The New York herald., 1862-11-28

that General Butler has informed Mr.. Seward q
oil The facts In the case, and we conclude thas n
the facts are rs reported in the New OrleaA
Delta the French Consul implicated will be
promptly relieved by President Lincoln Of his
consular authority, and that the special stten-
ton Of the French government will be called
to the subject. When foreign consul, sctiag
under the recognition and protection Of the
United States flag, undertakes to debase his
Office to that Of rebcl fnancier or commissisa
agent, and under false pretences, he should -
instantly and ignominiously turned adrift, or -
held IS State prisoner, to await the issue q
full investigation. -
INconrerExcv OF AsMY SuRoEoM-We have
on several occasions called attention to the i'm
portance Of thorough reform in the medicd
service Of the army, which 10 lotoriously tinctur
cd with men not only dissipated in their habits
but utterly ignorant Of their professional du-
ties. Owing to one or other Of these causes,
nothing has been more common than for ampu.
tation to be resorted to whersi IL was not 1t an
necessary, and instances have even been known
in which, whore an arm and . log were wound
ed-amputation being in one case necessary
the surgeon sent to perform the operation waa
80 drunk that he took OF the wrong limb.
These facts, which have hitherto only ocsasioar
ally reached the public ear through the ceaa-
plants Of the victims or their friends, have -
Gently found the fullest professional con6rmar
ton In an eble address from number g
prominent Boston surgeons, the Surgeon Gene
raj is informed that s'from their extensive a0l6
Of observation among the wounded sent to thaA
city. the army is sadly deficient ofcompesese
medical ohicers" and, furthermore, that "ths
profession has been disgraced by many Of II
members, who, having no just conception OF -
sacred duties Of their calling, have snteredupea
1t from selfish and merssnary motives. II seems
that the service is polluted by men incompetent
as operators, and also incompetent to judge
when operations are required"
This verdict Of body of old and experienced
surgeons is as just as it is severe; and DR.. HAM
mond acknowledges the fact by replying that
all his efforts to secure properly qualified medi-
cal officers for the army have only in part been
successful. The question now is whether, see.
ing that there is an acknowledged failure on ths
part of the head of the Medical Department -
effect the necessary reforms, so frightful state
of things as that described is to be left without
. remedy.
On former occasion we pointed out tho only
means by which the medical service Of the
army can be brought up to its proper standard
of efficiency. All the old regulations affecting
it are utterly useless, and the last Congressional
enactments are just as inefficient and worthless.
It is not enough to increase the numericA
strength of the service; the rank and emola-
ments should be proportioned to the respon-
sible class of duties required from It. A sur
gesn Of good standing with family to support,
cannot be induced to enter the army for eighty
dollars month as long as his private practice
will yield him double or treble that amount
The system Of substituting volunteer surgeoau
in cases Of emergency has proved signal fall
ure; and, moreover, it Is not creditable to our
national dignity to tax the patriotism Of tho
medical profession with gratuitous laber.
There are plenty of respectable and competeaA
surgeons in the country who would enter IL
service if proper inducements, in the way a
pay and rank, were held out to them. Ono
such surgeon in military hospital Is worth
dozen less experienced ones; and, by his sups-
rior knowledge and skill, he prevents great
deal of mischief There should be no ques-
ton Of economy whore the lives and limbs a
our brave soldiers are concerned. Let Con-
gress. therefore, take the matter in hand - soon
a. il meets, and remove from our military sse.
vice the stigma of having the worst medical
staff of any army in the world.
GOVERNMENT MANA0ExENT or THE Tn.n-
GRApB.--The restrictions upon the telegraph
have become an intolerable public nuisance.
and, as in the case of every other oppression
under the present Cabinet, nobody will assume
the responsibility, though the evil is continued.
Ne one is authorized to abate the nuisance
mono to modify or reform. Stanton says ii d.
wolves on Halleck, and Halleck says it rests en-
tirely with Stanton. In the meantime, betweso
them. the Superintendent is left to exercise .
discretion which, in the face of danger to him
Sell. makes him so strict as to render tels-
graphic intelligence worthless.
1t has happened that a tclegraphic superin-
tendent has been decapitated for permitting .
despatch to go by telegraph, while the same
facts were simultaneously published with i'm
puni.y in the city of Washington by favorites Of
the Secretary Of War. Correspondents of New
York papers are prohibited from sending news
by telegraph which is given freely by the
officials themselves to Forney fos publication
in Washington. This is using /" the war powsr''
with . vengeance for the benefit Of personal
organ
Under these circumstances the best thing the
New York journals could do would be to drop tho
telegraph altogether and depend on mail CORES
nnndence AS IL is the telegraph is uaeleea.