The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-09 00:00:00

any possible emergency. It is not Ad-
mirals to command, but men to fight that
are required —we want the thews and
sinews, the athletic, experienced tars, who have
never failed when their exertions were required,
and who went to the fray even more joyously than
to the banquet. We may find the officers for one
or twenty men-of-war even in a single day, but
how longwould it take to obtain suitable crews,
in whom we could, as of yore, place implicit con-
fidence ? That is the question to which a speedy
answer is imperatively required—the problem,
on the due solution whereof the welfare, the pros-
perity, nay, more, the safety of the United King-
dom, at this moment depends.
It is, however, essential here to avoid the pos-
sibility of misconception or deliberate miscon-
struction. Let it not for a moment be supposed
that we are disposed to undervalue the importance,
the vital importance, of a wise and judicious
selection of leaders ! Far from it ! We are too
well aware of the effect produced on seamen by
their feelings towards the officers, and more
especially the commander-in-chief under whom
they are required to serve, when they can re-
pose implicit confidence on the skill, experience,
and, above all, the indomitable gallantry of
the Admiral—the quality best expressed by
the English term, " pluck." Their exertions
will be doubled—aye, quadrupled. They will not
hesitate to undertake any task, however arduous,
that their leader may direct—for they know that
a good officer is chary of the lives of his followers;
that he will ask nothing which may not be accom-
plished; that his reputation is too well established
to require the sacrifice of any of his men in a
hopeless or desperate undertaking. What can
be done, they will do, and he will ask no more.
Besides, even the humblest seaman looks for the
appreciation of a competent judge, and a simple
word of approbation from good commander
will send him to his hammock a proud and
happy man, amply remunerated for what he had
achieved, and willing again to encounter any per-
sonal risk or labour for a similar reward. It
was that which made the mere name of "NELSON"
a tower of strength in the olden time, more valu-
able than ten additional sail of the line, fully
manned and equipped with ten thousand gallant
hearts on board. It is that which would make the
name of "CHARLIE NAPIER," even at the present
day, a guarantee for success. In speaking of Sir C.
NAPIER we wish not to undervalue any other
officer. But, we believe, that he is unanimously
looked to by the country as the Commander of
the Baltic Fleet, just as his glorious cousin, the
departed hero of Meannee and Hyderabad, was
for the Indian command when the emergency
arrived. Such an office is not, under present cir-
cumstances, to be regarded as a piece of
ordinary patronage, or as the reward for
political servility. "Detur digniori" may be
inscribed on the commission, and those who
would now look to any other test but skill
and ability would have much to answer for.
With such a leader as Sir CHARLES NAPIER, and
seconds in command like Rear-Admirals CORRY
and CHADS, there would be little, if anything, to
be desired. The victory would already be more
than half accomplished.
But " revenous a nous mouton." We can, as
we have stated, obtain the inestimable services of
these gallant officers at a moment's notice. The
question now to be answered is—What are
the means for manning our fleets ? It
is obvious that we cannot now depend on the
barbarous system of impressment that was so
freely resorted to in the olden time. It is, at
least, the last resource—one which could only be
thought of as a matter of necessity, when every
other resource had failed, and when through some
unaccountable cause every legimate inducement had
proved unavailing, and British sailors had shrunk
fromencountering an enemy, from maintaining the
honour of the Briitish flag, or defending their
native land from invasion. Even when that prac-
tice prevailed—when it was thought right and
proper to drag men from their homes to compul-
sory service, it became a well-known maxim that
" one volunteer was worth two pressed men ;" and
its truth would be even more powerfully illustrated
at the present day.
What, then, are we to do to man our fleets—
to attract competent and efficient men to our
standard, we must remove the grievances of
which such repeated complaints have been made,
and offer attractions at least equal, if not superior,
to those afforded in the mercantile marine ; and
we must also show the full value of these induce-
meats, for the object will totally fail unless the
parties whom we wish to come forward volun-
tarily are perfectly aware of the advantages to be
derived from entering into the public service.
The true way to get good men is to pay them
well ; and as we know how much a bounty is.
looked to by persons of that class, why, we ask,
not offer a fair, nay, even a liberal bounty, to ex-
perienced sailors. The offer of 101., 71., or 51. per
head for able seamen, according to skill and qua-
lifications, in addition to pay and rations, would
bring the required number in loss than a single
month, and even by a judicious distribution of
landsmen among tried and competent sailors, we
might very speedily obtain efficient crews. One
vessel in commission might be made the means of
getting two, or even three vessels, more particu-
larly steam vessels, into good working condition.
We say steam vessels, for it is notorious that
it is to steam we must chiefly look, and steam
itself would supply the place of many seamen.
We could thus at once double or even
treble our present force in commission. We
have merely indicated the direction of the
movement. Of course, other advantages might
ind ought to be offered to volunteers. A speedy
discharge might safely be promised the moment
the pressure was relaxed. Every reasonable in-
dulgence should likewise be given consistent with
discipline. The men should not be kept close
prisoners to gratify the caprice of any Martinet.
By attending to these matters promptly and judi-
ciously we may overcome every difficulty. Of
course, if when war was actually proclaimed—
when everything was at hazard—the men resisted
every reasonable offer, and still unaccountably
hung back it might become essential to resort to
other and more stringent measures to enforce the
observance of an imperative duty on every citizen.
But we cannot believe that such would be re-
quired, and they could not for a moment be justi-
fied until every other means had decisively and
unequivocally failed, and no rational explanation
could be afforded of the extraordinary failure.

A congratulatory banquet, it will be observed,
was given last evening to the originator of that
humane and rational agitation which effected last
session the repeal of the duty hitherto levied upon
Advertisements. It was given at the Whittington
Club—the distinguished recipient of the honour,
the Right Hon. THOMAS MILNEZ GIBSON, receiving
this well-deserved mark of respect and approval
from the Association founded for promoting the
abrogation of the laws imposing taxes upon
knowledge. Assuredly, no recent benefactor of
the multitude has more entirely merited any such
evidence of popular approbation. No one amongst
the practical philanthropists whose labours have
been extended over the last few years, and the
fruits of whose benevolent energy and generous
perseverance are now being enjoyed by the com-
munity--if we make perhaps two exceptions,
namely, that of HILL, the originator of the Penny
Postage, and Small, the Inventor of the Screw
Propeller. From the ingenious labours of the
two note-worthy individuals last mentioned
the people of these islands are daily and
almost hourly deriving a scarcely calculable
series of benefactions. From the achievement of
the former (HILL) the blessings of cheap, and
secure, and rapid correspondence ; from the
achievements of the latter (Surrrt) the blessings
of more safe, more speedy, and more economical
maritime locomotion. But after those admirable
improvements, that accomplished in 1853 by Mr.
Gll3sell must be mentioned in almost equally
fervent, and in some respects, we might venture
to add without extravaaancof in yet more earnest
words of
cannot, gratitude and admiration. For we
as rational observers, regard the
repeal of the duty on advertisements as anything
less important or I'm remarkable than a. 3 the pre!