The Sun. — London, England, 1855-03-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY _EV:P.I44N Cit, MA ft CH 28. 18556 If the war were successful, it would tend to riveb the fet ters on one of the most oppressed nationalities in the world. (Hear, hear.) Viscount PALMERSTON—I cannot concur in the ob servations which have been made by the noble lord whe has just sat down, and who has compared the progress of the Bri tish arms in different parts of the world with that transac tion which has obtained the reprobation of all Europe— the different partitions of the independent kingdom of Poland. The conquests which we have made have been made against a great and powerful enemy—theyhavo been in wars that have been undertaken for our own defence, and in vindication of the liberty and independence of na tions. (Hear.) Some of the conquests we made from the enemy we kept ; some of them we gave up ; but to talk of the nationality of 'conquered colonies taken either from France or Holland, or from any other power with which we were engaged in war, is really a total misapplication of the word. (Hear.) Again, in regard to India, so far from our conquests there being attended with the oppression of nationalities, I believe that any man who knows anything of the interior of India, and the comparative modes of ad ministration of our Government and those of the native princes whose territories have been acquired in the pro gress of war, must admit that, so far as the inhabitants of these countries are concerned, it has been a blessing to them to be relieved from the tyranny of some of those native chiefs under whose oppression they had previously groaned. (Hear.) With regard to the motion itself of my hon. and learned friend, I perfectly agree with the.ob servation with which ho commenced his speech—namely, there is no reason—there is no policy—there is no good sense—in any man who will endeavour or wish to shut out this house from the fullest discussion of diplomatic and international questions. (Hear.) lam perfectly ready to agree with him that those discussions, when con ducted with temper and moderation, and illustrated by that range of knowledge which has distinguishM the speech of my hon. and learned friend, must tend to good instead of being accompanied by public mischief. (Hear.) But with regard to this motion, it is not my inten tieu to go at length into those topics which my hon. and learned friend had discussed. I hope that no man will suppose that her Majesty's Government differ in opinion with him as to the violation. of public right, and the vio lation of moral law, which was comrnitted.when those dif ferent partitions of Poland took place in past times. (Hear.) I do not differ with him also in opinion as to the policy of the course the Government of Austria at that time pur sue 1. (Hear.) It is perfectly demonstrable that neither with regard to Austria or Prussia was any adequate com pensation of interests acquired to counterbalance the blow that was inflicted upon the moral principle by that spolia tion in which they allowed themselves to be made parties. (Hear.) Bu§ with regard to the practical motion now be.- fore us, the house must see what the tendency and natural consequence of agreeing to such a motion must be. (Hear, hear.) I bold, in the first place, it is not advisable for this house to dictate to the Executive Government what course it is to pursue in regard to negotiations pendi ng upon matters of deep national interest. (Hear, hear.) It is impossible for the House of Commons to be in possession of all those various considerations noon the bearin gs o f which must depend the expediency of this or that demand —of this or that. condition in the negotiations for peace. (Hear, beer.) This balance of considerations must depend upon information which the Executive Government can alone peaces; and it is for the Executive' Government, when it has advised the Crown to conclude an arrange ment or break off an arrangement, to show to the house that there were sufficient grounds either ono way or the other —either fur the conclusion of peace or the refusal of the conditions which the Government has thought it necessary to reject. (Hear.) But the motion of my hon. friend I take to be chiefly made for the purpose of enabling him to express in the detailed form he has expressed them, his sentiments upon the general question of the partition or possible restoration of Poland. (Hear.) But the motion itself is one which—even if it were in principle desirable and proper that this house should dictate to Government the specific condition upon which they should negotiate for peace—the house should be very slow, and careful, and can teen to admit ; for what are the words which my hon. and learned friend proposes to pot into the mouth of the house. They are these —" That the restoration of Poland within its ancient halite is necessary, and is absolutely essen tial to the balance of power in Europe." If the house were to adopt that opinion, and to carry that opinion by an 'ad dress to the foot of the throne, that resolution ought not to atop where it does. My hon. and learned friend ought to propose that it should go on to say that the house should enable her Majesty to carry on the war until she had ac complished this object, which the house thus declared to be absolutely necessary and essential for the welfare and interest of Europe. (Hear, hear.) Therefore I think that, on general grounds of ixpediency and of propriety as well as with regard to the particular words of the motion, it is impossible for the house to consent to concur in the pro posal of my hon. and learned friend. (Hear, hear.) It is well known that the Government of this country has, in conjunction with the Government of France, and in connection with the Government of Austria, agreed to enter into negotiations with the Government of Russia, on the arrangement which is generally known under the denomination of the four points; but the restoration of Poland does not enter among those four points. (Hear.) I thick the house wouldnot deem it expedient(considering the great difficulties which there may be found to exist in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion of the war even upon the conditions comprised in those four points) to add to those difficulties by declaring it to be absolutely necessary to restore—what ? Not merely to detach the kingdom of Poland, or the former Duchy of Warsaw, from that con nection with Russia that was established by the treaty of Vienna, but my hon. and learned friend goes on to say— to re-establish Poland in its ancient limits, and to wrest from Russia provinces which for a great length of years have been incorporated in, and formed an integral part of, the body and frame of the Russian Empire. (Hear.) I doubt very much whether the house would agree to im pose such a condition upon Government as being essentially and absolutely necessary. (Hear.) The war was undertaken for the protection of. Turkey against the aggression and in vasion of Russia. That was the immediate danger, and the Government thought that the object was of sufficient im portance to justify them in calling upon the country to furnish them with the means of endeavouring to assert in that respect the principles of international law. (Hear.) Government thought - there was an interest of Great Bri tain sufficiently important involved in that question which justified a recourse to arms. (Hear.) The question of Po land (the importance and interest of which to Germany, and throtigh Germany to Europe, and through European interests to this country, I do not wish to underrate) is a question not of yesterday or the day before—not of this year or that Tear—but is dated, as my hon. and learned friend's historical narrative shows, from a former, earlier, and more remote period. (Hear, hear.) That is not the danger that has suddenly or recently grown upon the world, and enters not into the motives that justified and required the present appeal to arms, and therefore I think the house will net be disposed to require imperatively of her Majesty's Government that they should mix up that question with the negotiations now pending. (Hear, hear.) Whatever may be the feelings and opinions which English men must necessarily entertain on the general question of Poland, I should be verycnnwilliog in anything I might say on this general question to enter into a discussion that might have the least effect upon the negotiations which are now pending. I trust tho house will forgive me, therefore, if I do not follow nay hon. and learned friend through that question, which he has so ably and fully discussed. (Hoar, hear.) I confine myself, therefore, simply to saying that it is impossible, in my °melon, for the house to agree to the resolution he has proposed, be cause it would lead to objectionable consequences in re gard to the continuance of hostilities, by the introduction of an object which it might be out of (the power of any means England could supply to obtain. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, to agree to the address would bo highly inexpedient, and at variance with the interests of the country. (Hear, hear.) Ido net, therefore, fool myself at liberty to agree to the motion of my honourable and learned friend, and. I trust that my honourable and learned friend, having satisfied the feelings of his mind— (laughter)—by the speech which we have listened to with great pleasure—admiring, as we do, the ability with which he has placed upon record the sentiments that animate him on this subject will not put the house to the necessity of a division, the effect of which might be misconstrued. (Hear.),lf the house should negative the proposal upou the grounds I have stated as an objection to it, that negative might he miseonstrued as implying a difference of opinion with him on the abstract question of justice —a difference which I am persuaded would not bs found to exist in the mill': 3of members of this house. (Hear, hear.) Mr. PHINN, after the appeal made to him by the noble lord, would withdraw the motion, but must protest against the suggestion of the noble lord that he had brought for ward the questton from the wish to make a speech. The motion was withdrawn. PROMOTION IN THE ARMY. Major REED rose, pursuant to notice, to move for a select committee to inquire into the present mode of conferring ap pointments in the army (by purchase or otherwise), to report on the name, and recommend a more efficient system of se curing promotion to merit and long service. He believed that the present system of promotion was pernicious to the service and unjust to the private soldier, as well as to - the poor and efficient of f icer who was not in a position to pay the immense sum that was demanded to secure his promotion from step to step. (Hear.) Ho held in his hand a copy of the rules by which the British army was governed, and bogged to call attention to th e 20th rule, which had reference to the Purchase of commissions. In that rule regulations were laid down for the sale and purchase of comm i ss i ons, and it was declared th a t any cer who violated th ose ru l es should be cashiered, and that any agent who assisted iu the - violation of them should be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour. Wash not an acknovrlaendrhdonfart,rozever that the Queen's regulations were daily but through, with, be was not pre pared to say the sanertion,He t the knowledge of the Horse Guards. (Hen. hear.) the service throw n ranks in ()was desirous to see the highest waspnenotto merit and long service ; viso,, preparedfroi to say that pro but at the same time he tak, motions should solely with communicationsmont the ranks. He had or two cases to she Sthibeileieltj but he been inundated should only refer to one the system of promotion in it3ClifOap_laer4OfatioCen; N7llll:hwjuublsedtaiureee.lfeolf. who might bepa. in the first instance to the c L as i the service pointed colonel of the 13th el.adnonl most gallant fellow, but Who n for nineteen years. The 13th Liethtylnbteaenntri; had served through all the Affghanistan war, and here heitr,e though n,a. of f ve l d 9 years' standing appointed to command, m . the sens or e ware ervice, ea . two majors in it