The Express.
London, England, 1855-07-12 00:00:00

THE EXCESSIVE RATING OF LICENSED

VICTUALLERS IN ST. PANCRAS.

On Tuesday afternoon an adjourned meeting of
licensed victuallers residing in the parish of St. Pancras
was held at the Somers Arms, Wilated-street, No w.road, in
connexion with the appeal made by Mr. Speedy, of the
Boot, Cromer.strest, against the recent assessment of hie
house to the parochial rates. Mr. THURSTON, of the Pinclu
of Wakefield, occupied the chair.
Mr. SPRIDT reported that his appeal, which was And
fee Saturday last, at the Middlesex Sessions, had been post-
poned till October, when, upon the advice of his solicitor and
surveyor, be anticipated a victory.
A conversation followed upon the system of rating by
profits adopted by the parish.
The CHAIRMAN said it seemed to him that they assessed
large houses by their appearance, and small houses by their
business. With regard to Mr. Speedy', case the course
adopted by the vestry was of an aggravating character, be.
cause, instead of proceeding against him "ly law, they
might, by waiting a little, have exerciaed their power of
raking his assessment in the usual way ; and it seemed to
him that the Made of the district ought to combine, and get
the question settled upon this case, ea to how they should be
rated in future.
In reply to a question,
The CHAIRMAN stated that the system of rating aceordiag
to profits had been introduced in a parish at the Bast.end,
but the licensed victuallers combined and succeeded in
detesting it. It bed also been introdaeed in Bt. Mary's
gewingtee, bat speedily abandoned by the parochial
aattotillee.
Mr. Holmes]) moved the following resolution :—" That
nudism be held in the several localities to call the attention
of the nada to the particular points and circumstances of
the appeal, 'H. Speedy v. Poor Rate Bt. Pancras,' the de-
ckles of the ;metiers in his favour, and the persistence of the
vestry in legal proceedings tending to crush an individosl."
Mr. Roseau. mended the motion, which was unani-
mously agreed to, sad the meeting adjourned.

ff,VVY• • VW • -
•

Abe exancoo.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.
abortiamsaislateadedur "Tho Raptor." Dorm Vain( pew,
mot be ot the Oar% 10. lestorrourt, by Two Ora ce the
wOl pablkaara.

MGR WATER AT LONDON BRIDOZ.
Tim DATIEOII/14 ns Allsessim. Oh Wm
To massir—Xasdn. lb. em.

LONDON, THURSDAY, ',171.2' 11

INTESDAT evmang's debate in the Room of Cimir
peas, on Mr. Scinix's motion, is a fair eau* el
the manner in which Administrative Bdmm is
likely to be dimmed by the existing nee of pubis
Inn. Mr. Bonzes ostensible object wan to urge
the Government to confer appointments in the public
service with an exclusive regard to merit ascertained
by public competitive examinations. But the real
drift of the honourable member peeped oat in the
teply with which he wound up the debate, as the
real object of ladies' epistles is alleged always to be
found in their pretneripta. Mr. SCIILLT read two
letters—one which he bad addressed to a noble lord
es his nounion tootles ; the other, alio from himself,
addremed to a friend of Lad Patnsarrom's, in
February last. The purport of both was a re-
earmetninee against the noaappointaient of Irish
sambas to places in the recently constructed Cabi-
nate. Now, with a view to the practical efficiency
of Governmeat, we are quite prepared to assert that
the racist capable masa ought to be 'sleeted, bre-
'pectin of the part of the Weisel from
which they eosin Bat It dues net asses-
eerily follow that every AdmillibilleS Amid
be composed of certain fixed peimmtlens el lag-
lishmen, Scotching', Wolohan*, and kishsa* If
there have been few or no Iridium is late Cabinets,
the gm, meet he night &swims than in any ob-
it:widen le dm pumiedneff enresestrymen from the
grew athintable to the want of Administra-
tive Rehm Ever dose the Mike, when there have
. been Isfsb members in Parliament gifted with °Medal
aptitude, Ireland has had her fair share of Ministerial
=at the least. Under the Tories we had the
ons sad Camas ; snider the Whip
the Towers, Busoaouoss, CLUIRICAZDZII, and
Sams. Nay, before the Union, we bad from
:ibeland greater names than any of these—Bums
tai IPOSIDLL At no time have oar Irish

Meads been entirely excluded from office by
'!■peeetioabl. public virtue; nor, to judge from Mr.
urgent petitions for place for his friends,
ems est appear to be the cause of the exclusion he
now esesplaim of. All Governments have been but
- tee glad to enrol; Irish talent under their banners,
when Irish talent wee to be had. If the doors of

Downing•strest are kept dose shut against the Irish
Brigade, notwithstanding their 'salad pertinacious
t basking, it is simply because there are no Bnintre,
GMMlniMaous, or Sams among them. Mr. Via-

OCUILT may y take our word for it that Admi-
milintire Reform would do little to promote the amid-
So *we of the coterie to which he belongs ; that
Ii ikleative Reform moans something very dif.
and Mei snug places for men who have no other,
asseimidation than that they represent Irish con-
slilmweiss. Let Ireland send us own more snob
Irish embus as we have formerly seen in Parliament,
and tbale dim to office will be irresistible.

The ons►disd dispassion raised by Lord Mortar-'

canna in the House of Lords on inesday evening
was a men eggendix to tbe debate that wee going on
is the CheMeeme. One noble lord rose after another
1 to peimenftee Meese eulogists@ on things as they are,
• Mite begat!, with indiscriminate praise every living
ham the highest to the lowest. After this
ewe interchange of lordly civilities, Lord
ManDertaca's honest burst of impatience was "quite
selbembing." Ha bluntly told the aseembled pews
• Si " Was bad been a great deal of what oat of doors
▪ IND lila I bitter 'on both sides." The whole nation
will echo Lord HARDWICILIee eminently sailor-like
rebuke of the complimentary platitudes in which
Lords CLANRICARDE, CLARE NDON, and GRANVILLE
so complacently indulged.

