The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-24 00:00:00

SAVOY;

Lord PANMURE drew *he attention of the house to the
system of nomotion by the sale and purchase of commis-
sions in therarmy. That system had exist _1 from the very
rise of our standing army, and it was introduced to enable
those who had risen to rank to retire, and thus open an
entrance to others, and thus keep up a stream of promo-
tion, and prevent the army from being depressed by a set
of senile officers. (Hear.) With that view it was that the
system had been maintained. It had worked impartially,
and produced to the British army a set of officers superior
to that of every other army in Europe. No doubt there were
blots and defects in the system, and one of thon was that
the regulation price was constantly exceeded. It had been
found impossible to eradicate the evil ; but it was an
exaggeration to call it a scandal. (Hear, hear.) Successive
,Secretaries of State and Commanders-in-Chief had con-
-nived at it; and all that could be said of it was, that it was
inconvenient. (Hear.) It was said that the system of sell-
ing out made the army a sort of plaything ; but he was
surprised that any one should call that en objecaon to the
system. It was an argument in its favour,
_for surely it
was an advantage to the country that the youth of its aris-
tocracy should spend a certain number of years in the army,
and then go back to their counties well trained and fit to
command militia or volunteer regiments. (Hear.) It was
said that the system stopped promotion ; but that was a
complete mistake, for it enabled officers to get quicker pro-
motion than they could obtain by seniority. It was to be re-
gretted, therefore, that the Government intended to inter-
fere with the system on the strength of the report of a com-
mission, a repot t not cars :ed unanimously, but by a majority
of six to four. Those four were most distinguished men—
one
of them, Gen. Williams, never having purchased a step. I
Surely the protest of these four commissioners should have (

deterred the Government from taking so rash a course. It
appeared that the limatenant-colone'qhip was not any lengc r
'to be purchased. But how then was it to be given up or ob-
tained when the lieutenant-colonel became too old for ser-
vice? It was recommended that he should be succeeded by
one of the majors, to be chosen by the Comulander4n-Chief.
"Any plan more calculated to disturb the harmony of the
-army could not be devised: The senior major of the regi-
-Mont might not be the best major in the army; and if the
"Commander-in-Chief were to choose another for the colonel-
`ship, he would be stamped from that time as incompetent,
Or the other officers, resenting the introduction of a arangcr,
'*ould hardly bo able to obey the new colonel with cordiality.
1,, .!ear.) It wes said, why not put the army on the same
foot OS the nary? There was, it was true, no put chase in
the nary,but the navalsystem was entirely ditfere,nt.. (Hear.)
Tito various classes of officers on board ship were quite dis-
tinct, whereas all the officers of a re(-:went 'funned one
family; and if a system of invidious selection were to be
Introduce& this family harmony would be destroyed. Let
Pie Goventn'ent cur sider the: points before they gave
ellitertO reii6t tof the commission by a warrant front the
Crown. (I fear.) .4tio, consider the Ununeial part of the
IWati'n
lieutenant-eelomlappiitid to sell out,
,When h
•
wasi,jE„ be p havel the regulation I price
rh,m
4,2 ven
with‘. tlautiTeha,uhoowutsebau4.puncl
-mthe
ore for his, ccOnnspons, i
(79r:primder,i32, Chief and if he were to be deprived of that '
;of robPerY. (Hear.) Therefore the •
would be a, I#lse
l 3 repaid Cie slims they had really Paid fat: 66fer0 roc t_
•Nirhole cif the army htictfUli notice
tfietr Commiss-'4o;lntil the
of the new syst
.T) E a RE y
• E I. P9N said it was the noble
baron himself wb.o appointed the commission to inquire

