The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-03 00:00:00

IMP N MARCH 3,1855. Vrocabings i arliamott. MANAGEMENT OF THE WAR. A debate in the Lower House took place on Monday on the motion for going into a committee of supply. It was of a desultory kind, and brought out no new fact. It was commenced by Mr. LINDSAY, who de tailed the arrangements by which the French Minister of War made himself acquainted with the minutest circumstance of the position, requirements, and state of his army. He thought that seven mil lions was an enormous sum to be asked for the transport service, in which he criticised; many of the existing arrangements. Mr. ALcocx wanted an appeal to nationalities. We had done nothing in Asia Minor, in Persia, in Sweden, in Poland, or even in Austria. Mr. BAILLIE, referring to the confusion in the transport and clothing services, thought that it was not to be corrected unless the civilian Secretary for War was assisted by a board of military men. These and some further statements on the same subject brought from Mr. PEEL an account of the measures the Government were now taking to or ganise the transport and clothing services, in which he stated his belief that the soldiers would be well provided. He added, in reply to an allusion to the medicine stores, that he believed the quantity in store to be most ample. The conversation then continued on the subject of the staff appointments and the reduction in the army of late years, without which, Mr. WILLIAMS argued, we should not now have been in the position of bear ing the expense of a war at all. This subject was turned by Lord HOTRAM to that of promotion of seniority in the higher grades of the a-my. It WAS understood, he said, that the principle o!' merit was to be allowed to prevail to some extent, and last year a royal commission advised her Majesty to accelerate the promotion of officers who in the then state of things would never arrive at command. In consequence, a warrant was issued, but it was of a very limited kind, providing a certain length of service before the rank of general was at tained. Nothing was done to amend the qualifica tions for staff appointments, which should be re garded as a reward for superior talent. Mr. PEEL explained that the warrant went further, and allowed lieutenant-colonels to become colonels without a brevet, and to have charge of a di vision. Mr. G. DuNnss detailed his own experience of the confusion in the Crimea, especially in the matter of forage, a subject which Mr. Layard had broached be fore him. Ample supplies were lying on the shore while the horses were starving a mile off. Large supplies of vegetables were on board, and only ob tained when the men got leave to go and fetch them. He gave a long list of the shortcomings of the officials on the spot, and the many items of their mismanage ment, stating that whatever blame might attach to the authorities at home, very much was due to those in the Crimea. The rest of the debate turned on small facts, only enlivened by Mr. A. STAFFORD, who offered to take Mr. Sidney Herbert, now he was released from the duties of office, with him to the Crimea, to see and judge for himself. PROMOTION IN THE ARMY. Almost the entire sitting on Thursday was occu pied by this subject, originated by Lord GODERICH, who moved an address to her Majesty, setting forth that the present system is injurious to the public service and unjust to the private soldier. Setting out on the principle that merit ought to be the true qualification for promotion, he argued that merit in the private soldier had no chance ; that between him and the officers a great gulf existed, and instanced the paucity of cases in which private soldiers had re ceived commission, the proportion being a very small one even during the present war. He adverted to the open system pursued in France, with its great results, and said that the present was a most fitting opportunity for remodelling the system. He asked for " a fair field and no favour," and insisted on the high qualities exhibited by the soldiers in the _ . ‘. Crimea. Mr. PEEL opposed the motion, arguing that the present system produced a class of officers of the highest order of merit who could bear the palm from any army in Europe. As to the private soldiers, they enlisted voluntarily, and could not complain. A system of purchase could not coexist with a system of non-purchase. To bring about the object we must annihilate our present arrangement. He re ferred to the civil duties which our officers had to perform in the colonies, and said that promotions from the ranks were not so rare as was supposed. In the discussion which followed, Lord Lovaine, Sir J. Walsh, Lord Seymour, and Lord Eleho, apposed the motion, saying that we must either have the system of purchase or that of favoritism; that merit was not discernible in times of peace, and that THE PRESS. general promotion from the ranks was under present circumstances simp ly impossible. Mr. Otway, Mr. Warner, Captain Scobell, and