The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-08 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL EDUCATION LEAGUE.

A meeting of the representative working men wads hold
at Birmingham on Wednesday night to confer with
the officers of the Education League. Mr. G. Dixon.
M.P., presided, and in his address said tha.,
whether they wished it or not, the question was
assuming a political aspect. In all parts of the kingdom
the League was supported by the Liberals, and as a
rule, its opponents were Conservatives. He asked the
20,000 Birmingham men who voted for the Liberals
at the last election to join the League, because
there was great doubt in the House of Commons as to the
wishes of the working classes regarding the question of
education. A large number of trades unionists and
other working men took part in the discussion; and an
almost unanimous approval of the plan of the League was
expressed. Messrs. Rafferty, Devey, and Smith advo-
cated the exclusion of Bible reading from rate-
supported schools, and completely secular educa-
tion. Another speaker advocated Bible reading, which
was received with expressions of dissent. Mr. Dixon
refused to say, in reply to Mr. INPLelland, whether
not he would support a clause excluding the Bible from
rAte-supported schools. Mr. M`Lelland referred to the
difficulty experienced with regard to tlr3 Bible in Irish
schools. Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, chairman of the
executive, spoke of the " vexed question of Bible
reading," and saidl that the League did not make the
Bible a text-book. The subscriptions now reached
£50,000, and the nienibers of the League
,r,;,:riber 9,000.

REPORT OF THE GENERAL OF THE

ARMY.

HEAD-QUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
WASHINGTON, D. 0., Nov. 20, 1869.
General—l have now the honour to submitmy report of
the Army for the present year. At the time of the last
annual report Gen. U. S. Grant was in command of the
Army, and remained until the 4th of March, 1869, when
he became President of the United States, and I suc-
ceeded him as General-ia-Chief. The confirmation of
my commission was announced on the sth day of March,
and I was ordered to assume command March 8, which I
did. At that time Major-Gen. J. M. Schofield was Secre-
tary of War, and continued in that capacity until March
13, when Gem John A. Rawlins was duly commissioned
and entered upon his duties as Secretary of War, a post
he filled until his death, Sept. 6, when the President con-
ferred on me the commission, with the understanding
that it was to be held only until he could select a succes-
sor, and it afforded me great pleasure on the Ist inst. to
give place to yourself, Gen. W. W. Belknap. As these
changes have in a measure affected the course of events, I
believe that you will be pleased that I take a wider view
of the history and condition of the Army and its adminis-
tration than is customary for the !Commander-in-Chief.
LINE or THE ARMY.

For tho purpose of military responsibility and govern-
ment, the domain of the United States is divided into 12
departments and three districts, each under the command
of an experienced general officer, who by law is invested
with all the powers of the commanding-general of an army
in the field, and is held responsible for the discipline and
maintenance of the troops, the preservation of good order,
so far as the military authority extends, and for the care
of all public property that belongs to the army. The
limits and boundaries of these departments are better de-
scribed by the map and tabular statements herewith than
by any mere words I could give.
In order to prompt action in case of need, and to place
similar territory and similar interests under a common
commander, these departments are again grouped into
four military divisions, which are commanded by the four
generals next in rank to the Commander-in-Chief.
By the organic law of July 28, 1866, as modified by that
of March 3, 1869, the regular army now consists of five
regiments of artillery, 10 of cavalry, 25 of infantry, a
battalion of engineers and the cadets of the Military
Academy. These are all assigned to the several depart-
ments by regiments or companies ' • but each Division-
Cemmander can re-enforce any point within his command
by transferring the troops from one of the departments to
another.
As a general rule, the artillery companies are distributed
iu the permanent forts along the seaboard from Eastport,
Maine, to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and from San
Diego, California, to Alaska, serving on foot. One com-
pany of each regiment is mounted and equipped as light
artillery ; one of these companies is stationed at Wash-
ington, and the other four at Fort Riley, Kansas, as a
school of instruction. Another company of each regiment
(in all five) is stationed at Old Point Comfort, as a school
of instruction for heavy or seacoast artillery.
All the ten regiments of cavalry are serving in Texas,
the Indian country, and Pacific Territories, with the ex-
ception of a single company here in Washington, which is
the only cavalry east of tho Mississippi. The 25 regi-
ments of infantry aro distributed : One regiment along the
Northern frontier, one in Virginia, one in Mississippi, and
three in the Department of the South. The remaining
19 are in Texas, the Indian country, and Western States
and Territories.

Three companies of engineer troops are at Willett'a
Point, New York harbour, ono at Jefferson Barracks, Mis-
souri, and one at Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco har-
bour, doing garrison duty, and more especially designed
to preserve the practical knowledge of field fortifications,
of mines, and of pontoon bridging.
The cadets are at the West Point Academy, undergoing
instructions preparatory to being commissioned as officers
of the army.
At this moment we have not a single regiment that may
be said to be in reserve. All are on duty, and I have con-
stant calls for more troops, which cannot be granted.
I beg, therefore, your earnest attention to this matter ;
that Congress may be.appealed to not to diminish the mili-
tary establishments any further, because of the great
extent of our country, the unsettled character of a
region measured north and south, east and west by
thousands of miles, the nomadic character of the Indians
who inhabit this region, and the growing necessity to
afford greater protection to the roads that traverse
this region, and the mining and agricultural interests

therein.
‘Vhile the nation at large is at peace, a state of quasi
war has existed, and continues to exist over one-half of
its extent, and the troops therein are exposed to labours,
marches, tights, and dangers that amount to war. Were
the troops withdrawn, or largely diminished, in Texas,
the Indian country, iu Arizona, New Mexico, Montana,
Idaho, in Alaslta, as well us in some parts of our own
Southern States, 1 believe a condition of things would re-
sult amounting to anarchy.
CONSOLIDATION.

By the organic Act of July 28, 1866, fixing the peace
establishment, there was a provision for 45 regiments of
infantry. To the Appropriation Bill passed March 3, 1869,
was attached a clause as follows :—" That there shall be
nu new commissions, no promotions, and no enlistments
in any infantry regiments until the total numbsr of in-
fantry regiments is reduced to 25, and tke Secretary of
War is hereby directed to consolidate the infantry regi-
ments as rapidly as the requirements of the public
service and the reduction of the number of officers wil