The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, APRIL 2, 1861.

was the retention of the punishment of the lash,

and hon. members found it difficult to make up

.heir minds upon the subject. The numbers pro

and con were pretty evenly balanced, the division
on Sir JOHN PAKINGTON'S new clause being 175

against 162. This clause, which was suggested by
Sir GEORGE GREY the other evening, has been

therefore substituted for clause 22, about which

lere was so much discussion. It removes all dis-
tinction of classes in the matter, and restricts

the punishment of flogging in time of
peace to two cases only—those of mutiny
and aggravated insubordination ; that is to say,
insubordination accompanied by personal violence.

Of course thesJ two offences are among the most

serious in the military calendar, and in foreign
armies are, even in times of peace, punishable by
death ; and, consequently, if the obnoxious punish-
ment is to be retained at all, it must naturally be
applied to such offenders. The removal of the pri-
vileges of the first class is in reality only nominal,

since they are now liable to the lash for mutiny.
There was a strong feeling in the House against

infliction of the punishment under any excuse what.

ever ; and Mr. OTWAT gave notice that on a suture
occasion he would renew his opposition. We have
very little doubt that he will eventually be success-
ful, and that in time of peace the punishment of

flogging may be altogether abandoned. Discipline
is of course indispensable, and a firm hand is neces-
sary to rule the turbulent spirits who are often to
be found among our recruits. But the question is
whether by adapting the discipline of the whole
army to the worst exceptions we are not really de-

'eating our own object. Would it not be better to
ry to raise the character of the army to the level
of the best class of men rather than lower
the tone of the recruits ? It is very much to .be
doubted whether this idea of the lash has not
something to do with the class of recruits which we
get most readily. Men who must be ruled by the
lash, even in times of peace, are likely to be ques-
tionable advantages to the army, and it is hardly
worth while to disgust the better class of men with
the service for the sake of retaining them. As for
the argument that every raw recruit is a great ex-
pense, and that when he has been taught his duties
the country cannot afford to lose his services, that
is very insufficient. A turbulent and disorderly
soldier is likely to cost the country a great deal
more than he is worth, and to persist in retaining
him in a service of which be has proved unworthy
is, in common parlance, to throw good money
after bad. The name of the lash is a very un-
welcome one to English ears, and, combined with
other drawbacks to the service, makes recruiting
unpopular among the better classes. If, instead
of getting a number of men who are fit for no
other occupation, and who are naturally reckless
of consequences as of character, we could recruit
our army more largely from those educated and
conscientious men who are not wanting in
any other branch of life, we should be very
largely the gainers, even if we had to pay more
money, and to modify our military code. Mr.
OTWAT was naturally disappointed at not having
achieved more, but in spite of the apparent retro-
gression a good deal was really effected in the way
of reform. Corporal punishment has been abolished
for eight or ten offences, restricting it to the two
specified, and the view taken by the house generally
of the subject will no doubt stimulate the authorities
to further changes. Sir H. VERNEY reminded the
house that in France out of 123 military offences
43 were punished with death, and upon an American
General being questioned as to the discipline
of the American army he replied that flogging
was against the articles of war—they flogged
th. bad ena...,t.r. ..fter .n. We agree with
Major JERK Is that the best way would be to
get rid of such vicious characters instead of
flogging them and keeping them in the army, and
we should be glad to see a thorough change in this
matter. The Duke of WELLINGTON, certainly no
lax disciplinarian, said, many years ago, that he
hoped to see the day when corporal punishment
would be abolished altogether, and such a reform
would be fully in accordance with the spirit of the
time. Something will be gained if it is clearly
understood that the punishment can only be in-
flicted for two specified offences under the autho-
rity of a court-martial ; and if we can obtain some
alteration in the provision for aged and enfeebled
soldiers, no doubt the recruiting sergeant will be-
come more popular and more successful.
In the Upper House last evening a point of some
interest to soldiers was raised by the Earl of
HARDWICKE, who, in presenting a petition from
Colchester, made some very just and sensible re-
marks upon the desirability of providing soldiers
with some employment during their leisure hours.
At present the soldier has about eight hours' idle-
ness out of the twenty-four, and the manner in
which he usually spends them is alike damaging to
his health, his character, and his efficiency in his
profession. They are not generally men of much
education, and have every temptation, during this
time of enforced idleness, to get into habits of
dissipation, most injurious to them and to
the service. The suggestion of the peti-
tion was a very reasonable one—that at the
various stations where the troops were permanently
placed the men should be employed in
some useful
work, which would tend to their instruction and
general health, and might be also remunerative to
them. If four hours out of the idle eight were thus
employed, at a pay of three halfpence an hour, the
money which the Government would have to give
them at the end of their term of service would be a
valuable addition to their savings. Lord LONGFORD
and the Duke of CAMBRIDGE fully approved
of the principle, but thought great difficulties
would be found in the way of the practice.
These obstacles, however, appear to be somewhat
over-rated, and we have no doubt that a little
energy and determination would remove them. As
for the objection of the expense in providing
gardens, workshops, &c., it can hardly be ac-
cepted as valid. Such petty savings in the health
and comfort of the rank and file are a very great
' mistake. The fact is that in all established in-
stitutions reforms are difficult to introduce, having
to encounter a formidable front of indifference
and prejudice. Nevertheless, when an object is
reasonable and good, its pursuit should not be
lightly abandoned in deference to the opinion of
any one or two individuals, however meritorious ;
and so we trust that the question of employment
for our soldiers will not be suffered to drop, but
that in this as in other matters connected with
the service a new and more liberal spirit may be
allowed to prevail.
.ds

The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg is now the chief
topic of conversation as regards foreign politics in
all quarters. Last, night, in the House of Commons,
Lord STANLEY replied to Mr. SANDFORD on the sub-
ject that he had in the morning received a despatch
from the Hague, containing a translation of a notice
which appeared in the official organ of the Govern-
ment of Holland, to the effect that it contradicted
the news positively, on the part of the Luxemburg
Chancellerie, of the report that a cession of the
Grand Duchy had taken place. The noble lord
added that he had no doubt that communica-
tions bad passed between the Governments of