Mr. J. Ball took part with the bill, disclaiming against purchase, and urging that superior inducements should be held out to soldiers to enlist and to distin guish themselves. In this view they were fol lowed by Sir DE 1.44cy Eviars, who was indignant that men who had purchased their commissions should be sent to the Crimea, denounced the system as corrupt and disgraceful, and bore testimony to the high and im proved character of the soldier, who had no incite ment at present to zeal or ambition. Mr. S. HERBERT said that so far from being aria tocratic the profession of arms was the most demo cratic we had. He approved of promotion from the ranks, saying at the same time that it did not follow a good non-commissioned officer must be a good commissioned officer. The object was to provide the best officer that could be found. He had with this view established a system of taste. There was much to be said against purchase, but there were advan tages on the other side which should be duly weighed. The system of rewarding merit was the one which he moat approved, but he could not deny that in its application it would be open to great abuse. Lord PALMERSTON said that 80 far from the actual system being unfavorable to recruiting, it never went on so favorably as at present. If we had not to create a system we should not create that of pur chase, but it was established, and could not be altered without grave inconvenience. It bad its advantages by inducing men of advanced age to quit the service. Admitting that promotion from the ranks was desirable, he argued that many excellent soldiers were unfit to become officers from their habits of mind as well as difficulties of position. The Government bad the subject under their serious attention. They were anxious to give commissions to all who were fitted for them, and he begged the house to leave it in their hands. The motion was lost by 158 to 114. THANKS TO THE COLONIES. The Earl of CARNIRYON, on Thursday, demanded if the Government intended to propose a parlia mentary vote of thanks to the sympathy shown by the colonies with the country in the present war. Earl GRANVILLE said that the Government had forwarded very strong acknowledgments, but that they thought it premature to decide upon parlia mentary vote. Earl GREY thought that they ought to decide that a parliamentary vote was an innovation which would lead to great inconvenience, as passing by the Crown, and establishing the principle of direct communica tion between the colonies and Parliament. The Earl of DERBY took the same view, saying that the colonial Legislature never were in the same position now as that of Ireland before the Union, and that all direct communication between the Legis lature at home and those abroad would be fraught with danger. He blamed the Government for having received coldly the offer of men from the colonies — we might have had two or three regiments, whose intercourse with our own soldiers would strengthen the bonds between ourselves and our colonies. As for the vote of thanks, he thought that the Govern ment, in thanking the colonial Legislature, might expect how warmly Parliament concurred in such thanks, and for that reason he was glad the debate had been opened. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE denied that the Go vernment had shewn any coldness toward the offer of men from the colonies, for which object propositions were now entertained. To the vote of thanks, the Government had simply said that they thought it premature to decide. He admitted the inconvenience of the precedent, saying, that if we now interfere to praise, we might hereafter have to interfere to blame. It should be remembered that the war was undertaken for the interest of the colonies as well as our own. He admitted the inexpedience of the parliamentary vote. For the same subject in the Commons, Sir G. GREY read a similar statement to that of Earl Granville, that the Government thought it inexpe dient to come to a decision. COMMAND OF THE TURKISH LEGION. The Earl of ELLENBOROUCM on Tuesday raised a discussion as to the merits of General Vivian, who was to have the command of this legion. He had no objection personally to the gallant officer—of whom he knew nothing—but did notthink that his previous position fitted him for the office. The commander should have three qualifications—a high reputation, a position which would give him personal acquaint ance with the services of the officers, and experience in the command of an irregular force. None of these General Vivian appeared to possess : as an officer of the Madras army he could have no opportunity of much experience in active service, and had had no distinctions conferred upon yin. He thought that letters should have been written to the Governor- General of India, requesting his advice as to the se lection of the fittest person for so important a post. Lord PANMURE said that he could not affirm pre cisely that General Vivian was appointed, as he had not yet received the reply of