Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-02-02
The News by the Canada.

before our readerS Sncn extracts from Lon
don papers could desire. The following, from
the London Times of January g. on the ineficiency of
the officers of the British army in the Crimea, will be
read with interest, if not astonishment:
There is singular but not real consolation for
failure 10 which we are occasionally reduced No
body can really complain when thing does not an
swer purpose for which it was intended. In
deed, there kind of triumph of reason to such dis
appointments. Thirty years ago a man brought bis
house down over his head by dance en- his drawing
room floor: this dsagreeable enough but all
the rights OF the question was satisfied when it was
found the builder ad expressly excepted dance
from the capabilities of The horse and the leases pro-
vided that dance should be given without consent
Of The landlord. Abstract reason, whenever il can
get hearing in this hour Of anxiety and dsappont-
ment, my take some such ber comfort in the al.
most utter breakdown OF our military system When
to think it is not intended for actual SER
vice at least II 1t is intended for actual service, it
ID intended for so many other conflicting purposes
that We cannot b, surprised If il answers one pur-
pose, and not another II anybody conducted
d'naIy business on the same principle. those which
are avowed in the army. and to a somewhat less ex-
tent IN the navy-tha is. if he endeavored to make
1t the medium OF employment contracts, and other
taVors Ia brothers, nephewS friends political cunnex
ions, boon companions, or anybody but the best
IN mercantile vlew-he would soon find himself in
the bankruptcy court. The commissioner would then
inform him that he had totally mistaken the object of
ms business and the nature of all mercantile opera
tlons. winch were, not 10 favor the relations or
friends or to produce shori-lived display, but 10
realize far profit, with satisfaction to all parties
This Is homely view to take of an unfortunately
tr2glc theme but common sense is very peryading,
and asserts lts supremacy over nonsense neg ects,
and abuses OF all kinds the field of battle the
counting house. We have purposely neglected the
SINGLE object Of efficiency in the manag of our
army tor we cannot say how long There are in that
army the material of very efficient army there are
perty ot good men and true in all ranks there are
men who have seen plenty of service in our Indian
ana oher wars there are men who have distinguish
ell themselves at Sandhursl there men who would
distinguish themselves whenever the opportunity
allowed them; there are who must make the
army their protesson and who have nothing to retire
to when they leave it, and hope of distinction or
happiness out OF it yet all this stuff for field mar
shals are absolutely rejected in the management OF
our army When barbarian builds his hovel in a
ruin be works into his rough walls an incrpton lurn-
ed upside down, bas-relief with its face inwartis
statue deruncated and capital deoliated to fit the
accidental vacancy. Such is the rude masonry Of the
British army. The military genius or devotee the
poor fellow who dreams TO little purpose of Marathon,
and has been at the pains to study the victories of
Marlborough and the difficulties of Wellington, is
soon built into his regiment with his corners knock
ed OFT and his face TUNED inwards. There he lies
TO rise, 1t 1t may be, in the order OF seniority and
ty; but no study, no courage. no promptude, no sol
der like qualities whatever, will assist him in
strong, but to the wealthy and noble.
" The case is so hagrant-so manifest to friend and
to toe and so confessed and proclaimed 10 all the
world-that ii would be ridiculous to slur over the
fact that the British army fou1id 10 be no army at
all, an The general military Scnsc Of The 1cord 1t is
mob Ct brace men, not more than n mob, and rather
less, 1ndSmuch Us IS evidently commanded by those
tho should not command it. end deprived Of its rude
natural efficiency All the accounts tha, we publish
ANA many more that for reason or other we do
not publish butle in envelopes oose heaps and elastic
bands all about agree this that the orgauza ton
the army is either than none. For the
last few weeks we have often had 10 say this that
II only remains to bring up the sad story The lat
eSt date. The long expected and much prayed for
drafts, hardly spared by this country, arrive at
balaklaVa boy ald-de-camp veteran officer
complains, shows the promptness of his folly by
derng it Immediately to disembark without proper
clothing, IN the rain, TO march through miles of
sudge to the pool assigned for It's quarters and to
bIvouac, IN that case, some in tents, under the
canopy of heaven. The next day some equally COM
Portable, equally ,houghtless, malaper sends to the
trenches, and in ten days ortng at the latest,
two-thlrds of the poor lads, whom as late Novem-
Der we were cheering through the Streets stretch
ed under the soil of the Crmea When they
disposed of, the cry is More men, more men, At
the last date, after all the immense clearances Bal
aklava and Scutar there remained more than 5000
sick under the hospital marques In the camp-no
! light burden in the probable event OF any active
movements The poor fellows fall sick by certain
and inevitable recipe any to be found in medicine,
or husbandry or other physical science. Yet hun
dreds of veteran officers who share the hardships of
their men, lament in vain the mcrciess regime of
| ignorant neocracy We confess that We cannon look
at the horrors of Baaklava ami Inkermann as we
once did, for it is plainly better that man and horse
should die gloriousy selling their lives dear and af-
fording spectacle 10 the world than that they should
| perish unseen, unpited unnamed, almost unnumbered
for it has come TO that We confess when we are
told that the British cavalry is that the hor-
ses, after knawing another's names and tails,
have most of them peIshed The fatal route 10 the
camp--som in the act OF dragging their dead CO IL
| rades out of the wayne do indeed confess that we
could wish that they who thus dead mad all died
in the battle field even in mad charge into the
heart of the Russian army
"Ihen what is to be done We think Sir De
Lacy Evans has answered this question for us in
most speaking manner When he could no longer
share the hardshlps of his men-when he could no
longer mount his horse, show himself everywhere
and things with his own eyes he would no longer
seek honor at the cost of truth and his country He
woull longer attempt to fill the hollow name and
idle fgnent of general Yet to the last sick in.
jured by fall, and unable to leave his tent he was
felt 10 be the most efficient officer in the army Now
are to sacrifice what remains of the so, 900 sent
already and The 10000 10000 told of for the
Crmea, 10 that, by the concurrent and uncon-
tradicted testimony of the whole army, is only
| name, and even worse than u name I, The command
of the British army before Sebastopo is worse than
mere name when its apathy, recklessness, fatal de-
lays, and utter want of provision are condemned by
the common sense and experience of every practical
man in the army, when it is deliberately
asserted by officers of distinction that The army might
just we'll be commanded by its sergeants by the
men who pretend TO command it. We aware
that it is painful to supersede brave and loyal
men, full OF honors and years-none would feel the
pain Of it more acutely than ourselves; we are
that besides the violence the feelings there