The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-05 00:00:00

No CONNEXION WITH ANT OTHER HOME IN ON OUT Of LONDON,

except their own Establishments, as follows
London City Establishment, 154, 155. 156, and 157, Minories, 84,
85, and 86, Aldgate, opposite the Church, all communicating.
London West-end Branch, 506, 507, 508, New Oxford-Street, 1,2,
and 3, Hart-street, all commuicating•
Bradford (Yorkshire) Branch, 19 and 20, Bridge-street.
Sheffield Branch, 36, Fargate.
Colonial Wholesale Branch, Melbourne, Australia.
Merchant Tailors. Clothiers, Hatters, Hosiers, Furriers, Boot and
Shoe Makers, and General Outfitters for Ladles and Gentlemen.
IMPORTANT.—ShouId any article not give satisfaction, it will be
exchanged if desired, or, if preferred, the money will be returned
without hesitation. All goods are marked in plain figures, the lowest
price, from which no abatement can be made.
The Establishments are closed from sunset on Fridays to sunset
on Saturdays, when business is resumed till 12 o'cJock.
A new Book, with illustrations, entitled" The Echo of Public Opi-
nion," containing full lists of prices, our system of self-measure-
Mont, &c., &0., may be had on application, or post-free.
Id Pon parle Francais. Qui si pule Italian.
bier FOOS mu DC1140! 4.3114114 liab4 riripsno,
_ _