of 24 and 20 years tain was an officer of 26 years' service, and the seTchorsena‘ini:l third captains were officers of 24 major had served in the campaign Jellalabad, had 22 actions, was engaged in the defence of yoefaArs;gsheravnistan, he was in three medals, and was once severely wounded. The second major was in the same c ampaign, was in Ghuznee, andin six actions, ff and had one medal. The senior captain was in A ghauist an and in Ghuznse in 19 actions, and had three medals, and was twice severely wounded. The next captain was in Affghanistan, Ghuznee, Jellalabad, in 15 actions, and had three medals. The third captain was on the staff of General Sale, was at Jellalabad, had three medals, was twice wounded, bad two horses shot under him, and was in 22 actions. (Hear, hear.) In the 95th Regiment there was an officer of the name of George Brown, who entered the army at the ago of 14 as a private soldier in the year 1827. He was gazetted on the 16th May, 1851, as an ensign, and left England as lieutenant and adjutant, and proceeded with his regiment to Scutari and Varna. Hawing become ill, he obtained two months' sick leave, but having recovered before the expira tion of a month, he got leave to join his regiment, and accompanied it to the Crimea. He was present at Alma, at Balaklava, and at Inkerman ; he commanded fifty two men, of whom twenty-four were killed or wounded. The promotion of Captain Denie created a vacancy, and Lord Raglan recommended Lieutenant Brown, but the Horse Guards filled up the vacancy from the half-pay list. The newly appointed captain retired in a short time afterwards, and was succeeded by another officer, who, though he was the junior in point of service of Lieutenant Brown, obtained the step over him by purchase. (Hear, hear.) He had ;mother communication from the country, calling his attention to a ease in the 63d Regiment. A captaincy became vacant, the sytem of purchase was not without numerous and he which in justice ought to have been given to the senior lieu- would bay beneficial exceptions. Ho trusted the house tenant, Christopher Maguey, who had been promoted to his wonlc not disturb the arrangement recommended by the lieutenantcy in March, 1852, and subsequently went out with comsission of last year. He had long been an advocate for his regiment to the Crimea, and endured all the fatigues and exarraation, both for admission into the army in the first hardships of the siege of Sebastopol. But instead of this instate, and for promotion ono or two grades afterwards ; officer receiving the boon he had so well deserved, an officer but is was constrained to add that the system of examine had been promoted over his head from the half-par, in Jan., Cm, as hitherto conducted, had been a perfect humbug. 1855. Another gentleman who had retired from the service 113 Inew one person who had been refused a commission be in disgust, wrote to him that he had euterel the 54th Regi- exist he was not a proficient in French. It was very easy to meat as ensign in 1829, and it was not until 1841, after twelve rezognise and reward merit in a time of war ; but it would and a half years'service,duringwhichhehadseenmanypromot- be extremely difficult to do so in a time of peace. At all ed over his head, that ha became senior lieutenant bypurchase. prods it would be easy to ascertain the literary merits of After seventeen years ho obtained a captaincy without pur- as dicer; but a man might be a good scholar and yet be chase, and finally retired on the brevet of 1854, in which he tolaly deficient in all those qualities which were essential in was not included. He contended that the system of purchase enable and efficient officer. But be that as it might, he did Ras injurious to the service, and unfair to the soldier, but no think there was any incompatibility between the systems what he most complained of was the system of paying large of rirchase arid of merit, and he was strongly impressed with sums over the regulation prices. Unless the individual who tleconvietion that a judicious combination of the two would wished to purchase was ready to do this, he must be befound advantageous both to the service and the country content to see his comrades turn the cold shoulder to him, goerally. as stopping promotion in the regiment. The historian Alison, jelonel NORTH said the hon. •and gallant member Who in speaking of the comparative state of the French and English leered the resolution had been rather nufair towards Lord as mies in the Peninsular war, expressed an opinion that the Iluclinge in connection with the case of Lieut. Brown, of the system of promotion by merit, and the consequent certainty 9ai, recommended for promotion by Lord Raglan. The truth of advance in life to the individuals obtaining it, at once kept me that the recommendation had arrived at the Horse alive the military spirit and insured the inestimable advan- thirds too late, but Lord Herclinee had intimated to the tage of tried valour and skill among all the officers in the Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea that Lieut. Brown would field, on whom the efficiency of an army must at all times de- lepromoted at the earliest convenient opportunity. He was pond. This was the system on which the French army was or- gird to say that the relations existing between the officers of ganised in the revolutionary war, whereas in the English army the army and the private soldiers were of the most gratifying the officers were separated from the soldiersby an almost dun_ &tweeter, and he, should be exceedingly sorry to see them passable line. It was pretendeclthat under the system of per- die:abed in any way -whatever. With respect to the system chase it was a great boon to the sergeant who was promoted of promotion by purchase, he could not agree in the re to be a commissioned officer, to obtain the price of the corn- necks which had been made by the hon, and gallant member mission on selling out ; but the truth was that the Horse fat Westminster, and ho did not think that if the system of Guards were not so ready to allow persons to realise. He remotion by merit were established tomorrow the beet offi knew a case of an officer who had served 20 years in India em would, in even the majority of cas:s, be elevated to the who came bank to England in an indifferent state of health, eieher ranks in the army. and whose request to be allowed to sell out was denied by Mr. W. WILLIAMS sa id it was a cur i ous an d s i gn ifi can t the Horse Guards, because, they said, they knew his health fat that all the members of the staff in the Crimea had been was in such a delicate state that he must soon die, and his rezommen led for promotion, whereas the men who had commission would fall in. This might seem almost incredible, `tight the battles had been entirely overlooked. That but he was in possession of the name and allthe circumstances. via the system of which lie complained. What they He must condemn with equal earnestness the system of 'wanted was, that which-should be found most qualified to favouritism which pervaded all the appointments of the :)romote the efficiency of the army. If it should be found army. First, as to the staff officers, who ought to have ;hat the system of promotion by purchase was the most a perfect knowledge of their profession, because they were fitted for the promotion of that object, then let that system entrusted with the orders of the general in corn- continue in operation. ' What the country complained of mand, their a ppointment at present really depended on the was, that it was only the men of rank, of connection, and of length of their purse or the closeness of the affinity they interest, who had the good fortune to obtain advancement could trace to the commander-in-chief or the general officer to in the army. The gallantry of those men was undisputed ; whom they were attached. With respect to the meei e al de- their gallantry was equal to other men's, and other men's was partment late occurrences had shown the great deficiency of eaaal to theirs—(hear)—but, unless the existing system were medical skill in the Crimea. Many of the medical men had changed, dissatisfaction would go on ripening in the country, b st e u e i l o w nts ork to ed ta t k o e irdetahteh, placed Anotherd e nowtherw sending o ieprent,on i which h outrawe, till the antler would become unpopular—a result which no one iesired to see. need not dwell, was the miserably inefficient state of the corn- Col. LINDSAY wished to correct a misstatement that had nnesariat. lie wished for a commiVee to decide wLether the teen made. In the Guards 4,800 f. was paid for a lieutenant "ve,ernwas • . s. a-e injurious or not. His belief was that unless the colonelcy ; the price in the line was 4,0031. system of military administration was properly investigate d Colonel KNOX rose to make some remarks on the subject and thoroughly reformed, there would arise an expression of cf the promotion given to staff officers after the battle of the voice of public opinion to which it would be necessary for f Inkerman, and he should for once be obliged to ogres with' Government to, give attention. . the hnnougablc member for Lambeth. (Hear, hear.) The re- . . . Captain SCOBELL seconded the motion. They had seen in turn of tpOS3 promotions neeeed little or no comme,ut from a the present campaign a flue and gallant army melting away military man like himself--(Hear, hear)—it was a most sur miler the disasters which had overtaken it. He did not want prising return, for it was known that many of the officers to pronounce whether the cause of those disasters was the promoted were not in action or under fire on that occasion at improper distribution of patronage or not ; but one fact was all. (Hear.) The offiners promoted for being senior amounted undeniable, that there were many colonels and majors in the to 25 ; those promoted for being staff officers were 54. (Hear ) army who were far the juniors of others serving under them; He made these remarks from no bad feeling towards any and it was not likely that inexperienced men were compe I officer in the Crimea. Than there were four junior major tent to be the leaders of those who had seen much service, generals to whom regiments were given, a step which, with TJnder the p resen t s y s t em comm i ss i ons were, i n fact, put up a ll d uo d e f erence t o th e au th or iti es w h o recommen d e d it, h to auction e . considered to be a great injustice to old and meritorious °fe- If it were true'the conimMidar-in-chief bein g th e auctioneer. that eve r y co l o n e l w h o wen t i n t o act i on had cer s w h o h a d serve d i n th e P en i nsu l ar war . (Cheers.) If it were desired to remunerate the four officers in. question 1e, ,, 00.1. 