The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-02 00:00:00

_Y-1A...L.,-T.‘T)ITaTi.

the Colonial-office would thus become Taelieit-.-- Let no
hope we may by that time have a good referin*Premier,
to settle who shall fill them. - . 7:
'
(From the lifornim Chrokirelej
The institution of a Ministerial Depart mart- for the sk
ministration of War probably continues tboccupy th
attention of the Cabinet. When the new system is intros`''
duced, it will be reasonable to assume that it has been
suggested by practical experience ; and it may readily be
believed that the
Colonial-office, although it has recently
been strengthened by the addition of a Military Assistant.
Secretary, finds itself unequal to the permanent discharge
of the double duties with which it is at present burdened.
It certainly seems desirable that a Minister of the highest
rank should concentrate his energies on that branch of the
public service which is at this moment the most im-
portant ; and it may be left for subsequent con-
sideration to decide whether the proposed arrange-
ment shall be continued after the termination of
the war. As regards this point, it may be well to bear in
mind that the post which, of all others, offers the most
attractions, under existing circumstances, to an active and
ambitious public servant, would sink into comparative in-
significance with the conclusion of military operations. If
a Secretary for War had been included in the Cabinet for
the last forty years, his office—relating exclusively, as it
must, to matters of mere routine—would have fallen to
the share of those secondary administrators who have
hitherto been relegated to the Duchy of Lancaster or the
Privy Seal • and the consequence would have been that, at
the outbrealk of war, no confidence would have been felt in
the functionary responsible for its conduct. The combi-
nation of the War Department with the Colonial-office
has at least insured the services of a leading Cabinet
Minister.
Until it is known whether the impending vacancy will
occur in the Colonial-office or in some other department,
all speculations as to the new Cabinet Minister who must
be appointed will be necessarily vague and uncertain.
General report has named an experienced and popular
statesman, whose accession. the. Government would be
agreeable both to its members and to the House of Com-
mons; but there is reason to believe that all rumours on
the subject are at present premature:
It is undoubtedly true that a Secretary for the Colonies
cannot usually be expected to possess, on his entrance into
office, any special knowledge of military organisation.
Once only within the memory of this generation have the
seals of the department been held by a general officer ; and
it is not probable that such a coincidence will speedily recur.
Precisely the same difficulty would, however, have been felt
if the offices had been separated before the present crisis.
At the end of a long peace, only a few veteran soldiers retain
the traditions of ancient campaigns ; and a civilian can, at
the utmost, only have mastered the details of depots, of
reliefs, and of the due rotation of home and colonial ser-
vice. Yet it is practically necessary that all the great de-
partments of State should be administered by Parliamen-
tary leaders, to the exclusion, or rather to the subordina-
tion, of those who possess merely professional knowledge.
civilian—with of Aw hv
di atmh ier observanceableet yncdoneaysii
bodyss
ote d ffs
constitutional
or
o:f the
officers combinationreprecedent.p Parliamentaryre representing
of
nctha.
chief
sf
tTe
leThe wnßio co aair
—generallydsiill
systems
more or less fully the administrative ability of the navy.
All substantial power and patronage are vested in the Fairst.
Lord, but his colleagues regulate the technical details of the
service. Many objections have been made to the practical
supremacy of a mere political functionary, and admirals
have more than once been placed at the head of the
Board ; but it has not been found that any real advantage
is derived from such an arrangement. In a free consti-
tution, political and Parliamentary position must ne-
cessarily supersede all other qualifications for high office.
The dominance of the House of Commons is really se-
cured, not by the power of withholding supplies, or of re-
fusing mutiny bills, but by the necessary presence of
sonic of its leading members in every successive Cabinet ;
and it is found by experience that administrative ability
generally accompanies the force of character which is im-
plied by success in the competition for high official rank.
An admiral or general may possibly possess equal capacity
with a Cabinet Minister; but his professional rank alone
cannot carry with it the confidence of Parliament.
A different mode of meeting a similar constitutional
necessity has been devised, or has grown up, in the
administration of the army. A member of the Govern-
ment—often holding. as at present, a seat in the Cabi-
net—is charged with the entire financial business of
the department. A Minister of still higher rank ex-
ercises, in addition to his ordinary functions, all the
powers necessary for arranging the distribution and
employment of the troops of every arm ; and during
peace, the Secretary for War is guided by an easy routine,
although his department rises into primary importance
as soon as war commences. The professional administra-
tion of the army is committed to the Commander-
in-Chief and the Master of the Ordnance. The civil au-
thorities in these departments possess no direct patronage,
though important commands aro only distributed after con-
sultation with the Minister of the day. In the lower
grades of the service, the questionable system of purchase
almost entirely supersedes any exercise of discretion. The
rewards of professional merit are, it is thought, more
equitably distributed by the Ordnance Office and the Horse
Guards, than would be the case if they were placed at the
disposal of a Minister subject to Parliamentary pressure.

