The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-05-25 00:00:00

soy to apply for, IN ethiceived it right to attfte Is
the House the motives which actuated his conduct
ea the present occasion. He was soave an opinion
was entertained by Some. that any interferenee of
that House with die regulations of the unity, was a
thing to itself Highly improper ; bat lie was by no
Maims of the same opnuou ; anal lie would liotif)
himself in that sentiment by left-rent.r to many 'hi-
*Maces ou record ell the Journals or that House. Ile
was, liowever, ready to admit, that such au interfci-
ence was not to be exercised noon light groutidsoini
only in a ease whore OM which called for it coital
sufficiently justify it ; bitch lie eciisidered the pre-
sent, where the standing vegetation, of the min)
had been broken Through. When his Royal High-
ness the late Coast huder-iii-Chief wus jamasl at
the head of the army, he felled it in ti state iii
which unv one could 'wrier at the highest milk,
by purchase, without am iestri:aion of eitlar
time or service, mid lie had opplicil a remedy
to the evil, by enacting the regulitiom that DO
one should he prn aaaaa tell In the rslik of Field
Officer, without having first served for the pe-
riod of six years. Upon the present Comman-
der-in-Chief coining into office, he Inol pub-
lished a further regulation, that no person 'mild
be promoted to the mil: of Lieatennist-Colonel,
without having several nine years; ten of which he
must have been a Major. In violation, however,
of these regulations, lie found Lord Burghersh ad-
vancad to the midst of Major in a West Indi-a regi-
ment, on the 4th uf May last, and before he had
been six years in the army ; dies putting lam
over the heed of many. ',hove vele hundred
Captuiss•, who hail prior claims. The eldest
Captain (Grant) in the very regiment tem
which 'his Lordship war promoted, was an old
officer, anal had been a Captain befure hill Lordship
had ever heels in The army; and the passing him
thus by could not be imputed to his want of merit,
es lie understood lie way tin officer whose character
stood in the highest estiniatisin. if this, however,
were all, perhaps it might be instead lay ; but the
very next Gazette ninioneced his LOTIIShip.4 pro-
1110f4.11 to the rank or Lieut.-Colonel in the army,
;tad this over the heads or above six I dyed Majors
--a more flegrunt instance of injustice than this, lie
would venture to assert, never existed. I lad Isis
Lordship been the son of some veteran, whose ser-
vices hud entitled him to so signal a mark of fa-
vour; had he been the son of au Abercronibie w a
Moore, still he should have considered the memsnre
wrong ; but here the country saw with grief and
iudignation, the %moats Cabinet Minister inivancial„
iu violation of every regulation—thatMi,tisterx ho,
by virtue of his situation. ought to have been the
foremost to have preserved those regulations units-
late, at least who ought to have done en in his out'
family. In the oh-emotions he found himself
compiled to make, lie declared .he nitiant hieg
in the slightest degree personal air disrespectful to
Isis Lordship ; on the centrary, be understood him
as deserving of much praise ; he was sleserviag of
praise, fair having in his rank of life selected the
army for his profession; hat with all his ad-
vantugoa he lied done nothing. he could have
done nothing, to merit so mind a promotion. He
understood that the defence intended to be set up
for this measure, was an p 'se made on the
subject by the highest personage in the kingdom.
Such at defence he considered Na altogether oncost-
atitutionul ; as nothing whatever could be done by
that personage without his legal advisers. lie
thought it would be preferahle to abolish regu-
lations altogether, than to suffer them thus to be
broken thruugh by caprice or any other worse mo-
tive. Although lie had, upon a late inquiry, given
his vote ateainst Isis Royal Highness, yet, in com-
mon justice. lie must say, he entertained no doubt
his Royal Highness would not have suffered this
measure to have been adopted. Ile would rather
sea commissions' now and then disposed of lay the
influence of n woman, than have a Commandetein-
Chief so wesik, 44 to gke way to Ministers, in suffer-
ing them to loi•.11: through those regulations which
haul bees, laid down for the general benefit of the ser-
vice. The motive which had induced lhiw to come
forward with the present motion, wits to give Mi-
nisters au opportunity of explaining the transac-
tion ; if they could do so satisfactorily, lie 'lonia be
happy to drop it; if not, he should find himself un-
der the phalli necessity of persevering. He moved,
" That there be laid before the House a copy
of the regulations issued by his Rival fliohnesie
the late Cot aaaaaa relative to the period
which officers were obliged to serve before they
could be promoted to the rank of Field Officers—
likewise, a euPy of the regulations issued by the
present Commander-in-Chief upon the seine sub-
ject ; and also the slates of the several commissions
granted to Lord Burghersh."
1 Lord CASTLLREAGH, in dpposing the motion,
felt himself called upon to state those circum-
stances, which lie doubted not would be found to
justify the pmmotion complained or, nor did he
think that if they had been really known to the
Hon. Cent. he would have come forward with the
h ;notion. Ile admitted the principle as laid clown.
that is ease might exist wherein that House would
he jmnifistble in milling for information ; but the
same time, he contended that they should not be
-too forward in interfering with what was the up.:
doubted prerogative of the Crown. Whatever rules
and tegithitions His Majesty might thilik proper to
adopt in the govenimeist of his army, or what ex-
ceptiotes he might make to theirs, it was cer-
tainly dangernua for that lioness to 'lndia take to
advise what creme lie should take in the detail.—
Nobody could doubt the premptive of the King to
put himself at the head of leis army if he pleased,
aiwl to choose whom he thought tit to employ, and
whom not ; it must therefore be something uoto-
nously flagrant er corrupt that could justify that
House in interfering with his just prerogative.—
When this genarallwincipie war aulmitted, he could
not but emstiifer the view taken of the subject as
inch ton narrow. It was certainly true His Ma.
jetty had intimated his pleasure respecting such
rules as he would have generally understood as re-
-101,..jag promotions in the urine, hut he denied
that lie had thereby abdicated all rigla to interfere,
whenever a cone should occur that seemed to re-
r. • gosre It. In fact, the rule would, to such en ex-
tent, be, in his opinion, altogether /*mugs, as tend-
- to fetter his jedgment; and therefore he would
not have it miderstood as in tan case admitting an
exception. Sari, was the case of Col. Graham (a
cry of kar I 'hear l from all sides fi the !house,)

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