The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-02 00:00:00

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been sent out to the army en the Crimea. I think ' -is j w -...r.:sis
most unjustifiable and most shameful to send . o ' -..;1%"
100 gentlemen, because they have money in tr- -..e:e sAI
to purchase, to the Crimea, over the heads o ss:t: 'as eaieSA •*,
have been so long risking their lives every heitf‘9
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time. It is said to be impracticable. There t.is., :0111131,
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which has not some counteracting advantage.'sles Ad- iket,,....--44 ts 4
mean to say that you do not secure a greater econ_kiegUaely:
greater number of young men, but the preponderating: - se, -
jury, which would repress all ambition and hopes Wis.
tinction, is very great. I say it is altogether a false eco-
nomy.
What is the consequence of selling the command
of a regiment ? It is in itself absurd to commit 1,000 men,
not for a moment, but for a long period, to the command
of one person because he happens to have two qualifica-
tions—that he is not a very Junior man, and that he has
the command of money. Nobody of course is to be blamed.
With these advantages be must of course be an unobjec-
tionable person, because he perhaps has never been found
fault with ; but that is not a reason for committing 1,000
men morally and physically to his charge, because he hap-
pens to have 6,0001. You ought to go on with this system,
and give a brigade for 15,0001., and so on. Undoubtedly
youth is of importance. I wish I had a little of it. (Hear.)
Ido net think that youth is the only qualification. There
are a great many old blockheads as well as young block-
heads, and in that case it becomes highly detrimental to
the public good. We have been told to-night what duties
are required of an English officer. I have already had to
demur to that authority. I confess that I am not a per-
son so qualified, and still I do not think that a Man be-
cause he has 5,060/. is fit to be a gaoler or a judge_ It is
very unimportant what class of officers you have in peace ;
but with important events like the present your purchase
system is totally fallacious, and 'will bring great calami-
ties instead of beneficial results. It may be said that we
are going to have a peace again, and that it may be for
forty years. I confess I do not incline to that opinion. Sup-
posing, however, that the war is to go on. Ii my humble
opinion, it is worse economy to admit a system which does
not bring forward for the time of need the most competent
and able officers, by distinction and ability, in the army.
Why is it that gentlemen who have power and money get
into high ranks, so that Government have no option
but to employ them? and when they do, what aro the con-
sequences? They are obliged to provide them with double,
or even treble, the number of troops that would be other-
wise required. Nay, what is still more probable; and
what I believe often does take place, wars and campaigns
are prolonged for a series of years. If this is the case, and
I have no doubt of it, it becomes of the most serious conse-
sequence to know on what eystem`the army is to be com-
manded. I think it impossible to defend the . present
system. We shall be told that favouritism will have free
scope. Human nature is such that favouritism will always
have free scope ; but, in my opinion, you give great stimu-
lus to favouritism by the system of purchase. If there is
any country in. hich favouritism ought less to be feared,
it is in this country, where everything is published, and is
liable to the check of public opinion. I hope I may be per-
mitted to allude to the case of Sergeant Sullivan, which
personally concerns myself. (Hear.) I hope I shall not ,
be accused of evil intention; but I have no option. I
think a great mistake was made by the authorities on this
subject. As the commander of a division, and not only
that, but on that occasion as commanding in chief, I re-
commended several officers and a sergeant, and I am sorry
I did not recommend three or four privates. (Hear, hear.) I
certainly did think about it, but I thought it might be ob-
jectedto; butes commandino in chief on the spot I did recom-
menl a sergeant,andl thinethat it was not correct,when all
the officers whom I recommended were promoted,topass over
that one name. If my whole report lead been unworthy
of consideration, why of course I could only resign myself
to it ; but it was not decorous to me that one name should
be omitted, nnlessthere wassome reason to suppose the man ,
culpable and of bad character. There was no such ground.
He was a most respectable individual, and had previously
distinguished himself at Alma. (Cheers.) The noble vis-
count at the head of public affairs the other night gave a
dashing answer to an hon. member, and said that orders
had been sent out to the Crimea to promote a sergeant
in each regiment, and that there was an end of the matter.
