[To THE EDITOR 07 THE "SPECTATOR."1 Si,-With reference to the
correspondence on this subject, I venture to think that the opinion of the great Duke of Wellington about the necessity of keeping officers in order may be not uninteresting at the present time :—"I must also observe that British officers require to be kept in order, as well as the soldiers under their command, particularly in a foreign service. The experience which I have had of their conduct in the Portuguese service has shown me that there must be an authority, and a strong one, to keep them within due bounds ; otherwise, they would only disgust the soldiers over whom they should be placed, the officers whom they should be destined to assist, and the country in whose service they should be employed." (To the Earl of Liverpool, October 1st, 1811.) Referring to intriguing officers, his Grace wrote as follows to Sir William Knighton on November 26th, 1824 :— " I must say that I cannot approve of officers running about to look for influence to obtain their regimental objects, instead of confiding in their own claims for employment, founded on their qualifications."—I am, Sir, &c.,
119 Elms Road, Clapham, S. 11'. HENRY G. T. HOPE.
Previous page
