The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-06 00:00:00

post. What an outcry we should have from the
sister service if a civilian were put at the head of
the War-Office, and only non-professional men
should be supposed to be intuitively competent to
deal with the difficult questions connected with our
navy ? At this period, especially when the changes
and improvements made by science have so power-
fully affected our armaments, it is very much to be
regretted that our principal officials should be
obliged to learn from others what would have been
more properly acquired by personal observation
and experience. But at least if a civilian is found
who is competent for the post, and who may per-
haps be said to be less biassed than a professional
man on certain questions, at least the Board, when
properly composed, should be a permanent one.
Efficient men should be appointed, and shoUld be
allowed to retain their seats in spite of all political
changes. It is quite preposterous that a body of
such important functionaries, and whose sphere is
entirely beyond the range of political strife, should
be affected by every change of Government. The
Admiralty, like the War-office, should be totally
independent of the Administration or the House.
It is of far more importance to the country, since, if
we lost the command of the seas, our army would
be of little use to us ; yet it is suffered to be affected
by every change of place or party. One Adminis-
tration puts, perhaps, a capable man at the head of
naval affairs. Great expenses are entered upon and
important works commenced. Ships of war are,
perhaps, half built, docks laid out and harbours de-
signed, when, lo ! the Parliamentary combatants
change sides. A fresh First Lord appears
on the scene, with fresh subordinates. All
the plans of his predecessor are changed ; it is
enough that they have been set on foot by a rival
to insure their condemnation, and the new corner
has crotchets and favourit&; of his own. The half-
completed works are pulled to pieces or abandoned
altogether, the country is saddled with fresh ex-
penses, and possibly the new projects will, in their
turn, be set aside by a third authority. Sir M.
PETO, in remarking on the uncertain action of the
Admiralty, cited two instances that proved that
the system has not changed for the better during
half a century. In 1801 Lord MELVILLE, follow-
ing the advice of NELSON, took steps for improv-
ing the position of naval medical officers, but his
successor reversed that policy. In 1858 a similar
measure was introduced by Sir J. PAKINGTON, to
be reversed by the Duke of SOMERSET. Sir J.
PAKDTGTON'S brief but forcible speech told several
home truths. He commented upon the general
feeling of dissatisfaction with regard to the admi-
nistration of naval affairs, and he added that his
own experience, though short, gave him the same
impression. He agreed, with Sir M. PETO, as to
the evil effect of divided or partial responsibility,
both as to what was done and was left undone.
The sins of omission and commission on the part of
the Admiralty would certainly fill a very long list,
and it is beginning to be felt that there are similar
offences elsewhere in the aversion to any measure of
naval reform which is shown by our authorities.

Captain BURTON'S name stands deservedly high
with his countrymen, and it is gratifying to notice
that a mark of respect was paid to him on Monday
by a farewell dinner being given to him. Lord
STANLEY presided on the occasion, and the noble
lord made an interesting speech on the subject. He
said that he had to propose the health of one of the
most "distinguished explorers and geographers of the
present day." The present generation is fortunate
in possessing a great many celebrated menwho have
rendered important .services to their country, and
among these Captain 13uRnix holds no mean place.
Lord STANLEY commented on the fact that during
forty-five years he had encountered more of steady
hardship and successful enterprise and adventure
than might have filled up the lives of half a dozen
men of the ordinary type. No one who is at all
conversant with the details of this eminent man's
career will dispute the truth of the chairman's re-
mark, that were Captain BURTON'S career already
terminated he would have gained a memorable name
in the annals of geographical discovery. The work
on the " History of the Races of Scinde" was de-
servedly commended by the noble lord, who was able
to testify to its correctness from personal observa-
tion, and he amusingly observed that those who had
travelled there would concur with him in the opinion
that young Egypt " was about as like old Egypt as
a British barrack was like an Egyptian pyramid,"
and that Captain BURTON had described it with a
graphic pen in a manna. never surpassed. Captain
BURTON'S pilgrimage to Mecca was a great under-
taking, and one which called for considerable
ingenuity and remarkable powers of perseverance.
Lord STANLEY dwelt upon the great importance of
the African expedition of 1856, which, as he truly
observed, " opened a wide district of country pre-
viously unknown to the attention of civilised man."
The noble lord is not one of those who consider
that there is so much gained by the discovery of
what was called the source of a river. The dis-
covery of the largest affluents to a river was not of
the same consequence, he said, as the fact of a man
going through a large tract of country through
which others had not passed before him. Judged
by this test, then, the noble lord considered that
the expedition of 1856 was the most important one
of our time, rivalled only by that of Dr. LIVING-
STONE. Lord STANLEY gave it as his opinion, and,
indeed, it is one in which many will coincide, that
there is ample reason to hope that the present
generation will be able to know as much of Africa
north .of the equator and five degrees south of it as
we now know of South America. Lord STANLEY
expressed an opinion which -it is very desirable to
dwell upon at the present time. He dwelt upon the
advantages of enterprise and adventure, " a spirit
Which it was the tendency of great wealth and material
prosperity to diminish, but without which that wealth
and prosperity would not be worth a year's pur-
chase." When we consider how much the utilitarian
school have done to deaden the influence of their
sentiments and lower the tone of public feeling, we
cannot too eagerly desire that many superior minds
will take up the cause of adventurous enterprise,,and
follow in the track of bold adventurers, or else
strike out a line for themselves. Captain BURTON
has done a great deal in the course of his career to
improve the knowledge of his countrymen concern-
ing various countries of interest and importance,
and, as Lord STANLEY observed, he is certainly en-
titled to a hearing when he gives his opinion relative
to what he has seen and judged for himself during
a long course of years spent in arduous toil and
extended travels. He has risked his life and ex-
pended great energy in his endeavours, and earned
for himself a name that will survive in the records
that tell of those who have made explorations of
might and magnitude, and been benefactors of the
human race in opening new fields for industry, and
new objects of enterprise to intellect and intelli-
gence.

The rumour of the possible arrival in this country
of a strange and terrible visitor has been lately busy
amongst us. The epidemic which has lately pre-
vailed in Russia, and has been desolating the poorer
quarters of St. Petersburg, has now made its
appearance in the Baltic ports. There is some
ground for uneasiness, since, as we all know, the
cholera made its progress eastward, and in many