Bigrtllattrotto.

ARMY REFORM.

The following important general order was issued on Wednesday by the Horse Guards. It will be found interesting. If these instructions are now required what must have been the state of the army hitherto ? "Horse Guards, S.W. Nov. 29. "The following regulations in regard to the examination of officers pre- paratory to promotion in the army are to be substituted for those pro- mulgated by the circular memoranda of the 14th of May 1850 ; the 14th of July 18.58; and the 19th of July 1858:- - "Before officers are recommended for promotion to the rank of Lieu- tenant the commanding officer will apply to the senior officer in the district or station for a board to examine and report upon their qualifications. "The board is to consist (if possible) of three field officers, but on no occasion, when it can possibly be avoided is any officer of the same regiment as the candidate to be placed on the board. "This board is to repdrt* to the Military Secretary, for the information of the General Commanding-in-Chief, that the officers about to be recom- mended for promotion to the rank of Lieutenant have been instructed on the following points, viz. :—

" I. They must have a thorough knowledge and must give an account of the duties they have to perform as regimental orderly officers, as officers commanding guards, or as subaltern officers of guards under officers of su- perior rank.

2. They must have a thorough knowledge of, and he able to put a company through the manual and platoon exercise, and be capable of exercising both a squad and company in the drill and evolutions as pre- scribed in the first two parts of the regulations for the field exercise of the infantry.

"3. 'They must know exactly the place of all the company's officers in every. situation of the battalion, and be able to command a company in battalion exercise.

"4. They must be acquainted with such parts of the Queen's regulations and orders for the army as relate to the duties and conduct of a subaltern officer, and with the Mutiny Act and Articles of War, so far as is necessary for the performance of their duties as members of a court-martial.

"5. 'They must be acquainted with the Queen's regulations in regard to the pay and messing of the troops, and the supply of necessaries. "6. They must know the weight of the knapsack, the weight of the soldier's firelock, with and without the bayonet, of his pouch, with and

• "N.B.—The written questions and replies are to be sent with the report of the board." wi Qti am nition., , the car= • ' • n-it is caleirlateritejarrg. iili tliteitielkilitiiif hisiwidotstrearentedllomb id,..thili ,rii;r„Will,,y:Ii: 55"417:1' tite oriblueteleeseil throbglartheboollretlIMEY114440413 16 or6t1gliviaminainti3d aleifkrifis *MangPl'eftMai ../arl reenkscbtrakeketiy, as defnied in thetelltbolytet! PPR . a ,rint„ e- t? . . (ham" . 1.,.,:,-, "-:... .,,,-. - ...It of m5ta/7 .e of; :...',J :',,v_ -.d • "8. In addition to such portions of the above as may rkitly,ioit.lie erkralry senile*, it is'neeearr, ill tlantAbecetWe '.:1- ■ '0 1:::That !they be 11 have learlit litive-beeninstructed in the single a ..i ow Thatithey,aball „be „able to put .L and sword sreieirieir,Intl tii , exerc ise -heti" eyolutionsipteadribed lathe cavalry exceige

"3. , That they shall be able. to .010111444

• "4.. That cthey'lltall have wale i saddlery, the mode of fitting the ,sa equipment of the cavalry soldier minis horse. 1 34"91',. ,i5114 Pl. -,?sv.144-#'1149ylrefeY alcifttlerre' e Crtf,g4-1 th the ` rinik of 'Captain, eubsequently to July ti'irraddit, tb .the above, el areirecginthended.fdf , Ini

be req . q,... ve, ' -

"9. A, ?math TRoiledge of the proyisiotflidie Mutiny Act and Ar- tides of ,) ar, 0.4, gf , the forms and ,proceell• it*of courts-martial; and must give evidence Of having studieflusoa,m js.,1..,illndai..d worktion that subject. ‘• 10. They must understand ' elli¢ Vtilitions of a' regiment of cavalry, or a battalion of lido . ",;;;'i.ii IMff-Alithe 'in the regulations for thee services respectively. '; ' ''."' 1" -a" 7:111,-... ,- . • — II. They must be acquainted iiilii,ttti'll' Iliffentry drill, outpost du,.

lief!, mitre _„,escorts, advanced and rear g ' ...... , . " 12..T ,y must perfectlY.understab. iikribr 'economy of w troop or

company, ,and the established ii ' iliArabconiits. " 13.- eV41}A.be,,c0c,O,Pc4 eff Rh 1-het/teen's and War-

office re tiens.,„ ,. ,, „-,_.• " • _ „,, _ " 14: t mud bb dideittui&dlltanbefafkiempetent to take charge of a troop, company, or detachment, in ofeitliotitiOn ha which it . may be placed, ....._. . „ . .

