The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-24 00:00:00

THE FRENCH NAVY.

The following is the report made in the name of the
commission appointed to examine the bill on tbe gene-
ral staff-major of the navy, by Admiral Baron de Mac-
ka,u. It \MS presented in the sitting of the 13th inst.:----
Messieurs les Senateurs—The project of law which is
presented to you, tending to modify the law of June 17,
1841, on the general staff-major of the navy (armee na-
vale) contains two distinct and chief dispositions for the
service of the marine : it proposes :
On the one hand to allow the retirement from active
service of the general officers of the marine three years
sooner than prescribed by the existing law,of 1841 ;
And, secondly, to modify by syrnplifying them, the
conditions imposed by the law of April 20, 1832, on
promotions in the marine for rear-admirals to be raised
to the grade of vice-admiral.
Before opening the debate, the commission decided to.
render you an account of the opinion it has formed on
the constitutional question mooted by the project of
law.

The commission has devoted various sittings to resolve
it. It has again carefully consulted the test of the Con-
stitution, and has repeatedly stopped before Art. 26,
which runs as follows :

" The Senate is opposed to the promulgation :
"1. Of laws which should becontrary to, or an infring-
ment upon the Constitution, religion, morality, freedom
of worship, individual liberty, equality of citizens before
the law, inviolability of property, and to the principle of
immutability of the magistrature ;
"2. Of those which might compromise the defence of
the territory."
Thus, gentlemen, it might happen that a project of law
might appear in accordance with tho Constitution, and
which might, nevertheless, contain dispositions contrary
to, and infringing upon, great principles, and most im-
portant questions placed under your care by the two
paragraphs of the 26th article of the Constitution—in
that case it would be incumbent upon the Senate to re-
ject the project.
Behold how great is the mandate entrusted to your
patriotism by the Emperor. Your vote would suffice to
stop the Government if it had unwittingly been misled
into a wrong path.
Gentlemen, your commission only wishes to submit
serious questions to you, in accordance with what its
members owe to themselves, and conformable to the pro-
found respect they entertain for your high dignity. It
declines ail forced interpretations of the terms of the
Constitution, and yet it must render you an account of
what presented itself to its mind, first under the form of
a doubt, and soon afterwards with the character of a
conviction.

What do these words mean ? " The Senate is opposed
to the promulgation of laws which might compromise
the defence of the territory."
Is it a law which would make the proposition to sub-
stitute for a system of defence of well-conceived fortifica-
tions, a new system inferior to the first ?

But the land army itself, is it not the most precious--
the most efficacious element of the inviolability of the
territory ?

If it was proposed to you to renounce its present
vigorous organisation, and which led it formerly to pro-
tect civilization in our own country and in Europe, to
replace it by a vicious organisation which would deprive
it of its tried leaders—which would weaken the princi-
ples of respect in all the ranks of the hierarchy, which
would contain (very involuntarily, doubtless) principles
in opposition to a sound military spirit, would it not be
to weaken our forces for the guard of our territory ? And
would it not be the duty of the Senate to reject such a
project ?

The navy (la marine), gentlemen also contributes
powerfully to the defence of the country. During the
long war of the Revolution its squadrons protected our
coasts of the Ocean and of the Mediterranean. If a
new war should break out, with all the new means of
destruction at the disposal of all, our navy would have
most important duties to perform, to contribute effi-
ciently to the defence of our continental and colonial
territory. It would be its duty, either by the defensive
or the offensive, by diversions afar off, or by operations
on our coasts, to defend France from attacks meditated
against her. England, it is known, calls her fleet her
"wooden walls," and we call our ships our "floating
citadels."" tadels.

To reduce our navy would he to compromise one of
our great means of defence.

Your commission is profoundly convinced that such
would be the result of the proposed bill. It therefore
concludes, "That the Senate should oppose its promul-
gation."

To give a suitable explanation of the motives which
determined our opinion, and to establish how the pro-
ject of law is opposed to that so important part of the
Constitution, we pass to the examination of the project
itself.

To Government to justify the two wave derogations
to which the law of 1841 was to be subjected, made
known by the expose des motifs, that it thought, as re-
gards the limits of age, there was an absolute necessity,
a general and uniform rule, in the general staff-major of
the two armies by land and sea.

