The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-02 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 2, 1855!

year. That is the dictum of the gentleman who represents
the war depertmest in this hew ; bat I tell him It will be
Asap if he gets it for that money. (Rear, hew.) We are
told that the system is not ;aristocratic, bemuse any man
who has tbe means may purchase a unaissioa. that
may be the theory, bat the thing is not so easy in practice.
Lit a man go to the Horne Guards, and, unless be be a
senior officer, when, if he his served a number of years, his
humble birth will not cause him to be pissed over, he will
Ind that purchasing his grades is not so easy. Oa the other
hand, if be be a man of aristocratic lineage, his dates will
sot be so accurately serotanised. The eousequanoe is that
this system of piareliase affords the greatest facilities for fa-
vouritism. (Hear, hear.) You whew the tiosamoulty
altogether, and only admit the gentry and the nobles. Do
not suppose that I wish to exclude the aristocracy or the
gentry from the army ; on the contrary, I should like them
to be the most numerous class. What I object to is that sys-
tem of exclusion which p persons in humble
station, whatever may be their talents, arriving at
such a position ae that they can materially serve their
country. (Hear, hear.) Why his not the system been
tried en the bench, for which I have the highest respect?
The high honours there are not for sale, and the cense-
queue is that persons from the humblest rank in life ire-
quietly obtain the highest positions. (Hear, hear.) Under
the pageant system in the army such a result would be
morally impossible ; to the gentry it is barely possible ; but
the man fa bumble life would attempt it in vain. We have
been told of the sum made by the sale of 60 or 100 commis-
MOM in the Crimea; but I think that a most discreditable
proceeding. (Hear, hear.) However, we are gradually
approaching an amelioration. Our officers should be all
nobles ' • and in some countries twelve quarters were insisted
on, but that has pawed away. There has been a time
also when all the great officers in command of an
army were princes, and sometimes they made very distin-
guished generals; but let us compare the number of great
generals so made and the number that rose up in a country
whisk passed through revolution, and you will find the
atunhen about fifty_ to one. (Hear, hear.) True, in.the
time of Lee° the Fourteenth there were some great com-
manders, although we had one which was greater than them
all. (Cheers.) But compare the commanders of that time
to those who appeared when free scope was given to all the
population, and you will Dee how the balance preponderates
in favour of the latter. (Hear, hear.) In one revolution
also, which was not a social but a political one, some men
were thrown up who distinguished themselves considerably.
There was one Mr. Oliver Cromwell, for lialtailell—
(laughter)—and others of humble birth, and by no mesas
liberal education. Still they had their qualifications for
which education is not the substitute; for gentlemen are
under a great mistake who think that education, and ex-
aminations, and colleges, are sufficient to make • soldier.
(Hear.) There is another point which has escaped the
government, and that is the groat amelioration which has
been going on amongst the people of this country. If any
man will only look into the general orders of the Duke of.
Wellington during the Peninsular war, and compare them
with the statements respecting armies of more recent times,
he will find that in the first period crime was far more
royalist than in the present time. I bad myself a
mai form under my command about tweaty years ago,
vile was at the time well abused • but the fact was that
the whole time it was embodied there was not in it
ease of capital crime or capital punishment. (Hear.)
lbw again is our army in the Crimea, and which was first
is Turkey, and I cannot call to mind that there was any-
thing like a capital crime committed by a single soldier.
(Lead cheers.) Not only that, but everywhere the moetl
examplary obedience ; and this is the sort of army of which
this sadism are to be treated as helots, and allowed to enter-
Miss° aspirations as to raising themselves to a higher class
in society. (Hear. bear.) I confess that when I
have passed among the pickets—and even in action
it has sometimes occurred to me how painful
it was to see those men exposing themselves to each
dire misery, wounds, toils, and almost certain death, with
se little grounds for hoping anything better in future.
(Loud cheers.) I appeal, then, to noble lords, who have
the power in this matter, to turn their thoughts in the direc-
tion I have indicated. Let them recollect that these sol-
diers are men like ourselves—not, perhaps, gentlemen in

the conventional sense, for gentlennu; is not i term correctly
med en all occasions, there being, I believe, persons of high
ask who are not gentlemen, and, on the other hand, mss
Si bumble origin who are essentially gentlemen—but men
Fn
•of high and noble aspirations. (Cheers.) In my
, it is contrary to the general spirit of the orders of
sovereign to suppose that any person in the military
ranks is note gentleman. Act in the spirit of these orders,
make it known that you intend to do so, and you will find
men of higher education and better condition enter
the army. No sort of danger or inconvenience
will follow from what has been proposed, and
I think moderately proposed, by the noble lord.
The hon gentleman the member for Bury (Mr. F. Peel)
seems to doubt the possibility of abolishing the system of
purchase, but that system will do away with itself if you
will allow it; for if you don't permit the sale of commis-
sions in future, it must cease as the existing commissions
which have been obtained by purchase fall in. It will cease
if you do not, as you did the other day, send out officers
who have obtained their step by purchase to be placed over
the heads of the men who fought at Alma, Inkermann, and
Bslaklava. (Hear, hear.) I say it was most colpsble and
shameful to send out persons to the army in the Crimea be-
, pause they have the means of purchasing their rank, to the
prejudice of those who have distinguiebed themselves
in that army, who have gone through all the dangers of the
campaign, and whose lives have been exposed day after day,
1 but who have not the money required to purchase their pro-
motion. (Chinn.) But, says the hon. gentleman, the sys-
tem works well. Why the same was said of the close
boroughs. (Hear, hear.) The system, it was said, has ex-
isted 140 years, there are interests involved, and if
they *are abolished what shall we do for statesmen in pulls-
ment ? Nevertheless, at last the greater part of them were
abolished, though they were not altogether gone yet.