cc Is:- And 'thef.inisebe required Ag lillnY7 that they have ti sufficient knowledge of field fortification and. TactllilliesSance to be enabled to ftilfitthe important duties Cletelledi in the 404 eseemie book, from 313 to 317. .. . "The. examination of, officeri for, the rank of Captain is tic be made by :boards of office%to be apnointed v the General or other ciffieer command- ing the district of -station, one of the senior officers in each stationer gar- risen,heing present, andef two field officers (if possible) not belonging to

• the SAM& regiment as 'the 'Candidate.. - "In all cases the board of examiners will escertain by practical examina- tion, and not' by the a'cceptanoe merely' of verbal. or written answers to questions, Whether the officer is . instructedln the - subjects specified in paragraphs'2; 3, 8, 10 and 11; of this.getteral order.:

"The General or other officer'coihmanding the district or station will for- ward the report of the board cwith the written questions and replies) to the

Military Secretary, accompanied by his own .observations thereon. . "Every cornet or ensign is to be examined, on the different points herein

specified before he ha 's completed eightinontli service, and should he fail. to qualify- himself for promotion within that period, his commanding officer must rePort,' for the information-. of the General' Commanding. in Chief, whether it is owing to a want of diligence and attention on the part of the officer, or to circumstances (such as sickness or others) over which he could

have had no 'control. . . .

"The General Comraandin_g in Chief hoped that the subalterns of the army will see the necessity Id using their utmost exertions to acquire a knowledge of their professional duties, as his Royal Highness will not hesi- tate to promote (either regimentally or from other corps) officers who may have passed the required examination, in the place of the idle and incom- petent. "It is the imperative duty of all commanding officers to pay close atten-

tion to the instruction of young officers, and his Royal Highness will hold them as responsible for the performance of this duty as for the due instruc- and training of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers under their com- mand.

"By command of his Royal Highness the General Commanding in Chief, - . "G. A. WErrniams., Adjutant-General."

Some time since it was rather authoritatively announced that the brother of Lord Elgin had been appointed Minister at Pekin. But the Morning Post of Wednesday is now "enabled to announce" that the fortunate man is Mr. Horace Rumbold. We then have Mr. Rumbold's official history. "Mr. Rumbold was nominated an attaché to our Legation at Washington on the 4th of September, 1849; at Turin, pro tern., on the 2d of November, in the same year ; at Florence, an the 21st of April, 1852; to the Embassy at Paris, on the 16th of June, 1852; at Frankfort, on the 7th of December of that year ; paid attaché at Stuttgardt, on the 19th of September, 1854; second paid attaché at Vienna, on the 20th of November, 1856; and subsequently at Berlin, whence he has been promoted to his present appointment." It appears, however, that Lord Elgin's brother the Honourable F. Bruce is Ike man, and that Mr. Rumbold will only be attached to the mission.

Lord Brougham has arrived in Paris. He attended at the Institute on Saturday, when some scientific papers were read.

The Athentrum notices that Mr. J. Maurice Solomon, a member of the Jewish race has taken honours in four out of the five sub-divisions of the degree of B.A. in the University of London—being the first time such a thing has been done.

The United Service Gazette understands that Sir Richard Bromley, K.C.B. Accountant-General of the Navy, has been nominated, and will shortly'begnzetted, as Under-Secretary of State for War, in room of Sir Benjamin Hawes. An announcement of the approaching departure of M. Persigny for Italy, has given rise to a variety of conjectures in the continental press.

• The Lowndean Professorship of Astronomy, vacant by the death of the Dean of Ely, has been conferred upon Mr. Adams, Fellow of Pembroke. and late Fellow of St. John's. It will be remembered that Mr. Adams claimed the discovery of the planet Neptune with M. Leverrier, which honour, it is understood, he lost by not timely publishing the result of his investigations.

Major-General Waddington, a comrade of the late Sir Charles Napier, and conspicuous for his devoted courage at the blowing up of Emaun Ghur in the deserts of Schub, died reoently. Ho had been forty-six years in the service of the East India Company as au engineer.

• Lord John Hay, M.P., lain impaired health, and, doubts are entertained if his lordship will be able to attend to his parliamentary duties, at the commencement of the next session. eterCise; and

the carbine, lance, ltud troop in the drill and t p,,ia • 'qkint d ron exercise. and, gf he detail of Whok • ...