The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

AD MINIS TI?A TIVE REFORM.

(From the Times of this day.)
There is a movement in the City for an object which
may be considered as novel, though the matter is old.
That, however, is the character of all our modern disco-
veries. They are the application of things old and fami-
liar to new and unexpected purposes. Such was the
application of coal to lighting, steam to locomotion, elec-
tricity to communication, and the light of the sun to por-
trait-taking. Then what is the old agent, the familiar
power or • the vulgar material, which it is proposed to
turn to a new account ? There is in this country, and
particularly in this metropolis, a great deal of old Eng-
lish stuff either lying about or employed for merely pri•
vate purposes, in the shape of practical talent. It is
called talent for business, ability, or common sense com-
bined with experience, and it is either acquired or much
improved by the management of difficult, complex, or
critical affairs. When a man has a good stock of it
amongst us and the proper opportunity, be very natu-
rally sets to work to make his fortune, looking around
him to see that others are sleeping while he is waking, or
amusing themselves while he is working, or blind to the
opportunities which he has the sense to see. So he sets to
work in the true mercantile spirit, turning things to his own
account. Why should he not ? It is his duty to doer.
especially when his own profit is only a., small Pere t
age of a much larger benefit procured for the public.
re.
The vast wealth of this country, and that fertility. of
the greatest losses, is owing to the_ greatlartsand accomplish-
sources which enables it to go on for ever maabkninndganuopefoorf
this practical talent among us.
but we justly
from the Germans, .
'ments we fall behind some other nat;ons ;
soppy and scholarship
for business—our
upon our capacity
much of our taste from. the French, much of
pride ourselves called. This
weou
r borrowphiio
ans,orso
amfter all, we
betterGweer are
samudubmts
lti
en
bi
asest
ar
tahpt
are not so industrious as the
manufacturers, and a nation
Here, then, is the raw material on
of shopkeepers.
do with this mtaotetrhiaelGboetter than
ei peculiarity
Italians,ltalent,i rity a:
nal:: nNVigt ' li
i ' sometimes
fo r
really,
. merchants,
shopkeepeperasus:.techsYtailenlsd,
which some gentlemen in the City are about
bettertvoeernxpmpeuernir-t.
experi-
ment and to turn to a more valuable account. But what
afor mancan
can we
fortunes it to a
ii
es there that ,
poselt
itsbapnrompoaskeidngto our o
applyw own
heaifnsonrci mouuanalquality
y:
of this country. The projectors, at the risk probably of
meeting for what
the City of London
tbbeeinygeathlloAugdhoatieunistthraustiiaysetsß,
A.ausda
_nation we have long been
Tavern next Saturday.
hwaovueldlautttteerrlyly duet e wruitihnetia
flsuoeuenedsseiruinuguifneuthehe
mishaps
as
ipnrogi
fviamot private
rheel
L pe
ry business.oafin tt;t..ndmad
ustthihsavuenhaappppoyarwodar
lboenegn
erean
affairatrnayd
have been thankyul loss, or a sort of company for
reason is obvious ;
.i
this in the Ga2ette the unhappy creditors might
it has
es ibxepeenn
carriedc e i n t the pbyo und.
people The
reaon is obvious, it has been carried on by people se-
not for their practical ability, but for family,
money, seniority, gentlemanly qualities, good looks, or

