The Express.
London, England, 1856-02-25 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25.

Tim defects of our English Army have of late been
painfully obtruded upon public notice. Some of them
are perhaps the inevitable coosrquemoss of a long
peen, °then appear to have deeper roots. The in-
adequate education of the staff, the disposition of all
ranks to rest satisfied with doing simply what they
are ordered and their helpiessness is emergeocies,
the want of doe orgenisalies--reederieg it almost
impossible to bring home to any individual the guilt
of the grossest oversights, have expand our soldiers
to gnat sufferings, and, pal:spate greater mortifies-
hoes. But the cool indomitable valour which, in the
event of sudden unforeseen attacks, has enabled our
soldiers to keep their ground against outnumbering
foes, and the habits of discipline and subordination
which have not once given way under the most pro-
tracted sufferings, prove that the Army I. sound
at heart. The system cannot be utterly bad
under which each virtues have been developed
and when we look back to the events of the last
twenty or thirty years, it is easy to see to what we
owe the high qualities which have been evinced by all
ranks in the Army. During that time much has bees
duos--at first by individual efforts, and latterly by
penal regulations—to establish and promote regi-
mental schools, regimental savings banks, regimental
libraries, and various institutions which, for want of
a better term, we shall call regimental benefit clubs.
Many of these institution have been worked by the
privates and mon-oommissiond alms, and their
wives, with the al-operation and advise d olleses
and their wives. By their mean the provident habits
of the soldiers have bees developed, and feelings
of mutual affection and esteem between them and
those is command over them fostered. Mash
no doubt remain to be dose tomato Bngliah soldiers
all that could be wished, but it will be coubseed by
all whet know them that, as award with the sol-
diets of the first years of the century, they have
probably made greater denies than any clam in
Biegiand. Nor is the improvement confined to the
privates sad nos-commirdoned dicers. There an
still too many frivolous and musiseting holders of
sommiseises, but in seamy regiments the efforts of
the eniends have been sneesedal in introducing a
seen manly and refined tan, sad in awakening a
*hit of professional study. The task ,that has de-
volved upon the Legislature and the WarDepartennt,
by the universal demand for Army Esteem, is sot to
begin the work, bet to any en a work whisk is @l-
ndy in minas, with very sessuragisg results.
It is, perhaps, is the higher administration of the
Army that meet remain to be dons.: Yet even there
considerable progress has been made within the last
deans months. The hest step taken was the sopa-
:sties of the °See of Mialeberfer War from that of the
Minister for the Colonise. The aeon was the dowels- 1
tics upon the Minister Ise War of the simnel ever
many departments which bad previously been placed
in an anomalous sensor under various mainisters.
The dim of Swam at War was merged in that ,
of the Minster for War, and the polities' and than-
del Mainstream of the Army the sisal-
pleated. The Commissariat was withdraw.
from the control of the Treasury, sad slug with all 1,
the other civil departmente—the clothing depart-
meat, the storekeeper's department, fte.—conAded to
the Minister for War. Is this manner amity of
eliminated= in all that bangs to the political sad !
ellselle6olll asseagemeat of the Army hes been '
initiated. bases time will be requievd before this
amalgamation of departments, previously accustomed
to Under on without anent, am be brought to
work with perfect harmony ; and it may be that a '
aghast eye and seashont prawn will snare to be
kept upon those to whom the sempisties of the
Mena has beta delegated ; bat amemtionably the '
saws adapted is the tree one, sad netting is required
beyond aesidaity. avenge Intelligente, and perse-
veres'', to brag forth its fell fruits.

The ISM proems hem bees adeprd with regard to
the military admiaitratisa et the Army. Tho
Ordasass sad the Fortification are rte longer pissed
sutler admisistratioss aspirate hom sad indepsadeat
of the Hans Ouse& livery arm of the unwise
(with the empties et the Helga& of Chards. white
it is to be hoped will not Mai unman an sagenin)
has ben plead wader the astral of the Chigemender
la Chief. To tit. OommaadrirChief is left the
Wire diming* of the 'military duties./ detail, as to
the bogie el MIA lien department is left the dr
charge of its detailed Misr With relannee to this
make, a gonad maxim was sammisted by Lord
Nan = is the Hew of Leide ea Thandey ever
tag :—" The patronage arida' out of the 'outrage
knelt, the clothing breach, sad tits edgy gnat
Wuhan was extremely larp i mad if he attempted
to admisistar it is hie ewe perm, he shield
lad the task entreemely asehanamiag. He did
ant Wattle himself say farther with ft tin
t. heid himself responsible for all appeiatteents that
ash plass is all the &museum; bat be left the
Wendy* to those geatlemea whose he had paged at
the bead el the departments. He had malidease is
their disowns. Ifs wag willed that as on was
Westland late these department' within Meng
pried the smaadmadeas that were minim& it nadi-
dates, sad >w tot* eon that whoa iatrodseed, every
sae should rise by his merits, sad his writs nese
With spatial Waren' to the Comageader4a-Chisf,
Lord Pi Emig added :—"The Commaadria-Chief

still esstinami to direct the dissipline of the Army,
saistsrfored with by the liseretary for War. The
Clemeassder-is-Chisf still essdased to animists, the
patronage of the Army snintorfored with, mad as-
sestrolled b 7, the liserstmy for War further
the. this namely, that with regard to all
the higher sppointmeste, whether regimental or stag
he still manned to small the Secretary of State
before he took the plasm* of the Cesers, and the
lisentary of State thereby readered lima! re-
erosible for the set of the Ossameadenis-Chiet
With the lower promotions the Besretary of State
did sot Warfare, bet at the same time he woe set
prepared to deny that be ought poverty to be mo-
uldered m legally responsible for them; bemire
there woe so set of the C•mmesderts-Chief, how-
ever Min or however great, which was sot subjeet
to the ',vides of Pszlisessat.• We frankly admit
that it appears to us tiered dive* that if the sys-
tem hen anseaseed is firmly sod faithfully carried
eat the foundations oleo effsetive Army Reform will
have been laid deep and broad. An efficient apsey
is provided for perfecting the organisatlee of the
Army, and sufficient provision made for the general
supervision and control of Parliament withoutepssisg
a door for the exercise of Parliasseetery inflames over
patronage sod promotions. This last mistimed
danger ought to be sedulously guarded against. It

is mat undesirable that the War Department
should, like the Admiralty, be constantly exposed to
charges of political favouritism. TIMI nompolitial
character of the English Army is was of the great
safeguards of oar liberties. It has been the meats
of keeping oar generals and all tears within the
safe elude of their professional datia; whereu, la
Ism favoured countries, the gnat military leaders are
in fact political dietaten.

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