The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-18 00:00:00

honoured with public decorations and afterwards
reflected on as some officers had been, he would
have torn the badges from his breast and flung them
at the feet of the donors. Lord Panmure answered
that the honours had been bestowed for bravery in
the field, and any charge which wasmade against the
possessors as to any dereliction of a secondary nature
could in no way detract from the lustre of the
actions for which the decoration weregiven. And what
were those actions with a lustre? What was the pas-
sage of arms in which Lord Lucan distinguished him-
self pre-eminently-? What was Sir Richard Airey's
brilliant exploit, what Colonel Gordon's ? As they
say in the house, we pause for a reply. Lord Lucan,
indeed, sent the Light Brigade headlong to destruc-
tion, but he did not go with them. It was not his
place. Had his duty required him to head the
charge, he would doubtless have done so with the
spirit to be expected of every Englishman from the
lowest to the highest. But the fact is that he did
not distinguish himself in any extraordinary way,
for want, no doubt, of opportunity. He neither
took a part in the successful charge of the Heavy
Brigade, nor the glorious disaster of the Light.
Lord Cardigaa acquitted himself as others did,
where all acquitted themselves gallantly. He
neither did more nor less than any other man in
that devoted band. Perhaps, however, in saying
this we are saying too much, for it is reported that
there was an officer in the charge who rallied the
broken remnant of the brigade, and gave order to
their retreat, and that officer was not the General
Lord Cardigan. It should be the pride of the coun-
try to consider the high bravery displayed on this oc-
casion as common, and to callfor something morefor
distinction. That something more used to be express-
ed in the old-fashioned word "conduct in the field,"
which comprehended with courage, presence of mind,
resource, judgment, and the seizure of opportunity.
For example, among the thousands and thousands
here and is every part of the civilised world who
are full of admiration of General Williams, how
little any one thinks of his bravery, how much
more the mind dwells on his inexhaustible energy,
his all-pervading vigilance and care. The conduct
for which an officer merits praise, honour, and ad-
vancement is not only the conduct in the face of
the .enemy, but the conduct which enables him to.
face the enemy with his forces made the most of in
every way. His men, his arms, his horses will be
in the most perfect condition that circumstances
improved to the utmost may permit of. He will
not be chargeable with any of those derelictions
which the Minister of War classes of a secondary
nature, for he will regard the care of his men and
horses primary duties, not secondary, and he would
consider himself disgraced if he could not take a
part in operations against the enemy because he had
allowed his horses to perish, and thereby re-
duced himself to the condition of a non-com.;
batant, and a mere encumbrance on the
army. But, assuming that a decoration was
due to the gallantry of Lord Cardigan in the
Ba,laklava charge, the question remains why the
inspectorship of cavalry was given to an officer who,
however brave, had signally and disastrously
proved his unfitness for the care of horses. assum-
ing also that Sir Richard Airey had on some occa-
.

sion distinguished himself gloriously, and earned
the order with which he is decorated, yet it is to be
asked, why is he made Quartermaster-General at
home, when almost all the great disasters are refer.
able to his a,dministratian of that office in the

Crimea? What General' Airey's exploits against
the enemy may have been we know not, but they
have been great indeed if they have made a tithe

of the havoc with the Russians that his adminis-

tration made with the British army, perishing for
want of what he had the means of affording, and
neglected to afford. In the common phrase to ex-
press disorder, things were " here and there"—
that is to say, starvation here, and the supplies
that should have furnished plenty, there ; want in
the camp, abundance at Balaklava.

THE .NEW MEDICAL PROFESSION BILL.

The new bill brought in by Mr. Headlam, Mr.'
Brady, and Mr. Craufurd is to take effect, if passed,
on the Ist of August next. A "Medical Council
of the United Kingdom" is to be established, to
consist of one person chosen by each of the follow-
ing bodies—viz., the three Universities of England,
the four of Scotland, the two of Ireland, the three
colleges cf surgeons and physicians of England,
Scotland, and Ireland, and the Faculty of Glas-
gow ; and also of eight persons to be elected as
hereafter shown. Every person so chosen must
be qualified to be registered under the act, and the
first election is to be made. within three months.
The tenure of office by members of the council is
to be triennial. The eight other members of the
council will first be named by the Secretary of
State ; four of them are to be appointed for Eng-
land, two for Ireland, and two for Scotland ; these
eight members will 5r old office till June .1, 1857,
after which period they will be elected trienni illy
—four by those recorded in the last printed medical
--gister for England, two by taros. rog,ioimatniiA
Scotland, and two by those registereain Ire] eau. The
Medical Council will hold their first meeting at
such time and place as the Secretary of State may
be pleased to name, and , afterwards where and
when they themselves may determine. They are
empowered to appoint a treasurer, secretary, and
servants ; and the Secretary of State will appoint
a registrar, to be called the "Medical Registrar,'
This officer will, np to the Ist of December nest,
register persons already in practice and duly quali.
fled, on payment of a fee of 20s. ; and, after that
period, he will register practitioners qualified as
hereafter shown, for a fee of 10s. After the Ist of
December next parties applying to, be registered as
physicians must be 26 years of age, be graduates in
medicine, and furnished with letters testimonial
from one of the Royal Colleges of Physicians. Sur-
geons must be 22 years of Age, and have been ex-
amined and passed by the Royal College of Physi-
cians, assisted by five surgeons (in medicine and phar-
macy), and by the Royal College of Surgeons (in sur-
gery and midwifery). Scotch and Irish surgeons must
have been examined by the two Colleges of Physi-
cians and Surgeons (or, in the case of Scetchmen, by
the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow).
Persons registered after the Ist of December must
cause themselves to be admitted as members of the
college from which they received their letters tes-
timonial, but no person offering himself for admis-
sion will be obliged to pass any further examina-
tion. Names struck off the college lists for mis-
conduct will be erased from the register,—a penalty
tantamount to professional extinction. The exa-
minations of the various colleges will be supervised
by the medical council, who will have the power of
compelling the amendment of any faulty system of
examination or the neglect of regulations in the
medical colleges. A " British Pharmacopoeia"
will be published by the council. Registered
practitioners, and none else, will be able to sue for
and recover " reasonable" charges for medicine
and attendance. Unregistered persons are disqua-
lified from holding public appointments. The
council is empowered to make regulations for per-
sons practising in the colonies and students. This
act will in no wise affect the lawful occupation of
chemists and druggists, or interfere with the pri-
vileges of duly licensed apothecaries in Ireland.