The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-21 00:00:00

'BOER.

Kclso l7
Hendon l7
Monmouth ..
Newmarket Ist October 22
West Drayton
,BER.

Newmarket Houghtoo 19
Worcester

A.IBE It,

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:CHASES.

JANUARY, 1868

1..1 Reading

FEBRUARY.
Birmingham

MARCH.
Grand Military l6, 17 I Cheltenham ~...... 2G, 27

SPECIAL CONSTABLES.

The subjoined instructions for the organisation of
special constables, drawn up by order of the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department, were yes-
terday issued :
The defensive measures to be taken under pre-
sent circumstances must as far as possible be of a
quasi permanent charactet—that is to say, must be
calculated to last for some weeks, and possibly
throughout the winter.
The best organisation will be that which is cal-
culated to afford the most ready assistance to the
regular police in the event of an emergency.
With this view a police station in every parish will
be selected as the head-quarters of the. force of
special constables of that parish. The head-quarters
station and every other police station in the parish
will be considered as a rall).iug point for the con-
stables of that parish.
The special constables of ea;...11 parish will select to
command them a superintendent and such number
of deputy superintendents as may be required. The
superintendent and one deputy superintendent will
be attached to head-quarters, and one other deputy
superintendent must be 'attached to every other
police station.
Outlying rallying points may be selected at the
discretion of the superintendent, and au assistant
superintendent must be attached to every such out-
lying rallying point, to act under the direction of
one or other of the deputy superintendents in charge
of the police station to which such outlying rallying
point is subordinate.
The whole force of the special constables in each
parish will be called a division, the portion under

On the occasion of alarm, for example, the occur-
rence of an explosion or serious fire, information
will be given to the police stations of the parish. On
the receipt of the information the police officer at
head-quarters will, without delay, summon the
superintendent of special constables, and, if the case
be urgent, direct the special constables of the parish
to be forthwith called together.
The mode of summoning the special constables
must be agreed upon between the police and the
superintendents of special constables. Every special
constable, when summoned, will repair at once to
his proper rallying point, and there await orders.
In case of doubt as to the extent of the emergency
the officer in charge of the police at head-quarters
will.confer with the superintendent of special con-
Stables, or, in his absence, with the deputy, before
turning out the men.

In the absence of special directions, the superin-
tendent of special constables, in concert with the
officers in charge of the police, will use his discre-
tion as to the distribution of the force, and also to
the general measures to be taken.
By order of the Secretary of State for the Home
Department.

