The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-22 00:00:00

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.—(This Day,)

LONDON, Fob. 22.—Wind this day at noon, S.W. ;
moderate breeze.
DovEZ, Feb. 21.—Wind E.N.E. to N.E., strong—
Arrived - Alwine, from Rio Janeiro.
PLYMOUTH, Feb. 21.—Wind
Gorgon and Orion, for Portsmouth.
FALMOUTH, Feb. 21.—Wind E.N.E.--Arrived—Morn-
ington, from Shields, for Alexandrit, to atop a leak.
Sailed—Willaelmina Lucia, for Sourabaya.
PENZANCE, Feb. 20.—Wind E.—Arrived—ltalanta,
from Cardiff, for Calais.

HULL, Feb. 21.—Wind N.E.—Sailed—St. George, for
Greenland.

KlRKWALL.—Arrived—Arab, from Quebec, for Sun-
derland.

BIDEFORD, Feb. 21.--The Hellespont, from Cardiff to
Smyrna, which came in here on the 16th inst., leaky, has
been surveyed, and only requires caulking in deck.
HOLYHEAD, Feb. 21.—Wind E. to N.E., fresh gale--
Arrived—Herefordshire, from Liverpool to London, to
stop a leak. Sailed—Cherokee, for Africa.
WATERFORD, Feb. 20.—Abort 330 casks of palm oil,
marked " C. Horsfall and Sons," have been picked up,
together with some loci° oil.
Cork, Feb. 20.—The Monterey, from Baltimore, which
arrived at Queenstown on the 11th inst., was stranded and
leaky, and had lost topmasts. The Elirt. Stewart, from
Newport to Calcutta, put into Queenstown on the 10th
iust. leaky, has discharged.

(PEE ELROTRIO TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Friday Morning.
Arrived.—Atalants, stea,rer. from Havre ; South-
Western, steamer, Jersey; New Speedwell, London.
Sailed.—Devonshire, steamer, for Dublin.

BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.}
GRAVESEND, Friday, 9.45 a.m.
Wind N.W. ; tide, low water ; cloudy.
Sailod—Anibassador, for the Cape of Good Hope; An.
drokles, San Francisco ; Daniel Dyer, Trieete.
DEAL, Friday, 9.17 S.M.

Wind N., light.
Passed.—Celestial, from London, for Singapore.

