The Sun.
London, England, 1838-08-14 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

We regret to learn that in a regiment (we shall not say
whether of cavalry or infantry)
ie lately returned from India, such
a system of anno)ance is carried into effect towards old officers
(evidently with
a view to disgust and oblige them to retire) as
to demand the attention of the authorities. At present we
trust that our notice may prove sufficient to remedy the evil,
and the commanding officer would do well to bear in remem-
brance the Court martial held some years since on Captain
Wathen of the 15th Hussars and its consequences, as, should
the system we deprecate be continued, the regiment shall be
named, and on the heads. of those who shall drive us to such a
course of proceeding be the result.
No vessels have yet been officially named for the conveyance
of the 94th and 95th regiments as reported, and we much doubt
whether they will proceed to Ceylon so soon as expected,
Col. Pitt, at present inspecting field-officer of the Leeds
recruiting district, is on the eve of exchanging with Lieut.-Col.
Bradshaw, of the 77th Regiment.
The arrangement relative to a change in the command of
the Carbineers, mentioned by us a few days since, is not to take
place, some obstacles having arisen in a certain quarter whcli
are deemed insurmountable.
A great many reports being afloat concerning the next regi-
ment for New South Wales, we think it necessary to state
that the choice lies between the 96th regiment and 7th Fusi-
leers. We have reason to suppose the former; if so, the Fusi-
leers are certain to go out next year.
Lord Melbourne recently stated in Parliament that the
Government did not see any necessity for increasing the mili•
tary force in Canada ; the last accounts received from them
announced the removal of the 93d Highlanders from Nuva
Scotia to Quebec, a pretty sure sign that his Lordship's
opinion in this, as well as in other questions, is to be looked
upon by the public with great caution.
A correspondent inquires what prior claims have the Indian
over the British army, Oat in the late distribution of decora-
tions there were given Companionships of the Bath to four-
teen Lieutenant- Colonels in the Indian Army, and eight
Majors, whilst only to vim Ueutenant- Colonels of the British
Army were considered worthy of the distinction, and all Majors
of that service completely excluded.
The expected move of the 7th fusileers to India, via New
South Wales, has caused several changes in that regiment,
and it is now sal I that Lord William Thynne will suc-
ceed Colonel Farquharson in the command, should they
go. We- would take leave to suggest to the authorities
when granting them nting the augmentation of officers, permitting
their present lieutenants to remain as they are, and adding so
many second lieutenants as to place the establishment of the
regiment on the same footing as all others in the service. By
doing so, a saving would accrue to the public, some jealousy
be removed, and the interests of the service not in the slightest
degree interfered with.

TIIE MILITIA.
The following
colonels and adjutants of in:lita are at pre.
sent vacant
Colonels—Rutland, North D )wn, Galway, and Kilkenny.
Adjutants-2d Lancashire, Leice3tcr, East Midt:e.
sex, Radnor, Shrupsiiiro, Ist Sainc-rn.t, Puto, and
South Co:k.—ldoeni.v Herd].

DISTRESS IN SHETLAND.

TO THE ZDTTOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.