any other reason than fitness for the work to be done;
So, in the language of the enthusiasts we refer to, "the
true remedy for the system of maladministration which
has caused so lamentable a sacrifice of labour,
money, and human life is to be sought in the intro-
duction of enlarged experience and practical ability
into the service of the State." This looks a bold
move, considering the material now chiefly used in
that service. But had the present Lord Mayor given
one picture to be engraved by a young artist simply be-
cause he was his own nephew, or had married his niece;
another to a friend's son, or a friend's friend ; another
to the son of a marquis ; another to an aged dependent,
instead of a pension ; another to a young man of parti-
cularly pleasant appearance, who could sing a good song
and make himself generally agreeable, he might have
stacked up his engravings till he had filled every room
in his house, but he would never have entertained an
Emperor and become a baronet. He went on the simple
rule of employing those who could do the work well.
But this, though it sounds simple, and though it is much
done in private affairs, is a sort of discovery in the pub-
lic service. Nay, it has yet to be discovered. It strikes
the City people, however, that if the public business
were to be managed in the same way as a good private
business it might be found to answer at last. At
all events, the exclusion of the right stuff is enough
to account for the failure. As they say, simply
enough, "The exclusion from office of those who
possess in a high degree the practical qualities
necessary for the direction of affairs in a great commer-
cial country is a reflection upon its intelligence and a
betrayal of its interests." What they object to is not the
employment of sons and nephews, young noblemen,
handsome young gentlemen, or men of good property,
but the employment of those simply for being MI6, and
without requiring them to know anything about the
business, or being disposed to learn it.
or a railway
Had this war been a money-getting business, a ship
company,
tldtonobte
hcao company, it would not have selected for its superintendent, at a time of great pros-
tgiomuet., and dw aopu
sure and difficulty, an elderly gentleman, a martyr to the
vnefinseendttaso hitiss room
agenttom months at
principal
aai
station a man who ref used to attend to the most press-
ing
other servants of the company, whenever it did not snit
mhi en m to
mass and oobored." It would not have put over an im-
se
fellow scarcely able mplicatio n of stores an honest old
to move, or t
he had under his charg twooulcdomporet iladvewlhneftt
large ships to be loaded anyhow, and thennsent could
thousands of miles, with nobody on board who
say what there was under his feet, and where it to
be landed. It would not have transfe its was ?Ted clerks from
snug parlours and quiet desks in this city, where they
had grown old in pen, ink, and paper, and planted them
suddenly at the head of operations requiring immense
physical energy, keen vigilance, variety of resources,
dashing courage, and other qualities that do not improve
by age and sedentary life. It would have done its best
to simplify the routine of the service, and would
even have dispensed with that routine whenever it
stood in the way. Its principle would have been
to look to success, instead of postponing all thought
of success to a blind regard for routine. The only
principle discoverable in the actual conduct of this un-
fortunate war has been to employ just the men, just
the ships, just the material, just the forms of opera-
tion, that would prevent success. We could name a
dozen officers employed who would spoil any business.
They would hang as a dead weight on the enter-
prise, clog its wheels, or throw them out of gear. We
know not how better to describe the prevailing charac-
ter of the agency employed than by an illustration from
the land of blunders. There was a certain Irish com-
pany for working a coalfield, the produce of which some-
how or other would not sell in the market, it was so
bad. The directors met time after time to devise means
for forcing the coal on the reluctant public, but in vain.
At last a nobleman of equal candour and wit proposed a
resolution that every proprietor should agree to keep
two tons of the coal in his house, for, he added, with
much emphasis, " if a fire should by chance break out
in that house, the company's coal would be sure to put
it out." That is the only use we see for the crowd of
incapables, and bnpracticables, and incorrigibles em-
ployed in the conduct of the war. If any private busi-
ness should be too enterprising, too go-ahead, too likely
to spoil its proprietors by-extravagant profits, then we
are sure that the mere presence of a few Government
cinpleyes would be pretty sure to extinguish that dan-
gerous vigour.

Tile following resolutions are to be proposed at the
meeting for administrative reform at the London Tavern,
on Saturday, May 5, at 12 o'clock for 1 precisely :
" That the disasters to which the country has been sub-
jected in the conduct of the present war are attributable to
the inefficient and practically irresponsible management of
the various departments of the State, and urgently demand
a thorough change in the administrative system.
" That the true remedy for the system of mal-adminis-
tration which has caused so lamentable a sacrifice of labour,
money, and human life is to be sought in the introduction
of enlarged experience and practical ability into the ser-
vice of the State.

" That the exclusion from office of those who possess in a
high degree the practical qualities necessary for the direc-
tion of affairs in a great commercial country is a reflection
upon its intelligence and a betrayal of its interests.
" That while we disclaim every desire of excluding the
aristocratic classes from participating in the councils of
the Crown, we feel it our duty to protest against the pre-
tensions of auy section of the community to monopolise
the functions of administration.

" That an association be now formed to promote, by all
constitutional means, the attainment of administrative re-
form..

" That the association be called the Administrative
Reform Association, and that the following gentlemen,
with power to add to their ntttaber, be appointed the com-
mittee, to collect funds, to prepare an address to the con-
stituents of the United Kingdom, and generally to carry
out the objects of the association."

MARKET NEWS--(TITIS DAY.)

