The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-26 00:00:00

lish newspaper with one of the best of the
American journals will at once convince him ; and
it must be borne in mind that there is no paper
tax nor any Excise restrictions at the other side
of the Atlantic. The inferior quality of paper
would, therefore, be even more largely resorted
to in this country than in the United States.
So much for the revenue. The circulation of
intelligence would not be increased, even if the
journals remained equally efficient, and the num-
ber issued was largely increased. At present, in
consequence of the postal facilities allowed, there
are few papers that do not pass through several
hands. They may be read the first day in town,
then transmitted to the country, and passed two or
three times through country offices; in fact, three
or four persons frequently join at present to pur-
chase a metropolitan journal—a course which
will be greatly impeded if the proposed alterations
should receiN e the legislative sanction.

One of the chief difficulties was, however, over-
looked or disregarded before the opinions of these
practical men had been elicited. It would, it
appears, be almost impossible for the parties to
pack and sort a mixed edition of stamped and
unstamped journals when driven to the very last
moment as is necessarily the case at present. Be-
sides, delays would take place in the Post-office
itself. In order to guard against fraud many
papers would be examined and frequently mis-
laid. Regarding the matter then in all its varied
aspects, considering its probable effects with re-
spect to the revenue, to the community at large,
and to the proprietors, conductors, and vendors
of newspapers, and the steadily increasing feeling
of dissatisfaction, it is impossible to resist the
demand for postponement and further informa-
tion. The law, as it now stands, avowedly works
well, and it is a sound principle to let well enough
alone.

A loblolly boy on board a man of-war—a pow-
der monkey to a midshipman's mess—although ,
by no means reposing on a bed of roses, enjoys a
perfect sinecure when compared with an officer of
the army medical department. Although his
masters may be numerous and exigante, he yet
knows their number and the full extent of their
own responsibility, so as to be enabled to calculate
with tolerable precision the " whippings" he is
likely to receive in the course of the day or week.
Besides, his task-masters, though tyrannical and
unreasonable themselves, support their servant
against all others. It may be from their selfish
motives...from being well aware that unless they
did so he would be good for nothing, and that
they could not enjoy the advantages they required
' from his exertions. But the medical officer is
not only powerless to act for himself, but even
with prolonged experience he is totally ignorant
as to the point at which the surveillance of one
department ends and that of another begins. Let
the evils coming under his observation be ever
so glaring—let the men placed under his charge
be enduring the greatest privations their
very lives seriously endangered from pre-
ventible causes —he can yet do nothing.
He may " represent" whatever he pleases. The
chances of obtaining redress are certainly very
trifling. But complaints are strictly selon les
regles, and therefore he may occupy as much time
as he pleases in writing ; but the moment lie ven•
tures to give an order he finds his authority con-
temned, and himself pounced on by some one or
more of the many departments with which he is
so unfortunately connected.
The evidence of Dr. ANDREW SMITH, the soi•

disant Director-General of the Medical Depart-
ment, places this grievance in a strong point of
view. He finds himself in the first, instance
placed under the direct control of some half-a-
lozen different departments, all unwilling to take
my step last it might be trenching on the autho-

rity of others, but peculiarly sensitive respecting
Any interference with their own. No one, it ap-
pears, can accurately define the line of demarcation
between the different jurisdictions. The parties
themselves will abstain from giving any order, or
doing anything, but, " like dogs in the manger,"
they are prepared at once to attack the person
who may endeavour to cut the - Gordian
knot by assuming the responsibility which
',hey themselves had previously repudiated.
En fact the practice -appears to be that they
will neither do anything themselves nor permit
others to do it.
It is not merely the higher authorities that are

io troublesome. It is true that the Director-

'general appears to owe a divided allegiance to the
secretary of War, the Secretary at War, the Ails-
er-General of the Ordnance, the civic authority of
the Beard of Ordnance, the Commander-in-Chief,
:c., &c., &c. Now that the Secretaryship at War
:gas been abolished, he may, as Dr. SMITH re-

narked, have one master less ; but still it will be
Ldmitted that quite enough remain to perplex
Lad puzzle the clearest head. The minor annoy-

tnces are, however, far greater. A host of mas-
ters, whose name is legion, arise at o'very pint to
.bstruct the medical officer on duty. The military
iommandant of the hospital nominally placed
under his control, the engineer officer, the
transport Service, the Ambassador or Consul, the
)fficer of the Ambulance Corps, and a host of
)thers too numerous to mention.

But all the annoyances vanish in comparison to
chose occasioned by the Purveyor, a functionary
Arhose duties appear to be procuring the various
natters ordered by the medical officer, but who,
;enerally speaking, seems to take pleasure
in thwarting him, and repudiating his autho-
rity on every possible occasion. At Scutari,
Septuagenarian named WARD, who was
.t accustomed to the old way of doing things, and
had not vigour enough for the position," was ap-
pointed purveyor, and many of the deaths that
occurred may be directly traced to his perverse

Thstinacy and senile imbecility. He had some
)xaggerated sense of his own importance, that led
him to turn a deaf ear to every suggestion, and
directly refuse to obey every order. What pri-
rate individuals could easily obtain, he either
would not or could not procure, and he hardened
Llis heart against the sufferings of the patients,
being wholly indifferent as to the privations which
they were undergoing. According to the testi-
mony already given, it would seem that there was
prima, facie evidence to establish not one, but
nany oases of manslaughter against him. A
Medical Board reported that he was not fit for
luty ; but Lord RAGLAN, with cruel kindness—
kindness to the red-tapist martyr, but cruel to
be hundreds, aye, thousands, of patients whose
Unctions were materially enhanced by his mis-
012(111.d—remonstrated against his removal, and
:fi•eemcie
retained
n e dS ioca fla him after his inefficiency, and worse than
ncy, had become Painfully notorio 113.
might be some excuse for the
nrie there
Wien, were placed in such untoward
:ircumstances.
But there can be no extenuation
everything they required. These
tii
earlier newspaper
paper
if the inaccurate reports, the false statements,
that theyl
is e
ws
accounts ledh had
to the scepticism with which the
a
were received, and de-
layed the remedies that were so urgently required.
endeavoured to screen the
of their patients endea
"rule men who should have keenly felt the priva-
tions
real delinquents. From this_charge, as w ell as for