INSTRUCTIONS FOR OFFICERS ON FIRST JOIN-
ING A REGIMENT OR DEPOT.
MEMORANDUM.
Horse Guards, Sept. 2, 1854.
1. The General Commanding-in-Chief had, in the course
of last year, been twice under the necessity of expressing
to every regiment at home and abroad his apprehensions
that a few inconsidei ate officers might bring their regi-
ments into disrepute, unless, in their social conduct to-
wards each other at their mess table and in their barrack-
rooms, their behaviour should bo regulated by a higher
standard of what is due to the honourable position in
which they stand as the holders of commissions in her
Majesty's army.
2. The first case which required Viscount Hardinge to
assemble a court-martial on any officer was that of the 50th
Regiment, on which occasion four subalterns were tried
for forcibly seizing a young ensign, taking him to a pump,
and there pumping upon him.
Two of these officers were sentenced to be dismissed the
service, and two were reprimanded.
The memorandum containing Viscount Hardinge's com-
ments was dated sth July, 1853, and was read to the °th-
etas assembled of every regiment in the service. It is given
in the Appendix.
32`The second instance occurred in the 62d Regiment in
October, 1853.
A captain in command of two companies had repeatedly
annoyed and disturbed the subaltern of his own company,
and, accompanied by other officers had been in the
habit of bursting into his room, and taking his bed to
pieces, &c.
The lieutenant had the proper spirit to make his report
to the major of his regiment.
The officer commanding the regiment did his duty firmly.
He supported the subaltern, and reported his case to the
Horse Guards.
The captain was removed to another regiment, and lost
five steps towards his advancement. Another subaltern
was also removed, and the other captain was retained in
the 62d, at the intercession of the commanding officer, on
account of his good services in the field in India.
The facts of the case, and the punishment awarded, were
printed and circulated, and read to the officers of every
regiment assembled.
4. A. third instance has now occurred. It is that in the
46th Regiment. The case originated in a disgraceful scene
of deep gambling in a barrack-room at Windsor, between
'Lieutenant Greer and Lieutenant Perry, terminating in a
violent Assault, in the course of which the most disgusting
language was applied by Lieutenant Greer to Lieutenant
Perry.
5. At the close of the trial of Lieutenant Greer, a letter
was handed in to the President of that court-martial by
Lieutenant Perry, charging his commanding officer, Colonel
Garrett, with grave acts of injustice, and stating that he
(Lieut. Perry) had sent a letter to his commanding officer,
threatening to appeal to the general officer of the district,
&c. Colonel Garrett denied these acts of injustice imputed
to him, and he denied that any such letter had ever been
seat to him by Lieut. Perry.
6. The General Commanding-in-Chief took the same
course in this case as he had done in that of the 50th, and
for the same reasons, viz., his determination not to consent
to a compromise in any of these cases, but to eradicate the
unmanly system. The charges made by Lieut. Perry against
Colonel Garrett were specific. They amounted to a breach
of her Majesty's regulations, and apparently were in de-
fiance of the admonitions and orders circulated in July and
December, 1853.
The General Commanding-in-Chief resolved, therefore,
that the truth or falsehood of these charges should bo in-
vestigated by a court-martial on oath.
7. The result of that court-martial, as well as of the two
preceding trials in the 46th Regiment, is given in the Ap-
pendix, in order that every young officer may have on his
first joining his regiment, by means of these examples, a
clear understanding of his own position.
He will carefully read the Articles of War, given in the
Appendix, together with a letter of the Judge-Advocate-
General of 1844, which was published to the army, with
the Mutiny Act and Articles of War of that year.
If the ensign is firm, and has the proper spirit of an
officer and a gentleman, he can have no difficulty, without
any loss of honour or of temper, in resisting coarse practi-
cal jokes.
But if he submits to them on the plea that they are the
intigshtaamrmelyy
hc customary swt
justlyill a y prof s
hb ah. ieoent ohli ns
eolffif
tcee
henteringcharge
ot hf eh Ba
submitted to insult • and it is his duty, on every account,
and especially for the purpose of insuring his military effi-
ciency, which depends upon character, that he should not
suffer any liberties to be taken calculated to expose him to
the derision of his brother officers, and the meu under his
command.
8. These coarse irregularities, termed practical jokes, and
the us'' of disgusting language, have increased, it is said,
since the introduction of those Articles of War, in 1844,
which more strictly prohibited duelling in the army.
Public feeling had, in the preceding year, been greatly
shocked by two officers, who were brothers-in-law, having
fought a duel, in which one was killed.
The better and truer reason, however, for the increased
strictness of the articles prohibiting duelling was that the
tone of society had improved, and that all men were united
in reprobating so barbarous a mode of settling a dispute.
A few men of coarse and ungenerous tempers, since the
severer Articles of War have been published, may have
sought to take advantage of the apparent impunity which
the prohibition afforded, and have taken greater liberties
with their brother officers than they did when under the
apprehension of immediate personal consequences.
Such practices cannot be permitted • they must be re-
pressed, for they are degrading to the character of an officer.
They render him unfit to command his men, for they cannot
feel for him the respect which is the basis of all enduring
authority. They render him unfit to associate with his
brother officers, who must hold him in contempt, or must
have themselves sunk so low as not to shrink from contact
with men of such coarse vulgarity.
It can never be endured that the manners of British
°Slicers shall fall below the standard recognised by gentle-
men.
As far ai duels were permitted at all, they were suffered
as means suppCsed to be conducive to the end of maintain-
ing in the barrack and mess-room the language and be-
haviour of gentlemen.
But it would be a fatal mistake to infer that because
duelling has been prohibited, any lower standard of man-
ners will be tolerated in the British army. The language
and behaviour which formerly were held to justify a.chal-
lenge must now, therefore, be visited by the removal of the
offender from the society of which he has shown himself
to be an unworthy member.
9. Every assistance and support will be given to the
young officer in his endeavours to avoid rendering himself
liable to these consequences.
In May last, before the spring inspections, the general
officers and staff officers, inspecting regiments, were or-
dered to report "whether any practical jokes have boon
carried on at the mess table, or elsewhere, or any steps
taken to prevent them."
The reports are satisfactory : few regiments, however,
have been inspected, owing to the greater part of the regi-
ments having previously embarked for foreign service.
10. The captain of the company to which the ensign, on
joining, is appointed, will give him advice and support.
major entrusted by the commanding officer with
thisil9 'ibliegsissh of the interior discipline of a regiment will do
nth! be held responsible that he does it effec-
tually s' d th •
ems of the reprimand, an e se-
efind if any case should arise_ requiring interference
e
cord of the letters must Lie or
.00011ieingfloOrseedihaords.
The
ttehur
reprimand,
rimand,
t b h wn to the
general officer,
Re-
giment, and all serious cases .
the General
Adjutant-General, for the decision of
necessity is apparent after thewrgeauttotniciealbseinretphoert4e6dtthothe,
Com-
manding-in-chief.
and sentb tics t •
tidon, in 1854 a tober 1853, with t e excep-
' • the 46th Regiment since Oc ,
be 46th, at Wee-
' he case of Lieutenant Dunscom ,
tion .
11. No case of a practical joke appears to have occurred
trusts ha
eiaonnccifindin_tdly assorts
long
dencies resulting
the regimentals s -
reefed,y efficiency as being admirably
" war and peace.
established, has proved - esischievous ten-
adaptod for all the varied duties Os
He
ma and disappear
tempere
temperate
r exerciseever. he cor-
of authorityaan woni"tb-e part
from
srteohoneul npi
irregularities
clraadrliinjugoekes.
of commanding officers of regiments will effect the
desired;
they
win
find, by
object
, y althful dinharge of t 404

