MILITARY PLURALISM.

THE subject of Military Expenditure is pretty well exhausted in our Supplement, but closely connected with it is the question of Military Pluralism, on which we take occasion to say a few words.

DUKE OF WELLINGTON.

His Grace is a Field-Marshal in the Army, with its pay. He is Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, 1,200/. a year, and the snacks on the clothing. He is Colonel-in-Chief of the Rifle Brigade, 239/. a year ; awl as the regiment consists of two battalions, he has double profits from the clothing.* Ile is Constable of the Tower, 947/. 9s. 7d. per annum. He is also Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, 474/. 10s., with a splendid mansion and grounds. It may be said that the services of the Duke of WELLINGTON are most extraordinary. So have been his rewards. He has been raised from plain ARTHUR WELLESLEY IO a Dukedom. Ile has had the thanks of his Sovereign and of both Houses of Parlia- ment. He has been covered with those honorary distinctions which military men and nobles so much covet, and for which they sacrifice so much. He has a pension on the Consolidated Fund of 4,000/. a year. Parliament purchased for him the mansion and splendid estate of Stmthfield,aye. He got large sums of prize-money from his Indian wars, and 60,000/. was his share for Waterloo. He has held the highest offices for power, pay, and patronage—Master-General of the Ordnance, Com- mender-in-Chief, Prime Minister. Weimer Castle he might like as a marine retreat; he might fancy " Constable of tho Tower" was well-sounding ; but he might have disdained the salaries. Many public vices may be more extensively mischievous than avarice, but there is something degrading in an itching palm. " Great men have ever scorned great recompenses." Cruelty, says the philosophic poet, may sully the laurels of a hero, but avarice strips them off.* There is no reason to suppose that the Duke is naturally a miser; but these facts show the cankerous morality of the system, which drags down the conqueror of N A-

• The practice of making a regiment consist or several byttalions is S favourite mode

of efh,cting any pecuniary job. Thus, whets the Inike of YoAsc CUI1,111•1 cf the Rib, it Wtis increased to sir battalions, giving him the profits on six regiments instead crone. If the higher ranks of the Army he closely looked into, it will be found that pluralism is as gross and frequent as in the Church itself, and the sinecures quite as scandalous, if not so profitable. To work this mine of abuses thoroughly, would require much space ; for every Colonel in the Army is a General, whilst many bold civil and military offices, or military sinecures besides. A few instances, however, we will give of military pluralism ; and begin with the

• Now Europe's laurels on their brows behold,

Liststaisiti %Rh bluml iii.eulianged tor gold." P01-EON to the level of a BERESFORD or a PLUNKET. We come next to the Commander in Chief,

LORD HILL.

The pay of this nobleman, as Commander in Chief, is 3,958/. a year, besides the patronage which gives him the means of ad- vancing every kith and kin of the name of Hint. He is also a. General in the Army ; a Colonel of the Horse Guards,l 4s. 1,78d00.1p.ear year ; the sinecure Governorship of Plymouth, 1,22

annum; and a pension on the Consolidated Fund of 2,000/. a year.

LORD FITZROY SOMERSET

Is of the BEAUFORT family, and brother to the late notorious Governor of the Cape. He is Secretary to the Commander-in- Chief, 2,000/. a year; a Major-General, and Colonel of the Fifty- third Foot, with 600/. a year and clothing profits.

SIR R. HUSSEY VIVIAN Was formerly a Liberal Tory, was lately a Whig, and what he may yet be is dependent upon the accident of events. He is the gentleman who cut such a figure in the Ballot correspondence with Sir WILLIAM NTOLESWORTH. He is a Member for East Cornwall, rice Sir W. TRELAWNEY: and, if his constituents care about the Ballot, they had better look after his vote. But of his military pluralism ? He is Master-General of the Ordnance, 3,090/. a year ; a Lieutenant-General in the Army ; Colonel of the First or Royal Dragoons, 900. a year. If his constituents desire a military reform, they had better look sharper after Sir Hussev's vote on this question than even on the Ballot.

SIR RUFANE SHAW DONKIN.

This gentleman is a colleague of Sir HUSSEY VIVIAN; being Surveyor-General of the Ordnance, with 1,200/. a year. He is also Colonel of the Eleventh Foot, 500/. a year, with clothing profits; and a Lieutenant-General in the Army.

" These are the prime in order and in might; The rest were long to tell."

There is a colonel, who is also a general, to each of our regi- ments. here is at once a goodly list of a hundred and thirty sinecurists and pluralists,—for nut a man of the whole batch has any duties to perform connected with these appointments. Many

them, as the Duke of WELLINGTON and Lord HILL, Lord BenesFortn, Lord COMBERMERE, and Sir GEORGE MURRAY, hold other appointments, which are equally sinecures ; the number of garrisons, where there are no duties for the commander to pees form, beim!' forty-eight. Besides these, there are the leading Staff appointments, filled by Generals; there are the posts of Adjutaies and Quartermaster-general, ditto; there are as many civil posts as they can clutch, and various subordinate stations connected with the higher military ones, into which the grand pluralist puts his relations or friends, making them little plura- lists,—as Lieutenant A. E. HILL of the Sixty-eighth Foot, sta- tioned, we believe, at Gibraltar, is an Aide-tie-camp of Lord Him, who is stationed at the Horse Guards. Any of these aristocratic appointments may be held together with as large a pension as the holder has bad the luck to obtain : the half-pay of the worn-out subaltern is stopped if he holds any " place of profit, civil or military, under Isis Majesty.'

We may perhaps return to the details of the subject. In the mean while, let us say of the Generals, that the total amount of military pluralist sinecures is upwards of 225,000/.;* being more than sufficient to maintain nine regiments on the present scale of expenditure.

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G ■lrliS01151 41911365:,5545331)52

Pay of General Officers of Colonels £225,487