The Duke of Richmond, who left Brighton on Tues-
day, with the Royal Sussex Light Infantry Militia, pur-
poses taking up his abode at Aldershott, with the corps,
for some time at least.—Brighton Gazette.
The Duke of Devonshire's health having improved so
much by his sojourn at Brighton, there is no prospect at
present of the noble Duke leaving his marine abode. His
Grace entertained a distinguished party to dinner on
Monday.---Brighton Ou:ette.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(YEaTaRDAY).
THE WAR DEPARTMENTS.
The Earl of DERBY, in rising (according to notice)
to put a question and move for a paper upon this sub-
pot, said the important conversation which had just oc-
curred had afforded a strong reason for the question
which he rose to put to the Government, and was neither
in point of time inappropriate nor unimportant in relation
to the interests of the service and to recent changes in dif-
ferent departments. For the due administration of the pub'
lic service, where there were two departments conne
in the slightest degree, there were two things absolutely
essential, without which it must sustain serious injure',
The first was, that the duties of those two departments
should be so distinctly defined, their responsibilities so
ascertained, and the limits of their authority and jai°.
diction so clearly set forth, as that there should be no
possibility of conflict of authority between the two
departments on matters relating to them both. And
the next thing necessary was, that in carrying on this
business of the departments there should be on the part of
their respective heads a mutual desire to facilitate the
public duties by each carefully avoiding encroachment
upon the authority of the other, while prepared to afford
each other cordial assistance in performing their public
duties. The necessity for these conditions became the
greater in proportion as the two departments were
brought into habitual and daily contact, and in prepor
tien as their business was intertwined so as to bring
them into continual communication with each other,
which ought to be of the most unreserved and confide°.
tial character. Within the course of the last year—after
the appointment of a Secretary for the War DePel,
~",,
extent —in the transactions which took place wit'
regard to the constitution of the militia, there we°,
considerable 'inconvenience and complaint arising ou"
of the contradictory orders—especially as to the qu
times of furlough—proceeding from the Secretary °'
War and the Secretary for the Home Department'
This had arisen from the circumstance that the
militia, though generally under the Home Depart'
meat, was then in course of embodiment, and conse'
quently became a quasi military force, under the
authority of the War Department. That, however, isc°4
an instance in which inconvenience had arisen fro"
the authorities of two departments not being clearly ao:
fined. And it was impossible not to remember Coo'
mueh of the disaster and distress which had arisen in the
Crimea might have been avoided if there had been is
certain departments greater readiness to take upon thett!:
selves a degree of responsibility beyond the strict lino;
of their duty upon the occurrence of any emergency.
the Fame time (continued the noble earl) difficulties Arise
and inconveniences result from the existence of doubt°
as to in whose department certain services lie, which el
essential for carrying on the operations of the aarny
mention these things only as an illustration of the ge.
neral principles which I have enunciated, and the
importance of a thorough understanding of the reflect;
Use duties and responsibilities of departments whice
have to act together ; and I am sure my noble frietZ'
0
at the head of the War Department will agree "1
ins that if there be two departments whose it:1'11;
action and co-operation are more important than an)
two others, because of the more frequent communication°
which take place between them, they are the one Pre;
sided over by the noble lord (Lord' Panmure), and tbs"
of which my noble friend the Cornmander-in.Chief is the
head. The office of Secretary for the War Departmeo"
as your lordships are aware, is else of recent introdtsc
tion, and when it was proposed to separate the duties
of that department from those of the Colonial DeParti
inept, I endeavoured to ascertain from the noble ear
s
(Aberdeen) then at the head of the Government wile"
were to be the precise functions of the Secretary of Stag
for War, but I could get no answer, except that Oslo
were to be the same duties as had been performed before
by the Colonial Secretary. I could get none but neglvt
tive answers. The Secretary for the War Departmen
was not to interfere with the patronage ; he was not t°
interfere with the discipline ; he was not to inter
fero with promotion in the army ; he was not to
interfere with the militia; he was not to have al;
thing to do with the ordnance ; in short,
answers I received were a succession of negations as to
the duties to be performed by the head of the new 'lei
pertinent. I had myself for some time the honour °
filling the office of Colonial Secretary, never at a tittle
of war, except that which could hardly be termel vier'
viz., when this country sent out an expedition against
China. At that time I received most valuable assistant°,
,
from my noble friend above me (the Earl of Ellenborongpi
who was then about to set out to assume the goveronlinfo
of India, from which part of the world the forces were
be sent out in aid, andfrom which the operations Weet,
:
in a great measure to be conducted. But, with regard c, :t
the ordinary duties of a colonial secretary—and in tue
matter I am sure I shall be borne out by the experienc,
of all those who have filled the office—all I can say i,e"
that they were of the most trivial and insignificant kind.
They consisted; in the first place, in signing wart-aut•
for commissions for any officers who might happen
to be in the colonies ; next, in taking the Queen's Pit,
y
sure in regard to the decorations of the Order of tu,
Bath, when it was proposed to confer it upon any, office'
in the service, which was always done on the recornmen'
dation of the head of the department to which the officir
might belong—the Commander-in-Chief, with regard to
