The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-05 00:00:00

NEW PIERS AT WOOLWICH.

To facilitate the embarkation of war material, from
the Arsenal-wharf at Woolwich, two wooden piers are
in the course of being constructed, and will extend as far
as the moorings of ships of heavy tonnage. The first
was commenced about three weeks since, and is nearly
completed. It is supplied with one of Captain Boxer's
shoots for receiving shot and shell on board with ra-
pidity. Vast piles of Ordnance stores in the Arsenal.
yard are again accumulated, and guns of various
descriptions are constantly arriving there. The officers
of the Royal gun factory are proving from 10 to 18
guns daily, yet few shipments of that material are
taking place for the present. The superintendence of
the transport service has been consolidated with the
storekeeper's office there, as being more appropriate to
that department.

ROYAL ARTILLERYI
WOOLWCFI, OCT. 4.
The undermentioned General Regimental Order has
been issued from the Adjutant-General's Office, viz. :
Her Majesty has been pleased to sign the following

commissions in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, to be
lieutenants, with temporary rank, and posted to the bat-
talions and compnies as mentioned below.
Francis Duncan to Captain F. H. Chancellor's, No. 1
of the 14th, at D )ver.

Alexander Donll, to Captain W. Waller's, No. 2 of
the 14th, at Devonpurt.
John Ryder Oliver, to Captain R. K. Freeth's, No. 3
of the 14th, at Portsmouth.
Edward Egan, to Captain S. E. Gordon's, No. 4 of
the 14th battalion, at Woolwich.

James Corvy4eita4zonry ; to Captain F. Ommanney's,
No. 5 of the 14th, at _

James Peattie Morgan, to Captain E. Palmer's, No. 6
of:the 14th, at Woolwich.
George Grote Hanner, to Captain F. Vansittart's,
No. 7 of then 14th, at' Woolwich.
Phidp MeLourin Guille, to Captain L. G. Paget's,
No. 8 of the 14th;- at Woolwich.
Arthur Ford, to Captain_ the Hon. G. Devereux's,
N0.:4 of the sth, at the ,Cape of Good Hope.
Francis Montague Smith, to Captain_A: P. S. Green's,
No. 2 of thelith, at Jamaica.
Francis Arthur giant, te. Captain .IRi.Talbot's, No. 7
of the 10th, at Bermuda. :•I'''''"'
Frederick rlowlett, to idaritain H. Goodenough's,
No. 6of the 4th,, at Malta: , •
Richard Handcock, to Captain P.F. G. Scott's, No.
of the sth, at Barbadoes, .
Charles MilLs MorOny, to Captain C. G. Strange's,
No. 7 of the 12th, in the Crimea.
George Arbuthnot, to Captain. J. Chandler's, No. 8
of the Bth, at Guernsey.
•f
Richard Sadlier, to Captain M. A. S. Biddulph's, No.
1 of the 2d, at Sheerness.'
William Ruston Barlow, to Capt. H. Montressor's,
No. 2 of the 6th, at Leith Fort.
Robert Callwell Smith to Captain Miberly's, No. 8 of
the 2d, at Shoeburyness.
The whole of the above officers will join at Woolwich,
on the Bth October, 1855.
Lieutenant Izod is posted to Captain Elgee's company,
No, 6, of the 6th Battalion, stationed -in Ireland, and
wilt join at Ballincollig on the 16th October.
By command, &e,
Brevet-Colonel H. G. Teesdale to bb' inspector and
purchaser of horses, vice Wingfield, prOmoted to be
colonel. -

Lieutenant-Colonel E. O. Warde is appointed to the
Royal Horse Artillery, vice Teesdale.
daptain R. K. Freeth is appointed deputy assistant
quartermaster general at Woolwich, vice Riddell, pro-
moted to be colonel.
In consequence of the foregoing brevet, Col. Teesdale
is posted to the 9th Battalion, vice Warde.

Twenty men, invalids, belonging to the Royal Ar-
tillery, arrived at head-quarters here yefiterday, from the
Crimea, having come home in the screw 'transport In-
diana.

DR. ANDREW SMITH AND THE ASSIST-
ANT-SURGEONS IN THE CRIMEA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BUN.

- -
SIR,—I beg to transmit to you the memorialfrom
the assistant-surgeons in the Crimea to Lord
Panmure.

The Esubjoined memorial was sent through Dr.
Hall and General Simpson to Lord ranmure, but
having somehow fallen into the hands of Dr.
Andrew Smith, it was returned to us by him with
a letter, of which the enclosed is a copy.
Your obedient servant;
A. B. (for the Assistant-Surgeons).
Crimea, Sept. 22.

" Army and Ordnance Medical Department, Aug. 17.
" Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your letter, dated the 31st ult., forwarding for my
consideration and transmission to the Minister of War a
memorial from certain assistant•surgeons of the army
serving in the Crimea, praying for an amelioration of
their conditiox, and certain advantages in point of rank
and retirement.

"In returning the enclosure I regret to have to in-
form you that it is not in my power to forward it for the
consideration of Lord Panmure, as it contains at least
one statement which Ido not admit to be correct. The
statement is as follows :

" That promotion appears at the present time to be
conducted on no definite plan, and is not regulated, as it
shoull b?, by considerations of merit, seniority, or ser-
vice in the field.'

