The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-11 00:00:00

THE NECESSITY OF A SECRE-
TARY OFr. STATE FOR OUR DEFENCE AND
WAR ESTABLISHMENTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUE.
have read with the greatest satisfaction
your most
Memorandumablear latelyticle,at publishedonce
judicious
by
ynd patriotic,
on a
bringing to the immediate notice of the pßubidligewtaliye
vast importance towards economy and efficiency in
our army and navy, of the appointment of a Secre-
tary of State for Defence and War.
Our last Secretary of State for War!—mind, Sir,
he was not Secretary of State for Peace !—was also
our Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the
monstrous absurdity of the junction Of these two
appointments was made self-evident in the contrary
opinions given, by his Grace the Duke of Wellington
and by Earl rey, on the military operations of Sir
Harry Smith. And let me ask you, Sir, what
would be more absurd at the present moment than
that Sir John Pakington, just appointed our Colonial
Secretary of State—heaven knows the superin-
tendence of forty colonies ought to be work enough
for any man—should also be appointed our Secretary
of State for War !
If Ireland is to be for the Irish, in God's name let
the Colonial Secretary be for the Colonies, and release
him from all military or naval responsibility. If he
can give a good account of the colonies, let us bo sa-
tisaed—he will have done his duty by his country.
But, to return to the Secretary of State for our
Defence and War. The author of the Memorandum
you have in such forcible language brought to the
notice of us, your readers—and our name is Legion—
ever on the increase—deserves the greatest praise for
thus agitating this most important question. And,
although he candidly confesses he proposes nothing
new, yet his merit is not the less for the very con-
cise and kind way in which he has brought the sub-
ject to the notice of numerous of his countrymen, who
may never have heard of, or given the idea a thought.
We are all too apt to suppose that with Parliamentary
reform comes, as a matter of course, all others that
are required. But I do hope, Sir, that some Member
of the present House will bring this matter under
its consideration, as soon as a proper opportunity
may offer, and that he will not be particular in
choosing one.
Why, Sir, as regards econony, the saving would
be immense. Look for an instant at the East India
Company's arrangements—consider its army of
250,000 men—and then look at the small establish-
ment in Leadenhall-street, whence this immense army
is clothed, armed, equipped, and provided for in va-
rious ways ; then inquire into the numerous other du-
ties performed by that department—a detail of which
would fill columns of your paper—and yet to record
the staff of that most effective office would hardly
take up a corner. One inspector and a deputy-in-
spector of military stores are, I believe, the only two
officers who may be said to receive any salary worth
mentioning as such ; they are early at their post, and
always hard at work.
It would, Sir, be a curious calculation. Colonel
Sykes, a member of the Statistical Club, and a director
of the East India Company, could no doubt give it,
and then to make a comparison, of the expense in-
curred in clothing, arming, and equipping the 100,000
men, or thereabouts, in her Majesty's service, and
the 250,000 men in that of the Hon. East India
Company's.
Indeed, Sir, it is of [no use certain Members in
the House of Commons trying to reduce the expen-
diture of this country in its naval and military de-
partments until they can establish one uniform
system for the accounts, and one individual responsi-
bility for the head of all their affairs. The number
of useless offices and inefficient people that would
disappear would be hardly credible. There would
then be one person to whom all evils could be pointed
out, and after that be would be responsible for their
continuance.
A Secretary of State for Defence and War
would, depend upon it, enjoy no sinecure; but
the country would have economy in its departments,
and efficiency in its physical force. It would get
something for its millions, and it would not long be
16,000,000/. that would be required.
Even so far back as 1837 it was acknowledged
that " the whole charge of the army is nowhere
shown in one comprehensive view. The cost. of the
land forces is only to be found divided in different
estimates, prepared and submitted to the Legislature
by different authorities." And it was further ac-
knowledged at the same time, viz., in 1837, that this
system of account "is contrary to the soundest
principles of finance, and calculated to throw diffi-
culties in the way of a thorough investigation by
Parliament of the military expenditure of the
country !!" And yet, Sir, this system is allowed
by the country still to continue. What can our Re•
form Members be about? What have they been
about ? What is the • Financial Reform Society
about ? Sir, I have heard it said by one who is
by no means a had judge of such matters,
that this little Memorandum, to which you
have drawn our attention, speaks trumpet-
tongued what ought to be done, and that it should be
in the hands of every one who wishes for economy and
efficiency in our naval and military departments, and
at once clearly points out the necessity of a Secretary
of State to superintend the whole system.
The Daily News, Sir, of the 9th inst., in a most
able article on military matters, observed that—
" The ceuntry has a right to see that the money
which it has earned by its toil shall be properly spent,
and it will triumphantly insist on that right being
carried out, if its leaders do not fail it in Parliament.
The army and navy are without excuse. If the
men thus summoned will but push the assault home
in this direction, they are sure to find a very ge-
neral support from the public, and they may
succeed in converting the year 1852 into
one of the marked constitutional eras of
England"—and surely, then, the exposure we have
lately had made of an expenditure of upwards of
16,000,0001. of money, and yet neither soldiers nor
sailors to defend the immense interest at stake, is
enough to excite the energy and exertions of all true
lovers not only of their country but of the freedom of
the world; for should England fail her allies in the
hour of need, and confess herself unprepared to de-
fend those who seek her shores for shelter and pro-
tection, the game, in Europe at least, is up,
and des-
potism must have its sway. That the advice so ably
given in the Daily News may be speedily followed
up, and that you will not, Sir, allow this matter to
rest, is my earnest wish--:and I shall not fail to add
my mite to aid in the good work.
I remain, yours. Sco.,
STEWART ELTON.
Birmingham, March 8, 1852.

