratford on all requisite occasions. Al Harding@ at the time that he had cm tted to c insult him Roemer, steps were taken, by means of weereuitii.g mi d before appointing Lord LUC= to the command of the reserve, to maintain the army a effective strength, under cavalry brigade, but not in the way of remonstrance, that redaction by loss in beetle and disease. having been done inadvertently. Biz 3 . Balliegloo — Did you call the attention of govern. By Lord Seymour—He found on the 17th of November, ment to the necessity of embodying the militia ? War wee twelve days after the bottle of 'akin:Kann, there were in the declared on the 29th Diarth, but no bill was introduced Crimes trader sums—efileient, of course, and 'nerd. ducting seal the Ist of May. all the sick, absent end preeset-12,806; in °mem red end The Dake—Stepe were takes to embody the militia, to batmen, 4,647; and non-commissioned of c. re, 2,194: the 'Meat or 16,000 men, as soon es the act waspassed ; making • total of *Herne men, deductin g ail the WI, mbrsced every effective man, and ing' this amber was subsequently increased. There was 26.644. That • artillery, and infantry. That was the earliest no power thee to call out the Irish and Scotch militia, but eluded cavalry, return he could give the committee after the battle of an set was afterwards introduced. The despatches of Lord leglan were sot regularly communicated to Lord Hardier, Inkenisthe. The lowest state of the army was OR the 19th WO they were ossimuniested to hi see soon as th e eablset January, when the ° total effective force of all arms. inchoate' had NM them. The more 'tansies Wiese of organinition rank and fil e e nd gi _ cep _end_ Ison-commiesio , eal ipere, la Mae War Departments proposed by him as Minister or .ataaa"d ta 2 b. _U° the 3 fd v. ces 3l, r , •he t • . • at e •ctive Wee 11011 everraled by the cabinet. It was determined by force. including °moan end Dell'eleateissiosed officers, was the miliset that nothing should be dose beyond the opens 29,921. By Lord Seymour—He bad reason to believe considerable else elf the two secretaryship, and the removal of the Coen i _ ilideserist from the Treasury. It woeld have been of the advantage would be obtained by an 'lamination elf the greatest importance to the public service if those afran g e, French military system, and h from the aseisailation of our OM' had been made before the breaking out of the war, owe to tas much as 1 essi is. Some time ago, with t at view, he appointed a commission, composed of tires officers, hat be was of ordains that Use greatest difficulty and ap to Doke inquiries into the eubjeet upon the spot, and re poshesslos el mischief might be entertained if extensive eltemsdese were mods at a period when it was necessary believed those gentlemen had made their tenon-to his sac- OM ••illeybody to be wicking as bard as he amid. Although aeon, in office, Lord penmen , . resoden might be faulty, then memento when it was With this the examination of ' einalest preferable to onetime , for a short time • faulty three day., terminated, and this e rather than to adopt • bitter ego, which would take pa st three, half a itonew (ths houris day) earlier toe et three months er a Wager lime to let late gear.. It • clock half 1 1 , , 1 .. b I , i 1 i 1 i 1 Y 1 i 1 , (Us gram, which had lowed committee adjourned at beli- ef Ulan anal, until twe:,•