The Press.
London, England, 1855-02-24 00:00:00

MR. LOWE AT KIDDERMINSTER.

Ma. Lows, on Thursday, attended a meeting of his
constituents for the purpose of rendering an account
of his official administering, having, as he observed,
not resigned, but declined, to reaccept the same
functions upon the reconstruction of the Ministry.
He first adverted to his own department, the India
Board, and claimed credit for himself and his chief,
Sir C. Wood, for the reforms that had been accom-
plished in the civil administration of India, and espe-
cially in their having thrown open all the official
appointments to general competition. He added
I believe that the people of England will soon require
that all appointments, not only in the civil service in
India, but all public appointments requiring ability and
knowledge in their discharge, shall be thrown open to full,
free, and fair competition. I cannot but regard this as a
step in the right direction, going to the root of evils, and
destined to become more and more popular in this country.
Adverting to the causes of his own refusal to con-
tinue in office, Mr. Lowe remarked:—
It was not from any dissatisfaction with the Government
just formed, which I am most anxious to support, and
which I believe upon the whole to be the best that could
be found under existing circumstances, but I thought that
I had held office long enough*for the purpose for which I
took it—that was, to gain an insight into official life, and
fit myself for any higher office hereafter. Moreover, I
did not see that anything more of importance remained to
be done, and was not disposed any longer to surrender my
privilege of free speech as an independent member.
Afterwards he referred to the conduct of the war,
attributing much blame to Lord Raglan, and still
more to the vicious system of patronage which he
believed to pervade every rank and departmentof the
public service. On the latter point he said :
The cankerworm which has caused the failure of this
campaign, and which pervades every department of the
civil and military service, is the vice of public patronage.
(Cheers.) Merit is not promoted ; the only thing con-
sidered is personal connection and favour. Russia has the
great advantage in war of having only one head, whose
interest and that of the public, so far as the success of his
armies are concerned, are entirely at one. He recall any
general who displeases him without the slightest hesitation,
and if he does anything wrong punishes him with the
utmost severity, without mercy and without remorse. But
our statesmen stand in a different position. They are not
identified with the public interest. In filling up offices
the Emperor of Russia looks only for servants who will
best execute his wishes, and the public of this country
look for that, too; but the statesmen in whose hands the
gift of these offices is, look rather to their own profits orthat
of their friends, or their parliamentary influence, than to
the interests of the i.eople. It is no use in talking of any
kind of reform till you get this altered.
Respecting the remedial measures that had been
proposed, Mr. Lowe found serious objections both to
the commissions which Lord Palmerston proposed
to issue, and to the committee of inquiry as voted in
pursuance of Mr. Roebuck's motion. Of the latter
he observed :
A committee of this kind was most objectionable, be
cause it really transferred the duties of the Executive to the
House of Commons, always a most dangerous thing ; and
lastly, such an inquiry as was proposed would certainly
involve statements respecting the French army which the
Emperor of the French was desirous should not be known,
and would probably weaken our alliance with that country.
His own proposals for the better management of
affairs in future were limited to the single suggestion,
that whenever any officer failed in the performance
of his duty he should be instantly recalled.

THE following statement of the debts by the prin-
cipal States in the world, corrected up to a late
period, is contained in Ayres' edition of " Fenn on the
English and Foreign Funds," just issued :
Austria, amount of debt, 211,000,0001.; Baden,
7,000,0001.; Bavaria, 14,117,0001.•, Belgium, 26,000,0001. ;
Bolivia, 521,00014 Brazil, 12,392,0001.; Buenos Ayres,
2,500,0001.; Chili, 1,784,0001. • Columbia, 6,625,9501. ; Cuba,
311,2301.; Denmark, 13,069:0001.; Ecuador, 3,817,00014
England, 778,923,0001.; France, 233,000,0001.; Granada
(New), 7,500,0001.; Greece, 8,250,0001.; Guatemala,
594,5001.; Hamburg, 4,000,001.; Hanover, 5,174,0001.;
Holland, 102,451,0001.; India (British), 48,000,0001. •
Mexico, 10,000,0001. ; Peru, 9,953,8001. ; Portugal',
19,122,0001.; Prussia, 33,500,0001.• Roman States,
17,152,0001. • Russia, 66,000,0001. • Sardinia, 23,000,0001.;
Saxony, 6,223,0001. • Spain, '70,000,0001.; Sweden,
450,0u01.; Switzerland, 160,0001.; Turkey, 5,000,000i4
United States of America (Federa), 10,000,0001.; Vene-
zuela, 3,789,0001.; Wurtemburg, 4,850,000/.; total,
1,736,229,5501.
Loan LucAx bas been recalled from the Crimea,
in consequence of differences which took place be-
tween him and Lord Raglan, differences which ren-
dered it impossible for them to act together on the
same station.

