III.---MILITARY EXPENDITURE.
IN investigating this subject, we shall consider it WM' three heads,- 1. The improvement in efficiency and the saving in expense which might be accomplished by consolidating the now VarIOUI and independent administrative departments of the Army; 2. The retrenchment that could be effected by abolishing superfluous expenditure ; 3. The sav- ing that can be made by reducing the numbers of the Army. An army naturally consists of three branehes,—the Infantry and Cavalry, who form its personnel; the Ordnance, which represents its machinery and material ; the Commiesariet, which is charged with the supply of its necessaries. The nature of the ease obviously requires, that departments so inseperably connected with one another should be under one controlling head ; awl so they are in every European state excepting England. But, an regards civil management, each branch with us forms a separate and independent department. The necessities of war, however, prevent the principle being fully Calf ried out in actual service. We have not yet made a campaign with one Commander in Chief of what the War-office calls "the Army," one of the Artillery, and one of the Commissariat, each doing as seemed best in his own eyes. The first step in Military Reform, is to consolidate all these departments. Then, the whole military force of the country would be managed, as in France and elsewhere, by a Minister at Wur, instead of having the anomaly of a Commander in Chief and a Secretary at War, each with a long and expensive array of sub- ordinates under them—each with clashing notions, powers suffi- ciently balanced to thwart one another's improvements, but not to prevent each other's jobs—and, under the late and present Whig Governments, each with opposite politics. This functionary would of course have a seat in the Cabinet : he would be re- sponsible, like other Ministers, for his actions ; and liable, like other Ministers, by himself in one House of Parliament and his deputy in the other, to give an explanation of any thing he may have done, to any Member who may choose to ask the (Iuestion. The Ordnance depart- ment, with its seven distinct divisions, and its six great functionaries with salaries varying from 1,0001. to 3,000/. a year, would be abolished. Its modes of business should also be simplified, its brunches lessened, and the principal of each branch, together with the heads of the sub. ordinate Army departments, should form a Board assisting the Coin. mander in Chief with information and advice. The Commissariat would of course be transferred from the Treasury. of which it now
forms a part, and its principal likewise have a scat at the Board. By this means, unity, simplicity, rind vigour would be introduced into
the management of the Army : its directing head would communicate immediately with the Cabinet—which riow he does not ; and be jointly responsible for its decisions as regards the strength, distribu- tion, and cost of the Army—which now he is not : be would be both responsible and answerethte) the "annoyance " of which prevents very much mischief ) for all lie did in the public management of the Army ; and be assisted in the working of its details by the practical experience of his subordinates, who would respectively check him and each other. The leading advantages of this consolidation would be rather politi- cal than pecuniary, by rendering the internal management of the Army snore rapid and simple, and by bringing public opinion, for the first time, to bear with some effect upon the military grandees and the officers at large There is good reason, however, to expect a consider- able reduction in the pecuniary cost, by combining all the different in- dependent departments enumerated in the following tables.
1,884 502 319 286 9.531 5,522 27,879 4,587 me 57,994 ORDNANCE-MANAGEMENT.
There are three head departments, as it were, in the Ordnance,—one in Pall Mall, one at the Tower, one at/Dublin. The expenses of the last alone are stated separately
PALL MALL AND TN, TOWER, Master44eneral, Sir R. Hussey Vivian .£3,000 Surveyor-General. Sir Iridium Dunkin 1,200 Clerk (elite Ordnance, Sir Andrew Leith Ilay 1 200 Principal Storekeeper, Lieutenant-Colonel I Ion. George Anson 1,200 Secretat y to the Master General, Colonel C. P. Fox 1,000 Secretary to Ott' Board 1.400 2 Clerks in the Master-General's Office 950
40 Clerks in the Sureeyor.General's (take 11.325 30 Clerks in the Clerk of the Ordnance Office 8.717 31 Clerks in the Principal Storekeeper's Mike 8.310
16 Clerks iu the t:tote Account Examiner's (Alice 4,127 COST OF THE OFFICIAL MANAGEMENT OF THE ARMY. LAND FORCES.
1,384 500 — 1,94 Deputy Adjutant.General 692 Assistant Adjutant General 346 Deputy Assistant Adjutant.Getteral 260 Allowances for Forage. Travelling, and Miscellaneous Expenses to the above Officers 659 Clerks—numbers, &c, not stated 3,294
Total of Adjutant.General's Office -- QCAILTrabrASTER•GeNtital.'s OFFICE,
Oeartermnster.General, Sir J. W. Gordon 1,394 Allowance to ditto 500
MORIN OVARDS,
General Commanding in Chief, Lord Hill Four Aidessile-Camp Military Secretary, Lord Fitzroy Somerset Allowance, fur Forage to the above Officers Clerks—numbers, &e. not stated Total of Horse Guards
ADJUTANT•OZNEICAL's Orrice, Adjutitut•General, Sir). Macdonald
Allowance to ditto £3,459 694 2,090 Dee 5.751 £12,871 7,135 Assistant Quartermaster-General
Deputy As•ktant Oaartermaster.General AMA, ances for Forage to the ahove Ufliect Clerks—numbers. &c. not stated Total of Quartet master-General's Oflice Secretary at War, his Deputy Clerks, &c.—no detailed information
rendered Judge.Advocate.General, his Deputy Clerks, &c. including his Deputy in Ireland Total cost of Ch Establishments of the Army
34 Clerks in the Secretary's Office £10,319 9 Clerks in the Inspector-General of Fortifications' Office 2 120 23 Porters, Doorkeepers, and Messengers 2,112 6 other Persons 1 30
Total Expense at Mil Mall and the Tower Denise,
I Storekeeper 750 7 Clerks 1,550
1 Clerk of Survey ,
7 Clerks in Surveyor's ffice 1,553 4 Clerks in Account Office 995 8" Clerks to the respective Officers " 2.021 3 Clerks tnt Conm-.antling Engineer's Office 550 8 other Persons 549, Total Expense at Dubliu 8,615 In addition to which, there is what the Orduanee people call an " Extraordinary Expenditure." amountiug itt the whole to £13.661. This is for the superintendence of " Works and
lIe- hairs,'' and the work* themselves. Of this the superintendence.
pay of Engineers and Clerks, &e. is 1,565'
Total Cost of Management of the Ordnance £68,544
COMMISSARIAT.
This department has the reputation of lei' g cheap, efficient, and well-managed. It is looked doe n tip011 even by the common soldiers, who think the Commissariat officers cheat them in their rations. The aristocracy of course eschew the service, fonts apparent connexion with trade, and its much work and little pay. This department even at present can scarcely be said to have a head ; for, by a strange anomaly, it forms a branch of the Treasury. The principal officer is called a clerk, and paid as a clerk—an exumple to be followed throughout.
Principal Clerk £900 t 'bier Clerk 600
4 Senior and 3 Junior Clinks 1.808
Irish Branch 1,700
Pay or the Commissariat Expenses at Foreign Carrisons and Pos-
sessions 40,244 Total Cost of Management of the Commissariut
SCNIMARY.
Civil Establishment of the Army Munagement of the Orduance 68.544
Management of the Connnissartat 45,311
_
Total Cost of Official Managetnent £171,88.8 To pronounce an opinion as to the positive saving that might be effected in this expenditure of 171,880/. by the propo,ed consolidation, would be difficult without a practical acquaintance riot only with what the different offices do, but with the actual nature of the busibess to be done ; for, in several public depintments, very much of labour is spent
in doing unnecessary things. A large reduction,. however, might be made in the Secretary of Wars office, by the necessaly abolition of the Secretary, his " Deputy," and sonic of the other " heads ;" but the amount of this saving cannot be stated, as the gentlemen of that department do not think fit to publish the amount of their salaries, or any details connected with their expenditure. The consolidation of the offices of Adjutant and Quartermaster-General was suggested, last January, by a valued correspondent, for the pur- poses of military efficiency; and this would give a probable saving of 5,000/, or 40 per cent. on those two offices. In the Commissariat, not much retrenchment probably could take place, except through the means of Colonial Reform, which, by allowing the Colonies to govern themselves and pay their own soldiers, would enable us to save about 33,000/. out of an expenditure of 45,000/., mid reduce about one-third of the Army to boot. In the Ordnance, the 9,000/. for the salaries of the great officers might be abolithed, and extensive savings effected by adopting the system of supplying stores and arms by contract, which works so well in the Indirm army. As the mili- tary branch of this department would be turned over to the Army,— and the business of the Ordnance would only consist in managing the building and repair of barrucks,—one office instead of seven would certainly suffice; which, allowing the present rate of expenditure in the highest office, would give a saving of upwards of 50,000/., or consi- derably more than two-thirds of the present amount. In short, it is probable that 70,000/. at least could be saved by this consolidation in an expenditure of I70,000/., or deducting the Commissariat brunch, in an expenditure of 125,000/.
