to be very active in the conspiracy. Patna, the favourite residence of many Moslems of influence, and the hotbed of plots, is not cited as being in a state of disquietude. In holding a country like India, peopled by men of various creeds and habits, religious émeutes must ever be expected. A crusade against mad dogs will cause excitement and turbulence among the money-making fire-worshippers; a biography of Mohammed, embellished with his portrait, will have the unpleasant effect of causing his disciples to rush about frantically howling and screaming, "Deen, deen!" (religion, religion!), the sacred war-cry; and the high-caste Hindoo, who would not waste a passing thought on the destruction of myriads of the low caste, will weep with deeper pathos over the corpse of an assassinated monkey than over the remains of his wife, and rouse himself to deeds of vengeance at sight of a murdered bull or peacock. We should be ever prepared for such contingencies, and have a sufficient force to put them down with a high hand, at the same time avoiding and punishing severely any wanton insult to religious feelings.

Missionaries must be sent away about their business, and the practice of attempting conversion be put immediate stop to. If a black individual express a sincere desire to become a Christian, by all means let his wishes be instantly attended to by the ministers of the Gospel. By the substitution of this arrangement, we are certain there would be no material diminution of the number of real converts per annum, for at present the interior of a Cremorne omnibus would afford them ample accommodation.

Toleration in its widest sense, but no greater upholding of the system of caste than is absolutely and unavoidably necessary. Caste restriction is not necessary to the formation of an efficient army; let the army be thrown open, as in Bombay, to all castes, classes, races, and religions. Let us avoid, in future, massing together armed men of similar feelings and ideas, from one and the same province, as if to afford them every facility and inducement in our power to hatch and concoct conspiracies, and emissaries of foreign powers every assistance in laying the foundation of a revolution and working it out. Experience, as far as it has yet gone, would seem to point out the system of organization as carried out in the irregular forces as the best that could be adopted, both with respect to economy and efficiency. Every station of importance should have near it, or in the heart of it, a fort with a strong garrison, the majority of whom should be British. The walls of every city or town, and every stronghold not intended to be held by European troops, should be razed to the ground. Native soldiers should not be made to perform the part of police; the practice now in vogue of making continually ridiculous use of the naick (corporal) and his party of three ought to be strictly forbidden. All officers, particularly those commanding regiments and troops or companies, should have far greater power in their own persons, and a strict watch should be kept to prevent its abuse.

Probably if Sir John Hearsey's power had not been so limited, he would have acted as Sir Edward Paget, the commander-in-chief, did in 1824 at that very place, Barrackpore, when he ordered the mutinous 47th Native Infantry, for refusing to obey the command to ground arms,

to be shot and mowed down by artillery, infantry, and cavalry, thereby nipping insubordination in the bud; and perhaps the turbulent Sepoys all over the country would have been overawed a second time by salutary example.

But a truce to this. The present prospect of affairs is sufficiently gloomy to demand our deepest attention. Let us take courage; the hardy irregulars, the bellicose Sikhs, and the sturdy little Goorkhas, are still with us. Strong reinforcements are on their way, and our soldiers are behaving admirably, and an excellent veteran officer, unimpregnated with ideas of caste, has been appointed commander-in-chief in India. We look with extreme anxiety for the next mail.

If a successful assault has been made, and the city is in our hands, there is some slight chance that those inclined to mutiny have been intimidated; that a good portion of revenue may be extracted from the country; that the respectable part of the population, disgusted with the excesses committed and the destruction and plunder of their property, will readily give assistance to Government, and materially assist the march of troops and the conveyance of stores and provisions; dependent princes continue their allegiance and help; and neighbouring potentates remain holding aloof, or come forward with congratulations. But if the assault has been delayed, or, worst of all, met with a repulse, then-we tremble for the result.

EDUCATION FOR THE STAFF.

