The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-24 00:00:00

it operttel Mo,t

fist essingly ire some instances

upon the ledings of invritcri:)us and gallant officers ;
anti it is our opittioo that thiie retired rank might with
propriety be aheii•hecl.
It e ►►not he s.ti,l to have z.ucceeded as a measure of

ieconomy, iflasamelt As the reared rear-admiral receives 1
Y the same rate of pay as the re,r-admiral of any of the
frf..:F.lfied squktdrom= of your M j,!stv's fleet, and the
,vosig upoi, this , nroreed reti:cment would therefore
aris. 4 merely from -Nttblioltling, hoot hint the various in-
, ereast.:' of pay whi,,At he would oYaiii on the active list
it pro„. nt2on to the steps of %:et.-- dmiral anhdit andmiral:
i,.),. c„,., Lcis arbitrary regulation, u,:der
• acti‘c and at,le effice,s may he Waned to retirement,
1 cl.i'ot oi'•ers ecti;ely disabled bt' infirmities, are
t, . . ••, • . y artr
advanced on the active list, be defended as founded
upon any distinctim in point of efficiency in the two '
IT
lists.
As economy 1,4 cot Ul as, eri
. aii11 y supported, and as the
retired list is in itself grating to the feelings of naval
officers upon whom it it, enforced ; and as it has no pro-
. cedent in the practice of the army, where the offer to
I serve is held to he sufficient to ensure a brevet advance-
-1 meet to correrpondMg army rank ; ixo. feel justified in
submittin7 our earnest recommendation
.to your Ma-
jesty, that the rank of retired rear-.ld rural be hence.
forth discontinued.

It is shown by the preceding state,rent, 'bat for nearly
a century the Admiralty endeavoured to maintain the
principle of selection in the promotion of captains to the
rank of flag-offieers, and that the priti4iple and practice
. arieg been repeateci:y modified, were. after all, fosnd
so difficult in execution that they were totally, abaar
donee., anti the advaneenient:o fisg-officer s rank has
since been determined h) semoritv alone We desire
to complete ibis :Arrargemert b - 'alai. er.d.ing your
Majesty to rera:..ve, for. the re' ' Y ree()
dis.sanetion which etigs between the bare
.given, the
rear-admiral;,
active and the re:lreil het of r promotion to the
Dnring the anxious consideration lral'3.
wen
to assi-
gave to
this subject, a proposition came unthrwilich,
milate the position of fl..- and o•en rdfis"
.(..,atiral
establishment of a uniform rate of challf`p'clicBit.:, by the
rrank, to he reliecred by the partial distric 7 --I.
all flag
iiiions to officers selecteol by the Board etni:r of pen..
LI, for
ciistinguished sca-service, the fund for S ti
ilf,pensions
ari:ling from the difference b“-ween that I);
and the present scale for the higher rinks f fl , „7n "e
c,s officers,
so as to Avoid additional expense to the puLtit.
But as this, unless extended to a much greater degree
than was contemplated, appeared to lead to a renewal
of the same difficulties which resultal irom the old

system of promoting by selection to the rank of flag-
officer, :re cannot support the scheme by our recom-
mendation.
We would, nevertheless, humbly suggest to your Ma-
jesty to maintain the same distinction as to pay v.hick
at present exists. A captain not having the required
period of sea-service would, under the present sy.tems,
be promo' ed to the rank of retired rear-admiral, with
the pay of iU. 5s , without any prospect of advanced
rank, and consequently without any increase of' pay.
Our recommendation is that all captains, according to
seniority, if they shall have offered for service, and not
declined an appointment when proposed to them, should
be promoted in their turn to be roar-admirals of your
Majesty's fl,.ct, and should be advanced with other flag-
officers of their standing, from that rank to be vice-ad-
mirals and admirals ; but if they are deficient of the
terms of sea service required, we would suggest that
they should obtain no increase of half-pay with their
advanced rank, unless they shall have been selected for
command, and 5h7.11 have completed as flag-officers the
period of sea-service they should have rendered while
holding commissions as captains. The effect of this
arrangement would be to remove the objection which
many gallant officers must entertain to a rank which
places them beyond the hope of employment, more espe-
cially in cases where a very short period of sea-service
may be wanting to make good the claim to rear•admiral's
rank o• the active list.

