The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-08 00:00:00

WORKING OP TUE 1171CJLASE SYSTEM.

General Sir lames Simpson is a stout champion
of the purchase system. In his evidence before the commis-
sioners, be advocated it u raistranae. No fault could be found
to it. To be sure, when pushed hard in cruse-examMation
he contemned to • few finer.. But on the whole, he would not
hear of giving it up. General Sir James Simpson, then, will
be credited when his evidence goes to show that the purchase
system does not always save us from commande.re in their
dotage. Hay Is what be says on this point :
Sir Harry D. Jones—ln the course of your service have
you ever met with any field officer in command of a regiment
that was very much below par in point of age, and who may
have attained that rank by purchase P-1 have known several
aims who were unequal to the command of the regiments
that they bald. I cannot say whether they pnrrLaed or not.
Generally speaking, you do not find that field officers in
command of regiments are boyeP—No, same are young men
but Wale that I have had to deal with are pretty old end
wider, but whether they purchased or not, I cannot say.
I have had to report upon came of that kind several time..
You would my, that taking the British army gentiyall
generally
without regard to pi:Lychee., thefield office's mybe
considered as a very etficient set of men think so.
Aud generally, so far an age goes, quite capable of per-
forming their duties .—I ehould say so.
Sir H. J. W. llentinck—You stated that you have had er-
asion to report cases where officers were inefficient P—Yes.
Was your report attended to P—ln two instances that I
recollect, not very long ago ; one man died and another is
serving now ; it is not very may, I believe, for the authorities
to deal with this subject.
Chairmen—Why P-1 think it is difficult for the Cowman-
der-in-Chief just upon an inspection report of a general officer
to score a man's name out of the army.
Sir De Lacy Evens—But out of the command of a regi-
meal P—Even to do that, they are more anxious to try them
on • little while.
_ _

Chalresen—When an officer is reported even as unfit ?
Ye,. . .

Then the public service suffers very much from that, does
It not P—Yes • no doubt of it.
That the gixod•nature of the oommandiag officer puts the
Wilk to rest disadvantage in that case B—The officer may
bass redeeming qualities.
The command of a regiment tea very important situation
—Tea._

Mr. O. Carr Olyn—ln point of fact that neutralises the
mhos of the reports P—An inspecting•general gets • new
regiment into her hands, and very likely he has not had it
more than two or three months before his inspection report
became due, and then he finds an old gentleman in C4Ol-
- of this regiment, not very acute, unlit, and rimier, and
be la bound to notice it. In thorn two instances that occur
to me now, I did notice it ; one of those mentioned died and
the other remains,.
. .

Sir De Ea' e
re
Evans—The man who died was not moved.
—No; I think he would have been moved. Ido not know
hew that might have been.
Colonel E. It. Wetherell—Would it not be very hard to
remove a man from the command of his regiment, ezaept
upon some specific charges against him t—Thera is the
thing. The Commewler-an-Chief vary likely says, "It is
all very well, General Simpeon, reporting this man so unfit,
but I must have something. more tangible than that; some-
thing that I can act upon.'
Or unless they increased the retirement very largely, you
would lead a man to poverty?—Yes.
Mr. G. Can Glyn—The commissioners have been told
in evidence that then is great value in the reports of the
inspecting general officer; but ft tame out that, in point of
tact, those report. are not regarded at the Horse Guards,and
their value goes for nothing t—There is greet attention paid
to the inspectingruerid's reports in most cases • but that is
a very difficult point to deal with, that a man kilo be ruined
sad scored off upon this mere ipso digit ; they would natu-
rally wait until they had a second report from another gene-
ral. I think that is the feeling in the Horse Guards.
Colonel E. R. Wetherall—Do you think that if retire-
ments wen increased, sad en officer could retire upon the fall
pay of his rank which he held, it would be lees objection*-
, Me P—Yes ; only an officer would probably take offence upon
a report. Those are just the men who give trouble, and who
would require a comrt-martial, and then it is very difficult to
deal with them, _

Sir IM Lacy ffivarte—ls it watery to have a cont-
martial to remove an officer from the command of a regiment?
—No, I do not my that it is ; but mod of those men value
themselves just as highly as the bed men do, and they would
try to have an invedigation into the reasons of their die.
metal,

In thew of the two reports commenting upon those two
officers that you made to the lions Guards. was soy further
inquiry made by the Horse Guards f Was the Adjutant.
Osumi sent down to inquire into the efficiency of those
alone or otherwise P—l do not know.