THE LAST OF THE MARSHALS OF

NAPOLEON.
Marshal Marmont, Duke de Raguse, who has just
died at Venice, was born at Chatillon-sur- Seine, on
the 20th June, 1774. In 1789 he was attached as
suh-lieutenant to a regiment of infantry, and in
1792 made his first campaign with the army of the
Alps, as sub-lieutenant of artillery. In 1797 he was
attached to the staff of General Bonaparte, and in
1797 was sent by him from Italy to present to the
Directory 32 flags, which had been taken from the
enemy. He formed part of the expedition to
Egypt, and returned to France with the General-
in-Chief. After the 18 Brumaire, he was
named Councillor of State, and Commandant-
in-Chief of the reserve of the Artillery. He made
the campaign of 1800, and after the battle of Marengo
was raised to the rank of Inspector-General of Artil-
lery. He commanded the army of Holland in 1806.
He carried on the siege of Ragusa, and occupied the
territory of the old Regusian Republic until 1809.
He took part in the battle of Wagrani, and after that
campaign was made Marshal of the Empire, and
where he atoe
bad the title of Duke de Raguse conferred upon
present at the
the
He a
and Dresden. all the campaigns of Germany,
a junction with commanded a corps d'armee. He was
battles of Lumen, Bautzen, Wurtzen,
form
back the army of with Marshal Monier to, keep
Blucher,Butt and to cover Paris.
1814, he received orders to
Mar-
moot occupied the
he
opened
Saint-Chaumont, but, in-
stead of fighting,
doeneßoafguthsee,caongmci
Prince de Schwartzenbeerned
Louis
en
Restorationi
retirede s of
Xvii. gave the
his body guard
to Ghent with
the King. On the second
ctoomthineaDndukoef
was disbanded. In 1826 he representehdisAnnipanyt
the coronation of the Emperor Nicholas, lance 4-
he had the command of the army of Paris. a
Since.lB3o
that period he has been a voluntary exile in a foreign
land. His name had been struck out from the listgonf
the marshals of France, and a black veil covered his
portrait in the Salle des Marechaux at the Palace of
the Tuileries.
---.

LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND.-BF AGNES
STRICKLAND.—New and Revised Edition, Vol. G.—This is
one of the most pleasing and welcome of Miss Strickland's
interesting volumes. It is devoted to the life of the beautiful
and unfortunate Mary Beatrice of Modena, Queen of James
11. The biography of this Princess has never before been
written, while the allusions to her in English history are
'slight and have proceeded from no friendly pens, and
yet
there was perhaps no Queen of England whose life abounds
in circumstances of more touching interest. As Miss Strick-
land truly remarks,
" There are epochs in her life when ehe
comes before us in her beauty, her m;sfortntes, her conjugal
p
tenderness and passionate maternity, like one of the distressed
queens of tragedy or romance struggling against the decrees
of adverse destiny." The materials for the life of the consort..
of the last of the Stuart Kings, were gBf were chiefly &rived
unpublished letters and documents procured from the secret
archives of France through the •
influence of M. Guizet.--
Morning Chronicle.
from

DEATH OF SIR WM. JACKSON ITIOMAN, BART.—
This venerable baronet died a few days since at the advanced
married,age of 82. The deceased in 1797, the second
daughter of the first Marquis of Bute, by whom (who
died. in 1847) he leaves, with other issue, a son, Philip
George Stuart, born in 1602, and suecessOr to the title and
edate4.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS;
TIDISES.—The new President of the Board of Trade
has added another safe and ieglorions triumph to the
Derby campaign, and has expressed himself on the oc-
casion as cautiously as the rest of the Cabinet. The
Righs Hon. Gentleman avowed long ago that these were
uu " facts" on which to go to the country for Protco-
tion, and that is very mama the line which he has taken
on the hustinge. Some new and extraordinary facts
have given an unexpected turn to the question. Famine
and emigration have brought us a painful relief from the
pres,ure which threatened the market of labour; while
California has ultimately stayed the depreciation of
produce by increasing the great medium of exchange.
Neither the labourer nor the landlord has suffered as
much as some had expected, and the tenant-farmer and
occupiers of land have had to bear the chief brunt of the
transition. "It had chanced that the blow had fallen
almost entirely upon them." Our reporter was
probably too intent on his notebook to observe
the effect of this touching piece of sympathy on
the three hundred gentry and tenant-farmers, be-
dizened with orange and blue favours, who formed
Mr. Henley's Preetorian guard. Doubtless they wept,
though it must have occurred to tome of them, that if
the tenant was the only one of the agricultural trio that
suffered by free trade, the landlord was at least able to
help him. Mr. Henley's remarks on the actual history
of free trade, as compared with previous anticipations,
are valuable, and only defective in their tone, which, we
cannot help saying, grudges patriotism its sagacity, and
Providence its wisdom. We speak not merely of our-
selves, but of the general body of those who, now seven
years ago, were advocating free trade in the prime ne-
cessaries of life, that they proceeded not merely on a
financial calculation, but on a firm reliance that in this
ever-changing scene, where we know not what an hour
may bring forth, a free and natural policy is safer than
an artificial one; as the former will probably be
rewarded by events, the latter as probably de-
fected. It is, then, uncandid and unjust to tell
the Free-traders that they have had better success
than they deserve ; still more so, considering Mr.
Henley's other admissions, to say, without expla-
nation, but not without inuendo, that since" the great
changes made in the laws affecting the trade and com-
merce of this country we have been afflicted throughout
the length and breadth of the land." What can be the
meaning of such a remark in a man who confesses that
the case for protection has disappeared? We must take
the liberty of telling Mr. Henley that such words, framed
as they are to evade literal contradiction, do not the less
aggravate the positive nausea with which a large part of
this pule regard a Protectionist Government, though
purged ever so much of its financial offences. Thus far,
then, the ground is sufficiently clear for any operations
which Lord Derby may think necessary to extricate
himself, his party, and his country, from their several
embarrassments. What use he will make of this compa-
rative liberty of action next Monday—not to-morrow,
as had been expected—remains to be seen, and perhaps
to bo determined. In the •meantime it is credibly
stated that the Cabinet which, undertakes to wind
up this long and disagreeable controversy is not
without its share of the storm that rages around. In
this last hour of the Protectionist delusion the landed in-
terest is fighting to the uttermost as well for honour as
for profit. Like the Parisian Socialists who boasted with
drunken rage at the February Revolution, " We will not
be deceived " this time! " the Protectionist squires are
preparing their direst imprecations for those who are the
last to desert them. The class that utters these threats
is unscrupulous, bulky, and compact. They are as dan-
gerous to be provoked as the Eumenides, or the goblins
of later mythology. They are the men tm boast they
have a stake in the country, though, in truth, they have
far less stake in the prosperity, the geed government,
the peace of the country, than the poorest artisan ; for,
while they will enjoy their acres for their time at least,
come what will after, the artisan has no solid ground, no
rest for his foot, except in good order and general pros-
perity. The well• being of the community is the condi-
tion of his existence; everything that he has is pledged
to his country, and he is himself a perpetual hostage. A
slight error of legislation may darken all his prospects,
or banish him from his country, if it smite him not to
the earth. He rises and fills, he breathes freely or is
stifled; the very blood flows in his veins with the fluc-
tuations of trade and the vicisitudes of public confidence
and credit. Such is the case of the artisan. It is the
wealthy proprietor who is armed against any probable
amount of national calamity. He has something to fall
back upon. National ruin is a remote and improbable
idea; but, unless ho is very imprudent, that is the only
event that can strip him of his acres. This is the class
—so insensible to the immediate results of bad legisla-
tion, that is now throwing the whole of its weight in
favour of a factious obstinacy, and what is more,
flitter: itself that at least its pride will be saved in the
decision. It is confidently boasted that Lord Derby will
not betray the squires, and that next Monday will remove
all doubt on this point, by the promise of an attempt
to re-impose a five shilling duty on corn. So on an al-
leged point of honour Lord Derby is required to sacri-
fice both his party and his country, for the interests of
both are indubitably involved in an early renunciation of
the Protectionist policy. Of course, the Premier him-
self has little claim to our pity, for he has been merciless
to the inconsistencies of more than one Government, and
certainly has done much to retard the settlement of this
question. But, if his country has a paramount claim to
his duty, his course is quite clear. He did not come in
on Protection, and he has no call whatever to put that
question to the country. If it is to be put, and if we
are to witness a convention of the people to
answer " Yes" or " No" to Free Trade, with
the certainty that the " Yes" will be irrever-
sible, others may think it their place to summon
that convention and put that interrogatory; they
may think so naturally and justly; but we cannot
see why Lord Derby is called upon to do so. Lie is
neither bound to put the question nor to abide by the
answer; for, should a majority bo returned pledged to a
duty on corn, we can hold no man bound to accept that
answer, and re-:,pen the controversy. But then it will
not be enough for the new Ministry merely to abstain
from that controversy. Lord Derby has justly de-
scribed his line of duty as the more useful and humble
part, and the people of England certainly expect a cor-
responding
" humility" of tone. We cannot go on long
being governed by men who proclaim their attachment
to one set of principles,
while they admit the necessity
of sooting by another, for is country that permits such
an inconsistency in its rulers mast render itself ridicu-
lous in the eyes of the world, and expect soon to witness
other divergencies between
principle and practice.
Statesmen must not expect to save appearances at
the expense of their country's good fame. If they are
wrong, they must confess it, and make all the amends in
their power.

