In an old copy of the Nova/and Allilifory Gazette for

the beginning of 1S35, (to which I am indebted for many of the hiuts that follow, ) I see it stated, that io 17133, just at the close of the foolish but long and most expensive war with our Colonies in America, the list of Genoa! and Field otliCer8 Stoutl as follow.,—though probably our militaty force was then at the minimum, the war not being yet concluded; which compare with our peseta list of Generals and Field Officers, when our force, after twenty-one yea's of the most profoutid peace, may be considered as having resulted the litionti tint of reduction.

Erreterives owes:. lx 17sh. he le37.

Fieldt Marshals awl Generals :id

laentenent•Getterals Major-Generals Of Generals—Totals .......... 201 469 172

56 iso

rehirels 124

302 I lentenaut-Colonels 240 f.111.

Majors 259 719 Of Field Officers—Totals C,23 1,G63 Generals awl Field OffIcers—Grand Totals. 824 2.152

Anti it is further stated, on the authority of the Army List, that in 1783, the King had ten Aides-tie-Camp with the rank or Colonel—the• number at present possessed beall the tinit.rate Sovereigns of Europe. In •1837, the King has thirty-fee Military Aides de Camp, (deducting the twenty just pro- moted to he (enerals,) and nineteen Naval Aides, including Lord Asa:tars

Ilea orarttc, the Adiniral,--only I/fry-four in all. And this is fler,rar !!!

Regarding our military system generally, and especially the absurd manner of promoting, officers by the hundred in one day to he Generals or Field officers, without- the slightest reference to their fitness or the wants of the service, I must refer you ti the French military writers, Deetnentee, Meentet: DCMAS, and especially to General Foe's War in the Peninsula, here there are some admirable truths told of our Brevet system of promotion, teakiee O:nerals and superior officers by whole:ale, merely from seniority—preeisely la the r inks where all governments should begin to can cise. if not before, a striet discrimi- nation. ()or army. almost a skeleton in numbers, has mere Generals and superior officers than the Eyench Army of 400,000 men, which fitroishes also the Staff. Inspectors, and Instructors for two millions anti a half if National Guards, uf whom 300,000 are mobilized for active service, and are tit to take their place beside or in remit of any troops in Emilie. General Fos- is likewise, and justly, very severe on the system by which our Generals hold the Colonelcies or Regiments, and contleAcend to make a ques- tionable b011reC of emolument from the parings of the mert's clothing anti equip- loons; while the officer who really exercises the eirective entinnund of the bete mlion or regiment, with the rank of Lieutenaut-Colonel, lets hardly the meaus of pit:serving a decent appearance in society. Thus, from thi inequality in the number of battalions in the regiments, (which in his time was touch greater than at present, though we still have the anomalies remaining in C.e Gem Os of three and two impel ions eaelt, the Ist.60t11, and Rifle Corps, and Ceylon, ) it sometimes absurdly happened that the Alajor-General conimanding a tegiment of two or more battalione, leid, ft um tailoring bis men, datable the pay or invone: of the Field- Marshal ed.,, was unlucky enough to bold it tegimeet of ouly one batta- lion. In short, t•a, clever Frettchulan Stigmatize:: the whole system. like a moos of feeling, of common sense, and a suldiet jealatits tof the hotiour of his proles- Shill. I strongly teentnniend his work to your Ir.r:itatlar nutter. See is lout he says of the Beitielt Cavalry in partite:let : he deela:01 that the ouly corps of Bores: in 0111- Arely W1,0 eendileted themselves really well throughout the Peuinsolar War. it made a good military charge, were liocg's eel M. 1.■

posted of employed as the service may require. The Mai ines may undergo the eame operat:11:4 the Infantry.