"Independently of this resift, I also consider the
document one I could not with propriety forward to
Lord Panmure, as it purports to be suggestions for the
improvement of the department simply by a body of as-
sistant-surgeons, by far the majority of whom can
scarcely be supposed yet to thoroughly know the work-
ing of the present system, or what would be the effects
of what they propose.
"I have, &c.,
" ANDREW SMITH, Director-General.
" Dr. Hall, Principal Medical Officer, British
Army, Crimea."

"TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD PANMITRE, SECRETARY OF
_ STATE FOR THE WAR DEPARTMENT.
":The Memorial of the Assistant-Surgeons of her Ma-
jesty's Army serving in the Crimea, humbly showeth,
"That your Lordship's mernoralists have seen, with
much concern, during the progress of this campaign,
that, while the exertions of medical officers individually
have been recognised as leaving nothing to be desired
the working of the medical department, as a whole, has
not proved altogether Satisfactory ; and, notwithstand-
ing that, in consequence, a reorganisation of the medical
department of the army is in contemplation, we take
this occasion to represent for your Lordship's considera-
tion—

"That the present rank and emoluments of assistant-
surgeons are not of a character, apart from other consi-
derations, to retain in the department medical men of
talent and proficiency, to whom is open the prospect of
higher remuneration as practitioners in civil life. Having
in a great majority of instances no means beyond those
afforded by the practice of their profession, medical men
hesitate to enter a service in which, however honourable
and desirable in many respects, the small remuneration
allowed them is notoriously insufficient for maintaining
their proper standing, or enabling them to associate on
terms of equality with their brother officers.
"That while the assistant-surgeon, having first arrived
at the age of 21, must have also undergone a long and
expensive course of professional study previous to assum-
ing the subaltern rank allotted to him—one wholly un-
worthy of the dignity of the profession to which he be-
longs—the executive officer may, without any special
preliminary education, join the army at a very early
age, and, within the short period of two years, attain a
rank for which a medical officer can become eligible only
after a lengthened period of service.
"That the much more rapid promotion of executive
than of medical officers during time of war implies also
an undeservedly low estimate of the exertions of the lat-
ter, who share the dangers of battle, privation, and cli-
mate, and are exposed to additional risk of life from
constant intercourse with the wounded and diseased, but,
unlike their fellows, reap from their services, however
distinguished, neither advantage nor reward, in conse-
quence of the long period of service enjoined by the 're-
gulations' before promotion.
" Tbat promotion appears at the present time to be
conducted on no definite plan, and is not regulated, as
it should be, by consideration, of merit, seniority, or ser-
vices in the field.
" That the ill-defined nature of the duties of assistant-
surgeons is not only open to objection, but their being
required to combine the functions of dispenser, dresser,
and clerk with those of physician and surgeon is incom-
patible with, and unworthy of, their tree position.
"That under ordinary circumstances medical officers
are denied the leave of absence desirable for professional
improvement and other purposes.
" That the period assigned for the retirement of medi-
cal officers is unnecessarily prolonged, exceeding that of
other officers actually by one-fourth, and virtually by
mensorialista cannot fail to re-
gret
augmentation of the army ahot.ld have
gtarielidTththoaattayetcoheue g
lerralaoutredmshenips promotion in the medical department
alone, in consequence of the introduction of civil prac- •
titioners to the posts ofo your
lordship'suthtir memorialistsityandemo
emolument
hm-
ttuhus
whicher y
permanently appointed members of the
dbcerlyepaactroetud' mseidtr
noetfitlihe not ponly better entitled, but from their
knowledge of the peculiarities of military practice even
more competent ; and believe the adjustment of the
various causes of objection above detailed could not fail
at all times to attract to the regular channel of the de-
partment a sufficiently large number of the most highly-
gifted and accomplished of the profession to render in
any future emergency all extraneous aid unnecessary.
" Your lordship's memorialists therefore humbly pray
" That the pay and rank of assistant-surgeons be in-
creased.
"That five years be the maximum, instead of at pre-
sent the minimum, service required for promotion, and
that the substantial recognition of service in the field, so
liberally bestowed on military officers, be extended to
assistant-surgeons, whose services are not less onerous
or deserving.
"That the professional experience gained in so wide a
field of observation as that afforded to those who have
served in this campaign, and which no length of home
service could have supplied, be duly considered in the
regulation of promotion.
"That medical officers be relieved from the duties of
dispenser, dresser, and clerk, and that competent per-
sons
Tbhe
aappointedv
et oo
fdai
bs csheanregeehtihthoesretofudnecntiioend
officers during time of peace be allowed them on proper
occasions.
"That the length of time occupied is preliminary
education, amounting in most instances to not less than
five years, be taken into account in regulating the period
of service required of medical officers previous to retire.
ment.
"And your memorialists will ever pray, &c.
"DIE ARSIBTANT-SIIRGEONB IN THE ARMY
BEFORE SEBASTOPOL."

THE CH/OR OF MEDICINE.—EDINBIIEGH.—The elec-
tion of a Professor of the Practice of Physic in the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh, in room of Dr. Alison, resigned,
took place at the meeting of the Town Council there on
Tuesday. There were eight candidates in the field, of
whom three were nominated—namely, Dr. Benrett,
Professor of the institutes of Medicine in Edinburg!!
University ; Dr. Alexander Wood, of Edinburgh ;
and
Dr. Laycock, of York. On the first vote there
for Dr. Bennett, 9 ; for Dr. Wood, 12 ;
and
Layeook, 12. On the second vote
Dr.
ycock was
L accordingly
preferred to Dr. Wood byl7 to 15, and vva
elected. fowl. Dr.