The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 27, 1849.

the contrary of sacred for us to join in. Nor, in truth.
do the Hungarians want either oar mm or ou money,
To argue, therefore, that the moral condemnation
of Russian policy is either a levying war upon
Russia or a provocation of wet from it, is nonsense.
Such arguments would reduce Englishmen to the
stale of dormioe, end would forbid any expression of
free sentiment amongst them, lest, forsooth, such
might provoke a foreign potentate to war. This is
not only pusillanimity, but hypocritical pusillanimity :
it is affecting cowardice on behalf of a lie.
It is possible that our contemporaries take so
warmly the part cf Russia and of Austria out of fear
of their greatness, and oat of a desire to conciliate
their favour fur th's country. This is considerate,
but not dignified. Mr. CUBDEN has been all his lire the
consistent opponent of England's considering Russia
as a foe, to be fought or to be feared. What he said
on Mooday of the fragile nature of Russian power is
but a rc-assertion of hie old opinions. If such simple
' truths as this estimate of other nations' forces, and
this appreciation of their policy, be provocative to war,
then all we cm say is, that Rirope, with England in-
cluded, must have changed its nature, and, instead of
bring a land of f:ee and free-spoken men, it must
have grown into a society of police-writers, knout-
wielders, adulators, and serfs.

THE comparative value of military and any other
public services in the estimation of the British govern-
ment may bo ascertained to a fraction. The annual
list of new pensions granted supplies the necessary
data for calculation.

The list for the year ending the 20th of June, 1849,
contains five pexsions, amounting in all to 1,2001.
Oat of this sum an annual pension of 5001. was
granted to the wife of a general officer, Sir HENRY
SMITH; one of 2001. to Mr. ADAMS for astronomical
discoveries and scientific merits; one of 2001. to
SIIERIDAY. iketowtes, in consideration of his talents
as a dramatic author; one of 2001. to Mr. CARLETON,
in consideration of his literary merits; one
of 331. fes. Bd. to each of the three sisters
of the late Professor M'Cuteemt, in considera-
tion of his eminent scientific attainments. According
to these ratios, one living general officer equals in
value one distinguished living cultivator of science,
one dead ditto, and one eminent living dramatist.
The document, it is true, is susceptible of another in-
terpretation. The grantors of the pensions appear to
have believed that 331. 6e. Bd. per annum will console
a sister for the death of a brother; but that 5001. per
annum is required to console a wife for the survival
of her husbard. There are, however, so few wits in
office, that we incline to the first-mentioned and more
obvious interpretation of the grants.
The high value set upon military services will
naturally predispose the ingenious youth of Britain
to serve their country in this line rather than in
any other. They will consequently be desirous to
learn what qualifications are necessary to enable them
to enter upon a military carter. We are happy to
inform them, on the authority of a document east
published by order of the House of Commons, that in
no other line of ieductrial occupation can a very, very
small intellectual capital be invested with certainty of
a profitable return.
Cendidates for commissions must, if members of
the Church of England, produce a certificate of
having been confirmed ; if not members of the church
of England they are required to produce certificates
from ministers or priests of having been well instructed
in the principles of the religion in which they have
been brought up. We pause to point out the com-
pliment indirectly paid in this regulation to the esta-
blished church ; in it the mere act of cenfirmation by
a bishop is assumed to impart as much knowledge as
a long course of instruction in any other church. Tee
hand of Mr. Fot MAULE mar be clearly traced in
this revelation. Having himself a turn for theolo-
gical controversy he is anxious that every mess-room
shall have its complement of theilogians able to I
advocate the tenets of every church within the
British dominions.
The literary qualifications of the candidate for a'
commission are as follows :—ln arithmetic ho must be
acquainted with the first f our rules, with proportion '
and fractions. lie must also understand the 1184 of
logarithms, and have " a competent" knowledge of
algebra. In languages he must be an adept in Latin
grommet, syntax, and prosody,, and be able to trans-
late from the French ; or, it Ignorant of Latin, he
must be able to write in French and German. In
history ho must have read HUME'S History of Eng-
land with SMOLLETT'S c3ntnuation, a history of
Remo and Greece, and a history of modern Europe.
The text-book of European history recommended for
the u-e of students stops short at 1832 :it may be pre-
' earned that our officers are to be kept innocent of the
knowledge of subsequent naughty revolutionary pro-
ceedings. In geography he must posse's "a eompetent"
knowledge of ancient geography, of the modern divi-
sions of the world, and the name of the capital of each
nation in Europe ; the principal rivers, sea-ports, and
military posts in Great Britain and Ireland; and of
her Majesty's dominions in every part of the world.
In fortification he must have " read wipe easy work
on the subject ;" and he must have received " some
instruction in drawing."
Let us substitute for having " read some easy work
on fortification," an acquaintance with bosk-keeping
by single and double entre, and then ask ourselves
would this list of accomplishments qualify any young
man for a stool in a merchant's counting-house ? The
candidate for a commission may be ignorant of the
names of Washington, Constantinople, and Pekin ;
he is only required to know " the name of the capital
of each nation in Europe." If he is master of Latin
prosody, (a most useful accomplishment for a
soldier) he need only be able to translate from the
French to pus muster. The merchant's clerk would
require to be master of more than one European lan-
guage, and to know the principal cities in every part
of the globe.
A list of " works likely to facilitate the stadies of
candidates," is added to the regulations from which
we have extracted the above informatioe. They are
not of every recondite character; they are, in fact, so
common-place, that some of them are scarcely known
to general scholars. Indeed, the list has much the
appearanceof an advertisement, the publisher's name
being carefully prefixed to each work. Ten are pub-
lished by the home of LONGMAN and Co. Land one by
each of the houses, WHITTAKER and CO., SOUTER and
LAW, and FRASER. We acquit, however, the distin-
guished house which has the lion's share of the adver-
tisement of all complicity; it is palpably a Sandhurst
College job.
It ha required that the candidate "should be
able to read English correctly, and write it
from dictation." As an additional test of
his knowledge of his mother tongue, we
would respectfully suggest that he might
be required to tarn the regulations into good English.
Expressions like the following do not evince any
very great skill in the use of the vernacular :—" If
not master of the Latin Grammar, and he should not
hare rereired a good classical education, he must," &c.
" In arithmetic he should be acquainted with the four
first rules (simple and compound), prop3rtion, frac-
tions, the use of logarithms, with a competent know-
ledge of algebra."
Are the parties who drew up the regulations to
conduct the literary examinations of candidates?

