The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-25 00:00:00

SL L'I'LY.

Motion made, and Question proposed, " That Mr. Speaker do now
leave the Chair :"—Amendment proposed, to leave out from the word
" That" to the end of the Question, In order to add the words " Mr.
Baker's petition (presented June 12); complaining of certain abuses
existing in the Milbank Prison, he referred to a Select Committee,"
instead thereof:—Question put, " That the words proposed to be left
out stand part of the Question." The House divided :
MAJORITY—AYES 5.6
Benett, J. • •.• Giil Thomas • ; • Liticolp,-Earl of
Bennet, P.. ~.Gore,. Robertay, T. B.-
Bentine,k, Lord G.'Goilltini•ti; Henri
Berkeley, Captain Graham, Sir James 'Martin, C. W.
Blaketnore, R. . Greene, Thomas
._Moffatt, George
Borthwick, Peter Grey, Sir G.O'Conor, Don
Bouverie, Edward P. Guest, Sir J. Parket, John
Bowles, Admiral Hamilton, G. A. Pigot, David
Brotherton, Joseph Harris, Captain Pusey, P.
Brown, W. Hectic, Archibald Scrope, G. r,
Buller, Charles Hatton, Captain Sotherville, Sir W.
Clerk Sir G. lieneage, Spooner, Richard
Clive, R. 11. Henley, J. W. Thornely, Thomas
Cockburn, Sir G. • Hill, Lsrd Marna • Trowbridge, Sir E.
Cowper, W. F. Hobliouse, Sir J. U'ard, 11. G.
Craig, W. G. Inglis, Sir R. W Colonel T.
Dungas, Admiral Jervis, John
Ebrington, Viscount Kemble, Henry TELLERS,
Forster, Matthew Labouchere, Henry Tufnell, Henry
Fox, C. R. Langston, J, H Gibson, T. M.

MINORITY—NOES, 10.
Hume, Joseph Wawn, J. T.
Morris, David
Peellell, Captain TELLERS.
Tattered, H. W. Duncombe, T.
Escott, Bickham

Aglionby, H. A.
Bowling, Dr.
Christie, W. D.
Ewart, 'William
Gisborne, Thomas

MILITARY FLOGGING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sui,—Why do the aristocracy support flogging? The
Duke of Wellington's dispatches, quoted in Colonel Napier's
History of the Peninsular War, say that English officers,
being gentlemen, will not do their duty. Col. Napier tells
us that Sir John Moore thought that the very reason why
they should do their duty all the better. And in the three
regiments of the light division, the 52d, 43d, 95th—this last
now the rifle brigade, commonly called at that time Sir John
Moore's regiments, because instructed by him in 'lreland—
the officers did do the duty, Sir; and these regiments, with two
Portuguese battalions, were the outpost men, the hird-
workers of the army, who took all the fatiguing anxiety of
advance guard duty. And yet on the retreat from Salamanca
Wellington allows them praise before all the others! Sir, if in
all British regiments the same system existed, there would be
no flogging. As long as outlandish, expensive, and useless
dt esses remain, and purchase exists, so long will you have no
officers, but aristocratic dandies. And if there are no edu-
cated officers to take care of the uneducated soldiers, you can-
not expect these latter to take care of themselves, they
having no resource for occupation or amusement. And con-
sequently officers resort to flogging, in the hope that thus
they may sooner overawe the men. Now, Sir, if every
subaltern had his half-troop to instruct day by day in riding,
drill, exercise, bridling, saddling, packing, blanket laying,
&c., and outpost duty, viz., patrolling, videttes, escorts of all
descriptions, skirmishing, surprises, means of discerning an
enemy, &c., besides visiting his men in room and stables—
being, in fact, responsible for their social and moral condition,
as well as physical, and for the state of their horses and arms,
&c., such an officer would like his men, take their part, and
mutual confidence would be the result.--A good officer would
know beforehand his man's chance of failing, and warn his
non-commissioned officers to keep an eye on him at that
time. The real fact, Sir, is, you would not find one aristo-
cratic young gentleman willing to have anything of the sort
to do with the " common soldiers," as they are contemptu-
ously termed ; and yet, Sir, it is merely the want of such
officers which renders our cavalry anyway inferior to the
French. In fighting they always beat their enemies with
surprising ease; but at all other duties they fail, because not
taught ; and, Sir, sergeants cannot teach these things. I
have seen a dozen horses with sore backs, and no sergeant
could tell the cause ; which was to be found in a bad pack of
1 accoutrements. And as to the real duties of light cavalry,
not ten years' instruction by sergeants gives that knowledge
to the men which a very few lessons by a well-educated in-
telligent officer do. But rich young nobles purchase com-
missions, and make sergeants and riding-masters do their
work. Sir, ten years' travel has made me acquainted with
foreign cavalry. In all the large continental armin every
. subaltern has the fourth-part of a squadron as his indepen-
dent command. It requires a regimental decision to take
one of his men from him, or any man's horse away from him,
about which Dragoons are very sensible; and soldiers can
appeal to the general_ on inspection days to return to their
platoon, which they look on as their home. The subaltern
considers his platoon as his property, with which no one can
interfere; if anything is wrong the lieutenant is responsible;
and I have seen how well this works. Is an officer absent a
short time, that platoon becomes the worst under sergeant's
command. But ask your 3 oung titled Croesus, your lady-
killers in Hungarian dresses, to take such trouble. I have
heard one call it a drudgery unfit for gentlemen. There is
the secret, Sir. If a colonel wanted ,to Hog ,man, be
would have that man's officer, Aupported. • by • gil
the other subalterns, constantly complaining and
petitioning. I will warrant that our men would then
take an interest in something more than the public-house,
like to have books and read about professional matters, and
the officers would care more for the welfare and superiority
of their own platoon, than for Captain Maxwell's list of ac-
complishments, quoted in his first chapter of the " Stories of
Waterloo."