I

FEBRUARY 24, 1855.

Cartspatatutt.

INDIAN EMERGENT SERVICE.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."
Sir,—Upon the principle of experientia docet, it
is proper that the public should know that in the
Indian army there is a system which renders the
starvation of an army in the midst of plenty, as at
Balaklava, impossible. It is simply this. Whenever
the matter is too pressing to allow of the forms estab-
lished by the regulations as a check upon issues to be
complied with without material injury to the public
service, the commander of the division, or regiment, or
party, if the latter be detached, sends in a requisition
on his own responsibility, headed "Emergent Ser-
vice." With a requisition so headed, the commissary
paymaster, or other functionary, immediately com-
plies, holding the stores, ammunition, or money, so
issued, to the personal debit of the person signing
the requisition, until the latter can in due course
obtain formal sanction for the issue from the
proper authorities. When this sanction is procured,
the " Emergent Service " receipt is returned, and the
papers in due form sent up to the Audit-office for
audit, where they are duly passed.
Officers in the Indian army being generally de-
tached at an early period of service, are in the habit
of thinking and acting for themselves in emergen-
cies, and seldom hesitate to assume a responsibility
which, when exercised for the advantage of the State,
they are generally borne out in taking, by the con-
firmation of their acts by Government.
Now, in the eases given in the papers regarding
the difficulties at Balaklava, all these would have
been removed bad a system of this kind been fol-
lowed there. The camp had to be cleared and roads
made. Well, the Commander-in-Chief would have
ordered the Quartermaster-General to see to this—
he would have got men from Constantinople fbr the
work, paid them their wages, and drawn under the
head of "Emergent Service" for the amount, which
would have been held to his personal debit till
passed, as it must have been, by Government. Fresh
meat, wood, and ground coffee, were wanted for the
men ; he would have ordered these to be bought,
and paid for in the same manner, the account to be
finally adjusted when sanctioned by Government;
and the same as regards skin coats, shoes, &c.
In the same way divisional commanders would
have acted regarding stores emergently required,
and in respect of which valuable time would have
been lost in waiting for the orders of Lord Raglan.
As regards the hospitals, also, the same plan would
have been pursued, and the medicines not in stores
would have been purchased, when procurable,—as
opium, mercury, antimony, and corrosive sublimates,
always are in Turkey in the Constantinople Bazaar.
Provisions, blankets, beds, &c., would have been pro-
cured in the same manner. As a matter of course,
Government must, and in all cases in India would,
sanction the issue afterwards, and relieve the officers
who had passed the vouchers from any personal
risk. And here, too, they must have done so, or
themselves been disgraced and ruined. I do not
mean, of course, to say, that ridiculous extravagance
would be tolerated, but everything that might fairly
be deemed necessary would be always passed. When
the cholera raged among the troops at Cnrrachee,
for instance, Sir Charles Napier, without regard to
cost, or regulations, or Government sanction, at once
got for the hospital all the champagne, and ice, and
soda-water, that the doctors thought necessary, and
that was procurable.
Such is the Indian system. Ido not know how
far that pursued in the English army tallies with it.
If the English system does tally with it, then there
can be little doubt that a large share of the respon-
sibility for the late state of affairs rests with Lord
Raglan and the staff of the army in the Crimea ;
but if not—if, as I apprehend, these, as far as civil
departments and civil disbursements, have had till
lately their hands tied by the Government at home,
then the Government at home are the persons wholly
and solely to blame.—Your most obedient servant,
AN INDIAN OFFICER.

PATRONAGE OF OUTGOING MINISTERS.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."
Sir,--When Lord Derby resigned the Premiership
a valuable church living was vacant in Cornwall. I
have reason to know that an application was made
to his lordship by a staunch supporter for the
appointment. The earl, however, at that time " only
holding office until his successor was appointed," de-
clined to do any " dirty work," and lett it open for
the incoming Administration to fill up. Now mark
the contrast. Lord Aberdeen having actually re-
signed, receives a petition from a large metropolitan
pariah, the incumbency of which was then vacant in
favour of a hardwoking curate : he, however, refuses
to comply with the request contained therein, and
the petitioners, thinking that ha, too, declines "dirty
work," apply to Lord Palmerston, and find that the
noble earl late at the bead of her Majesty's Govern-
ment has added one more to his numerous qualifica-
tions for the highest honour the Sovereign has to