9. That the Royal Engineers be augmented in men, and absorb what re- mains of: that special job the Royal Staff Corps,—of which a company still exists, strange ta say, to take care of the Royal Military Canal ; in which Canal, hunt sold, hartry a boat is to be seen, owing to the trecaeserie and duties, and MI ea1111.0.1 r tow taunt is allowed, pr fear of spoiling the bands. In short, the Royal Military Cartel lutes always been a royal military humbug. Consider- ing that we have a splendid corps of Royal Engineers, consisting of about 250 officers, this excrescence of the Royal Staff Corps is truly too bad, after twenty- one years of peace and imitility. GOONS The rc i•on is pi in enough. For ley p.tt t, with the experience of R01111t forty years over my head, I feel persuaded t .i IT Briti.11 :limy will never he wit it it ought to be, utile,,.s our alders tike .,,ze of the peace, to correct all thte.e :tbsurtlitiee and anomalies

la our system, v.. I. i 11 they have neglected to do foe tweet!, sone yeti:, that we have I ii ete ehile all around us have hetet ireerei 1. Th it the •:,e•••u: el 1!revet Promotion ishottiti be pat an end to.

2. IA. a fiv• I coal.] Ishment of effeetive Oetterals, Coleuele, cud Field tiiiceis. ha. Si it; i,tirposes, (hesides regiments, ) be allotted to each ann. :; II. e vie t: cies in this establishment be tided up by rigid selection of merit 01 V, ft the first fil'ee or sixty in the folliteing list.

4: Ii it it iheire 1 Full and Half Pay I.ist be formed fur each rank of (teiter.C.s, ie. It. ere i:y or ithysieally unfit, under certain contlitiont a, to length of se: eic Witil ,111,!;i1:;■:;.f, or on the Staff, to lie 'ti ietly defined. 5. T:ea. flu:veal Officers no longer hold Beg ixet,ts ; bet that their Ilalf- piy. unetnployed, he fixed on the scale allotted to eau esponding ranks in

N,IVV.

6. Thar :ill Regiments of Infantry. in time of peace, be campostol or two hitt alioas of eight companies each, with 1 Colonel to cumulate' ; and all Ilegi- ments t i he kept tegether as much as peseible. On foreign service, each Ilegie molt to la: allowed one Recruiting or Depot Company. The Sonia a Regi- ment, lweide the Colonel, to be 1 Lieutenant .Colonel, 1 Major, and 1 Maier Commlr.,1131t tit each battalion, 1 Paymaster, 1 Surgeon, 2 Assistants, 2 .1.1jutelee, and I Quieter maeter. lo time of war, each Regiittent to have three

7. Tit it the Cavalry Regimetits at home be formed into four squadrons each, like those itt julia, with an effective Colonel, Lientenant•Colonel, 3Iajor, ie. This wonl reduce four Regiment-.. In Onn: of war, six equadrons, with two addition:II 31 dars. 8. That the Artillery may be divided into five regiments of two battalions each, exactly on the same plan as the Infantry, but with a separate cadre of Gelletals and superior officers for the Artillery duties, and detached coininands of Art iPety in the fortresses, 8ze. The officers to rise regimentally to the rank of Major iti all arms of the service, and then to be thrown into one list, to be 10. That all Regiments of Cavalry and Infantry be absolutely reduced to the same establishment of 1 Captain, 1 Lieutenant, and 1 Sub.Lientenan t per troop or compeey, ithout favour or distinction of corps. 11 our best regiments, the Light lofintiy and Rifle Corps, Can do with that establishment, 'LIS dead)* ab- surd that the c.oultion Regiments of the Line should claim two Lieutenants for each flank company, or the 7th Regiment (misealleil Fusileers) have no subal- terns, but First Lieutenants. Thus we have flute, four, or five various esta- blishments (dormers iNtlie British Infantty Regiments. There are eight corps of Light Infantry, and three regiments or six battalions of Riflemen, which

