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ARMY REFORM: MOPE OF MAKING GENERALS. 11th Hay 1857. Bra—Every person interested in our Army must read with pleasure the remarks yen occasionally, now indeed frequently, make on its shortcomings. Your article headed "Wanted, a Staff School," is admirable. Could you favour us with one on an equally urgent want, and One arising from the other—namely, a General ?—not such a one as Ciesar or Wellington, for we know they are born not made, but good working men like Mouravieff, Missies, and others, who have learned their business in camps and schools, and made the most of what military genius may be in them— men who have been campaigning from their youth? Now, just consider how little chance we have of obtaining such men while our present system of making Generals continues. Every officer in our Army who continues in it long enough becomes a General, and may by caprice, chance, or interest, get the command of bodies of men on service—without having perhaps seen a shot fired, witnessed an embarkation or disembarkation of troops, or had any means of acquainting himself with military duties performed otherwise than in good barracks at home or in the Colonies perhaps, or in camps well supplied by the neighbouring market-towns. Depend upon it, we shall never have general officers in whom the soldiers, and those in the country who think on such matters, can have any confidence, as long as our present system of making them continues. Men who serve in the household of Prince Albert, those who have commanded cavalry regiments at home and at home only, and some who have never commanded at all but merely been Captains in the Guards—these all contribute to swell the lists of our Major-Generals now, and may eventually for aught we know have the command of armies abroad—for they will go on increasing in rank and a certain sort of consequence. We should cease to make Generals of Equerries and Clerks-Marshal of soldiers who serve only in St. James's Street and in the Houses of Parliament. Let all such stop at the rank of Colonel, and our Generals will not be, as they now are, the laughingstock of Europe for their numbers and their incapabilities. We have dozens of general officers such as I have described—men past fifty, and made within a very few years. Their appointments must be useless or mischievous,—the former if they are not employed, the latter if they are. A great step would be taken towards the improvement of our Army if this system of promotion could be altered. The interests of very influential classes in the country are concerned in there being no change ; but if the public can be got thoroughly to comprehend the system, and see how badly it works in every way for the nation, with the help of yourself and others something may be done. Let any one examine the list of our Major-Generals carefully, and see if I have stated the matter fairly and truly.
Good, no doubt, will arise from the plan now in practice of giving the rank-of Colonel to Lieutenant-Colonels who have commanded a regiment for three years; but something beyond this is required to remedy the evils of our present system.
I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, I. B.
THE NATIONAL GALLERY—THE LAST PURCHASE.
Venice, 26th April 1647. Sin—The economy prognosticated by Mr. Wilson of the Treasury and of the Economist, on the 1st of August 1855, from the appointment of a Bavarian, "upon the highest recommendation," (Pad. Deb. Aug. 1, 1855,) to represent on the Continent the artistic attainments of England, and whatever surplus of accomplishments may have been comprised in the assurance that " undoubtedl , if any Englishmen had been equally eligible he would have had a prior aim, as recently received another remarkable exemplification. After seven months' oscillation between the Albergo di S. Marco, the Caffe Florian, and Ca' Pisani di S. Polo, at the rate of 1000/. a year for salary and "travelling expenses," Herr Otto Mandler, the "most highly recommended" and "most eligible" Bavarian in question, has secured, with the concurrence of Messrs. Eastlake and Wornum, a second-rate work by a second-rate master of the Venetian school, at the moderate price of 13,650/. Should any sensitive Englishman feel moved to blush at the fractional character of this sum as beneath our national dignity, let him suspend the emotion. The scandal is but temporary. Providence and Bavaria have provided against its continuance. There is a bill in reserve. Packing, insurance, freight, framing, and sundries, are to metamorphose the meagre " figure " into the more comely and British proportion of 14,0001.; a sum only 10001. in excess of the grant voted for the purchase of pictures during the entire year. The picture thus frugally acquired by the Bavaro-British art-missionary, to counterbalance the investment of 30501. in the "Adoration of the Magi" and the Galvagna " Bellini," is by Paul Veronese. At Venice it is known as the "Paolo di Ca' Pisani " ; not that it has ever been considered here other than a second-rate specimen of the master, but for the inevitable reason that it was at once the only Paul and the only picture in the Pisani family worth naming. Any other title, therefore, was impossible. Its ample dimensions also helped to fix the distinction ; and those who estimate pictures in the ratio of their areas, may be further gratified to hear that, • besides being large, it is sufficiently red and opaque. The subject, "The Family of Darius at the feet of Alexander," is the sum of its pretensions as a classical work. To rank it as a model of Venetian colouring would betray crass ignorance of what the Venetians have achieved ; yet its colouring is its chief recommendation. Even at his happiest, Paul Veronese illustrates but the decline of his school ; the "Family of Darius" marks its corruption. The culminating sora of Venetian art, though still struggling against extinction in the octogenarian Titian, was in its last throes when Paul Veronese commenced his career. To the creations of that cora Paul's are all but as pinchbeck to virgin gold. Already familiar with Venice in former days, I once more find myself on that widest of fields for scanning the matter. "II Paolo di Ca' Pisani" was preeminently "Il Paolo" of the gondolieri and ciceroni of Venice , twothirds of its notoriety derive from them. Adepts at eking out their connexion with strangers, it was one of the large mediocrities which served for that purpose. Thus it had overtopped in notoriety its betters by the same hand. Of these there are several in Venice ; and with them might have been classed our "Consecration of St. Nicholas," but for its castigation in 1852 by Messrs. Eastlake and Uwins. The 43141. Sc. 8d. worth of exploded acquisitions, the "Adoration of the Magi," the " Bottieelli," the Galva,gna " Bellini," and the Mantegua, (11251. 123.,) officially confessed to have been "possibly completed by an assistant," (Eastlake's Rep. Estimates Civil Sere. 18..%27, p. 54,) the banishment of some of the Galvagna lot to Ireland, and the sale of others by Messrs. Christie and Manson on the 14th of last February at half their cost, together with the approach of the period for demanding a fresh grant, rendered some dashing speculation imperative. The "superior eligibility" of Germans must be maintained. But as gold itself may be bought too dear, so may inferior metals. Even at an indulgent estimate, 14,6001. is four times as much as this "Paolo di Ca' Pisani" is worth. As its purchase must have been backed by high sanction, the lungs of elaequeurs will of course be exerted to legitimate its spurious finite; and as in the ease of the "Adoration of the Masi," a "letter" from somewhere will of course "have been seen," in which some unnameable somebody had offered an advance of 20 per cent on its cost. But all things find their level. The purchases of last year have found theirs. The price ostensibly agreed upon between Count Pisani and Herr lifindler for the Family of Darius" was 12,0001. To the discomfiture of a circle to which I will presently introduce the English public, the Count insisted on being paid in Austrian silver : the exchange brought him an advantage of 360/. Deducting these sums from 13,650/., there remains 12901. The proportions in which our Bavarian representative dealt out the entire sum is as follows
Thus no one can impute to us a monopoly of Herr Mfindler's favours. They are freely shared with Italian counts, bankers, stewards first anet stewards second, lawyers, "restorers," valets, gondoliers, porters, porters' wives, chambermaids, and cooks. It is said that out of the 13,6504 he has rescued for us a balance of 5 francs; but this I consider apocryphal.
