The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-02 00:00:00

EDUCATION. IN THE ARMY..

The following is a copy of any instructions
which may have been issued by the Commander in-
Chief rt specting Examinationa to be required on the
admission or promotion of Officers in the Army :"
" CONFIDENTIAL bLiEMORANDUN.
" Horse• Guards, May 14, 1350.

" Her Majesty has been pleased to command that the
candidates tor commissions, and for promotion in her
army, should be qualified by knowledge and attainments
previously to their appointment to commissions of the
first named, and to the promotion to superior rank of
those thus appointed.
" The qualifications required of candidates for com-
missions have been made known to their friends, and the
time and place of examination Witt be stated in each
case, so as that an examination may take place before
any one is appointed to a commission.
Before officers can be recommended for promotion
to the rank of lieutenant in any regiment, the command-
ing officer must have them examined by a board of
officers, consisting of himself, another field officer, if there
should be one present with the regiment, and the senior
captain of the re2inaent; and if there should be no field
officer present with the regiment, the two senior cap-
tains present.

" This board must report to the Military Secretary,
for the information of the Commander-in-Chief, that the
officers about to be recommended for promotion to the
rank of lieutenant are instructed on the following
points:—
" 1. They must have a perfect knowledge of the stan-
ding orders of the regiments in which they are serving.
"2. Trey malt have a knowledge and mast give an
acc.)unt of the duties they have to perform as regimental
orderly officers, and as officers commanding guards, or as
subaltern officers of guards under command of officers
of superior rank.
"3. They must have a knowledge of the words of
command for the manual and platoon exercise.
"4. They must be able to put the company through
the manual and platoon exercise, and be capable of ex-
ercising both a squad and company in the drill and evo-
lutions as prescribed in the first two parts of the regula-
tions for the field exercise of the infantry.
" 5. They should know exactly the place of all the
company officers in every situation of the battalion,
whether in line, or in open, close, quarter, or half-dis-
tance column, and whether right or left in front.
" 6. They must have a knowledge of the general re-
gulations and orders of the army, and of the Mutiny
Act. and Article's of War.

"7. They should be acquainted with the Queen's re-
gulations and warrants regulating the description and
qualities of the necessaries of soldiers, of the price of
each article, and the regulations applicable to the same.
"8. They should know the weight of the knapsack;
the weight of the soldier's firelock; of his pouch, with
or without the. ammunition which it is calculated to
carry; of his accoutrements, with or without the bayonet;
the weight of the musket, with or without the bayonet;
of the bayonet, whh or without the scabbard.
" 9. In addition to such portions of the above as may
apply to the cavalry service, the cornets should be re-
quired to be well acquainted with all their stable and
barrack duties, to.have completed their course of instruc-
tion in the riding-school, and to be able to exercise a
troop both on foot and mounted.
" Lieutenants who shall have entered the service since
July, 1849, will be required, before they can be recom-
mended for promotion to the rank of captain, to have—
" 10. A competent knowledge of geography.
" 11. OF history, ancient and modern.
" 12. Of the first six books of Euclid.
" 13. Of the properties of the circle.
" 14. Of algebra, to quadratic equations inclusive.
" 15. Of the use of logarithms.
" 16. Of plane trigonometry, and
"17. Mensuration.
" 18. They must have studied permanent and field
fo, tification, and

" 19. Have so fir a practical knowledge of the science
as to he capable of projecting a front of fortification,
according to thf, first system of Vauban.
"20. They muss be perfectly acquainted with the pro-
visions cf the Mutiny Act and Articles of War.
"21. And with the forms and proceedings of courts-
martial.

"22. They should have studiel some of the ittndard
works on courts-martial.

" 23. They mast understand perfectly the evolutions
of a battalion of infantry or regiment of cavalry, as laid
down in the regulations for those services respectively.
" 24. They must be acquainted with the light infantry
drill.

"25. They must perfectly understand the interior
economy of a troop or company, the regulations for the
messing and subsistence of the soldiers, and the esta-
blished system of keeping their accounts.
" 26. Tbey must have a knowledge of the Royal
warrants which regulate the pay, provisioning, pen-
sions, rewards, periods of service, clothing and equip-
ment of the soldier.

" 27. They must be acquainted with the general re-
gulations and orders of the army, more particularly with
those for the Government and management of the troops
embarked in transports or convict ships.
" 28. And it must be ascertained that they are com-
petent to take charge of a company or detachment in
every position in which it might be placed.
" Lieweisants who entered the service prior to July,
1849, will, after July, 1852, be required, before they can
be reccmmended for promotion to the rank of captain, to
have—

" 10 (a). A competent knowledge of geography.
" 11 (a). Oe English history.
" 12 (a). Of the first four books of Euclid.
" .14 (a). Of algebra, to simple equations inclusive.
"19 (a). And so fAr a practical knowledge of the
sciecce of fortification as to be capable of projecting a
front or fortification according to the first system of
Vauban.

