The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-06 00:00:00

DR. 3IAYER:

Mr. PIERCY wished to ask whether it was true as
was asserted by the correspondent of a daily news-
pape. r that Dr. Mayer, a German gentleman, had been
appointed to .a high medical appointment in the army
through the patronage of Prince Albert, although he
knew little or nothing of medical science ?
Mr. S. HERBERT said he was responsible in some
measure for the appointment because he recommended
Dr. Mayer to his noble friend Lord Panmure. Some
great misapprehension, however, existed out of doors
with regard to this gentleman. He was an Englishman,
born at Norwood, and he was educated at Hammer-
smith. After studying at Guy's, he became a member
of the Royal College of Surgeons, and he had been at the
head of several medical establishments in Norfolk Island
and Van Dietnen's Land. He was, in fact, well and fa-
vourably known at the Colonial-office ; while with re-
gard to one part of the report, the gentleman himself
had informed him that he had never had the honour or
pleasure of seeing Prince Albert in his life. (A. laugh.)

MILITARY EDUCATION.
On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. RICH said he had been most anxious to move
for a select committee to inquire into the subject of mi-
litary education in this country, but owing to the recent
Ministerial changes he bad been unable to bring such a
motion on and now, seeing that there was no prospect
of introducing it before Easter, he was compelled to take
advantage of this opportunity to introduce the subject to
the house. A great change, he thought, was about to
be made in the organisation of the army, a
change which had been brought about in some mea-
sure by the disclosures of the press in connection
with the war. There were some people who found
fault with the press for disclosing the condition of our
army with so much freedom ; but he, fur one, did not
share in these censures, because the press had done
much good in exposing abuses and suggesting reforms
in the military department. This country stood the
foremost amongst the civilised countries that cul-
tivated the arts and sciences, but, nevertheless,
recent experience had proved that in the art of war we
were lamentably deficient. The navy, however, pre-
sented a singular contrast to the army. In the navy the
strictest discipline was preserved, and the men who
adopted it as a profession were trained to it almost from
childhood, but not so in the army, and he wanted to
know why it had not or should not be so ? He was
told that there was no fit school in this
country where the military art could be studied.
The hon. gentleman then referred to the fact that pro-
motion came from purchase or from favour, and not from
merit, and thus one of the greatest incentives to exertion
and distinction was lost. Then as to appointments on
the staff, he defied the house to say that staff appoint-
ments were fairly and impartially made, and with a re-
gard to the previous character and service on the part
of the individuals selected. (Hear.) He instanced ca-es
in which officers who had never been under fire ha I re-
ceived their promotion, whilst veterans who had ap-
peared years and years in the active service list were
passed over. Under such circumstances could they feel
surprised at the inefficiency of our stiff ? Well, how
should this be remedied 7 Why, by adopting the same
regulations as were observed with regard to the navy—
by educating cur officers for the duties they were
to perform. Those who followed particular professions
or particular avocations were generally fitted by espe-
cial education previously fur the nature of their duties,
but in the army no such preparation was demanded.
Let officers pass through a certain routine of education
before they were entitled to thelr commiseiens, and then
they would be qualified a', the outset for the performance
of their functions, and, as they progressed in experience,
for promotion from rank to rank. With regard to the
. Military College, the junior department was devoted to
cadet', and the senior department of it was designed fur
the qualification of officers for staff appointments, and on
completing their curriculum of examination in it a cer•
tificate was given to them, stating that they were so
qualified. Well, was this certificate a mockery or not ?
It was a decided mockery, inasmuch as it was never
acted upon when those appointments were made. But
the college itself had been allowed to dwindle away, and
at present there were only about 150 cadets and officers
under its care ; and this arose not from the fact that
the college was expensive—for, in fact, it was self-sup-
porting—but from the simple circumstance that every
commission awarded by it to merit interfered with the
patronage of the Horse Guards. In the officers of an
army there were two classes; the first composed of
scions of the aristocracy or heirs of estates, who had
entered tVe service with no intention whatever of making
it their profession for life ; and the second of young men
of intellect and talent, who had adopted the service in the
full hope of rising in it to distinction. Looking, then,
at the promotions, and bearing this in mind, it would be
found that the first-class were those who were invariably
promoted by the Horse Guards, whilst the latter were
too poor to command themselves such patronage as
their more fortunate brethren, though their acquirements
and capabilities not only entitled them to preferment, but
rendered them far more deserving of it. All he asked
was that the military college should be placed
on an equal footing with the naval college at
Woolwich, and that similar indu cements should
be held out to students after they had studied
there for a certain period of years, not only in the way
of simple book-learning, but also all the science of
the profession they intended to adopt. By that means
only could we hope to possess a more efficient and
properly educated class of officers in the army. (Hear.)
He should, therefore, hear with great satisfaction
a statement for the Secretary at War, to the effect that
the Government would take this- matter into considera-
tion.

