MILITARY GRUMBLING.
Varna, September 1854.
Sin—I am induced to reply to a letter which I have just seen in your paper of the 19th August, and which is dated "Bulgaria, 13th July 1854." Not that, perhaps, there is much to distinguish it from the thousand and one grumbling communications of the day, but that it seems written in a spirit of earnestness, and that I fear its having appeared in your columns may lend it a weight which I think it hardly deserves. I am far from thinking that the complaints of your correspondent, nor indeed of most of those who have written, are without foundation. Hardships and discomfort are in- separable from service in the field, and are no doubt somewhat difficult of endurance, and the more especially, if supposed to proceed from the "in- efficiency of departments." But what I could wish to point out to you is, that such correspondents have probably no means of knowing the amount of difficulties which have been encountered, nor the zeal, energy, and fore- sight, with which they have been partly overcome. They are perfectly aware of the shortcomings, but they are not so cognizant of what has been accomplished. But does it not appear that some of these officers, at least, are a little inclined to exaggerate their privations? Your correspondent states, that the division to which he belongs, though only fifteen miles from Varna, have since 3d or 4th July, (that is, for nearly a fortnight,) bad nothing but "bread, meat, sugar, and coffee," because the Commissariat cannot " move their stores." Now " bread, meat, sugar, and coffee," cannot certainly be said to include every luxury of the season ; but I think that, short of that, and for an army in the field, it is really not such very bad feeding. But the Commissariat "cannot move their stores.' Now, it may not be generally known in England, that the Commissariat have not only to "move their own stores," but that with them rests th. responsibility, and a very arduous one it is, of the public transport of th; whole army. Hence follows the necessity, most naturally and absolutely, when in a country where the supply of transport is limited, of using it (always under the orders of the Commander of the Forces) only, and in the first place, for essentials, and leaving all non-essentials behind; even if the distance be only fifteen miles. I am led to believe your correspondent was not aware of this.
But, with regard to the non-supply of ale and porter, which it seems has been considered a non-essential, a good deal has been said, and something by your correspondent, of being " perfectly well aware that a gracious Queen and a beneficent country intended the army in tho East to have ale and porter, and that it having only been withheld by the inefficiency of depart- ments, the sole difficulty consisted in making the lachete known, when of course it would be instantly remedied." Now, how really stands the ease ? The great boon of supplying the soldier with comforts at a cheap rate, and which, in essentials, I trust will ever be acted on, originated solely with the Commissariat Department of the Treasury. It was officially stated, how- ever, to be only " experimental " ; and as the measure has been carried out by the same department which originated it, there can be no ignorance whatever in high places of every difficulty, and of every case of supposed neglect, which may have occurred. But, perhaps, I might here usefully state the nature of the boon granted to the soldier.
The soldier's ration has hitherto consisted of only meat and bread, and occasionally rum ; his pay being considered adequate to enable him to supply his other wants by purchase. But the Treasury considered that on active service the soldier might occasionally be placed where there was no mar- ket, and where he could not purchase ; and they determined to supply him, as far as the exigencies of the service would permit, with sundry comforts, at cost-price. Now this I believe to be the greatest boon of modern times to the soldier ; one which it is quite wonderful was never thought of before, and which 1 trust will always be acted on for the future, whether in the field or in garrison abroad. But it must be abundantly evident that in the field only articles easy of transport and essential can possibly be supplied. Now, with regard to this much-desiderated porter and ale : only consider, that to give 30,000 men a pot of porter each would consume, say, 120 hogsheads of porter daily ; say, for a month, 3600 hogsheads of porter ; say, for a quarter, 10,800. Imagine an army taking the field with 10,800 hogs- heads of porter behind them ! The fact is, that the measure, though most useful and beneficent, cannot be carried out in all its details. I do not blame lovers of porter, the subject. having been once mooted, for trying to have their pot ; but I think they might, if they chose, see other difficulties in the way besides " inefficiency of departments." But I find I must touch more briefly on the other grievances of your correspondent. If he were to break his leg, how could he be conveyed probably five miles to the camp ? Why, I should think, should such an event unhappily occur before the arrival of the ambulance, he might be carefully conveyed in a litter, as must have already happened, unfortunately, in hundreds of cases. Again, how can an-officer remit money to his wife at Malta ?—Nothing in the world more easy. He has simply to enclose a bill on his London agent, which she can, with the greatest facility, negotiate at Malta at any moment ; or, should he himself have no funds in the regimental agent's hands, he has only to purchase a bill on London from those who have, or from the Paymaster, and equally remit it to his wife. Why should the Government be milled upon in so very simple a matter of business ? But, again, your correspondent thinks it hard that an officer on service should have no banking facilities provided for him, but should be obliged to keep his money in his tent, or run the risk of losing it by remitting to an agent. Now in this last, perhaps, there is a little bit of foundation : there is always some risk attending the possession of wealth ; butarmy agents very seldom fail ; and I think it hardly seems a case requiring assistance from the Government. But I may mention, that this is a point on whioh the Govern- ment are very liberal to regimental officers, and perhaps it deserves explana- tion. Regimental officers are permitted, should the course of exchange be in their favour, to draw their pay in England, through the regimental agent, they drawing bills on him as they may require the money ; or should the course of exchange be against them, they are allowed to draw their pay at the station where they are serving, at a fixed rate, through the Commissa- riat. This latter course, it would seem, your correspondent must have adopted ; and I would therefore advise him for the future to draw his pay in England, through the regimental agent. He would then avoid the grievance of accumulating balances, and have it at the same time in his power to oblige the officer who wants to remit to his wife at Malta.
I am, your constant reader, AN OFFICER OF ONE OF TEE "INEFFICIENT DEPARTMENTS."
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