The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-09 00:00:00

TO TNT anon OF TEE IIPII/1311.

Sta,—l beg to draw your attention and that of
your readers to • practice which, if generally adopted, will,
I think, be very Injurious to the volunteer minas.
The p‘rsctice to whisk I allude is that of advertising regd.
mental reprimands" bliely—• practice introduced in
the Queen's (Wes ) Volunteers, and subsequently in
the South Middlesex. For maniple, a Mr. —,4•1 the
Queen's," lately figured in the regimental orders as " guilty
of groan es/aloneness in Ilring at the butt, by which the
marker was severely wounded." Now the accident which oc-
tarred was, I happen to know, of a grave nature, and did
result in a severe flesh wound to a marker. But (as pointed
out in roar columns some time since) from the imprudent
regulations and general heedlaesuese of then at Volunteer
rifle practice pounds, and, speaking from my own experi-
ence, especially at that of the Queen's, it Is marvellous
that there are not many mon accidents. Yet in noes of
the tinny mime all over the country, when markers have
been killed outright, have I ever beard that • volunteer
has been advertised as " guilty of gross careleamesa." And
even admitting, sines we have the colonel's authority, that
this most severe reprimand was deserved, I would ask—
Can there be • more dangerous precedent than that
• volunteer accused of carelerenee, or breach of
discipline, the result perhaps of intaxicatioe—sod there
is scarcely a field day when some such charge could
not be made—should be tried before an irresponsible court,
sad if found guilty have • luting stigma branded on his
character before the public, and be perhaps injured for lde
by the advertising of a fault, error, or accident—relatively,
bear in mind, only to his regiment—in the public news •
papers ; sod could anything, besides, be devised mare lain.
rious to the reputation of a regiment? By a great stretch
of authority it might be conceded to the colonel the right to
place in the regimental orders the name of a volunteer, his
offence, and the punishment awarded, provided always
these orders were only circulated privately among the corps,
or even, as in the army, read out on panda The volunteer
"orders" are, however, on the contrAry, not only posted at
headquarters, not only very generally placed sea shop
windows, but, what is most objectionable, they are advertised
in the daily papers.

The Froneedings of an open court of justice are allowed to
be pub lobed ; the judge, jury, and accesed are equally
on their trial before public opinion, and that opinion
may be expreued so strongly as to set made •
verdict; but I have Dever heard it deemed neces-
sary to advertise the names and sentences of
the convicted. The deoienics of our courts-martial ere sub-
mitted tint to the opinion of the Judge Advocate; and if
not, as in a late osee, quashed for informality, submitted for
the of osideration of the conimander-in.chief ; but even
then the thought of advertising the offender is eater-
Word. If this power of injuring the character of the accused
Is not granted to our courts of law, presided over by our
ablest judges, open to the public, where the seemed has
every benefit of counsel—can a " Court of Inquiry," con-
sisting of four or more members of • regiment, unable to
administer en oath to witnesses, be permitted with impunity
thus to deal with the character of its members?

The sequel of this ease exemplifies, I think, a milli gronier
abuts of authority. In addition to the advertised repri-
' mend, this Mr. was prohibited from tiring on the
ground of the corps for the space of four mouths. The
offending volunteer and his friend, felt aggrieved at this
verdict, and one of the latter printed for private circulation
in his company, his statement of the facts as one of the
wittiness. Whereupon, after the actual offence of
this Mr. had been adjudicated, without proving
that he was implicated in the subsequent emu-
tenon of this simple statement, in parallel columns,
of the evidence, this gentleman fie& himself
peremptorily dismissed. Now, the 11th article of the re-
gulation' of the Queen's (Westminster) Volunteers embodies
the general pristine of the set 44 Cleo. IIL, cap. 64, sod
runs thus Whoa the oorps. is not aasernbled for actual
dervice the commanding officer as solely responsible for the
aesciplioe at the corps ; but it shall be lawful for bun at
in tinie to assemble a court of inquiry, coothaing of two
offioars and two enrolled member. of the corps, to be ap-
pointed by roister, for the purpose of investigating any irre-
gularity and smiting him in coming to a 008111114i011 lip 011 it;
any member who shall be proved before such court to have
dolls any set which may iojure the harmony or re-
putation of the corps shall be liable, at the discretion of
the commending °Moor, who shall consult the committee
before giving his decision, to 6oe, reprimand, or, if not •
commissioned offioer, no expulsion." Further restrictions
are placed upon the prerogative of the colonel in the case
of commissioned officers. Is it not from this perfectly clear
that the commanding officer is not authorised in expelling
• member without calling a court of
.inquiry, and taking
the opinion of the oonimittee ? And is It not extremely
arbitrary to try and sentence • man for one offence, and
expel him without trial for another " Such • premed-
ins,' say. the Volunteer Times upon this OWN " would not
be tolerated in • 1/0/Imagliali 0111,7• L . powering neither
wealth nor elevated model position, nor most it be allowed
in • prospective peer sr • member of perliameet. The
great principle wan wide tls pepsin* and full develop-
ment al the veboilser numumisid depends is, that every
volunteer, be hpolairr belie sib, is equally entitled to be
treated as a ; and no essiassmilisig eager% be
his modal WI% MP Otiblid; obeli be allowed I.
do-
miaser over bi swissritinates.• The veinier/ privates
weer the uwilene, bat act tit livery, el their reepesive

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hesaght spios.tilis whole sassiest torsi* sad as peon!
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