But whatever difficulties the want of official knowledge and the ob. scurity of the public accounts may throw in the way of exact econo. mical conclusions, there is one point which cannot be concealed in this or any detailed account of public expenditure—the disproportion be. tween the pay of the aristocracy and that of the people. At the Horse Guards, the pay of Lord HILL, his Secretary, and Aides-de-camp, is 7,1201.; all the clerks, who do the work, get only 5,723/. The Ad- jutant-General and his three deputies receive 3,841/. ; the clerks
3,294/. The Quartermaster-General and his two assistants 2,9911.; their clerks 2,531/. The proportions in the office of Secretary at War we cannot tell. In the Ordnance, the disparity is not so great through. out ; there, however, the Master-General has 3,000/. a year, his Secre- tary 1,000/., and their clerks 950/. These are the things which render
the Whigs covertly, and the Tories openly, so hostile to the remedy of proved abuses—the aristocratical caste will suffer by every wrong which is set right : when this consolidation takes place, about a
dozen grandees will be deprived of profitable places. It is the investigation of these things, however dry and troublesome, which enables one to comprehend thoroughly the true moving influences that operate upon public men, and to see the complete humbug of the theory of the British constitution. In foreign governments, whether of one or a few, the state is managed like a private property ; depart- ments are framed solely with a view to their efficiency—men are paid in proportion to the service they can render. In England, every thing has been arranged by a numerous aristocracy (resting for support on a section of the middle classes) with a view to extract the largest amount possible from the people. Hence, complexity is preferred to simpli- city, as affording a lavish expenditure. on themselves and a means of rewarding their followers. 458,365 £45,31S
In considering the saving that could be effected by abolishing unnecessary expenditure. it will be necessary to examine in some detail tlinge different brunches of the Army t6 which. our suggestions apply. The first branch will be what is technically called Land Forces; the ned.ssury expense of which is exhibited ih the following
TABLE OF THE STRENGTH AND COST OF EACH REGIMENT.
CORPS. NUMBERS.
FAT ant Doom AL OTrATIONN and
Hiding Annual AM...lowest* FirktOtticters, Captains, and Master-, Allowances for Farriery. Aaantet.
CLOTHING.
de 3993 3.993 2 403
TOTAL
for tb• Sink. ot the Twelve Months ending am Morel,
1838,
Wag MAIL
Horses. Ottrers. Non- Commispioned I
°Meer, Trumpeters, a Drummers. Rank and File.
All Ranks.
; WAT.RY ,
1st Regiment of Life Guards
241 Dill0
Royal Regiinent 01 llorse Guards 274
274
274 32 32 32 53 53 53 3M 351 351 436 436 4313 X 23.621 23621 21.787 X 1,823 1,823 1.828 X 287 287 275
A 29,7300 29,730 26.295
822 96 159 1553 1.301 £69,030 .£5.484 £850 230 3.11
1,9?.4
1,453 1453 1.453 1.459 1,433 14.530 1.453 1.453 1.453 3.215 6 430 3.215 Li ..915 £85,757
I ' ,v, rue OF VTR UMW,
I t Regiment of Dragoon Gtitrds 6.1. Ditto 15th Regiment of Light Dragoons
7th Regiment of Dragoon 1:itar Is
3.1 tt,iximent or Dr.tit000si 21 Regiment of Dragoon Guar ds
Tett 0' tier Regiment4, of like Numbers and Charge; viz. 3.!. 4th. mad 5111 Diagoon Guards ; 211 and tith Dragoons ; 7th, eth, loth, 14th, and 17th Light
Dragoons
1st RegimeLt of Dr: .... NNIA
9111 Regiment of Light Dragoons 1201 Ditto hit Regiment of Drag,sm. (lir I ii) Two ot her Regiments of like N limners and Charge ; viz. lffill and 1601 Lighi Dragoon. (hulk) 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons (India) 2,530
an
253 253 253 234 253 '253 233 251 701 ,
I 1,402
101 34 28 28 23 27 27 270 27 27 27 47 94 47 39 31 31 31 32 31 310 31 31 31 67 134 67 406 301 304 304 304 304 3,010 304 304 :304 675 1,350 675 479 363 363 363 363 362
3.620 362 369 362 78,.,
1.573 789 ., 19.023 I' 15,076 14 976 14931 14,753 1 14,725 147.255 14.679 U62 14.525 23,732 57.464 23.686 978 744 744 744 746 744 7,445 744 744 744 1,367 2735 1,367 254 199 198 198 197 197 1,970 196 196 196 . 332 704 352 £5.213 22.135 17.473 17.373 17,327 17.161 17,120 171,201 17.074 17.019 17,019 33,667 67,334 33,621 7,696 711 866 8.578 10,155 £399,562 £19.852 £465,579
FOOT C. VARDA,
11renadier Regiment • • • •
Coldstream Regiment • • .
Scots Fusileer -Regiment • •
96 61 61 216 177 109 109 2,030
1.2"
1,2,0 4,640 '
1
2253 1.450 1,430 66569 41511 41 644 9,876 5,430 5,430 £20.737 634 425 423 8,950 5.511 5,511 s6,031 53,011 53,011
INFANTRY OF TOE IAN!,
4th Regiment Of Font Forty-seven other Regiments,0f like Numbers ntel
Charge; viz. 5th, 10111. 110, 1211i, 14th, 15th. 19th. 20th. 21st, 224, 23 I, 21111, 25,11. 27th, 29th. 30111, 324, 334, 34th. 561h, 37th. 3.1th. 421, 46th 47111, 48th, 50th, 53d. 5,011. 53.1.. 61st, 64111, 65th.
67,1i, 701h, 75th, 76,h. 77th, 80th, 81st, 84th,, 97t11,28111, iffill, Olst, 92.1,93.1 811. Regiment of Foot Eight other Regiments. of like Numbers ant I liarge ; viz. 18114 28th, 3'illi, 56th, 730, 78th, 79111, 97th .
66th. Regiment of Foot
Ten other Regiment 4. of I ike Numbers and CI iarge ; viz. 69th. 72i1. 741.11, 82,1, 234. 6611,941h. 96th,
98t11, 99th 95.11 Regiment of Foot 43,1 Regiment of Light Infantry Five other It egiments, of like N it mbers and Charge; viz. 51st, 52.1,6811,. 8.5t1t. 90th 71st Itegimi•nt of Light Int:nary 7th Regiment of Fit:deers 1st Regiment of Foot. two B attalions 60111 Regiment of Foot, two Battalions Rifle Brioade two Battalions 2.1 Regiment of Foot (India) Fifteen other Regiments of like Numbers and
Charge ; viz. 3.1, 6th, 9tit 1711t. 31st, 39th. 40th.
41st,44th, 43t11.49t11.51111,53th.57th,63t1 (India) 62.1 Regiment of Foot (India) . 16th Ditto (India)
26t1. Ditto (India)
13th Regiment of Light Infantry (India) Additional Assistant Surgeons for four complete Regiments on service in the Colonies, and for Fifty DepAts of Regiments on Foreign Service". Additional Contingent Alloa since to the Captains of the Service Compamies of Fifty Regiments.
1st West India Regiment 24 Ditto Royal StalT Corps Royal Newfoundland Veteran Companies Royal African Colonial Corps Cc km Rille Regiment Ceylon Invalid Cape Corps of Mounted Riflemen Royal .Malta Feucible Reghneut
395 5 25 , . 2:149,858 .£1.535 .£19972 £192,103 .
' ....
• • ... • ....
• • • • • • • • ..
.. .
....
• • • • • • • . • • • • • ..
....
....
....
• . • . ..
.• • .
. .
• 200 ....
57 1,833 39 312 39 390 39 39 195 39 39 •••••• ., 79 79 51 765 51 51 51 51 51 • • • • 31 50 3 15 30 100 6 11 25
4,696 96 711 218
57 2.679 57 456 57 570 57 57 285 57 57 114 114 114 60 900 60 60 60 60 . • ..
• • • • 77 73 6 22 34 123 6 21 41
739
31.733 739 5.912 7;39 7.390 739 739 3.695 739 739 1,478 1.472 1,478 739 11,035 739 739 ,39 739 ....
998 9117 60 299 480 1,600 153 231 463
I 83a _ ; , l; .
39,215 1; 835 '' .
6,630 1.
835 i 8,35'0 1: 835 !!
835 4,175 835
833 1,669 1,671 1,671
;$3,0
12.750 6150 65o 850 850
54 1.126 1,125 69 336 544 1,123 163 269 534
II
., II 22,3.19 1,050.495 22303 173.427 22,249 222,490 22 203 , 223303 1 111.517 1 22.257 , 22.531 ; 44,094 I 44.745 , 44,845 . 24,093 ' 361,470 23.993 24,052 24.052 24,052 7,3)1
.... 29,342 29,193 2.331 9,440 14.534 333872 1.399 6.5,13 10,547
313 14,746 313 2,510 313 3,127 313 313
1,563 313 313 627 1327 62- 386
5,901 386 396 3,6 386 ....
2,737 365 547 -, 129 :332 624 54 761 140 232 10,945 232 1,860 232 2,322 231 232 1.163 232 234 462 466 466 244 3,664 243 243 213 243 46 17 277 277 23 ....
• • . • ....
.... 2,16 102.758 2.186
17.490 2,18d
21,963 2,186 2,136 10,931 2.1:41 2,186 4.372 4,372 4,3:2 2,219 33.991 2,219 2,219 2.210 2,219 ....
.... 2.953 2,933 142 440 553 1,500 .... 600 3(111
25,082
1,178.856
25,036 20,219 '21,981 249,314 24,935 23,036 125.130 25,990 25,265 49,360 50,211 50.312 26,948 404.227 26.847 26.902 :(1.1102 26,902 • 7,137
2.754 39.978 32.982 '2527 9,1,00 15,416 37.496 1.954 7.868 14127
Infant ry of the Line Life Guards lind I lorse Guards Cavalry of the Line Foot G 'tants
,i. t 8.2 7,696 ....
