PROMOTION UPSIDE DOWN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume V, Issue 302, 22 September 1855, Page 5

PROMOTION UPSIDE DOWN.

The appointment of officers for hereditary reasons or for personal favour is not peculiar to this country. We find an admirable specimen of it in the practice of an ally for whom we are exerting ourselves much. In a lecture delivered by Mr. J. A. Crowe at the Marylebone institution, Riving a lively picture of Turkey and the war by an eye-witness, two officers in the Turkish service were introduced. One of ,these is " the brave Skender Bey." " Skender Bey's name is Illinski; and he was born in the vicinity of Bender, in Bessarabia. He has led the most adventurous soldier's life of any mail in the world. He fought in Spain against the Carlists, who kept him prisoner for a time. He fought in Algiers, and in Bosnia, and in six weeks reduced the Hergezovina to submission. He [has been wounded fourteen times, and was never free from attacks of intermittent fever. I regret to see that he has again been severely hit in a cavalry action at Eupatoria, where he lost four of bis sword-fingers. The motto on Skendar's scimitar is— ';'Altra cosa morire—altra parlare di morte.' He never speaks—he acts; and few men have ever had such trophies to show. With 800 Bashi-Bazouks fand regulars, near Kraiova, he attacked and destroyed Karamsui's regiment of Hussars, and took from them four guns, which were brought in triumph to Schumla. Since bis childhood he has not heard from his,relations. But last summer, near Bucharest, he made a Cossack prisoner, who, on being questioned, declared that he came from the lauds of • Illinski. Skender grew pale at the name. He asked, ' How is Count Illinski—the old man ?' *He is dead." ' How is the Countess Illinski ?' 'She is dead." Skender's weather-beaten face changed: tears ran down the furrows of his cheek; and the Cossack bowed reverentially before this involuntary outburst of grief. Skender will never perhaps see his country more,' This, is a soldier who/.ias carved his own way ; exactly the man for a high command. He was in the army at Citate, where the Turks so greatly distinguished themselves; —and another officer was engaged on the same field — ■ il The son of one of the great Turkish ministers, who at the age of twenty-one was intrusted with the command or two regiments of cavalry, claimed and obtained the Medjidie or medal for the action at Citate, on the grouud that bad he been there he would have performed extraordinary deeds of valour. This young gentleman to my own knowledge, had spent the night before the battle in playing the Turkish mandoline, strumming on the discordant wires, whilst a chibouckdji held a paper lantern for him." Here we have two officers even more coutrnsted perhaps than Colonel {Mayne and Colonel Shirley. Skender Bey, the Colonel Mayne of

Citate, was placed under the co in mand of th young Colonel Shirley, the favourite of the Turkish Government. It is an example for us! — Spectator.