the army; the First Lord of the Admiralty, with res Pee
to the navy; and the President of the Board of Control
i
with relation to the Company's service. The only real
business, and I must say the portion which was the lee"
satisfactory, I ever had to de with was the correspondence'
which was generally of rather a protracted and dilator,'
character, which took place between the governors of co'
ioniser, the Beard of Ordnance, the Treasury, and the C°.
lonial Secretary, whenever it happened that any arrange;
relents had to be made with regard to barracks and other
buildings in the colonies. That was all the business whic
the Secretary for the Colonial Department bad to perforos,
and that, as I have said before, was conducted most Or
satisfactorily. I do not mean to say that in time of war
the duties of a colonial secretary were of an uninaportallt
or trivial character. On the contrary, they are of such ire'
portance and magnitude as well nigh to overwhelua any
man, however great his capability, and however lancer
ing kis attention. For the time he must be, with rete;
renco to military operations abroad, supreme. He 1°135,
be responsible to the Crown and the country for the 03"
conduct and operations of the war. He is responsill
also, no doubt, in common with the Cabinet of whit
he is a member, for the selection of the officers, esPee'.
ally of the commander-in-chief, and I presume alt:,'
to a considerable extent, for the selection of the 0".;
cers upon whom are to devolve important comments%
he must have the entire control over the operation"
of the war, of the commander of the forces, of the
forces of the Admiralty, although presided over I°l
another Cabinet Minister ; of the commissariat, of thil
transport board, and even of the Treasury itself
must be to a certain degree superintended and adraio'i
tared by him, and it is his duty to combine and corral.
together the various powers and authorities of all tho°e
departments in such a manner as to conduce to the re;
cult—namely, the proper carrying on of the belligereo'
operations of the country. Therefore I say tbat the
duties of the Secretary of State for the War Departme°,t
in time of war are of such an exceptional character the
he may also be considered, for that time, a dictator, eye°
over his colleagues. There was no amount of power'
and, at the same time, no amount of responsibility, which
ought not to be thrown upon him with regard to the
conduct of the war. But the qua tion to which la°
about to call your lordships' attention has no reference
whatever to this exceptional case which I have bee°
stating, it has reference merely to those ordinary raise
Lions which are understood as subsisting between the
Secretary of State for War and the Commander-in-Chief
I would say, however, that since that office has been estr
blished there has been undoubtedly another change made
which has considerably altered the position and increase:
the duties of the Secretary of State for the War Depart'
merit, because on him has been thrown the duties for
rnerly performed by the Secretary at War, the consequence
of which has been that he has to exercise in future the
control formerly exercised by that minister over the
financial affairs of the army ; and, indeed, the control in
matters of expenditure over all military department
That, however, is merely a transfer of the authority of
the Secretary at War, who is sometimes not always+
Cabinet Minister ; but the relation in which he steno°
to the Commander in-Chief is in no degree different t°
the relation in which the Secretary at War stood. There
has been another alteration—viz,. the abolition of the
office of Master-General of the Ordnance. What ar;
rangements have been made in regard to that office 1;
confess I am not personally or practically acquainted
with, but I apprehend that the principle upon which
that change was effected—and I am sure it was so en'
pounced at the time—was to transferto the Commander'
in-Chief the same control over the Ordnance department
as be bad previously exercised over the rest of the
army. Therefore, my lords, I wish to be informed
whether the distinction which I understood to proves:
in the first instance is still maintained and rigidly acts"'
upon—viz., that in regard to discipline, the patronage'
the promotion of the army, and consequently with re"
gard to the Ordnance, the sole and absolute authority'
rests with the Commander-in•Ch:ef, uninterfered with b 1
the co-ordinate authority of the Secretary for War. Ths't
is a principle which I think it important should not be for
a moment in doubt, so that in point of fact we should ,
know to whom it is that the officers of the army should
look for support, protection, and promotion, whether to
the Queen's Commander-in-Chief, or to the Secretary tu,
State for the War Department, who is responsible n°l
alone to the Crown, but to the Parliament also. When
state that, do not let me be misunderstood so far as t°
say that I consider either the Commander-in-Chief or of
other person can be free from responsibility, which mil"
conduct or mismanagement in his highoffice would exposw
him to in the opinion of Parliament. (Hear, from tit!
Ministerial benches.) There can be no office where mai_
vereation and misconduct can fittingly and properly h.
withdrawn from the cognisance of this •r the
other House of Parliament ; but I say that that
is a very different case from the constant daily super's
tendence of Parliament and the constant daily interior'
e ce of the Minister who is responsible to Parliarnettc,
with the ordinary execution of the duties of that depart'
merit. Therefore, the first question which I wish tes
have answered distinctly is, whether it is still under-
stood, as it used to be in former ticaes, that over the piv
tronage, the first introduction into the army, the sutras
quent promotion, the arrangements for promotion, the
conferring of honorary distinctions, the tnovement ,
troops, the appointment to foreign garrisons—in.
is 11/,
these cases, does the authority now rest, and indis.
ably rest, as it has been accustomed to do, in the°f_
nsanderen-Chief, or in the Secretary of State for t-to!
War Department ? My lords, there is another class.tot
cases in which. I desire to know where the authoriolr
rests. Supposing it to be intended to increase,

LENT.