Live 1 Ceptrin, 1 Lieutenant, and I Eusign or Second Lieutenant per company, without distinct:oil ; total 14 corps. 'I hen we have one corps, the 7th Foot, is tin ate called l'esileers, with 1 Captain and 2 Lieutenants per company ; four tore of the eeme (5t1t, 21st, 23d, 87th Regiments) it ith a Captain, a First Lieutenant, and a :•.7ucond Licateirant to each battalion company, awl two First Lientetiati:s ta each ILA company ; next we have all the rest of the Infantry with a Captain, a Lieutenant, and an Eitsi,:n pet colol,anYi excePt the 164 companies, which have two Lieutenants ; and lastly, we have the Regiments in India, with :tir additional Lieutenant to every competty or they. By teducing the whole to one uniform scale of a Captein, a Lieutenant, and a Suit- Lieu- tomtit per troop or company, without distinction, considerable abeutdity would he removed with inequality of promotioit, and what we gain in simplicity would be ftii Hier recommended by economy. 'fake ;tory one colour from each battalion also, and give a colour-bearer to each that remains,—a place fit for Mae, ving s. tee:tuts and men, as Officers. 11. Tht the reparate division of the Army Staff into Adjutant-General's and Quartermaster-General's Departments be abolished ; and the whole Army Stuff be formed into one body or corps, with no further distinction than c;eneral, Colone', Lieutenant Colonel, Ma;or, or Cap'ain the Gcntral Division Staff, or Brigade Staff, whieb expresses t very drier.. 1. That the Ordnance Department be ehelisIne! as a separate %wale of g,0%.rn- ing the Artillery, Engineers, and Parrack Departnnars ; and traesferred to the tiorse :muds, under one directing head, but with separate Boards or Councils, at whieh the chief may preside, composed of competent officers of each branch nr arm, to advise with, for the regulation of all matters of detail concerning their respective services.

1:3. That the office of Secretary at War, or War Minister, he blended with

tl.e Conlin:LIUd of the Army, (under the King,) with a seat in the Cebinet. Tide Minister must necessarily be a military man, of the highest rank and talents for business. This junction alone would greatly facilitate and simplify ell the business of the department, beside giving a responsible Minister for the Arany, which is now wanting. Id. That the sale and purchase of all future commissions in the Army be abolished ; the State purchasing, at the regulated price, all existing commis- sion!. nefered for sale, that have been acquired by purchase. As this would he very gradual in its nperation, the expeme would become light in any one year ; it beteg necessarily spread over many 'eare, before all were absorbed.

le. To establish a %wholesome system of Promotion, something on the plan

of the Frenell coda, which is defined by a legislative act, with all the rights and claims t' the rilicers and soldiere. and most particularly the ultimate right of retir.::.rnt from the service on half or full pay, under certain conditions. as to length f servie,s, age, campaigns in the field, service abroad, wounds, infirmity, pres 'at wink, IC. To eqn.itiz, the three Regiments of Foot Guards to two battalions of eight cowponiee eech, with I Captain, 1 Lieutenant, and I Sub-Lieutenant per company, ott the score of simplicity and economy ; and in all future pro• moth,as to abolish the abseird and hateful ptieilege of superior Army r. ank. 17. To caul re most rigidly the old regulation whereby odlicars employed on the Stoff of the At my are placed on the Islon'effective or 1111f pay List, am, their pious in regiments filled up by effective officer. The violation of this onkr te now care;d to an extreme pitch, so as to cripple several corps in order to serve fteoutitee. Look at the Horse Guards itself: since when has tie Aie.istent .Militery Secretary seen the regiment in which he has so long figurel as 'elder cepteM le. That as ell officers on retirement stand on an equal footing, rank fur rank. ow !retired Ball te. Full Ply 'Ionia for all arms of the service be alike, tlrae beim; tIn•n 00 g. eason for a differeece in favour of either. Cunse that the Ihfultty Ilalf or Full Pay be in foture the statelerd fee eveev rink Mr retirement ; oi ! that, instead of placiog officers on Hall or Full Pay' hg qji n.eLts in retirenemt, they be all considered as unattached, antl eltessed as follows, witb the adtlition of one head fur " Foreign Corps," who are all retired.

Retired Full Pay

Ret:red :rot; l'av Croattaehea,

Temporary !Alto C Retired Fun Foy

sae. Retired Hale NI 5 U

Temperary Ditto Retired Full Pay

'r Inatre • C..rps ....... Iletirtst Halfl's 5 reattached,

Temporary Ditto Retired Full Pee • ? .

