The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-02-04
John Bull in q Bad Way.

England is in q sad strait, if Blac61coods
IMaqazine for January is to be believed: 10
the memory of living man, says writer in
that periodical, the British army was never
so discontented or disjointed as it is now.
Regimental officers complain-and they have
justright to do so-that they are held up in
Parliament, III private society, and through
the press as habitualIy neglectful of their
duty. They do nothing, it is said, that
they can possibly help, and the little that
they are compelled to do they do grudgiug'
ly. II this were trne to the letter, which it
is not, could any one be surprised? II
seems to he the great object OF those in
authority to sever Us much as possible all
connection between the officer and the man,
except on formal parades. The captain Of
a company is nobody. He can neither re-
ward nor punish man, be he ever 80 de-
serving Of reward or punishment He is
more Of cypher than the youngest ensign
used to be half century ago. So, also,
the officer in command Of regiment Is
hampered and restrained on every side, till
there is induced on his part disposition TO
let things take their course; on the part OF
the non-commissioned officers and privatesi
the habit of carping at everything that is
done or proposed. It was thus that in the
French army began that spirit Of insubordi-
nation which reached its climax in the year
that is passing, and showed itself in the dis
graceful routs Of Woerth and Sedan. Mean
while, in higher places, with oil the anxiety
manifested to centralfze power, there are
mutual jealouJes, official distrusts, personal
antipathies, which, were the pressure Of
sudden war to come upon the country, would
make shlpwreck OF the whole machine.
What is the use, says Blaceuood, within
little more than a month VI the meeting Of
Parliament, Of Disgusting the truth? The
new control system, and all the officials
connected with it, are hated by the en-
tire combatant portion of the army.
The control, from the chief down.
wards, is furious at this, and hates the COM
Blatant portion OF the army in return. The
feld-marshal commanding-in-chief has be-
come an anomaly, with whom no human be-
ing appears to know how to deal. AS to the
militia aud the volunteers-where is their
organization? where is their discipline?
where their contndence in the authority
under which they exist? where their zeal in
the service? Positively the military ele-
ment is nowhere; for the men who carry
arms are universally dissatisfied, and they
whose business it is to keep them in good
heart harass and annoy them in every con-
ceiyable way As to the stores whether Of
arms or ammunition-th appliances for put
ting on army in the field and The means OF
land transport-the artillery, both for the
fortress and the feld-they are nowhere.
Such are the representations ofan important
organ of the party in England. The profes-
sional organ; The army and Macy Gazette,
''shudders" as it thinks. Of the unprotected
nature OF the eastern coasts OF England.
Captain Tulloch lately showed that it would
be quite easy to establish base of opera
lions in the Bhckwater River, "only thirty
'ssix miles HI direct line from the centre of
London"