Mr. F. PEEL was glad that the hon. gentleman had not
proposed a committee, for, were a committee appointed,
the Government, who had the subject under their anxious
consideration, would feel bound to suspend the alterations
they contemplated, in deference to the committee, and
while waiting for the result of its inquiry. He wished he
could have persuaded the hon. member from not only dis-
pensing with the appointment of the committee, but from
making the speech on the occasion which ho had made, for
he felt it was disadvantageous to himself (sir. Peel), and to
the department with which he was connected, to be called
on so soon after being appointed to that department to ex-
press opinions on subjects of such magnitude as that of the
organisation of the army. A few nights ago he had been
called on to give an opinion on the question of recommend.
ing soldiers to commissions in the army; and now the
hon. gentleman called on him to adopt a proposition which
was based on an opposite principle—that of giving the
officers in the British army a high education. With re-
spect to the general value of education for officers of the
army there "could be no difference of opinion whatever ;
and he did not speak of professional education merely, but
of general education. But too high a standard of educatime
we:ell:exclude many valuable officers from the service
There could be no doubt that the institutions established
iu this country were exceedingly scanty in number, and
were also not well calculated to supply to the anny'those
wants which had been lamented by the hon. member.
With the exception of the college for the Ordnance, there
was hut the institution at Sa.ndhurst ; and with respect to the
latter establishment it should be borne in mind that it was
the House of Commons, and not the Government, which
had restricted the extant of its accommodation. At pre-
sent there were 25 orphans and sons of poor officers who
received their education at Sandhurst, on payment of 401.
a year each, and it was the larger payments made by more
wealthy persons which enabled the education to be pro-
, vided at this low rate. The hon. member suggested thet
the basis of the college should ho enlarged, and that every
officer intended for the army should pass through that in-
stitution. He was not' disposed to agree in the policy of
that recommendation, as lie believed no great results would
be found to attend a system which educated in a military
manner persons of very youthful age. By devoting them-
selves to one particular study, narrow notions of their pro-
fessions would be fiirmed by those for whom the education
was designed. The best class of public officers would, he
conceived, be found among these who had passed through
the public schools and universities, and who poseeesed a
`knowledge of general literature. (Hear, hear.) His right
hon. friend the late Secretary at War had proposed a plan
which ho thought would be inure advantageous to the offi-
cers of the army than that suggested by the lion. member
-L-it was, that every officer, before getting his first commis-
sion, should pass an examination before a board of qali-
fied officers, similar to that of Sandhurst, and that he
should also be called upon to show before subsequenteatienehs
i
promotion that be had acquired increased p
profession. The only reason Why- thi!verv_., uxreoellent ay in
rrange-
had been filet
moist had not been more fully carried out
most of the members of the board of examiners appointo
had been, war. Whether -
in consequence of the urgent demands of the war,
the
ordered on active service the seat of
should be brought to a speedy close, or whether it
sl'aoruld be continued for a ranch longer period, in either
case the Government felt it their duty to take measures
for providing the officers of the army with the best means
of acquiring a full knowledge both of the theory and prac-
tice of their profession. (Hear.) He fully concurred in
the opinion which had been expressed, that appoiatments
on the staff should be regarded as the prizes of the arm
but under the existing system such was not the case, and
it not unfrequeutly happened that general and field officers
were placed in command of divisions cud of armies who
had' no knowledge beyond that of regimental duties. (Hoer,
hear.) The " etatonejor" of France was a staff corps, to-
tally different from the army corps, but it was a system
which could not 14 adopted in this country except after
the most mature and deliberate consideration. After the
statement which had been made of the consideration which
the Government was. be.stowing upon the subject intro-
' cinema by the hon. member, he trusted that ho would not
think it necessary to press his motion. (Hear, hear.)
Col. DUNNE said there was one very easy means of
improving tho eduCation of the army without costing the
country anything, and that was simply by insuring em-
ployment to those officers who knew their duty. (Hear.)
The groat reason why we had no good staff officers was,
that, whatever might be their attainments, their study, or
their knowledge, they found them no recommendations for
employment. Another great reason for the deficiency
of our staff officers was the fact, that there did not exist
in the English language a single really useful work devoted
to a desersotion of the duties of staff officers, and there
was scarcely an officer to be found who could define with
accuracy the duties of either the adjutant or quartermas-
ter-general. During the visit of the French officers to the
camp at Chebham they expressed their opinion that our
regimental system was perfect, but that our staff arrange-
ments were sadly deficient. It was perfectly absurd, in
his opinion, to suppose that any academies of the countly
would produce staff officers. Every staff officer must elle-
, cate himself. (Hear.) lie should go to France, make