ROYAL ENGINEER DEPARTMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 274, 28 September 1864, Page 5

ROYAL ENGINEER DEPARTMENT.

MII.ITAI2Y A>'l> CIVIL. I>" a previous article under tlieheadingof Lngiueers." in which we very briefly and imperfectly referred to the service of thai distinpuslied corps, we intimated our intention of alluding in a separate article to the service of t»- Ji<»val Kn gineer Department in Is ow-Zea-land ; :i department which has rendered to iiii> colony, services as useful as they are permanent and self evident. Prom its infancy up to the present, the Governor and colonists ot .Nev.- /Cca'a/id Lave had the benefit oi the experience, advice, and professional assistance of a highly talented and scientific, and excedingi}' courteous body of gentlemen, in the ofiicers oi the Poyal Knjiiirecr Department. "V\ itli these gentlemen has generally rested the duty oi •h-ciding upon most competitive plans, and <ie.«igii> submitted lor the use of the Colonial Covenimeiit, both General and Provincial, and v <- have never heard of any oi' these decisions iieiiiL: objected to, on the contrary, they have c-lieited expressions of professional and popular ajijjroval. in limes past. Colonels Barlow, Bolton, and Baddeiev, Captains Che.sney. -Mairis and Pasley, Jiave eacli and all contributed to the advancement and proi-periiy of the colon}' —and to tliem our gratitude is due, and cordially awarded ; but '•wing to the altered and peculiar circumstances ot tiie colony, and ill a great degree to the power and ability to take advantagec oi these circumstances, Colonel Mould, the present Commanding J'ova'i Engineer, has been enabled to render greater services to this colon}', tlian 'ny of his predecessors could have done. -L'Jcse .-crvices materially assisted in promoting die interests of the colonists and in securing so 's!' as their iniluence reached, a practical solution the ilit jjc-iiJ ties by which the Colony was surrounded. Colonel ".Mould is alike distinguished in the possession of an amiable disposition, alfabi<- and courteous manners, and talent h-ssiouul skill of the highest order —anci his promotion, as it was notified to the colonists, was heralded by them us one of the most appropriate that had been conferred. Prior to, and indeed even during the war, tolonel Mould has rendered many and most important services to the Colonial Government, 1,1 ore especiallv during the period in which held ihc Colonial appointment of Inspector ol Public Works. ~ 1 hiring the Tan.naki campaign Colonel Moulu as distinguished alike by Jiis .skill and gallantry in the lield ; and had coiiteiltd upon liiiu the much esteemed honor ot being enrolled a Companion of the Order ol the Hath. -Major.Mould (the oflicercommiinding the Company oi" Engineers in yeiv Zealand) not only rendered great professional aid and assistance to the Commanding Jloval Engineer in the more scientific branches of his department, but also ill the field, where lie displayed a daring courage combined with iiiitiriu" zeal, which elicited lrom the Maj or-General commanding, aud ofliccrs the Staff, unqualified praise, aud resulted in his being promoted to the rank of Major at an nuusuaUy early age.

