The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-18 00:00:00

injustice to Gen. Knollys, who represented the Brigade of
Guards in the Royal Commission, if they did not state
their belief that he did his utmost in watching the inte-
rests of his old corps ; his brother officers reposed the
highest confidence in his discretion, and are convinced that
he did all that lay in his power in the position he was
placed in. The question was complicated, and one of
much detail, which of course increased the difficulties at-
tending it—but the Commissioners had determined to call
no evidence, doubtless conceiving it unnecessary; whereas,
without a close examination, for the special purpose of
ascertaining the relative position of the two services, few
of them could have understood, or even suspected, the
bearings of the subject, as now explained.
VI. Suggestion of a remedy—and conclusion.

" In drawing up the preceding statement YOUR MEMO-
RIALISTS trust that they have represented matters with
fairness towards the other branch of the service. They
would not for a moment impugn the principle which the
Commissioners have adopted in their Report, and on which
YOUR MAJOSTY'S Warrant proceeds, viz., that responsible
service should be the base on which high position should be
obtained. It is a sound principle, and, so far from the
Officers of the Guards being anxious to retard the progress
of their comrades of the Line, they have been long desirous
that arrangements should be made by which the Officers of
the Line should obtain promotion as rapid as their own has
hitherto been. All that they contend for now is, that, in
carrying out such alterations as may be calculated for the
general benefit, their position and interest, as compared
with that of the other branch of the service, may be inves-
tigated, and fair play and justice accorded. And in ask-
ing this—and that some arrangement may be come to
which may not have the effect of reversing altogether their
prospects in YOUR MAJESTY'S service—they ask—YOUR
MEMORIALISTS presume to think, no more than their due,
onsidering the position they have held since the formation
of an army.
"The two systems of promotion in the Guards and in
the Line vary so essentially that it is impossible, with any
justice, to draw an abstract rule for both ; and the recent
attempt to do so, in reconcilement of these different sys-
tems, has resulted in the injustice to the -Brigade of Guards,
which it has been the object of this Memorial to indicate
and expose.
"It appears to YOUR MEMORIALISTS scarcely their
province to suggest a remedy, but they would hardly be
considered to have fully carried out the object of this Me-
morial if they were to abstain from sketching an outline
of an arrangement by which it appears to them that a re-
medy might be applied, and the injustice complained of
be avoided.

" With regard to those Officers who became Captain.
and Lieutenant-Colonels previously to the 20th of June,
1851, and who have been described by the Commissioners
as having ' vested interests,' there cannot, YoIR MBMO-
RIALISTS conceive, be a doubt that they, having been pro-
moted under faith of existing arrangements, ought to re-
ceive their rank of Colonel as they successively complete
their three years' service as Captains and Lieutenant-Co-
lonels. In this case no Lieutenant-Colonels junior to
them would be promoted over their heads. The in-
crease of numbers in the rank of Colonel would be no in-
convenience, and any consequent increase of Guardsmen
in the rank of General would be gradual and temporary,
and would diminish hereafter by the operation of the sys-
tem which will regulate those who are promoted after the
20th of June, 1854.
" In the case of those promoted after the above date the
injury which will be inflicted upon them may be avoided
by reconsidering and settling upon a broader and juster
principle the number of years' service after which it would
be equitable to grant the Captains and Lieutenant-
Colonels of the Guards the rank of Colonel.
" The effect of this would be, no doubt, somewhat to in-

crease the number of Colonels in the Guards competing
for the rank of General, but, from the number of Lieu-
tenant-Colonels of Regiments of the Line, the effect upo❑
the whole would bu almost imperceptible. Tho benefit
which the Guards would derive from this would be that
the period of service necessary to obtain the rank of
Colonel, after becoming Captain and Lieutenant Colonel,
would be shortened, and consequently fewer Lieutenant-
Colonels of the Line would pass over their heads.
" YOUR MEMORIALISTS therefore beg to submit for
YOUR MAJESTY'S consideration the following proposals :
" 1. THAT THE CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANT-COLONELS
OF THE GUARDS, EXISTING AS SUCH ON THE 20TH
JUNE, Mt, SHOULD RECEIVE THEIR RANK OF COLO-
NEL ON COMPLETION OF THREE YEARS' SERVICE AC
CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANT-COLONELS; AND
"2. THAT THE PERIOD OF SERVICE AFTER WHICH IT
WOULD BE EQUITABLE TO GRANT THE RANK OF COLO-
NEL TO THE CAPTAINS AND LIEUTENANT-COLONEL&
WHO HAVE ATTAINED THAT RANK SUBSEQUENTLY TO
THE 20TH OF JUNE, 1854, SHOULD BE RECONSIDERED,
WITII THE VIEW OF GIVING THEM AN EQUAL CHANCE
IN THE RACE OF PROMOTION WITH THE LINE.