THE ASYLUM FOR IDIOTS.
Yesterday
evening, the fourth anniversary of this
charity was celebrated by a public dinner at the London
Tavern, with the Earl of Carlisle in the chair, sup-
ported by Lord Robert Grosvenor, M.P., Viscount
Ebrington, M.P., Mr. Samuel M. Peto, M.P., and Mr.
Alderman Wire. The general company comprised
about 150 persons. In proposing the toast of the
evening—" Success to the Asylum for Idiots"—the Earl
of Carlisle made an eloquent appeal to the company on
behalf of those who could not plead for themselves, but
who were, nevertheless, worthy of the benevolence of all
humane and intelligent beings. The chairman's appeal
was most nobly responded to, as appeared from a list of
subscriptions read by the secretary, which amounted to
no less a sum than 3,700/. Among the subscribers to
this sum were read the names of Samuel M.
Peto, Esq., M.P., for 1,0001.; R. Fox, Esq., 105/. ; the
Earl of Carlisle, 151. 155.; Viscount Ebrington, 101. 10s.;
Lord R. Grosvenor, 101. 103. • W. Monk, Esq., 21/.; J.
H. Shepherd, Esq., 4001.; Mrs.i E. Pollen, 1051.; Rev.
D. D. Morrell, 1001.; and Hon. Emily Eden, 104 10s.
Lord ROBERT GROSVENOR proposed the health of the
Noble Chairman, which was enthusiastically received by
the company.
Mr. PETO, in responding to the health of the Presi-
dent of the society, took occasion to impress upon the
company the urgent necessity of raising a " building
fund," in order to establish a building in which the
highly important objects of classification could be car-
ried out.