Sitt,—l perceive in the Chronicle of yesterday a letter respecting the
distress in the Shetland Islands, signed "J. Crombie," to which, as it
bests some injurious reflections on a near relative of mine, who is not
here to gnawer for himself, I take the liberty of replying through the
same channel ; and although I shall be obliged to occupy a considerable
niece in your colurtins, I am sure your sense of justice will induce you
ki oftamide room and verge enough not only to refute the state-
ments fit ilk, letter te!eded to, but to set the so much disputed question
of " Shetland destitution" filially at rest,
Let me remark, in the first place, that it is rather unfortunate for
Ole korantittee, who have at last found a mouthpiece in Dr. Crombie,
that the elistreee under which he appears to wince so sensitively, have
remained unaneWcted far a whole fortnight, &trine which time they
Ifeee been circulating threttehout the three kingdoms. Why were
they not eeetieed sooner ? Tkere was no " cloaked wizard," no " se.
cret agency" ehlfht.yest here. Mr. Br Clay's statements were signed.
with his name, and they Ilfribee?eii, with one eXecption, in every Jour_
gal, Morning and Evening, in falafel', Tin', Sir, the Committee sby
whiek 1 frog it to be observed, I wean id (Ms leiter only the acting,
Sirighpeffer rttnap) did not wish to answer. wanted no
discussion ef iirtir Merits, no further light thrown upon their Roceed.
ings, and they have thi feeson id thank the advocate, who has so tarneleu
steppes.' forward in their deferiee, mod who, instead of white-washing
theta, nee' as I shall prove, sunk theft!, if possible, deeper into the mire.
Any one that reads the statement of Dr. Crombie would suppose that
the Committee had no evidence of thedistress existing in Shetland, but
that which rested on Mr. Barclay'e " exaggerations." Now, Sir, I shall
lie able tefeisow, I Batter myself to your satisfaction, that if Mr. Barclay
had never opened his mouth—if he had been as mute even as the Com.
mittee whom he has arreigtsed at the bar of public opinion, there was
evidenc:,d effeeneh, and more than enough, of " deep and extensive dis-
tress" before thd ethmnittee.
The Shetland Islands, f hem)", need inform yen, suffered more than
any other district, from the coeseqUences of the 11:iture of the crops
which occurred in 1636. In 1837 they, and they alone, "ere visited
with a repetition of the calamity. The crops of corn, with fees ex-
ceptions, either did not fully ripen, or were in a great measure destroyer
by storms of unprecedented violence and duration, an 4 by the spray
of the sea carried over the land by the force of the wind. Such
was the failure of the potato crop—the main dependence of the people—
that in many places it was left in the ground. There is not an unbiassed
person in Shetland who cannot bear testimony to these facts. To any
one acquainted with that part of the kingdom, it is unnecessary to state,
that the result of such a state of things must be deep and wide-spread
distress during the spring and summer of the following year. Accord-
ingly, as early as the beginning of February, that distress began to mani.
fest itself in no fewer than nine parishes. But as this will, of course,
be set down by the Committee to the credit of " exaggeration," I appeal
to the following documentary evidence
EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF GLA SGO W COMMITTEE, MARCH 20, 1838.
" Applications for relief from the inhabitants of Tingwall, and other
right parishes, were then read, when it was
2...AVed—That copies of these, and of any other applications
from simian,: or_ the Orkneys should be sent to the Edinburgh and
Aberdeen Committees, who would attend thereto, seeing that this Corn-
mittee had already enough to e'^ by attending to the islands and parishes
on the *Cift evsat, and had hitherto ie.ken no charge of the Orkney and
Shetland islands.''
These applications fof feilef were forwarded is the Glasgow to the
Edinburgh Committee, and the reset/ tees that the latter; On the 27th of
February, 1838, passed a resolution ackliaWhalging "a coesiderable
failure of the crop in Shetland last year," but negattring relief, bet; once
they had determined to apply all their resources " to a well digested
plan of emigration." The Glasgow and Edinburgh Committees having
thus closed the door of relief against the distressed Shetlanders, the lat-
ter naturally turned their eyes to the London Committee, who had ample
funds in hand, and who very humanely referred them back to the Edin-
burgh Committee, and thus they were bandied about between these
Committees, each trying to shift the burden upon the other without a
shilling to the Shetlanders until the Bth of April, when the London
Committee Sent 8901. to that of Aberdeen for their use. Towards the
end of that month the Bev, Mr. Barclay arrived in London from
Shetland, on a special niliskin to the Committee to represent
the destitute condition of the islands, and to implore relief.
His statements were, or were pretended td fie, disbelieved; and the
London Committee wrote to the Edinburgh one for infolenetion as to the
state of Shetland. The answer was, that " the Committee here no
hesitation in expressing their opinion that a greater degree of desfitu.
Lion exists in Shetland than in any other part of' Scotland." This pro-
duced, about the end of May, another dribblet of 7001 A whole
month was then allowed to elapse, without bringing with it a single par.
ticle of food for the poor Shetlanders. Mr. Barclay found the utmost
difficulty in communicating with the Committee, by whom he was re.
garded as a troublesome intruder, likely to interfere with a favourite
project. At last a meeting was called for the 20th of June. At
this meeting the report from the Aberdeen Committee, demand-
ing 3,000/. for the relief of the distress in Shetland was dis.
cussed, and it was agreed that the 0,0001. should be given; the
only question being, how much of that Wm had been received
since the report was made out. It was also agreed that, in the
mean time, one of the Committee should proceed to Shetland, to see
with his own eyes the state of things. The latter part of the
agreement is admitted, and it cannot be denied that it has been broken;
and it was much the more important part, for had inquiry been made,
more abundant relief must have followed. With respect to the reception
of the Aberdeen report, there is a difference of opinion between Mr,
Dundas and Mr. Barclay, on the one side, and Dr. Crombie an theother.
Between opposing recollections I do not presume to decide; but if Dr.
Crombie escape from one horn of the dilemma, it is only to fall upon the
other, for the Committee stood pledged to the Edinburgh Committee to
act upon that report, as will appear from the following extract of a letter,
dated March 28, from Mr. Nisbet, one of the London secretaries, to the
assistant-secretary of the Edinburgh Committee. " We cannot enter-
tain the emigration question, indeed, all our appeals were made for a
starving population, and we cannot understand how your Committee
should neglect the Shetlands, if the people are really in the state de-
scribed in the letter sent to us.. We are now in correspondence with the
Aberdeen Committee, and shall be glad to be guided by them in affording
all reasonable help." Dr. Crombie's attempt to vindicate the Committee
from a breach of faith has thus ended in their being clearly convicted of
two such breaches.
But to return to the proceedings of the Committee on the 20th of
June. In addition to the evidence furnished by the Aberdeen report,
Mr. Barclay laid before the Committee surveys and reports from the
ministers, elders, and other respectable persons in the distressed dis.
trees. There was no gue:swork in these surveys; the dwellings of the
poor had been visited, their little stocks of provisions, where they had
any, were examined, ay, weighed to the last ounce, and the time which
they would lest, allowing to each inmate the smallest daily pittance of
food which could keep soul and body together, minutely calculated. Dr.
Crombie makes light of this evidence, and even sneers at it as unworthy
of credit: every one to his taste. To me it appeared the most appelling
record of want and wretchedness that ever met my eye; and I will take
the liberty of remarking that those who after perusing it could lock up
or divert the sources of relief so liberally provided by the sympathy of
the public, regardless of the suffering that must, and the death that
might be the consequence of such an act, have incurred a responsi_
bility which, unless they be made of materials different from the rest
of mankind, must haunt their nightly slumbers until they find repose in
the grave.
Dr. Crombie met these statements, which I must be permitted to
call not only " authenticated evidence," but better authenticated than
any on which the Committee have parted with their funds, by the re-
mark that similar destitution might be found in the houses of the la-
bouring population of England. This is a specimen of the knowledge
which these Committee-men bring to their task. They neither know,
nor will they believe, nor even inquire. What resemblance is there be.
tween the situation of the labouring classes in Shetland and in England ?
The Shetland peasant has no resource in daily earnings. He lays in his

