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

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PRICE 4d.
STAMPED sd.

the direction of each deputy superintendent will be
a sub-division, and the detachments under assistant
superintendents will be sections. Each deputy
superintendent and assistant superintendent should
be provided with a list of the names and addresses
of the constables to act under his direction.
At each police station a similar list should be de-
posited of the subdivision attached to that station,
distinguishing the men required to assemble at the
station itself, and the subordinate outlying station
(if any) respectively.
The numbers of special constables sworn in for
each parish, and names and addresses of the officers
appointed to direct them, should be forwarded as
soon as possible to Lieutenant-Colonel wart, R.E,,
Special Constables' Committee-roo ellington
Barracks, S.W.

Superintendents may obtain information in rela-
tion to their duties ou application to Lieut.-Colonel
E wart, R.E.

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
mist 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. EWAIZT, Lieut.-Col. RE.
Office of Special Constables, Wellington
Barracks, S.W., Dec. 20.

711 T: A BYSSI AN EXPEDITION AND
THE WAR DEPAR7 -VENT.

A t the dinner, on Tuesday, at Wolverhampton,
of the Staffordshire chamber of Agriculture, Major
Anson, M.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:
wand a man like Sir Robert Napier, whom he had
the pleasure of knowing intimately both in India
and China. It was impossible 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 bad 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 understand why
.hey wanted 12,000 men, with some 20,000 camp
followers, to penetrate into a country defended by
unarmed and uncivilised people. Such a thing al-
most made him blush with shame for his country.
lle feared, too, that the possibility of their friend
Theodore killing the prisoners or taking them out
of our reach bad not been sufficiently considered.
Was there not the danger that they might find
themselves on the heights of Abyssinia with a mag-
nificent army, unable to inflict punishment or to
take revenge, with nothing to do but to march back
to their ships, amid the laughter of the world ? He
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
prove 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 hands of 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 had been so disastrous 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 llouse 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 art o
war, that officers should have a higher education
than had hitherto bee❑ 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
greater 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.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR'S LIVINGS.—Four years
have now passed since the act for the augmentation of
benefices in the gift of the Lord Chancellor came into ope-
ration. In that period 83 of the poorer advowsons 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 Prince of Wales for £1,200. Tho 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 of
livings under the 23d and 2111 sections of the act has
enabled the Lord Chancellor to apply £20,900 in augmen-
tation of other livings and grants for parsonage houses, and
to appropriate a f urther sum of £9,800 for the like purposes
under a scheme of last May to meet benefactions provided
from other sources. . _

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