'round his neck, cou ld thi s b e a r i g ht system, or for distinguished services, they should have been rewarded by could they think. themsel ves j us tifi e d i n expos i ng a man the payment of a sum of money in the meantime, which who had laid ou t suc h a sum i n fi g hti ng hi s way up sum should have lapsed when their turn for promotion came: to his rank to th e r i s k s i ncurre d i n ac ti on I I t was true A regiment and pay as a general officer was equal to 1,0001. the commissariat officers did n o t p urc h ase th e i r way silo, bat they got on by influence, often to the exclusion of better a year ; amajor-genoral's pay was but 4001. With regard t men. In the artillery and en g in eers it was t rue a diff eren t to tne'motion before the house, he did not think the honour able member was likely to gain much by it. If anything was system was followed, becaus e th ere scientific skill was indis pensable. He contended that the Government were nothing to be done - ho thought it should be done by a commission to but the trustees of the public in dispensing their patronage, consider the whole matter, under the authority of the Crown, but, in any case, he did not think the present was the proper and any man who neglected th e d u ty o f promo ti ng mer it be trayed his trust, and was - answerable. to the country for his moment for any motiot of the kind. conduct. He hoped th e a tt en ti on o f Government would be Mr. LANG said that at this time last year the country was directed to the establishment of an order of merit, because at i under the pleasing delusion that they had an army which, if present no officer could b e a pp o i n t e d w h o was un d er the rank not large, was at least well fitt e d f or its purposes ; but the of major. , . events in the Crimea had shown that though its gallantry was Colonel HARCOURT wished particularly to address him- the same as ever, still, taken as a whole, it w.s very far dell s:4f to that part oZ the motion which related to theapromo- cient in those qualities they had a right to expect. That was tlon of non-commissio ne d officers to the rank of officer. On th e the reason why ho thought th e p resen t mome nt pe c uliarly well fitted for an inquiry . of the ki n d. Th e ques tion of °M other points embraced i n th ese resolutions he would only say that it was only from the system of purchase that the officers cering the,army by purchase was, under Our present circum of the army could derive the slightest hopes of promotion. stances, not merely a money question ; but if the matter were (Hear, hear.) With regard to the point to which he wished allowed to stand overa few yearsthe pecuniary element would snore especially to refer, he very much regretted that upon come again into play, and oppose serious obstacles to any the occasions when this subject had been brought before the ' alteration. For nearly half a century back public opinion, in house those who had addressed them had shown themselves deference to the Duke of Wellington, was never for one mo exceedingly ignorant of the practical bearings of the present ment brought to bear ujoon the constitution and organisation system. It seemed extraordinary that when the present of the army. The cnnsequence was that they now found the system had raised this country to a pitch of glory such as no army constituted in a manner which might certainly be said other country had ever reached this should be the moment to be repugnant to those principles of common sense on which chosen for attacks upon it. Could that system which had it ought to be constituted. The present time ,was. a • very been illustrated by the victories of the Peninsula, of Water- fitting one for a thorough and comprehensive inquiry not i n t o 100, of India, and of Alma an d o f I n k erman be sobad as had this or that branch of the subject, but into thewhole question been represented by gentlemen on the other side of the of the officering, of the British army. On the occasion of a house ? (Hear, hear.) He contended that the social position recent debate a remarkable opinion was emitted by the noble of the non-commissioned officers of the army was such that lord now at the head of her Majesty's Government in favour promotion to the rank of an officer would be most inconve- of au educational test to' be applied to officers. Atsimilar nicnt, and even injurious to them. The soldiers of the line opinion was professed by the honourable member for Wilt were mostly taken from the agricultural population. Now, shire, the late Secretary-at-'War, and also by the hon. and supposing that these men had received the averaze education gallant member for Westminster (Gen. Sir De Lacy Evans), communicated in a good national school—which was too whose opinion was on e of the highest authority, he having favourable a supposition—they would not be able to do more commanded not brigades merely, but independent armies in than read and write, do the ordinary rules of arithmetic, and two or three consecutive campaigns. Lot them look at the possess the most elementary knowledge of geography. Now system in force in the Austrian army, one officered almost suppose that, after serving as private and corporal, he exclusively by gentlemen. Let them turn their eyes, also, to had been selected from his proved intelligence and good conduct for the position o r s ergean t- ma j or, at which he d only arrive, durlug time of peace, under th e a ge of the Sardinian army. Th e l a t e cam p a i gn aga i ns t A ustr i a hav ing-shown the Sardini ans th a t th e i r army was a d e fi c i ent in coul strument for th e Pr a c ti ca l p urposes o f war, th ey se t t o wor k t!iii ty to thirty-five. W e ll, th a t was th e ear li es t age a t w hi ch to see how they could make it more efficient. They sent a he could put in claim for a commission. With whom, then, commission to examine the constitution of all the armies of would he be placed in collocation I He would be placed in Europe—that of England among the rest—and the result juxtaposition with ensigns of seventeen and eighteen years of was, not 'the establishment of a system of purchase, but the age. Did they think that it would conduce to the happiness establishment of a system in which they retained the officer of the promoted sergeant-major, placed immediately in con- rug of the army in the bands of the gentry, at the same time tact with a man so much his junior but yet knowing so much introducing a system of promotion from the ranks, with an more than he did ? (Hear.) Then there was another point. educational test of great stringency as a criterion of fitness for It did not always follow that, because a man was a man of in- such proniotion. One result of our present system was that telligence and good conduct, and one whom it might no man could enter the army, and adopt it as a professsion, be desirable to promote, that his wife was the better half, unless he had at least some 6,0001. at his disposal, which he (Hear, hear.) The wives of the non-commissioned officers could afford to invest in a speculation procuring him no corn mere.ial return, and in which he ra n a grea t r i s k o f l os i ng a ll were frequently pers ons o f very i n f er i or e d ucation. They very often could not read or write ; and he did not think his capital, for in the event of death there was no return of that under these circ ums t ances it wou ld b enef i t them to raise any part of the sum originally sunk. The arm y was th us them to the rank o f gen tl ewomen. (H ear, h ear.) There limited to the wealthy cla sses . H e k new, o f hi s own know= ledge, the case o f t wo y oung men a t S an dh urst, the first of was in his own r eg i men t a mos t valuable officer who had been whom, A, passed a fir s t- c l ass exam i na ti on, an d t h e ' second, promoted from the ranks, and who had h e ld th e o ff ice o f quartermaster for the last forty years. That gallant o ffi cer B , a good examination. They were both appointed a t told him that he thought the promotions of sergeants to the the same time, and the second got a better appointment rank of commissioned officers, which had taken place in the than the first, though he had not passed the best exami- Crimea, would not be advantageous to these men on accoun t nation. When they were a pp o i n t e d li eu t enan t s th e ran k of their want of education. T e same offices' pointed out to they got was equal. When they came to be appointed him that it was often a most serious. inconvenience to a non- captains, A, who was at the top of the list, had net enough commissioned officer to be promoted, because the pay of au money by him. B had the money, and so passed over his ensign was not, if he was married, sufficient to enable him to head. A had since become a broken-hearted man, lost to support his wife and family in comfort in the rank to which himself, and lost to his country. (Cheers.) Another effect he was raised. This quartermaster told him that he knew a of the present system was that it rendered the officers mere case in which a man who was promoted to an ensigncy in the amateur officers. They took up the army as an agreeable 71st Regiment, died of a broken heart from the difficulties amusement, not as a profession, and did not make their regi and embarrassments into which ho fell from this cause. rents their homes. But if the business of the army consisted (Hear, hear.) This was, in fact, the reason why the commis- in the management of practical details about feeding, cloth sions which had been given to the non-commissioned officers rag, and hutting the men, those officers, though admirable in in the army had not always been given to the senior ser- respect of gallantry, were deficient in respect of other quali vents. The ensigncy awarded to the Grenadier Guards had ties not less necessary, The experience of what had recently been given to one of the junior sergeants, and he was told occurred proved that the army was deficiently officered in those that it was because he, being an unmarried man, could afford respects. (No, no, and cheers.) At all events, the matter to take it, while nose of the senior sergeants, who were mar- was a fair subject for inquiry. But there was a. still more hu rled men, cared to have it. (Hear, hear.) ' It might be a portent point on which he had not yet touched, In all other very popular cry to say that these men should be pro- professions and employments the one test of efficiency and meted, but he did not think that so long as our army was success was promotion by merit. That was the mainspring recruited from persons of that rank in life which now fur- of all efficiency and excellence. If a merchant were to confide s.ished the privates and non-commissioned officers, and as his b us i ness to clerks appointed not according to merit, but long as th e l a tt er h a d only their present amount of educe- by a system of purchase, he should like to know how long it_ thou, that such a step would be really advantageous to the world be ere that merchant appeared in the Gazette. If rail man themselves. There were, however, many things they way trains were confided to the care of servants appointed in might do which w ou ld b o really serviceable to them and the same way, h e won d ere d h ow many directors would have these measures h e th oug ht every consideration of justice to actions for :manslaughter brought against th em . I n l aw , i n the service called upon. them to adopt. He thought that an medicine, and in the church, a career wasalways open to merit; order of merit, with pensions to its members, should be and the greatest possible advantage accrued to all classes, and colluded; and that the appointments in the Tower should be to the gentlemen themselves, from the honourable emulation given entirely to retired non-commissioned officers. Then there and competition inspired among them. Another important was another point to which he must call the attention of the question was, how they were to get men for their army. At hones, although it was not his desire to restrict the patronage the present moment it 'could notfairly be said that the army of the Crown, and particularly of such a Sover e i gn as th e was popular with th e great mass of the middle and working present. The' Yeomen of the Guard and the G en tl emen classes ; for a father always heard that his son had entered it Pensioners were both the body guard of her Majesty; and with a feeling of regret, and even of shame. (Hear.) The yet Mr. Same, the librarian, of St. James's-street, was one of objections made to any alteration in the system of purchase the Gentlemen Pensioners. He thought that was 'not a resolved themselves mainly into the difficulty of finding a sub-: situation which should be held by such men. He did not, stituto for it. That might be a forcible enough argument, if as he had said, wish to interfere with her Majesty's patronage, the motion before the house wore one to abolish the present but he did wish that the vacancies in this force should be system altogether, but not so when the motion was simply for filled up on the recommendation of the Commander-in-Chief inquiry. The time was come when Government ought to take rather than of Lord Foley. Before he sat down he could not the matter up, and institute a general and comprehensive in help commenting upon the injustice of those who talked of gully into the system of officering our army; when an at the soldiers fighting under the cold shade of the aristocracy. tempt should be made to eradicate those evils and place our Was this a time for us to be told this when we had fresh in army on a more pOpulter footing, a footing on which the mili our recollection, and almost before our eyes, the gallant cavalry tary career might be open