The Press. — London, England, 1856-01-12 00:00:00

says nothing. MAnumouou, whatever his faults, did not exhibit them to his soldiery. Lord CLIVE was, we believe, a gentleman by birth ; and if at one period of his life he was sneered at as a parvenu, it only shows that there were people then, as now, who knew not what his origin was. We must hasten, however, to assure our readers that we are far from being opposed to the educational movement which is at present going on in the army. English subalterns can no longer be permitted to enjoy an exclusive immunity from the small drudgeries of their profession, or to revel in au exclusive igno rance of its scientific requirements Why fhould not an o ffi cer in the army he examined or his promotion as well as an officer iu the navy? The Tittles has, long ago, set this part of the question in its proper light. Let us grant, it is said, that there are certain military qualities which no examination can elicit, — why should not the matt who passes a good examination be as likely to possess these as the man who doesn't? So far this is un answerable. All we demand is that candi dates shall be taken, as a rule, from such a class as will insure their possession, as far as it can be insured, of thoap other qualities which no schooling can confer. It is no use to blink the truth. The aristocracy have cer tain advantages, and why should not the na tion turn them to the best account? Our rural population will never follow any other class with the same enthusiasm as they will the gentry. Let it be the business of the latter to Wake themselves worthy of the senti thaent; let them study their profession, 41- stead of playing billisirds and flirting with pastry-cooks ; and they may yet despise all that the ignorance of bagmen, or the jealousy of a class which is not at ease in their society, can say to discredit them. THE ALLIED PROPOSITIONS. Independance Beige publisites the following as the telt of the proposition, submitted to Russia by Count Esterhazy I.—Trig DANWRIAN PiuNcsrat.russ. Complete abolition of the Russian protectorate. The Danubian principalities shall receive au organisation con formed to their w;.shes, their necessities, and their in terests; and this new organisation. respecting which the population itself shall be consulted. shall be recognised lc the contracting powers and sanctioned by the Sultan as ctuatiating from Ins Sovereign initiative. No State shall have power under any prete whatsoever, under any form of protectorate, to intermeddle in questions of the internal administration of the principalities. The latter will adopt a definite permanent system called fin by their geographi cal position, and no obstacle shall be interposed to prevent ;hew from fortifying their territory for their own security as they see fit against all foreign aggression. In erchange for the fortified positions and territory oc cupied the allied armies. Russia consents to a rectifica tion of her frontier with European Turkey. The Opontier will leave the environs of Cliotyn [in Bessarabia]. follow the line of t h e heights stretching in a south-east direction, and terminate at Lake Salyzk. The line of this rectitica tion shall be definitively regulated hr general treaty. and the conceded territory shidi return to the principalities and the suzerainty of the Porte. I I —TRX DAstan. The freedom of the Danube and of the months of the river shall be efficaciously assured by the institutions of European international law, in which the contracting towers shall be equally represented excepting the par icular poKitiona of owners of the soil on the banks, which *Jibe regulated upon the principles established respecting river navigation by the treat.' cf the Congress of Vienna. Each of the contracting powers shall have the right to station one or two light vessels at the mouths of the river, in order to insure the observance of the regulations relit. tire to the freedom of the Danube. 11L—SsurasrtsarioN OF THZ BLACK SzA. This sea shall be opened to merchant vessels; closed to ships of war. Consequently naval arsenals will neither be created nor preserved. The protection of the commercial and artrittme interests of all nations shall be assured in the respective ports in the Black Sea by the establishment of institutions conformed to international law and ancient usages iu this matter. The two coast-bordered powers mutualli engage to keep up only, the number of light vessels, of a stipulated strength, necessary for the coasting service. This convention, concluded separately between the two powers. shall form a part of the general treaty as an annex after having been approved of by the contracting parties. This separate convention shall neither be annulled nor modified without the assent of the sub scribers to the general treaty. The closing of the straits shall admit an exception in &your of the stationary vessels mentioned in the preceding article. - I.7II,IILCTS OF THZ PORTS. The immtunues of the Ilayah subjects of the Porte will be established without injury to the independence or the digoity of the Sultan's crown. As deliberations are taking }lace between Austria, France, °rest Britain, and the Sublime Pone, in order to assure to the Christian subjects of the Sultan their religious and political rights. Ittostia ttflabo invited, on the conclnalon of pekoe, to oefocias o with them. THE PRESS. Y.