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

THE .4R3IY.

Orders have been received at the head-quarters
of the Royal Engineers, Chatham, directing Lieut.
George Sackville Berkeley and 30 non-commis-
sioned 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
establishment 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.

VHAT IS 2'o BE .pONE' FOR THE NAVY?

(From the United Servise 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
revived, 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 closel exa•

The Termagant, 25, screw frigate, .310 horse- mined into, and, if possible, resolved into two
power, was taken out of Portsmouth harbour yes- classes—retired full pay and reserved half pay.
terdav forenoon at 11.30 by Captain G. T. Gordon All flag officers, whether retired under this or that
and the staff of the steam reserve under his com- Order in Council, should be treated alike, and
mand, to try a steering apparatus, the reputed im- placed on the same rate of half pay (255.), rising
provement of Vice-Admiral W. F. Martin, the in brevet rank to the grade of admiral. The so-
Senior Naval Lord of the Admiralty. The follow- called active list should, at the same time, be re-
ing officers went in the ship to observe and report duced to 47 officers, each of whom should be capable
upon the application :r— Mr Tonkin, Assistant of serving afloat—the rest to be placed on the retired
Master Attendant of Portsmouth Dockyard; Mr. list, enjoying their rates of pay, good service pen-
Aylen, Master of Her Majesty's yacht Victoria and sions, &e., the same as if on the active list.
Albert ; Mr. Bower, Master of the Admiralty yacht The squadrons red, white, and blue, should be
nsborne ; Mr. Ball, Master of Her Majesty's ship dispensed with. We are not likely to have a fleet
.I%.%nnibal ; Mr. Abethel, Master Shipwright, and of 50 or 60 sail of the line again, and if we had, they
is. Moody, Assistant Master Shipwright, of might as easily be divided into three squadrons as
Portsmouth Dockyard. Rear-Admiral George subdivided into nine. Let there be two admirals of
Augustus Eliott, late Captain of the Ordinary at the fleet, not taken by senioiority, but selected
Portsmouth, Captain Robert Harris, commanding among the most distinguished flag officers, and one
Her Majesty's ship Illustrious, and Mr. Janes, the to have his flag (union at the main) flying, and be
Queen's pilot, were also on board. After a cruise entitled to a seat at the Board of Admiralty. Ten
of upwards of three hours, the Termagant returned admirs.ls to wear red at the main, 15 vice-admirals
to harbour moorings. The improvement consists with white at the main, and 20 rear-admirals blue
of a yoke, with a cross lever attached to the head at the main. No admiral except the admiral of the
of the rudder, with other gear ; this does not d' fleet to hoist a flag over 65, nor an admiral of the
away with the wheel now almost universal in all fleet over 70.
ships, but can be connected with it if needful ; the The captains' list should be equally well 'sifted,
ship can also be steered on the lower deck by a and reduced to a number not exceeding the probable
tiller, as usual in most ships. Admiral Martin's requirements of the active service, eliminating all
invention is pronounced by the scientific officers over 55. The remainder to be retired with the
who tried it yesterday as a decided improvement rank of commodore, upon 18s. a-day, succeeding, as
both in making the ship answer her helm quickly at present, by seniority, to the retired flag list, and
and in ease of steering, while the danger of throw- 255., and to rise, if qualified, to higher rates. The
ing a man over by a sudden jerk of the old short active captains (if no more acceptable or significant
tiller is avoided, title can be found for those officers indicative of their
The Falcon, 17, screw-sloop, is expected to hoist army rank), should be put into divisions—Ports-
the pendant at Portsmouth today. mouth, Devonport, Pembroke, Chatham, and Coast
The brig Childers, 12, Commander William Guard ; each division or depot bearing a rear-
Swinburn, from the West Coast of Africa, which admiral. These officers to be employed wherever
arrived on the 10th inst. at Cork, and sailed there- their services are required, whether in harbour or
from on the 17th, put into Plymouth Sound on at sea, at home or abroad.
