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

spondenco, and I reserve to myself the right of doing so
should I consider it necessary.
" I have the honour to be, my lord, your cbedient servant
A. LAYARD. "
The honourable gentleman then continued—lt had been
said by an hon. gentleman opposite that there was a mix-
ture ef chances and fortune in army promotions. It was true
there were chances, but he generally found that those chances
fell te the lot of those officers who had least need of them—
persons who had either high connections or party influence
in their favour. That question he should shortly bring
before the house in its most extended form. He believe.t
the country was prepared for the discussion of that
question. The time was past when the feelings of the
public could be tampered with upon that subject. The
system he reprobated extended to every branch of
the
public service, and he should show in a few days—whatta,
he believed to be the public feeling on the subject—that
the public interests were sacrified every
the public service to private and party iefludepat department of
influences. He
ti had
been told that the rules which regulated army Promotions
were, inviolable. Well, take the case of a gentleman
named Heneage, who had two relatives in that house. •He
entered the army in Dec., 1853, and joined his regiment in
Feb.. 1854, about two months afterwards. He arrived in
the Crimea in the autumn. He was not present either at
the Alma or Inkerman,
and yet he got a captaincy with-
out purchase ten months after he entered the army. Now
there was what had been termed an inviolable law to the
effect that no man could be promoted to a captaincy
under two years' service. (Hear, hear.) If Captain
Heneage had distinguished himself, the rule in gees-
tion might properly have been departed from in his case;
but when it was violated in favour of an officer who
had never seen service nor anything else, then it might
fairly be concludedthat the laws of the HorseGnards were
not as irrevocably as the laws of the Modes and Persians.
(Hear, hear.) So with the case of Lord Eustace
cil.
He entered the army in December, 1851, and having teen
no service in the interval, was selected in December, 1854,
for a lieutenancy and captaincy in the Guards. (Cries of
'"question)') On the other hand Lieutenant Blackett, of
the 93d Regiment, who had been present at the actions in
the Crimea, who was recommended for good service to, the
Government, was indeed transferred to the Guards, but
although he had seen ten years' service, he was placed be-
neath Captain Heneage and Lord Eustace Cecil, one of
whom had been in the army only some ten or eleven
months and the other between two and three years. Here
they had the laws of the Horse Guards constantly ,vio-
lated. He held himself responsible for these accusa-
tions. He had' already told Colonel Hardinge that he
was not Prepared to retract them. Nor was he. He
only wished that they. could go into a full dis-
mission of the question—that they could examine some offi-
cers whom he could name. For example, he wished Col.
Crotnbie could tell them how he had been compelled to re-
Sign, in order to make room for those beneath him—Lord
Bnigherah and Lord Hardinge's son. It was a fact that
Col. Crombie did not know he was on half-pay until he saw
his-name in the Gazette. Se much for individual cases. He
Would not detain the house much longer. A man in his
position might be mistaken. If he had done wrong to any.
Individual, he would be glad to rise in his place and ac-
knowledge it; buthe firmly believed that there was scarcely
an appointment which the public did not find, on inquiry,
to be connected in some way or other with private or party
influences. What had happened three days ago ? He stw
in the Gazette a colonel on the staff named a general officer
in the Turkish contingent, with local rank. He turned to
-the- Army List and other sources of information, and there
he found that CoL Cunningham, of the staff, was married
to a daughter of Lord Hardinge. (Cries of " Oh, oh," and
laughter). The house might laugh, but when these things
were of daily occurrence they justified the gravest suspi-
cions on the part of the public. (Hear.) He said moreover,
that at such a moment as the present, when our army was
in a critical position, when a disgrace had fallen upon the
country, the people would no longer tolerate even an ap-
proximation to what he must call gross jobs. Such was his
statement to the house. He would not retract what he
had said, because he believed it to be true, and because he
was convinced his opinion was shared by many who d red
not stand up in that house and testify to the accuracy of
his assertion. It was an almost universal impression, in-
deed, that party or family influences were the mainsprings
of army promotions. He had only to add in conclusion
that Col. Wilson was in no way to blame for what lied
occurred.
