The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-24 00:00:00

THE ARM E,

Orders have been received at the head-quarters
of the Royal Engineers, Chatham, directin Lieut.
George Saekville Berkeley and 30_ no#-commis-
simied officers and men of the Royal Sappers and
Miners to be held in readiness to proceed by the
overland route to India. A detachment of non-
commissioned officers and men of the Royal Engi-
neers is also, to be held in readiness to embark for
the Cape of Good Hope, where they are to be em-
ployed
in surveying operations.
An important improvement has recently been in-
troduced into the system of discharging from the
service soldiers who have completed the.time for
which they enlisted, which has given great satis-
faction to all ranks of men in the army. In future
the troops who have completed their time will,
under certain regulations, be- discharged at the.
head-quarters of their respective regiments or depot
battalions without being forwarded to the invalid
establishinent at Chatham for that purpose. This
arrangement is another of the many boons which
have been conferred on the soldier by the present
Commander-in-Chief, and since it has come into
operation a number of old soldiers, who were
anxious to return to their native piaces, have been
discharged without having to go through the ordeal
of a surgeon's inspection at Chatham.
Yesterday the•battalion of Royal Marine Light
Infantry at Chatham commenced their marching
exercise during the winter months. The troops,
who were in heavy marching. order, preceded by
their. band, marched a distance of about ten miles,
under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel W. H.
March, and returned to their barracks at 1 o'clock.

The 2d battalion of the 15th Foot, in camp at,
Aldershott, have received orders to quit those quar-
ters to-morrow and proceed to Portsmouth to em-
bark, for conveyance to Malta, in her Majesty's
steam troop-ship Urgent, that ship having been
reported ready for their reception by the officers
appointed to survey her.

wirm us TO BE DONE FOB THE NAVY?

(From the United Service Gazette.)

This week we publish another of the series of
important regulations relating to the army. The
commissariat, as our readers will observe, has not
been neglected. No one can rejoice more over these
reforms than ourselves, for we cannot but feel that
we have been instrumental, by the publication of
editorial articles and letters, in bringing them
about. But have we not, at the same time, kept
continually before the authorities and the public,
the neglected state of the officers of the navy ? This
even our worst enemies will concede to us, and if
good results have not yet manifested themselves,
we may hope that they will not be much longer in
abeyance.
It would be difficult, if not impossible, to contrast
the relative position of the two arms. The services
upon which soldiers and sailors are engaged are
very different. The naval officer has not, it is true,
occasion for field allowances, although it cannot be
questioned that his bare pay is inadequate to the
support of his position, particularly when in com-
mand. There is also no staff or garrison pay, for
the naval officer, differing from his ordinary sea
pay ; in a word, there is so much dissimilitude that
a comparison would be a hard, and perhaps invidi-
ous thing to institute. Taking it for granted, how-
ever, that the various details of officers' positions in
the army have been fairly grappled with and
revised, let us see once more what is wanted in the
navy
Foremost among the improvements to be intro-
duced into the navy, should be the thorough re-
vision of the several lists of officers, from flag
officers down to assistant paymasters. Reserved,
retired, and half-pay lists should be closely exa-
mined into, and, if possible, resolved into two
classes—retired full pay and reserved half pay.
All flag officers, whether retired under this or that
Order in Council, should be treated alike, and
placed on the same rate of half pay (255.), rising
in brevet rank to the grade of admiral. The so-
called active list should, at the same time, be re-
duced to 47 officers, each of whom should be capable
of serving afloat—the rest to be placed on the retired
list, enjoying their rates of pay, good service pen-
sions, Btc., the same as if on the active list.
The squadrons red, white, and blue, should be
dispensed with. We are not likely to have a fleet
of 50 or 60 sail of the line again, and if we had, they
Might as easily be divided into three squadrons as
subdivided into nine. Let there be two admirals of
the fleet, not taken by
.senioiority, but selected
among the most distinguished flag officers, and one
to have his flag (union at the main) flying, and be
entitled to a seat at the Board of Admiralty. Ten
admirals to wear red at the main, 15 vice-admirals
with white at the main, and 20 rear-admirals blue
at the main. No admiral except the admiral of the
fleet to hoist a flag over 65, nor an admiral of the
fleet over 70.
The captains' list should be equally well sifted,
and reduced to a number not exceeding the probable
requirements of the active service, eliminating all
over 55. The remainder to be retired with the
rank of commodore, upon 18s. a-day, succeeding, as
at present, by, seniority, to the retired flag list, and
255., and to rise, if qualified, to higher rates. The
active eaptains (if no more acceptable or significant
title can be found for those officers indicative of their
army rank), should be put into divisions—Ports-
mouth, Devonport, Pembroke, Chatham, and Coast
Guard ; each division or depot bearing a rear-
admiral. These officers to be employed wherever
their services are required, whether in harbour or
at sea, at home or abroad. _ _

The commanders' class in the same way should
be strictly overhauled, and only those who are
young, competent, and active retained, who should
be placed on full pay, and attached to the several
naval depots. The remainder should be placed on
retired pay of 12s. 6d. and 14s. a day, according to
seniority. So also with the lieutenants. All the
unseaworthy officers should be retired, and all who
may think themselves seaworthy, yet are over 40
or 45, with the rank of commander, and Bs. 6d.
a day.
Before touching upon the collateral branches,
which we defer till next week, we should like to
point out some of the crying evils attending the
executive branch of the navy. That which is felt
to be most grievous is the uncertain and erratic
course of promotion. So erratic is the course in-
deed that very few can foretell a year beforehand
that he ever will escape from his present rank,
and none the exact time at which the event is likely
to occur. Promotion is, in fact, so uncertain, as to
have earned for the navy the character of being a
lottery. And truly so it is. How many officers are
now captains and C.B.'s, who a few years ago
would have bartered all their prospects for a com-
mander's copimission ? 'And again, how many who
looked forward with confidence to " getting on" in
the service have stuck half-way with no chance of
going further ?
This uncertainty is pregnant with much mis-
chief. It gives rise to feelings of dissatisfaction,
restlessness, and jealousy, and too often induces
officers to descend to mean and deceitful acts in
order to curry favour with the admiral or the Ad-
miralty. Better by far would be the system, pur-
sued in the Marines, of tolerably quick seniority
promotion, with brevet for any particular service.
Next to the bane of uncertain promotion is the
wretched pay of all ranks, especially in command,
under that of admiral The lieutenant in com-
mend has only is. a day more (or 1 ls. a day in
all) than the lieutenant of a ship; whereas the
former has to support a private establishment, and
keep a proper table, while the latter can live for
half or a third of the money in a ward-room. If
promoted to commander% rank, and appointed to