6,339 159 866 395
81,41,6 1,1153 6573 4,640
92,331 X2.430.147 1,303 cli ,13.1 19.155 399 562 5,253 119,353 .U0,498 5.431 19,1332 20,737
£24,841 ::,50 5.218 1,535 £235,491 10.391 40.915 19,974
e30G,80J
20,000 t'986.800 X2,779•978 33.757 465.579 192,103 &duet, For men wanting to complete the establishments
of Cavalry 58n
Pout Guards 4o4 Infantry and Colonial Corps 6,992 8.718 3,631 . 7,759 •••• 93,677 8,036
I 11)3,067. .c3,098,399
: ..
9u)313 ! 10,000
£85,573 £32,116 .... .... £3,513,419 131,000 Short Issues end Stoppages for Men in Confine- ment, or in the Hospitals, or under Sentence of Conn.:Martial 8,718 .... 5,631 .... 7,759 87,611 101,031 ' £2,937,590 16.200 2S5,373 .... 2:32,446 • . • • £3,342,410 16,200 £3,326.219 Total of Numbers and Cost of the Land Forces 8.718 5,631 7,759 87,611 101,031 ' £2.921,399 I. £85,573 £32,446 £286,800 Which Numbers and Cost are thus distributed— Paid by the British Gorernment, In the United Kingdom anl the Colonies Paid by the East India Company, In the East Indies, exclusive of the Numbers, but including the Charge of the Officers and Bleu at Biome for the putpose of Recruiting 5,914 2,304 4,515 1,116 6,443 1,316 70,353 17.263
I' I
I X 81,311 2,324,791 19.720 536.607 .1 X 72,368 13,205 X 26,153 6,293 X 229,331 57,243 X 2,652,364 673.354 • There will be a small difference, nearly throughout this column of totals, between the amounts here given, and those that will be pro, uced by adding together the previous columns ; which is caused by the omission of the shillings and pence.
•e• 'Before pioceeding to examine the oidinary expenditure for the " Land. Forces," it will be requisite to consider generally their compo- 'talon, so far as it is necessary to our purposes.
Their geueric division is into Cavalry and Infantry, and each of these branches is subdivided into regiments. The abstract standard of a regiment is 1,000 strong, divided into ten companies (in the Cavalry called troops) of 100 men. To each of these companies or troops there should be a Captain, and two or (in war three) subalterns—a Lieutenant and a Sub-Lieutenant. The regiment must have a head to command it ; and this officer is called a Colonel, though with us the Lieutenant- Colonel does the duty. In case of death or absence, the place of the latter is supplied by the Major, who takes an intermediate rank between the Colonel and the Captain ; but whilst the Colonel is with the regiment, the Major's duties are slight. The " colours "-- embodying, as General CHARLES NAPIER says, " the honour of the band "—are carried by officers, who in the English service are called Ensigns in the Infantry, and Cornets in the Cavalry. The French have no Ensigns.
Thus much by way offproem. We now proceed with our exami- nation.
1. Sinecures. In every English regiment there is one sinecurist ; in most regiments there are two sinecurists, whilst in a few there are three and four.
The first and universal sinecurist is the Colonel of the regiment. To many, who have only vague notions about military matters, this will sound odd ; but the Colonelship in the English service is as much a sinecure as Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S Cleikship of the Pleas or the late Lord GRENVILLE'S Auditorship of the Exchequer. The whole of the duty is discharged by the Lieutenant-Colonel: upon him de. • volves all the trouble and all the responsibility : the Colonel rarely sees the regiment, and for aught he does he never need to see It. Indeed he must not see it for any military purpose, as all our Colonels are General Officers, and a General is not allowed to serve with his regiment ; and in fact twenty regiments are in India whilst their Colonels are lounging in the coteries of Paris and London, or busy in political and court intrigues. Their chief, if not their only regimental employment, is to bargain with the contractor for their snacks of profits from the clothing, and to draw their pay of from 500/. to 1,800/. a year. This is an abuse which in itself calls aloud for remedy ; as the system of sinecures is given up, and pro. fessed to be abolished everywhere, these Colonel-sinecures should be abolished too ; by which a saving of 95,9001. a year would be effected, independent of the " emoluments " from the clothing, of which the War-office renders no account. And it makes this abuse greater in practice, that these sinecurists are also pluralists ; all being Generals in addition' and many with other appointments The Major is the second sinectirist ; and in the Infantry, where there are two Majors to each regiment, he is as universal as the Colonel. As long as the Lieutenant-Colonel is present, the Majors have no fitll-duties to perform, which could not be discharged by the senior Ca; t sins—whilst the civil branch of what Majors are supposed to be charged with, is cut out of the department of the Adjutant or the Paymaster. Of course wherever an office is to be kept up, there will always be found an excuse for it : and so of Majors. In case of the Colonel's death or absence, the command of the regiment devolves upon the Major ; thus at present his real utility is to allow the Lieutenant-Colonel to he absent as well as the Colonel, Rigorously speaking, even one Major seems useless in a peace establishment ; but two are such a gross and ridiculous abuse as colld have originated in no country where the public money and the bon sum s of the military profession were not both systematically applied fur the benefit of a ruling class. There is also an abuse existing amongst the Lieutenant-Colonels ; four of the Cavalry regiments and twenty of the Infantry having two Lieutenant-Colonels as well as two Majors and a Colonel. Now observe the general results of the sinecure system. To every Infantry regiment, and to some Cavalry regiments, there are four commanders ; two of whom are utterly useless, and the third is only a locum tenens in case of the absence of the scual chief. In some cases there are five chiefs. All this, of
course, gives rise to strange statistical anomalies. Thus, there are 134 Colonels ; which should be the key to the number of regi.
meats: But there are 163 Lieutenant-Colonels, and no fewer than 257 Majors. The whole expense of officers to command regiments is 237,000/. • but the pay of the Lieutenant- Colonels, who
do the %so is only 57,0001., whilst that of the Majors—the inferior offi- cers waiting on the chance of having work to do—is 83,000/. Of course we would deal with the sinecure Majors as with the sinecure Colonels, and abolish them. One commander and ore deputy com- mander to a regiinent—a Colonel and a Major—is ample for every purpose, if in time of peace the M.,jor might not be dispensed with. However, leave a Major to every regiment ; get rid only of the double Majors ; and there will be another saving of 41,0001., and, like the former one of 93,0001., from sinecures alone.
2. Disproportion of Officers to Men. Reminding the reader that a regiment consists of ten companies each one hundred strong, we pus on to observe, that in reducing the numbers of an army, the rigid economist would say reduce by regiments. If you have 120,000 men and wish to get rid of 20,000, disband twenty regiments, as, in the Navy, ships are put out of commission. Some, who are always for spending money in preparations for war, might argue, Will it not be better to reduce by companies ? because, if, twenty or thirty years hence as it may happen, a war should come, we shall not have to raise new regiments, but merely to increase the number of companies ? A man infected by the military notion of keeping up "skeletons" of regiments for the sake of training officers, would say, Disband neither regiments nor companies, but reduce the latter from 100 men to some 84; by which means, 160 recruits only will have to be added to each regiment of 840 veterans, and you have your army complete and perfect. This last is the plan upon which our military authorities have proceeded: and effectually they have worked their invention for the benefit of the aristocratical classes. If the reader desires to become thoroughly familiar with the extent of this abuse, let him place before him the large table of the preceding page, take up ati Army List, and, by counting the number of (*tains in any given regiment, he wifl.get at the number of companies. Their strength is then only an affair of multiplication, of which we Will give a few instances.
Each of the regiments of Horse Guards consists of' eight COm- panies. The professed " establishment " is 351 rank and file; so
that each company consists of only 45 privates, or, additsg non-corn. missioned officers, of not more than 50 men. The non-commissioned
officers in these regiments are 44 in number, deducting drummers and
trumpeters. If these be added to the officers, the arithmetician will find that, in the Horse Guards, there is one officer of some 'chid or another to every four and a half soldiers. And we are speaking of their returned, or paper numbers, which is above their actual strenath.
The Cavalry of the Line is not quite so bad as this, because the Horse Guards are more fashionable than the Cavalry of the Line; but it comes next to the Horse Guards as being next in request amongst the aristocracy. There are in the Cavalry about 50 privates to every troop, or, including non-commissioned officers, about 55; being rather more than half their full complement. In other words, on an average of all our Cavalry regiments, the number of officers is double nhat it strictly ought to be in proportion to the number of men. The observer will also note, that whilst 39 non-commissioned officers and trumpeters suffice for 406 men in the Cavalry of the Line, in the Guards 53 are wanted for 351 men.
The disparity is less in the Infantry than in the Cavalry; and doubt- less for the same reason which rendered it less in the Cavalry of the Line than in the Horse Guards. Deducting 464 men wanting to complete the establishment of the three regiments of Foot Guards, it will be found that 72 men to a company is about their complement ; whilst the marching regiments have about 68 ;after deducting the numbers wanting to complete. Thus, on an average, the officers in the Infantry ale nearly one-third more numerous than in strictness they ought to be in proportion to the numbers of the men. We say in strictness, because we know that it would be impossible to keep every company in every regiment filled up to mathematical exactness, even if it were desirable.
A rough average of 10 or 15 per cent. below the full complement of men, no reasonable person would cavil about, because privates are more
readily made than officers ; but .50 per cent. in one branch of the ser- vice and 30 in the other are beyond bounds.
In reality, however, this discrepancy is very much greater than it seems in our table ; which only gives what is called the establishment of the forces, but this establishment varies considerably from the actual numbers. The strength of the Army paid by Parliament is represented by the War-office, after every reduction, as upwards of 81,000 of all ranks. But when we refer to an account of their distri- bution, put forward by this same War-office, there appears to be 9,453 "wanting to complete" this "establishment." Of this discrepancy no detailed particulars are given ; but, so far as we can calculate from the data before us, it would cause an average deduction of some eight men to every company or troop throughout the Army. The Horse Guards, then, would really appear to have only 37 privates to a troop ; the Cu.. valty of the Line 42; and the Infantry both Line and Guards from 60 to 64. And so much for the test by companies.