—The belligerent powers reserve the right which belongs to them to pmshice, in the interest of Europe, some special conditions besides the four guarantees. 1. PRrsorAurEs DANUIIIENNES. Abolition complete du protectorat Busse. Lea Princi pautes Danubiennes recerrout une organisation coufonne leurs Vtlelll, a leurs besoins, a lens interets, et cette nouvelle organisation, pour laquelle la population sera elle meme consultee, sera reconnue par les puissanoes contrite tames et sanctionee par le Sultan, comme inpatient de son initiative souvennue : Aucun Etat ne pourra, sous un pre texte queloonque, sous anemic forute de protectorat, s'itige roc dims les questions d'administ nit ion interienre des Principautes. Elles aaoptcront un systeme definitif, pea maneut, recleme par leur position geographique, et aucune entrave ne pourra etre mice a ce que, dans Pinteret de leer securite, elks fortitient, comma elles l'eutenarout, leur territoire contra toute aggression itrangere. En , Ichange des places fortes et territoires occupes par lea armees &Mies, la Russie consent a une rectification de sa frontiere avec la Turquie Etimpeenne. Elle partirait des environs de Cbotyn, suivrait la ligne des montagnes qui s'etena dans la direction Sud Eat et aboutirait au Lae Salyak. Le trace sera definitivemeut regle par le Waite general et le territoire concede retournerait aux Princi pantes et a la anzerainete de la Porte. DANUIRT.. La liberte du Danube et de sea embouchures, sera ealcaceineut assuree par des iustitutious Europeennee, dana lesquelles lea puissauces contractautes seront egade ment represeLtees, sant' lea positions particulieres des riveraios qui sermit reglees sur les principes etablis par l'acte du Congres de Vienne, en metiers de HAvigation Amide. Chacuno des puissance% coutractantes aura le droit de faire stationner un ou deux betiruents lagers aux embouchures du flcuve ,destines a assurer l'execution des reglements relatifs a la liberte an Danube. 3. MEtt NOIRE NECTRALISEE. Cette mer sera ottverte aux bailments marckands for. mee anx marines militairea. Par consequent, ii a'y sera cree ni conserve des useuaus militaires maritia►es. La protection des inttirets commerciaux et marinates de Mutes les nations sera assure dans les ports respectifs de la Mer Noire, par l'establissement dinstitutions confornies an droit international et aux usages eonsacres dans la metiers Lee deux pnissance riveraines s'engagent tuelktuent it n'y entretenir que le nombre de Inanimate legeTS, &use force determines neoeas►ir'es au service de leurs cotes. Cette convention conclue separement par ces deux puissances, fera psrtie comme annexe du traits general, apres avoir et° appronvee par les parties con tractantes. Cette convention xepe►ee ne pourra etre ni annulie ni modititie sans l'assentialeut ties signataires du nano general. La clUture du detroit &tinware l'excep tion applicable aux statiounaires mentionnes dans l'artiek precedent. 4. Porti.ArtoNs CIIRETIENNFS SIJETTES DE LA PORTE. Les immtmites des sujets rajas de la Porte seront cols secrets sans atteinte u l'indepenciance et it la diguite tie la couronoe du Susan. Pea deliberations avant lieu entre l'Autricbe, la Fiance, la Ornate Bretagne et la Sublime- Porte, &fin d'assurer aux sojets chretiens du Sultan lows droits religieux et politiques, la Bussie sera invitee, I Is pais. I s'y associer. 3, Les puissances belligerantes se reservent le davit qui leur appartient, de produire dans un interets Europeen, des conditions particulieres en sus des quatre prunes. Ctartslottbeittt. MIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION. TO TUE EDITOR OF "TIE PRESS." Sir,—Vull a year has, I believe, elapsed since I was indebted to you foe the adwission into your pages of a letter on the subject of the superannuation grievance. I now venture to request a similar favour at your bands, not for a repetition of what, your courtesy then permitted me to lay before your readers in evidence of the great initstice we suffer in having this enormous tax laid on our shoulders, which are othen‘ise as heavily laden as those of any other class of her Majesty's subjects—for it is now universally admitted that our complaint is a most reasonable one, and the wrong so real and pressing as to call for the application of an immediate remedy. It is to endeavour to indicate this remedy that I venture to again throw myself on your indulgence. It may not be amiss to premise, in a few words, of what our grievance consists. It, may be thus ex.- pressed : The Civil servants of the Crown who joined subsequently to the year 1829, numbering about 11,000, are subject, over and beyond the ordinary taxation of the country. to a direct tax of five per cent. if their salaries exceed 10(11. per annum, and, two and a half per cent. if under that amount. This tax is levied for the ostensible pur pose of providing a fund for the maintenance of such tew of us (about one in ten) as may chance to sur vive a few years after that period when by old age we shall be incapacitated. or by physical or mental infirmity unfitted, for the discharge of the duties of our respective offices. That this scale of deductions is so much in excess of the requirements of that abject that a sum of about 750.000/. has already passed to the Consolidated Fund from this source beyond what has sufficed to defray the amount granted in superannua tion ‘llowances to the contributors. And that the stela of pensions allowed to the contributors is cm anierably