The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-27 00:00:00

CO3IIITANDERS OF _REGIMENTS.

The following confidential circular memorandum
has been addressed to general .officers and to offi-
cers commanding regiments and depots :
" Horse Guards, S.W., Oct. 5.
" On the 19th July, 185 S, a general order di-
rected the attention of commanding officers to the
necessity of having officers examined for promotion
without waiting for expected vacancies, and pointed
out the inconvenience to the service, and the in-
jury to interests of individuals, arising from procra-
stination and disregard of the regulations on this
head.

" That order has been unpardonably neglected,
and at this time:there are numerous regiments from
which no examination papers from the ranks of
Captain or Lieutenant have been received. The
neglect of this duty calls for the severest reprehen-
sion of the General Commanding-in-Chief, who re-
grets to find many commanding officers so utterly
unmind
ful of the interests of those under their
command.
" The co: ps to which this rebuke especially ap-
plies are those named in the margin.*
" His Royal Highness requests that the general
officers under whom these corps or their depots,
arc serving will call upon the commanding officers
to explain the cause of their remissness, and enjoin
them strictly to fulfil their duty.
" The General Commanding-in-Chief has had oc-
casion frequently to remark on the insufficiency of
the examination--to -which officers are 'su-djected ;
many of the questions being such as are not calcu-
lated to elicit the professional acquirements of those
under examination on important points, and, his
Royal Highness regrets to add, sometimes evincing
a want of intelligence on the part of the examiners.
The answers to the questions are often badly ex-
pressed, and written:in a careless and illegible man-
ner ; the inaccuracies are not noted by the Board ;
nor, in forwarding the proceedings, do general offi-
cers at all times give the required opinion on the
course of the examination and the eligibility of the
examined. When boards examine officers of diffe-
rent regiments, the proceedings in connection with
each regiment are to be transmitted separately.
" Hit Royal Highness trusts he may not be
obliged to recur to this subject, and assures com-
manding officers that be will not recommend officers
for promotion unless their certificates of qualifica-
tion have been received ; and he holds commanding
officers responsible for the neglect of a regulation
in which public as well as private interests are so
much involved.—By order of his Royal Highness,
the General Commanding-in-Chief,
" G. A. WETIIERALL, Adjut.-Gen."

* " For the rank of Captain.-12th Lancers; 3d Foot,
2d battalion; 4th Foot, 2d battalion ; 7th Foot, Ist battalion;
Bth Foot, Ist battalion; 9th Foot, 2d battalion; 18th Foot,
2d battalion ; 20th Foot, Ist and 2d battalions ; 21st Foot,
Ist battalion; 24th Foot, 2d battalion; 29th Foot; 30th
Foot ; 34th Foot ; 35th Foot.; 42t1 Foot ; 43d Foot ; 54th
Foot ; 60th Foot, Ist, 2d, 3d, and 4th battalions ; 61st Foot;
63d Foot ;SGith Foot; 66th Foot ; 79th Foot'; 81st Foot;
82d Foot ; 83d Foot ; 84th Foot ; 85th Foot ; 90th Foot ;
93d Foot; 97th Foot; Ist West India Regiment; 3d West
India Regiment; Royal Newfoundland Companies ; St.
Helena Regiment.
" For the rank of Lieutenant.-24th Foot, 2d battalion ;
42d Foot ; 56th Foot ; 60th Foot, 4th battalion ; 61st Foot;
79th Foot ; 8241 Foot ; 93d Foot ; 97th Foot ; Royal New-
foundland Companies."