This fails, however, fully to bring out the whole working of the aristocratical influences. Putting proportions out of view, there is no uni- formity or regulation as regards the officers. Some regiments have First Lieutenants to the flank companies; and one, the Royal F'usileers, has no subalterns but First Lieutenants. The 62(1 and 16th Regiments of Foot have 23 Lieutenants and 8 Ensigns; the 26th Foot has 22 Lieu- tenants and 9 Ensigns; the 13th, 23 Lieutenants and 10 Ensigns; being 11 subalterns more than there ought to be to the first three regi- ments, and 13 to the last. As they have also 2 Majors and 2 Lieu. tenant-Colonels, and are stationed in India, they may be considered on a climate establishment; but they should at least have their complement of men, as well as officers. Then, single officers seem to be added to a regiment, for the sake of the convenience of a man with interest. Major MEADE is Deputy-Assistant-Adjutant. General, with a salary of 260/. a year, and allowances for forage, and " miseellaneous" items of 141/. more. This officer is also a Captain of the 21st Foot, with the brevet rank of Major ; but of course he cannot attend to both duties, so to his regiment is given an additional Lieutenant to take the deputy's place. A similar plan is followed with Captain Esrocu, of
the 234 Foot, the Deputy-Assistant- Quartermaster-General.*
We have shown that three out of four of the commanding officers of lt regiment arc sinecurists, or quasi-sinecurists ; and some military men consider one subaltern to a company sufficient in peace. It will not,
therefore, after this general exposition, be assuming too much to say, that our Army is over-officered by at least one fourth ; and that no system
of military reform will be efficient which does not act upon their i urn- berg, by consolidating companies when officers die or retire, as well as by
merely ceasing to fill up the vacancies caused in the ranks, which plait in fact only increases this discrepancy. To state this saving with
arithmetical prech ion, would involve very long calculations, and could not be properly accomplished without official assistance, which we are not likely to get. Deducting, however, from 1,011,0001., (the total pay of the officers,) 237,000/. as the cost of Colonels, Lieutenant- Colonels, and Majors, there remains 774,000/. about one-fourth of which, or 193,0001., could be saved under this head,—forming a total retrenchment of 327,0001., or 30 per cent. on the officers alone ; which sum, if carried over two-and-twenty years, gives nearly seven millions spent upon "pre- paration" for a war which is not yet come.
The immediate pecuniary saving is, however, a small matter in
comparison with its indirect operation and its moral effects. The aristocratical abuse of over-officering is strongly felt in the Army Dead- weight, though it escapes a superficial observation. The constant ten- dency of the system is to turn the honours of the military profession into a fashionable amusement for a few years whilst the novelty • Sines the two la4 statements first appeared in the pages of the Spectator, they have been denied. We can only say that we found these regiments had 21 subalterns to tett companies. On searching further, we find that many have this additional officer, kept up perhaps on the chance of a sinecure falling to somebody in the regiment. Our corrector, however. dues not see the conclusion to be drawn from his statement If Captains can be absent without injury, of what use are they ? We might upon his premien suggest a sweeping redaction of Captains. pleasergcnd afterwards to make the overgrown soldier-boy a pensioner, or probably a-jobber, for life. A young man with political interest is allowed to enter the Army as an Ensign by purchase, his commission costing him say 4501.; after a certain " regulation " time, he may have a Lieutenancy, if he can find one in the market, by paying say 7001. and receiving "the difference "—that is, the Ensign who succeeds him pays him the 4501. which he gave. He becomes • Captain through the like mean.; by which time, with your mere aristocratical idlers, one of two things commonly happens—he gets by his interest put upon half-pay, or he begins jobbing. Time has removed the gloss of novelty; the young gentleman is tired of playing at soldiers; with the Captaincy comes the responsibility of his company, and a certain set of routine business to perform in relation to it, for which he has no stomach : so be gets permission to exchange, and retires upon half-pay, re- ceiving the " regulation " difference between the value of the full-pay which he gives up and the half-pay which he receives, sad as much more as he can get in the shape of a private douceur. If this game be played with any skill, it is one of the best modes of investing money, nowadays, for a man with interest : he sees all the pleasant side of feather- bed soldiering—gets a position in society, an annuity for life, and the title of Captain, with the chance of brevet rank, and any other promo- tion which time may bring. There are other modes of increasing the Half-pay list, but enough for a passing peep.
If our Captain, however, has ambition and interest,—or good interest, which is all in all sufficient,—he will not retire upon half-pay without a struggle. The Captaincy is indeed not relished, on account of its trouble ; so he strains every nerve for a Majority. With this he has not only higher rank, higher pay, and little or nothing to do, but he has now a better chance of pushing for higher promotion : he may become Lieutenant-Colonel, or get brevet rank as a Major- General and still retain his pay as a Major. The reader can now comprehend why there are 257 Majors to about 120 regiments.
The Brevet is itself a grievous abuse, having its origin in purely aris- tocratical influence turning national institutions to its own purposes. There are two kinds of rank in our land service—Army and Regimental. A Captain in a regiment may be a Lieutenant. Colonel in the Army by brevet. In such case, he will only receive pay according to his regi- mental standing, the brevet merely fixing rank, (accompanied, however, with an "allowance" of 2s. a day ;) but if the regiment is acting along with other troops, and thus forming part of an "army," then brevet rank enables a regimental junior to take the command over the head of his regimental superiors. In this ease he would receive the higher or Army pay, and take the chance of any promotion that might happen through the death or wounds or other incapacity of the real commander.
Let us now, in a single broad instance, allude to the operation of aristocratical influence in its effect upon the efficiency of the Army ; which, after all, is the most important matter. A glance at our large table will prove, that the non-commissioned officers increase in the ratio of the commissioned offieers,—or in other words, that the more numerous the officers, the less they do. In the Infantry of the Line, there is about one officer to every 19 men, and one non-commissioned to every 12 men. In the Cavalry of the Line, there is one officer to every 12 men, and one non-commissioned officer to every 104 men. In the Horse Guards, however, the officers compared with the men are as 1 to 11, the non-commissioned officers as 1 to 64. So that, in the marching regiments, an officer and less than two non-commissioned officers can manage 19 privates ; in the Guards, a somewhat similar number of men requires two officers and three deputies. The moral of all which is, not that the Horse Guards are more unruly than other soldiers, for they are the best-behaved men in the Army, but that their Sergeants do all the duty, and the officers do nothing. We try another tack, and then stop. The course shall be towards the Officers' Dead-weight ; which, it will be seen by the following table, is greater now by 4000/. than it was two or rather three years after the peace.
In 1/17. ta tar.
General Officers X101,280 £113,000 Retired Full l'ay, Halt pay, and
Allowances 647,301 615,500
Widows' Pensions 96,406 148,723 4:844,957 4E877,223
It is worth while to pause upon the items. We find during twenty years of peace, when no one could have an opportunity of becoming a General by any other method than the routine of service, that the cost of the Generals is higher by one-twelfth than after a war of unexampled extent and duration, and in which the British army was engaged in active service far beyond what it had ever been before. Look then at the Half. pay, &c. and see the result—a paltry reduction of one-twentieth part in twenty years. Two years after the close of a long war, the half-pay list must have been as full as it ever ought to have been. Twenty years later, the reduction is too inconsiderable for a thought. Now, will any one say that this could have been possible under a proper system? Thirty years is the average extent of a generation. If all the officers on the Hulf-pay list of 1817 had been young nien, death would have made sad havoc with their numbers ; but, considering that many must have been old, many wounded, many worn out with the fatigues of war, natural causes ought by this time to have reduced it to nearly nothing. And we can guess from the third item, that death has not been idle. The Widows' Pensions are higher by 50 per cent, than they were after all the mortality of the battle-field and hospitals ; although all officers do not leave widows, although every widow is not entitled to a pension, and although several pensions are requisite to amount to one half-pay. But, as fast as the old officers have died off, their place has been tilled up by the operation of the processes we have indicated. A pensioner is your true pheenix—the old bird seems to die, but a new one iinmediately rises from his ashes. And a very ex- pensive sort of bird it is The Officers' Army Dead- weight alone has cost the nation about 17 millions during these last twenty years, even
• We do not encumber the statement by endeavouring to deduct the trumpeters and drummers foam the non.commissioned officers, because as have not the data for doing it exactly; sad as it is a question of proportion, little or no effect is produced upon the result.
excluding Pensions for Wounds, &c., which would carry it to &boat 23 millions.
The Agency may also be classed under the head of superfluous ex- penditure. In the Indian Army there is no agency ; though some of its home stations are thrice as distant from each other as any of our.. and some of its foreign as distant from Hindostan as the %Vest Indies from England. In the King's Army, the Agency Is a mere piece of useless expense kept up for the convenience of the officers and the profit of the Agents : • its abolition would yield 32,000/. The Miscellaneous expenses, of' Contingencies, are various charges connected with the " Land Forces," but which do not directly relate to the cost of any regiments or of any constituent part of them, as a permanent regular charge. Thus, an additional pay for " good con- duct," or for length of service—various extraordinary expenses to sol. diers on a march, or on foreign stations—and many other items of a similar kind, fall under the head of "Contingencies." The expenses of deptits—of the recruiting service—of the purchase of cavalry horses, and of various " allowances," are also classed under this head ; and. its total amount is, in round numbers, half a million. Some of these Contingencies are in their nature fluctuating. To come to a proper 3udgmetit upon them, would require a very minute practical know.. ledge of each individual expense. The few items we shall suggest as specimens of improper expenditure, will be such as admit of no doubt.
