The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-08 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOI OP TEI DAILY NEWS.

ABUSES IN THE ARMY.

St a,—theinteres. CYO; appear totake in the edu-
cation of tho officers of the army, induces me to
trouble you with a few remarks on the subject, re-
questing you (if you publish them) to omit, for ob-
vious reasons, the date of this letter, as well as my
name.

It is certain that British officers are, in general,
miserably educated, and that, soon after joining their
regiments, they forget the very little they have ever
learnt. Equally true is it that, as a body, they arc
sadly deficient m zeal, and in regard for their noble
profession.
The disease is notorious : the cause should be so
too, in order that strong remedies should be applied
without delay. I say strong remedies, because we
must cut to the very root of the evil, if an effectual
cure is really desired and determined on.
The cause of the disease is simple. In every army
the hope of promotion is the principal prop to zeal
and efficiency. But in the British army, promotion
is obtained either by wealth, or interest, or luck;
but very rarely by merit.
Promotion is, therefore, either an affair of com-
merce or a game of hazard. It is assured to the rich,
and almost as certainly denied to the poor. In either
case where are the inducements to study—where the
incentives to zeal? Would lawyers or statesmen
labour zealously, if seats on the woolsack or Treasury
benches were to be obtained in a similar manner as
the ermulettes of our generals?
Officers of the line have few inducements to love
their profession. Examples are better than simple
assertions. Take the case of a major lately in my
garrison. He had served 38 years, 13 of them as a
major. Officers (born after he was a lieutenant) had
entered the Guards since he obtained his commission
of major, and, leaving him still a major, had leaped
over his head into the rank of lieutenant-colonel iu
the army. He will probably one day have the plea-
sure of serving under them when they are generals,
he basing served nearly half a century in every
quarter of the globe, and they having served a dozen
years or so at the balls in St. James. and Windsor
Castle.

Is it wonderful, then, that where the rich get on
without merit and the poor are kept back, though
with merit, that a general want of zeal and efficiency
should be the result ?

The officers of the army are, with rare exceptions,
divided into two classes—the ambitious, who are dig.
gusted with, and the unambitious,who are indifferent
to, their profession.
Fearing to trespass on your time, I will not enter
fully into the many remedies which might be easily
applied by parliament.
There are two, however, so just and obvious, that
I will name them here, though they have often been
urged before and, alas ! in vain. The first is to sweep
away, at one blow, the extra•army rank of the
Guards. It is a disgrace to a free country that such
an abuse should have existed so long. Let them
still enjoy London and Windsor pleasures; but let
them no longer supersede (and retard for many years
the promotion of) the officers of the line.
The second remedy is not, perhaps, so obviously
just as the first, but that it is just I entertain myself
no doubt. It is to make every year that an officer
serves abroad equal to two of home service, and to
three of half pay.
These two reforms would effect a wonderful change
for the better in the army. It would be no longer
difficult to get officers to study and to pass examina-
tions, when assured of a reasonably rapid promotion.
But, alas ! parliament and the nation have long shown
equal ignorance of and indifference to the state of
the British army.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

NEW DOCK was
.openedo