The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-25 00:00:00

and who are what they are, not because they have
not all the elements of good within them, but be-
cause the image of God within them has been de-
faced by brutal rulers, and yet more by. an igno-
rant, superstitious, abandoned, and self-seeking
priesthood. I could note many incidents of interest,
—how a jolly monk headed one procession with a
flag over his shoulder; how a woman headed ano-
ther ; how a fine looking British officer had been
laid hold of by the beard by an elderly lady—it was
a pity that she was not young—and kissed. But
here we are at the gates of the temporary barrack
of the legion. The National Guard file off and our '
countrymen enter amid the last shouts of the
crowd. I thought at times the demonstation might
have been warmer, but half the houses are unoccu-
pied and the people out of town; the doubtful
weather kept many away, and especially the ladies,
who would not dare to wet the soles of their feet ;
and there is a strong reactionary feeling and much
timidity. At the back of the building is a large
yard, where the battalion was formed, and cheers
were given for Major Styles, who is a great fa-
vourite with the men. The band of the National
Guard arrived and played " God save the Queen"
in good style, and we did the lady of our land the
honours due to her, and then the hymn to Gari-
baldi, the glorious Garibaldi, was played. Ven-
ders of every kind of eatables crept in and plied

their frauds most busily, until the appearance of
the police, who were most courteous and attentive
in appointing persons to regulate the prices and
guard the pockets of the men. All seemed to be
delighted with the day, in good spirits, and
longing to be sent to the front. " Three cheers
for old England !" they shouted over and over
again as they marched along, and it was plea-
sant for one who yearns after his country to hear
them joining in chorus as they walked through the
city, and winding up with the burden Of ." Merrl,
Old England." I have fault to find again with the
arrangements, or non-arrangements. Until the last
moment of their entering the barracks nothing in
the shape of dinner had been ordered for the officers,
and it was only by special exertion that rations
had been sent up for the men ; but everything is
in disorder. Later in the day there was almost a
refusal to march forwards unless Major Styles was
liberated, so that Colonel Peard was compelled to
enter into some explanations in order to restore
order. Of course, I do not doubt the honourable
and good intentions of those who have the direction
of this unpleasant incident, but I still think that
there has been much precipitation and imprudence.

TILE SECRETARYSHIP FOR TilE
TREASURY.

(From the Times.)

By the appointment of Mr. Laing to the situation
of Fourth Legislative Councillor in India a vacancy
has been created in the very important office of
the Secretary for the Treasury, and an opportu-
nity is offered, of which w e gladly avail ourselves,
of calling public attention to the state of this de-
partment of the Government. The first and most
important duty of the Treasury is to check expen-
diture. Without its consent no other department
is allowed to put its hand into the public purse.
It stands guardian over the national income, and
not only will not permit money to be spent that
has not been voted, but will not allow money to
be asked for which in its opinion is not required.
The absence of this central check is, perhaps, the
greatest defect in the whole miserable system of
Indian finance ; its presence has done far more
than the supervision of the House of Commons—
which is more apparent than real, and has a far
greater political than financial significance—to
keep our revenue on a level with the calls upon it.
It might be expected that a department to which
are intrusted functions so varied and so pervading
—which has, by its control over the purse, the
means of directing, to a great extent, the opera-
tions of all other departments—which stands, in
fact, towards them much in the same relation in
which the House of Commons itself stands to the
other parts of the Government—should itself be a
model of perfect organisation, and of a complete
and accurate distribution of its business among
those who are to transact it. No expectation was
ever more fallacious. If we wanted an instance
of the usual makeshift way in which we manage
things in England—of a more than ordinaryoegn
con-
tempt of everything like a scientificd anitd i n logicalthe
Treasury. The department propenrin
arrangement,—we should easily
Y consists of a
Of these the
ste
First Lord, being PrimelMini
Board of Lords and a Secretary-as
other things
of ex-
to occupy his attention beyonvedry
littlde toetails do with
penditure, and has, in fact,
defined by Mr.
the department. The other
at all, their voeatioL being,euse,to
keep a House, and
lorasds no duties
Canning, to make a
There remains the Secretary,
cheer the Minister,nds, b
by a long series of gradual en-
croachments,whole business of the office is
inwhoseha
vested. But even he, t n he, though having practically no
office, is not allowed to exercise
superior in his.without control. The head of what is
really Chancellor of
the Ex-
t she
—has that con ro ON er e Secretary of the
chaquer
h has somehow slipped through the
rheiasllPy
whie
powers without
up Dy saying that the Treasury is
Treasury{ my Lords, so that the whole thing may
fingers 0- ,
e ad Secretary,
be summed
Who is in his turn
another department. The
practically what might be apprehended.
governed bbyythtehhe
The Secretary is emancipated from the control of
one superior without being fully submitted to the
control of another, and thus •
effect is
enjoys a degree of
power and importance quite incommensurate with
the nominal importance of his place.
Besides these obvious faults of •t• organiza ion, the
Treasury has yet a more serious fault in the func-
tions which it ex •
erctscs. The Treasury is, as we
have shown, the department which controls the ex-
penditure of other departments, and it is therefore
quite clear that it ought to have nothing to do
with originating expenditure itself. If no other
department is to be entrusted with its own expen-
diture without a check, this must be the case with
the Treasury itself. The eye can see everything
but itself, and the Treasury may check every one
else except—the Treasury. Yet we have had re-
peated instances of late years of the Treasury, in
the case of contracts, guarantees, and even original
expenditure, imposing burdens on the country-
The natural result has followed. These operat,
wl
tions, being conducted by a single deparot "of
have in many cases excited the oetn_e