Table at St. James.* fur the Officers of the Life and Foot Guards. [Reduced sfi
from 6000f.; bat why not abolished? Officer.: of the Guards should, like
other Officers. find their own dinners] 4,000 Tal le allowance for the Officers 011 guard at Dublin Castle. and prorating a ted for the Fieltbofficer on guard. [To which the precediug remark is ap
plicable3 1,004 Pay of Officers Supernumerary to the Redneed Establishemcut of the Royal Horse Guards, and of the three Reginteuts of Foot Guards; and compsasas Goes to certain officers for the loss which they respectively sustain by the deduction of the pay of their present rank in the Royal Horse Guards 3.$00
[The meaning of all which, so far elti we can understand it. seems to be, that officer: who in any other regiments nimbi lime been put upon haltpay, receive the full pay in the Guards ; and that these regiments are in fact officered to a yet grosser extent than appears in the E:stimate. The +tumult is not great, but it displays the principle of jobbing *latch so rankly flourishes wherever the interest ot the aristocracy ie concerned.]
Brevet rank is generally supposed to receive no additional pay, but it confers a right to allowances, which amount to 1.423 Allowances to Officers Commanding. and to Acting Staff Officera, aud Nona
Commissioned Officers of Depats of Regiments on foreign service 10,394 The bountysinone for recruits is calculated at nit aveinge of 41. tv brad for 6.000 men ; making 24,0001. Were the Army differently managed. so as to offer to abilities and good conduct a chaace of promotion, there would be a competition to enter the seivice, unless in a hot war and a rearcity of men. lo peace, during our existing economical condition. and rammed as the Army is, fur the greater part. w ith the ery lowest of society, no bounty would seem necessary. or to least not so high a one. especially alien we find re- traits for the Colonial corra are raised at the same average sum. Nor do we heliove that the money is lolly expended on its ostensible purpose. We understmal, and the Estimate before us bears us out in the not iout, that recruiting, to u considerable extent at least, a as to be discontinued, and the misitalties amongst the men not to be tilled up. We see, too, that the cost of the Recruiting seri ice has increased by 160001. since 1532. U oiler those circumstances, one-half of 1116 amount might certainly be reduced ; leaving
the Colonial corps at the higher bounty, and givit.g a saving of 12.000 Total Saving on Contingencies £32,121
REDUCTION OF NUMBERS.
Thus far we have spoken only of reductions that diminish the cost but not the strength of the service. Let us now show the retrench- ment that might be effected by reducing the numbers of the troops. The distribution of our Army is threefold,—in Great Britain, Ireland, and the Colonies ; the two last being the great source of expense. As the populace are less brutal and ignorant than of yore, and as most large towns have a more numerous and a better-organized police than formerly,—that of Lonuon, indeed, being numerically as strong as five battalions of the full war standard,—it would appear that fewer soldiers were requisite in Great Britain, or at least fewer Guards, which, so far as they ale of use, are useful only for the purposes of a regimental police. Passing this, however, we will confine our remarks to the Colonies, and Ireland ; having fit at taken a view of the strength and distribution of our Army.
DISTRIIIVILON OF TRH LAND FORCES OM 1ST FEBILVAALT 1837. Vie Estabdislanost," or Paper Stroojoh.
irrshotiag
@nett Brit.:IS. Trovpa is reamer. ladia.f
Cavalry (tank and file) 4.803 li.ad 2,700
Foot Guaras 4 1540 — Infantry of the Line 12:7".4 16,10.3 3:13,35 14.7011 Veteran, Colonial, and African Coups 51.,5..62. 181::
Thole of rank and file
" Effeetisto " or4..5"116tual Numbers.
31.764 5.229 Cavalry (rank and file)
Foot Guards 35117 545
1
tufantry of the Line 0,778 14,079 55.796
Veteran, Colonial, and African Corps ....
Totals of rank and She 18,821 16.501 33.436 17.646 It will be seen that the Colonies require nearly as many men as Great Britain and Ireland put together. If we had • Minister with the capacity of a statesman, we should call upon him to bring forward • comprehensive plan of Colonial reforin, by which, in return for local self-government and freedom from the trammels of irresponsible offi- cial subordinates, the larger Colonies would be induced to maintain what troops they required. It would then only be necessary to pro- vide soldiers for such possessions as are rather garrisons than colonies; which would enable us to effect a reduction oh from fifteen to twenty thousand men, and remove the discontent now rankling in so many settlements. But we have no such "manlier of man ;" and must be content to pay many hundred thousands annually to buck the "fantastic • Al one time Cox and GaazawooD had the ngency of more titan half the Ts* meats iii the Army. They wets creditut a to the Duke ot moan. Commaudet.imCidefs Formerly. if net at tresent, the great use of Agents seems to hate been to arraoge this sale of commissions when a premium was paid. By a regulation " the purchaser WA. obliged to sign • paper pledging his word of honour that he did not give more than Chic regulation-price. The Agent, with some relation or friend. was therefore a min of go-between to enable the military traffickers to keep the word of promise to this ear but break it in reality. The signature, we believe, is now alsaiisheal. t Paid by the East India Company.
4.641
17,400
2.70e
• • • •
1444
tricks "of the Colonial Office, until time and opportunity shall enable the larger Colonies to play the game of the American Revolution. But with Ireland there are no difficulties to encounter. Under the rule of former governors, a force much 'Over than suffices for England and Scotland was necessary to keep down the "aliens," for they could only be restrained by the bayonet. But Lord Mcsonava's popular administration has put an end to this necessity. According to the organs of Government, "Ireland under Lord Al I:LOA/Wee rule" is as peaceable as Great Britain, with as little reason to dread popular out- break-perhaps with less, considering the heartburnings on the new Poor-law, fomented by Tory agitation. " Ireland," we are told, "is ruled without the bayonet." Let Ministers, then, get rid of the " bayonets," and at once place the Irish military establishment on a similar footing to that of Great Britain. In this way, we should have a tangible result of their Irish policy, which has hitherto been so barren. Lord LYNDIICRST could no longer taunt them with their performance being like themselves-nothing. And what is more, they would put an almost impassable gulf between the Tories and office. The population of Ireland is scarcely half that of Great Britain ; 600,000/ , the charge for twenty-four regiments, is expended on her Constabulary force; she could therefore do with half the troops. This would enable the Ministry to dismiss ten thousand men : but let them only disband twelve regiments, and expend the net quarter of a million they would save, fur the benefit of Ireland, instead of waiting till it shall please the Lords to pass "the great measure," and then waiting till " Death " shall realize a paltry 50,000/ from the Appropriation plan. Let them do this, as an earnest of practical benefits ; and the Tories will be far enough from office in despite of the elections, or they could only take office upon the principle of "doing justice to Ireland." Au addition to the Estimates is a point that would be brought palpably home to the apprehensions and pockets of the most prejudiced Englishman. The Tories would even shock their friends if their first demand upon the nation must be for twelve regiments of bayonets, to keep them in place.
Quitting what the authorities call "the Army," we come to
THE OR DNANCE-M ANAGENIENT AND MANUFACTURING.
Besides the complicated and costly official departments, whose con- solidation we have already suggested, this arm of the service consists of three, or in strictness of four divisions.
1. The military branch of the Ordnance, including the Artillery, the Engineers, and the 'Medical and Educational Stuff.
2. The manufacture of cannon, gunpowder, &:c. for the Army and Navy.
3. The storing, preserving, and distribution of the arms and muni- tions of war.
4. The erection and repair of barracks, and other buildings which are of a military character, or are used for military purposes.
We will take a cursory survey of each division seriatim ; beginning with the Military branch, whose divisional cost is exhibited in the fol- lowing table.
STRENGTH AND COST OF THE ARTILLERY, ENGINEERS, Sze.
Officers.
.
Nen-e,mmissiened !Total Cadet.. talker- mai Men. Numbcm.
• •• - 73 73 Master Gunners at the Garrisons and Batteries in Great Britain and Ireland 4,447 241 -
211 Royal Engineers 50,156
3 .... 1,033 1,041 Sappers and Miners. officered by the Corps of Royal Engineers.. 30,502
6,062 6,511 Foot Artillery 271,054
4 . . . . 80
..... 1
85 Company or Gentlemen Cadets... 3,571 49 .
-
590 633 Horse Artillery and Riding•house
Troop 36,183 746
80 7:764 8,590 Totals £395,913
Instruction of Sappers and Miners, and of Junior Officers in the Corps of Royal Engineers, in the construe:ion of tield.works, including a coarse of Practical Architecture for the Officers of Engineers before they join their stations 2,411 EThe expeu-e of this item, however, is covered within £233 by the profit on
the Military Academy at Wooluich] Director.(Ieneral of Artillery and Field Train Department • 602 Medical Establishment 10,129 Total of Ordinary Expenditure for the Artillery and Engineers ...£109,060 Contingencies for Great Britain, Ireland, and the Colonies, of a similar nature to the Army Contingencies, bra also including a sum (461,0001. for the Trigonometrical and Geological Burt eys of Great Britain and Ireland 131,779 Total Expense of' the Artillory and Engineers .£540,333
We have no means of applying such specific tests to the Artillery and Engineers as we did to the Land Forces; partly from the nature of the service, partly from the want of detailed information in the Ordnance Estimates. Nor have we been able to acquire such exact information as produces a clear conviction of the propriety of any considerable reduction. What views we have, we can, however, give on both sides of the question.
