But the danger which our forefathers thus escaped was a great one, and one which they were determined not to risk again. If you will turn back to my Letter in which I gave you some extracts from the Bill of Rights, you will see that a standing army cannot be maintained without the consent of Parliament. This is practically given by passing the Mutiny Act, in which the number of soldiers to be employed, the terms upon which they shall be enlisted, the offences for which they shall be punished, and the manner in which they shall be billeted, paid, and pensioned, is laid down. The discipline of the army is regulated by the Articles of War, which are issued by the Crown in conformity with the Mutiny Act, and printed with it. You will remember my telling you that the sovereign is the head of the army; but military matters are managed entirely by the Secretary-of-State for War, and the Commander-in-chief of the Forces. It is impossible to define with any great exactness the functions of the Secretary-of-State for War, as they seem to be mixed up with those of the Commander-in chief in a not very comprehensible manner. This much, however, is clear, that the former arranges the number of men that Parliament is to be called upon to provide for, and forms the estimates accordingly; decides what troops are to be sent abroad in time of war; appoints the generals who are to command them; and is the constitutional medium between the Government and the army. The Commander-in-chief is responsible for the discipline and recruiting of the army. He is assisted by several subordinate officers, such as The Adjutant-General, who has the superintendence of all matters relating to what is called the personnel of the army; he is the channel through which all officers communicate with the Commander in-chief: and all instructions, regulations, and orders relative to the recruiting, organization, and discipline of the army, and applications for leave of absence, come through him. He regulates also the employment of officers upon the staff, &c. The Quartermaster-General, whose duty it is to prescribe, map out, and plan routes of marches; to pitch camps and find quarters for the troops; to manage their embarkation and disembarkation ; to provide the means of transport for their stores, &c. The Paymaster-General, who distributes the pay of the army. HOUSEHOLD TROOPS. 85 The Commissary-General supplies the troops with stores and provisions. Each of these officers has a host of subordinates and clerks to transact the business of his department. The British army consists of cavalry, infantry, artillery, and engineers. That portion of it called the Guards, or the "Household troops,' 19% as they are also termed, because they guard the palaces and person of the sovereign, comprises the Grenadier, Coldstream, and Scots Fusileer regiments of Foot Guards; the 1st and 2nd regiments of Life Guards, and the Royal Horse Guards, or Blues. The three latter, which are cavalry, greatly distinguished themselves in the Peninsular War, as well as at Waterloo, but they have not been employed on foreign service since 1815. The strength of our regiments varies according to circumstances. At present an ordinary regiment of cavalry on home service consists of eight troops of fifty men each, officered as follows: 1 Colonel. This is a mere titular rank, held by some distinguished general, who, beyond receiving the pay of the post, has very little to do with the regiment. 1 Lieutenant-colonel, who commands it. 1 Major. 8 Captains. 8 Lieutenants, } 8 Cornets, 1 Ridingmaster. one of whom is Adjutant. * The present strength of the Household troops is : Foot Guards, 3 regiments, having 7 battalions, 6300 men, inclusive of 258 officers. Cavalry, 3 regiments, 1320 men, inclusive of 99 officers. There are two other corps attached to the person of the sovereign, and which are rarely employed but at levees and other ceremonials; but these can scarcely be considered, like the Household troops, to form part of the army. The first is styled the corps of "Gentlemen-atarms," and consists of a captain, lieutenant, standard-bearer, paymaster, clerk of the cheque or adjutant, a harbinger, and forty gentlemen. The other is called the "Yeomen of the Guard," or, in common parlance, "Beef-eaters," who until very lately have worn a singular costume, the fashion of which had not been altered since the days of Henry VIII. This corps consists of 100 men, with the following officers: Captain, lieutenant, ensign, and two exons or corporals. 1 Assistant-surgeon. 