The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-20 00:00:00

11HE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1871.

ARMY REFORM.

THE ALLEGED VIOLATION OF THE
NEUTRALITY OF LUXEMBURG.
The official correspondence respecting the alleged
violation of the neutrality of the Grand Duchy of Luxem-
burg has been laid before Parliament. It was in a
circular, dated Versailles, Dec. 3, and addressed to Count
Bernstorff, that Count Bismarck made known tO her Ma-
jesty's Government his complaints against the Grand
Ducal Government, and '-declared. that the Prussian Go-
vernment could no longer consider itself " bound to any
consideration of the neutrality of the Grand Duchy in the
military operations of the German army, and in the mea-
sures for the security of the German troops against,
the injuries inflicted on them from Luxemburg. Earl
Granville, in his reply, dated the 17th Dec., said that
principles of a wide application were obviously 'involved
in this statement. " A pressing military emergency," he
added, " might possibly justify, in some degree, measures
in the way of Preventron or repression, but no such cir-
cumstances have been alleged. Count Bernstorff had
stated to Lord Granville his belief that Count Bismarck's
circular was not intended to contain a denunciation of the.
Treaty of 1.867, and her Majesty's Government gladly ac-
cepted this construction, but, nevertheless, considered that
the proper course to adopt would have been for the North
German Confederation to have required explanations
from the Grand Duke of Luxemburg, and then communi-
cated the resldt to the other co-signatories. Under date
Versailles, Decembei 24, Count Bismartk replies that
Count Bernstorff was right in assuming that the North
German Confederation had no intention of disowning the
Treaty of 18.67. It was merely a question of military
defence against military injuries. If. Lord Granville
held that in such a case the course to be
taken was, first, to bring the complaint before the
other signatories of the treaty, " then I cannot," says
Count Bismarck, "admit the justice of the demand made

When we areconsidering the subject of army reform it.
may be as well, supposing we wish to make the army of
the future effective, to consider whether some improve-
ment might not be effected in the method of supplying
food to troops on active service. Our commissariat
arrangements include nothing equivalent to those German
sausages of which we have heard so much lately.
We should, perhaps, not again outrage common
sense and humanity as we did inthe Crimean campaign by
serving out green coffee to the men, but we may take it
for granted that in the event of a war we should be far
behind our neighbours in any plan for providing rations
for our soldiers in a concentrated and portable form,
The practice in the Peninsular war was stated by the
Duke of Wellington in his. dispatch (June 9, 1812)
to Dr. M`Grigor :—" Their rations are invari-
ably delivered to the soldiers daily, except on
marches, and the army would be incapable of movement
if I were to order that the soldiers should carry 110
provisions. The British soldiers on such an occasion carry
three days' bread, the Portuguese soldiers six days' bread,
the French soldiers fifteen days' bread." In these days
of essence of beef and other concentrations of food,
soldiers engaged in warfare might carry with them
sustenance sufficient for several days without incon-
venience, but there can be little doubt that
the British soldier would require much train-
ing before he would learn to husband his
resources, and the sooner this is made a part of his educa-
tion the better. Napier, speaking of the difference be-
tween a modern English and French army in this re-
spect, says :—" It is worthy of consideration that French
soldiers are accustomed to tarry so much bread. Other
nations, especially the English, would not husband it ;
yet it was a practice of the ancient Romans, and it ought
to be the practice of all armies. It requires a long pre-
vious discipline and well-confirmed military habits ; but
without it men are only half-efficient, especially for offen-
sive warfare." Perhaps on the next occasion of the
volunteers encamping at Wimbledon they will not object
each man to carry with him a string of sausages, one to
be cooked on each day, and no other food allowed,
unless perhaps a biscuit. This will set a good example,
and be playing at soldiers in real earnest.—Pall Mall
Gazette.

upon us." And he proceeds to put an hypothetical case in
the following terms :—" If the army of Marshal Mac-
Mahon, when it found its movements on French territory
for the relief of Metz hindered by the strategical combina-
tions of our armies and was driven to Sedan, had resolved
to pass the Belgian frontier, and to proceed thence
through Belgium and Luxemburg, behind the curtain of
the neutral frontier, to Metz to relieve that fortress, and
to attack us in the rear with the army of Marshal
Bazaine—an intention which the Royal Belgian Go-
vernment, even with the best inclination, was hardly
then in a condition in due time to prevent that army
of more than 100,000 men from carrying into effect
—does the Royal English Government consider that

THE OVERNMENT AND
.MILITARY
EFFICIENCY.

