The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 1871.

is under the direct orders of the officer
commanding, while in France the Intendance
communicates with the Minister for War, in-
dependently of the officer commanding. Our own
control system vests in one officer, solely under the
control of the officer commanding, the supervision of
the duties connected with the financial, commissariat,
military store, barrack, and purveyor's departments,
hitherto performed by four officers, each in
separate communication with the War-office,
independently of the officer commanding. Thus
under the old system, when a cavalry regiment re-
quired forage nets, the commanding officer of the
corps applied to the Brigade Major, he to the Assis-
tant Quartermaster-General, the Assistant to the
Deputy Quartermaster-General, who in his turn re-
ferred to the Quartermaster-General, and the Quarter-
moster to the War Office. The War Office authority
v 7( nt through the same round back again, entailing
a delay of some ten days. Under the control system
the officer commanding, applies direct to the Control
officer, who makes the order.

MILITIA ARTILLERY.

A commanding officer of militia artillery denies
that the militia is recruited from the dregs of the
population. Owing to the obstacles thrown in the
way of recruiting by the farmers, his men
are necessarily obtained for the most part
from the large towns, but they are
almost wholly skilled artisans and labourers. No
man is taken without strict inquiry as to character,
and no sergeant of the permanent staff is permitted
to keep a shop. The other militia regi-
ments with which he has come in con-
tact have made a favourable impression on
him. He saw the Northumberland artillery militia
while passing through Berwick at fair time, and
never saw regular troops more orderly or smarter in
appearance. Afterwards he saw the Fifeshire Militia
Artillery at Fort George during their training.
They were mostly a sturdy set of miners, admirable
material for the artillery service. Any Royal
Artillery officer might be proud to have reliefs of
such fine hardy fellows to help in working his guns
on service.

prosecuted for "insult against the Prussian King,
anl high treason against Prussia."

THE IRISH LAND BILL.

The Irish Land Bill has been recently put to 'mac-
tic d test in several of the Irish Courts, and it is satis-
factory to find that it seems to be working well. Mr.
Bolster, president of the principal Farmers' Club in
Munster, who was a resolute opponent of the
Government measure, believing it to be inade-
quite, has confessed his conversion, and admits that
though it does not give tenants all they wished, it
gives an instalment for which they ought to be
grateful to Mr. Gladstone. At the opening of the
Land Sessions for .county Antrim there was a large
attendance of farmers, who watched the proceedings
with keen interest. Between forty and fifty claims
were lodged, and a claim under the Ulster tenant
right custom was contested for some hours. It
ended in a compromise, and two other claims
against Lord O'Neill and Lord Massareene, were
adjourned till the next sessions, to give an oppor-
tunity of settlement. At the Newtownards sessions,
County Down, a tenant claimed £3OO compensation
for eviction from a farm of fifteen acres, under the
tenant-right clauses of the Land Act. His
father and grandfather had held the farm
before him, but it was contended that the father
had signed an agreement to give up possession on six
months notice, under certain conditions. This
document, it was maintained, brought the case under
the first section of the Act. The decision was re-
served till next Land Sessions. Other cases arose in
different parts of the country, shewing the working
of the new Act under several aspects.