little stock of provisions for the whole year at one season, and when that
is exhaust. d, he must resort to the sea for a supply. When that alto
fails him, if he be lett to his own resources, shell.fish and seaweed afford
him the only means of warding off the stroke of death.

This evidence shook the nerves of some of the Committee, though it
did not remove the incredulity of others, and wrung from them a vote of
500/., the last driblet, which the starving Shetlanders were to receive,
making in all a sum of 2,0001. for the whole year of 1838. Dr. Cromb:e
who complains so much of exaggeration, has kindly added a fourth part
to the amount, making it 2,5004 But, if further evidence be wanted
to prove the existence of distress in the Shetland Isles, and the
culpability of the Committee in refusing to supp!y adequate relief,
let me add, that it is afforded by the transactions which have taken place
in the Committee-room within th• last few days. On Wednesday last,
there was a meeting of the Committee, at which none of the rump
attended, and at which the former proceedings were annulled, and
a grant of SOO/. voted to the Shetlandrrs, without one tittle of addi.
tional evidence being brought forward. Can there be a stronger con-
demnation of the conduct of the Strathpetfer clique ?
Allow me also to direct your attention and that of the public to the
following unanimous resolution of the Aberdeen Committee passed on
the 7th of this month :

" That great and appalling distress still prevails in the Islands of
Shetland, and has been fully ascertained from recent personal inquiry,
and from other sources of information entitled to the most entire confi-
dence, and that the distress must continue, and will continue, until
the produce of the next harvest shall becoma available for the subsistence
of the people."

