The Express.
London, England, 1861-06-01 00:00:00

APPOEN"rNENT OF COLONELS.

Mr. CON INGHAM, referring to the appointment of co-
lonels to regiments, expressed has opinion that if the ap-
pointments were to be made by selection, the selection
should be made on account of distinguished service in the
field, sod the relative merits of officers should be duly
weighed. Looking to the Crimean war, he could point to
an officer selected for an important command, not on ac-
count of any eminent service rendered by him in the field,
while ore of the most distinguished officers in the British
army was passed over. He should like to hear from the
Uoder-Beirretary of War what was the principle upon which
the appointment of colonels to reuiments was made, and
why in the last of these appointments the services rendered
by other officers bad been passed over by the authorities at
the Waroffice and the Horse Guards.

Mr. T. G. BARING thought it would have been more
convenient if the hoe. gentleman had stated more particu-
larly the appointmeut to which he referred.
Mr. CONINOHAM—GeneraI Eden's.
. _ . _

Mr. T. G. BARING could satisfy the house, in the case
of Major-General Eden, that the attacks that had been
made upon the appointment were not justified by the facts.
The statemente were that Major-General Eden was a
Guardsman—that be had seen no foreign service, and that
he was appointed colonel of the regiment out of order. Not
one of then statements was correct. General Eden was
not a Guards of ; he served in the West Indies in com-
mand of his regiment ; and so far from being taken
out of his turn, he had been passed over by
several officers in consequence of their better fortune
in seeing service in the field. The appointments of colo-
nels to regiments were made upon the recommendation of
his Royal Highness the Commander•in•Chiet upon the
principle that an officer of good service, although be
might not have seen distinguished service, should not be
parsed over, hut that officers of very distinguished service
should have the appointments before those who had not
had the same opportunities of distinguishing themselves.
He thought it would be found that in recommending to
these appointments his Royal Highness had acted with
strict justice to the profession, and that in no case could
say fair ground of complaint be shown.
The discussion of this topic was continued by Colonel
Dunne, Colonel North—who defended the appointment of
General Eden—and General Upton, who bore testimony to
the anxious discrimination exercised by his royal highness
the Commander-in-Chief in his selection of officers for
these appointments.
The house then resolved itself into a committee of sup-
ply upon the army estimates, beginning with the votes for
warlike stores.
Mr. T. G. BARING, replying to Sir F. Smith, said that
there would be shortly another trial between the Enfield
and Whitworth rile.

Colonel DlCkiori moved to reduce the vote by 112,4931. ;
but after debate the amendment was not pressed ; and the
vote was agreed to.
In reply to Sir J. PAKINGTON,
Mr. BARING said the vote for volunteers would be taken
on Thursday or Friday next.
The CHAIRMAN then reported progress.
CUSTOMS AND INLAND REVENUE BILL.

This hill, as amended, was considered and agreed to, mad
it was ordered to be read a third time on Monday.