Mr. HARDINGE did not intend to add one word to the
unanswerable statement of the hon. and gallant men: her
for Huntingdon, or to that which had fallen from his .1 on-
ourable friend the Under Secretary for the War Dept rt-
ment. His only object in rising was to make one rem rk
with respect to a near relative of his, the gallant officer to
whom the hon. member for Aylesbury had just alluded.
The hon, member seemed to insinuate that the appointruE ot
of Col. Cunningham to the Turkish contingent with the
local rank of brigadier-general was more or less a job. :NO:a,
all he had to say in reply to the hon. member was that N.;o1.
Cunningham had served in China under Lord Gough, had
been in every action in the Crimea, and if they appeale.i. to
Lord Raglan or the Duke of Cambridge, they would :end
that there was not a better or more meritorious officer in
the army than his gallant relative. (Hear.) Yet thel'on.
member for Aylesbury had not scrupled to cast in his teeth
an appointment so justly and deservedly made. He had
done with the hon. member. (Hear.) His inaccuracies
were certainly of no common orde. (A. laugh.) With re-
gard to Major Ewart, he was a most excellent officer, and
owed his promotion solely to his own merits, not to any in-
terest whatever ; but it was not true, as stated by the,hon.
member for Aylesbury, that Major Ewart took a first Glass.
He obtained a third class for military drawing, while of
the members of the staff there were several who held :first-
class certificates. He would now leave the casein the l4ands
of the house, satisfied that they would do justice between
the bon. member for Aylesbury and those whom lie so
rashly accused, and decide who was "-scandalous,'" and
who was not. (Hear.)
Mi'. BYNG reminded the house that the responsileility
for promotions in the threaregiments of the Guards dui not
rest with the Commander-in-Chief, but with the colonels
of the regiments. Hewes authorised by Lord Strafford, the
colonel of the Coldstreams, to state that he alone was re-
sponsible for the promotions that had taken place in that
regiment, and that he was perfectly prepared, at all times
and seasons, to justify them according to the existing mili-
tary regulations, as well as to all the precedents applicable
to such matters. (Hear.)
Colonel LINDSAY remarked that the hon. member for
Aylesbury had carefully avoided addressing himself to the
case in dispute, and had simply dealt in vague generalities.
To the demand which had been made of him, either to re-
tract what he,. had stated against Lord Hardinge or to ex-
plain in what manner, in the specific case of Col. Wilson,
his lordship had been guilty of maladministration, the hon.
member replied that he would not retract, but he did not
show in any one particular how Lord Hardinge exercised
the'slightest influence on his son's promotion. • (Hear.)
The hon. member had referred to Captain Heneage. Now,
it was true that Captain ;Heneage was not at Inkerm an.
Bat why? Because he was serving his country in the
trenches or on picket, and since that time he had been con-
etantly under the fire of the enemy. (Hear.) Here was
'the way in which he came to be promoted. At the com-
, mencement of the war he was the junior ensign. By mor-
tality, brevet, and other causes, the whole of the ensigns
were swept away, and Captain Heneage was left at the top
of the list with one year's service. As he had been under
the fire of the enemy, Lord Strafford obtained the neces-
sary sanction for his promotion, and he was promoted ac-
cording to the rules of the service. With regard to Lord
Eustace Cecil, a gentleman called upon Lord Strafford and
informed him that Lord Eustace was anxious to see service.
He told him that when the 4:3d was engaged at the Cape of
Good Hope Lord Eustace Cecil entered that regiment for
the purpose of seeing service, but that, unfortunately for
him, the war ended about the time he got there. The 431
was then sent to India, and when there the war broke out.
Lord Eustace Cecil, still anxious to see service, immedi-
ately exchanged into the 88th, which had been ordered to
proceed to the seat of war. All these things were consi l-
ered by Lord Strafford ; he thought them very meritorious
in a young officer, and accordingly gave Lord Eustace Cecil
a commission in his regiment of Guards. (Hear.) He had
it from Lord Strafford to say that while he was certainly
acquainted with Lord Eustace Cecil's father, the Marquis of
Salisbury, having met him in the House of Lords, he was
politically opposed to him, had nothing to do with him in
regard to his son's commission, and gave that commission
simply because he found Lord Eustace to be an officer anxi-
ous to see service, andto distinguish himself. (Hear.) In CO a-
elusion, he must say that he thought it somewhat unfaii—
to use the mildest term—that an hon. gentleman should
go down to the country and excite public indignation
against the servants of the Crown by unfounded assertions
and accusations. (Hear, hear.)