nhl: u
peruseda i
the
APPENDIX No. 2.
(Copy.)
CONFIDENTIAL
. 7do
ChiefA IHorse-Guards, 27, 1853.
Dec.
The General Commanding-in
cor-
respondence which has been transmitted, Irea m t.
g to a seri-
ous breach of good order and militar
Y discipline by three
officers of the 62d Regiment on detachment at Carlow, in
which Captain —, Captain
----, and Lieutenant
are involved, by having offered insults and acts of
outrage to Lieutenant -- of the same regiment, on the
pretence that these proceedings were merely practical jokes.
Captain -- was the officer in command of the two
companies detached ; and it appears, by the report of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Trollope, commanding the 62d Regiment,
that Captain -- had been on a former occasion admo-
nished by him, in presence of the officers of the regiment
assembled, not to resort to such objectionable conduct for
the future as that of annoying the younger officers of the
regiment by what are termed practical jokes. Lieutenant-
Colonel Trollope then observed that he considered him,
Captain ---, to be the leader in the regiment of these
outrages, and Captain did not deny the imputation.
In the same letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Trollope, he
further states that only a few days before Captain
went in command of the detachment to Carlow, he desired
Major --- to caution
him to alter his conduct
towards
his brother officers, as his example had influenced the con-
duct of a younger officer in a serious scrape, which the
lieutenant-colonel had settled.
A few days after the arrival of the detachment at Car-
low, Lieutenant --- wrote to Major expressing
his wish to exchangb into another regiment in consequence
of the insulting practical jokes to which he had been
subjected by Captain --, Captain --...._, and Lieu-
tinlant
Lieutenant-Colonel Trollope did not hesitate, as soon es
these facts came to his knowledge, to do his duty firmly.
Ho had cautioned Captain --- and had exhausted all
the means of advice and admonition ; and considering that,
in this instance, he had grossly neglected his duty by being
an active party to these annoyances, he made it a- point
that Captain -- should no longer remain in the regi-
ment.
The General Commanding-in-Chief approves of the view
taken by Lieutenant-Colonel Trollope, and his lordship as-
sures Lieutenant-Colonel Trollope, and every commanding
officer, that they will, on all occasions of a similar nature,
be supported by him in putting down a practice by which
officers become habituated to take great liberties with, and
use very coarse language towards each other, which would
not be tolerated in any other profession. It is a practice

or belong to
okifiacne•ielstsicili
*Art. 15. All officers, of what condition soever, have
power to quell all.quarrels, frays, and disorders, though the
p
sol-
e,74ohnesr concernedcorp s,ar,nnad
esenhi
ttoh,uelunid
ttboieloolt.fdhealsouffispucepie-eirorsii•oin..atuo

diers into

- "'Aar 1853.

acquainted therewith.
t Arts. 1 /10 17 101 for taet,

It is manifest then that an officer cannot be subjected to
trial and punishment for leaving undone that which the
law thus expressly forbids, or for doing that which is thus
distinctly declared not merely to be no offence, but to be
suitable to the character of a man of honour, to be con-
formable to military duty, and to be conduct above all
blame and reproach.
Still an officer who allows the stigma of dishonourable
conduct to rest upon him, or passes over, without notice,
an insult offered to him, is liable to be brought to trial be-
fore a court-martial, not because he declines to fight a duel,
.but because, having failed to obtain speedy atonement
through the intervention of mutual friends, or by other
lawful means, he neglects to report the matter to his com-
manding officer, and thereby to invite a searching investi-
gation into his character and conduct. By suoh neglect he
seems either to acquiesce in the justice of the imputation
cast upon him, and to admit that there is something in
his conduct which he fears to lay bare before honour-
able men, or to show that regardless of his own
reputation and honour, he knows not what is becoming the
character of an officer and a gentleman, and that, indif-
ferent to the peace and order of the regiment, he is un-
mindful of the rules of military discipline. His conduct
then becomes the proper sabject of inquiry and adjudica-
tion before a court martial.

In all such cases, however, it must be desirable to ex-
clude the possibility of misconstruction. And as the new
articles point out with clearness the course which is con-
sistent with the character of honourable men, it will be
the duty of those who have to frame charges, as well as
of those to whose revision and correction, or approval
charges may be submitted, to take care that the offence
be described in language which shall distinctly state those
particulars in which the letter or spirit of her Majesty's
Articles of war has been neglected or violated.—l have, &c.
(Signed) J. NICHOLL.

"This Letter of Instruction is so well calculated to set
at rest any erroneous impressions which may have existed
on this point, and places the question of framing charges
in reference to the 31st Article of War (12th Articlo of
War for 1854) on a footing so clear and intelligible, that
It is only necessary for me to express my entire concurrence
in the principles so ably laid down by the Judge-Advocate
General.—l have, &o.
(Signed) " H. HARDINGE, Secretary-at-War."

APPENDIX, No. 4.