The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-07-11 00:00:00

AMT PROMOTIONS,

A c6SI3IISkON on Promotion 1n the Army has
just ptesenteil Its report, in which some important
changes in the present system aro tttcommended,
and -116 doubt, receive the -sanction of the
Crown. It was one of the frnits.t,f the last long
war, thlit vave were left with' ti,itinnense number of
officers,'Aterly disproportionatc4.3 the army which
Iheylhaa to command; and hsql. system of promo-
lion by seniority necessdiity prevailed when no
oppoitanities for distiectiOn 'by active services

'presented themselves, :it 'has'ti'ollowed that, en the
commencement of artoilier'vizar, our officers highegt
in'nnk are more di4ingtiiShed for age than for
This system now proposed to alter,
'and no time could Ile :wore opportune. While
Ivery demand will be node upon active,exertiOns
;in order to insure -Success, they will not ;be' fonrid
iisn men who have oonlyvained their place by dial-
llongevity ; and though experience is 'not 'to ..be
undervalued, it may 'be purchased too'ilearty.
future, it is proposed that promotion ih'allTalow
services, will:Lad zreference to seniority,:!and by
this means be hoped that wil
be afforded for 'ouryounger officers 'to!diStinguish
themselves; arldiriken it is remembered' thtt the
great Duke of WIZIAINGTON achieved his most im-
portant victories 'when 'comparatigely young, and
was only ferty4ix-stars of age at tlieerowning con-
quest ofWaterloo,we need not despair of finding able
generals, withottt relying upon -microns tif seventy,
where we require the full extr7gy,andiuetivity of
men in the'. iirhne of life. Ntaily,ill 'the great
battles ever ;fanght were wen by, comparatively
youthful commazders, whether we'refer to the age
of ALEILNiffa. of Macedon, tir ',to -.Ale modern
Ne.romosic;.and we need have notankiety that the
stimulus .eftprnnotion for merit.iliill..xot now pro-
duce men fitted for the emergency.

THE RATIONAL RETM•

Tan quartey statement tithe Naiitmal Revenue,
which wes,pgalished on Thursday, presents any-
thing but, &gratifying proof of 'the financial skill
of Mr. GUBETONE, as a Chum:ells". of the Ex-
chequer. ,At a time when it is,.(/' the greatest

consequenee:that the natiecal,resources should be
rendered available, as far as posillile, for the ex-
penses ,of the war, we find :a • serious deficiency,
arising, in ..a4reat measure, from reductions Of
taxation, vihich. may be considered quite uncalled-
for, and Suandial schemes Vrhiclthave resulted in
utter failure. Upon the quarter4raccount there is
a decrease finc less than £812,789, arising from
the most important items of revenue.. In Customs
the failing 4011 is 2367,494; 'Ex-else, £171;609 ;
Taxes, 74,556; ;grown .Lands, £135,888; miscel-
laneous, 234,649 ; Imprest ,mid other Money,
£117,043; andltepaymentsofAthrszees, £118,602.
The items .of !:iscrease are Stews, £30,485 ;
Property-tax, *48.567; and Postoffice, £128,000.
The year's account shows corresponding changes,
under similar heads, there being .ga decrease on
Customs of £450,524 ; Excise, '2435,336 ; Taxes,
£33,902; Crown.Llids, £132,888; Miscellaneous,
£26,967; and Repayments of -Advances, £102,470.
-The items of increase are Stamps, '248,076; Pro-
perty-tax, £435;185.-; Postoffice, .12166,000, and
.t'iinprest and other Money, £sB,477—the total
_decrease on the yeat.h.eilsg e. 474,369. It will thus
-be -seen that very little .ha..s, As yet, been realised
.oft.the promises in which Mr. GLADSTONS indulged
.of.the profit to be derivd 'from his sluty.on succes-
sionc, and also very little:from theineresse of the•
Income-tax, while there 'is :a heavy ..tharge for
interest on the great additional. issue. of Exchequer
Bills awl Exchequer Bonde.
roan announcement .the LondoniGazette
of Friday, it appears that :the surplus, revenue for
the year tended the sth ,of April amounted to
R,3,5134,784 145.. 11d. Of this, sum. one-fourthvart,
or 2881496.35. Bd., is to be ;applied, during the
present luarter, towards the ;reduction of the
National Peht, in addition to 46.,898 3s. Qd, -the
interest ,receivable on account of ,donations and
bequests, Auakiog a total of £888.,-09.1 7s. 24. The
withdrawal of ..so large an amount pf stock. out
the market should have the effect oleaancing the;
value of the public funds, and thereby ,of assisting:
the CHANCELLO,II,Of the EXCHEQUER. in VAS finan
cial. operations-.-an ;assistance much waded:after.
.40 many failures.