less than that granted to their fellow officers Nho entered the service prior to the year 1829 1 and who receive their salaries in full--gentle- SATURDAY, men occupying the same social position, performing like duties, and frequently seated at the same desk with ourselves. This is the head and front of our complaint. Now for the remedy, which iu my opinion may be easily discovered. Three words will express it. Repeat the act by virtue of which the injury is in flicted, and place us on the same footing in this respect as our brother-offiers who entered the service prior to l 8 9. Let the country pension its worn servants gratuitously, as do the Bank of England and the East India Company. This, sir, is, I appre hend, the course that sound and natural justice dictates, that that master whom we have faithfully served during the days of our youth and manhood shall, when the vigour of youth is passed and the energy of manhood expended, support us during the few short years that may yet remain for us to coat plete our earthly pilgrimage—a principle which already obtains in the case of Ministers of State, diplomatic officers, judges, &c., who receive also those " more s?iritual rewards " referred to by one who has always a kind word for the permanent servants of the Crown, in his beautiful speech of last session. But perhaps there may be still some few indi viduals who suppose the Crown rewards its servants so liberally when on duty as to enable them, with the exercise of common prudence, to provide for the necessities of old age—that., their summer being a season of wiinterrupted sunshine, it must be easy for them to make hay enough to meet the require ments of their short winter. To such 1 would com mend this one fact :—The Civil servants of the Crown number about 16,000, the average salary of whom is 1411. per annum, whilst that of the " under ten thousand" of these does not exceed 861. per annum ! This is no "srm-picture." Is it not diffi cult, even with the higher of these amounts, to provide for the daily wants of a family ! I can, trom practical experience, answer yes. My present salary is 1501., nominally, or about six per cent. above the average; but of this sum only 134 Ss. reach my pocket, the remainder being deducted for income tax, superannuation fund, &c. My house-stet, taxes, and rates amount to the odd 321., leaving just 1001 a year, or ss. Od. per day, for the support of a wife and six children—not sufficient to provide us in food alone ; and as regards education, clothing, .te., if I were not in a position to defray those necessary expenses from a private source, the former most have been procured, with a thousand evil habits, at the national school, and the latter have been so scanty as to have reduced my children's outward appearance to a level with those wham they would they have had for schoolfellows. What an enviable condition must be that of the great hulk of her Mwiesty's Civil servants, whose salaries average only 8411. a year! And still the writers in the leading journal and others are quite shocked to find that some of the candidates for public employment cannot pass an examination—(a subject about which a great deal of misconception exists in the minds of many people, and on which I should much like to say a few words. but must forbear, lest the length of my letter should exclude it from your columns). Let the service be dealt justly with, and this complaint will no longer be heard, To permit the great bulk of those who are intrusted with the collection of millions of public money to have a just cause of complaint—to let their representations to the higher powers produce no mitigation of the evil, but be met with empty pro mis-N, and when the time for action arrives, and their expectations are raised to the highest pitch, to see the consideration of their cases put off again and again by the Minister, as was the case last session of Parliament, until it was too late for any other member to attempt to legislate upon the subject — is to act a dangerous part. I would entreat public men to bear in mind that a growing discontent has already been produced by this, treatment. The leader of the party that sits opposite the Ministry stated, the last time this question was referred to in the House of Commons, that hat not Sir G. C. Lewis promised to introduce a bill on the subject, one would have been brought in by one of his friends. I hope next session he will act on that announce ment, and produce s measure conceived in as generous a spirit as bps always distinguished Mr. Disraeli's observations on the permanent servants of the Crown. and thus remove that discontented feel ing which. if allowed much longer to exist, may n. t unnaturally ripen into something near akin to dis loyalty in those who are intrusted with the collection of that revenue on which so much, of this couutry's greatness depends, and who, notwithstanding the sneers of a portion of the newspapers and some of the public men of the day. are possessed of as much information and integrity, are as loyal, intelligent , and efficient as any body f men with whom they are ever brought into contact. An'l are they not as " true and just in all their dealings " as the conductors of the great railway and other joint_stock companies, the banking and mercantile establishments of ttis country am, air, your much obliged and very humble servant, Aft OFITCXII Of U.M. CUSToIiS. New Year's-day, 1850.