Colonel NORTH regretted that the name of LoVhaßtuort,,,-.
hersh had been introduced into the
fi
cer was present at Chillianwallah and discussion.
and hail
rendered good service te his country. Majorj Alison owed
his position on the staff to his own talents,. and not to
his
political services or family influence. Th hon.inember
for Aylesbury should really be more. caguootidousinhis state-
meets, and if he wished to retain the. opinion of his
countrymen, should evince their characteristic love of fair
play. (Hear.)
Colonel KNOX was sorry to say that the present was not
the first time that the hon. member for Aylesbury had
made unfair attacks upon hon. and gallant officers. Upon
a former occasion he thought proper to traduce the cha-
racter of a gallant admiral, and his object now was to Ito
the same towards the Commander-in-Chief. (Hear, hear.)
These systematic attacks were not without a purpose, and
yet nothing could be more derogatory to the respectability
of the house than for an hon. member to pursue such a
course of conduct. Ile begged to tell the hon. member ter
Aylesbury that Colonel Cunningham was a personal friend
of his, and that there was not a word of truth in his stet.-
meet with regard to that gallant officer. Yet the hen.
member had the temerity and the impudence te rise in his
place—
Mr. HADFIELD—I rise to order. Surely that is lan-
guage not suitable to this house.
The SPEAKER—The hon. and gallant member must
withdraw the word "impudence."
Colonel KNO.X—I would be sorry to use any Parlia-
mentary, expression—great laughter)—l mean any expres-
e "en which may be deemed unparliaanentary ; but I cannot
`lnd language sufficiently strong to reprobate the conduct
If the hoe•
member for Aylesbury.
*ll' ready to withdraw expression which you may
(Laughter.) Still, sir,
, consider any
hee..,...50 be improper ; but I really do think that the
tho 07ter should not, without acquainting himself with
to aspen, gancee—to put it in the mildest wap—venture
ill the any e character and conduct of gallant officers both
Lord PAlrtk.""Y*
(Hear, hear.)
the deeP resne,t- ----LON-1 cannot refrain from expressing
taken bY the eee.,/rilich feel, and which lam sure is per-
mberr ylesbury
which the heir majority of the house, at the position in
(Hear, hear.) he has pl dh• lf
his duty when memberrsTee sat full libertaeaend lelemdseeL.e.
s that liberty, to bring forward
against public men aneyt-e.h
founded, and which he thLrftes which
fie believes to be Wl-
- t by
The hon. member for A.yleebube °at'
doubt, perfect 'y
justified, if his impressions we=e ia e proof.
teiaisheatigcr clhegrhoaus nrla
,:hthe army. nut
for hie charges, in making the aecust.
vanced against the noble lord at the h
liable emulation for
I think that, after the utter disprrnelf4.—
demonstration that there is not &shadow fra)—after the
any of these charges ; after every
man roust ,
convinced that these charges were false and calm
more
a•
(Great cheering)—l think it would have been °
ore con-
sistent--
Mr. PT WAY—I rise to order. Although a young
member it does seem to me that the noble viscount bee
made use of language which is not justified by the uenesea
of this house. (Cries of " No, no"). He has said that t
,_
•'1- member for Aylesbury made "false and calumniou •"
's"arges. I think, sir, you will agree with me that ti
ble viscount ought to retract those words. (Renewed
e—es of " No, nos') If I recollect right, I have heard ;in
~
k men: withdrawing words of similar import, and
°Pe the
coun noble vis t° ill follow so excellent an ex-
ample. (A lanai
w
The
--"AR-E/2t The noble viscount said that the
charges made by the ho
and calumnious— n. member for Aylesbury were fal o
of order to nee a . aele of expression which it was not out
Lord PALMERSTON-4 I
repeat what I was about to say
t hat I should have expected that when it had been proved