1 Veterinary surgeon. Nearly all the infantry regiments have at present two battalions. The regiment has but one colonel (in the infantry as in the cavalry a mere titular rank). Each battalion, which consists of twelve companies of 100 men each (when at full strength), is officered by When a cavalry, or infantry, regiment is serving in India, it has two lieutenant-colonels; and the former also has one, and the latter two, additional assistant-surgeons. Regiments in India were paid by the East India Company, not by this nation, and received extra pay to place them upon an equality with its own army. Officers below the rank of captain are called subalterns; majors, lieutenant-colonels, and colonels, field officers; and all above the latter grade, General officers. When a regiment of cavalry, or an infantry battalion, is sent abroad, two troops or companies remain behind, under a major, to form the depôt, which is to supply vacancies, &c. The remainder are called the service troops, or companies. When peace was proclaimed after the great war with France, and the army returned, it was for awhile popular enough; but soon afterwards great political agitation took place to such an extent, indeed, that for a time the Habeas Corpus Act was suspended, and our soldiers were scattered in small bodies over the country to act as police and check disturbances, particularly in Ireland. It was for a long time deemed impolitic to familiarize the English people with the display of soldiers massed together, and it was hoped that, by their dispersion in detachments, the existence of a standing army might be almost ignored. This concession to popular prejudices, which were not unreasonably founded, combined with other politic and conciliatory measures, eventually restored confidence, and soldiers ceased to be regarded as obnoxious agents of uncon PURCHASE OF COMMISSIONS. 87 stitutional power. The troops, meanwhile, from being cooped up in small detachments, had lost much of their former efficiency; and it was found that, when occasionally brought together to execute manœuvres of any importance, they were strange to such duties, and unhandy in the performance of them. It was then felt that, if suddenly called upon to meet a foreign foe, an army collected of such raw materials would be no fair match for Continental troops trained to act together in large bodies-comprising every description of force, and orming complete armies. To remedy this defect, camps were subsequently formed, first at Chobham, and afterwards at Aldershot, Shorncliffe, and the Curragh in Ireland, and occasionally for siege operations at Chatham, where our soldiers were enabled to practise manoeuvring in large bodies, and rehearse some of the ordinary operations of a campaign, and the attack and defence of fortified places. When two or more regiments act together, they form what is called a brigade, and are commanded usually by the senior Lt.-Col. as brigadier. Two or more brigades form a division, and several divisions an army. Officers in the Guards, and cavalry and infantry of the Line, obtain their first and subsequent commissions up to the rank of major either by gift and promotion by the commander-inchief, in the name of the sovereign, or by purchase from some of their comrades who have bought their commissions and wish to dispose of them. Thus, if the major wishes to sell, the senior captain who is ready and able to purchase the step does so; the senior lieutenant buys the vacant captain's commission; and so on down to the ensign or cornet, who sells the rank from which he is promoted to the aspirant for military fame who wishes to enter the service. But no officer can be advanced in this way without the approbation of the commander-in-chief, or until he has served a certain time in the rank from which he wishes to rise. Candidates for first commissions must pass an examination before they are allowed to enter the army. There is no purchasing above the rank of major. Much has been said about the injustice of this system of promotion, and as much urged in its support. To do away with it, the nation must be prepared to buy up all the commissions acquired under it, which are as much the private property of the officers who hold them as their swords. The leaning of the military authorities towards a gradual reform of the purchase system may, however, be inferred, from the great number of officers who now enter the army as ensigns without purchase. Our regimental system is agreed upon all hands to be more perfect than that of any foreign army, and although it may work injustice to individuals in some cases, it would be rash to make any sudden change, the introduction of which might impair the present efficiency and soldier-like spirit of our regimental officers. It is essential, however, in reflecting upon this subject, to bear in mind that in the scientific branches of the army-the Engineers and Artillery, as well as the corps of Royal Marines-promotion is obtained by seniority, and that purchase in them is unknown. The officers of the Foot Guards enjoy a peculiar privilege, which entitles them to an accession of army rank; so that whilst in their own regiments they are respectively captains, lieutenants, &c., in the army at large they take a step higher, and rank accordingly as lieutenant-colonels, majors, captains, &c. What is called Brevet rank is given to officers in all branches of the army as a reward for brilliant and lengthened service; and when such nominal rank has been held for a certain number of years, it is usually converted into substantial rank. When officers desire to retire from active service on account of ill health, wounds, &c., or when the strength of a regiment is reduced, they are, on obtaining permission from the authorities, put upon half-pay, which is a little more than a moiety of the full pay of their rank; they are, however, liable to be called upon to resume their duties. The following tables show the value of the commissions of regimental officers, and their pay per diem : |