The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-27 00:00:00

gentlemen, he was of opinion that an inquiry would effect
great good. _

111 r. BUXTON tholight it was bad for boys themselves
to begin their professional education at a very early age,
or that they should mix only with boys suoh as at Sand-
hurst, who were intended exclusively f,r the military pro-
fession.
Mr. DEASY believed the course adopted by the Cloverns
ment was a retrograde movement, and he hoped the house
would not consent to the proposed alteration.
Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT thought the house had now
arrived at a clear apprehension of what the changes were
which were contemplated with respect to the mode of
admission to the army. He thought nothing could be
more absurd than to say th y were to return from com-
petition to nomination, and nothing could be more credit-
able to the Commander-in-Chief than to give up the
patronage which he possessed. Under the new system
tutroduced by Lord Panmure, candidates were to be ad•
mitted to the theoretical class at Woolwich, but not to the
practical class. What he (Mr S. H.-rbert) proposed was,
that Sandhurst should be enlarged, and that the age of the
c rmlidates should be if creased from 16 to 17 years, so ae to
admit the young men who had passed their first examina-
tion at Sandhurst, to be eligible to enter into the competi-
tion at Woolwich. By that course, they would keep the
young men up to the mark so long as there was conopeti-
tion ; but they would never have the efficiency under com-
petition so long as competition was not kept up to the
mark, and that would be the ca-e with the examinations
at Woolwich if competition was not kept up to the mark.
Another question had been raised, whether Sandhurst
should not be kept up as a monopoly, regulated by a scale
of payments, in which general officers were to pay less for
the education of their sous than other ranks and classes of
society were to pay. When he was Secretary for War, he
did his best to resist airy scheme of that kind; but he
thought it was net the duty of the State to give gratuitous
military education to any class on the ground of destitu-
tion of the party seeking it. He believed all the costs of
e lucation had bee re luced, and the question now resolved
itself into a question of costa. The original plan, which he
hoped to see followed out, was, that young men might be
admitted by competitive examination to the practical class
at Woolwich. The system of nomination was gone, not,
he hoped, to be pushed back. The gallant general said it
was, in his opinion, desirable to have a commission of in-
quiry ; thcy had had commissions of inquiry before ; and
he would suggest to the gallant general, instead of waiting
for inquiry, to bring his own common sense, of which he
possessed a good stock, to bear upon the question, and to
go on by competitive examination, by which they would
obtain an able and well-educated class of men for the ser-
vice.

Mr. P. 0' r'RIEN. hoped the system of competition
would not be abolished.
Lord V aNE TE A PEST said he had served with foreign
armies, and he was enabled to say, from observation and
experience, that the education of foreign officers was not,
in his opinion, superior to that of English officers.
Mr. ROEBUCK wished to say a few words to the right
hon. gentleman the member for Limerick about his
motion. The motion was that they should vote an Ad-
dress to the Queen not to allow any change to take place
in the existing system at the present time. Now, he
wanted to know what the present time meant, and what
the existing system was. As he understood, Lord Pan-
mare, at the beginning of the war, altered the system, but
at the end he chaeigee it again. Now, whether was it the
last or the first system that was to be in existence ! The
bottle ought to know what the present state of things was,
and not to proceed to pass a resolution without knowing
what it was they were doing.
Mr. MONSELL, after a few words by Mr. PALS,
which, owing to the noise that prevailed by cries of
" Divide," were inaudible, begged to suggest a slight alte-
ration in his motion, and to propose, instead of the words
"existing arrangements," to insert " the principle of ex-
isting arrangements."
Mr. WALPOLE said that Lord Pan mure had established
these open examinations during the war, with the under-
standing that at the peace they should terminate. His
gallant friend (general Peel) had continued them for two
examinations longer. The right hon. member for Wilt.
shire thought it very desirable that these examinations
should continue, but still was of opinion that the matter
should be left in the hands of his gallant friend, who un-
derstood all its bearings so well.
Captain VIVIAN thought it necessary that the question
should he settled one way or the other, and that the
public should know if Sandhurst was to have a monopoly
of the cadetships. It would have a most injurious effect
if the matter were hung up for two years.
General PEEL said there had been no alteration in the
system, and wished to know whether it was meant to ex-
clude Sandhurst.
The house divided—
For the motion
For the amendment 217
Majority — 40
The announcement of the division was received with
loud cheers by the Opposition.
The address was then agreed to.
EXCISE DUTIES BILL.
On the motion that this bill be read a second time,
Mr. P. O'BRIEN said he had a petition to present
against the bli from the traders of Dublin.
Sergeant DEASY wished to enter his protest against
selecting Ireland alone for the purpose of making up a dee
ficiency of the revenue. He woule not, however, offer any
opposition to the passing of the bill, but he thought that
among other taxes of local burthen, that for the general
valuation should be placed on the national exchequer.
Mr. P. O'BRIEN could not assent to the suggestion of
compromise made by the hon. and learned member for
Cork. The measure was not •only an injustice to Ireland,
because it saddled one portion of the kingdom with the
whole of the deficit in the revenue for the year, bat he
contended that it weal(' not realise the amount anticipated
by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. He moved that the
bill be read a second time that day six months.
Mr. ESMONDE seeen 'od tie amendment.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the hon. members who
had opposed this bill had not shown any sufficient grounds
for its rejection. On former occasions it had been contended
that the increase of duty would lead to a large amount of
illicit distillation, and that the employment of the constabu-
lary in excise cases would make them unpopular. Both these
predictions had been falsified by subsequent experience. The
additions to the duty had not increased illicit distillation, and
so far as he was aware, the constabulary were still as popular
and as efficient a body as before the duty was increased. These
two grounds were those mainly relied upon in former yews by
the opponents of any addition to the duty upon Irish spirits,
and as they had proved fallacies in practice, they could not
now be urged with the weight waich attached to them pre-
vious to experience. (Hear, hear ) Looking at the question
in the abstract, he could not see why such a duty as that on
sprit should not be equalised in all parts of the kingdom.
He believed thl if it was so in Ireland the effect would be to
benefit the largo distiller and manufacturer of spirits, and
enable them to compete more successfully with the Scotch
and English distillers than they were now able to do ; and,
indeed, if the bill passed, he believed that it would be a boon
to the dealers of this particular article is Ireland.
Mr. GROGAN said the hon. and learned gentleman had
forgotten o o class of dealers whom the bill would affect
most injuriously—he meant the retail dealers. The effect
might be beneficial to the large distillers, but to the large
body of publicans, who had investea a great amount of capital
in their businesses, and who supplied the wants of the
general body of the public, the effect must be injurious and
in many eases ruinous. If this measure was passed, he
thought that home-made spirits should be placed on the same
footing as colonial and foreign spirits in this respect. It was
right the evenuo should be protected, but injustice
like this ought not to be comniit.ed. He did not believe
that a particular trade could not bear such an increase as from
2s. Bd. a gal on to 7s lad, in four years, and should, there-
fore, support the motion.
Mr. MAI;AN supported Ale amendment.
Mr. M'EVOY disputed the calculation of the Chancellor of
the Exchequer with respect to the probable amount of the
tax, He believed that no increase in the revenue would
accrue from the impo ition of an increased duty.
After a few remarks from Lord NAAS and Mr. M'CAlle
THY, the house divided, and the numbers—
For the second reading
For the amendment
Majority
—192
The bill was then read a second time.
CHELSEA WATERWORKS BILL.
The bill was read a third time.
EXLITEQUER BILLS.
The Exchequer Bills, 20,911,500/., Bill was read a third
time.