We are glad that the tide of public opinion has set in
vigorously in the direction of improving the nation's
defences by sea and land, and we deem it the duty of
all patriotic Englishmen to lose no opportunity of doing
everything that lies within their reach that may

in such a case we should have applied to the Treaty
Powers, and have settled with them by diplomatic
negotiation what was to be done, and in the meantime
have exposed our troops at Metz to the attack of the
enemy's forces, doubled by the breach of neutrality ? Would
any English General be in doubt as to what he was to do in
such a case ? " Earl Granville replied on the 7th January
that such a case might, indeed arise, but that the validity
of any plea of justification furnished by such a case
could only be tested when the emergency had actually
occurred, and its importance was appreciable. The Grand
Ducal Government meanwhile had disputed the validity
of the charges brought against it, and on the lGthJanuary
sent a despatch to Count Bismarck, giving an account of an
investigation it had made, which shewed those charges to be
unfounded. " Every day," says the Luxemburg Minister,
" I am more firmly persuaded that some persons never
tire of lightly reporting things calculated to endanger and
cast suspicion on the country ; meanwhile keeping them-
selves
out of all responsibility. I trust that the Govern.
went of his Majesty the King of Prussia will not be influ-
enced in its opinions'and decisions by reports of this kind;
and in case you think It right to attach to them any im-
portance, you will give the Luxemburg Government the
opportunity of an explanation." Here the correspondence
may be said virtually to end. In a despatch to Count
Bernstorff, dated January 20, Count Bismarck says it
affords him satisfaction to see that Lord Granville acknow-
ledges that the German despatch of the 3rd December,
was not founded on any intention of denouncing the treaty,
and that he quite agrees with his lordship in the opinion
that further discussion would be useless.

be calculated to promote the common safety o
the country. Under these circumstances we take the
liberty of noting a little fact in the hope that some
of our readers, who are also members of Parlia-
ment, will raise a little stir, and question Mr.
Cardwell on the subject. Some twenty years ago a very
clever and intelligent officer of the Royal Engineers, Cap-
tain Frankland, published the first part of a popular
manual of military engineering, intended especially for
the guidance of engineer volunteers. It was pithy,
practical, and altogether most valuable ; it dealt only
with field fortifications. and defensive works con-
structed on an entergency, but it was to be
followed by four other parts, treating of bridges, sig-
nalling, mining, torpedoes, &c., &c. Having carefully got up
Part 1., and supposing that sufficient time had elapsed for
Part 11. to appear, we applied to the publishers for it,
but had back an answer that no more parts would be pub-
lished, because the Govermnent declined suitably to re-
munerate the author, or in any way to encourage him
in the matter. We thought at the time that
it was barely possible that this might be an
ex parte statement, capable of receiving some re-
spectable explanation. However, we have recently heard of
another like case, which is calculated to upset this
charitable theory. The Quartermaster-General's depart-
ment was desirous some time ago of providing for the
army a pocket manual for officers, to supplement their
drill books—a manual supplying hints connected with
the rough work of a campaign. Such a volume was
written by a highly competent man, Colonel Wolseley,
but the Government refused to incur the necessary ex-
pense of publishing it, mere pocket-bcok as it was.
Colonel Wolseley's labours, we are happy to say, how-
ever, were not thrown away, and the army owes to
the enterprise of a private publisher a most admirable
little volume, of which Mr. Cardwell, had he pub-
lished it, might justly have been proud. For the credit
of the Government, we trust that reparation may be
made to Captain Frankland for the meanness shewn to
him, and that the remainder of his work may yet be issued
from the press, whilst as to the other book we hope an ar-
rangement will promptly be arrived at between the
Government and the publishers, in virtue of
which so excellent a work shall become Government
property. It is worth while to add that, according
to the professional journals, the Government seems much
chagrined that only one engineer volunteer officer has pre-
sented himself for examination at Chatham, in connection
with the newly-established system of certificates. Is the
fact to be wondered at, when the authorities refuse to pro-
vide books from which engineer officers can learn their
duties ?—English, Churchman.