The Express.
London, England, 1861-08-16 00:00:00

VOLUNTEER OFFICERS.

TO To SUITOR OF TZB LIPILIOta.

Sta,—ln one of your leading articles of yesterday
you have called public attention to a very sore point smarm
the volunteer, Ms, the inefficiency of the officers. Thu
matter a of vital importauce to the movement, and you
will be the USW of cooferring a great Lenefit on the service
if yea ens brig the governuient to a sense of the serious
remposeibillty wlich they are incurring in taking no MA-
suns M arm. that those to whom they grunt commis.
isms shook) qualify themselves fur the performance of the
Edam which, in the event of their being called into actual
smirks, would be required of them.
There are comparatively few corps in which complaints
may mot daily be heard of some officer who is totally unfit
for kis post, and who entirely ignores the obligation. he is
seder to those who hare rural him to the position is
which be stands. Officers of this class do not, as • ride,
trouble their men with much of their company ; bat, ea-
fortunately, it is just on those osonsiom when their room
would be of immeasurably pester valse that they come
forward, and at the cost of their men cake an exhibition
of then lamentable inefficiency.
If theme men US found inetimpetent sow, bow much
more so would they be is the day of battle? And are our
volunteers, composed as they as. of the :ery cream of
Eagliab youth, to be exposed to the risk of such a disgrace
as that which lan befallen their brethren in America!

The gpveromeat an perhaps somewhat fearful of interior-
* toe iamb with the volunteers, aod thiek it best to allow
then r MM. their owe affabs, bat they may rest as-
sured tart the gnat majority would hail with satisfaction
mph& which might be suggested for remedying this great

It is wet reeeosable to be supposed that the officers, who
are principally chosen frau among civilians, could learn
their duties m u short a time as the private, but
ceruinly some plan ought to be adopted to oblige volunteer
officers to apply themselves to the study of their new pro-
imam, and it is indeed no more than the men have in my
opinion a right to demand of theta, and it is the duty of the
governmest to see that they do so.
if, however, the government do not take the matter up,
why area we ourselves devise and carry oat • plan for
making oar officers more efficient t We have a class of men
amen se who would make capital examiners ; I rifer to the
adjutants, who being military men would be thoroughly
amplst. Two or three of them might meet together,
Aber at stated times or as OCCIWOD might require, and
fans a board.

Iwciuld,proposii have two kinds of examinations, one
of a very sample diameter for subalterns, but before a solid-
tern could receive bis captaincy I would require him to pio-
duce a certificate from the examiners that he was
thoroughly acquainted with all the detail, of battalion and
light infantry drill, together with the theory of musketry
instruction. The last examination might be passed by
subalterns at any time, but the production of the examioers'
certificate should becuine absolutely necessary to qualify
him for promotion.
Another plan (which would, however, involve considerable
expense, and as to the practical working of which I enter-
tain some doubts) woukl be to establish our or two military
colleges in different parts of the country, to be supported
partly by pante from government, and partly by contribu-
tions from the volunteer officers, where the officers might
p to recite instruction.
Trusting that the importance of the subject, and your de-
sire to forward the great national n ovenient will procure
this letter a place in your valuable columns, l am, .kc.
Richmond, Surrey, August 15. JUNIOR.

Tea MISNINO HULL &LAMM—lnformation has
at length been received respecting the fat* of the 'plaudit
screw steamer, 1. C. Pearson, lalongiog to Z. C. Pearson,
Esq.. ex.mayor of Hull, and there is every reason to believe
that she foundered at sea after a collision with a 'chooser
oo the :a)th ult. between Bornholm ad Outhlsod, in the
Baltic. The following telegram has been remised from
Copenhagen : " An barque leaded on Saturday, at
Elsinore, the crew of the echoimer Kotka, Captain Striml-
ess* of WANI, which, on the voyage to l.ubeck with tar,
had on the 30th inst. been in collisioe with n three•mastad
peer sianier, MUM wiltoown." The report adds, " The
sehomer soak, and the crew drifted for ZI hours on the
auto, and ssw the amw of the steamer constantly throwing
came owirissed. fl One of the sch.soner were afterearibi
picked up by the aliamensationed barque. This perlops
refers to the Z. C. Planes. of which nothing koie been
heard." No doubt V eetertained is Hull that the steamer
alluded t was the Z. C. POSTKPI). and as none of the crew
have since been beawdei. it is fully believe,' that (.liptiin
Illiugwortb, with his wife and servant, sal a crew of ii
betide, besides ewersl pesseogers, have perished, making a
total of upwards et lOU lives sacrificial in the Baltic since
October.
EXTRAORDINARY LAND•SLIP.—The diotrict of
Slarnanses. Falkirk, le in peat commotion owing to an
extraordinary melt of the late heavy Talus—namely, the
displacement el a peat stretch of seesedesd,sailed Anchin
ply Moss, !skew Mammas and Air*ie. A pewee
amasil Mlausbilk visidiaar I. Mammal,. W11il• looking
est from a feeshissme war the Mass on Monday morning,
obeerred &bent ID as... al the land part from its clay
bottom, and kat • aisle et at least three-fourths of a
note. The stibt he daserien as woederful, resemb!ing a
sonatsin in maim Gnat damage has been done, a
wits Gal bewins Men covered, a quantity of arable land
sin taken ilk and a portion of the Airdrie mail repaired
quite isamnsabie. Oa Tuesday night the mass was sillily
meanies.