Sunday, and on Monday morning wa.s:taken in tow The commanders' class in the same way should
by the steam-tug Zephyr, for Chatham, but ex- be strictly overhauled, and only those who are
perienced such strong easterly winds outside, that young, competent, and active retained, who should
she did not get beyond the Bolt Head, and was be placed on full pay, and attached to the several
obliged to put back to the Sound in the evening, naval depots. The remainder should be placed on
The brig was commissioned at Chatham on the 7th retired pay of 12s. 6d. and 14s. a day, according to
of April, 1855, by Commander Hickley, who seniority. So also with the lieutenants. All the
was promoted on the Ist of April, after having unseaworthy officers should be retired, and all who
secured the respect and esteem of all the may think themselves seaworthy, yet are over 40
ship's company. Commander' Swinburn was or 45, with the rank of commander, and Bs. 6d.
promoted to the brig from the steamvessel Pluto, 4 a day.
The Childers has been chiefly employed cruising in Before touching upon the collateral branches,
the North Division, and has not made any cap- which we defer till next week, we should like to
ture during her commission. When coming from point out some of the crying evils attending the
Cork on Friday evening she passed in the Channel executive branch of the navy. That which is felt
a paddlewheel steam sloop, supposed to be the to be most grievous is the uncertain and erratic
Virago, which left Plymouth in the afternoon to course of promotion. So erratic is the course in-
relieve the homeward bound. deed that very few can foretell a year beforehand
Commander Malachi Donellan, and Commander that he ever will escape from his present rank,
William Henry Brand were yesterday promoted to and none the exact time at which the eVent is likely
the reserve half-pay list of captains, vice Captains to occur. Promotion is, in fact, so uncertain, as to
Walker and Gill, deceased. have earned for the navy the character of being a
Vice-Admiral Wilson B. Bigland, K.H., whose lottery. And truly so it is. How many officers are
death has been announced as having occurred at his now captains and C.B.'s, who a few years ago
residence, 26, Lansdowne-terrace, Leamington, after would have bartered all their prospects for a com-
a few days' illness, in the 71st year of his age, was mander's commission ? And again, how many who
midshipman of the Theseus at the capture of three looked forward with confidence to" getting on" in
French frigates off Cape Francois, in 1803, and the service lave stuck half-way with no chance of
served on shore at the attack on Curacoa, in 1804. going further ?
He was promoted to lieutenant March 5, 1808, and This uncertainty is pregnant with much mis-
served in the Pompee at the reduction of Mar- chief. It gives rise to feelings of dissatisfaction,
tinique, and in the Belleisle in the operations restlessness, and jealousy, and too often induces
against Flushing, when he acted as aide-de-camp officers to descend to mean and deceitful acts in
to Sir G. Cockburn. He served in the Implacable order to curry favour with the admiral or the Ad-
at the defence of Cadiz in 1810-11, and flag-lieu- miralty. Better by far would be the system, pur-
tenant in the Sceptre and Marlborough ; and served sued in the Marines, of tolerably quick seniority
in all the important operations in the Chesapeake promotion, with brevet for any particular service.
and coasts of America, including the capture of Next to the bane of uncertain promotion is the
Hampton and boarding the Anaconda at Ocracroke. wretched pay of all ranks, especially in command,
He was promoted to commander June 15, 1814 ; under that of admiral The lieutenant in com-
captain, March6,lB2l 4ietired rear-admiral, March mend has only ls. a day more (or 1 ls, a day in
8, 1852 ; and was place on the list of additional all) than the lieutenant of a ship; whereas the
retired vice-admirals, Oct. 2, 1857. Vice-Admiral former has to support a•private establishment, and
Bigland was a deputy.lieutenant for the county of keep a proper table, while the latter can live for
Lancashire ; was nominated Knight of the Royal half or a third of the money in a ward-room. If
liancitorian Guelphic Order, Jan, 25, 1836 ; and gromoted to commander's rank, and appointed to