It also thinks 'that it is necessary in the interest of
our naval power to open the ranks of the general staff-
major of the marine to officers who have acquired ex-
perience in steamers. And it points out that general
officers on the retired list, or belonging to the reserve,
as well as those raised to the dignity of senators, may,
in virtue of the decree of January 29, 1853, be called
upon in time of war to resume sea service.
As regards the rules of promotion to the grade of
vice-admiral, the authors of the project of law observe
that the law of 1832, on promotion (Art. 14), makes it
a condition on the promotion of rear-admirals to the
grade of vice-admirals, that the officer should have been
in command for a period of three years of a squadron of
at least five ships of the line.
The Government opines that it is equitable and con-
formable to the wants of the service to reduce by one
year the period of command at sea, and moreover not to
fix the number of vessels of the squadron or division in
which the command shall have been exercised, so as to
facilitate the accession to a higher grade.
Your commission, gentlemen, has examined this pro-
ject of law with a care imposed upon it by the high in-
terest which the Senate takes in the good organisation
of the navy so intimately allied to our national grandeur
and the glory of our arms.
The first of the dispositions of the project of law, that
indicated by Article 1, having for object the reductiou
of the three years' service of general officers of the navy,
would be of great prejudice to the naval service, and,
consequently, would be of considerable detriment to
the general and essential interests of France.
It is depriving oneself voluntarily of the services of
general officers at the very moment when a long expe-
rience at sea, a skill generally recognised in the exercise
of command, renders the presence of those admirals at
the head of their divisions more useful than ever.
91'his question (to what age must the active service of
naval commanders be limited) is not a new one. In
1841, on the occasion of the bill on the general staff, it
war mooted, discussed, and judged before the two
Chambers, with as much freedom as maturity, as the
discussion which was opened in the Chamber of Peers
on the 28th January was not closed in the Chamber of
Deputies till the 28th April following.
What was said in 1841, and what is repeated to-day,
to limit to 62 years and to 65 the attire service of rear-
admirals and vice-admirals ? That conditions precisely
the same should be adopted as regards the duration of
active service of general officers, military as well as
naval.
To which Admiral Duperrd, then Minister of Marine,
and Vice-Admiral Lalande, member of the Chamber of
Deputies, replied successively
:
Admiral Duperr4 : " The duties of naval commander,
though very onerous, do not demand that agility of
movement, that physical exertion, which have been
thought indispensible to the command of armies on
land. A naval commander may direct the movements
of his squadron, without being put to much bodily ex-
ertion. Accustomed to live on board ship, hardened
by rough work at sea, he can at the age of 65 and
68 well suffice for the duties and exertions of com-
mand which, especially 'at sea, without great bodily
exertion, demand rather precision of judgment, which
is'alone required by long experience. If it is necessary
to quote examples in support of this assertion, we could
find in the histories of foreign navies, as well as in that
of France, admirals is ho, though far exceeding the limit
of age proposed, have illustrated their career by glorious
successes. This is the time to quote the old axiom of
every navy : Old admirals, young captains.' "
Vice-Admiral Lalande : "I find that this fixation of
age is the very worst condition which could be imposed
upon the limit of service, because that inexorable con-
dition will compel, for the greater part of the time, the
maintenance in service of invalided officers, or deprive
the service of valuable 'men whom time has spared, and
who, though aged, have preserved all their physical and
moral powers. But, however, if all unite to demand
this limit of age, which I find so short•sighted,.l think
that it is as well to adopt the proposed bill as it has
been amended by the Chamber of Peers, which has
studied and discussed it with all desirable perspicuity."
Eminent members of both chambers took part in that
long debate, and among those who were favourable to
the conditions of active service as demanded by Admiral
Duperrd, we may mention a former Minister of Marine,
Count d'Argout, and the two reporters, who were lis-
tened to with much favour in either chamber—Baron
Charles Dupin and Baron de Lacrosse.
Gentlemen, what it is very necessary to point out
among the circumstances which occurred in 1841, and
which again present themselves at the present moment,
is that many enlightened men, in applauding the pro-
posed measure for naval commanders, saw therein, and
still see therein, always a strong presumption that those
conditions would be also applied to the army. In fact,
before 1848 the King could, in virtue of his prerogative,
maintain lieutenant-generals in active service until the
age of sixty-eight years, which was generally done. So
that it may be said there is a new importance to-day for
maintaining the dispositions of the law of the 17th of
June, 1841, in the double interest of the navy and army.
What can, then, the real object be of the bill before
us?
Evidently it is not solely to assimilate the condition of
commanders. in both services, for to obtain that result it
would have been more simple to adopt the rule which
ameliorates both services than that which is detrimental
to them.
The chief object is, and the truth must be stated
openly, to accelerate promotion in the navy. Well ! let
it be so. But some understanding must be come to on
the subject.
If it was only a question to adopt an ensemble of mea-
sures which, whilst respecting the tests of the laws of
1832 and 1841, would result in the more rapidpromo-
tion from lieutenancies to captaincies of good stailors of
long service, arid distinguished captains of frigates who
had given proofs, as commanders or second in command,