What is the result of that communication ? It goes to the
commander of the forces on the spot, he sends to the com-
manders of divisions, and they to the commanders of regi-
ments. So it eventually happens that it rests with the corn-
mender of the regiment. He is not called upon to select a
distinguished man but a sergeant, the most prominent non-
coaimissioned officer. The most prominent is the sergeant-
major, and the consequence is that the serjeant-major re
ceives his epaulettes. So far as that goes it is a very useful
step. But it does not meet the other question at all. The
question is, is it right or not to give encouragement to acts
of great courage ? (Hear.) I do not want that to be carried
to an improper extreme, for it it were it might induce men
to commit acts of rashness. But there are various occa-
sions when the devotion of individuals is of great use, and
saves perhaps hundreds of lives by their firmness in resist-
ing the enemy at particular points. (Hear.) Are they to
be set aside, and a man taken merely because he is a ser-
geant-major? Sergeant-majors are very meritorious and
useful men, but if you say they are the only persons as
non-commissioned officers to be promoted, and that the ad-
jutants are to be the only parsons promoted among the
1 subaltern officers, you will put an end to professional exer- -
tion, and bring it to a seniority system. (Hear.) lam op-
posed to seniority, as well as to purchase, on principle.
(Hear.) You never can have competent men to direct the
national forces if yen allow seniority to be the governing
principle, and on that point I do not think your present
regulations are satisfactory to the country. A rule exists
in some countries with regard to naval and military com-
manders which it would be very desirable to adopt here fer
the purpose of putting an end to the complaints and injus-
tice of seniority. With regard to this particular promotion
I say that a direct professional affront—unintentionally, I
am sure—has been put upon me, and that the course which
has been taken shows a want of willingness in the higher
ranks to advance_on this subject. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT said that the gallant general
was an example that merit, at all events, was not always
overlooked in the army ; and he rejoiced to hear him give
an opinion upon those subjects, after having returned from
a field where he had established for himself an undying
reputation. It-any rate, he had shown that in one in-
stance merit and gallantry and military skill were better
passports to the highest honours the country could give
than those which any political connexion could bestow.
In considering this question they had travelled a good deal
out of the resolution of the noble lord, and had discussed .
not only the question whether or not non-commissioned •
officers should have commissions, and in what number and
proportion, but they had discussed what ought to be the •
rule of promotion in the army—whether it ought to be
seniority simply, whether it ought to be seniority accom-
panied by purchase, or whether it ought tobe merit. The
accusation against the army was that it was essentially an
"aristocratic profession." But those who used these words
had not clearly defined what they meant. An lion, and
learned gentleman said that the army was the closest pro-
fession in England, but the gallant member for Bath (Cap-
tain Scobell) claimed that distinction for the navy. If the
hon. member for West Surrey had been present, he would
have said, Look at the bench—can yon find any gentleman
there who has found his way there through the.. House of
Commons? (Laughter.) He(Mr. Herbert)didnot wish te put
the cases on parallel grounds, because they were dissimilar.
