The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-04 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Sir E. Lyons had gone twice with a squadron to Batoum,
and had convoyed vessels containing a large number of
troops. Another squadron of English and French steamers
had gone to the neighbourhood of Sebastopol ; they had
sailed to the entrance of the Sea of Azof, and they had only
seen three small Russian steamers at anchor. He was
assured that no Russian men-of-war had been seen at sea
by the various vessels of the combined fleets which had
been despatched in different directions. The squadron
sent to Varns could not observe any Russian men-of-war ;
and, in fact, the Russians had not kept at sea since the
orders were given to the combined fleets subsequently to
the affair at Sinope."
A WAR MINISTER.

Mr. Hume had placed a lengthy notice on the
paper for Thursday, embodying some passages from
a committee which sat in 1837, and who had re-
ported upon the advisability of consolidating the
various departments now charged with the civil ad
ministration of the army under one responsible head.
A resolution pledging the house to this opinion, and
suggesting the appointment of a new Secretary of
State as War Minister, was then moved by the hon.
member, who dwelt in ample detail upon the compli-
cations and embarrassments that attended the exist,
ing division of labour among the War-office, the Horse
Guards, the Ordnance and Commissariat Departments,
with the additional confusion consequent upon the par-
tial subordination of each to the Home and other Se-
cretaries of State. Immense delays, great enhance-
ment of expense, insurmountible difficulties in get-
ting grievances redressed, or improvements adopted,
accompanied also by much bewilderment in the
accounts, which were rendered too obscure to be
checked by financial reformers in the House of
Commons, were successively described and deduced
by Mr. Hume from the present system.
The SECRETARY at WAR remarked that circum-
stances had changed much since 1887 ; that the sug-
gestions of the commissioners who sat in that year
were prompted by serious discordances which had
arisen between different departments of the War
office, and, as those disputes were now allayed, the
report then presented had no relevance to the pre
sent state of things. Respecting the motion before
them, he denied the expediency of creating a new
Secretary of State, with the functions of war minis-
ter, who would but interpose a fresh barrier and
delay between the movements of the military force
and the advice of the Home, Foreign, and Colonial
Secretaries, who were best acquainted with the ne-
cessities of the public service, and therefore best
qualified to issue orders to the army authorities.
The responsibility of such a war minister must, he
contended, be illusory, and the consolidation that 1,
would be effected under his superintendence would
practically result in a more unwieldy and heteroge
neous organisation than existed at present. Im-
provements and simplifications in minor details were,
no doubt, possible, some of which Mr. Herbert indi-
cated as individual conclusions, but without pledging
the Government to entertain them. The present
moment, at all events, was most inopportune for any
extensive change in the working machinery of army
administration.
Lord SEYMOUR inquired whether any means would
be taken to alleviate the heavy burden of business
which war must throw upon the shoulders of the
Colonial Secretary. He cited instances showing the
practical evils which resulted from over work in that
department, and suggested that some benefit might
accrue from transferring a portion of labour to the
Secretary at War.
Sir J. PAEINOTON was convinced that the anoma-
lies of the present system required reform. When
ever anything went wrong in the administration of
the army, it was now almost ithpossible to set it
right, through the complication of powers and re-
sponsibilities among the several departments. Fear-
ing, however, to prejudice the service at a critical
moment, he advised Mr. Hume not to press his
motion.
Mr. E. ELICE joined in giving that advice, believ
ing that if they went to a division the Government
would be defeated. No rational country, he thought,
could endure the continuance of the system, but
change just now would be injudicious.
After a few words from Colonel Ktiox and Colonel
MAULE,
Lord J. RUSSELL repeated some of the pleas urged
by the Secretary at War against immediate change
in the organisation of the war departments. Never-
theless he quite agreed that better arrangements
were necessary, and intimated that the Government
were perfectly ready to make them with fitting deli-
beration.
Mr. HUME consented not to press his motion,
which was by leave withdrawn.
THE MILITIA.

An account of the expense and strength of the
militia was moved for by the Earl of ELLENBOROUGH
on Thursday night. This motion the noble earl
accompanied by some inquiries touching the inten-
tions of the Government in turning the corps to the
most useful account under our present circumstances.
He noticed that in certain counties, and especially in

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Yorkshire and Lancashire, the number of the militia
enrolled had fallen short of the complement required.
Afterwards Lord EllEnborough proceeded to offer
suggestions for a variety of improvements in the
mode of raising and disciplining the militia, and
recommended its permanent establishment during
the war. Adverting to our preparations for the war,
he said he should have preferred seeing something
like daylight in the Baltic before denuding the
country of so many of our best troops as had been
sent to Turkey. He regretted to find that it would
be only by the assistance of France that we should
be enabled to produce a superior naval force to Russia
in the Baltic. The real battle must be fought in the
Baltic, and not in the Black Sea ; and a force of
20,000 men sent there from this country would have
far greater influence upon Sweden, Denmark, and
even Russia herself, than double that number sent
to Turkey.
The Earl of ABERDEEN consented to produce the
returns asked for, but with regard to the military sug-
gestions of the noble earl, declined to reveal the Go-
vernment plan of campaign. As to the militia, it was
intended to extend the period of drill to 28 days, but
there was no present intention of permanently em-
bodying the force. Respecting the counties named,
he remarked upon the extraordinary demand fo
labour in the manufacturing districts, and stated
that the number of militia obtained from them had
surpassed expectation. Altogether 00,000 out of the
proposed 80,000 men had been raised for the force
before the commencement of the current year.
Some further conversation took place, after which
the subject dropped.