After the settlement of this notable bargain, but not till after, Herr Miindler awoke to the advisableness of obtaining from Pisani some document confirmatory of the picture's authenticity. Itself was its only document! Nets lino about "pedigree" existed ; an agreeable discovery for a pedigree critic. Another incident has amused the Venetians. I have mentioned " framing " as one of the items destined to swell our bill. Some may think that for 13,650/. the frame might have been thrown in ; but "picture without frame" was the ultimatum, and as the pressure was great, the only alternative was submission. The pressure was suspected. Had Pisani known all, he might have obtained 20,0001. as easily as the sum—in Austrian silver too, The cause of the Count's fancy for the frame soon transpired. About forty miles hence, and pleasantly perched on the Luganean slopes, stands a merry old town called Este. Here, the Count is said to possess another "Family of Darius" of the same dimensions as the one he has "sacrificed." This was kept a secret till after the .sale. On Tuesday the 14th instant, Herr Mfindler, who, as Mr. Harcourt Vernon has it, "appears to be an extremely painstaking and laborious person," (Deb. April 7, 1856,) hastened to Este to study this curious work ; but not alone. He is sufficiently adroit not to walk by his own lights ; he prefers securing at least a chance of keeping on his feet, A Signor Paolo Fabris, "restorer," a very &viler in the "venerated art," and a participator in the late spoil, as per het, accompanied him as his salaried adviser— as the adviser of our adviser. The " restorer " is returned; the "extremely painstaking and laborious person" pursued his travels Westward. The result of their deliberations has not reached me. Herr Mfindler's modesty is the theme of general admiration here. Though the arch-adviser of the English Government, he never presumes to form a judgment without having first consulted the whole town. It is to this multiplicity of counsels, and to his "considerable acumen" in selection, that we are indebted for so many masterpieces, and so much economy. The "general rule so happily propounded by "My Lords of the Treasury" in their minute of March 1&55, "that preference should be given to fine pictures for sale abroad," was meant to protect this style of research from the malignity of "disappointed competitors." And now a few words on another theme.
On the 1st of August 1855, and 7th of April 1856, certain Members of the House of Commons sought to cloak their obsequiousness and their callousness to national honour in voting for the appointment of this Bavarian, by asserting that "he was favourably known in every city of the Continent." As though that were a sufficient argument for conferring on this alien a lucrative English office ! To fill an English office, a man, bahe alien or English, ought to be "favourably known" in. England, and to be bound to us, moreover, by some pledge that would make ruin the consequence of ill-conduct. Which of these conditions does this Bavarian satisfy ? I care not to penetrate whether the Members above indicated asserted what they knew to be false. It is enough that they should have asserted what they could not know to be tens; a knowledge impossible, for it would unhinge fact. Within the last seven months I have visited the .principal cities of Germany, and in each it has been one of my special occupations to make inquiries about this individual. In the more comprehensive sense, he is unknown in his own country; where known, the opinion held of him is identical with that which is current of him in the French metropolis. What that opinion is, I stated in a letter from Paris to the London journals on the 24th of last September. It is of the worst. I defied contradiction then ; I defy contradiction now. Here in Venice, he stands no better. Incapacity is the least that is imputed to him. I contend that such a concurrence of opinion could not exist without foundation. Throughout the Continent his appointment and his office are standing topics for contempt and ridicule at the expense of England. They are repugnant to propriety and to common sense. Who will have the front to maintain, that in addition to a Director at 10001. a year and a Secretary at 7501. exclusive of house-rent, it is expedient to waste on a third man—on an alien too !—a further 1000/. a year in salary and "travelling expenses," that we may be encumbered with such monstrosities as the "Adoration of the Magi," as the " Botticelli," as the Galvagna " Bellini," &e. ; or that it requires any abstruse process to purchase a second-rate specimen of a second-rate master for 14,000!.? This German "travelling agency" is an imposture. If bear we must with the creation of sham offices for incompetent and equivocal characters, let us at least have them filled by Englishmen of that compound category, that our shame may not be aggravated by needless divulgation.
Yours obediently, MORRIS MOORE.
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