to talent, in which money would charge of Balaklava, headed by the Earl of Cardigan- --the not be the sole test of capacity, by which the army might be heroic conduct of a scion of the house of Percy, who at Joker- composed of gentlemen, but of poor gentlemen, who would man plunged alone into the thickest of the fight, and by leis thorough practical officers. Combined with that they might charged too far down the bill, and had got themselves our- have an amount of promotion from the ranks sufficient to ren der the army popul ar , an d t o th row open th e career o f a r ms t o rounded by the enemy ; an d th epo t l ess gallant bearing on the same day of Colonel Cadogan, another aristocratic name 9 a larger class of the community than at present. (Cheers.) (Hear, hear.) lie' was surprised that the noble viscount Lord LOVAINE observed that in his opinion no case had (Viscount Goderich), who used these expressions on a former been made out as yet for the destruction of a system which evening, did not feel his own noble blood mantle in his had been found to work so well. He did not think that it was eitesks at these attacks on his order. He should oppose the possible to introduce that unity of motion which had been committee moved for by the gallant major opposite, because talked about into the army as it was into a railway system. ho did not think it a fit tribunal for the consideration of To accuse the officers of the British army of being ince this question ; but he would suggest to the noble lord at pable of performing their duties was most unwarrantable, and the head of the Government the propriety of appointing a one which ought never to have been made in that house. The faults which had been laid to the charge of the regimental commission to take int o th e i r mos t ser i ous attent i on the points to which he had referred. (Hear, hear,) hfficers were due to those who had been removed beyond the purchase system. He was also con v i nce d that the abolition death were filled accor di ng to seniority, cf Mr. ALCOCK sa id th a t i n t h e army vacancies caused by 1 this system wou ld i ncrease th e s l owness of promot i on w hi c h and those who had of been so muc h complained of no read the report o f th e army and navy commission which sat explaining the question t o hon. m . It was, however, embers whom it was im use pos in the year 1840 p er h aps i magined that the same system was sible to please, andwho continually bringing forward were Firmed in the navy. That report was, however a mockery,the • a delusion, and a sham, and it should either be no , longer held long pursend similar matters. When the British army was forth as an authority or Government should alter the whole compared with - foreign armies ono little item was omitted. system. He hoped the latter would be the case. He did not It must be wren that the British army alone was not blame Sir Charles Napier or any other commander * for nor in which promotions were now made, He char the man- raised by conscription, and that a different system must neces wholaxed the sarily take place ; but, however that might be, the slowness o fault where he believed it ought system.of promotion Was complained of in all armies ; and with ni ece,. LINDSAY 'd •4- spect to merit and favour it would be found that in this coun .ani and sai 1,, was one thing to abolish theold try t sys- hey ran so completely into one another that it would be e , . i anot.her to create a dieeession had been par' new oue. The system now under found extremely difficult to divide them. The promotion in gmrceevternumber of years " and . parcel of the British army for a the navy was supposed to be carried on by merit, but it did of the resolution, and it was matter. of surprise that the not appear that promotion in the navy was any more setis he won% substitute in its t p what system factory than promotion in the army. It was also said that of promotion 1) "ad' He contended that the plan the army was unpopular, That remark might be very beauti- Y purchase was at and td the -r once beneficial to the state ful in theory, bat it was contradicted by facts, for—as he had ms. It was beneficial was the means of saving a considerable the state inasmuch as it no doubt the Admiralty would bear witness—recruits for the it was beneficial to t semke : 'rable sum of money, while army wore much more easily obtained than men for the navy. sPeodily to the head orelir because if it brought officers Great complaints had been made of several of the depart were to be abolished, they profession,wouldlecui_ie to increase present system merge. The medical staff, for instance, he considered had for the retired full pay, evalca ~ouldi ada increase the charge been very hardly used. They had been overworked,- and if 0 es of the state. The present systee materially to the they had failed, they had failed under circumstances which expens. I was likewise hon., - • ficial to the rich, and at the expens e or bein,acen,,sd of ~• were unparalleled. The Commissariat had been annihilated by dox; he would contend that it was also ben:ficial Co pare- the economy of the House of Commons, and there had been purchase, those officers Who Were e poor. only one old man left in the department who was at all ac- Under the system of tion somehow or tithe " unable quainted with its working or routine. It would never do to to pay for their promo if they r attained the Compare 'British - with foreign . • toe army with fores e es armies which had been heal of the list, and having done so their retire from constantly fighting in foreign countries. Nothing was easier the army, they had it in their power to sell It was a trite r eoram* ission than to find faultbut it a..ev ei;ffi, lt to ,I the truth w ery cu maze emark, but and put the money in their pockets. appear to the public when there was au appearance of great knew when they entered d • • nevertheless . a true one, that officers was in existence, and deficiency in particular points He thought that it was not the army that the system of purchase exposed them to set wise to enter into such discussions in the midst of a war, and therefore they could not complain if it to suppose he should vote agaiust the motion. degree of hardship. Moreover, it was a mistake h purchase. • Lard SEYMOUR said that they were in the habit of talk that all promotions in the army were obtained p in y the three l a n a g o. is th grand style about Russia and Austria, and how Poland The very reverse was the fact. For example, 2 lieutenant- all i ttle e t d i stressed-aationalities were to be dealt with ; bat in months which had passed of the present year without it ; ad an e they soon came to talk more gravely. An lion. colonels had been promote.d by purchase, and 4 7 b gallantdisorgauis .Inember got up and said that the army was utterly 7 majors by parchese, and 17 vvithout it; 42 captainsdin I, rather a curious contrast must be reconstituted de ews'o. This was purchase, 86 without it. So it Pad been at all timewan - leer had complained rathe r o f th e course of promot i on t h an, of contrast to a fo rmer d e b a t e . The hon. mem ranks a the Dritieb army, Ad was clear, therefore, that . any part of the service, which was attributed to the system experiment had been tried of prorating by merit, he believed i of purchase. He (Lord Seymour) believed that on inquiry t h e no one had a right to say thatt-a represeptative rt G ..e o v , e ho e u l i m d e ci n o t system of purchase would be found to have very little to d o was a failure in .respect of army promotions. with it. He had no preference for the system of purchase — in the arm y wh a t every man endeavoured to do in the man quite the contrary ; but when he was told that it must bo a g ement of his private afthirs, viz., strive to g et . the best ser done away with, and the system of-promotion by merit insti- *ants to servo us, and if we could not th do andthathy re e sortneg to tuted, he naturally wished to know what was meant by t ha t . " a s y stem of p romotion based upon merit, i question Was it to belong to the officer commanding the army I (Hear, should then collie, " Shall E n gland exist as an independent hear, hea •a) Look at the staff. All the recent promotions , State, or shall the House of Commons be sweptawayr . he On tko staff ley that officer had been loudly' complained of. ; would say, if such a terrible alternative were offered to him, Was it to belong to Government ? He should pity any unfor - I ' Rather perish the House of Commo ns, and let England be tunate Government which took into its hands a system of pro- ' independent." (Hear.) motion by merit. If any officer was looked over for any ma- Colonel DUNNE had listened with great attention to the son, he would have ten friends in the house who would get E up and defend him, and the house would have too nothing di scover what his views were upon this question. The hon. else but discuss individual merits. The system had. been tried h o nourable gentleman opposite, but he was rea ll y unable toviews gentleman had given no clear explanation of how p romotion in - the navy. What had stopped it ? The influence of the ;in the army should be conducted, but he had to ld them that House of Commons, which cried out for seniority, because de- ': all former inquiries into its ma na g ement were neutralised serving men were passed over. It wouldnlways happen so b y - th e s pi r it of the Duke of Wellington. Now, he be l i eved in a representative government. It might have been easy it was not the opinion of that great man that neutralised enough for Napoleon, at the head of his army, to select men the efforts of former commissions and committees, but the by merit; but, even under his favourable cifetimstances, he I spirit of economy, which was then the c urse of the time ; and found it extremely difficult, and it led to such jealousies fur the seine reason he believed now a committee of this house amongst his officers that it was the cause of maany of his dif- would do very little good. No soldier would defend promo ficulties, if not of his defeat, in Spain. (Hear.) That was lion by purchase in the abstract ; but, before it could bo abo under the mest favourable conditions. In time of war it was ,lisped, Parliament must vote large s ums of mone y , not only difficult enough, but what became of it in time of peace ? .In to buy up the vested interests of existing officers holdin g corn the Commissariat there bad been a period of probation most missions but to increase the pay of officers in the army, which strictly guarded, and no candidate was promoted until he had ho was afraid hon. members who suPported this Motion would been strictly proved. He had no doubt the appointments had - not lie disposed to do when the pinch Came. Wh y , at the been most fairly made ; but it was mo=t difficult in time of present moment the Government were actu all y sellin g corn pease to choose - men - for qualities useful in time of war. Lord missions on their. own account, and yet nobody denounced it, Raglan told the army committee that it was impossible to because the proceeds . brought -a -balance to the Exchequer, make a commissariat in time of peace for a time of war. As and tended to reduce° the half-pay.list. Well now, that was far as 'the accounts want they would be efficient, but for just the feeling which stood in the way o f abolishin g promo other duties it was impossible to prepare them. He tion by purchase ; but still the fact was, the sy s te m was (Lord Seymour) thought that statement was founded .on not to blame for our disasters 'in the Crimea, because truth. If the purchase system were abolished there must be in spite of its a closing period for service at a certain age. Would there good officeri. It was not the - system, then, to be no attempts in that house to make exceptions in favour of - Many Objeetions it had p roduced . which we must look for the . cause of such d isasters, but to the men who were able and hearty ? Indeed, it was absurd to .at a certain time of life. They shortcomings and defects,inthe heads of departments at home say that a man must retire and abroad. No army in the world could have go ne throu g h had, however, been told that the purchase system had failed. so much