: Srt :Coloncl and 1 to make ° n ou . r Part, did we ' officer sentl? 1 ? 11 ' 101 , 1 . of Ma i° r ' ami who was i?™ . ,° r °hevc Major , and ! ?!' f? ;l " an tiy at intention of Col. Moulr] t ' Va L at , onc timo Ws and we sinccre?v L S0 J t , t, ° down amongst jtot been abandoned ■imWl lnt " Uiou has *? obtain his advice and tl,! w,]l l'e able r 'onoe, in referencel ? f I,is cx l»c- - wliich must «« m r; cataut l important, ypon tlie success oi' fl>»\ l °- coursc '' follow being initiated. °lonisation scheme now Koyal eer tU D> tO , th ° ° ivil the Ksq., the repre,enH t^ U ' tl : i( :V t ' X L " J °nos, Auckland, arrived in New V T »' served for a len-lh oi' t Z . eal " ncl 111 1S5/, and hi addition to "the i>erfo"° !" ura '. u w her c , sional duties /Ornianco ot lus profeshe renderocf with h - depart men. vornine.,l b fiX^ 11 ' 08 '? th ° L^^o111T i? 1 i is' 1 1 p" 1 ' 1 ' 1 works U L ' ll " on m:mv occasions' ' r " ,' roi . K ' s has rendered the Colonial Government "j' 1 '' 0 to & nig chara'-u'r" S " l,o ' Ul,!lri, y ot ' :l " los t endur,J. 1 !' lras l t at " «o distant dav Air. .Tones of r.''. 1 10 '° IIO T ," ,e example of some the <•„! . • , rs \ aiul become a member of lu- eoiomal profession, of which he is alreadv estcenu>l a brother. - Mr. JMngle. the only other oilicer of this de ™'~"i >«» ™l°ml rn.mv h A! ,e ( , t ,tIH ' e, ' Sol , l lis 'lepartment liave frcquenllv st l -M, , C , S . K ' C0: : slul "-'onipetitors, in many in--tances taking the first prize, when designs haveten culled lor by the Government. "The accounts. estimates, plans, tracings, sketches. &c. m connection with all new ivories and repairs in tins i Ist net. are prepared by, or under the super.•ntoiuicncc of, Air. Jones. The clerical duties of the department are performed by Staff-Clerk if. A. Neeley, who is •i i cry superior penman, draughtsman, survevor, and accountant, aud has been promoted to' his present -position on account of the zealous and intelligent manner in which he has for maiiv vears discharged tlie duties of Commanding -Uoyal -Lnguieers clerk. 1 p to a Aery recent date the 3?oynl [Engineer iJepartnieiit took the observations and compiled the meteorological returns which have appeared irom year to year in the Statistics of the Colonv, as published by the Hegistrar General. Ihe Military Observatory is now under the direction ot the Aledieal Department. Ihe meteorological statistics are supplied to the Registrar General by Dr. Knight, the head ot the Colonial Aleteorological Department. Ihe corps ot Uoyal jingineers, until verv recently, was composed of officers only, and had a separate body ot Sappers and Miners attached to it ; ot late the two have been amalgamated into one corps, called tlie Koyal Knginecrs. As early as iu we tiiul ".Engineers" attached to armies in the field, but they were only employed on special duties, and not in the permanent service of the Government. In tlie year 175t>, Engineers were first taken upon the strength of our Army Establishment; they were were then civilians, styled, ""linginecrs in Ordinary." " Engineers in Extraordinary." SubEngineers," and "" Practical Engineers" ; their chief officer was st3"led Director. They subsequently received titular and honorary Army rank, but it was not until towards the close of the last century, that their right to military command was recognised. A Ye first hear of tlie Engineers, as a corps, in connection with the British Army during the American AYnr of Independence, and it was mainly with a view to train young gentlemen to the duties especially performed by it, that tlie Military College at Woolwich was established, It is scarcely necessary to speak of the duties of an Engineer. Indeed they are so varied and so intimately' connected with science, that a description of them would partake very much of the nature of a scientific discourse or essay. Jn the attack and defence of fortified places he is the most useful and important member of an armv, and though our insular position tended to keep us long behind our continental neighbours iu this arm, it may confidently be asserted that now the Engineers of England are, if not superior, at least tqual to those of any other nation. During the Peninsular war eminent services were rendered by this corps, more particularly before Ciudad jtodrigo, Badajos, and St. Sebastian. Their services during the Crimean war wcro of a character so vast and numerous, that it would fail us to describe tiicni uith any degree of justicc. This corns has had the honor of numbering anionust them many illustrious names, of whom we may mention Sir Hicliard Fletcher, Sir Thomas Jones, General Pasley, Sir Frederick Smith, Jones, and Sir John Burgoyne. iiotli m the Engineers and Artillery, promotion among the officers goes altogether by seniority. The Brevet, of course, applies here as it does to other corps ; but there is no such thing as purchase, nor any opening made for interest or favouritism. The position of the Engineers, in the world of science, nol less than among soldiers, is a very eminent one. Tlio Boyal Engineer Civil Department has also had the honour of having many eminent men connected with it. The duties of this branch of the service arc of a verv varied but most piai-tical character, and upon it depends in a great degree the comfort and health of the troops in quarters. . A\"e take this opportuity of acknowledging our indebtedness to Mr. Fonblanque, D.A.C.G., from whose excellent work upon '■ The A dministration and Organization of the British Army, we have obtained much of the detail information contained in " Alatters Military. Ihu peiusal of tlie Chaplain-General's (the ltev. It. G. Gleig) little work upon the same subject, lias somewhat added to our stock of military information, and we thank him accordingly.