" In Conclusion, YOUR MEMORIALISTS venture to ex-
press a hope that YOUR MAJESTY will lend a favourable
ear to this respectful remonstrance and appeal, and will
be graciously pleased to direct an inquiry to be made into
the statements which they have submitted fur Youk
MAJESTY'S consideration.
" YOUR MEMORIALISTS do not doubt that souse incon-
venience may have arisen from the effect of the system in
force previously to YOUR MAJESTY'S Warrant of the 6th
of October, 1854, giving a considerable advantage to the
Guards, and that it was necessary to make arrangements
which might render the services more equal ; but by the
mode in which this object has been attempted the rank of
Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel, which is Substantive
Rank, is virtually made of even less effect and use tha❑ if
it had been Brevet Rank,—and YOUR MEMORIALISTS can.
not but believe that, whets the origin and peculiar charac-
ter of the Brigade of Guards are recollected, and when the
circumstances in which they are now, for the first time,
placed by YOUR MAJESTY'S Warrant are fully understood,
YORE MAJESTY will consider that it is not equitable that
a corps which has ever proved itself second to none in
military merit and in devotion to the service of YOUR
MAJESTY'S Royal predecessors and of Yourself, should not
only be deprived of the ancient advantages and privileges
conferred by the Sovereign in former times upon the Offi-
cers of his Guards, but should find these very privileges
and advantages converted into a positive disqualification
and injury, to the effect of reducing them, indirectly, to a
position of absolute inferiority and depression :—And
YOUR MEMORIALISTS most humbly beseech YOUR MA-
JESTY that if the returns and details submitted to YOUR
MAJESTY in this Memorial are found accurate in them-
selves, and justify the conclusions they have pointed out
as resulting from them, the officers of the Guards may be
placed in a position which will rectify the disparity now
established to their prejudice, and give them a fair chailee
of arriving at the greet object of the soldier's ambition, the
post of command, AS RAPIDLY AS THEIR COMRADES OF THE
LlNE—in a position, in short, which will put them upon
A FOOTING OF EQRALITY with the remainder of YOUR MA-
JESTY'S service.
"And YOUR MEMORIALISTS Will, as in duty hound,
ever faithfully Pray.
"ALBERT, F.M., Colonel of the Grenadier
Guards.
" STRAFFORD, General, Colonel of the Cold- I
stream Guards.
" GEORGE, Lieutenant-General, Colonel of
the Scots Fusilier Guavas.

•' THOMAS WOOD, Colonel and Lieutenant-
Colonel, Commanding Grenadier Guards.
"G. F. UPTON, Colonel and Lieutenant-
Colonel, Commanding Coldstream Guards.
"G. MONCRIEFFE, Colonel and Lieutenant.
Colonel, Commanding Scots Fusilier
Guards.
" August 17th, 1855."

REPORTED DEATH OF MDLE. RACHEL

For several days past there have been reports in Paris
W /nth
of the death of Madlle. Rachel. We read in the ,
cateur of Bordeaux of December 14 :

" A letter from New York, received yesterday morn-
ing in Bordeaux, contains a piece of sad news, which we
earnestly hope we may be enabled to contradict. Rachel,
the great actress, is said to be dead. The writer who
transmits this melancholy intelligence describes the
manner of the event with so much circumstantiality that
there is too much reason to fear it must be true. Madlle.
Rachel died, it is said, at Philadelphia on the 7th of
November last, of inflammation of the chest, brought on
by fatigue and extreme cold. She had played several
times at Boston, and had gone to Philadelphia to fulfil
her engagement there. On her arrival she found herself
seriously ill, and was unable to attempt the journey to
Havannah, which her physician recommended. The
disease rapidly came to a fatal termination."
In the Independence of Saturday there are accaunts
of much later date, from which, if they may be relied '
upon, it would appear that although Madlle. Rachel was
too ill to appear on November 6 there was no news of
her death so late as the 24th. The Independence, how-
ever, says, in terms indicating a want of confidence in
the precision of its own information, that the next mail
from America, which must set
.the question at rest, is
looked for with the utmost anxiety by Madlle. Rachel's
friends.

these ceie,
COLT'S REVOLVERS.—A large quantity of
hrated weapons will be forwarded to the Madras Presi
dency almost immediately.
ientioned that the new R,

From Amsterdam it is riL.
elan Five per Cent. Loan has been dealt in at 801, with
the usual calculation of two guilders tothe rouble. This
liee.T orhis
would make the price equivalent to about
about 7 per cent. lower than the legitimate stock in our
market, although it has the advantage of its coupons
being paid at a fixed exchange of 2,3 f. 60c. per 121
roubles, which at the present ra'e for bills on Holland
would make 38d. per rouble, instead of 37d., at which
the coupons on our Russian stock are paid.
St. Petersburg accounts of the 7th inst. state that the
exchange had recovered from 35d. to 36d. in consequence
of the loan, as well as of reports received by telegraph
from London of pacific rumours and an advance in
Consols. The current of general opinion at St. Peters
burg is represented in these letters as against any likeli-
hood of an immediate settlement. In relation t, the
export of linseed overland—a point on which there has
been some difference of opinion—it is remarked that it
was not believed it would bear the expense, although
the price of that article was very low.