as ours, not even the . French army, who heel been Now, he thought qu ite th e con t ra ry, f or ho b e li eve d that the better supplied and better looked after ; bet until there were officers had discharged th e ir d u ti e s m ost ad m i ra bl y . - (near.) military men and Competent men placed at the head of the They had the ex p er i ence o f th e artillery, in which the want of civil departments, the efficiency of • the army could not be promotion by purchase had been loudly complained of, and thoroughly complete. Ho quite acknowledged that wo had the a. my committee were told that in no branch of the ser- got a bad system pf promotion, and was quite ready to join vice were there se many aged .and infirm officers. Wh been found to fail in the artillery ? The Duke of Wellingto ny: imnialliiioyaysootfemthoallt: for ould o s e af p el u y rp d o o s a e w . ay with it, but-before they therefore, should that system be generally adopted which had could do that the house must he prepared to vote over fife • in 1833, had in the artillery set aside the system so far as to Lord PALMERSTON said—Sir, if every one of the seven allow a number of officers to sell out in order to infuse some new blood into the service, and in fag had adopted the con- sleepers, whose history we have read—(a laugh)—could tem of purchase to that case, so far as selling out was con- have happened to wake up, after their many years' slumber, ti o o n n . , members and their to re p a o r i i it i s y a ware se i n theine definite library, result. which liewouldobj e enable cted eerned. There had been several full inquiries inte the ques- and, being ignorant of what is passing in Europe , ha d come suddenly into' this house to be present at this debate, judging from • the e speeches we. have heard, they - would have gone to the speech of the hon. aid gallant member for Westminster the other night. Ho had commanded a division with great awa y with t h e - melanchol y conviction that this country Lad and distinguished `success; but it was impossible not to feel sustained some great military disaster, and that we were on • that they were hearing, not the general of division, but the the point of being conquered by sense great military power, member for' Westminster, end that the member for West and that this house,with Roman and Spartan fortitude, were minster interfered with the views which the general of division would have taken. He must also object to the deliberating, in the midst of impending disastere, won the terms of the motion, whiehrather begged the question, for it best means to be adopted for saving the country. (Hear.) . ... _ But what is the real state of things / . Has our army sus tained defeats in the field ? Have our °Pleats shown them selves unequal to the duties which they have had to per form ? Had we, as represented by my honourable friend the member for Kidderminster, found the people of this country unwilling to enlist thernselyes under the banner of their Sovereign to vindicate the honour of the country and to maintain the contest in wh:ch we are engaged ? Looking at our army, we find that it has achieved as great success as at auk former period of our history. Instead of finding the people of - this country hang back and shrink from the engagement of the military service, there never was a time at which so ' many brave men have offered themselves to be enrolled in the ranks of our armyee: (Loud cheers.) As far, therefore, as any change is demanded for the purpose of encouraging the people of this country to enlist, I say that no change is required, because the enlistment is going on with the utmost rapidity, and with the greatest success (Cheers.) But, then, it is said, that the system which now exists is fatal to the army by depriving it of a proper supply of regimental officers, for it is in reg i m ental organisation, be it observed, that this system' of purchase exists. Now, I ungertake to say that there never was in the history of the world a set of men who so nobly and efficiently 'perform their duty as our regimental officers. (Cheers.) What is the test of the conduct of officers? Why, it is, in the first place, to obtain the godd will of their men—it is not only to share with their men in the dangers of the fight, but to endure with them all the privations and sufferings into which the service may lead them. Now, I ask, have our officers ever shrunk back in the field of battle ? Have they not led their men to victory in conquests in which more honour and glory have been reaped than almost ever fell to the fortune of arms on any former occasion ? (Cheers.) I say that the manner in which the meu followed their officers, and the manner in which the officers led the men proves that there existed between them a community of feeling which is the result of reciprocal copfidenco in each other, and 'which shows that the officers are worthy of the men, as the men are worthy of those who are placed at their head. (Cheers.) Well then, have they shrunk from those sufferings and privations, which never were exceeded, and which probably have been seldom, if ever, equalled? Why, we know very well that the soldier of the army in the Crimea, when asked about, their 'own suffer ings, have said, " Well, it is true we are suffering much, but our officers are sharing the same suffering with us—they are not so accustomed to hardships as we are, and while they aro suffering without complaint, it is not for us to be murmuring at what we undergo." (Hear, hear.) So far as the motion of the hen. and gallant gentleman is founded upon the expe rience of what the army is, I think that the grounds en which he had attempted to place it, entirely fail. (Hear.) I ad mit, as I have done on a former occasion, that if we were -planning an army for the first time, it is not likely that we should propose to establish, it upon a system of purchase and of sale. (Hoar.) But theroit is; and even those who have en deavoured to point out the evils which they attribute to the sys tem Lave shrunk when they miree to the point front surggesting theiouly way in which it could be got rid of.' The hon. and gal lent gentleman who has brought forward the subject seemed to steer etudionsly'clear of making any suggestion as to what method should be adopted to amend what he conceives to be a vicious system. (Hear, hear.) But we all know that there is only one way of getting rid of it ; and that is in the man ner which has been suggested by others, namely, that the country should buy up the commissions which have been bought and paid for by the officers of the army. (Hear, hear.) I b fel housetchiwa t . ehv h enemai the evilssehe.ebas of fi oi our la ri t r h , e service `present Now,i ni s n y w s th t h i e ec m hs eI seniority wereic preg nant in their consequences as to make it worth while to the country to incur that large expense, it might be done. But let not hon. gentlemen go away with any erroneous impres sion that such a system can be put au end to without a great pecuniary sacrifice. Although the system is open to objec tion in point of principle, yet it is admitted by all that prac tically it is not without some advantages. The system of promotion by seniority leads to a great accumulation in the higher ranks of the service of men who from' age or infirmity ere incapable of performing the duties which belong to their position: That is admitted to he a very great fault in those in which purchase and sale do not exist—in the Artillery, for instance, and to a certain degree in another branch of our service sion greatwhich alone a n t d h e s r o e exists, i s an n and o Purchase and sale to remove those who are desirous of retir ing, the only way in which accumulations can be prevented is by placing upon the retired list of pensioners to the State those officers who reach a certain age, and who, It must be assumed from their age aro no longer fit for active duty. That system is adopted in France:l believe that, in the French army, officers 65 years of age are placed on the retired list, and I remember hearing it said that when the regulation was proposed V) Louis Philippe he observed that he would adopt it for the army, but he hoped that his Ministers would not advise him to pass a royal ordinance male ing it applicable to kings. That system no doubt would; to some degree, exempt the principle of seniority from the disadvantage of loading the upper ranks in the army wiSh a great number of meu ad erced in life ; but, on the other hand, it would entail a con siderable expense on the country, and would frequently de prive it of the service of men quite able to perform active and professional duties. One great advantage which is represee ted as likely to accrue from the abolition of purchase and sale is, that men would be certain that promotion would go by merit. Now in the navy there is no purchase and sale. In the navy, therefore, we might expect to hear that the sys tem of promotion was free from any possibility of cavil and objection. (Hear.), Bat the moment the navy is mentioned, up get naval officers on both sides of the house and complain that promotion all go by favour, or affection, or interest (cheers) —by every mode, in short, except by a due apprecia tion of the merits' of the respective candidates. That, then, is the state to which the motion of the hon. and gallant gen tleman would tend to bring the army. The fact is, that when you say that promotion should go by merit, nothing in the world is easier than to make such an assertion; but nothing in the world is more difficult than to carry such a system into practice. If you would establish a rule that promotion should go by stature—that no man should be promoted who did not stand six feet high---(laughter)—that promotion should go, by physical qualities discernible by the eye, it would be easy in that case to establish a rule, and to ensure its most rigid execution. But what is merit ? Merit is opinion—merit is the opinion which ono man forms of another. Well, but - the man with whom it may rest to exercise a judgment forms his opinion of the merits of the different candidates from the appointments which may be vacant ; but his opinion is sure to be disputed by a great many disinterested judges, and certain to be denied by all the friends of the persons who are unsuccessful candidates on the occasion. (Hear.) And, therefore, the idea that by any litimansystem merit can ensure the selection of persons for appointments, civil or military, who shall bo universally ac knowledged to be appointed for merit alone, is a Utopia which it is perfectly vain for anybody to hope to see established in any country whatever. (Hear.) And it is a great mistake to suppose that in the armies of the Continent no murmurs arise, and that no fault is found—that in the French army, the Austrian army, the Russian army, the Prussian army, mightal. are brought can bt ra a ,ok s u s eg u h r p e tl a t every man is satisfied that every appointment is filled by the under place—namely, a h m a that e l t y h , e y p discussion.au pur chase, are most deserving, and that there exist no complaints on the part of the unsuccessful candidates. (Hear.) If hon. members labour yiwhinwdehenire thatwhich hpsr these promotion poutrbiejosensci subjects mistaken, and that there are as many complaints that favour ritism and not merit-leads to promotion as we hear in this (Hear.) I am -much disposed to agree with my hon. friend the member for Kidderminster, who, reviewing the three sys lsleviciousilimaginesi . that; a a n d combination although he e of did t h n e o not three l u . epep would y o t u b l the thought,b by som e e, seniority, and-merit—seemed to condemn each and all. l chemical ie vethe fact process (Cheers and laughter.) He seemed to make out that they his argument tended to show that you ought to abolish all. tohe n t e h u a t t ra t l h is e e re tl i t e e n v o ic e i n ou eh s p p r ra op e e t n ie s a it l i e es vi e l f in ea e c u h :. What is to be substituted in their stead I do not know, unless and bring forth a neutral salt. (Cheers and laughter.) I be regimental system as to render it absolutely necessary for the e which of are e e notra operations i to which: s b e i n learned t he fi elsimplyh When u l s a deny matter that o t f form,th there e buthas the knowledge of is essentially necessary for the good conduct been any inefficiency on the part of the regimental officers, if I am asked to what I attribute those sufferings which have, in some , degree, been endured by our army in the Crimea, I would rather not give my opinion on that point, but remind the house that there is a committee now employed in investigating those very clrcurnstances, and I must say I think the hon. and gal lant gentleman would do better to wait for the report of that committee, which, no doubt, will probe the matter to the bottom, and which will tell you, when they have _finished whicht e ri u h q a t v ti e ri o e s c , c a t s h i o e m e d a cause so m e f t 1 , t i l s to s s i e t fr t e i r n i f , o g r_t u u n I t o c m ° s i s s a e r y h a I s t c u e f s_ firing, in my opinion —to those gallant men who are now em plpyed in the Crimea. . I think the hon. and gallant gentle man has not laid down any sufficient ground to induce the house to adopt the course which ho recommends. But I have a further objection to his course of proceeding. I think it is not in 'harmony with the proper principles of our constitution. (Hear.) After all is said and done, without meaning in the least degree to question the power of this house to take into its consideration any matters of public interest, I beg them to recollect that the command of the army is, by the constitu tion of the eountiy, vested in the Crown, And not ha the directed the committee to take care and re-eon - mend a more effic!ent, system. The result, therefore, was anticipated, and why take the trouble of leaking another blue book: (Hear, hear)?