The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-23 00:00:00

them so drowsy that you can hardly keep your
own eyes open. Almost everybody in that place
is fast asleep. (Laughter.) The very sentries
there have orders from the Horse Guards to keep
in perpetual motion, or otherwise they would drop
asleep. (Continued laughter.) You have heard a
great deal about chloroform, and the surgical opera-
tions performed upon patients under its influence.
I venture to assert that if a man were taken to
Downing-street he would sleep so soundly that
his leg might be cut off before he awoke."
(Renewed laughter.) It is a most humorous de-
scription, true to the life—with just a trifle of
exaggeration about it to give it piquancy ! Yet,
somehow or other, surely the grand official worthies
down in that " Sleepy Hollow" must latterly have
roused from their customary state of somnolency.
Otherwise how have they contrived—as they have
contrived—to get through so much work in the way
of destruction, construction, innovation, disorganisa-
[ Lion—calling a new colony like British Columbia
into existence—remodelling the whole government
of Hindostan, and so on through the various de-
partments' Yet was SA3I description so
true to the past, that it proved a hit that told
amazingly even in the presence of the Noble Lord
-who has himself filled so many of the great offices
of State, one after another—been in turn Prime
Minister, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary,
Colonial Secretary, President of the Council, Pay-
master of the Forces, &c., &c., &c. Lord JOHN
sniiled—SAM SLICK talked—Downing-street was
visibly before the audience—and there were roars
of laughter within the walls of the Manchester
Athenaeum. Subsequently three other notabilities
spoke. Sir JAMES BROOKE, the Rajah of Sarawak,
—Mr. MONCKTON MILNES, author of " Palm
Leaves," and M.P. for Pontefract—and Mr. GEORGE
CRITIKS.HA.NK, the celebrated caricaturist. The
Rajah put some home-truths to the conscience of
his hearers very effectively. The poetical M.P.
quoted a noble couplet from—" somewhere"—
" Two things I ever tremble while I scan,
The stars of heaven and the mind of man."
The delightful artist—of course—advocated the
cause of temperance. Altogether the meeting on
Thursday, at the Manchester Athenaeum, was one
in every way worthy of being borne in remem-
brance.

A new Roya 1 Warrant has just been issued, con-
taining new regulations for the promotion and pay
of officers in the Army and Ordnance. Hencefor-
ward there may be Field-Marshals ad libitum,
or, in other words, the rank is to be given with-
out reference to seniority ! In one respect the
principle is a good one. The nation does not
want a numerous; body of decrepid men far
beyond the powes of rendering any further
active service in high position. It would not, how-
ever, desire that the feelings of a meritorious
officer, one who had. greatly distinguished himself
in his day, should be in any degree aggrieved, and
it would scarcely withhold a harmless feather from
his cap. Nor would. it refuse any honourto the dar-
ing and gallant soldier, who, like Lord CLYDE, has
fairly and nobly earned it on the tented field. It
is only the clang of jobbing that is regarded.
We know that there was no difficulty in the
way of promoting the Iron Duke, or Lord RAGLAN,
to the highest rank in their profession, although
they were elevated over the heads of many senior
officers. There are, therefore, adequate precedents
for bestowing even the " Baton" on one who had
justly and fairly deserved it.

We arc, however, to have a fixed establishment
of General Officers, and. that on a tolerably exten-

sive scale, viz.:—

For the Guards and the Line ..

Generals
Lieut.-Generals
Major-Generals
Generals
Lieut.-Generals
Major-Generals
Generals
Lieut. Generals

For the Artillery

For the Engineers
{

Major-Generals ..

Now, what can be the possible necessity for so
numerous a body ? More than 300 Generals to
command about a hundred thousand troops. The
tenth part of the number cannot by any possibility
be on active service at the same time, and making
every proportionate allowance for those placed
entirely hors de combat, not one in five of those
able and willing to work can find occupa-
We have already on many occasions had.
reason to prefer similar complaints respecting the
number of Admirals flourishing on the Navy List.
Many of these had virtually retired for a series of
years before their promotion. ißut still we are
apparently to fill up a number more than three times
what could be required under any possible cir-
cumstances, even if the most sanguinary war had
been raging, and the very existence of Great Bri
ain were menaced on the very element

ion.

which she once claimed unrivalled supremacy.
The fact was that Admirals and Generals were
created for extraordinary services in war time ; but
in place of allowing the number to be gradually
reduced, they were kept up in the " piping times
of peace" to the same extent, and every new emer-
gency enhances the list until they may gradually
become " thick as leaves in Vallambrosa," or we
may be able to find a General or two almost
in every boarding house, as, it has been
said, is frequently the case on the other
side of the Atlantic. When a real sharp contest
commences, there are but Sew of the " fixed esta-
blishment" of generals on the: spot. It :ig the
colonels in actual service who have to encounter
the danger and toil, and responsibility. They are

necessarily entrusted with higher rank, and it
would be an outrage on every principle of justice
to deprive them of the rank won in the face of the

enemy, ex necessitate rel. Would HAVELOCK or
WILSON, NicnoLsoN, NEILL, or PENNY (it is not
from want of many meritorious candidates that we

do not swell the list) have showed more daring
valour, combined with prudent strategy, had
they already been amongst the elite on the

fixed establishment ? Far from it. It would
have virtually shelved them for the remainder of
their natural lives, unless they had sufficient inte-
rest to get important and lucrative appointments.
We shall not at present say more respecting the
new warrant. The fixed number of more than
300 generals, which must always be kept filled up
according to seniority, while, as in justice and
equity it ought to be, every man may be promoted
for meritorious conduct. is quite sitilioicnt for
day. There are, however, other points worthy
of notice, to which we shall refer in due course.

Our national defences seem to be the topic of
half our speakers, of our members of Parliament
especially. Wherever an honourable member meets
his constituents, whether at an agricultural meet-
ing or in a town-hall, he shows his generosity and
patriotism by enlarging on what he will do—in
voting the nation's money he means—towards mak-
ing us all secure. We are, of course, much obliged to
our representatives; only, we should like much better
promises to do their utmost that the prodigious sum
of three-and-twenty millions per annum should be
applied more to tile purpose. We find it difficult
to believe that such an enormous amount of money
would not, if honestly and skilfully used,make every
accessible part of our coast impregnable; or, what is
better, keep in efficiency a navy which would defy
all the ships of Europe to land an army on our
coasts. Those continual "sales of old stores,"
and the quarterly heading " Mis• cellaneous,"_on the