But when it was said the army was the most aristocratio
profession, he supposed the meaning way that it was the
profession in which, in proportion tote whole number,
more persons of the higher rank engaged themselves. He
did not know whether that was the fact or not, but he said
there was no profession in England—not the Church, not
the navy, not the law—which would show so many persons
who had risen to eminence, or to a station to which they
were not born, as in the army. Now was it a fact that men
were not promoted from the ranks? Last year 88 non-conee
missioned officers were promoted to be commissioned officers. '
And what was the history of these men? They entered into
the army as privates—they were men who had handled the
plough or the shuttle—they had received a good education
in the army, had risen to be non-commissioned officers,
and then got their commissions. The effect of a commis-
sion was 'a diploma, such as no other profession could
give ; and the terms " officer" and "gentleman" were held
to be identical. Persons of very hilmble origin might be
found in the law—at least, their fathers were of humble
origin. One of our Lord Chancellors was the son of a man
of very humble origin, but he was a man who had received
an expensive education. The Archbishop of York was of
humble origin, but he had received the very highest and
most refined university education. That was not the case,
however, with men who entered the army. It might be
the most aristocratic profession, but it certainly was the
most democratic profession, for it afforded the greatest
number of instances of persons who from low professions
had risen to higher professions. (Hear.) In 1845, when
he was Secretary-at-War, it fell to his lot to make some
changes with respect to the good conduct warrant. He
increased the pay of the soldier by shortening the period
in which for good conduct he could obtain a larger amount
of pay. He found that the number of non-commissioned
officers promoted in each year to be commissioned officers
was small, varying from twelve to eighteen or twenty, and
that many more commissions were offered than were ao-:
cepted. When a man was promoted to be a commissioned
officer, ho was sometimes positively ruined by the ex-
pense. (Hear, hear.) He had to borrow money to buy his
uniform, and if in the cavalry he had to purchase a horse,
and thus got into debt, and became discontented and un-
comfort .blo. By a change which he introduced, non-
commissioned officers, when promoted to be commissioned
officers, received 1001. ; and if they were in the cavalry,
' they received 1501. (Hoar, hear.) His object was to give
the non-commissioned officers the means of being pro-
moted without injury to thew-selves, and the effect of the
step which he took was to make their promotion more easy
and more frequent. (Hear, hear.) He thought it an ad-
vantage that non-commissioned officers should occasion-
ally be promoted. But it was necessary to look, not
only to the good of indiiiduels, but to the good of the
service. It certainly was for the good of the service that
non-commissioned officers should be promoted, but there
must be some limit to the numbers. Some persons asserted
that the aristocracy ought to be favoured in the army, but
lie thought there were very few persons so foolish as to
entertain that opinion. (Hear.) But to say that a non-
commissioned officer ought to be promoted merely because
he was in that position, was falling into as great an error
on the other side. (Hear, bear.) The 'aristocracy ought
not to have any favour. He held that as a sacred rule.
The aristocracy of England were very powerful. And
why ? Because they were rich ? Because they were of
ancient birth ? Not at all ; but b cause they mixed with
their fellow-men on the same footing, and they ought not
to he handicapped, so as to make their promotion more
difficult than that of any other class. In this respect there
ought to be a perfect equality. Could there be any more
sensible or rational reason for appointing any man to a
profession, or, still more promotin • him, than the old
rule, deter dignioni,--you want the fittest man? (Hear,
hear.) IV had been said that the increased good con-
duct in the army was owing to the amelioration of
the conduct of the population geberally. But
he would
say more. He would take an average numberosewho enlist
of peasants
in the army and an average number of
and he would say that ten years hence the soldier was the
better man of the two, others and to
and for this reason—he had been
trained— he had been taught to respect better education
than could be given in either re.
spect himself. The soldier
r received a
the National Schools or the
British and Foreign Schools. In the army a man was taken
who knew more than he had to teach ; and he knew some
regimental sehoolinasters who gave lectures and lessons
to their offieers. (Hear, hear.) Great complaints had
been made of the inefficiency of the staff in the army. Last
year he proposed a system of instruction for the officers,
and he insilted upon a rigid examination for every promo-
tion, at every step. That plan, he was sorry to say, was
still in abeyance. Thera was this difficulty even with re-
gard to the instruction of staff captains—ho had selected
the ablest men, men who had passed a high degree at Sand-
hurst, but Lord Hardinge took them immediately, and
seat them to the Crimea on the staff. Ho trusted the Un-
der-Seereteey at War would keep en eye on the subject
and again re-open the question. He did not say that by
examination and promotion they would get the best men,
but on the average they would do so. The present ex-
amination on commissions was the most ridiculous thing
imaginable, whilst the examination for naval cadets was
very simple, For the army, a young man was sent to
k Sandhurst and crammed with books written by certain

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