ABDUCTION.-Mr. Atkinson, musician and organist,
of Appleby, was brought before the Carlisle magistrates
on Friday, charged with the abduction of a young lady,
about 13 or 14 years of age, the daughter of F. Ward,
Esq., from a school at Appleby. The parties had been
married in the Gretna Green fashion, at Sark, the day
before, and the prisoner was arrested by the Carlisle
police on his return from the nuptial ceremony, the tak-
ing of an unmarried girl, under sixteen, out of the pos-
session of a parent or guardian being a misdemeanour,
punishable by fine and imprisonment. Prisoner, who is
thirty years of age, was remanded till the girl's age can
be satisfactorily deposed to.
THE LATE OUTRAGE IN DEVONSIIIRE.—The prisoner
Llewellyn Garrett Talmidge Harvey, charged with the
violation and attempted murder of Mary Richards, a

young woman 22 years of age, residing at Langtree,
North Devon, was brought up at Torrington for final
examination on Monday last•beforc Sir Trevor Wheeler
(chairman) and a full bench of magistrates. Upwards of
a dozen witnesses were examined, and their evidence
fully bore out the particulars of this brutal outrage,
which have so'recently appeared in The Sun. The ac-
cused, who exhibited the most daring effrontery through.
out the proceedings: cross-examined the witnesses with
considerable shrewdness and at great length, but without
eliciting any material contradiction of their testimony.
On being cautioned in the usual way, he made a long,
rambling statement as to his whereabouts on the day
and time in question, and accounted for the possession
of the hammer found in his house by saying that he found
it in a field, but that he did not know to whom it be-
longed. The magistrates fully committed the prisoner
for trial at the next Devon assizes on a charge of high-
way robbery, and wounding with intent to murder, and
he was taken back to the lock-up amid shouts of execra-

tion from the crowds who thronged the streets of Tor-
rington. On Tuesday morning, at an early hour, Har-
vey was removed to the county gaol at Exeter, where he
arrived about an early hour. The unforturate girl, who
had been gradually sinking under her numerous injuries
for the last four or five days, expired the same day. The
coroner (Mr. H. A. Vallack) has formally opened an in-
quest, which has been adjourned in order that a writ of
habeas corpus may be applied for to bring up the pri-
soner. The poor woman Richards bore an excellent
character in the neighbourhood, and was an active mem-
beria the Christian Bible Society. _ _

ANNIVERSARY GATHERING OF THE METROPOLITAN
CHARITY CHILDREN.—The anniversary meeting of the
charity children of the different parochial schools of the
metropolis, in St. Paul's Cathedral, took place yesterday.
The details of the present anniversary must of necessity
present a great degree of similarity to those of the pre-
vious occasions. It was, however, evident that the at-
traction of this very interesting ceremonial has not at all
diminished, but, on the contrary, increased, for the num-
bers that flocked to the metropolitan cathedral yesterday
were beyond the precedents 'of former anniversaries.
Long before ten o'clock, at which hour the doors of the
cathedral were opened, a great crowd had assembled in
the churchyard, and the number was apparently undi-
minished until the time for the commencement of the
service. There was, as usual, the full choral service, and
the sermon was preached by Dr. Prince Lee, the Bishop
of Manchester. The effect of the scene was magnificent
in the extreme. The charity children, many of them in
their quaint costumes, were present to the number of
about 4,000, and the cengregation fully occupied every
place set apart for their accommodation. Upon such an
occasion as this, the solemn but simple ceremonial of
the Church of England, with a full choral service, most
efficiently given by the gentlemen of the choir, assisted
at times by the children, could be seen, heard, and felt
in a most impressive manner. The amount of the col-
lection at the doors has not yet been stated.
DIE LUXBOROUGH MURDER.—The following is the
substance of the confession recently made by the mur-
derer Bailey, in reference to the above barbarous mur-
der :—" On the morning of the murder I went to the
barn where the deed was committed, to search for a
piece of chain. Eliza Coles shortly afterwards came
intohu seerheadthe
I t be
oaqkrun began
im,
quite
belt
tight,
c
of
t my
tme l
yb
pocketrnoakme names, s a ,
and
Innd dthen made
pulled
he
ilftdu
overn
her
at
e tr
round the neck with my left arm, and cut her throat
with a knife which I held in my
where she
I then took
her to a corner of theLarsiterhnter ne
Journal..
CREMORNE CREMORNE GARDENS.---011 M s found.
This is all I have to say:
•
lar gardens will open for the Monday
next
Many
tahneys ep a
reo pt
the
alterations and improvements which have taken place
during the recess. This is particularly observable in the
floricultural portion, nearly the whole of which has been
alrvein-eiatidt:
and every available space has been
mtaedree d ands
ob
subservient
novelties ion
onelan gd ea no
ae
pr ae
ganardduenniifnormofplaan, which
ably pleasing character. The decorationgs of threenmuirank;
lrkcuriousahiry goodefres taste,hinentbowers, stalls, and boxes are in re-
the arrangement of the colours
vieing and contrasting with the grand Chinese orchestra
in true artistic taste. Nor would we omit to notice an
re-
markably
which cannot fail to strike every visitor—we
allude to the newly-opened supper-roorn, which, seen
from the dancing arena, splendidly illuminated by varie-
gated lamps, and reflected and multiplied by several
mirrors, gives an idea of ,A hat a fairy land may be sup-
posed to be.' Thu new ballet, the _Bridal Morn, is said
to l e superior, in scenic effects, comic characwhichters, an
had
choreoc;raphic representation, to anything
hitherto been produced.
CHINA EXPEDITION. ---A lengthened correspondence on
this subject between the East India Company an
adtota the
Treasury has been published. The company had l
claim on the Government for 506,5051. The Govern-
ment postponed the payment of this sum until the ac-
counts were :iudited, and then disputed the payment of
the Company's troops employed in China, on the ground
that the "ordinary" expenses of the expedition were to
have been borne by the company. The company rely on
a letter from the secret committee--the Treasury on de-
clarations made in the house by the Chancellor of the
aas
Exchequer. The controversy is not yet settled.
THE SUPPOSED MURDER IN AI.ARYLEBONE. Yester•
day an inquest washer hdea the aged vi
held before
rew Alii
woman
o
Mr. .
w i Brent,touching
been deathi
Preston,nojfulVirerds.by supposed'gn d on her
arrai.e to have
account last Monday at the Marylebono Police-court.
The jury found that death had resulted from natural
causes.