In our progress through the ranks of the navy, the
classes of officers we have yet to speak of are masters,
secretaries, medical officers, and pursers.
According to the regulations of the navy, the half-pay
of masters is fixed at the following scale :
For the first 100, being qualified for first and

second rates
For the next 200, being qualified for third and

fourth rates
For the remainder, having served five years in
the navy, two of which as acting or second
master
And their sea pay would be as follows, in round
sums :

First rates l7Ol. a year Fifth rates l2Ol. a year
Second rates... 1601. do. Sixth rates
Third rates ... 1501. do. Sloops ......
Fourth rates... 1401. do. 1
The master's outfit is represented to us to be as ex-
pensive as, or even more so, than the lieutenant's ;
while the advantages of resuming service are not more
apparent in his case than they are in that of the lieu.
tenants ; and, moreover, the master has little or no hope
of promotion beyond his rank.
All that a master can gain by appointment to full
pay in a first, second, third, or fourth rate, will be from
401. to 301. a year. Those qualified for fifth or sixth
rates, or sloops, will receive as full pay from 281. to 291.
a year more than is allowed as half-pay.
This is eel tainly not a sufficient encouragement to
obtain the prolonged services of a very valuable class of,
men ; and we cannot hesitate to recommend an increase
of the full-pay of all masters. The scale we should
propose would be for the first, second, and third rates,
I Is. Bd. a day, or 16/. 16s. J. per lunar month ; in all
other rated ships 10s. a day, or 141, per lunar month ;
and in sloops, &c., Bs. 4d. a day, or 111. 14s. per lunar
month.

With regard to the secretaries to flag-officers, we
have to report that these officers are very frequently
appointed from the pursers upon half-pay, and their
complaint is, that whatever may be the length of their
service as secretary, they obtain no reward whatever for
this duty, reverting merely, if pursers, or other naval
officers, to the half-pay they vacated to assume the ap-
pointment. When we consider the important trusts
that may be communicated to these officers while ful-
filling their duties as admiral's secretary on a foreign
station, and the necessary ability they must possess to
discharge their duties in an efficient and satisfactory
manner, we think that in justice they are entitled to
some reward on relinquishing their employment, and
that their pay on service is not sufficient for the responsi-
bilities of theiroflice. At present a secretary to an admiral
commanding in chief has 1/. Is. a day ; to a vice or rear-
admiral, also commanding in chief, 16s. sd. a day ; and
to a junior flag officer or commodore, Bs. 2d. a day.
We should recommend that the full pay of secretaries
of all flag officers commanding in chief should be 400 b
a year ; and of all other flag officers 300/. a year ; and
further, that after twelve years' service as such, secre-
taries should be entitled to a half-pay of 12s. a day.
During the course of our examination of the witnesses
from the marines and the navy, our attention was re-
peatedly called to the difference in the position of the
naval or marine officer, as compared with that of the
officer of the land forces, with regard to losses of clothes
and baggage on service ; the latter receiving compensa-
tion according to a specified scale in certain cases,
whereas the officer of the navy or marines is not allowed
any such compensation. It is proper, however, that we
should explain that the principle of the army regulations
in regard to indemnification for losses on service is to
enable individuals to re-equip themselves for the held ;
and the allowance is not to be considered as given for
the purpose of making good the full amount of loss sus-
tained. It is also regulated, in regard to the army, that
no compensation shall under any circustances be given
when the loss might have been prevented by proper °are
and attention on the part of the individual, or of his ser-
vant or other person in charge. These principles might
in our opinion be extended to the na% y ; the more es-
pecially as shipwreck is one of the cases in which com-
pensation may be given to a military officer, and it might
not wnfrequently occur that on the wreck of a ship-of-
war, the military officer embarked in that ship would re-
ceive an indemnification for his losses, while the marine
officer, who has no responsibility in regard to the ma.
nagement of that ship, would be refused any compen-
sation. It is impossible to deny that this difference in
the treatment of officers, equally relieved from respon-
sibility as to the charge of the ship, must present an
appearance of injustice to that officer who receives no
compensation ; and we were not surprised to find this
point urged upon our consideration by the corps of
marines as a prominent grievance. With respect to
the officer of the navy who may be really responsible
for the navigation of the ship, it is to be remembered
that by the law and custom of the service, the loss of a
vessel under his charge, necessarily subjects him to
court-martial, where the real facts of the case must be
ascertained upon oath, and his culpability cr freedom
from blame must be satisfactorily established. With
this obvious security that neglect or inadvertence will
not be overlooked, we think that it is reasonable and
just to place all the officers in your Majesty's service
upon an equal footing ; and we beg, therefore, to re-
commend that indemnification for losses should be
granted to the officers of the navy or marines, on the
principles adopted in respect to officers of the army ;
and we would suggest that the Board of Admiralty
sin uhf have authority to establish a scale of remunera-
tion for loser s on service, on the footing of that which
:s in use for the army.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)

