COLONEL NORTHsaid, that in rising to ask a question, of which notice had been given on the paper, he would ask permission to preface it by a few explanatory remarks. As the honour of a gentleman had been affected, he trusted to be allowed to say a few words. A statement appeared in The Times newspaper the day before yesterday, signed "Civilian." In that letter it was stated—[Cries of "Order."]
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, according to the rules of the House the hon. and gallant Member must confine himself to such a statement as was absolutely necessary to make his question intelligible.
COLONEL NORTHsaid, he was sorry to put the House to any inconvenience, but he felt himself compelled to move the adjournment of the House in order that he might make a necessary statement. The statement of the person signing himself "Civilian" was this. The letter was respecting the examination of young men anxious to serve as officers in the army; and the writer thus expressed himself:—
I trust that one of the first acts of Mr. Sidney Herbert, our new Minister of War, will be to acquaint himself with the precise position in which his predecessor has left the important question of military education. Inquiries which I have recently instituted have satisfied me that the opponents of that question have of late made surprising progress, and that the bar which is supposed by the public to exist for the exclusion of dunces and idlers from the British Arm;, after having been successively lowered many pegs by order of the late Minister of War, now actually lies upon the ground, and may be readily lounged over by the most ignorant habitué of the Cider Cellars or Cremorne. The papers have recently announced that 150 young men have been undergoing the ordeal of an examination before the Board at Burlington-house, preliminary to receiving commissions in the British army. Such an announcement has a good effect on the public, who do not know the precise calibre of those examinations, and who justly believe that General Cameron and Mr. Moseley will scrupulously discharge whatever duties are intrusted to them; but as those gentlemen have no influence whatever 797 over the scale of the examinations, which the Minister of War may depress from time to time, according to his fancy or the capacity of the young friends he wishes to introduce into the service, their only duty is to carry out his instructions with silent subordination, no matter how prejudicial to the interests of the service they may be.Now, in the first place, he (Colonel North) begged to say that General Cameron was one of his oldest friends, and was a man of the highest honour, who would not abandon his duty at the direction of any Secretary for War. As to who "Civilian" was, he did not know, and cared still less. With respect to the late Secretary for War, he believed no Member of the House enjoyed more general respect, and no one had obtained greater confidence than the right hon. and gallant General who lately filled the high office of head of the War Department. There was not a single act of that right hon. and gallant Member which could give the slightest colour to the charges which had been brought against him, but he thought it was only just and fair to ask the right hon. and gallant Member for Huntingdon whether it was true that the standard of examinations for admission into the army had been lowered from time to time by his orders, and, further, whether the Council of Education had any influence over the scale of examinations, or merely carried out the instructions of the Secretary for War. With this view he should conclude by formally moving the adjournment of the House.
GENERAL PEELWhen ray hon. and gallant Friend says he does not know who "Civilian" is, I believe he is the only person in the House who is ignorant of that person's name. [Cries of "Name."] Well, then, I can tell you, his name is Higgins. I understand the charge against me is, that I from time to time lowered the standard of examination for admission into the army, that this was done without consulting the Council of Education, that the Council had no authority in the matter, and it is insinuated that this was done to suit the capacity of friends whom I wished to introduce into the army. To that charge I give the most unqualified denial. So far from having lowered the standard of examination from time to time, the fact is there was but one alteration made during the time I was in office, and I will explain under what circumstances that was done, The House will then be able to judge of the accuracy of the statements that have been made by "Civilian." In the month 798 of June, 1858, a memorandum was laid before the Council of Education as to the then state of the army in respect of candidates for commissions, of which this is an extract:—
There are at this time in the Cavalry of the Line ten cornetcies vacant by purchase, and twenty-four without: and in the Household Cavalry one cornetcy vacant in the 1st Life Guards, five ditto in the 2nd Life Guards, and two ditto in the Royal Horse Guards Blue; and there is not a single candidate for Cavalry on the Commander-in-Chiefs list who has passed his examination. The case is also becoming even more pressing in the Infantry. There are at this moment no candidates for commissions, either by or without purchase, who have passed their examination, and are un provided for, with the exception of five or six who passed in April last for commissions by purchase, and who have since stated their inability to purchase. There are several vacant ensigncies in different regiments which cannot, therefore, be filled at present, and seventeen battalions, to which four companies are to be added in proportion, as they approach the completion of their establishment in rank and file. It is therefore quite evident that under the present system of examination the supply will not keep pace with the demand. It may be stated that 125 candidates were examined in April. Of these 73 passed and 52 failed. At the examination of this month (June), 77 were examined of whom 50 passed and 27 failed.That was laid before the Council of Education, and the following application from the Council was forwarded to me by the Commander-in-Chief. Be it recollected that it is said I altered from time to time the standard of education. The document is dated the 2nd of July, 1858, and runs as follows:—The present very urgent demand for officers having been represented to the Council of Military Education, it has appeared desirable to recommend such modifications in the schemes of examination as will, it is believed, adapt it to present circumstances.Then follows the modification proposed, and the memorandum goes on:—The Council therefore begs to recommend them to the favourable consideration of his Royal Highness. The Council begs to add that Canon Moseley, who is absent, has expressed his concurrence in the above recommendations.This was the answer I directed to be returned:—War Office, 10th July, 1858.Sir,—In reply to your letter of the 3rd of July, forwarding a memorandum from the Council of Military Education, recommending certain modifications in the scheme of examination of candidates for direct commissions, I am directed by Secretary Major-General Peel to acquaint you, for the information of his Royal Highness, that he approves of the alterations therein recommended. I am at the same time to remark that the report 799 is not signed by all the members of the Council, and to express General Peel's wish that for the future such documents may always bear the signature of all the members.B. HAWES.Thus, so far from not having attended to the suggestions of the Military Council of Education, I requested that upon all occasions each of its members should sign the reports. In February of the present year an application was made to me to allow three gentlemen to pass who upon examination had obtained more than the maximum number of marks, but had failed to obtain the compulsory number for mathematics. I said so long as there was a scale of examination it must be adhered to strictly; but it might be proper to inquire whether the requisition for mathematics was too high; but after communicating with the Council of Education, I came to the conclusion that the scale was not too high.
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.