that they deserved promotion, there would be no d;ifi-
eulty irk the matter.

The English Admiralty showed in 1851 how questions
of this nature, and' even much more difficult ones, can
be resolved.

But if, on the contrary, the .particular object is to
accelerate the promotion of captains, and for that pur-
pose rear and vice-admirals are to be raised from the list
three years sooner, and thus prevented from rendering
to their country the most importaut and perhaps the
most glorious services, then opinion becomes divided in
a most marked manner, and we think we may say that
men who know best what a naval life is will energetically
oppose the system of the proposed bill.
The report then enters at considerable length into a
statistical statement of the changes in promotion in the
navy deriing the last ten years, comparing it with the
scale of promotion in the English navy. It then gives a
list of admirals of seventy years and upwards who ren-
dered great services to their respective countries.
The report concludes as follows :
The project of law tending to modify the law of 17th
of June, 1841, relative to the naval staff, submitted to
the Senate, would, if adopted, be detrimefital (funeste)
to the marine service both present and future.
It is illegal. It is an infringement on one of the great
interests placed by the Constitution under the protection
of the Senate.

The commission is of opinion—
That the Senate should oppose its promulgation.
The following is the project of law :
Art. 1. Vice-admirals at the age of G 5 years accom-
plished, and rear-admirals at 62 years accomplished, who
cease to belong to the first section of the cadre of the
general-staff-major, to pass into the second.
Art. 2. No one can be promoted to the grade of vice-
admiral without having served for two years at sea,
with the rank of rear-admiral, in a squadron or naval
division.

Art. 3. Are maintained the dispositions of the laws
of April 20, 1832, and June 17, 1841, which are not con-
trary to the present law.

THE ARMY.

A circular memorandum has been issued for the guid-
ance of the troops about to be encamped on Chobham-
common, and in other-suitable localities during the pre-
sent summer :

" Horse Guards, May 11.
"1. It having been found necessary to revise the
existing regulations for the encampment of her Ma-
jesty's troops, the General Commanding-in-Chief has
been pleased to command that the following instruc-
tions be prepared and promulgated for the information
and guidance of the army.
" 2. Although troops must be guided in the position and
form of their encampments by the shape and nature of the
ground, the proximity of wood and water, and, in actual
warfare, by a variety of considerations which defy all rules,
it is nevertheless desirable that certain definite forms of
encampment should be established by authority, to be
departed from in all cases whenever circumstances shall
make it desirable to do so for the convenience and effi-
ciency of the troops.
"3. The following are the principles which have
mainly led to the establishment of the forms of encamp-
ment which are laid down in these instructions, and
which should, as far as possible, govern the disposition
of all camps of whatever form, viz.:—
"1. That the front of the camp be made to corres-
pond in extent with the front occupied by the troops in
line.

"2. That the means of passing freely through the
encampment with a large front be maintained.
" 3. That the tents be disposed with a view to the
greatest amount of order, cleanliness, ventilation, and
salubrity.

" i. That the camp be as compactly arranged as the
above considerations permit.

" OF INFANTRY.
" 4. The ordinary mode of encamping a battalion of
infantry has been in open column on the reverse flank,
but with the alternate companies closed, and encamped
back to back, with a wide street in the centre, as shown
in plan 1.
"5. The space occupied by a file is 21 inches. Thus,
supposing a battalion of 850 rank and file could be
brought under arms complete, its front would be :-
425 Files. 10 Captains.
To which add for 1 Subaltern on the
officers and co- left of the line.
lours l4 Files. 2 Colours.
1 Centre Serjoant.

