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Leader (1850-1860), 23rd May 1857, Edition 1 of 2, Page 494, Untitled Article

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      of Sir CoBNEWAMi Lewis , that the hereditary revenues of the Crown having been surrendered , the Boyal Family is dependent on the bounty of the House of Commons . " Whatever is the case with the British Crown , the Prussian Crown has never surrendered its immense hereditary revenues ; there is not the shadow of an excuse for this scandalous proposal . It is urged that the Princess HoyaI / should not be dependent on her husband for her private expenses . If for her happiness , however , why not for her private expenses ? We cannot doubt that the course shake its

      adopted by the Government will popularity and disquiet the mind of the nation with reference to the cost , actual and probable , of the Boyal Family . Interest and principal , the Prussian marriage may be not unfairly valued at 200 , 0002 . When all the princes and princesses have been married from Buckingham Palace how much shall we have paid for the really inestimable blessings of Majesty and its consequences ? Especially when we begin , as Mr . Boebtjck : says , by conferring on the Pkincess Royal an annuity which no assurance-office would sell for less than 200 , 000 / ., in addition to a splendid dowry .

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      THE ARMY EDUCATION STRUGGLE . A TENcnsrG-MATCH : between Lord Paimeeston and Sir De Lacy Evans on Monday night was only the forerunner of the contest which is commencing . Sir De Lacy Evans asked Lord Palmeestok for the report of the late commission on the military educational institutions of the Continent , which had been in a certain limited circulation , but had not yet reached the House of Commons . Lord PAiiMEESTON replied , that the question of military education had for some time occupied the most serious attention of the

      departments ; those proposals had eventually led to the determination to appoint a board composed of military officers of great merit , presided over by the Commander-in-Chief , to consider the system of education now in force , and to mature a plan to be finally adopted for the education of officers of the army ; but he objected to laying before Parliament the disjointed elements of which such a plan might be constructed . Sir T ) e Lacy Evans repeated his request for the particular report which has already been circulated . It has been in the hands of

      several Peers ; wo have had it in our own hands ; but it has been withheld from the House of Commons . Lord Palmerston said that he ' was not aware that the report had been circulated by the Government ; it might have been circulated by individuals or b }' newspapers . ' Mr . Sidney Herbert here interposed , ' thinking that the noble Lord and the gallant General were at cross

      purposes , ' and forcing upon Lord Pa : lmerston an unmistakable explanation . The Premier , who is acting as Secretary of State for War in the House of Commons , then requested Sir Db Lacy Evans to give notice of the question ; but in the meanwhile the bluebook Jias been presented to the House of Commons . This little fencing-bout , we say , is only a forerunner of the larger contest which is coming on .

      Tho case is as clear as possible . During the late war it was discovered that soino of our officers of the highest rank did not understand the duties of thoir profession . A man is appointed for 700 Z ., 2000 / ., or more , as the case may bo , not for possessing tho attainments requisite to mako an officer ; ho obtains his promotion on tho eamo ground of pounds sterling . Ib ia quite necessary that ho should provo his possession , of pounds sterling by paying thorn over , but not xxocosnary that he should show Ins attainments in

      foreign languages , castrametation , evolution of troops , or anything else . Officers are also promoted because ^ they have been longer in the army than other officers ; and if they do not flagrantly misconduct themselves , this promotion by seniority has been held out as a right . We have a few schools , but they languish ; and excepting men endowed by

      nature with capacity for military studies , the schools do not turn out qualified officers . Nothing more exposes the ignorance of the class than their conversation when you catch them in unguarded moments ; nothing can more exhibit the predominant incapacity to manage their own business in keeping order amongst troops , than the state of the camps which have been established as models . It

      is almost uncharitable to refer to the Crimea . Exposure is the rule all round . Now they manage these things better in the Continental armies ; and if they do not get a , larger crop of victories than the English , they save an immense amount of expense , suffering , and death . A commission was appointed to inquire how they managed ; that commission consisted of Colonel Smyth , Colonel YoLiiAND , and Professor Lake ; and the report of the commissioners is the volume which Sir De Lacy Evans wished to

      see , and wished the House of Commons to see . It is a complete account of the military training enforced by those Continental states which are most likely , in the event of any dispute , to be our powerful enemies . England is in the position of a gentleman who , during the days when gentlemen wore swords , has not learned to fence , and is not learning to do so . Take" the single case of Austria , which gives , even to her non-commissioned officers an education of ' a very

      solid character ; ' which has academies for Artillery and Engineers ; has a staff school , to prepare officers for the highest appointments , and exacts from the officers actually promoted a positive and profitable study in all these schools . It is the same in Prussia , the same in Prance ; but we remain virtually without any machinery of the kind , with nothing but those organized apologies for it that Sir Howard Douglas has long since convicted of gross inefficiency . '