The numbers of the officers are considerable, to begin with. The Artillery has 2 Captains, 2 first and 1 second Lieutenants, to a company, during pence; the Line never had more than 1 Captain to a company even during war. Taking the Land Forces as they now are, with two or three ainecurist officers to each regiment, and a lot of unnecessary subalterns, one-fourth of whom might be struck off, the aggregate proportion was no more than 1 officer to 12 men. If the Artillery and Engineers to- gether be subjected to this test, the ratio will be as 1 to 10. But as the Engineers consist chiefly of officers, who direct labourers casually eriployed according to the circumstances of the work, this test may be objected to as unfair. Let the Artillery, then, be taken alone;
and the officers are in the proportion of about 1 to 14-which yet seems very high, the abstract proportion in a regiment of horse
• or foot being as 1 to 27. Going on with comparisons, the average cost foe the whole Army is about 39/. per head for all ranks. In the Artil- lery and Engineers, it reaches 631. per head. But in the Artillery alone, it only rises to .531., including such proportions of the Con- tingencies as seems fairly to belong to that branch. If, however, we compare the Army and the Ordnance, throwing Contingen• cies aside, we may get a juster view. The cost of the Artil-
In 1837, 8,590 Officers and men ... £479,839 expense.
Being an increase of 3,744 in numbers and 328,233/. in expense. The Finance Committee seem to have rendered no reasons for this increase ; nor of course can we. Something may be chargeable upon the addi- tional number of our colonies, but not nearly sufficient to explain the discrepancy ; for the whole charge to all the Colonies is but 161,160/. -or less than half the difference. The scale of' pay, which has been raised since 1792, may add something to the amount ; and the force might then have been kept too low : but all these points added together seem scarcely sufficient to make out the increase.
From this view of the Military branch of the Ordnance, the reader will doubtless incline to the opinion that a reduction is practicable ; though, like us, in the absence of technical experience, he may not be able to say to what extent. If, however, he agrees or differs with us, our columns are open to discussion upon specific points. Leaving the Military, the second arid third beads of Ordnance Expenditure embrace the Establishments at Woolwich and the Sta- tions. Both of these are more or less departments for the manufac- ture, conservation, and distribution of arms and munitions; the place at Woolwich being principally for manufacturing, and the Stations for store and distribution. The word Barracks, explains itself.
The general cost of these three branches of Expenditure will be seen in the following tables ; the details of which will be found in the Ordnance Estimates of 1837, and their leading particulars in the Spectator of November 11,
ESTABLISHMENTS AT WOOLWICH.
Official Salaries. Workmen's Wage.. Total.
A oyal Laboratory 1,538 Direetur.Geueral of Artillery's 13.21nartment 1,333 6,162 2,141 8,000 3.524
Royal Carriage Department 1,751
4,777
6,533 Royal Military Repository
200
200 Storekeeper's Department 3,056 . 8,219 11,263
£3,223 £21,292 £29,520
Gar BRITAIN.
The number of Stations in Great Britain is thirty-two. There are 58 per. sons employed at regular salaries, amounting to 13,8491. The workmen's wages are 22,4111. The costs of" Works and Repairs" is 15,7131.; and the Additional Pay to Engineer Officers, for superintendence. is 2022!.; aud Pay to Clerks and Foremen, 4,4881.,-being upwanls of 40 per cent. on the outlay of 15,713/., or more than eight times the cost uf superinten- dence in private works-whereas here. where men receive their pay for it,
there should be no separate charge for superiutendeuce
IRELAND,
In Ireland there are eight stations. Nine persons are employed at regular salaries, amounting to 2,1291.; the Wages are 1,1251.; the Works and Re- pairs 1,7861.; the cost of Saperintendettee 3.3831.,--heing about 190 per cent, on an outlay of 1,7861., or thirty-eight times more than the private charge ut superintendence 8,42.5
COLONIRY,
There are forty Colonial Stations; with 103 persons employed at regnlar salaries, amounting to 26,1721. The Wages are 24,1631. ; the Repairs 218991.; the Superintendence I6,3701.,-heiug nearly 70 per cent, on the
outlay of 23,8991., or fourteen times as much as private charges 90.603
Total cost of Stationer £157.514
BARRACKS.
GREAT BRITAIN
Is divided into thirteen districts, containing ninety Barracks ; regu- larly employ inc 201 persons ; and ogling for " Salaries." " Allowances," Barrackmasters, Expenditure, and "Weeks and Repairs " Additional Pay to Engineer Officers, (X2,901) and Pay to Clerks
• Thy Foot as well as the lit ,se Artillery being included. in this calculation, make•, no difference, aa neither the rust nor the keep of the liotera its to airy exteut, included in: eitlwr Account. Additional pay to Engineer Officers. (4991.) and pay to Clerks of the Works, Foremen, &c.(7071.) in superintending what the Ordnance officials call "Works and Repairs "-meaning the erection or repair
of buildings 1,206 " Works and Repairs "-being the wages to workmen, and the cost of the materials for the erection end repair td buildings. If it be so, it shoes the iirmetling charge of 12061. to be 501. per cent, for super- intendence, being ten times the amount of au architect's charge in private practice ... 2,344 Total of Establishments of Woolwich £33,070 ORDNANCE STATIONS,
For the Manufacture and Storing if Munitions, 1ST. lery, for pay, clothing, Rsc. is about 44/. per bead ; of the Cavalry' of the Line, 46!.; of the Horse Guards, 66/. per head; which shows a prima facie case of the Artillery being the cheapest, although a supe- rior class of soldiers. On the other hand, this may not prove that the Artillery admits of no reduction, but merely the wasteful profusion going on in the Guards and the Cavalry, the two chief resorts of the aristocracy.
Thus far against the Artillery and Engineers. In their favour it must be stated, that there is no promotion by purchase : every man who enters either service must have been prepared by a previous course of scientific study, and must show his acquirements by means of exa- minations. After which, it is unnecessary to say that the aristocracy are rarely, if ever, found in the Artillery, and never in the Engineers. Another point in their favour is the nature of their service. A very short time would form any young man of average health to perform the regimental duties of our subalterns; and were the whole race extin- guished, the non-commissioned officers and men, in the ranks might furnish officers as capable for all military purposes as they are. But the Artillery, and still more the Engineers, require scientific acquirements, which cannot be attained by practice only. We must pay for the preparation of science and art. The mere attendants are readily gotten, but there is not time to train the surgeon when the operation is to be performed.
These remarks, however, merely point to a liberal, not to a lavish expenditure ; and there is a strong though general reason why the Military department of the Ordnance might admit of a considerable reduction. Sir HENRY PARNELL, quoting the Finance Committee, gives the numbers and expense as follows
"In 1792, 4,846 Officers and men £151,606 expense. I u 1323, 8,632 ditto. 471,543 ditto."
To which may be added, deducting the expense of scientific surveys,
of the Winks, Sec. (X5,733) in superintending " Works and Re- pairs."—being upwards ot 40 per cent. on the outlay ot 3a,6481 ,
or four times as much as private cliargei
Total expense of Barracks in Great Britain
IRET.AND,
There are in Ireland four districts; the number of Barracks is not stated. There are 133 persons employed ; and the total cost, ex- clusive of the next item her superintendence, is Additional Pay to Eusineer Officers (1,0671) and pay to Clerks of the Works. Sce. (2,9630 in Superintending Works and Re- pairs."—being rather more than 13 per cent., or not quite treble
the amount of a private charge Total expense of Barracks in Ireland
,COLONIRS, In the Colonies, there appear to be folly-three Barracks ; 105 per. sons are regularly employed ; and the cost, exclusive of Super- intendenee, is Additional Pay to Engineer Officers (8,131./.) and pay to Clerks of the Works. &e. (8.2391.) in Superintending "Works and Re- pairs," being about 30 per cent., or six times the amount of a private charge Total expense of Barraelis in Colonies • Total cost of Ilarracks £244,645 The chief points to which general attention should be directed in the preceding expenditure are two.
I. The large sum expended on the building and repairs of the Stations. This amounts to 67,663/., whilst nearly the whole cost of the business which they do is only about 90,000/. As the Stations are the property of Government, there is no charge for rent. What would a trader think if his freehold store cost him 67/. for repairs, and 90/, for all his establishment and part of his goods ?
2. The enormous proportionate cost for superintending public build. lngs, compared with private. An architect's charge is J per cent., or, if the outlay is very large, :3 per cent. In the Stations, this charge is GO per cent., or twelve times the amount of a private charge. In the Bar- racks, it is full 23 per cent., or more then four times the usual charge. Of course, some of this discrepancy is obviously explainable : the buildings are spread over a wide field of ground, and the cost of subor- dinate superintendence must he added. But on the other hand, 23,O9S/. ought not to be paid at all. The additional pay to Engineers is given for what they are bound to do for their regular pay.