that gallant officer, but he had himself quite made up his mind as to the policy of that appointment. General Vivian had tiled the responsible post of adjutant general of the Madras ai my, throughout life he had given proofs of courage and ability, and, since the rumour of his ap pointment, very numerous applications had been re ceived from Indian officers anxious to take service under him. Referring to a question put by the noble earl, Lord Panmure said that there was no intention of sending an officer to the Crimea to see and report —they would wait the result of the steps they had lately taken with regard to the staff. Lord VIvIAN read extracts from letters of persons high iu office in India, giving the highest character to General Vivian, who had not solicited the appoint. went, nor was aware of it till it came before the public. MR. KENNEDY. Almost the entire sitting of the Commons on Tues day was occupied by a discussion respecting this gentleman, for an inquiry into the circumstances of whose dismissal a select committee was moved for by Sir J. Susm.ex. The facts of the case have been often before the public, and may be briefly restated from Sir J. Shelley's own words. Subsequently to the appointment of Lord Duncan's committee upon the management of Woods and Forests in 1848, Lord J. Russell had felt the conduct of that department to have been so much damaged in public estimation, that it was desirable to procure for its improvement, and in order to purge it of jobbery, the services of some able public servant. Mr. Kennedy bad filled a Government office in Ireland, the duties of which he bad discharged for ten years with the utmost credit to himself. Mr. Kennedy, after his appointment to the Woods and Forests, had thought it his duty to endeavour to introduce considerable improvements in its management ; and theflrst subject of complaint which had struck him was that the gentlemen who bad tosct'under him knew nothing for the most part of rural affairs. That such a complaint should be well founded could not appear improbable to any one who knew how appointments were made in our public offices, without reference to the qualifications or the previous pursuits of the holders. The first case into which Mr. Kennedy had felt it his duty to inquire was the state of Chogwell Forest, in the county of Dur ham, and he had sent Mr. Browne,a gentleman fully qualified for the task, to make a report to him upon that subject. At that early stage of his labours his differences with the Treasury had commenced ; for they had thought proper to disapprove of the ap pointment of Mr. Browne without their consent. Other differences arose from the interference of Mr. Browne with those already in the management of the forests; disputes arose, which ultimately led to Mr. Kennedy's dismissal. Mr. Kennedy protested against the treatment to which he had been subjected ; a lengthened correspondence ensued, much of which VMS read by the hon. member ; and Mr Kennedy now demanded a fair and impartial empanel of members of the house. He had been dismissed, not for the reasons assigned, but because he had displayed too much zeal for the public service, and had become a nuisance to persons in office. Mr. GLADSTONE met the charge, first by assuming all the responsibility, part of which had been at tempted to be cast upon Mr. Secretary Wilson, and secondly by asking if Sir J. Shelley would reduce to writing the charges against him, make them tangible and intelligible, and if he proved them he, Mr. Glad stone, would at once consent to the committee. As Sir J. Shelley declined this, Mr. Gladstone charged him with deserting his own statements. Mr. Kennedy's management of the Forests had appeared injudicious, not merely to him, but by three gentlemen specially appointed by the Treasury to inquire into the facts. He had dismissed Mr. Kennedy ; that gentleman had appealed to Lord Aberdeen, and Lord Aberdeen had concurred in the dismissal. It was absurd to sup pose that the whole Cabinet had entered into the details. He denied that there was any irregularity in the case, and protested against the assumption that Mr. Kennedy was dismissed because he V 711.4 over-zealous. The Ministers of the Crown were responsible for the acts of their subordi nates, and they could not submit to have their con duct towards them controlled by the House of Com mons without a cornpletedisorganisation of the public service. He summed up the reasons which had in duced him to dismiss Mr. Kennedy thus—first, be cause he, as a Minister of the Crown, after his experience of Mr. Kennedy's views of public duty, would not be responsible for that gentleman's pro ceedings; secondly, because circumstances -had occurred in Mr. Kennedy's department necessarily destructive of his authonty ; and, thirdly, because, in his opinion, the inferior servants of the public under Mr. Kennedy had a r i g htto be dealt with upon principles of justice. He referred to several prece a dents, and said thatthe Ministers were constantly con- i