(Hear, hear.) Why there is no abuse of which it
can be said it possesses no countervailing advantage. (lieu,
hear.) I don't mean to say that by the system of purchase
you do not secure • greater number of educated young men
for the army, than you would in the first instance without
it; but the advantage is far more thin counterbalanced by
the ultimate injury it indicts, and in the depressing in-
fluence it exercises on these praiseworthy aspirations of
honour and ambition which, in military life, arc so essen-
tial and so necessary for the public benefit. (Cheers.)
Again I say it is false economy to cootiaue this system.
What is the effect of your selling the command of • regi-
ment ? Can there be a greater absurdity than to promote
an Moro to the command of 1,000 men, not for the mo-
ment manly, but for a long period, because he happens to
have these two qualifications—that he is beyond a certain
degree of Juvenility, and that he is possessed of
&attain sum of money.
eiiieers.) It may be said that
note ill so instants elan actionable officer obtaining the
ommonni of seginionft in way. That is, that he has
not falba tato say serape; bat does it follow that the pos-
session a these two qualifications proves that the man is fit
to be misdeal with the care, responsible for the efficiency,
and for this moral and physical condition of 1,000 men ?
(Cheers.) Hut if the principle be good, why not apply it
throughout all the ranks in the army; and if, because a
man an Word to pay down 3,0001., you entrust him with
the common of 1,000 men, why do you not require that the
men who is satrusted with the command of a division of
000 men abseil pay down 9,0001.1 The argument
se youth is ma important point. I know the ad-
vantage id pro* in the army, and wish I still
bad a little oth—(elson and a laugh)—and I don't mesa
to soy that the point INN not require much consideration,
but I imagine if tkeyament system were abolished it would
noble the government to provide against so many old
diem serositior Is the army. There are I know many
ell blositheada, and themes. also oung blockheads, in the
may, bat it is the system of purchasing commissions that
plosksikem there. (Hear, beer.) The noble lord has al-
ms' le • Paoli in the Mere of one of these commissions
to the sliest that the system of purchase provides a young
dad adisisat dem a sawn for the colonise and the gene-
ral semis% whisk no other system would have done, daring
a king pried epees% and a quotation was made from the opi-
nions of ea ilinallikansi duke in reference to the qualifications
nosiessary in an ellen vin., that he should b. a good judge,
a good juror, and • nod arbitrator, besides many other
lions of various descriptions. Now I have been a
time in the army, but I confuse I am not capable of all
these things, and I think the view here taken of the quell-
lotions of a military officer is rather an exaggerated one.
(Saw, boar.) But if it be not ss, Ido not understand how
lb mess fact of a man having 6001. in his pocket proves that
be pasessass all these qualifications. (A laugh.) But the
=rt that by no other system could so many useful
ave been provided for colonial services during a
long period of peace is of no weight whatever. It is oom-
r4ely unimportant what class of officers you have
peon (Hear, hoar.) I have no objection, if
yea like, to see none but officers by purchase
during pesos, and I have no doubt you will
*blahs by that mew Alan quite good enough for peace
putpooes, but that is not the object. (Hear, hear.) The
great thing is to provide men qualified to sot in war—
(cheers)-mad I my, that when an important event Omura
like that which is now taking place, and we find ourselves
involved is a war the parallels system is altogether falla-
cious, sad may bring the Gauntry into great difficulty and
danger. (Obsess.) Bat with respect to tbs economy
of the system. It is true the Maley hassolitTilivery long
I Cill Wine a pesos greet napresoderoted—and it mar
lo—opkt that the present war will Will be brought to a 1
eamoimism, and we shall have another peem of equal dura-
tion, sad Bat there is therefore no use in legislating for the
oistingeney of war. It may be said that a great and
disdagnisbed minister has gams to Vienna to negotiate
prose i sod that pesos will, doubtless, be speedily restored
—*ken the, is the use of making any alteration. I, how-
WIC, for one think it is by no mesas so amain that &no-
ise' 40 years of roe can be ealeulated upon, even after
Illissionia shall be pinked up, if gashed up it be. (Haar,
:111:4.6 Mil with meld to a period of war, my humble
is that it is tbs very wueet *moony to admit of any
=that does set ensure you in war time the
7.
similei eta i t sal able odious to direct your fleets and
that tics wintry eximAdaes. (Cheering.)
Wit is the usual tacit of thus system ? It is nqt
easily teemed; book is wadi osemielem is, it will be U3ll
that anything awe eleuril, if the oiled be to secure the
wises st soil oEsteat Amos to the higher com-
bine, . be devised. The aids is this, that whea
geed theve lmbue by pisolime or *Toothless
Croriss haistetbe Islibit sobs of the or ory.liseeememet have
Ws *plies but le angley thus, sad Om Ate woe disaster,
trhes Wallis ear arms, they en Wised to provide '
bseai, and to provide also double or treble the number
el romps to eery ea the war whisk else would be mow
eery. (Hear, kw.) It is possible, toe, that ig this way,