Marillee !toned Dalt Pa'y s non:wiled,

C Temp,rary Ditto..

atal ptteed sin ply in the order of regimental rank in eaeh arm. temelusian, if the Generale were deprived of their regiments as Colonels, tail, tee fidnisbere, awl centrnetore, then all regiments would he paid, clothed. and equipped directly, at their actual cost onlg, by tl:c officers of Cioveronola tiv. f:everal deoertntents if Ordwume, Pay, Clothing; and all the IIrei • mental Agent., w:th the expense attending them, got ri.1 ef. I feel persuaded the st twice will never be aeirlimated as it ought, while this ant.:ent ohese of Ceue: els am! Agents holding legiumots continues ; but I (einem (hello; that they will all bold to it with as tenacious a grasp as the Irish Protest int Cl ey hold to the Catholic tithes, and with exactly the same want of reason and jnstice. No a,!licer's duty and interest should be placed in direet opposition, as they are in th:s ease. 'The mnainnt Colonel of a regiment holding the rank t.f d ciii I ractor and tailor for his reghtlent with Goveruttient l—why, the bare eh:et:meet if the fact earri6s absurdity and refutation with it, fully us elimig is in the case of the Irish tithes.

In these ',beer vat its, I bear no to any particular el.e.s. My only ob- ject ie to correct defects and abuses 5)1 it hshg tire our military sy,tew ; and whivh, liv elac.ing together in the same teal-me of reward the worthy and the unworthy, the drone and the bee, the hard ea inpoigoer and he whose OnliplipS have been limited to the Mose Go ods mei se James's, diminishes in u time fund properly belonging to the war-wain veteran, who has wounds, and lot,4 and frithful tetV.e,S aheIrld, to claim n nothei's munificence as a right, justly and !,,,,..nrahly ne7aired. All stud, I would reward, and that in no niggard spirit : lett I %%mild turn a deaf ear to him whose seryicee, however long, have been tee.!,:tel to peaceful quarters—to all whose It it ties have been fought over a bottle of vi i in the Loudon Clubs or et tix mess of his regiment. The sys- tem of lh evet prumution places all, or molly ail. en the same footing. If tve. woLld forego the frippery of muking Reytt/ and Ft/siker corps daily, and :etoel to the essentials of the service, we should not witness the difficulty %Odell exists in recruiting fit subjects for our Army, even with large bounties,— a mmt ii us system, and the fruitint sweet! i sf of drunkenness and dis-

order. We shoeld raise the diameter of the service by holding nut adequate

prospects of encouragement awl promotien, to invite a mote respectable class of men into the mike. Tile ;general L.:m(1ml of our Foot Guards in quartt‘re is diegrecefel to the British Army. The b hoviour even of the lad:entry of the Live is fur better, indepentlemly if their hoeing a for more military air. As for the ceoduet of the Life and noise Gu trds in quartets, 'tis truly creditable tu them aid their officers, and affords an t x.onple to the Foot Guards which they might to hid late : it shows that 'tis tilt indispensable to good order and discip:itae that all Captains should be Lieutenant-Color/de in the Army, all Lieutemods Captaine, and all Ensigns Lieutenants; for, without these hateful privileges', the conduct of the Horse Guards is a model Mr the Foot. Including our live Flislleee corps, thew time now twenty-four Boyd corps of Infautry, he'd& the Guards and Cavalry. This ridiculous mania fur facings has led to its natural result — it has ceased to be a distinction, and is laughed at by all reasonable men. But the word fusiteer itself is a misnomer anif a perversion of its original meaning. It is a French word to express the C0111111011 battalion soldier, or company. Thee, a French regiment to this day is compueed of three hattaliuns ; and each battalion has one company of Grena• titers, one of Voltigeurs, and six companies of Fasileees. Thus the teint applied by the French ((rout SAW we have borrowed it) to express the marine' mass of foot soltliers, we have Ms:wird tip explasss regiments or battale71: of Green. diers,—for 1 prebtone, by giving lii 0 5!.::t cap, go•n.c!.,, and other tOillfliOtery, we meant they elmeld hue coos:theca is smell. The d.if;11 neA, to please a young knifing who had joined its dteeit, were to tde tetoitlery dos other day, by a stroke of the pcti ; though both till is-isand ea II .1 i ,x as they were before, bating the fur cap, 24e. These hi a., 0 id ii guir geous laved and embroidered uniforms to Horse anti Foot of the i.i &e. &e. divase all foreigners of sense, and :navy Englishmen, to cum-lode that our