The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-15 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1849,

The letters which Rear-Admiral Sir CHARLES
NAPIER has from time to time addressed through the
columns of the public press to Lord JOHN RUSSELL
are, indeed, worthy of calm and attentive considera-
tion. A more trustworthy and in every respect
unexceptionabk witness could not be found than the
Hero of Acre with respect to the required reforms in
the naval administration of the country. Who more
competent to speak of the abuses that have prevailed
in the Admiralty than one of the most distinguished
officers of the present or of any age, who
owes his promotion to his own gallant actions, his
indomitable courage, and his thorough knowledge of
his profession, and not to any favour or affection on
the part of the ruling powers ? Who:better qualified to
expose dockyard mismanagement than the person
who has made himself completely acquainted with all
the details of business, and who has furnished the
most successful plans for the construction of steam-
frigates ? The very :name of Sir CHARLES NAPIER
carriesjwith it a weight and influence that must com-
pel the attention of Parliament to the subject on
which he writes.

Although justly complaining of the enormous
expenditure under which the country groans, that
distinguished officer would not in any degree impair
the power or lessen the efficiency of " our wooden
walls." On the contrary, he has not hesitated to
point out clearly and distinctly the existing deficiencies
in that most important branch of the national service.
He has as readily pointed out the matters in which
additional expenditure is required as those in which
great reductions might be made. His sole object
manifestly is the good of the service of which he is
so distinguished a member. For that purpose he
comes forward, disregarding equally the censures of
those who declare " that our weak points should
not be revealed to our adversaries," and of
the Board of Admiralty, who will not relish
the bold attacks on the gross mismanagement
which he has so unsparingly exposed.
The constitution of the Board itself naturally forms
one of the most prominent grounds of complaint. The
anomaly of !placing a civilian, utterly unacquainted
with naval affairs, at the head of the Admiralty—of
rendering the place of "First Lord" a mere political
appointment, without reference to the services or the
qualifications of the individual selected, is freely com-
mented on. How could any business, public or pri-
vate, be properly conducted if placed under the
control of a person utterly ignorant of its details, and
unable to form a sound opinion on the matters that
may from time to time be submitted to his considera-
tion ? If any private firm were to pursue a course so
ridiculously absurd they would speedily appear in the
Gazette, however ample their resources, and the pre-
siding Commissioner would justly punish the gross fa-
tuity that wasted the creditors' money. But the Board of
Admiralty have the national Exchequer to sport
with, and any blunders will be glossed over while a
prominent member of the party in power presides
over the department. Nor are the subordinate
members of the Board selected on a better principle.
If the naval lords were chosen merely for their
professional qualifications--if a seat at the Board
were a prize that might be looked to as the reward of
distinguished merit, the blunders and incapacity of
the civilian might possibly be neutralized by the
efficiency of his associates. But it has long been noto-
rious that the best qualified and most competent men
are not selected for the situation ; that the Admiralty
is in fact a mere political machine, the members of
which are appointed for their party and Parliamen-
tary influence, rather than for their professional
attainments ; that they are chosen (as the Gallant
Admiral states) for their ability to " make a House,
keep a House, and cheer the Minister," and not for
their capacity to "make a fleet, guide a fleet, and
rule the various branches of that complicated service."
The choice, in fact, according to the present system,
is not merely limited to officers belonging to the
Ministerial party, but to those of that party who
have been so fortunate as to obtain seats in Parliament
and to be tolerably certain of their re-election in the
event of new writs being moved for on their accept-
ance of office.

Under a governing body so constituted it may
easily be imagined that abuses and jobbing will prevail
through all branches of the service. Patronage is
one of the chief, if not the principal object of " My
Lords"—they must be enabled to reward their con-
stituents, and advance the interests of their party.
Hence the enormous list of officers unemployed, whose
services could not possibly ,be required. Hence it is
that on the Ist day of January, 1849, we find in the
"Navy List" the names of no less than 150 flag-officers,
exclusive of 45 retired rear-admirals, of 532 post-
captains, besides 182 retired captains ; of BG4
commanders, and 351 retired commanders under
the different orders of Council of 30th of January,
1816, Ist November, 1830, and 18th May,(1846, and
of 2,310 lieutenants. The exigencies of the
service could never by any possibility require one-
fourth of these numbers for sctive employment; but
the Minister of the day, whether Whig or Tory,
desires to propitiate his friends by the distribution
of
patronage, and the country is therefore burdened with
an enormous and most unnecessary expenditure. rThe
case is now, however, fairly before the public, and it
remains to be seen whether the oppressed tax• payers
will sanction the perpetuation of the system, or
whether they will join with Sir CHARLES NAPIER in
declaring that " First Lords, whoever they may be,
must be taught that the promotions in the navy are
intended for the public good, and not to be exclusively
bestowed on private and political friends."