MUCH has been written of late about a special training for the due performance of staff duties, and we readily admit that too great importance cannot be attached to the subject; but we are wholly at a loss to perceive in what respect such training should differ from that which we have pointed out as proper, and even necessary, for every officer who is ambitious of qualifying himself for the superior duties of his profession. The remarks we hazarded in our last two numbers on the subject of military education-taking, as we trust, only a common-sense viewindicated the leading points of a course which all candidates for the army should pass through, and may be considered the foundation for a staff officer's requirements. With certain modifications, our Junior Military College may easily be made fully effective for this object, and we will now strive to show that the Senior Department of the College could, with equal ease, be made adequate to the superstructure.

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A few words on the "bygones" of the Senior Department will not here be out of place. It was started nearly sixty years since, at a time when both military education and military science were at so low an ebb that the army could not furnish, we may say, any men competent to staff duty in the field. We believe it was General Sir Howard Douglas, then a Major of Artillery, who originated the plan which brought it into existence; but however this may be, he was appointed to direct its management, a duty he performed during several years with all the energy and ability which have ever characterized that eminently

scientific soldier. A French émigré officer of rare merit, General Jarry, was also appointed to the college; and under the auspices of these able men, it speedily sent forth a number of carefully instructed officers, many of whom contributed to exalt the reputation of the staff of the Peninsular army.

While the long war against Napoleon lasted, and staff officers were in request, the Senior Department flourished; but when the time came that "our bruised arms were hung up for monuments," it, like others of our military institutions, fell into decay, and at length became a sort of refuge for officers seeking a brief respite from the tedium of regimental duty; and, but for the energy, perseverance, and, we may add, popularity of Professor Narrien, a gentleman on whom it is impossible to bestow too much praise, we firmly believe that it would have long since ceased to exist, notwithstanding the watchful attention of the Governor, which succeeded in preventing its continuing to be long the resort of idle officers. By the way, that estimable and truly zealous public servant is, as we learn, about to relinquish his arduous duties, and we trust that such long, faithful, and useful service will be requited by a full-pay retirement.

It is intended that Lieutenant-Colonel MacDougall, at present Major and superintendent of studies in the junior branch, shall be appointed to the charge of the Senior Department, and we believe there is no officer in the service better qualified for the situation. We had recently occasion to notice at some length a valuable little work by him, entitled "The Theory of War," which left on our mind a highly favourable impression of the abilities and military reading of the author.

As regards the course of instruction at the Senior Department, we feel adverse to the great stress that has long been laid upon mathematics. In a former article we said what we think of them as a discipline for the mind, but must repeat the opinion we gave-fortified by the sentiments of some eminent military engineers-that high mathematics are not required for practical military purposes. By all means let an officer possessing great aptitude for that branch of study have every facility afforded him to prosecute it; but do not make it a sort of Procrustean bed for all, whether their mathematical capacity be great or little. We know nothing more distasteful to a young officer devoid of true mathematical talent than to be forced to bend his mind to subjects which he can never comprehend, and which are of at least doubtful practical utility.

Supposing an officer to have acquired during boyhood, either at the junior department or elsewhere, such an amount of elementary military education as qualifies him for a commission without purchase, and that he has served three or four years with his regiment, as prescribed by the regulations: he will by that time have attained an age when matured understanding and judgment enable a man to form some notion of his own capabilities; and, under the supposition that it is fully the purpose of the Secretary of State for War and the Commander-in-Chief to create such inducements for officers to qualify themselves for staff employment as shall operate with effect, it may be presumed that he will devote the whole of his time and attention to the prescribed studies. In this view we should say that a year, or at most eighteen months,

would enable an officer to make sufficient progress in fortification, military surveying, the French and German languages, military law, military history, and mathematics.

The vast tracts of heath which surround Sandhurst offer every facility for instruction in military topography. We do not mean merely military surveying or sketching the ground, but also that kind of exercise which forms what the French call the coup d'œil militaire, or capability of seeing at a glance how far ground is suited to offensive or defensive operations. To carry out instruction of this nature would, of course, require the aid of an able and scientific soldier, who, when riding over the country, would, for instance, point out how troops and artillery ought to be posted to cover a village; and then he might show what would be the best mode of attacking it. Again, he might go to a distance with five or six officers, and require of them to furnish a rapid military sketch of a given number of square miles to be executed in a few hours. There should be much of such practice, in order that the students may become expert and accurate in work of so much importance.