CIL ANGn RINGING.—On Monday last the
change ringers of Shrewsbury, rung at High Ercall, in this
county, a complete peal of grandsire triples, consisting of 5,040
changes, and completed it cleverly in three hours and five
minut es.— Selopian Journal.
AGRICULTURAL LABOURERS IN SUSSEX.—
The Duke of Richmond is reported to have said the other
day in the House of Lords, that the wages in Sussex to
able .bodied labourers were 12a. or 13s. a week. We should
like to know wh it able-bodied labourers are receiving these
wages? We do not say that it may not be the ere in a few in-
stan':o ; but even were it true to the full extent, what is the
state of those who are not able-bodied ? They do not earn so
much ; ci they are placed upon their own resources by this Corn-
law Du!.e and his humane associates equally with the others. If
by the aly,ve statement the Duke meant to insinuate that th 2
labourers generally were sufficiently well off, we can only pity
his want of attention to facts, and his equal want of Immune
feelings. The Poor-law is giving way, its oppression has pro..
ducedefliartism and the necessity of a rural police, against which
the Du!:e of Nee castle (though he will do what he likes with
his own) has most admirably protested. Even Board of Guar-
dians formed under it are petitioning for modification, for greater
powers, for, in fact, permission to revert to the excellent 43d of
Elizabeth, which found the willing labourer work, and did not
separate liu,ly•inds and Gives, parents and children. Nay, the
fierce advocates of the Poor-law slow say, that the act would
have done beautifully, had the Corn-law restrictions been first
repealed ! The Duke of Richmond is not one of these par-
tially relenting ones, he is for dear bread, and no help to the
poor ; but be is still a favourite with the clergy ; they find him
just the sort of intellect that they can manage; and being
admired by them, he must of course be worthy : so at
present on his merits and demerits we shall say no
more. We think we can safely leave them in the
hands of the public. We cannot, however, leave him with-
out congratulating the public, on his getting a little angry.
The Duke dislikes the agitation of the Corn-law question.
Poor man, he is doomed to have what he dislikes in an incips-
in"egree• Sussex has not yet been agitated. All the pa.
rjshes comprising the West Hampnctt Union have, under the
Ducal influence, sent petitions begging that the law may not be
_use
altered.sthere iTsheenfioughreof agitation has not the same material in
butS on which to feed as the manufacturing districts supply ;
o,wwnheersnuitnleisssprtohey peddyemseeanndagferdo[ntothmeiraksteiltist
too hot for the land
and consult the welfare of the operative and labouring classes.
Briyhton Guardian.

SLAVERY.—The General Anti-Slavery Confe-
rence will commence its sittings at Freemasons'-hall, London,
on the 12th of June, 18.10. A book is prepared for entering
the names and other particulars of
bothtl delegates who may be
importance,
ma at
ohrotameee ande,
In a case of such singular interes't andd
appointed by anti-slavery
t b
friends
ea br abroad.
ado .f
will not. be backward,
Com-
mittee earnestly hope. and fully
cupect, that the
requested
the, cause in the United Kingdom
either in the appointment of delegates,i
bodies will swendbanTeimmediate official
attend-
ance as delegates wbrn appointed. ltparticularlyor in their
eeatt he office of
that all anti-slavery
notification of the appointments
them, addressed to J. 11. Tredgold, Es ay be made by
the Anti-Slavery Society, 27, New Broad-street,
able to and
London. The
venerable Thomas Clarkson has announced his intention of
being present in a letter to Mr. Stwge, in thefollow'
" I had a hope, and still clieri-h it, that by nursing myselfgses
incessant care, I might so patch
.myself up as to be
at-
tend for an hour your great meeting on the 12th of June, just
to showmyself as the humble originator of the abolition of sla-
as ever.. in the cause. At
very i 4 this country, arid as one who, though he has kept at
work in it fore Mrs, !, not only not tired of the pursuit, but
that his heart now beats P; ;",trm!Y
the same time that I cherish such a hope, }t is extremely doubt-
ful whether I shall be alive at the time of the meeting."---Arfi.
Slavery Reporter.
Mr. Trotter, baronial constable of Meath, who
abstacmded, 1,200/ in debt, was taken on board an American
P"seriger,ressel ' I.n
Dublinlmast meek, and the magistrates of
the
Head office e4Ol Mi hi
tted