vices which get on somehow or other without
having recourse to the practice of buying and
selling posts of the greatest importance. Why
are they thus excluded from the general rule
which obtains in other branches of our war
department? Is it because the control of a
ship imposes upon her commanding officer a
responsibility so enormous that it is felt there
must be no risk of an incompetent person
stepping into such a position, because he
happens to be able to buy it? Is it, in
the case of the other two services mentioned,
because great professional skill and
technical learning are required in those who are
to occupy positions of trust and command?
If this should be so—if these should be the
reasons, or some of the reasons, why promotion
by purchase is unknown in these three fine
services, it would supply a stronger and more
irresistible argument against the system of buying
and selling commissions than any other which
could be brought forward.

We have purposely throughout this paper
dealt with arguments of a non-professional and
untechnical kind, and such as suggest
themselves to what is called the general public.
We do not pretend to point out in what way a
new scheme of promotion should be organised.
This it would require a long practical and
professional acquaintance with military matters to
justify anyone in attempting to do. What we assume
the capacity to do is to show what is the feeling
on this subject of a large body of civilians. As
to the actual work of preparing fresh rules for
the regulating of promotion in our army, the
simple natural arrangement seems to be that
certain competent persons should be appointed
thoroughly to investigate the subject, using
every means within their reach of arriving at a
true and right decision. Such inquiries,
properly conducted, might be attended with the
most valuable results; but it would be needful
that they should be entered upon in an entirely
unprejudiced and liberal spirit, nor must any
suggestion which might prove useful, coming
from whatever source, be neglected by those to
whom the important duty might be confided.

There can hardly be a doubt, for instance,
that those to whom such a task might be
delegated would do well to examine with some
closeness of attention what is the practice of
other nations with regard to the internal discipline
and organisation of their armies; extracting,
as far as may be, what is good from their
systems, and rejecting what is bad or
unsuitable. Very valuable hints on such points
are not hard to get, if we look about for them.
Taking, for instance, the question of army
promotion, which is just now occupying some
degree of public attention, might we not do worse
than spend some time in studying the rules by
which this is regulated in the different
European armies? Such rules are by no means
inaccessible; and although no special set of
regulations would in all points serve as a guide
to us—because each nation has its individuality,
and no one among them more unmistakably
than our own—yet might we get from some of
them certain valuable suggestions which might
be of use in our present uncertainty.

Let us—to take an instance—glance for a
moment at some of the rules by which promotion
is regulated in a service—that of Austria—
which still holds, in spite of recent achievements
by Prussian needle guns, a high position
among European armies. It may be that in
English eyes a special value may attach to
Austrian arrangements in this kind, because
the officers belonging to that service have among
us a better reputation for the possession of
a gentlemanlike and gallant bearing than is
enjoyed by some other of their continental
brethren. Let us see, then, how these matters
are managed in Austria, and how they
contrive to get on without the purchase system,
which we have got to regard as so indispensable
to the ordering of a well-regulated army.

The earlier regulations contained in the
Austrian code relate, of course, entirely to that first
preliminary step which enables the youth who
desires to embrace a military career to enter
the army in the capacity of what they call a
cadet.

"No one," say the Austrian rules, " can be
nominated for a commission unless he shall
have attained the age of eighteen years, and
shall have passed the prescribed examination
in a satisfactory manner. Certificates of good
character and proofs of having received a
liberal education will be required from each
candidate.

"Cadetships to be in the gift of colonels of
regiments. Cadets will take rank, in the
regiments to which they are appointed, according
to their position in the examination reports."

Here, it will be observed at starting, is an
indication of that accordance of a superior
position to merit which we all desire should be at
the root of advancement in the army, and
which it is good to see coming into force at so
early a stage in the soldier's career as this.
There is no distinct mention in this place of the
social class to which these candidates for
cadetships are expected to belong, except that
furnished by the clause which ordains that they
shall be able to give proofs of having received
a liberal education. This regulation, of course,
limits the class of applicants not a little.

A great readiness to reward exceptional
merit appears throughout this code, as witness
the next rule:

"Non-commissioned officers and cadets who
may have particularly distinguished themselves
in the field, may be nominated to sub-
lieutenancies without passing the prescribed
examination, provided they have received a good
education, and their general conduct has been
without exception good."

"Out of every four vacancies among the
sub-lieutenants in any regiment, the two first
are to be filled up from the cadets according to
seniority: the third is to be reserved for pupils
from the Imperial Schools: the fourth is to be