The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-09 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDLY, JULY 9, 1856.

Sir CHARLES WOOD bitterly complains of the
present extravagance of the guardians of the
public purse. He asserts that the House and
the Government have now reversed positions.
That the former at one time "exercised very con-
siderable influence in checking the disposition of
the Governments to unnecessary expenditure, but
now the Government were obliged to check mo-
tions made in the Houso from time to time in
favour of the claims of particular classes of offi-
cers or other public servants.' The First Lord
of the Admiralty has stated the case with un-
usual accuracy, but the effect will not be exactly
that which he
.intended to produce. He has
clearly ex?lained the principles by which the
economists are actuated. They protest against
unnecessary expenditure—against jobs of every
kind and description. They will not consent to
squander a million sterling to gratify the caprice
of any individual, ho wever exalted, but they will
do everything that justice and liberality requires
to reward the services of meritorious public ser-
vants, and to allow distinguished veterans to
pass their declining years in the enjoy-
ment of that etium, mit dignitate which
they have so well deservel from their country.
On the other hand, the Government and the red-
tapisth are " penny wise and pouud foolish"—they
" strain at gnats but swallow camels," even of
the most capacious dimensions. There is nothing
too large for their profuse and reckless extrava-
gance, or too small for their cheeae-pairing and
paltry meanness. If any matter comes well re-
commended—that is to say, if backed by strong
influence, whether Parliamentary or secret and
unconstitutional—it will receive their support ; if,
however, it has only fair play And the good-will
of the unaristocratic -favour, then,
indeed, it has but a slight-chance of meeting their
approbation.

Can it be believed that the very same Adminis-
tration that were willing to expend a million
sterling on the cabbage gardens at Kensington for
the purpose of interring the national collection of
pictures where they would be rendered perfectly
useless to the great body of their legitimate
owners, should scruple at allowing half-pay, well
and nobly earned, to eighteen veterans, whose
agtregate services reached to a thousand long
years, or an average of more than fifty-five years
each—that they could resist the animated and
convincing appeal of the honourable and gallant
member for Bath on behalf of those aged and dis-
tinguished officers. But they did so, and unfor-
tuaately succeeded by a majority of 7, through
the apathy and indifference of the House, which
narrowly eSCaped the disgrace of being counted
out dieing such a motion, and in which there
were at thiCdivigion but 69 members—scarcely,
more than a tenth of the number entitled to vote.
Nay, WPr4,, they added insult to injury by per-
mittinfOir CRARLES WOOD, as their mouthpiece,
to scoff and sneer= at services which, as the Morn,
inj Herald truly -remarks, "he has not sufficient
charac*Vaffieciate r, -
heart-
rending s‘atement of C It was indeed a
SCOBELL—une. that
should - have eliCited unqualified sympathy
in plaee_of _s.corn. ani__reproach— —These-eigh teen
heroes, whose average service was fifty-five years, ;
" had among them 42including losses
wOunds,•
of legs, arms, and eyes, and had received 30
medals and clasps. The average period (luting
which they enjoyed the scanty advantages of
Greenwich was but nine years. In seine cases
men had died so poor that their widows had not
been able to administer to their wills,-or subscrip.
*ions had td be raised for the payment of debts
i;hicti they:lml contrre2ted, in order fo furnish:
their 4umble•ctiv6ilings. They were ail um with
fEzaili4Nha—iip*iripn to edu_3ac k-,) j
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