16 DECEMBER 1854, Page 15

GENERAL ENGLAND.

THE Times has fully justified itself in raising the question whether General England can be left in a post that appears to place him next to the chief command; successor possibly, in case of an accident, to Lord Raglan. Our contemporary, when first drawing attention to the position of Sir Richard England, observed that he had not been known to face the enemy under fire, and that his position in the recent battles with the Russians had always been one towards the rear. A relative of the General challenged the journal with a defence of Sir Richard ; and then out came that case which had been before in the minds of many as a cause of sur- prise at Sir Richard's appointment to be even a General of Division. In the spring of 1842, when posted in &hide, Sir Richard was ordered to convey reinforcements of men, money, andammunition, to Sir Wil- liam Nett at Candahar. Twice Sir Richard approached the Kojack Pass, at the end of March and at the end of April. Repulftd the first time, he received an implied censure and a renewed summons from Sir William Nott. Even the second time he hesitated; posi- tively sat down in a chair, disregarding the importunities of his own officers ; and did advance only when the pass was manned by a force from the other side. It is not to be held that Sir Richard has received judgment; the statement against him is ex-parte : but it is unfortunate that the opportunity for rehabilitating his name should be purchased at the risk possibly of intimating to him the army of the Crimea and the fame of his country. The question as to his succession is nett entirely gratuitous. There have been examples of succession in other cases. In. the Crimea, General Canrobert succeeds to the command vacated by the death of Marshal St. Arnaud; and the probability that on Admiral Dundas's return home Sir. Edmund Lyons would succeed to the naval command has been discussed with approbation. In both these cases, no .doubt, there were sufficient reasons for such appointments independently of the succession; and it is possible that provision may be.made for replacing Lord Raglan, in case of accident, also irrespeetively of succession. It is most unfortunate, however, that at such a time any such question at all should have been permitted to arise. The incident is one, and a sufficiently signal one, to combine with many others in proving that the whole system of military appointments, successions, and routines, should be overhauled and readjusted.