The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-16 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR—Who should England's soldiers be ? Clearly those
who are physically fit to serve their country, and deter-
mined to do so. The country enters into a tacit compact
to clothe, feed, teach, tend, when sick, and pension her
soldiers when old. Now, who is, physically speaking, best
able to serve?
1. Is it a lean born in the country ?

2. Is it a person born in a town f
I prefer those who are generally employed in out-door
occupations, their constitution is more robust and hardy
than those who follow the sedentary employments of a
town. Neglect of this rule is the cause of much of the
sickness of our troops in the East. Take a look at a batch
of recruits, and many will be found to exhibit the traces
of a weak constitution before they leave England.
Hew ought a soldier to be enlisted ?
1. Should it be compulsory ?
2. Voluntary?
3. Half one, half the other, backed by beer and the
seductive voice of the Recruiting Sergeant.
By out present system we teach a recruit to commence
with intoxication, and this is the source of much of the
sickly state of our troops, and a grave military offence.
Improve the condition of a soldier and he will seek, not be
sought by, the Recruiting Sergeant. Our Militiamen have
shown a truly military spirit in the way they have
enlisted.

When enlisted, a soldier should
I. Be drilled.
2. Instructed in petty staff duties.
3. Taught bow to cook his own dinner, and build a hut
capable of sheltering him.
4. Should be made to attend the Hospital in rotation.
5. Should learn some of the science of war, how sieges
are carried on, and a knowledge of gunnery.
6. Should serve as a Sapper and Minor in a company
attached to each regiment.
The use of those six heads are obvious to every one ; I
need not dwell upon them. The acre at which a soldier
should commence his cAreer is a point' open to discussion.
A man of 25 is a better man than one of 18 or 20; but men
have settled it the former age and will not enlist; as to
the latter age, the Government must make a soldier, and
use him when he is fit for duty. This involves an exten-
sive system of depots.
Who should become an officer ? Clearly the man who
intends to devote his life to his profession. A man who
gains some knowledge of military matters and then retires
is a clear loss to the country.
How should a man become an officer? By purchase or
not ? If it is said that the service will degenerate by a
system of not purchasing commissions, I point to the Ar-
tillery officer, who does not purchase his commission, and
is generally, although poor, a gentleman, and better
acquainted with his own military Duties than either the
infantry or cavalry officer. There are many families who
have served for generations in the army, but are so poor
they can hardly scrape together the money to purchase a
commission. To this class the doing away with the pur-
chase of commissions would be a great boon. Give away
commissions judiciously, and a class of men will serve who
are determined to make the army their profession. Money
will then not be able to step over and take the place of
merit. The Indian army is officered by men who do
not purchase, and it has produced such men in
our clay as Nett, Pollock, Mackeson, Lawrence, Edwardes.
When your officers and soldiers are in the service what is
to be done with them? Are they to be dispersed all over
the country in different branches—cavalry in one place,
artillery in another, infantry in another? Are men to be
enervated by the bad effects of large cities ? or are we,
after the lapse of so many years, to revert to the old Ro-
man system of camps ? Large cities are much kept in order
by police. The railitiry force of the nation must learn its
duty together in camp. The whole military force of this
country mast be divided into so many legions, and located
in convenient positions, with a complete military organisa-
tion, ready to eater upon a campaign at any short notice.
Every man will thus learn his duty ; officers should be
obliged to serve by rotation under the different staff offi -
cers, and learn the duty of each. England must be
divided into military compartments, and the whole mili-
tary force, together with the Militia and Yeomanry, must
be under a military head. In case of invasion there will
then be no need of hurry or confusion—the military
fgreen&ir—ktt'se ready to
commodioustake
parts of the country, and here should bo the mili-
tary home of the officer and soldier ; no man will
then be ashamed of living in the quarters assigned to him
by the Government. Should a foreign war break out, the
military force is ready, it knows its duty ; but if the War
Minister fails it in his arrangements of transport, baggage
cattle, commissariat, and large additional staff, a general
paralysis will soon infest the whole army. In my opinion
a War Minister should be if possible a military man ; he
should foreknow what an army in the Eeld will require.
The general of an army should have everything ready
placed at his disposal by the War Minister, or available
where he may order it to be present. Every branch of
our military service is so closely connected, link upon link,
that an error committed at Woolwich, or any town office
of the military department, eventually finds its way to the
seat of war. A supply of boots has been forgotten, and
half a regiment is laid up with sore feet.

ADLICUS.

LATEST NEWS.

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

VIENNA, FEB. 15.
Not simple conferences, bat a regular Congress
will be held here.

France sends a Special Minister.
The Vienna Presse states that the English are
retiring from the siege lines before Sebastopol,
and are, with the French guard, to form the
reserve at Balaklava.

The following despatch has also been re-
ceived :

VIENNA, FEB. 15.

The mail steamer from Constantinople, of the
sth instant, has arrived at Trieste to-day. Riza
Pacha, Ali Bey, and Sadyk Bey were on board.
The former will represent the Porte in the ap-
proaching conferences at Vienna.

Everything was prepared in the Crimea for an
approaching aesault. Favourable weather is
anxiously expected.
The French have extended their position to the
extreme right.

The British army and the Imperial Guard will
form the reserve corps, and also will be charged
with the defence of Balaklava.

An answer was expected on the fith at Con-
stantinople, from Greece, to the propositions made
by Reschid
Intelligence from Persia is unfavourable—Rus-
sian influence at Teheran predominates. The
English Ambassador and M. Bourro were about
to present an ultimatum to the Shah, demand-
ing an auxiliary corps of thirty thousand men.
By the fire which broke out in th• arsenal near
the Golden Horn, a severe loss of stores was sus-
tained by the French.
The Dutch Consul at Smyrna, M. Lemepp, died
on the ith instant.

A Belgian journal makes an announcement
which reads like malicious irony, that Tuscany,
Parma, and Modena have adhered to the West-
ern Alliance, and will furnish each a contingent
of 1,000 men.

The following telegraphic despatches were re-
ceived in Paris yesterday :

VARNA, FEB. 6.

Omer Pacha has just set sail for the Crimea,
on board the Colombo. Colonel Dieu and Colonel
Simmons accompany him.

PERA, FEB. 5.

General Pelissier arrived this morning, and will
pursue his route to Sebastopol almost imme-
diately.

JASSY, JAN. 31.

The General Divan, which, since the conven-
tion of Balta-Liman, takes the place of the old
National Assemblies, is about to be convoked for
the purpose of verifying and legalising the public
expenditure for the years 1853-4. The session
was opened on the 27th inst.
As a provisional remedy for the financial em-
barrassments arising from the successive occupa-
tion of the country by the Russians, Prince
Ghika has resolved on having recourse to credit
He is about to contract a loan of 2,400,000 pias-
tres at the legal interest of ten per cent., to be
repaid in twonty-four monthly instalments of
100,000 piastres each. A Vienna banker has
undertaken the loan.