Total 439 Files. Total 14

" But from this total (or indeed from the total rank
and file actually in the field) the following deductions
must be made, viz. :
Rank and File.
Band
Pioneers ll
Sick and hospital orderlies
Mounted officers' batmen

90 or 45 files

" Calculating five sick men per company, and one
orderly to every 10 sick men, with lieutenant-colonel,
two majors, and adjutant.
" This would reduce the frost of a complete battalion
of 850 rank and file to 394 files.

" 394 files at 21 inches=229 yards 10 inches (say 230
yards).

"In computing the frontage of a brigade or division,
the intervals between battalions and brigades in line
—viz., five yards, or six paces--will be maintained be-
tween the encampments of the contiguous battalions
and brigades.

" 6. The circular tents now used occupy a front of
nearly 18 feet, and 15 men are allotted to each tent.
" 7. A battalion encamped, as shown in plan No. 1.
(occupying a front equal to its own line), will, under
ordinary circumstances, cover ground to the rear ex-
tending perpendicularly to a distance of about 139 yards
from the front line of tents, and a space for the parade
in the front towards the quarter-guard of not much less
than 80 yards in extent, being a total of about 220 yards
from quarter-guard to rear-guard. The leading com-
pany's tents being placed on the prolongation of its
front, as it stood in column after wheeling back from
line, an interval is thus left between contiguous bat-
talions of the front of a company and six paces, whereby
the free passage of troops is provided for through the
lines on a large front, without traversing the actual en-
campments of battalions.

"S. But the mode of encampment, shown in plan 1, is
not always practicable, as the ground may not in every
case admit of the extent or depth indicated ; on such
occasions the camp must be compressed. The diminu-
tion of the frontage may simply be effected by diminish-
ing the distances between the companies, and pro-
portionally likewise the intervals between battalions ;
and the depth of the encampment may be lessened as
shown in plan 2.

" The batmen and horses do not in all cases require a
line, and in plan 2 they are supposed to be picketed in
any convenient spot affording shade or shelter.
" 9. Although the system of encampment in double
streets, with a wide street in the centre (which has been
used for parades of non-commissioned officers, musi-
cians, duties, &c,), has long prevailed, there is reason
to believe that a simple encampment in open column,
as shown in plan 3, each company encamping on the
prolongation of its own front, may be occasionally
adopted with advantage.

'tin this case the dales may be formed, as is the case
in barracks, on the general parade.
"According to this arrangement, the companies' tents
can be turned in any direction, so as either to place the
tent doors to leeward in driving rains or cold winds, or
to windward in hot seasons ; and an encampment on this
plan is more expeditiously formed than that arranged on
the double principle.

" OF CAVALRY,

"10. The cavalry has usually encamped in open co-
lumn of troops, but with the alternate troops closed and
encamped back to back, as shown in plan 4.
" In this case, as with the infantry, the leading troop
should encamp on the prolongation of its own front in
column in order to leave a sufficient interval between
contiguous regiments, and thus admit of the free pas-
sage of troops through the lines.

11. The front computed for a mounted troop-horse
in the ranks is one yard, and when picketed four feet,
and the front and depth of encampments are computed
accordingly, allowing quarter intervals in the front be-
tween squadrons,• and a similar distance between conti-
nuous regiments -in brigade. Thus the actual interval
between the encampments of contiguous regiments equals
the front of a troop and a half.

"12. The encampment of a cavalry regiment on the
war establishment of four squadrons each, of 160 horses,
is shown in plan 4, 12 cavalry soldiers being the propor-
tion established for each tent.

"13. But with the pres9nt reduced establishment of
regiments this mode of encampment could not be conve-
niently carried out ; the front covered by a regiment oc-
cupying too small a space for encampment in column of
troops.

- "The most convenient mode therefore of encamping
a regiment of cavalry of the present establishment of
271 horses will probably prove to be in column of squad-
rons, as shown in plan 5.
" 14. Cavalry encampments do not admit of so great
an amount of compression as those of infantry, as the
cavalry horse must have four feet, or three feet and
a-half, at least, allotted to him at the pickets ; but with
a strong regiment the front may be reduced by lessening
the troop or squadron distances.