From the report which was laid on the table, it ap-
pears that there are at present in the establishment 195
individuals, and that in even • the worst of the cases
among this number very considerable amelioration had
been effected by the system pursued in the asylum.

ROYAL LITERARY FUND.—Yesterday the sixty-
second annual general meeting of the subscribers to this in-
stitution, founded to administer assistance to authors of ge-
nius and leerning, irrespective of country or creed, reduced
to distress by unavoidable calamities, . or deprived by en-
feebled faculties or declining life of the power of literary ex-
ertion—was held at the offices, Groat Russell-street ; Sir
Ribert Harry Inglis, Bart., DI.P., in the chair, supported by
Benjamin Bond Cabbell, Esq., M.P., Sir Henry Ellis, Sir J,
P. Jodrell, Bart., Dr. Forbes, and other gentlemen distin-
guished in literature and science. The secretary, 0. Blewitt,
Esq., brought forward the report, which stated that the sum
of 1,6351. had, during the course of the past year, been dis-
tributed in relief among distressed authors and their fami-
lies, making a total sum of 40,5351. so applied since the com-
mencement of the institution. This report was ananimously
adopted. The Right Hon. the Marquis- of Lansdowne, pre-
sident, the vice-presidents, council, and other officers were
re-elected ; Cherie:, Baldwin, Esq., was elected to the vacant
office of treasurer, and Bolton Arney, Esq., to that of auditor.
A day was then fixed! for the anniversary dinner, to be pre-
sided over by Lord Campbell, and the proceedings terminated
with a vote of thanks to the chairman.
LONDON INSTITUTION.—One of the monthly
institutionthis
ywas-ci r
cheesl,d
anydes
t dd. In the lih a wast erda yv e eveningry
well
a att.
l‘ a reat many !. ry were disp la g
inter-
esting objects of
type,, ja,..siii,o,science and art, such as microscopes, talbot-
horrors of war, or-e of interesting coins, &e., and even the
were shadowed f rather the means of our national defences,
forth by pistols
with multitudinous barrels
and artfully-constructed
Mr. H. White lectured ()locks. In the course of the evening
the theatre of the institutinon
t.he microscope and its uses in
his lecture to a historical nail He devoted the first part of
structure of the microscope, and and a description of the
t ion of the wonders of nature re the second to af narra-
tion
the improvements revealed by its as briefie He
effected, from
lens down to the many combinations the rude single
pointed out the different methods employednow employed, and
cal aberration and to produce perfect achromatism,
to correct spheri-
nearer approach to these two conditions the more
for the
instrument; and concluded by a very animated
perfect the
the great knowledge that has been acquired, and
picture of
greater results that may be expected from the improvements
the still
that are being daily made in its construction. provements

The adviees from the various continental Exchanges
show in most quarters an increasing abundance of money.
The railway advances of the Bank of France are not, it af._
pears, limited to the lines possessing Government guaran.
e. Soine strictness, however, is exercised with regard to
ttehestotaloteachindividual loan, and occasionally borrowers
on shares find the accommodation party counteracted -by
their being allowed a less amount of discount.. In Piedmont,
owing to the ease of the money market, the Government
have been able to reduce interest en the ileating debt.