The Karquitt of CLANItICARDE rose to ask whether
the Government had received any communication from the
Sardinian or French Government of the recent vote of the
municipality of Nice, relative to the cession of that t ,wn
and county to France ? The noble marquis said he did not
desire to extract from the Government any premature ex-
pression of opinion, bat simply to ask a question as to the
facts. It was for the Government to consider,-at the pre-
sent serious crisis, what course they should pursue, and
Parliament world ere long have to corsider it. It would
be ill-judged to make any blustering declarations, and it
was to be regretted that people should use such language
as that England would not gd to wr' for anything. That
language has had a very bad effect abroad; and foreign
Governments ought to bear in mind that England would
do her duty at any tin*, regardless of consequences—
(hear, hear)—butthat if withany country we wereto main-
tain cordial relations, it could only be by a sincerely good
understanding between them, and by a loyal and truthful
frankness. (Hear.) Now, some weeks ago there appeared
in a foreign newspaper an announcement that communica-
tier s were going on between the Governments of France
and Sardinia for the cession of Savoy and Nice, and papers
-were laid before Parliament showing that such a transac-
tion was in contemplation. But 6.eat pains were taken by
the French Government to impress upon the public and
upon our Government the notion that these negotiations
were dependent on three conditions—that the charge was
only to be made with the full consent of the King Sar-
dinia ; by the free c insent of the population ; and not
until previous communications with the Gie•tt Powers.
(Hear, hear.) Upon two of these three conditions he led
nothing to say, and he desired or 'y to speak upon the
second, as to the free e nesent, of the population. He
threw out of the question Savoy, upon which it would be
impossible to touch without going into those questions
on which he would not raise a premature debate.
He confined himself entirely to the question as to Nice.
He need say nothing as to the soundness of the principle
that the transfer. of ellegiance should be founded on the
goodwill of the populations concerned. There was no more
abominable doctr;ne connected with what was called despo-
tism or divine right, than the idea that any people could
belong to a prince, and be handed over by one sovereign to
another. The French and Sardinian Governments them-
selves had rested their conduct upon the validity of the
popular will. It had, however, been stated, and seem: dto
. be un fait accompli, that the county of Nice was to be trans-
ferred to France. And so far was it from the truth that
this was the popular will, that it was notorious that the
anunicipality. of Nice lately, after long deliberation, had re-
-solved against it, and had sent a deputation to the King of
' Sardinia representing their desire to remain under his sove-
reignty, or, if they were to be separated from it, then to be
erected into a neutral State, Which their territory was very
well adapted to become. (Hear.) There were man; reasons
for that course, which might be matter for negotiation. 'But
what he was most anxious ab6ut was, that there should be
frankness and fair dealing, and an adherence to representa-
tions or promises, or declarations of intention, on the part
of one great Government towards another. (Hear.) Yet
the French Emperor had the other day, in his address to
the deputies from Savoy, thought fit to mix up the subject
-of Nice (though there Were no deputies front Nice), cud
said :—" In f nit, it is neither by insr-rection nor violence
that Savoy and Nice will be reunited to France, but by the
free consent of the legitimate sovereign, saeported by the
popular voice." Now he (the Marquis of Cianricerde) de-
dared that this was not a correct representation of the state
of things. (Hear, hear.) He said so not only on account
of the vote of the municipality of Nice (an elective body,
legally representing the territory), but on the authority of
communications he hadxeceived from Nice. There was to
have been a general popular vote after that of the munici-
pality. The French Government ha Jno occasion to declare
any intention upon the subject ; but having made such a
declaration or intention (not to call it a promise or a pledge),
-it ought not to be lightly set at nought. And if it were in-
tended to m&-itain the peace of Europe, and to preserve our
goodwill and friendship, there must be cordial, sincere, end
frank relations between the two countries, and stahments
must not bo made notoriously cont-ary to the ti eth. There-
fore it was that he asked the -Government whether they had
received any cornmvytication of the expression of opinion
by the population of Nic 3 ?
Lord WODEHOUSE—The que,..k a of which the noble
marquis gave notice was, whether we had received any
communication on this subject ft JM the French or Sardinian
Government; and the answer is, that we have not received
any communication from the French or Sardinian Govern-
ment on the subject. My lords, the noble marquis said ho
should not touch upon the pave and delicate question as to
the cession of Savoy and Nice; rtll am certa'n that it is
better that I should conqae myself to s'-nply answering the
inquiry of the noble marquis, without entering into a ques
tion which is under the serious cor sideration of the Govern,
ment. (Hear.)
SALE OF COMMISSIONS IN THE ARMY.