- Ile should vote against the motion, for he did not think that there were any grounds for granting a committee. Mr. LOWE quite agreed with the noble lord that the guess ties was an eminently prectical one, and that it was quite right that before hon. gentlemen presumed to address the house on this question they should liaa-u made themselves acquainted with the documents referred to by tie noble lord. He (Mr. Lowe) had clone so, and, as a civilian, he wished to take this opportunity of seating the impression which those documents had left on his mind. After a careful considera tion of them, it appeared to him expedient that the committee should be granted, and he would proceed to state his reasons as shortly as possible. In the first place, the committees and the commissions were all held under circumstances disadvan tageous to a fair and impartial consideration of the sun jest They were held at a time when the Duke of Wellington exer cised an overpowering influence on .the afficirs of the army. If any one would examine the evidence, he would see that the witnesses were overpowered by the weight of that eminent man. They did not take the trouble to address the committee, but to every question it was answered, " Your grace knows this ;" ." My opinions agree with your grace's. ' They had since lost that great man, and a great and irreparable loss he was to the eiuntry, and the subject might be now considered without the overpowering weight of his influence and character. It appeared that there were three several methods of promotion—by seniority, by purchase, and by favour, That there are three methods alone appeared to be a ground for inquiry. They could not all be equally good, and it was worth while to know which was the best. He maintained this proposition, that whatever merits or defects there might be in each of these systems, they were employed at such a disadvantage that the good was minimised and the evil maximised, as much as possible. The great merit of the system of seniority was, that whatever its collateral evils were, it did justice between man .arsi man ; whatever were its merits or defects, it was fair to - individuals, but fatal to the service ; for, whilst • it opened places, it opened them to men who were leastfitted to discharge the duties of those places, as well as to these who were fitted, and it moreover encumbered it with old and worn-out Jaen. When, there fore, ought the seniority system to be applied? „ When the men were old or young ? When they waes less likely to be come old and worn-ou; ? if seniority was to be this rule, it should be applied to tle junior ranks in the service. But in practice it was banished almost entirely from the junior branches,-where the promotion took place partly by pur chase, and partly by favour on death vacancies, and given to the senior branches. So that the principle of seniority was used at the greatest possible mechanical disadvantage. The next was the system or purchase, with its good and evil points also. The good was, that it esableci inefficient men to get out of the service, and in this manner gave a relief to the army from this class. He had never heard this system advocated as good in it..lf, but only a' assistant to the system of seniority, which would have been intolerable with oht this relief by purchase. The system of purchase ought, therefore, to be applied when the men were worn out and effete. It was, however, applied exactly in the reverse, when the men were young, bet when they were old the system of seniority was adopted. The third system was that of promo tion by favour. The mil of this system was, that the per sons who were appointed by favour might he unworthy ; the good, that it gave facilities. for appointing deserving persons who had beenleft out byrontine. leipractice all these three sys tems were employed exactly at a time of life, and in branches of the service when they were least likely to do good, and most likely to do mischief. The next question was which of these systems was the right one. He took it that nobody would defend the system of seniority. The Royal Commis sion had recommended that in the higher ranks of the ser vice the most competent officers should be selected, and in fact had come to the conclusion that, after the system was constructed, when a push came another system must be re sorted to. After this solemn condemnation of this system by her Majesty's commissioners, he did not think it worth while to say anything more. Next with respect to purchase. He had before pointed out the benefits and evils of this sys tem. It afforded no criterion of merit. Merit was the acci dent—the possession of money the substance.. The one might follow the other, or it might not, but that quality was made the criterion of merit which had no connection with it. The. facility of leaving the service prevented men from regard ing it as a profession, and he believed that it was on this ac count that the officers of the English army, who were men of education, and superior in position and advantages to those of other armies—were so often inferior in military science. What was the effect et the purchase system ? Why, directly an officer began to feel the annoyance incidental to field life, he wished to sell out; and that feeling, in a great measure, would account for the number of applications which had been addressed to Lord Raglan for leave to quit the army in the Crimea. Men whose courage it would be ridiculous to doubt, because they had shown it again and again, were influenced by the feeling that they had a right to sell what they bought, and, naturally enough, they wished to withdraw from the army, when they found the service no longer a career of plea,suro, but a source of hardship and annoyance. But why should the commander-in-chief be at liberty to fix the prize of commissions, in defiance of the law of demand and supply ? To pay more than the price so fixed was a misdemeanor, and by that rule of the service it would almost seem that officers obtained their promotion through a series of misdemeanors It was said that cemmissions were ne eer put up to auction ; but while that might be strictly true in fact, ho appealed to hon. and gallant members to state whether, when there were three officers in a regiment open to purchase, was it not the practice for one of the three to give the other two a sum of money not to buy ? Now was that a proper mode of defiling with promotion in the army ? The noble lord who preceded him was exceedingly anxious that, where meritorious men could be found, they should be promoted from the ranks ; but what was the use of promoting men from the ranks un less you gave them the full benefit of their professio . re ? It was all very well for them to obtain such promotion in time of war, when advancement might be rapid, but in time of peace it was a mere mockery to tell the soldier you were opening a career of holiour to him by raising him from the ranks, when the want of money closed it. If they wanted to make the army a profession like law or medicine, they must hit upon some device, not merely for promoting the soldier atditehrfrhors first the ranks, but which should also make him f promotion might lead to indefinite pro motion. What, then the existing system, fo'r wash tht of remedy, although perhaps the r e m e dy might bo difficult o h u e gh r t eraed they y werefoi* the c e e v p ils tib o le f and expensive ? The effort to remedy, the evil was worth making, because, in the present state of European affitire, it was absolutely necessary to maintain the army in the highest state of efficiency. In order to compete with the great powers of the world—and eompete with them we must—the army should have a thoroughly efficient organisation, which could not bo obtained under the purchase system, By establishing that system, we had sold the sword and buckler of the coun try ; butwe must buy them back again, and substitute a system which should be equal to the system of conscription. The abso lute conscription we could not have in a free country like this, but we must have a system which would act as powerfully on the will as the compulsory process. Now, no system could pos sibly do that which did not give the soldier who was properly instructed in his duties a safe prospect of rising to the highest honours of his profession. So far as the rank of captain went he saw no objection to regulating the promotion by seniority, provided always that the officer advanced had undergone an examination sufficiently strict to satisfy any one that he was fitted for the rank. Passing beyond the rank of captain the real difficulty commenced, but he would suggest that all officers above the rank of captain should be considered as staff appointMents, and that these staff appointments should be, as now, in the patronage of the head of the army only, gal lantryto in the field., or w h o should not have un der g one such au examine' ion as to fit him for anystaff subject who ap p o intment. Fer condition, that they should be g iven to n o t h h ad not been promoted for extraordinary the latter purpose he would suggest that a board of examiners should be held three or four times a year, and any officer in the army should be allowed to go before them to test his fit ness for a staff appointment. Ho did not expect that great genius would be secured by that means ; but he was firmly . convinced the plan would insure talent and efficiency. It might not produce great generals, but it would provide able officers, audit was, therefore, worth the cost of trying. the public would have to buy up the existing commissions for the sake of carrying out the plan, and the cost might be on the whole grievously heavy, but in his op inion any number of likem i millions i w i o n u ld orderbe \ t v o e 11 organise spent au a great ai this n army worthy protecting its wealth. But, said tho no ble lord who last t wealthy and capable country of ad dressed them, promotion by merit was impossible in a coun try likb this ; it might be done in a fo rei g n countr y , but it cou'd not be done here. Now, what did th a t statement amount to ? Why it amounted to this , that we were to fi g ht a wi ee t- o h un f t o e i d ls to whileth government, a House of Commons, could have . to such sym pathy ; and while the 'Emperor Nicholas or the Emperor is, that taro w enemyhr e a wasdespot to fight g could withhaves perfect s; w d Napoleon neither thought of friendship nor relationship when selecting the best man to defend the honour and_ interests of his country, Englishmen had so ' little