Lieut.-General Earl Beauchamp.-Chief military experience in the Life Guards.

Lieut.-General Knollys.-Was Prince Albert's Lieut.-Colonel in the 3rd Foot Guards.

Major-General J. Peel.-In the Ordnance under the Aberdeen Government-no military experience.

Your most obedient servant,

G. C. B.

THE CHELSEA WHITEWASHING COMMISSION.

To the Editor of the Morning Advertiser.

SIR,-Lord Seaton-a braver soldier never lived-either will not, or cannot, preside over the Crimean Commission in esse, so the Horse Guards have chosen Sir Alexander Woodford to supply his place.

Now, there are two reasons against this new appointment. In the first place, Sir Alexander has been a Guardsman from his youth up, and, therefore, may reasonably be supposed to lean towards the class which is principally inculpated; secondly, he has, or had until very recently, sons actually serving on the Staff of the army in the Crimea! consequently, he would be better suited for the part of advocate than of judge.

dered troops in

I implore the public to weigh these matters! Let them insist Our muron a fair trial. Let them beware how they permit the M'NeillTulloch Report to be set aside without ample evidence as to the Crimea. its falsehood. Above all, let them remember their murdered brethren-who starved in the midst of plenty!

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,

29th March, 1856.

ANTI-CHICANE.

A MILITARY COURT FAVOURITE.

To the Editor of the Morning Advertiser.

SIR,-In the Army List of the present month, you may discover that the well paid functions of Deputy-Assistant-AdjutantGeneral at the Horse Guards, are exercised by a Captain Sayer, 23rd Fusilcers.

Long and

meritorious Captain Sayer duly

services of

appreciated.

It is time the people

Let us look at this lad's history.

He has served six years; was wounded at the Alma; returned home; married a daughter of the private secretary to the Queen -one Colonel Phipps, C.B., (?) and on that auspicious event was immediately appointed to the lucrative post just alluded to.

This fortunate Captain Sayer swaggers about Pall Mall, a new-born man of fashion, with his pockets full of public money; while those vulgar fellows, Brown, Jones, and Robinson, who throughout the campaign have endured shot and shell in the trenches, and have fought and bled at Inkermann, and before the Redan, linger on, unheeded, unrewarded!

Really, meu are beginning to say that Court favour and were awake toadyism are the sole means of uprising now-a-days. It is time mischief the people were awake-mischief is abroad.

is abroad.

6th March, 1856.

I am, Sir, yours, &c.,

A TIRED SOLDIER.

The State "Thimbleriggers."

"VIVAT REGINA"-BUT LET THE REIGN OF HUMBUG CEASE!

To the Editor of the United Service Gazette.

SIR, The Queen as "the Fountain of Justice," is attended SIR,—The by the Symbols of justice; but justice itself, like "the pea," lies hid under certain Thimbles, and wherever the Royal races "come off," there are congregated the Thimblerig Mummers of Justice in the shape of high officers and low-lords, "Cabinet" ministers, judges, &c.

A Lord Lieutenant of an Irish county, and Colonel of its Militia, conducts himself, in his office, in a most unwarrantable manner. This fact comes to my knowledge, and I transmit to Uselessness Field Marshal Viscount Hardinge a petition relating to the of petitioning the Queen.

subject of that Lord Lieutenant Colonel's misbehaviour, requesting him to present that petition to the Queen. The military secretary answers my application by stating that that petition has been forwarded to Lord Panmure, the proper channel, &c., &c.; in short, that "the Pea" Justice (in this matter) does not lie under the Field Marshal's thimble. And what answer comes at last from Lord Panmure? A letter signed "C. G. Mundy," informs the Military Secretary that

"the Pea" Justice (in this matter) no more lies under Lord Panmure's thimble than it does lie under the thimble of his colleague, the Field Marshal. And thus, between the one honourable thimblerigger and the other, the Lord Lieutenant Colonel succeeds in getting himself" white-washed."

HENRY CLINTON, Colonel,

Royston, Herts, 18th March, 1856.