LONG RAGLAN has, in a manner, with his dying
breath, borne witness against our military system. In
the tut despatch but one that he ever penned—dated
the 26th ultimo, and published in our bane of Tues-
day—his lordship notices the death of two officers,
both of whom are striking instances of how little
merit is appreciated, or at any rate rewarded, in the
English army. The first of these is Captain Qualm
Borman, of the 10th Hussars, "an officer," to quote
the late Field Marshal's words, "of great merit,
who had served in India with distinction, and
is much regretted in his regiment." Turning
to that useful work which has been of late so
much quoted in the House of Commons—Hort.
direly List—we find that Captain Bowe.ae entered
the service in 1839, that Ise served throughout the
campaigns of Affghanistan and the Sausage, that be
wore several decorations which marked his having
been in action, and that the reward of all this was
his dying a captain—having purchased all his
commissions, and probably spent 6,00 W. in obtaining
that rank. He fella victim to cholera in the field
before the enemy.
In the same despatch Lord RAGLAN also makes men-
tion of Lieut. and Adjutant lausa,of the 33rd Regi-
ment, who was killed in the trenches on the 24th alt.
"This young officer "—we again copy his lordship's
words—" had served throughout the campaign, and
was distinguished for his gallantry and devotion to
the services ; and his conduct on a former occasion I
had the honour to bring under your (Lord Psal-
m:ma's) notice." When he was killed, Lieutenant
MARSH had been bat three and a half years in the
service, and yet was not only adjutant of his regi-
ment, but had been before mentioned in general
orders.

It is often asked by those opposed to army reform,
1 What is meant by promotion according to merit Is"
Mee are two instance in which " promotion for
merit" might have been awarded. In the one
sea an °Meer serves with distiaetios for six-
ties years in the far east, and dies in the rank
he has purchased, some six thonmad plumb
Wag lost to his family for ever. la the other a
young sea forms himself by his bravery into MO
tinetioa, and is mentioned honourably in the poWis
despatches, yet death overtakes him still a 'abaft,
without any substantial mark of his omobes ap-
proval. And yet in neither of thane eases MS Nose
be laid at theism of any individual—the system, and
it slose, lain fault. Captain Bowl.* not having bees
on the staff or in eenunand of his regiment, could net
have received even the honorary reward of a Brevet
Majority ; and Lieutenant MARSH, being under the
rack °leapt** was, in a military point of view, what
a man under age ia in a court of law—nebody.
naturally arks in every man's mind
in the English army any °Seers
advanument in the service has been more
of the two here mentioned! gad,
ass have bees treated had they

boa loook WOW of English °lime For a reply
Jo do Imo or them queries reference seed only be
mode to Hare. Army List. In the brigade of
ohm there are ten or twelve alms boldloi do
of a optain and lieutenant-calomel," all of *dm
*kw fa the se rvios to Captain BOWE" bat napoko
elm were ever before an cony WU the preeOnt
vex broke out. Not that thus gentheasia have 'coot
hilly deserved their promotion, nor jet that any one
fa to be blamed for promoting them. Either by money,
pod look, or good interest—probably a combination
of all three—they obtained, without moving from
ingland, a rank towards gaining which sixteen
years' service under an Indian sun goes for nothing.
Still it is—we repeat-the system, and the system
only
-
.

which can bi biassed. -
As with Captain Bowuss so with Lieutenant
!Muss-ants that in this idiom's ems the cloven foot
of Ham Gear& interest is. more distinctly visible.
Same months ago—as Lord RAGLAN himself states in
his despatch—Lieutenant Muss was, on account of

his bravery before the enemy, mentioned in general
orlon, and recommended by the late Field Marshal
to the Minister at War. What promotion did be
obtain P—None. Was he in any way rewarded P—No.
Have other sabalterna in the army, who were junior
to Lieutenant Miami, but who bad net distinguished
themselves in any special manner, been promoted
sines that odor's name appeared in general orders
Yee, several. Lord RIIBTACE CECIL, of whom pro-
motion from the line to the Guards we have lately
heard so much, is junior in the army to the late
Lieutenant MAIM; so is Lientenint the Hon. R.
Baer, geontoted only last month from the 21st Fusi-
liers to the Grenadier Guards ; and, had we space,
many other instances might be enumerated. It is
not, however, so mesh to particularise each instance of
military favouritism, as to draw attention to the broad
fact, that merit, service, or bravery—taken together or
separately—an of no avail in the English army to-
ward' obtaining advancement for those who possess
these quads% unless backed by family, Horse Guards,
or Court interest, or large private means. To do the
late Lord RAGLAN justice, be did, during the last few
months, bring prominently forward the names of
subaltern tikes, and even those of sergeants, cor-
porals, and privates, who bad distinguished them-
selves in the field. But of what use has such honour
been to those who gained it P In one single instance did
an officer—Lieut. WALIKI, of the 30th Regiment—
obtain promotion—to a captaincy in the 3rd Buffs—
out of his turn, owing to gallantry displayed before
the enemy. Superior officers—Majors, Colonels, and
Generals—do now and then get their share of brevet
rank sad the decoration of the Bath ; but the juniors
must be content with the consciousness of having
done their duty.

_s_
twrodoss sates
—ln thiti ;
whoa advasesows
tepid than that of
hew would osoli