p atriotism, so little regard for the public good, as to pr efer a system of j ob; bery rather than sacrifice political co nnections and famil y treat promotion in the army as a. job ; but until taro ties. (Hear, hear.) The noble lord wo uld almost seem to say—Let England perish if you will, bu s co ntinue to House of Commons. The motion of the hon. and gallant gentleman seems to be founded on the assumption that the I command of the army is vested in the House of Commons, and that a committee of this house- is a proper tribunal to .consider matters i urely regarding the practical administration of that army. I think we are very apt to lose sight in 601113 degree of our proper and 'useful functions. Ido not think there would be any advantage in appointing a committee to take into consideration those questions connected with the in terior economy of our army. I think that such inquiries ought to be made by a commission emanating from the Crown, and reporting to the Crown,which report might afterwards be com municated to the house for any purposes for 'which the house might require it. But I think this house is not the authority which ought properly to institute any inquiries of this kind. (Hear.) That being the opinion which I entertain •on this subject, I certainly cannot consent to the motion of the hon. and gallant gentleman. The discussion . which has taken place may be useful in pointing out to the Government cer tain matters for consideration. I can assure the house that her Majesty's Government will be always-glad to hear sug• gestions, and will anxiously desireto profit by them, as far as they can do so consistently with the public advantage. But with that reservation I must certainly give my opposition to the motion of the honourable and gallant gentleman. (Hear, hear.) , Mr. RICH, who rose amidst loud cries of "divide," said he was inclined to vote for the first portion of the resolution, but trusted the honourable and gallant gentleman would omit the second portion. Mr. P. O'BRIEN said that, although he did not pretend to know much of military matters, still he knew that the ex penses of au infantry or cavalry mess were such as to make it a great hardship, in the present state of things, for any ser geant from the ranks to be promoted to the position of com missioned officer. This ho thought—that at least it formed a fitting object for inquiry by a select committee, and the house ought not, therefore, to refuse the motion. At 'the present time there was before the country the great and glaring fact of the want of an efficient system of• promotion in the army, and the hon. and gallant member :;•ho had proposed the appointment of a committee to inquire into that subject was well deserving the support and sympathy of the house. (Hear, hear.).' Major . REED, having briefly replied, said he should be willing, if the house desired it, to omit from his 'resolution the latter clause, which placed upon the committee the duty of recommending a more efficient system for securing pro motion to merit and long service. The original motion having been withdrawn, the resolution as amended by the omission of the latter portion was put The house divided, when there appeared— For he motion Against it Majority against the motion . 104 ---3 i TRADE - WITH CHINA. Mr. HORSFALL moved au address for copies of all in structions having reference to trade, sent out by her Majesty's Government to her Majesty's superintendent of trade in China, subsequent to the Ist day of February, 1854 ; also, of the correspondence subsequent to that date between her Ma jesty's Government and her Majesty's superintendent of trade, having reference to British trade in China, up to the present tune. He said that in 1851 disturbances broke out in China, and the British consul, Mr. Alcock, took on himself to inter fere in the collection of duties for the Chinese authorities. The merchants here addressed themselves to the then Foreign Minister (Lord Palmerston), who sent out instructions to our consuls in. China not to interfere, Sir Samuel Bonham took steps to make that determination of the Government known to the Chinese Government. In 1853 disturbanees again broke out, and Consul Alcock again resorted to the plan of collect ing the revenues for the Chinese. Bonds were given with the -unerstanding that they should be levied ou the traders of all nations. Sir S. Bonham disapproved of that proceeding of the consul. Then Sir John Bow - ring wentont, and he esta blished consular courts to di-eide the question, although he knew that the question was decided by the Government at home. Sir John Bowring contended that the question rested with him, while Lord Clarendon contended that the decision rested with the British Government. The question which he ,(Mr. Horsfall) desire.d to ask was, whether Sir J. Bowring should submit to the Government, or the Government to him; and why the bonds which had been given between the All of February and July last had not been cancelled by Sir J. Bow ring in pursuance of the direction of Lord Clarendon to him ? Lord PALMERSTON said that the correspondence was still going on. Sir John Bowring hail been called upon to make a full report upon the subject of the •bonds and all these trans actions ; and he suggested that, as it would be unadvisable to produce an imperfect correspondence, the motion should be withdrawn. Mr. HORSFALL acceded to this suggestion, and the mo tion was withdrawn. MEMBERS' SEATS. Mr. MUNTZ moved that the right of members attending prayers to retain their seats should not be interrupted by a division, commission, or conference. The motion was not exactly in form, and Lord PALMERSTON suggested that the hon. member should confer with the Speaker upon the subject. Mr. CROSSLEY said that considering there were only seats for half the members, the proposed rule might be pro ductive of inconvenience. • Mr. MUNTZ adopted the suggestion of Lord Palmerston, and withdrew his motion. THE BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Mr. FREWEN rose to move, that upon Thursday, the 19th day of April next, and every alternate Thursday, till the end of May nest, orders of the day shall take precedence of no tices of motions without giving priority to Government orders. This arrangement would, he thought, be fair to the Government - and to independent members. Lord PALMERSTON suggested the postponement of the motion until after Easter. The motion was withdrawn. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL. This bill was recommitted pro forma, with a view to its being reprinted. THE SARDINIAN LOAN. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER laid upon the table the report of the resolution of the committee authoris ing a loan to the Sardinian Government: The report was received, and leave was given to introduce a . bill founded upon that resolution. SUPPLY. - - - _ The report of the Committee of Supply was brought up. Mr. MACARTNEY complained of the hurried mauner in which some votes included in the civil service estimates had been passed. Mr. J. WILSON said that no more haste had been used than was necessary to meet the requirements of the public service; nor had anything been done without due notice. Mr. T. HANKEY called attention to the small salaries paid to the lower class of civil servants, and expressed his opinion that fair salaries ought to be paid to all persons em ployed by the - public, and that the offices ought to be the sub jects of competition, in order that the best talent to be ob tained might be employed in them. Sir H. WILLOUGHBY also complained of the mode in which the estimates were disposed of. If the public exigen cies were so great that the items should be brought on, the Government should announce the fact, and then hon. gentle . men would take care to be in attendance when they were brought forward. Viscount PALMERSTON was in the house at Vie time the items were passed, a great many members were also present, and full notice was given. Any member who wished to make observations upon the items should have remained in his place, and not have gone away; if ho had remained in his 'place he would have had an opportunity of expressing his opinion. (Hear, hear.) • The report was agreed to. The holise then adjourned at a quarter before one o'clock. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISION. HOUSE OF CONINIONS.—MAtzon 27. . ARMY APPOINTMENTS. Motion made, and Question put, "That a select committee be appointed to inquire into the r)resent mode of con ferring appointments in the army c l oy purchase or other wise); and to report on the same.' Tho house divided —Ayes, 70; Noes, 104. Acton, J. Alcoa, T. Ball, J. Baxter, W. Riggs, W. Want, L. 11. Bonham-Carter,: AYES-78. Gardner, R. Goodman, Slr G. Gordon, A. Greene, John Greville, CoL F. Hadfield, G. Headlam, T. Oakes, J. O'Brien, P. , O'Connell, D. Oliveira, B. Btxton, Sir J. Pechell, Sir G. Peilatt, A. Pilkington, J. Billard-Urquhart, W. Rich, Thehardson, J. Robartes, T. Sandars, G. Sc•tlly, F. Shelley, Sir J. Stanley, W. Strutt, E. Swht, R. Thompson, G. Williams, W. Brady, J: Hor:ard, C. Brockiehurst J. Mit, W. Browne, W. Jackson, W. 3ulkeley, Sir R. Keatii.g„R. Clay, r.ir W., Bt. Kennedy, T. Cobbett, J. M. Kinnaird, A. • Cowan, C. • Kirk, W. • Craufurd, E. H. J. Laing, S. Crossley, 1. Lang ton. IL G. Dering, Sir E. Laslett, W. Dldwyn, L. Locke, J. Duncan, G. Lowe, R. Dunlop, A. M'Uann, J. Ebrington, Viscount Wall, E. Ellice, E. Morris, D. Ferguson, J. Muntz, G. Foley, J. Murrough, J. Fox, W. North, F. NOES-104. Baring, H. - Grey, Sir G. Baring, Sir F. Grey, R, Barrington, Viscount Grogan, Edward Bective, Earl Gurney, 3. , Bellew, T. Hall, Sir B. Bentinck, G. Hamilton, G. A. Bei keley. C. Hankey, T. Betheil, Sir R. flanmer, Sir J. Blackburn, P. Harding e, Hon. 0. Bramley-Moore, J. Heard , Brainsion, T. W. Ileneago, Geo. H. Bruce, Lord E. Herbert; S. Buckley, Gen. Ilorsfall, T. B. Ryng, G. Hocsman, E. Child, Smith Hotham, Lord Christie, Samuel Jolliffe, Sir W. Cob bold, J. C. Keogh, W. Cowper, W. F. Knatchbull, W. Davies, J. L. Knox, Col. B. W. Drummond, 11. Knox, W. S. Duncan, Viscount Lee, W. Dtincombe, Hon. A. Lennox, Lord A. F. Dunne, Col. Lewis, Sir G. C. East, Sir J. Lind6ay, Col. J. Egerton, Sir F. Lovaine, Lord Emlyn, Vis. Macartiley, G. Ferguson, Sir R. Macgregor, Jas. Fitz Gerald, J. Maili , son, Sir J. Floyer, J. Michell, Dr. W . Forester, Col. Mitchell. T. " Fortescue, C. 2%1 olcs worth, Sir W. Froestnn, Col. Monck, Viscount Frewen, C. Mowbray, J. Galway, , Viseount. Mailings, J, Jladsione, Capt. .3. Nattier, J. °mem'', G. North, Cot. J. TELLERS Reed, J. Scobell, Capt. G. Palmer, Bounden Palmerston, Yisct. Peel, Gen. Percy, J. Portman, W. Power, N. Renton, G. Ricardo, 0. Ricardo, S. Robertson, P. Roche, E. Rushout, Col. G. Seymour, Lord iieymour, H. Smith, R. Sotheron, T. Spooner, R. Stuart,', W. Tomline, G. Trollope, Sir J. Tynte, Col. C. Yansittart, G. Villiers ' C. Walsh, Sir J. Whatman, J. Whitmore, H. Wickham, H. W. Wilkinson, W. Wilson, J Winnington, Sir T. Wood, Sir C. Wynn, Lirat.-Col. TELLERS Hayter, Ilulgrave, Earl of SUSPECTED MURDER OF THREE CHlLDREN.