C. B. EWART, Lieut.-Col. R.E.
Office of Special Constables, Wellington
Barracks, S.W., Dec. 20.

711 E ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION AND
THE WAR DEPAR7MENT.

A t the dinner, on Tuesday, at Wolverhampton,
of the Staffordshire Chamber of Agriculture, Major
Anson, 1\1.P., in responding to the toast of "The
Army," alluded to the expedition :to Abyssinia, as
to which he thought the country might congratulate
itself that the Government had selected for its com 2
wand a man like Sir Itobert Napier, whom he had
the pleasure of knowing intimately both in India
and China. It was imposkible to have selected a man
more thoroughly competent to overcome all the dif-
ficulties which that expedition might have to face.
But he thought the reasons for satisfaction ended
there,_ for he could not think that either the objects or
the extent of the exi edition offered grounds for con-
gratulation. We had pledged ourselves beforehand
not to occupy the country under any circumstances,
SO that the success of the expedition depended solely
on our success in releasing the prisoners. The object,
he thought, would have been far better accomplished
by a smaller force. He did not undetstand why
they wanted 12,000 men, with some 20,000 camp
follower?, to penetrate into a country defended by
unarmed and uncivilised people. Such a thing al-
most made him blush with shame for his country.
He feared, too, that the possibili,y of their friend
Theodore killing the prisoners or taking them cut
of our reach lad not been sufliciehtly considered.
Was there not the danger that they might find
themselves on the heights of Abyssinia with a wag-
nificent army, unable to inflict punishment or to
take revenge, with nothing to du but to march back
to their ships, amid the laughter of the world ? Ile
was by no means in favour of extending the terri-
tory of the country, but he thought it was a pity
we should have announced beforehand our deter-
mination not to occupy • it. Suppose it should
love to be a country of great natural resources,
would not other nations cast 'a covetous eye upon
it? and would not the task of the dog in the
manger devolve upon us ? for we could hardly allow
others to occupy the highway to India. He must
say that he regretted that England had publicly
proclaimed that her part was played out, and. that
she would leave to others the functions in the un-
civilised world which she had hitherto so well per-
formed. While fully alive to the responsibilities,
the drawbacks, and the dangers of a too-extended
empire, he thought the danger lay not so much in
judicious grafting as in never pruning. From his
knowledge of the army, he must say he was glad,
as the expedition had been undertaken, it was put
into the handsof the Indian Government, for it could
organise an expedition and send out an army, which
he was very much afraid was more than the War
Department in this country could do, for the very
slight portion of the work which had fallen to its
share proved that the extravagance and want of orga-
nisation which bad been so disa4rous in former days
existed as strong as ever. It. was a scandal that it
should be so, but he blamed the House of Com-
mons and the Secretary of State for War more than
he did the War Department, since they had the
cure in their hands if they chose to exert the
power ; but the House of Commons was too lazy to
exert itself, except on great party questions, and the
Secretaries of State held office for too short a time not
to prefer while doing so a pleasant life, and to pull
well with the permanent officials on whom they had
to depend for their information. The consequence
was, that the whole time of a Secretary of State
was occupied in trying to hush up and explain
away the cases of inefficiency, extravagance, and
stupidity that kept constantly cropping up in the
columns of the press or in the shape of questions
in the House of Commons, instead of taking delight
in publicity, in order to have his hands strength-
ened for reform. Major Anson went on to insist
on the absolute necessity, in consequence of the
great changes which had taken place in the azt o
war, that officers should have a higher education
than bad hitherto been considered necessary ; and
also that the education of the soldiers should be
carefully looked to, as all recent changes in the
weapons of war made the individual soldier more
dependent upon his own judgment. This was of
gieater consequence in our army, because as a rule
it was not recruited from all classes, as abroad, but
from the lowest and least instructed part of the
population.

E 140 RD CII ANC ELLO R'S GS.---Four years
have now passed since the act for the augaientation of
benefices in the gift of the Lord Chancellor came int• ope-
ration. In that period 83 of the poorer advowsous have
been sold, and ten of the livings of a clear yearly value of
£2OO or more. Among the present year's sales of the
former class is the advowson of West Newton, Norfolk,
purchased by the Prin3e of Wales for £1,200. The total
amount of the purchase-money of the advowsons sold is
£174,609, including £5,450 secured by rent charges or land.
The amount received from sales of the higher class (4
livings under the 231 and 2 ith sections of the act has
enabled the Lord Chancellor to apply £20,900 in augmen-
tation of olher livings and grants for parsonage houses, and
to appropriate afurther sum of £9,Boofor the like purposes
under a scheme of last May to meet benefactions provided
from other sources.
" Dear airs,-1 was for years a great sufferer from
dyep'psia, accompanied with heartburn, spasms, and severe
cramps and pains in the stomach, for which I tried a num-
ter of medicines to no purpose, until a friend persuaded
ma to try your Pain Killer, which gave me immediate re-
lief. I have used it now five or six years, and would not
be without it at any price.—Yours, &c., MARTHA BROWN-
HILL, Dudley, May 2, 1867." " Sirs,—l can with confidence
recommend your excellent medicine the Pain Killer for
rheumatism, indigestion, and toothache, having proved its
efficacy in these complaints.—Yours, ecc., REUISEN
CiiELL, Dolton, June 11, 1859. To Perry Davis and Son,
17, Suutha:upton-row, Holborn (W.C.)." None genuine
without the words PAIN KILLER on the Government
stamp. Sold by all chemists.—CADrr.)

The balance-sheet gives a total of £683, under the head
of receipts and balance from last year. The sums paid
for expenses of demonstrations and public meetings
amounted to 2121 128. 4d., and, including this sum, the
total cxbsnditure was £640 15s. 101 d., leaving a balance
of £33 164. 4d. in hand. The assets exceed the liabilities,
by £sola 4d.