POPISH TAMPERING WITH WILLS.

wolt in sheep's

alias a

A WILL case was recently the subject of adjudication by Judge Keatinge, in the Irish Prerogative Court. The testator, when in a dying state, employs the Roman Catholic priest who attended him to make his will, and directs him to bequeath his property to his wife, and after her death, to his niece. The will, executed in due form, is read over to the sick man, who approves of it; but, though able to write on ordinary occasions, is in such a state of weakness as to be unfit to do more than append his mark. The testator shortly after dies, and the A hungry priest who had drawn the will, and to whom it had been entrusted for safe custody, produces it for probate. On clothing examining it, it is found to contain interlineations in the same priest of handwriting as the will itself. Inquiry is made, and it turns Satan. out that the lawyer priest had made the interlineations with his own hand, without the authority, without the knowledge, and obviously against the declared intentions of the testator, the effect of the interlineations being to defeat the conveyance to the niece, by giving the wife right to dispose of the chattels as she might think proper. What she may have been expected to think proper in the circumstances is not stated, but most of our readers will have little difficulty in conjecturing. We have lately seen Pio Nono making very stringent stipulations in the Austrian Concordat, for the purpose of giving ecclesiastics unlimited control in the matter of testamentary documents, and we may rest assured that his myrmidous here are not very scrupulous in attempting to obtain by stealth the same kind of control which Austria, to her disgrace and damage, now allows to be employed openly. It is, in fact, expressly stated by Judge Keatinge, that this is the third case of the kind which has

recently come before him, and that in all these cases of iniquitous tampering with wills, Romish priests have been the agents. Three cases have been thus brought to light. How many may we, without any breach of charity, suppose to remain shrouded in darkness? The act is an indictable offence, and the judge threatens to bring it under the notice of the Attorney-general. -Morning Advertiser, February, 1856.

good for

tune.

Rampant

the Foreign

Office.

A DIPLOMATIC "DOWB."

(From a Correspondent.)

THERE are two very rich paragraphs in the fashionable intelligence of the Morning Post of the 10th instant. They serve in the happiest manner to illustrate the connection which always exists in England between place and dinner-giving.

The first paragraph records a dinner given by Lord Westmoreland, in which he was careful to include a few ForeignAristocratic office banking agents and underlings. The second paragraph announces the promotion of that regular diplomatic "Dowb," the Hon. Julian Fane, his son, to the post of Secretary to the new Embassy at St. Petersburg. This lucky lad is a beautiful jobbery in instance of the rampant jobbery which has existed in the Foreignoffice under Lord Clarendon. By one stroke of his pen he nominates his own toady and Under-Secretary, Lord Wodehouse. as Minister Plenipotentiary, passing over such men as Sir Henry Bulwer and Lord Elgin. By the next he appoints an inexperienced youth to a place worth £2000 a year immediately beneath him. This appointment is "too bad" even for the Foreignoffice. While actually at Cambridge, and when only sixteen years of age, he was appointed to his father's legation at Berlin. A year or two after, when his father was transferred to Vienna, this youth, who never could have rendered any appreciable service to the public, was foisted over the heads of ripe scholars and experienced men for promotion. Two years afterwards he was again promoted by the most flagrant favouritism. Though his father has been virtually dismissed for incompetency from Vienna for some time past, the Honourable Julian has never condescended to serve under Sir Hamilton Seymour. He has passed the greater portion of the time he has been in the service,

Malprac

tices of the Government.

including the time spent in his studies at Cambridge, on leave. Lord Clarendon lately took him to Paris, and has now again promoted him over the heads of many bright and gifted men, who have served the public for years unrequited by a single smile from those in power.

a writer of

Lord Cla

rendon to

aero at for

We know that Mr. Fane has written a volume of poems, and The Ion. We have nothing to say Julian Fane he may be a promising young man. against any reasonable encouragement being given to him; but poems, &c. there are in the diplomatic circle of the Crown attachés who have grown grey in the public service, and who are among the most distinguished gentlemen in any profession. Is it possible, therefore, that no member of parliament can be found independent enough to face the clap-trap charge of personality, and to call Lord Clarendon to account for such an abuse of Patron igo. patronage? If this is the way that ministers mean to employ the discretion as to appointments, which Administrative Reform has still left them, it is highly expedient that they should be deprived, as soon as possible, of the power of insulting ability, and rewarding their personal adherents.-Morning Advertiser, 16th May, 1856.

abse of

THE NEW PILASE OF POLITICS.

To the Editor of the Morning Advertiser. SIR,-Nothing has produced a more painful feeling among The Morn the intelligent part of the people, who think for themselves, ing Ador and who, in fact, lead the rest, than the warning voice lately liberty of raised by the Morning Advertiser on the subject of intended the press. interference with the liberty of the press in those few countries in which it is at present free by law. The warning has proved not to be premature or uncalled-for; although only tardily taken up and backed by other journals, it now begins to be unmistakeably so by some of them.

The Times, as usual, halting at a long distance behind your shelter, has at last raised a feeble echo of your words. It is to be hoped that this tardy reinforcement will assist the good cause, but there is no time to be lost in rousing the people to their danger. The great feud in this country is between the press and the oligarchy. Who ever knew even a whig magnate