PCSIiIIMENT or A TRADING CAPTAIN.—At
Town-hall, Newport, a day or two since, Robert Travers,
master of the Two Friends, an Irish schooner, was charged
with bringing over from Kinsale, in Ireland, to Newport,
30 passengers, he not having an abstract of the Ships' Pas-
senger Act, and also a copy of his Scenes hung up on the
deck and in the cabin of the vessel.—Richard Trew, assistant
tide-surveyor, proved boerding the vessel on her arrival;
*Melte Lad 30 passingers (some children), 20 horses, and 4
mows on board ; that the defendant produced to him his
license, bit had not a copy of it hung up on board, nor had
he any abated of the act as is required by law.—The magi-
strates convicted Travers in the penalty of 101 and costs
and in de fault of payment to be committed to CA HMS of
Correction for two months. The money not being forth-
coniiii(e, Capt. Travers was removed on Tuesday morning in
the prison van to Vile gaol.—Hereford Journal.

Ts' ATTEMPTED MURDER AT BEVERLET.—The
attempted murder at Memel near this town,. which it was
our painful duty to announce in last week's eition, has ter-
minated in the death of the victim, Mr. George Young, who
expired at two o'clock on Friday morning' haying survived
his injuries three days. An inquest was held on the body on
Saturday last, and was further adjourned until Monday.
The only additional evidence adduced was the deposition of
the deceased (which fully eriminates his brother Robert
Young as the murderer) and the medical opinion of Dr. J.
Williams, who has been in constant attendance on the de-
ceased sines the unfortunate event. The prisoner throughout
the whole of the proceedings preserved a sullen indifference,
and on being asked if he had any questions to put to the
different witnesses, replied in the negative. The jury re.
turned a verdict of " Wilful murder against Robert Young,"
and the coroner's warrant for his committal to York Castle
was then issued.—Easerms Counties Herald.

COLONIAL.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

By way of Singapore we have ;;;;ived Adelaide
journals to the 20th of April. A favourable reaction had
take* place, and public confidence was restored ; there was
still however a lack of capital with a full supple of labourers.
The demand for working capital was about to be met in some
degree by the establishment of a sew bank. Much dinp
point:sent had been felt on a rumour reaching the colony
that speculators in England wen lukewarmly disposed to-1
wards the projected railway for uniting Adelaide City to
Port Adelaide. To meet the pecuniary defamations of the
colony, it was proposed to courruct a wooden nilway
at a net of 31,0001 En the plan was digee-ed,
intelligence reached the coloay that the projected railway
had been very favourably entertained here at home, and the
support of Lord Grey secured for the scheme.
The following were the selling rates of mining
shares on the 19th of April .—Barra Burn, 1701. cash ;
Printer. Boyd', 221. to 2511 • North Kapuntlas, 361. net
cash; Wheal Gawlers, 181., no idea. Money scorn at 17i
to 20 per mat.
NEW ZEALAND.

New Zeeland journal. to the beginning of April
contain little of interest. Everything was quilt. A college
had been established at Nelson, open to all sects and deno-
minations of Christians. According to the plan for the
foundation of the settlement, a portion of the money paid
for land was to be set spurt for the college. The sum paid
having exceeded 14,0001., the colonists now claim their
share for education.