So much for Mr. Barclay's so called "exaggerations." Turn we now
to Dr. Crombie's defence of the Committee against the charge of
having committed a breach of trust in destining the whole of the sur-
plus in their hands to objects not contemplated by the subscribes
while the distress in Shetland remained unrelieved. This is the
charge brought by Mr. Barclay; and is there a man in the kingdom who
does not concur in it? Does Dr. Crombie mean to assert that the re-
solution passed by the Committee on the 12th of July, declaring that
they would grant no further relief, and devoting the surplus of upwards
of 10,0001. to e 'ucation and the endowment of an hospital in Strathpeffer,
was not a gross breach of trust with the subscribers ? But the Com-
mittee are condemned out of their own mouths upon this point, In a
letter of one of their Secretaries to the Edinburgh Committee, dated the
h o
educationNovember,n t lB3 occur the following ords •--"The question
f
been 7; wertained by this Committee, however desirous
02 5
can
they may b 2 that this blessing should be conferred upon their poor
countrymen,
being altogether foreign to the purpose for which the
money was calculated." This, I think, settles that question, for it edu-
cation was not a proper object for the application of the funds; it will
hardly be contended that the endowment of iln ':ospital was se,
Dr. Crombie's quibbling upon the word " temporise" is almost be-
neath notice ; he endeavours to show that Mr. Barclay is guilty of an
inconsistency in desiring Mr. Dundas " to bring the Committee to a
point if they continue to temporise," after stating that they appear to
have made up their minds neither to grant further supplies nor to in-
quire into the distress. Ls this there is no inconsistency whatever.
It only proves that Mr. Barclay knew the Committee better than Dr.
Crombie does; for I have shown that they can not only temporise after
they have come to a conclusion, but that they can come to directly op-
posite conclusions upon the same subject.
Dr. Crombie labours hard to prove that the success of the herring
fishery in Shetland last year was much under-rated, he states that the
quantity caught, namely, 26,000 barrels, was abort t wo-thirds of their
usual quantity. There is, however, in this statement, an important
omission, and the more important because it appears to be wilitd.
When he made this assertion on a former occasion he was informed
that nearly double the usual number of boats and men were engaged in
that fishing last year, and this he ought in fairness to have mentioned.
The Slratlanders are next twitted with ingratitude to the Committee.
This is rather a singular charge. The gratitude of the Shetlanders
is
due, ann is deeply felt, to the English public, who have so liberally con.
tributed on the late and on former occasions to the relief of their dis-
tresses ; but it is rather too much to expect that they should begrateful
to those who have Intercepted. that relief, and offered them minural
water instead of bread.
One of the causes to which Dr. Crombie imputes the distress of the
Shotlanders is the absenteeism of the landlords. The natives of Ultima
Thule will smile at this discovery. Were that the greatest evil their
country labours under, it would be the hippie t spot on the face of the
earth. How many absentee proprietors can Dr. Crombie reckon up
Let him try, and tell you in Isis next letter.
Dr. Crombie, in his eagerness to convict Mr. Barclay of exortiltancy
in Isis demands upon the London Committee's funds, asserts that Mr.
Barclay asked 12,000/ for Shetland. That Mr. Barclay may have said
in conversation that that sum would not do more than supply the neces-
sities of Shetland is by no means unlikely, as it is a well.known fact
that the distress in thet quarter is as great, if not greater, this year than
it was last; but that he actually did make such a demand of the Cinn-
mittee I must be permitted to doubt until I hear Mr. Barclay's version
of the story, Indeed, Ido not believe there is the least foundation, fo
such an accusation. The object for which it -is brought
,forward is
to
mitigate the fury of that public indignation, which has so justly aren
upon so-,:ac., of Dr. Cromble'a asszciates for their misconduct.
I subjoin the abstract of the survey of one of the nine parishes allud d