We would have the foreign languages taught colloquially, and on no account should a word of English be aliowed between instructor and students. For other remarks on the subject of teaching French and German, the reader is referred to our last month's number.* In a word, we desire to see all the studies carried on in a thoroughly practical manner, so far as may be possible. It would be out of place to enter into further details in a Magazine article, which can only afford space to glance at subjects meriting more elaborate treatment.

With reference to cur general staff system, we would now venture on a few suggestions. It is divided into two branches, under an adjutant-general and a quartermaster-general. The former attends to the discipline, arming, and clothing of the troops, and the latter to all other objects connected with their efficiency, save what belongs to the commissariat department. We believe, that in all the continental services there is a chief of the staff who is responsible for the due performance of all staff duties, and such an officer was at the head of our own staff during the latter part of the Crimean contest. Now, we can see no reason for continuing the system of having two distinct branches of staff, one of which, viz., that of the quartermaster-general, requires able and scientific officers, while those attached to the adjutant-general need possess no special instruction whatever. We must maintain that no officer ought to be appointed to any staff situation unless he is competent to perform every duty of a staff officer. At present, supposing a division to be in the field, it would have its assistant quartermastergeneral and assistant adjutant-general, between whom there sometimes arise jealousies which interfere with duty; but if in their stead an assistant and deputy-assistant general staff officer were attached to it, charged with the execution of all staff duties, both officers would be

We were recently allowed to be present when Monsieur Roche, of Cadogan Square, gave a lesson of two hours' duration to one of his juvenile classes. His method of teaching is the only sensible one we have ever seen, and is in accordance with the hints upon teaching languages given in our July number. It is in high repute in the region of Belgravia.

conversant with every matter relating to their division, and the staff duties be greatly simplified. Such a change would in some degree diminish patronage, as a smaller number of officers would thereby be required to form the head-quarters staff, whether at home or with an army in the field.

Motives of economy, and a desire not to withdraw too many officers from regimental duty, will always keep down the number of the staff, who therefore can never form more than an inconsiderable fraction; and hence an objection might be made to encouraging a numerous body of officers to qualify for an employment which a large majority of them can never obtain. But, supposing the utopian period to be at hand when merit rather than favour will be sought out and employed, will it not be necessary to have the means of selection; for many may qualify, so far as studies are concerned, whom it would be undesirable to place in situations of trust? We have seen of late the opinion advanced that staff employment ought to be gained by competition, an opinion in which we can in no wise agree. While Lord Raglan was military secretary, it was his custom, whenever an officer was required for any special duty, to consult some one near him in whom he had confidence, and be guided by his opinion-generally the late quartermastergeneral, who, owing to his invariable courtesy during a long service at the Horse-Guards, saw more officers in a way to learn their qualifications than any one else-as to the appointment; and some such course must generally be followed in order to put "the right man in the right place.'

Considering, then, that many must necessarily meet with disappointment, so far as staff employment is concerned, we would strenuously urge upon our military authorities the propriety and justice of otherwise rewarding officers who may devote themselves to professional studies; and no better mode suggests itself to us than that of increasing their pay. It is notorious that an officer's regimental pay is quite inadequate to enable him to live at all, much less to live like a gentleman; it is surely, then, not putting forth anything unreasonable when we propose that men who qualify themselves, for superior employment should obtain the recompence we propose. We believe that, under our present unwise system, many men of talent get discouraged by the prospect before them, withdraw from the service early, and embark in other pursuits. Such men ought to be induced to remain in the ranks of the army, and they will only do so by making it worth their while.

We were about to hope that public opinion had obtained such weight that no officer would be nominated to a high and difficult command unless he had given proofs of a knowledge and capacity sufficient to warrant it; but when, to objections raised against the appointment to a remote and important active command, the War Minister can find no better reason to assign in his justification than that the officer in question had displayed great energy in cleansing the city of Lahore, we confess that we do despair of ever seeing an end to what-when we contemplate the evil consequences that have so often followed-we must term a criminal favouritism. There is scarcely an instance recorded in our annals of military disaster that may not be traced to the incapacity of