The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

(Copy No. 3.)

"15,'Gre-at Stanliope-street, April 24.
Sir,—Your letter betrays such a disinclination to re-
move the unjust imputations conveyed in Mr. Layard's
speech that I am obliged to withdraw the expression of
my confident belief that you could have been no party to
them, and have no alternative than that of publishing, for
the information of my brother officers, the correspondence
that has passed between us.
"They are well acquainted with the regulations of the
service. Possibly Mr. Layard may not, and I leave it with
them to decide whether I am in any way open to the in-
ference to be drawn from Mr. Layard's speech.
" I find no fault with him or any man for whatever
opinion he may entertain upon the system of promotion
in the army.
" You knew its chances and disappointments, and, al-
though you admit the belief that the authorities in my
case acted according to existing regulations, you state you
felt, and still feel, you were better entitled to promotion
without purchase than other officers whom circumstances
had detained at home. The remark cannot apply to me.
Such promotions as you allude to were in accordance with
the invariable rules of the service, and with this part of
your disappointment I have no concern. But you say Mr.
Layard coincides with you in the hardship of your case,
and by this assumption of a grievance evade any contra-
diction of the charge that my interests were unfairly for-
warded by the interference of the Commander-in-Chief to
the prejudice of a brother officer, who was made to pay
3,003/. because I, Lord Hardinge's son, was next to him,
and would thus obtain my promotion without purchase !
"You say that your motive iu sending in your name for
purchase, after Dawkins and Strong had withdrawn theirs,
was the impossibility of obtaining your promotion with-
out purchase, and that, had you imagined that Lieutenant-
Colonel Mackinnon's step would not have been given to
you, you would have withdrawn your name from the pur-
chase list to take the chance of Colonel the Hon. A. Up-
ton's retirement.

" Precedent has established the rule that in the case of
the death of an officer serving abroad who has purchased
through his agents at home a step of rank, but who dies
before the fact of his promotion has reached the head-
quarters of his regiment, and therefore before he could
have exercised the functions of his superior commission,
the money is returned to the family, and the next officer
for purchase succeeds to the vacancy. It is obvious you
could have had no security whatever as to Colonel
A. Upton's decision whether he would retire from the ser-
vice or be promoted to be a Major-general.
" I should have expected from an officer of my regiment
whom I addressed on such a subject a more frank explana-
tion than that contained in your letter, and, as you know
that neither I nor any of my family would have exercised
any int uence adverse to your interests, but do not make
that avowal, while the contrary is asserted by your friend,
Mr. Layard, I shall publish these letters, and am ready to
insert your reply to this communication.—l have the
honour, &c., " A. E. HARDINGE.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, Coldstream Guards."

(Copy No 4.)
"6 I, South Audley-street, April 25.
" Sir,—Absence from home until late last night is my
apology for not replying earlier to your letter of the 24th
instant.

" In a conversation with you on the 23d inst. I informed
you of my sentiments relative to promotion, and I imagined
you left my house satisfied with the explanations then
given viva voce, and afterwards transmitted to you in writ-
ing. The tone of your last letter has therefore somewhat
surprised me. _

' I repeat I have found no fault either with you or the
authorities; for I am aware the promotions in question
were given according to established rule. Nevertheless,
you may, perhaps, admit that I have little cause to be
enamoure,l of a system from which, in the course of 16
year' service, I have never derived any benefit. Do not
misunderstand me here—l merely risk a private, it. may be
a selfish opinion, without insinuating a reflection on any
man.

" I may add, I was not cognisant of any precedent in the
late Lieut.-Colonel Mackinnon's case before instructed
thereof on arrival in England.
" With regard to Mr. Layard, I was absolutely ignorant
of what that gentleman intended to say at Liverpool; from
the Times alone I gleaned an idea of his address. I need
scarcely remind you that Mr. Layard is a public man, form-
ing his own views without being influenced by any one ;
however, I shall take an opportunity of informing him
that I do not accuse yourself or any of your family of exer-
cising an influence adverse to my interests.
" I trust enough has been said to convince you how en-
tirely I disclaim the existence of a hostile feeling towards
any person connected with you.—l have the honour to be,
your obedient servant,
"C. TOWNSEND WILSON.
" Lieut.. Colonel Hon. A. Hardinge."

Sir,—Lieut.-Colonel Lindsay has questioned, in a letter
to you, a statement made by me in a speech at Liverpool
with regard to recent promotions in the regiment of Cold-
stream Guards. The following are the promotions to which
I referred—suede since the war :

serv,ce.
C. J. Burdett Years'
19 withoutpnr. no active service.
J. W. Newdigate l5 ditto ... ditto.
Lord Bunkellin 9 by purchase. Alma.
W. G. Dawkins ll withoutpur. Alma.
C. W. Strong.., l6 ditto Alma, Inkerman.
C. T. Wilson ............ 16 by purchase West Indies, Alma,
Lord Burgherah (son Inkerman.
of Lord Westmor- 12 withoutpnr. Staff.
land)
Ron. A. Hardinge
(son of Lord Har-} 11 ditto
singe)
I did not state in my speech that the officers proinoted
-without purchase and without service were next above
.Lieut.-Col. Wilson. Lieut.-Col. Lindsay has carefully
avoided any allusion to Lieut.-Cols. Burdett and Newdi-
gate, to whom I did refer. Such coincidences as are fur-
nished by the above list are far too numerous and remark-
able to lead the public to any other conclusion than that to
which I have come, and to which I still adhere, notwith-
standing Lieut.-Col. Lindsay's letter, and an assurance
From Lieut.-Col, Wilson that he does not impute blame to
my one in the matter.—l am, sir, your obedient servant,
A. IL LAYAED.

A, Little Ryder-street, April 25.

:47-.)AMAGED TEA.—About 10,000 chests of tea, which
woi e dkchaty,ed from the ship Result, from China, da
-
rwl.l ed and condemned, are heirg placed into lighters, to
bet brown overboard nt the Nore.
[. kDVERTISIiSIENTI—HoIIoway's Ointment and Pills,
extr, %ordinary remedies for the cure of bad Legs.—Ex-
tract of a letter from John Anthony, residinr, near
Lian, loverv, dated March 16, 1355, to ProfessoreHollo-
way •:. —"Sir, I suffered for 10 years with a bad leg, ap-
parent ly a white swelling, which caused me to keep my
bed for two years ; from an injury afterwards it formed
into a si ound, and 16 pieces of bone were taken out ; I
tried ee, rend medical men, but they could not cure my
leg ; ( :.m happy to say that your ointment and pills
effectu ally healed the wound in about one month. '—
Sold b y all vendors of medicine, and at Professor Hol-
loway's establishments, 244, Strand, Lo radon, 4241 80, )
Maiden. lane, New York.