COVENT GARDEN.

Very moderate supplies of fruit and Vegetables were on
sale to-day, and the trade ruled by no means active, as fol-
lows :

FRIIIT.—Pine apples, English, 6s to Its per lb; apricots,
Os to Os per doz. ; hot-house grapes, lOs Od to 20s Od per lb ;
foreign ditto, 10d to is 8d • melons, Os Od to Os each
peaches, Os Od to Os ; nectarines, Os Od to Os per dozen ;
apples, 4s 6d to 12s Od per bushel ; pears, Os Od to
Os Od per half sieve ; Orleans plums and green gages Os to
Os Od per punnet ; ditto, Os to Os Od, and common plume,
3s 0 i to Os Od per half sieve ; cherries, Od to Os per pound;
lemons, 9d to is 6d per doz.; oranges, Sato 10a per 100; fil-
berts, 955 per 100 lbs ; cobnuts, 180 s to Os ; almonds,
Os to Os per lb. ; walnuts, Od to Od per 100; figs, is Od
to 2s 6d per lb. ; strawberries, Is to 25 per oz.
VEGETABLES.—Savoy cabbages, 9d to is 3d per dozen;
red ditto. 2i to 3s Od per dozen ; French beans, is 61
to 2s 01 per 100; brocoli, 10d to 2s 3d per bundle;
potatoes, 90s to 140 s per ton ; vegetable marrow, Od each ;
peas, Os Od to Os Od per bush.; broad beans, 9d to is per half
sieve ; turnips, 3d to 6d. per bunch ; carrots, 6d to 8d per
bunch • cucumbers, is Od to 2s Oct each ; garlic, 6d to
Os 8d per pound ' • spinach, 2e Od to 3s Od per sieve ;
onions, 6s Od to lOs Oct per bush. ; Spanish ditto, is to 3s
per doz. ; leeks, 2d to 4d per bunch ; shallots, 4d to 6d ;
horse-raddish, 2s Od to 4s Od per bundle ; parsley, 3d
to 4d per bunch ; celery, Os • lOd to is 9d per
bunch ; endive, Is 3d to is 9d per score ; beet, is 3d to 2e
per doz. ; parsnips, Os 6d to is Od per dozen • small
salad, 2d to 3d per punnet ; mushrooms, is Oct to is 3d per
pottle ; artichokes, 4s to 6s per doz. ; cabbage lettuces, 2s
Od to Os per half sieve ; sorrel, 6d to is per half sieve ;
radishes 9d to is per dozwi hands ; tomatoes, 3s Od to 4s,
Oct per half sieve ; chillies, is to is 6d per 100; Brussels
sprouts, is Od to 2s Od per half sieve ; capsicums, is to 24
per 100. ; rhubarb, 4d to is 6d per bundle ; sea kail, Os
9d to is Gd per punnet; asparagus, 4s to 10s per 100;
radishes, 6d to 10d per dozen hands.
NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL.
-

Turkeys, 5s Od to 7s Od ; Geese, 68 Od to 78 Od each;‘
Ducks, Is 9d to 2s Od ; tame Rabbits, Os Od to Os Od;
wild do., is to is Gd each ; Pigeons, 9s to 12s per doz.;
largo Surrey Fowls, Os Od tops Od ; middling, 2s Od to
3s ocl ; Chickens, 18 9d to 2s 3d ; Capons, 3s 6d
to 4s 6d ; Hares 2s 6d to 3s 6d ; Grouse, 2s Od to 2s 3d each ;
Partridges, 18 9d to 2s Od ; Pheasants, 3s Cd to 3s 9d;
Leveret-, 2s Od to 2s 6d ; Roasting Pigs, 4s Od to 7s Od ;
Guinea Fowls, 2s Gd to 3s Od each. Ostend fresh butter, 11s
Oil to 128 Gd, and English 108 Od to 15s Od per dozen lbs.
English Eggs, Os Od to 103 Od ; French ditto, bs Gd to 6s 6d
per 120.

