The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-14 00:00:00

ANOTHER GERMAN JOB !

' (Prom the Times.)
Immense exertions, exertions which weigh
heavily on every household in the land, are being
made to place and keep this country in a state of
defence. Every recruit who can be collected from
the villages of our agricultural counties,—who can
be enticed from his lounge on the London pave-
ment,—who can be persuaded to give up the mono-
' tonous labour of the factory or the dreary existence
of the mine,—is enlisted in the service. Measure
after measure has been introduced to insure a supply
of able seamen ; one device after another has been
tried to make the comparatively small army at our
command efficient as a protection. The militia has
been reorganised, and is kept up at" lavish expense,
the authorities being forced to p p with deser-
tionuv and imposition of every kind, site even a force
with many deficiencies is better than Ilp force at all.
The state of Europe is just now so uncertain, the
elements of disquiet are so makes, that F-the nation
with one accord has-called out for the strengthening
of the national ayinaments, and by a noble effort of
pAtriotism baslAyided for the public security by a
Volunteer levy."Nal-Ais, however, has not been
done without a serious addition to the burdens of the
State; financial embarrassment stares us in the face,
and the wisest economists are beginning to cry out
against any further remission of taxes, since all
may be necessary to enable the country to pay its
way.
Yet we are all in earnest in this matter,.—that
there shall be a good army, which shall make up
by the excellence of its quality for the deficiency of
its numbers. With the full asient, and, indeed,
under the impulse of the public, every means has
been used during the last few years to encourage a
higher and more professional spirit in our land
forces. Since the evil days of Sebastopol we are
glad to think that things have changed much for
the better. An officer dreads the reputation of being
a mere carpet knight. The regiments which have
little opportunity of seeing service, and which were
entered heretofore by young men principally for the
pleasure of wearing a fine uniform, have fallen into
something like discredit. Cornets are with diffi-
culty found for the household cavalry, and even the
heavy dragoons are at a discount. In the meantime
the corps where there is the greatest scope for merit
are attracting a more earnest and hard-working
class of men. The Engineers and Artillery will in
a feii years be equal, if not superior, to any in the
world. The Line, in spite of its certain banish-
ment for years to unhealthy colonies or remote In-
dian stations, is popular with the flower of our
youth, who compete for commissions with as much
eagerness as if the pay were a real maintenance,
and the work merely a light, pleamnt occupation.
The rehabilitation of the British army has been
mainly the work of the nation itself, speaking
through the Press. There, has, we admit, been
little cause of complaint of late. The authorities
seem to have seen the rottenness of "the system,"
and to have been converted to the opinions which
were at first so unpopular with the military world.
But we must not expect to advance too quickly.
The " old Adam" of favouritism and jobbery has
evidently not yet been entirely put off, and we

have to animadvert on a backsliding which de-
serves a temperate but firm admonition. The
regenerate Horse Guards has fallen back into
its old practices. Nothing that was done
in the bad days before 1851 could be more
reprehensible than the appointment of Major-
General Grey to the command of a regiment. In
commenting on these cases we know that we must
necessarily excite a great deal of bitterness and .
animosity. Among those who abuse the Times
probably not ono in a hundred owes his prejudice
to any conduct of ours on a public question. As
a congregation cares little about being called
" miserable sinners" in a general way, so we might
write against Conservative tactics without alien-
ating a single follower of Lord Derby, and might
argue against the indiscriminate remission of taxa-
tion without disgusting a single Freetrader. But
remarks on a private iudividual, however fair,
however much within the scope of legitimate criti-
cism, however strictly confined to public matters,
are never forgiven by him, his family, his depen-
dents, and his friends. Yet we shall never shrink
from remarking on improper appointments, for it is
our duty to write what men of sense are everywhere
saying in conversation, and little good would be
done by mere abstract denunciation of favouritism
if conspicuous instances of this political vice were
passed over from any feeling of delicacy.
We may say, then, that to appoint to the com-
mand of a regiment a gentleman who for many
years past has been a mere nominal soldier is a.
gross injustice to deserving officers, and an injury
to the profession. A while ago the same Gazette
which announced that' the Order of the Bath had
been conferred upon Sir H. Havelock for his heroic
services announced also that the same honour had
been conferred on Colonel Phipps, a gentleman
known only as holding a subordinate office in the
Royal Household. Now we have Sir John Inglis,
the undaunted defender of Lucknow, bracketed,
with Major-General Grey, private secretary to
Prince Albert—the man who has risked his life
under a tropical climate and against ferocious and
implacable foes coupled with a gentleman who in
the case of English.palaces has wielded no weapon
more formidable than the pen. The contrast affords
scope for disparaging remarks as respects General
Grey, not because the General's services are unim-
portant or his position other than honourable, but
because he has been unwittingly, and, as we think,
unjustly, rewarded. It is quite right that the
Prince Consort should have a secretary to conduct
the large correspondence which necessarily falls
upon him, nor do we deny that the secretary may
be properly appointed to any civil office which he
is capable of filling. But military emoluments should
be reserved for those who are actually soldiers. It
cannot be admitted that a man, because he has been
at one time in active service, and has by the custom
of the army attained a certain rank, should step is
and grasp the few prizes which of right belong to
those who have borne the burden and heat of war.
The pay of £6OO a year which General Grey will
receive as honorary Colonel of the Buffs would
compensate many a Crimean or Indian officer for
fatigue, wounds, sickness, long separation from
friends, and all the other hardships of a soldier's
life. A colonelcy is a military sinecure, arid the
only ground for retaining such appointments is
that which has been often urged—that they form
the best means of conferring a justly earned pension
on distinguished officers. Those who by devoting
the flower of their age to the service of the country
in every part of the globe have attained to the
rank of Major-General have a claim to the colonel-
cies, and it is an abuse of the powers belonging to
the Horse Guards when these appointments are
made to reward. civil or courtly services. We
cannot hope that General Grey's appointment will
be cancelled, but we trust such a proceeding will
not be repeated.. If the present Act of the Horse
Guards be drawn into a precedent, we feel sure
that Parliament will not be easily restrained from
interference.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

YORK-Mly 12.

A limited show to-day, and, farmers again unwilling to
submit to any decline, only a small business was dons St
about late rates.

Wheat, red .508 to 64s Oats.... .. 27s to 3011
White do .56s to 60s I Beans 44s to 480
Barley .32s to 44s Peas
....—s to --0

Matt, 68s to 70s per qr.;
41s per sack.

36s per qr.; flour, 395 to

. CAMBIithaE—IVIAAr 12.
There was a Iltir supply of wheat, and, with a ratbor
'heavy demand in the trade, white moved off at 52s to 56ez
red, 46s to 52s per 36 stone. There was a small show er
barley to-day; malting, 34s to 37s ; grinding, 32s to 34s
per 30 stone. Oats at 24s to %Os for new ; old oats, —6
—s. Beans in limited supply, and a steady sale—new, 400
to 48s ; old, —s to —s per 38 stone ; peas, 40s to —s per
36 stone. White cloverseed, 86s to 89s; red, 46s to iOs per
quarter.

STAMFORD.MAY 12. -
Yesterday there was a slow sale of wheat, with a tolerable
supply, at rather under the rates of last week. The quan-
tity of barley was limited. Oats scarce and dear.
Wheat s2s to 55s I Oats.. 24s to 31m
White do 56s to 58s I Beans .... 42s to 46s
Barley 4os to 45s I Ditto, old ........468 to 48s