" 20 (a). They must be perfectly acquainted with the
provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War.
"21 (a). And with the forms and proceedings of
courts-martisl.

" 22 (a). They must have studied some of the standard
works on courts-martial.

" 23 (a). They must understand perfectly the evolu-
tions of a battalion of infantry or regiment of cavalry,
as laid down in the regulations of those services respec-
tively.
" 24 (a). They must be acquainted with light infantry
drill.

"23 (a). They must perfectly understand the interior
economy of a troop or company, the regulations for the
messing and subsistence of soldiers, and the established
system of keeping their accounts.
" 26 (a). They must have a knowledge of the Royal
warrants which regulate the pay, provisioning, pensions,
rewards, periods of service, clothing and equipment of
the soldier.

" 27 (a). They must be acquainted with the general
regulations and orders of the army, more particularly
with those for the government and management of troops
embarked in transports cr convict ships.
28 (a). And it must ba ascertained that they are
competent to take charge of a company or detachment
in every position in which it might be placid.
"It is to be distinctly understood that, they are to
compete the remainder of the course prescribed for the
lieutenants who entered the service subsequently to July,
1849, before they can be declared eligible to become field
officers.

These examinations of officers for the rank of cap-
tain must be made by boards of officers, to be appointed
by the commanding officer, composed of the three senior
officers of the regiment, as far as relates to matters of re-
gimental economy, detail, or discipline, and must be re-
ported to the Military Secretary in every case of a lieu-
tenant recommended by the commanding officer to be
promoted to be captain of a troop or company.
" Till the month of July, 1852, officers recommended
for promotion to the rank of captaia in their several re-
giments need not be examined on the points stated in
Nos. 10, 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, of this order,
unless it should bo known to the Commander-in-Chief
that such officers had passed one year in the United
Kingdom subsequently to the Ist of June, 1850, in which
case he will require that such officers should pass an ex-
amination as required by this order for the lieutenants
who erstored the service) antecedently to 1849.
"Any officer of the rank of lieutenant in a regiment
serving within the United Kingdom, who may have en-
tered his name as a purchaser of a troop or company,
may, through his commanding officer, express his desire
to be examined in respect to his required attainments, as
specii;A in thiS order, upon which demand the Com-
mander-in-Chief will give such orders as may be proper
and necessary.
"'Orders will hereafter be given to provide far the
examination of officers serving abroad, in respect to their
qualifications and attainments, preparatory to their being
recommended for promotion to the rank of captain.
' "By command of Field-Marshal
" THE DERE OF WELLINGTON,
Commander-in-Chiet.
G. Bnowsr, Adjutant-General."

" Horse Guards, June 6, 1850.

"Sir,—l have it in command to explain,
with re~er-
enoo to the circular ISI emorand m of the 14th ult., that
although the educational part of the examination of offi-
cers, preparatory to obtaining the rank of captain, is
proposed to be deferred for two years, the professional
portion of it i 3 to be carried into effect immediately;
and that henceforth the qualifications of candidates for
promotion to the ranks of lieutenant and captain respec-
tively, as far as relates to military evolutions and to the
&tails of regimental discipline and economy, are to be
duly ascertained by a board composed of the three s:.nior
officers prevent with the regiment, as thcrein prescribed,
whose certificate must accompany all future rzconinien-
dations for promotion. " I have,
" G. BELI,WN, Aejatant-Gencral.
a Officer Commanding."

THE FOREiuN AND COLONIAL

MAILS FOR AUGUST.
The following are the dates on which the foreign
and colonial mails (according to the new arrangement
which comes into operation to-morrow) will be made
np at the General Post-office, St. Martin's-le-Grand,
and. when the return packets will be due at Southamp-
ton, Liverpool, Falmouth, Dover and London :—For the
British and Foreign colonies in the West Indies (except
Vera Cruz, Tampico, Havannah, Honduras, Nassau and
Jacmel), Venezuela. Grey Town (San Juan de Nica-
ragua), Granada, Chili, Peru, Sca ,on the mornings of
the 2d and 17th inst.; Vera Cruz, Mexico, and
Tarnpco, on the mornings of the 2d inst. only;
Has-annul:li Honduras, Nassau, Jacmel, Sc.c, on the
morning of the 17th only; by steam-packets from
Southampton. The Trent steamer for the mails
of to-morrow; next packets due on the 7th and
22d inst., at Southampton. (In future mails for
I:lava:lrish, Honduras, Nassau, and Janinel will be for-
warded only by the packet leaving on the 17th, and
Vera Cruz and Tampico by the packet of the 2d of each
month. The mails for the the western coast of South
America will be dispatched as far as Panama by the