imb
7131ioadto1:
oci ;
- NEWPORT.
to 4s 4d per Blbs.
lamb, Beef from
fBrodmto36ss4Bad ;tovea4si, 63da iodmtoutto4Bn,i3sod6d;
WHITECHAPEL.
58 4d to 6s 6d ; veal, 3s 8d to 4s 8d ; pork,
per Blbs. by the carcase. pork,ts4da:
Beef, 3s 2d to 4s 4d ; mutton,
AT3sE
BILLINGSG •
7, each ; Salmon,
r h • Solos,
Fish, Is Od to as eac ,
Is 3d to 2s Od per lb ; Cod
1 0 1 per lb; Lobsters, is to
pair; Eels, 8d to s ,
Od to 12s per doz. ;
3d to is Od per .. Whitings, 38
3s 0(1 ; Crabs, 6(1 to 2s :5a
t'o 20s • Natives, 50s to Os per
Common Oysters, 1.6 s .
Smelts, Os 6cl to is 6d per doz.;
4cith3s4s4d4dto; lamb
Beef,
Turbots, 2s 6d to 15s ; Brills, is Od to
Sprats, 8s Od to Os Od per
Skate,bsh3f a6acketreo 16d7pe5srPiebr;Thri' Shrimps, is 6d to 2s 6d per gallon;
6d. or doz. ; Fresh Herrings, 4s Od
to Os per 100. ;
is Od to 7s eaoh ; Haddocks, 4s to 20s per
bushel ; Dorey.s,
Sturgeon, 6d per lb ; Prawns
to is P .
2s 6d to 3s;
&I ; Plaice, 4(1 to is each • Halibut, per
, 6d
Flounders, is to is 6(1 per dozen.
Bdolzo.at;erre,ikeis6o:
3id to 3id ; 801 b to 881 b 3id to 4a ;
HIDES AND SKINS.
Market hides, 561 b to 641 h, 3id to Od ; 641 b to 721 b, na
138,11*° 1934td0; 972611bb,t°4d, 801b,i° 4id ; 961 b to 10111 Od to Od. • 104
Scotch do., 6d,
up, Tiagrhdts;2oBdodtotOdo
3,• 'Horseo.hide's,ss
PskiolllesdShe_ep, Os Od tc:loOsclo;dlhrentsfull, .09,
alf-breds, 6s Od, to 6s 9d ; Downs, 4e 6cl
96t6 osdd °stldsoo9Otd6solCklOL9sa:lmo;eciballifs, 2s 2d to 3s Od ; Shearlings, 10d to Os Od.
_ .Th_ e Prices of wheatenEbriteßaein. the metropolis are from d to 10hd ; of household ditto, 8d to 9d per 41b loaf.
HAY MARKETS. ,
ditto, 3l
hay, 2/ 15s to 5/ Os Od ; clover
ditto., 3/ Os to 6/ Os ; and straw, 11 46 to 1/ lOs per load.
A. fair average supply and a steady demand.
,2431110Ra1at0i1136.1-0811; aeacinr strahway,'l/216188
Both hay and straw sold steadily, at full prices.
V.rarrEcHAPßL.—Meadow hay,
ditto, 3/ Os to 61 Os ; and straw, 11 4s
.to Ii 11)! P 4,1!
Supply moderately good, and trade firm.
tos toi.f
1251sOpers ; clove!
21 15, to, 51 oi; iqtyie.r.

remedy for the cure of Stomach complaints.—Mr. Ed.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]— Holloway's Pills an astonishing
)
ward• Cook, of the Hon. E.I. Company's Service, who
other
ate disorders, ge d
w% occasioned
ere. reduced to a
had been in India for 20 years, suffered from a cm-
pbylaiantloinng hriessisdtoonmoaecibn,a banodt
mere skeleton, his appetite bad, and appeared feet sink-
ing into his grave. e had the beat medical advice-both
in India at home, from which he derived no behefit.
Holloway's pills alone, however, have been the means of
effecting a radical cure of all his complaints. Sold- by
all medicine vendors, and at Professor Holloway's esta-
blishments, 244, Strand, London, and 80, Maiden-lane,
New York.

THEATRE ROYAL ADELPHI.
Proprietor, Mr. B. webeter„_Direetrees, Madame Celeste.
THIS EVENING,

Will be performed KING O'NEIL . Characters by Messrs. C.
Selby, Garden, Parsee, J. Bland, L. Murray, ; Mrs. L. Mur-
ray, Miss Wyndham, Esc.
To conclude with A NEW EDITION OF THE FAIRY TALES
Or MOTHER GOOSE, with numerous highly-coloured Illustrations.