The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-12 00:00:00

"DISTINGUISHED SERVICES."

(From tlee United Service Gazelle.)
A correspondent of the United Service Gazelle, serving
before Svba,topol, calls nor attention to several cases of
promotion fn. “distinguished servioo " of. st !If officers
who, neither at Alma, Balaklava, nor Inkerman, were
wit'lin range of the fire at those battles, and are there-
fore so questionable that they call for the strictest in-
vestigation—in defiance of aristocratic or Parliamentary
influence—on the part of Lord Hardinge, for the satis-
faction, not only of the country, but of the profes-
sion so deeply interested. It is his Lordship's im-
perative duty to institute inquiry, and failing to do
so, WO trust that the matter will be taken up and ex-
posed by some ineependent member of Parliament.
Besides the whole cf the staff of Sir Richard Eng-
land's division, which was in reserve, and scarcely heard
the din of battle on the 20th of September and the sth
of November, and to whose questionable position in
these combats we shall call attention further on, we are
particularly referred to the promotion of Brevet-Major
Hamilton, of the 47th Regiment, as Deputy-Assistant
in the Ciearterinaster-General's department—that de-
partment to whose culpable negligence, in not immedi-
ately constructing a road from Balaklava to the camp,
is chiefly imputed the calaMities and sufferings which
our brave soldiers have endured. We should like to
know whether Brevet-Major Hamilton or Brevet-Major
Stuart Wortley, both of the Quartermaster-General's
staff, were under the enemy's fire, either at Alma, Bala-
klava, or Inkerman ? On the contrary, was not the
former on the beach, out of earshot, while the battle of
the Alma was raging I Was ho not afterwards snugly
ensconced, out of danger, in his office at Balaklava dur-
ing the other two battles? Did Brevet-Major Stuart
Wortley participate, under fire, in any one of the three
battles ? No ; the division (Sir R. England's) to which
he was attached was in reserve, and not engaged.
The above two officers of the Quartermaster-General's
staff obtained the brevet rank of Major, for "distin-
guished service !"

The other cases to which we would refer are the whole
of the staff, with the exception of the subalterns, of Sir
Richard England's division, who hare alsa obtained
steps of promotion for "distinguished service," and
who, like Brevet-Major Wortley, were, for the same
cause, ont of danger of the enemy's fire. Their names

are :

The Hon. F. Colborne, 15th Regiment, as Assistant-
Quartermaster-General, gazetted from Brevet-Major to
Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel.
The Hon. Adrian Hope, 50th Rifles, Brigade-Major
to the Division, also gazetted from Brevet-Major to
Brevet-Lieutenant-Colonel.
J. S. ' Wood, 13th Regiment, Assistant-Adjutant.
General, gazetted from Brevet-Major to Brevet-Lieute-
nant-Colonel.

Captain Nevi!), Scots Fusilier Guards, Aide-de-Camp
to Sir R. England, gazetted to Brevet-Major.
Captain Daniell, 38th Regiment, Aide-de-Camp to Sir
J. Campbell, Commanding lst Brigade of the Division,
gazetted a Brevet-Major.
Captain Graham, 11th Regiment, Aide-de-Camp to
Major-General Eyre, commanding 2d Brigade of the
Division, obtained a brevet-majority after being less
than five months a captain !
All these, be it observed, were selected for their dis-
tinguished service !—in the reserve ! Shame-- shame—
shame !

Having brought the above cases to the notice of the
public, Lord Hardinge, we presume, being already cog-
nisant of their merits, we shall look forward with much
interest to the course which his lordship may adopt is
remove the stigma attached to him by the wholesale,
should the facts be proved, perversion of patronage,
exhibited in the promotion of so many persons.
Should the Commander-in• Chief order the necessary
investigation, cr, failing it, should the public insist on
inquiry, we hope, in the particular case of Major Ha-
milton, that whoever recommended him to Lord Raglan
for promotion for distinguished service before the enemy
may be deservedly exposed for abusing the confidence
placed in him, by surreptitiously smuggling the name of
an officer and by false representation, obtaining advance-
ment in the service.

QUERIES RELATING TO THE NEFF'S-
PAPER STAMP.

Is not the stamp equivalent to a newspaper copyright
and if it were repealed, would not the most important
contents of the daily newspapers be immediately re-
printed in all large towns, and sold in penny or half-
penny sheets, to the injury of all existing newspaper 4 ?
Has it not been owing to the security afforded by the
stamp, together with the guaranteed free circulation of
newspapers by post, that an immense capital has been
employed ins their production thus rendering the
British press altogether unrivalled both for priority of
information and for the talent with which it is con-
ducted ?

Would not the abolition of the stamp, and that of the
free circulation of papers by post, not only injure, if not
destroy, the present newspaper press, but also create
another inferior to it in every respect t -
Would an nnstamped penny or halfpenny political
press be desirable in seditious times 7 If not, would it
be wise to create one at present 7—Morning Chronicle.

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND.—The
general meeting of this society was held at the society's
house, Hanover-square, on Saturday ; Mr. Miles, m,p,,
preoiclut, the