—Yester day, Mr. Baker, the cnroner, held an inquest at the Bull Tavern, High-street, Shadwell, respecting the death of a male child, found deal un d er t h e f o ll ow i ng susp i c i ous . circninstances. William Wale, a labourer, stated that yesterday (Tuesday) morning, about nine o'clock, be saw a bindle lying in the dust-yard of Mr. White, of Lower Shadwell. Witness opened it, and found the dead body of a newly-born maleinfant. The deceased was wrapped in a piece of colc.ured calico, and there were no marks upon it. The deceased had been placed in the position he found it since the previous night. The police had nntde inquiry, but nothing had been disco vered likely to lead to the detection of the guilty par ties-. The jury found a verdict of "Found dead." Mr. William Baker, jun., Coroner fir the Lower Liberty, held an inquest yesterday, at the Nag's Head public house, Tower hill on the body of a newly born male child, found dead on Sunday night last in Trinity square, Tower -bill. The coroner having remarked on the alarming increase of infanticide, the jury returned :!,n open verdict of " Found dead." Mr. Baker received information of a third - case of supposed child murder from the summ on i ng o ffi cer of %Yapping , where the body of an infant was brought ashore by the Thames Police On Monday morning. CONFESSION OF A .MU.RDEBER. On Monday Henry Held was, fully committed for trial by the Tunbridee bench, charged with obtaining a check for 151. from a lady named Deacon, at Mabledon, -Tunbridge. As it was late before the examination ter minated, Held was placed in the leek-up for the night , preparatory to his being taken to Maidstane. Whst there he endeavoured to bang himself with a piece of stuff picked by him from the rug furnished to prisoners in the lock-up. Fortunately Goddard went in in tim e to prevent his accomplishing his end, and a surgeon hav ine, been sent. for, he soon recovered. Goddard then obtained assistance; and they sat up with him all night, and-daring the night he made the foll owin g horrible con fession. He said that he had murdered his -first wife, shoat 20 years ago, at Dartford, and tha t he dragged the body to a small archway near Mr. Hall's powder-mills there, and that upon a sort of shelf in the archway he had left it. That his first wife's name was Sophia Danker, a captaia's . widow, and was possessed of about 7001, which sum he received the day after their marriage, and he very soon wade off with it. That they were mar , vied at Brighton by the Rev. Dr. Wagner. That be sold a geld chronometer which belonged to his wife's first husband for 401. to a Mr. Levy, at Lewes. lie said he never liked his wife, and only married her for her money; that when - it was gone they were staying at Dartford, and one night after he had been drinking, his - wife h fol lowed him without her bonnet ; that h e struck her wit a -silver-headed cane (a hich was loaded), when she f ell ; that he alterwarde cot her throat with a Spanish knife, which he threw into the river at Dart ford, and disposed of 'her body in the manner already stated, lie said that about a twelvernont'a ago he visited the spot to see if the body was still there ; that there were bones there, but all the flesh was gone. He thought he would remothe ve the bones into the water, and took ho ld of. one of fingers,. when the skull moved, which frightened him and he ran away. He said his wife had haunted him ever since, and he wished to he hanged for it. So singu lar an account naturally excited the c uriosity (- f Goddar d, who went to Dartford, and there found an archway wit h shelves or ledges in it precisely as the prisoner had stated, and in the exact situation pointe d out. A pers°ll, was sent up the archway, but nothing wa s found excel); some pieces of chalk. The police there are actively en , gaged in searching after some traces of the person thust A .stated to have been so brutally murdered. t preser.t there is but the testimony of this wretched man te rc l Y upon.- -South _Eastern Gazette. COUNTRY 4/AREET;F. LIVERPOOL_uA.Ecn 27• The transactions in wheat.and flour were and to make progress reduced prices had to 1)6 submitted to. English wheat may be considered about 2d per bushel arid flour ls to 2s per sack lower than on Tuesday la. quite in retail! Indian corn fully supported Friday's advance of 6d l )C qr• 03 good yellow and mixed corn. No change as regal . " oats, oatmeal, or other articles of the trade. IPSWICII—MAROII 27. We have had a fair, but by no rooll ns a large w ill jw not wheat. Millers the ,inly buycrs. The grower s give way in price to :make forced sales, a nd tberefora un'e :m l can only quote a n a lter a tion is price of is to 2s per q o r. i ,t, last market day. The quantity of barley exCeedingly %In"a awl at least is per-qr. adyance was readily g iven• e 33 heavy sale. PER QUARTER. IB 1 vsn niloo lo • Wheat, rod (old) 64s to 6'to. 303 b., ar ey, grinding ..• 4 2,, Ditto (new) Ditto, white (new) 74s to 77 - IP '''''''''' 363 to 305 D, eas .................. 0 , to OS Ditto (old) Bailey,• malting per ... ~ - AVERAGES FOR TUE WERE ENDING MARCH 24, 1555 ' Wheat 611 quarters, at 678 3 1 Oats /I Peas 1, Bears 30 s 5a Barley HULL—laucH 27. We had a small supply of wheat at market, for Whi ch farmers were very stiff at last week's pric es ;tradebut faregled wanting to buy for 2s to 3s less money ; t he no tation s ' vary inanimate, and we can hardly alter our cl corn is In foreign wheat a little more inquiry. SPri n ge a kes So firmer, and a better feeling. Linseed only dull. m icas. off pretty well at our qu o t a tions. Bones fetch long r e. Pe a s, k --- tA) ii. P ea s, grey and sea co to Linseed, Black .:. 58 to 6u Ditt o Potersburl •ci. ~ and to to 0 Ditto a Ditto ngl E, l ° l u g .ia.g.s.ab..ue.dig 4$ to 52 Memel ............ per TO,' Ditto o ON " 1 Lins. c. Hull loso at a oi Rapeseed ...... 001 Os to 00 ,, i_ a Rape cakes...l3os od to s 0!: 00s Ditto foreign ...... " s to WI Tares, English...... 00 „ t o p Guano 5/ 53 S/ tor 4 ,i _ s Oa to 1 37 ' ° R B re e ll s sal ... ............. 11$2° h in ' n f e . ffootr...loo/100: 01a0 10_1 ..,,,,sl:ixat.ii s s Wheat, English, red C 5 to 68 1 Ditto white 72 to 74, Dantzic and Konigs- bcrg Pomerauianandllam burgh , Danish Holstein, and _ . . Friesland 64 to Russian and Odessa 60 to 63, Oats, English Ditto Danish Ditto Friesland Ditto Russian 2O to 2S Barley, malting Ditto grinding 27 to 29 Beans Ditto foreign Peas, white and yel. 40 to 42i EXCHANGE.--YESTERDAY . 11 18 Gibraltar • • • •• • • • • 11 1914 L. gi - orn •....... 11 19% Genoa 25 4l) I , lllan .. • • .. 25 40 Venice........•• 13 VA Naples ........ Palermo ........ • • .. Messina ... ........ • Lisbon ...... Oporto ........ •• • • Rio Janeiro Buenos Ayres.. •• • • •• •• New York, 60 days' sight Philadelphia • raw= OF BITLLICN, PER Foreign Gall in BATS £3 1 , 7 Portugal Gold Coin .• 0 ` ,; Mexican Dollars ...• „ Dollars .. •• • • 5 034 Silver in bars . v :: 30 b 0 ~ 25 60 COURSE OF msterd am Ditto, three months ~. Itotteniara ............ Nntwerp .............. Brusels 1 anibtirgil • • • • • • • • • • Aito , l,l ~.•.........,.. Par:5........ ... 25 20 Ditto, three months .. 25 45 Marseilles ............. 23 47Y, Bourdesus • •• • • •• I • •—• Frankfort•on Maine •••• 119 gerlia ..... Vienna..........•• .... 12 40 Trieste—. ..... • ••.... 12 42 Petersburg ............ 35 Madrid .•• •• •• •• •••• .• 49% .. 50% Barcelona ••••.••••••• Seviile•••••• ......... . • 131 1 53' 534 SEABORNE MAILS. ral r 441.46°. (N signifies that the mails are sent from the rum e by the night—and M by the morning—despet,:b.) - ... ••••' -----7-- ware ~,1 t lay wi•tni made a ; Fro: , - a du , I''' COIT..t•TTRLEI. ;fa General Post- Port . Em•and, (nee, London.* DlsPatclie"' .------;,„ ...--- ........-----, lacrt ••• 1 " - S.meriea(byßrit.packyl• ilvery Friday .... LiverPo°' •• 1 uo q Americp. (by United Sts are '- packet) .... ......1. .......... LivorPoo l - America (by U. Slate, Packet.) .......... Australia (via South. ....... Southaro ....... SoutharoP •Ptioo: i , ... 3i.A 24 alnPton) .......... AL .... Ditto (via Marseilles) F •• Dover .- -• • I Ditto (via Cape of Goee - rtain ni ~ Ef . op 2) ............N “. AV ce r °4 " Africa ( West Coast) -I: 73d of the month .. Plymouth .• , A:exandria...... ~ ~ is - I, 9, 24, & 3tl of ni. Dover .. •t • ""I 1 Alexandrf a .... .... ..1 Ith &•.: 20th of mon. soutliamP lon ;Daily 133.!1E.MAS ...........P 17th of the montl SoutharOP Belgium ....., ..., ..i.i Dover.. .• • • • • ; A pril 1 6 Brazil ............ „Et 3th of tho nuaith.. ',lontitanfilten', Buenos Ayr( s ...... - N 31.11 01 the month.. .a.,othams t“l' tort' ice rtai B Cape of ilooe ii ope ..N VarLus P°rts. Cape of Good Rope ..N • Cape de Verds ......N" 9th of the month SoutliamPoo Ceylon (see India) cat wh.- Channel Isles ........N Men ~Wed.,&Fri.l. 3outharaPlo I f''. 20 Chili. • - • • • . .. .. .; .. m 2(1 &17th of moot': BaatharoP vl'lllloo China ... . Once a month.... Constantinople ......:, 4,13,i8,23,a1t8 ot it, Dover.. ••, " i islll Censtantinople ........ 4th & 20th of mon. SouthaMPloo.fwiev Cent. of Europe M & /: Twice daily ...... Dover .. t• • • 'red° Egypt (see India) Too „ a France ... M ..... M & 1. - ; Twice daily.— .. Dover .. • • • ;,... a rch •.,' Gibraltar • .......... 4,7, 17,20, 27 of nl.. Guuthan2Pica 1-.• 1 a 1 Greece (lee India) Oreytown ........'..M 2nd & 17th of mon . i7outhan3P ol 'l• Mr Hamburgh ..........7 Tuesday & Friday Loudon ... 0 . ) . IA r o' 1 ~ attvannah .........m 2nd of the month uthamPt . l Holland .... Honduras .......... Id 17th of the mouth. 6outtiarnilio.l'lllPril India (via.Southampt.)lll 4th & 20th of mon. PI India (via Marscilles)M 9h& 25th of month Dover. • • • • "1 • 1 weds" lonian Isles (see India) 7, 17, &27 of mon D •.• ' Ivo ~ , g Ireland .., AI & N Twice daily .. •... liolylic 3 , p , !!,!,,,f A ron ' Lisbon ...... ........M of fn. Southau. 1 01 0 ' - 1 n 6 Imladeira • • " • • .... al 9th of the montfilSouthtunP•°. Apr.. Madeira .' - !Halts (see India) . you aith ~.• i Ar cb g v Malta ............ „.7 8, 18, &28 of mon. Dovet .• •• "1 Mauritius (see India) • 1 !If auritiu.s ..........7 14th of the month • 'AP I Mexico ...... 11in...0,. . .., New t.franada ......M 22 & 17th of nionth 8011 11 : 13 : - o t tiftio r "" Na l )le3 .... • .......11 5 2 th nil la o th f t2hsethinoofltehri.. B°Douvtehr.:•;7. New Ze11and.........' .. By private ship .• Various 1 ... , Papal 8 tatea ........N sthlsth2sthohnon. Dover • r • ..,., i) Peninsula ... • .. .. M 7 thl7 th27thohnon. Soothe •P . l ,•,' n 1 Peru ..............M ~ .d 27th of mon. •loaths•r;;;ts cocart" Port Natal .... . ..... NBy private ship... VAr i .l 2 .• SicHY - • .... • .... Nst itlsth2f•thormon. Do r- ":: • ~.“ 1 m'oallY ...........N sthl.stb2sthoilmon. Dover ri ."„ to . p AP. - Venezuela .........M 2_& 17th of,-nontb ioutbe Y Van Diemen's Land (set - . I 01 I Australia) ........ , ..61 3 .. West Indies .. ....M ,2,lrL I 7th o month,gou l-5°P1.1 ' ' ..di ile •••.,;_, ,Igoutil amPtszl. o fa When any of these dates fall on a Sunday', tn ian of the a vr te ro:: .6„ 'patched on the following day, with the ex.ceP i t l ijo cle ° P Southampton), and the Malta, both of whiel vr preceding day. BIRTHS . OF A SON er . trot, the l,Sdf On the 25th inst., At 51, Upp Brook-s Enaina Cast. Or A DAIIOHF. II. Oa the 23d inst., at 1, BrunswiTck-place, 131igbt011' wife of Arthur Otway, M.P. vreorge Carruthers , _On the 26th inst., M at A T ß ot ß ten -T h gamp. p arish second dau ht , Madras Army. to 2 of N ato green g.erathe late Alfred ilales, sq.' Hall, Staffordshire. r Vg " On the '4 ' `loth inst., at Clenchwarton, Norfolk, Lyndon, Horn ' c, of d hament-street and Woburn-81'1.a: o f Little to Maria ' elyof the late Mr. Thos. Everetle Smith-st ' re w e i t, Westminster. - ----- D I E D. On t , , lle tl 2 et 7 t t , h E ' f r ar i cilf o l t rc te b'EAfroilii i: er., inst., at '24, Hatton -garden, If-jcilaci Cbris Esq., surgeon aced 44 rafts Bar On the 26th inst., at StraltolStra.wless, .00r-° -,..,- f lk, RoD L. Mar: h am, _On_ tho24th inst., at Dalvey, near Vorr es ' 3r..j3•' 31°. ill ' O c l j i j e the l ' 11i D dt v . e , A 1), at Demerara, Ensign 5.14.12. J. 13613-- 113 1 - • 2d West India Regt., second son of Sir man, Bart. On the 25th inst., Chariot te, .) at Lambeth -terrace, Emil,' ' infant _daughter of the Rev. Virtu. Duncan. ..... , lei, _On the 20th inst , Rachel, thc wife of J. w• TY t " --- . -big., solicitor, aged 59. ------------------ V5Cf, eodore Brine ~ LONDON: Printed and PublishQd by ItIiIRDO S O U=' tn. 1 1 : of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Oflice, Z - . of 2 trand, in the Precinct the Savoy, in the 01,101 d Mideiltd6X3 Weditesday, Stkreil 351 Lang. ~ ` Alai tla A, k ftse it - -nag 0 he of we beo' . ike Th, tat *1 :?; 11 the ‘hat ~~ ~E parit y ' N I Pal , h 'Per ta ru k i e r atlent ofwh, , hill 'PjOr.( fiZ t e r , 8144 asr! k l'oT the 9eorPorat k 8 Gr ae 4 1 %.1r), c 1 ,ta uce a^e k at 1.4r4d:117 Tile 1- tl o4t th i'°l fr A 4 4 3 1 1 " ., Bsl I ker e °l r ltin tl or ttr ronoc, net Wog h et e• Nic th t t., fot. (: kro lt i s n : It • 11 4 a ‘ , nati 4,, er the 0 ttrr, a 214 4 fr, qi w ar , I r ct `" ee 5 4 'kets 1)4 . ei k so, or A PO 14t4 in g Ithe (1 4 411 i( LI th e , i j 41° n Ike 3 4tt414e1! r ,;.; 411:4.44—i tioi W t he cu d - -41 re, I'ATB , The "A Itr... . hi er l le Drit!i t4 dinar The I;rinal tr o , ' l t kve,