3. The subject of official residences partakes both of a general and particular character. They are one great cause of' the heavy expen- diture already alluded to, end time form a species of salary ; for, though some deduction of salary is occasionally made for their occu. pation, it is far below their value. A minute examination into this branch of public abuse would be tedious. It is a case for individual zeal and local knowledge. The materials for the salaries at each place will be found in the Ordnance Estimates for the present year, (Parliamentary Paper, No. IS ;) and a return of " Royal Palaces and Buildings," ( Parliamentary Paper, No. 94, Session 18320 which gives the number of buildings. Ann instance, however, may show how to use it ; and we take it from within ready Cockney range. Let any one taking a trip to Gravesend cast his eye from the deck of the steamer over the landing-place to the magazines at Purtleet ; and he will see an excellent house crowning the green eminence which rises rapidly from the banks of the river. It is bosomed in trees ; in its front is a lawn, flanked by a circling shrubbery; and there is every appearance of all the appliances of a country gentleman's villa. This place is the resi- dence of the Storekeeper; and he receives a salary of 600/. a year. At Purtleet the Ordnance possesses seventeen more houses, two cot- tages, and a lodge ; and the %%hole rent received from the twenty-one residences, is 13/. a year. As tine manufacturing and storing of the Ordnance amounts, in round numbers, to 218,0001., we suggest that the whole of the Stations and the Establishment at Woolwich should be abolished in their present shape; the various Ordnance manufactures discontinued, and the articles supplied by open contract ; the contractors to deliver them at certain places. By this plan, the establishment at Woolwich would be altogether got rid of in its present shape as well as the -greater part of the Stations in Britain and Ireland. Taking advantage of the facilities for easy and rapid transport which steam affords both by land and water, the extensive buildings at Woolwich might be used as a depot of all the troops in Great Britain, whence soldiers might reach Cork in forty. hours : in June next they might arrive at Liverpool or Manchester by railway in ten hours, and get to Dublin in thirty hours. With the whole Army under one head, there seems no reason why the Commissariat
riat officers n the Colonies should not act as Storekeepers where Barraekmasters do not combine both offices in one. The distribution of powder, laid up on the spot, is not a more responsible or difficult task than the finding provisions and provender. In this way, eight departmental offices would be reduced to two ; the function of' one of them being to contract for and distribute the clothing, arms, and provisions of the troops—the other to superintend the mili- tary buildings of all kinds. Po this proposal, however startling to men hardened by official routine, there exists no reasonable objection. Before the invention of the .steam-engine and the consequent growth of our manufactures,—when Manchester and Birmingham scarcely existed, when transport of any kind was difficult, and rapid transport impossible,—and when that life and soul of cheapness and goodness, competition, was comparatively sluggish,—it was proper, perhaps necessary, for Government to -manufacture urticles which if trusted to private hands might have been supplied irregularly, or badly. But that necessity exists no longer : any quantity of a commodity of any quality can be furnished by the gigantic factories of England, certainly not inferior, and much cheaper and quicker, than by the Ordnance manufacturers.
The quantity, and the despatch, no one will doubt; the quality is an affair of price. As to the official statement of superior cheapness, it is well remarked by Sir HENRY PARNELL, in Financial Reform, that
" Such a defence rests upon what is morally impossible; because private
manufacturers can buy materials cheaper, acid take better care of them ; and they can get labour cheaper, make it go further, and superintend it better and at a less expense than any public office. The success of a public office in moll. factuting depends on what it is impossible it can accomplish, namely, to find numbers of officers willing to work with the saute zeal and integrity fur the public as they would work fur themselves.
53,662 4,036 78,552 16.370 63,705 94922
To which might have been gilded, the risk of overstocking, and the loss from spoiling. Some time ago it was stated, that part of the stores in the Ordnance warehouses had not seen the light for twenty years. More had been made than was wanted ; the surplus had been stored away ; it would not have answered the workpeople's and Super- intendent's purpose to have stood still whilst the old was used up: so, supplies upon supplies were constantly added, and as constantly taken out, to the loss of twenty years' interest, and of the principal to boot.
All this, however, though based upon principles and experience, yet wants, it may be said, the test of practice; and " one fact is worth a thousand theories." For those who argue thus, there is a fact. The East India Company's army is supplied by contract with every muni- tion of war except powder. And nobody will dream of comparing the English with the Anglo-Indian Government, for activity, efficiency, judicious economy, or (what is harder) judicious liberality.
To estimate exactly the saving that would accrue from the change of system we have proposed, is impossible without official knowledge and a practical acquaintance with the minuthe of the existing departments, or at least of subjecting the parties who possess it to a searching exami- nation. Still, we think that a saving of 100,000/. might be effected and for the following reasons.
The present amount of salaties, putting the Barrackmasters out of the question is upwards of 50,000/. The greater part of these could be entirely dispensed with, and the few Storekeepers left at certain stations would be a very slight charge. The repairs of build- ings, excluding the barracks, at present amounts to upwards of 70,000/., or if Great Britain and Ireland only be taken, 27,000/. Nearly the
whole of this last item would not merely be saved, butt an income might be derived from the rent of those buildings, and the different houses
now occupied by useless officers ; or, better still, the whole might be sold. No doubt, too, some reduction could be made in the Colonies, though it requires a local knowledge to say what. The gain on the manufacture itself can only be known by the result ; but a shrewd guess of the waste of the present system may be gained from one fact The raw material for the Ordnance —which, however, is material fit for immediate use—seems to cost only 20,000/. The expense of it, when manufactured, stored, and distributed, is upwards of 220,000/1 This sum appears to us out of all proportion, when we consider the rough nature of the manufactures, and that all the expense of freight is charged in the Navy Estimates, and amounts, including the passage of troops, to 150,000/. In the Barrack department there are three points for economy to work upon. 1. In the salaries of the Barrackanasters, where some retrenchment might be effected by appointing half-pay officers to the situation, suspending the half-pay but this saving would be trifling, perhaps a few thousands a year. 2. The adoption of some cheaper plan of repairing barracks ; which we have shown to be very expensive. 3. A
reduction in the number of barracks; on which we desiderate further light, without any means of getting it. Sir HENRY PARNELL, in his various gleanings from the Report of the Finance Committee, does not seem to mention the Barracks. As regards the Stations, indeed, it is said that "their number appears to be very great ;" and it is suggested that a strict examination should be tnade into the necessity of keeping up so many." If we sat in committee in Wellington Street, with power to "send for and examine persons and papers," it should go hard but we would render a more specific account, saying either that they could be reduced, or they could not ; or if we could not tell, we wou:d at least • say why.
Having thus gone through the pecuniary part of Military Expeadi. ture, let us recapitulate the results, bead by head.
1. OFFICIAL DEPARTMENTS.
The Consolidation of the Official departments cf the Army. including "tine Horse Guards" And the Mikes or Secretary at War, and Adjutant and Quartermaster•General of the Ordnance, with its semi &ligaments, and the Commis. .0
sariat • 70,000
2. SIM:MURES,
Saving by the abolition of Colonels, who are never with their
regiments, and could do nothing if they were 95,000 Saving by the abolition of Secood Majors it, the Infantry regiments, who are of as little real utility as the Colonel 41,000 3, DIsPRoPURTION Or OFFICERS TO MAN,
An average reduction of at least one fourth of the subaltern officers throughout the Army, which we have shown to he overloaded, more especially in the Cavalry sun! the Guards, would give 327,0110:.; but as this would include ten regi.
meats in Ireland, proposed to be disbanded, we will call it 297,000 4. llsoucrtost or Nemeses.
To make the Military three in Ireland approach the propor- tion of Great Britain. by disbanding t welve regiments; thus removing • stigma from Irelaud, giving a practical result to the Ministerial policy, and placing a bar to the Tory possession of office. The reduction mu money would be
300.041.; but, allowing fur half-pay, we take it at 250,000
5. 14110ELLANItuthi,
Coutiugencise 32,121 Agency 32,446
- 817,567 In the Military branch of the Ordnance, though there appears ample room, ive have not venturued to propose any specific reduction, Its the absence of specific evidence. In the Civil departments, we have cal-
culated that, a saving of at least 100,000i.coutd be effected, besides nu income from rent, or which in its results is the same, a sum in
hand from the sale of the property £100,000 011567
Springing out of the subject of Expenditure, is PROMOTION An abuse which affects the efficiency of the Army as a body, and in: filets grievous injustice upon individuals.
The Cormuttuder in Chief is the Pope of the Army. lie can bind
" It is obvious that the slightest deficiency in skill, activity, and integrity,
8.634 on the part of the public officers, in performing the various operations, front 86,018 their going to market to buy a stock of raw materials, to the storing of the goods made with them, will be taken advantage of by numbers of persons in numbeiless ways. Materials will be bought in too dear; they will be wasted in working them up ; they will be liable to be stolen or damaged ; and the finished article will be more exposed to be wasted and stolen than when put. chased by contract, from the difficulty of keeping equally exaet amounts of the quantities received and delivered." and he ewn loose ; he can absolve Sine hioafevar gritowtotiii ;.;116 van pat on an interdict, or take it off. The Pope has a suspending power over . the einons of the Church ; the Tory_ Lord Htu, has a -similar power over the regulatioas of the Army. He can 'rigidly enforce them against political opponents, or friendless subaltern.; he can relax dun] if it so pleases him. Promotion, of coarse, is in his bands; and on a vacancy occurring it is filled up by him—.-and the Whigs say in &your of their opponents. Unless in occasional cases where a commission fulls is the gentleman appointed purchases his commission as Ensign.
i Every successive step is entirely an affair of money or interest; but generally of both combined. By regulation, every officer must serve a limited time before he is permitted to pass to the next
xt rank ; and then promotion takes place in this way. When a Captaincy s vacant, the senior Lieutenant is entitled to purchase the commission : if he declines, the privilege descends to the next Lieutenant ; and so on till a purchaser i found amongst the Lieutenants, or they have all de. clined. A similar process takes place with every other vacancy : the senior Major has the first offer of the Lieutenant-Colonelcy, the senior Captain of the Majority. But if no officer in the regi- ment is able or willing to purchase, then any officer from any other regiment may, provided he can get permission from the Com- mander in Chief. In a military point of view, the mischief's of all this are evident. So far as promotion is not a matter of chance, it is, in the first instance, a mere question of money. Neither merit nor • experience, which in the absence of evidence presupposes merit, are at all considered. The only question is, can you pay the regulation-price ? And this in it profession where money is repudiated as an incentive of action, and honour, with the distinctions attending it, is held to be the life and soul. We can conceive an excuse for a rule by which physi- cians and lawyers might be allowed to purchase the post of president or judge ; because the man with the largest practice would be able to pay the highest price, and we should thus have a sort of security for qualification. But the activity—the patience both under discipline and hardship—the quickness and ready adaptation to every varying cir- cumstance and difficulty, which should characterize the real soldier— are much more likely to be found amongst men stimulated by necessity and narrow means, than amongst the spoiled children of affluence. Of the two tests, the incapacity to purchase a commission would be a much better one than the power.