Mr. DISRA.ELI'S speech at Aylesbury, at the recent
meeting of the Royal Bucks Agricultural Association,
is calculated to afford consolation and encouragement to
the agricultural body—consolation under their griev-
awes ,vilaether real or imaginary,and encouragement in j

their endeavours to effect the amelioration of their con-
dition. It is hardly possible for a man of more than
ordinary ability, such as the Hon. Member for Buck-
inghamshire, to deliver a discourse on any subject
whatsoever that shall not contain some reflections
worthy of general attention, and calculated to elicit
the admiration even of those who do not generally
agree with bim. So it was in this instance. The
staunchest supporter of the Anti-Corn law League
could not possibly withhold his approbation from the
sentiments conveyed in the following truly eloquent
observations. Although considering the agriculture
of England to be the most perfect that ever existed,
Mr. DISRAELI thus admitted the possibility of its
further improvement :—" That it is possible to improve
our present system of cultivation I am not one to
deny. I believe that everything may be made the
source of improvement, and that the more you im-
prove the more room there is for further improve-
ment. I ask you what is improvement but realised
intelligence Y And the instant you increase that intel-
ligence you increase the means of exercising it."
Improvement is realised intelligence. This sentence,
as beautifully expressed as it is truthfully conceived,
is a worthy definition of the age in which we live.
The intelligence of the nineteenth century, the de-
velopment of centuries, is becoming realised around
us in improvements of all kinds and cha-
racter. Improvements in laws and modes of
government, otherwise called reforms; improvements
in science and mechanical art, better known as in-
ventions—improvements so various that their enume-
ration is impossible, are the realities which attend the
intelligence of the present day. How dissimilar is
our condition, and how superior are our advantages,
mental, social, and political, to those of our forefathers
some centuries back ! What then ?—are we arrived
at the ne plus ultra of progress ? On the contrary.
"Improvement is realised intelligence, and the instant
you increase that intelligence you increase the means
of exercising it." Every improvement leads
the way to others. In ancient times man looked
upon the water as an insuperable barrier, after
a while, however, he hazarded his rude built
craft upon its bosom, and found himself enabled to
traverse some tiny stream. Did he rest satisfied with
that achievement ? Intelligence realised in that
instance at once suggested new improvements, and
now, in place of one shaky vemel, the ocean is
studded with magnificent ships, and when the branch
of a tree, slowly paddled on the resisting water, now
steam—" unrivalled steam"—annibilates time and
space. So it is in all things, and so it must be. The
leader of the Protectionists displayed no small
amount of tact in thus directing the attention of his
agricultural hearers to the subject of present and
future improvement, instead of encouraging lamenta-
tions for the past. However much we differ with the
Honourable Gentleman on some important points,
our admiration for his undoubted talents make us
regard with satisfaction every expression, like the
sentence above quoted, which exhibits a wish to en-
courage and stimulate individual and social exertion.
Men of genius are or should be the true leaders of
the people. They should animate them to look for-
ward hopefully and struggle on enduringly—

" So to act that each to-morrow
Finds them further than to-day."

We gladly hail Mr. DISRAELI'S speech at Ayles-
bury as an omen of future service in so good a cause
—a cause which the author of " Sybil" has already
so eloquently advocated.

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

The Paris journals of yesterday have duly arrived.
Conjectures are still rife as to the modification of
the Cabinet in consequence of the difficulties of the
Roman question.
That M. DE FALLOUX'S continuance in the Cabinet
is only temporary is certain. Already he has dis-
continued his attendance at the councils which take
place in the Elysii-2. So much, indeed, is acknow-
ledged even by the Constitutionnel, though that journal
attributes the absence of the Minister of Instruction
to indisposition.
According to the same authority, it is tolerably
certain that after. all General RANDON will not be
appointed the successor of General ROSTOLAN. The
fact of the the former General being a Protestant is
regarded as an insuperable difficulty.
The Patrie states that, according to dispatches re-
ceived at the Ministry of the Interior, six of the
Councils General have come to a resolution in favour
of an early revision of the Constitution. In the
number of the Departments which have come to this
decision is the Gironde.