How many thousand pounds more does an Hussar regi-
ment cost than an English one. Nobody ever would have
seen Hussars if the dress were not an Hungarian national
costume, and if Hungarian Dragoons would wear any less
expensive ones. Your lady-killers like these dresses because
they are better laced and more gaudy; but they protect no
part of the body, and are very inconvenient, and a useless ex-
pense. The money spent on them would make not a few
shoolmasters ; less gaudy and inure laborious would our ofik
cers then be.—Your obedient servant,

A CONSTANT READER.

SUPPOSED MURDER AND SUICIDE.—NORTH BIERLY,
NEAR BRADFORD, JULY 22.—A most deplorable occurrence
has recently thrown this district into the deepest sensation.
The 1),1v of a weaver named William Bywater, living at
Bullershan, and that of his son Raymouth, were found at the
bottom of an old coal-pit on Monday morning, and, from the
facts adduced at the inquest, there is little doubt that the
elder deceased led his child to the mouth of the pit, and, after
throwing him in, committed suicide by precipitating himself
down the shaft. The parent was employed at the factory of
Mr. J. Sutcliffe, OJsal Moor. lie was thirty-three years of
age, married, and had three children, the deceased child, who
was seven years of age, being by a former wife. About six
o'clock on Monday morning Bywater got up and roused his
son, telling him he should take a walk with him. After pre-
paring his wife's breakfast he left with his child, and pro-
ceeded along the road to Bradford. They went over a stile
leading to the pit, which is situate on elevated ground, and
on reaching a platform which surrounds it, Bywater was seen
to stoop under some rails which protect the mouth. They
were then lost sight of, but a few seconds afterwards, the cries
of a child were heard by the men, who made all haste to the
spot, but on looking down the pit nothing could be heard.
The bottom was then searched, and their bodies were found
dreadfully mutilated. It was shown that Bywater was much
attached to the child, and was never heard to express any
intention of destroying it. In a conversation he had, how-
ever, with a neighbour, he manifested much uneasiness of
mind, and his observations led to the impression that he
meditated committing suicide. The jury returned a verdict
" That the deceased were found dead at the bottom of the
pit, but how or by what means they came to their death
there was no evidence to show."

PosEN, JULY 9.—A few days ago some persons got
through an open window of the residence of the Chief Pre-
sident, and plundered the office of 1,500 dollars in money and
bills of exchange. one of the papers belonging to political
persons were abstracted, but pains was taken to throw them
into the greatest confusion, and thus everything in the oftiQe
was in disorder. It is difficult to assigu a cause for such a
proceeding.