      What has been the effect of this report ? Already the Commander-in-Chief had paid very considerable attention to the subject , and had used some efforts to bring about an improvement . More recently he has issued an order , requiring that officers seeking an appointment on the Staff should possess a familiarity with one foreign language , the power of writing their own language grammatically , a knowledge of tho evolution of troops , the rules and regulations of the service , the orders of tho Horse Guards , mensuration , tho mode of surveying a country ; and , in

      short , those attainments which are absolutely necessary for properly executing the duties of aide-de-camp , adjutant , or quarter-master . But what guarantee is there that this order will not remain as a mere form ? Arc we really to expect that British officers from this date will be persons writing good English grammar ? One laughs at the very notion . Tho Duke of Cambridge , no doubt , desires it ; but tho Horse Guards well know the limited power that tho Commandor-in-Chief possesses , and they laugh as well as we do at the sanguino hopo which ho exhibits .

      Now tho House of Commons , or at ; loast some members of tho Mouso of Commons , sharo tho vulgar opinion into which the Duko of Cambridge has boon inveigled , that thoro ought to bo a complete reform in our army ; that officers of the Stuff , at least , should poasoHs attainments for tho proper conduct of thoir business—tho ordering , lodging , and handling of troops in masses . Thus ,

      independent members are prepared to sunn ^ the Duke of Cambridge in carrying * Zl complete reform ; but they are met w ^ h obstructions . Lord Panmube is conservative of the present system . He has made bar rack-room improvements and regimental reforms—such as they are ; but he is not prepared to surrender a system which re serves the higher ranks and pay of the army for the well-born and the wealthy , and which might be broken down if appointments went in proportion to the actual capacity of the officer . In preventing any reform , the first plan is to defend all the outposts , and to

      procrastinate the siege as long as possible That is the course now pursued in both Houses . When Sir De Lacy Evans asked for this simple report—requested merely to be furnished with tho blue-book—Lord Palmerston , as we have seen , spoke in a manner that showed him to be perfectly awake to the approach of the besiegers . He worded his answer in more than a guarded manner in a Horse-Guarded manner . And Lord Panmuee ' s ' explanation' last night does not remove tlie ugly impression created by the simple facts . The official force is consolidated , and is prepared for the siege .

      Preparations also arc making on the other side ; the approaches are already laid down , and independent members , such as Sir De Lacy Evans , are ready to demand that complete explanation which , when given , will , to a certain extent , force the Ministers into a compliance with public opinion . We have already seen that Sir De Lacy had the support of Mr . Sidney Herbert ; other men of standing will lend their help , the strength of their capacity , and the weight of their

      influence . No subject could be more proper for independent members of the House of Commons , or for active Reformers . It is a question of the efficacy of our army , of the independence of this nation as against foreign enemies , of the expenditure of the public money . At present , we believe , it would be quite safe to say that at least two-thirds of the money laid out professedly for the support of the army is wasted in a lavish mode—in payment of useless pensionsof useless salaries to useless officers ,

      , of useless voyages for ill-directed regiments , useless camps which are not models but exposes—for uselessness generally in the form of a red coat . Hero then is a province in which the Reform party Avill find a great field to work ; one in which they will have strong professional assistance ; in which they will bo able to bring forward novel facts to awaken public interest ; in which they will bo supported by a growing public opinion ; anc in which they may perform tho most signal servico for their country .

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      THE BALLOT ARGUMENT . The principal political debate of this spssiod will bo on the Ballot . Whatever the House of Peers may decide , it is possible that tnc House of Commons may pass tho measure . At all events , wo are approaching tho sonaou of success , t four years ago Sir Rob him . ' » ^ predicted that , sooner or later , the House < n Commons will vote tho three reading 01 " t

      Ballot Bill . " Out of doors , " ho Ban , ° balance of political opinion indisputably inclines to tliiH free , easy , and honourable method of voting . " If Phki , wore now nln < J we confidently believe that ho would bo nmon tho supporters of Mr . Bruket . e y b ino 1 oi . Tho objections to tho Ballot have lost much in weight and consistency . Wo b < W , usual , hear military gentlemen , whoJ secretly at thoir club * , denouncing *>" voting aa the refuge of cowardice ¦ ui matiBba arguing that wherever soorocy oxifli- ,

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      494 THE LEADER . _ JNo . 374 , Saturday == "" '" ~ —

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), May 23, 1857, page 494, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2194/page/14/