, 1881-03-06

the staid o:1icasat Dublin Castle were sadly uys:
titled for some time afterwards with bogus com
mupicatfons which practical iokcrs OF the lrisn
party placed in the post: but. Us many OF these
failed in their object, not one letter in leu thou
sand bcin1. opened and the officials acquiring 10
time toerah1y true scent for genuine and 1a4se
correspondence. the game grew stale After all,
it may be questioned whether the Government
has gained much real information by means Of
This nruc1durc As soon as the members OF the
League were put en- guard against the new dam
ger, they employed special cour:ers Tor tho con-
vcyance Of important communications 1he
time they wcrr first appriScd OF 'shat9Sas
going on, was. lis have SAID, In DccemDcr; and.
50 far as inqEiry has shown, it is pretty cleiit
thar they were ten days behind the Government
But zen days is long start to get OF m enemy,
and mischief must have been done in the inter-
vui. Some Of the supporters OF cucrcion-
though the fact h,as not Yet got into the News
representatives the Government: IS in possession
OF photographs Of letters which it has inter-
ccpted uEd which were written by members
OF the Land League and others prominently
connected with the Irish land agitation. When
letter Is sealed, it Is the rnust difficult thing In
the world to tamper with it in such 4 manner as
to cscnpe attention Still. the postal officials
are skillful enough to open and close letters
without leaving any trace which would arrest u
t.
and, when 1t is considered practicable. these are
removed. and the envelope afterwards opened
by the steamug process. Should the seals offer
too much difficulty, / am told that the envelope
IS carefully slit with delicate steel instrument.
the trace Of which can only be followed with the
help Of a uagrifying glass; The stamp showing
the hour at which the letter reached the Post
Otlce is then ohlIter:lte as to conceal the de-
lay; and the letter is delivered to the addressee
in ordinary course.
As ii there had not been sad proof, on several
memorable occasions Of late, Of The inefficient
condition Of the British army,
4 VOICE OF WARNING
has gone up from au unexpected authority
Gen. Sir Frederick Roberts. being the latest
''lion," was invited to the Mansion House to
knowled2ed the compliment h:' breaking
through the routine Of IL good Mayors banquet.
and turning IN after-ainner speech into grave
denuncia don of the system OF our national de-
fcuse. 1t Was q novel effect but his obserya-
tio1,s are deserving OF the most serious ntten-
t1on- They were not the uttcrunces Of Il General
epologizing for bis failures. 5u1 of a commander
flushed with the recollection Of recent victories
No officer who has made such brilliant use OF
her military forces can. without awakening
general alarm. tell England that the instrument
SO carefully devised ana maintained at so much
cost is likely to break in the hands ,f those who
have hereafter to depend upon It; To e Gen: Rob
tndefnitly prolonged. the English army system
must end :.in future. Disgrace. and disister.'
uon Of resi,nentai esprit corps, are
BE BE end. ' As t" to III tie tirst, recruits for
they prefer it. and once in regiment soon learn
to lore it. "What Is it, asks Gen. Robeits
that has enabled comparatively small NUM-
tremendous odds and win BATTLES against vastly
superior nl1,nhers?' And he answers Disci-
p:ine, esprit-de-corps. und powcrof endurance"
the three. esseatials absolutely wanting in
young soldier. The object of making
trained soldiers, with yenec71tion for the tr.di-
lions Of the regiments to which they belong, is
defeuted II, their services having BEEN secured.
they nre dealt with as machines. The hero Of
Afshanstan is equally emphatic in his con-
breaking down of the re@.mcnta! system. The
regiments Of short service masc 1t necessary
tEA, mere recruits should be drafted Tor active
service. Officers aod men reach their destina-
ion unacQuuinted with one another. AS during
the recent Afghan war. The hoy regiments >
are unable to bear exposure and fn1iGue. and
they soon break t1nvn. Gen. Rohrrts did not per-
form his splend march f: ON C.bul 1o Candnhar
with may ot these - ts,y regiments III his train.
upon whose discipline. spirit. and endurance he
could rely: and. except with such troops as
these. no commander would hnvc rcntured upon
was between seven and nine years: but Gen.
Roberts points out that Such a return us this
II will be quite impossible ever to prepare again.
demnat,on of shurt service is believe only an
ecnu Of the opinion of almost every military ex-
pert, except Sir Garnet Wolse'eE, whose opinion
But there Is another Lesson which the Imperial
War Office Of the Cnited Kingdom has yet to
learn The recent re'erses i, Natnl @ are elo-
one giant military genius 1T Europe. says the
greatest kindness in war is tn bring i to speedy
conclusion. =" It should be allowable with that
view.' he says, if / remember accurately, to
employ ati methods save those which are nbso-
lutely objectionable"
THE INTRODUCTION OF EREECH-LOADERs
I'm important truth which the military nuthor-
ftes In Pail Mall seem entirely tn ignore 1t has
been well said that some OF the most eallant
feats of arms ever achieved by English soldiers
would have .peen sheer tmpussibilit1es against
an enemy equipped with this weapon. The last
charge OF Mulplaqucr, the scramblc up the crngs
mnnca. the exploit at Niyelle, would hnye been
untold stories in military annals had Engiani's
antagonists on those fields been armed like the
could never have been won as it was against the
fire OF breech-loaders. An authority in the
matter OF military criticism writes on this SUBJ
3ect: Should England be SO unfortunate as to
be Involved IN = European war before she has
fully taken to heart the full Significance Of late
for her. 1t would matter very little whether the
Soldiers whom she sent to certain death were
short-service or lons-service men, The r1tle is
no respecter Of persons; and the best soldier
who ever wore a uniform would be no
more able thaa the sickiiest BOY in the regiment
to set the destructive power Of that weapon at
defiance Something more, therefore, is re-
CURED than improvement in the quality of her
ne.. Though, from all ,ccounts. that seems to be
6feqrl lrcd very much. II the bayonet-cnar.c. in
separately connected as it is with tho British
army. is NOT 10 be abandoned, the attacking
force must he large enough to outIust even the
fire of breech-loaders."
SIR GEORGE co1LEy
Is having a bad time of it at the military clubs,
where his conduct Of the Transyaal campaign is
mercilcsly criticised. Even his friends scarcely
know what to suy in his favor. The only thing
urged in extenuadon OF his amazing rashness
Is thar be has never before been enpa gcd ueainst
white aud civilized foe.-the little aetive
service he has seen elsewhere thau ut the Cape
having been in China In 1850, and on the Gold
Coast in IA Sti his bouk-knowledge ought TO
have saved him from some of his difficulties, for
he was distinguished pupil at Sandhurst.
THE RICH OLD BARONESS
has married her young lover at last. The cerc-
mony was consumrnated without any outward
display. Up to almost tho hour fixed for the
ruptial rights, no one knew where the marriage
would Take place. The secret was so we'll
guarded that crowd was kept Nwny from the
CHURCH, and in consequence only the nearest
friends OF the bride and bridegroom were
present. The singular part or it is, that the
Ceremony took place where every one might
DO Rgfr3 fr-f1r fHu