THE FRANCHISE PRISONS BILL.
This bill was read a second time ' •
LONDON CORPORATION REGULATION BILL.
Mr BAINES moved that eavc be given for the Corporation
of the City of London to be heard by counsel before the select
c mvnittee on the Corporation Regulation Bill, against clause
66 of the said bill.

Mr. WYLD hoped the committee would be an open one,
as here were many objectionable clauses in the bid to which
exception might be taken. •

Mr. WALT'OLE thought that the Corporation of the
City of Loudon would be S 3 well represented on the coin.
mittee, that-there was no necessity for it being an open one.
Mr. COX said that, as a citizen of London, he objected to
ever al of the clauses of the bill. He believed that many of
the citizens also objected to these clauses. He thought they
onght to have an opportunity of urging their objections be•
fore the committee.
The motion was, however, agreed to.
THE RIVER THAMES.
Mr. KENDALL moved the appointment of a select com-
mittee to tike into consideration Mr. Gurney's report " On
the state of the River Thames," and such other su_4gestions
as they might deem it expedient to entertain for its purifica-
tum, especial .y in tho immediate vicinity of the Houses of
Parliament.—Agreed to. •

LAND. TRANSPORT CORPS.
Lord A. V. TEMPEST moved for a select committee to in-
quire into the justice of the complaints of the officers of the
Land Transport Corps, as set forth in their pet tion, pre.
sented to this house, Aug. 1857, alleging that they had not
received the rate of half-pay which, they state, they were en.
titled to claim.—Agreed to.

TROOPS IN THE EAST INDIES.
Mr MACARTpTEY moved for a return of the number of
British troops now serving in India and chargeable to the
revenues of that countty, showing the number under each
branch of the service, namely staff, cavalry, infantry, artil-
lery, engineers, marines, and sailors, and the total cost of
same for one year, ending Ist Jan., 1858, And, like return
of the British forces serving in India, and the total cost of
the same for the year coding lstJan., 1856.—Agreod to.
The house then adjourned at a quarter past 1 o'clock.

BIRTHS.
BADDELEY—On the 23d inst.,
at Waltham Abbey, the
wife of Major Fraser Baddeley, Royal Artillery, of a
daughter.
LANK ESTER—On the 25th inst., at 8, Saville-row, Bur-
jington-gardens, the wife of Edwin Lankester, M.D.,
F.R.S., of a daughter.

MARRIAGES.
HAWKER - JONES—On the 22d inst., at the Church Of
Nicholas, Brighton, William Henry, son of Admiral
Hawker, of Ashford Lodge, Hants, to Eugenia Eliza-
beth, youngest daughter of the late J. Jones, Esq., of
Derry Ormond, Cardiganshire.
LEWIS—HUNT— On the 21st inst., at St. Margaretia,West-
minster, Lauriston w interbotham Lewis, Lig. of Tewks-
bury, solicitor, to Walterine Wood, third daughter of
John Hunt, Esq., of Man?hester.

---•
DEATHS.
B Henryß in
D—On the 23d st., at Cave Castle, Yorkshire,
He Gee Barnard, Esq , aged 69.
CARpEN—On the 22d inst., at Ramoan Rectory, Bally.
castle, county Antrim, Admiral John Burman Carden,
aged 87.
FAmmAN—On the 24th inst., at Lynsted, near Sitting-
bourne, Samuel Creed Fairman Esq., aged 67.

LorpoN Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG,
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sum Office, No.
112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county
of Middlesex, Tacstlay, April 27, 1858,