The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

(Copy No. 3.)

"15, Great Stanhope-street, April 24.
Sir,—Your letter betrays such a disinclination to re-
move the unjust imputations conveyed in Mr. Ixtyard's
speech that I am obliged to withdraw the expresssio❑ of
my confident belief that you could have been no party to
them, and have no alternative than that of publishing, for
the information of my brother officers, the correspondence
that has passed between us.
"They are well acquainted with the regulations of the
service. Possibly Mr. Layard may not, and I leave it with'
them to decide whether I am in auy way open to the in-
ference to be drawn from Mr. Layard's speech.
"I find no fault with him or any man for whatever
opinion he may entertain upon the system of promotion
in the army.

" You knew its chances and disappointments, and, al-
though you admit the belief that the authorities in my
case acted according to existing regulations, you state you
felt, and still feel, you were better entitled to promotion
without purchase than other officers whom circumstances
had detained at home. The remark cannot apply to me.
Such promotions as you allude to were in accordance with
the invariatle rules of the service, and with this part of
your disappointment I have no concern. Hut you say Mr.
Layard coincides with you in the hardship of your case,
and by this assumption' of a grievance evade any contra-
diction of the charge that my interests were unfairly for-
warded by the interference of the Commander-in-Chief to
the prejudice of a brother officer who was made to p•ly
3,0001. because I, Lord Hardiuge's son, was next. to him,
and would thus obtain my promotion without purchase !
" You say that your motive in sending iu your name for
purchase, after Dawkins and Strong had withdrawn theirs,
Was the impossibility of obtaining your promotion with-
out purchase, and that, had you imagined that Lieutenant-
Colonel Mackinnon's step would not have been given to
you, you would have withdrawn your name front the pnr-
chase list to take the chance of Colonel the Hon. A. Up-
ton's retirement.

" Precedent has established the rale that in the case of
the death of an officer serving abroad who has purchased
through his agents at home a step of rank, but who dins
before the fact of his promotion has reached the head-
quarters of his regiment, and therefore before he could
have exercised the functions of his superior commission,
the,money is returned to the family, and the next officer
for purchase succeeds to the vacancy. It is obvious you
could have had no security whatever as to Colonel
A. Upton's decision whether he would retire from the ser-
vice or be promoted to he a Major-general.'
" I should have expected from an officer of my regiment
whom I addressed on such a subject a more frank explana-
tion than that contained in your letter, and, as you know
that neither I nor any of my family would have exercised
any influence adverse to your interests, but do not make
that avowal, while the contrary is asserted by your friend,
Mr. Layard, I shall publish these letters, and am ready to
insert your reply to this communication.—l have the
honour, &c., "A. E. HARDINGE.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, Coldstream Guards."