These remarks would be applicable if the whole system were strictly regulated ; but it is easy to conceive the favouritism that must always take place in permitting officers to go from one regiment to another. It is not so easy, however, to conceive the jobbing and influence which are set in motion to get one man to create a vacancy for the advance- ment of another, and the sops which are used to lull the next Cerberi, especially in the higher ranks, where the eligible purchasers in a regi. merit are fewer in number.
No Army Reform will be effectual which does not place the system of promotion upon a sound basis. And the first step towards this will be to abolish the traffic in commisions; the Government purchasing such of them as are offered, at the regulation-price. This, of course, will require money ; but the expense would be spread over a long period, and we have shown that nearly one million could be made available by Army retrenchment. To abolish purchase without regu- lating promotion, would only make matters worse ; the Horse Guards patronage would be ten times more valuable than it is,
and the aristocracy would keep their money. Except in cases of special exploits, which cannot occur in peace, promotion should follow some settled rules, whose object should be to reward qua- lification and service. As in the French service,t no man should be eligible as an officer, who had not served a fixed time as a non- commissioned officer, or studied at a military academy, besides passing an examination. A fixed proportion of subaltern's commissions should he given to non-commissioned officers ; a fixed proportion of the next ranks go by seniority ; and some regulation introduced even with respect to the highest ranks.
Of course the abolition of purchase will be unpalatable to all military hucksters; and we shall be told of the use of purchase in preserving the respectability of the Army. Is, then, the Horse Artillery, taking military precedence next the Guards, a discreditable service ? Are the Engineers disreputables ? Are the officers of the Nary not gentle- men ? The " examination " will be still more unpalatable, yet it obtains in each of those services. But the proposal to endow the rank and file with eligibility to commissions, will be more terrible still. Yet to this we must come, if we desire to put the Army upon a proper foot- ing. Subject the candidates to any fair test of character and conduct ; require, if you please, a theoretical examination upon the common branches of general education and military knowledge, so as to secure
• When an officer is killed or dies on service, his commission falls in. and the Com- mander iu Chief can giro it away.
f The following are the rules of promotion in the Freneli Army, as given in Dr. Bows irro's Its-port on the Military Expenditure of France. " No Soldier can be made a Non-commissioned Officer, who is not twenty years of age. and has not served in a regular regiment for at least two years.
"No person can be an Officer who has not either served iat least two years as a Non. sommissioned Officer, or studied et a Military College for the same period, and passed this usual examinations.
"Orimthird of the Secoud.Lieuienancies of the Line falling vacant, are given to Non- Commissioned Officers.
" Two-thiids of the vacancies occurring in the ranks of Lieutenant. Captain, Chef de Bataillon. Chef d'Escadrou, and Lieutenant-Colonel, are filled up by seniority. The Majors are chosen from among the Captains, who are employed as Treasurers, Clothing Officers, and Adjutant-Majors.
" The Twasurer and ClothingtMlicers are chosen from among the Officers who have been Sergeants-Major or Chief Quartermasters ; the Adjutantsklajor from among the Lieutenants who have been Ailjatants, Sergeants-Major, or Chief Quartermasters; and the Adjutants from alavug the Sergeants-Major or Chief Quartermasters (man:china des Logis en Chef.)
"No Officer can be promoted to a superior rank without having served four years in the rank immediately inferior. All promotions, not provided for by the above regulatimis, are filled up by the Milliliter of War.'—Report, p.478.
an officer of informed rnind. By if the *nor .4-7- to be-ihorciagigy reformed—if its worth is to be on a scale comMensurote with it aUt and its power, then promotion must be offered to merit wherever it is found, and our soldiers no longer suffer " under the cold shade1
i
0 aristocracy." Were this done, honesty 'and respectability woold ti. ' ' to the ranks of the Army, instead of shrinking from it ; iustead
the present system of revolting punishments, the military code might appeal to hope rather than fear ; and one-half of the present " standing army in time of peace" be a far better nucleus for " preparation against war." The use of our.numerous army as a training school is now con. fined to the officers of the Line; and for the " rough and ready" duties of actual war, they are but indifferently qualified. Offer reward to merit, and ten thousand men would form the skeleton of a better force than our existing eighty thousand. It was rhetorically said of an ancient legion, that every man was qualified to command an army. Under the system suggested, it would be enough if every Private were qualified for the post of an officer.
Besides Promotion, there is also the gross abuses of Pluralism ; of which we have given some instances in the number of the Spec- tator to which this sheet is a Supplement. It will be sufficient here to say, that the total amount of military pluralist sinecures is up- wards of 2-2.5,0001. ; and that there is a Colonel to each of our regi ments, who is also a General officer, giving a notable list of 130 sine- curist-pluralists, some of whom monopolize several offices beside in their own persons, and many of whom bold additional appointments.
So much for the exposition of Military Expenditure. We will now gather up the points of what we have suggested.
First and foremost, cm:sr:Mt:ate the official departments—make the head of the Army responsible to Parliament and public opinion ; and save 70,000/. a year. Discontinue sinecures—get rid of Colonels who never see their regiments, and by the rules of the service could do no.. thing if they did, as well as the second Majors, who for military purposes areas useless as Colorrels:; and retrench 136,000/. per annum. Reduce the subalterns throughout the Army, especially in the Cavalry and the Guards, to something like the proper proportion of officers to men ; and save 300,000/. at least. Do one justice to Ireland—cease to insult her by dragooning her like a conquered country; abolish her military cob. nice ; let the proportion of her soldiers approach to that of Great Britain ; and spend the quarter of a million for her advantage, instead of deluding her with Irish Tithe Bills. Examine the Contingen- cies, abolish the Agency; and retrench by this at least 66,000/. Thoroughly investigate the Ordnance, where abuses and jobbing seem rife ; and probably our moderate suggestion of 100,0001. may be doubled. At all events, in this enumeration alone, there are reductions to the extent of 918,000/. a year—make it a million. But you must go further, and rise from mere money to mental and moral considerations. Pecuniary promotion must be stopped. Merit arid services must be adequately rewarded. The active, skilful, ex- perienced officer, must not longer see himself postponed to a boy aris- tocrat, with no other distinction than a long purse, and political interest—too often but a softer term for political corruption. Abolish pluralism, sinecures, brevet-rank, and promotion from inactive service, and thus keep the idler and the hungerer after flesh-pots from infesting and corrupting the Army. But above all, aim at elevating the cha- racter of the soldier : throw open Army rank to good conduct, military ability, and average educational acquirement, be it found where it may.
Then you can safely abolish flogging in peace. And, in one-lialf of the present nuniber of soldiers, you might have an effective germ of half-a. million of men ; for then every day of a soldier's duty would be gra- dually training him to habits of command, and qualifying him for promotion as soon as war made a way for his advance. Who, it may be said, can do this ?—The Ministers. And Army
Reform is a measure resting entirely with them. They alone can have sufficient knowledge of the subject in its multifarious details ; they alone can have the means of silencing, by full information, the military oracles who affect to monopolize all knowledge, and to frown down civilians who presume to touch that which is tabooed. Measures of general policy may be introduced by individuals, and successfully carried through ; but WELLINGTON himself, with the reforming zeal of Hems in his best days, or the youthful energy of MOLESWORTH at present, might be checked on a detail by an office clerk.
But if the Ministers will not take up the question ? Then it is the
duty of Liberal Members to force it upon them. We have shown how vast is the field of abuse : we are very far from having exhausted it ; and, with so many other subjects pressing upon us, it is impossible that we can study it as a legislator might who could devote himself to its mastery. A Member of Parliament has also greater means of procuring information than a journalist. He has channels of private information to which we have no access : where the public returns are deficient, he can move for fresh ones, and set the whole legislative machine in motion to perfect his case.
When Army Reform, however, is again brought before Parliament,
it must be done comprehensively, to be done with effect. It is of no use pottering about small matters or single points. Should, for instance, the Colonelships alone be talked of, "high military authorities "—that is, the authorities of Colonels—will be brought forward to prove the advantage of these officers; and the argument of infallibility, so pleasant
to idleness, will be coupled with the comparative smallness of the sum to be saved. Nor should the direct expenses alone be looked at, but the ramifications of the system traced to the heavy Dead-weight, and the useless expenditure of the actual service. But the moral effects are more important than the mere money, considerable even as that is; those effects by which the fribbles and the rabble are combined together to form a caste of sworders in the midst of citizens, from whom they are alienated by law and prejudice—whom they regard with something approaching to contempt—and from whom they are more distinctly separated, in this jealous anti-martial nation, than in the most military and despotic governments of the Continent.
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