The Monitsur contains an order from M. BEREN-
GER, president of the High Court of Justice, fixing
the 10th of October for the opening of the trial at
Versailles of the persons implicated in the conspi-
racy of June 13, 1849; also of such persons as are
accused of being concerned in the affair of May 15,
1848, but who had not made their appearance at the
High Court of Justice held at Bourges.
According to the Toulonnais, an expedition is now
fitting out with the utmost celerity to make a
demonstration against Tangier, and subsequently to
take up a position on the coast of Morocco, in the
event of the EXPEROR proving obdurate in his re-
fusal to attend to the complaints of the French Re-
public. The expedition is to be composed of four
line-of battle ships—the Friedland, bearing the flag of
Admiral PARSEYAL-DESCHENES, the officer in com-
mand, the Jena, the Hercule, and the Inflexible ;
four steam-frigates—the Descartes, the Christophe
Colomb, the Cacique, and the Monterma ; and one
steamer as an advice-boat, the Tartare. Six com-
panies of the 3d Marines, under the command of
M. CHAYANNES, chef de bataillon, and a company of
marine artillery, in all about 700 men, have been
placed on board the above vessels. The expedition
was expected to sail on the 12th, and it was thought
that Spain would avail herself of the same opportu-
nity to have her wrongs expiated by the Emperor of
MOROCCO.

The PRESIDENT of the Republic on Thursday
distributed, in the Orangerie of the Louvre, the
prizes to the exhibitors deemed worthy of encourage-
ment for the articles which they had displayed at the
late Exhibition of National Industry. He presented
the Cross of the Legion of Honour to MM. CH. L.
MULLER, C. FLEES, J. DUPREL RAFFET, CH.
TROYON, AVERY LECOXTE, and J. SECHAN.
The following is the speech which the PRESIDENT
delivered on the occasion : _ _

" I did not wish to cede to any one the pleasure and

the right I have to present you with the recompenses
which are your due. The sweetest prerogative of power
is to encourage merit wherever it is to be met with. I
have admired the masterpieces which you have offered
to the public this year, in the exhibition of painting and
sculpture, and I am rejoiced to testify to the great re-
sults of French artists in presence of a political agitation
which must have engrossed much of their attention and
leisure.

" I hope that next year's exhibition will be even
better than the present. The Emperor, in addressing
his soldiers, said, That there was never anything done
as long as there was still something to do.' Double your
efforts to contribute your share towards the glorification
of the French name. Let us encourage and honour the
fine arts, for they tend to soften our woes and enhance
our joys. _ _

"Ife assured that I shall watch your progress with the
greatest solicitude, and you may rely upon the interest I
shall always take in your noble labours."
Both at the arrival and the departure of the PEE..
SIDENT at the Orangerie, he was saluted with shouts
of " Viva Napoleon !" " Vive le President de la Re-
publique !"
Considerable apathy was observable at the Bourse
to-day in consequence of the absence of all political
news, and but little business was transacted. The
Five per Cents, opened at 88f. 25c., rose to 118 f. 55c.,
and closed at 88f. 40c.

The Three per Cents. closed on the Paris Bourse,
on Friday, at 55f. 95c.; the Five per Cents. at 88f.
40c.: Orleans Railroad Shares, 755 f.; Rouen, 530 f. ;
Great Northern, 440 f.; Avignon, 225 f. , Vierzon,
312 f. 50c. ; Basle, 103 f. 75c.; Bordeaux, 407 f. 50c. ;
Paris and Strasburg, 356 f. 25c. ; Tours and Nantes,
303 f. 75c.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE

LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, Snrr. 14.
Boulogne and Amiens, 6—Central of Francs (Orleans and
Vierzon), 113/4—East Indian, 4—Great Indian Peninsula, 14
—Namur and Liege, 51,4—Northern of France, 2% dis.—
Orleans and Bourdeaux, 31'— I aril and Rouen, 21— Paris
and Strasbourg, s—Rouen and Havre, 10%.

SPAIN.
Madrid journals of the 9th inst. have arrived.
A Cabinet Council was held on the preceding day,
when the new tariff progressed.
Senor SEIJAS was expected from Grenada on the
13th to enter on his duties as Minister of Commerce.
A. lette from Algesiras states that the war steamers
Alerta and Cid, and an American ship freighted for
the purpose, had left for Melilla, conveying the 3d
battalion of the Almansa regiment, and a squadron of
cavalry, with 500 to 600 volunteers of the Ceuta
regiment, who had been promised by the Captain
General to have their discharge at the end of the
campaign. Provisions were scarce at Melilla, and the
Moors had cut off the usual supplies of meat, fowls,
eggs, &c.
There was no Bourse on the 9th, being Sunday,
though some business was done outside, the Three per
cents. at 27i.