The Sun.
London, England, 1838-02-07 00:00:00

more extensive diffusion of honorary rewards among the
soldiery while in the service, and at the expiration a cer-
tainty of some solid pecuniary reward, should be held out
as an inducement against desertion.—(Hear, hear.) Ano-
ther objectionable circumstance connected with this subject
was the mode now in existence of relieving regiments on
foreign service. Young men were sent out to Canada from
this country without having seen any previous service
abroad, and without any special inducement to remain
with their regiments. That was the cause of desertion—not
alone in Canada, but in others of our colonies. In his
opinion young men should be sent to serve some time in
the Mediterranean—Corfu and Gibraltar, for instance—be-
fore they were sent to Canada. The greater proximity to
the natural period of their discharge, and the advantage
arising from the pension which follows, would have the ef-
fect of preventing desertion, more than any system, how-
ever rigorous, could do. Added to this, if, under existing
and unavoidable circumstances, young men were obliged to
Canada, he thought making it known that a grant ofland—
say ten acres—or an equivalent in money equal to the ex-
pense of the passage back, w mild be given to those soldiers
who should be discharged at the conclusion of the civil war,
and wish to settle there, the Government would be sure of
the best possible description of service. It was a subject
every way worthy the attention of the Noble Lord (Lord
Howick) opposite. One other topic connected with it
should not be passed ever lightly. It was the prevalence of
volunteers for Canada from amongst those young men, es-
pecially those from Ireland, who had relatives settled in the
United States. He (Captain Boldero) thought that as
these men might be sobjected to suspicion at the least, it
was the more incumbent on the Noble Lord to take every
requisite step to prevent the possibility of desertion from
among their number.
Lord 1-10 WICK could not see in what manner the re-
turns could be of any use to the Hon. and Gallant Offieer
in checking the crime of desertion. A knowledge of the
pre&se amount of desertions which had taken place in
Canada in the time stated would afford materials for a plan
to that eff -et, and it would only be productive of inconve-
nience to the Government and perhaps injury to her Ma-
j :sty's service, to publish at the present moment the details
required by him. He could, however, assure the Hon.
Member that, though he did not consider it his duty to
concede these returns, the object to which he referred
them had not been lost sight of by the Government. A
lung co.le,pondenee, on the contrary, bad taken place be-
tween the War Office and the militia autholities in Canada
and in this country, on the best mole of suppressing the
edine of desertion, so prevalent hitherto, in the British
North American colonies, and every requisite means
were alopted to prevent it. He (Lord Howick) was
happy to say that the crime of desertioti bad not been so
gr.:at since he breaking out of the civil war in Canada. In-
deed, he believed, that no one desertion had taken place
.
sn e commenced. With respect to the suggestion made by
the Hon. and Gallant Officer, he (Lord Howick) felt called
on t) state that variou.; measures had been adoptedat differesnt
times, and many of them were now in operation, to effect
the ends he now proposed. It was not eighteen months
since he (Lord Howick) had brought forward some of them
in the army estimates himself ; and, as far as he could per-
tve, the plan then adopted by the House was working as
e ell as could he expected.
Captain WOOD said that if the returns gave any incon-
ven once to her Majetty's Government, or could have in
the slightest
. degree the effect of militating against her Ma-
je,ty'a serve_e, he would be the last man in the House to
them ; but he confessed he could not himself clearly
ea) ho.e.it WAS possible they should have that effect. In
i is ~pinion the main cause of desertion might be attributed
o ;he inadequacy of the pension given to the soldier on the
expiration of his servitude. Sixpence a-day, which the
last warrant granted, was quite insufficient as a remunera-
tion fur past services : nod the soldier who had wasted his
and strength in dangers and distant climates often found
himself ob:igeel to have recourse to the workhouse on his
eiseharee and retuin to his own country.

Mr. LEADER hoped the Hon. and Gallant Officer
would ;.:ersist in his motion, as the Noble Lord had given
~o re mon whatever for his refugal to accedt, to it. He

( Mr. Lealer) had been taunted a month ago with having
h id out indlieetnents to desertion in Can Ada by shting the
fart that exttnsivo desertion thece was a thing of daily and
increa.ing recurrence ; bat the Hon. and Gallant Officer

r.-ho had moved for these retur:is had said precisely the
s !me thin;, acd yet no one accused him of anything akin
:o -Ugh t-eAsun. There was every reason why the Noble
Lord 5- ould oceede to the motion, and none whatever fur
hip refual of it.
Mr. HUME regretted that the Hon. and Gallant Mem-
ber, in he undostool, was not about topress his mmion,

:'or he could. cot conceive anything more likely to be of use
to the -...oldiers and the service at large. He thought the

ohs,rva‘lons of the lion. and G.llant-Member for Aidale-
s,"; re,p •rtin;.z. Vie dates of easituent of deserters required
,ionle at'ent.o3 iron the Noble Lord.

Mr. SHAW could not regret the course tak .n by the
Noble Lord, inasmuch as :f the returns moved for by the
Hon. awl Gallant Member were 'lox made public, the
mind of the country mi4l,t be unnecessarily and injuriously
alar.ned. He hoped his lion. and Gallant Frinid would
inn press his motion. _ _ _

Mr. BORTHWICK ',greed with the Rig!it Hon.
G.nlfentan who spice last, and hoped with him that his
Hon. and Gall Int Friend would not press his motion to a
div silt). He could not, howevor, conceal from himself the
f ~,t that on bringing the subject under the considcrAtion of
the Noble Lord, his Hon. and Gallant Friend had done
the coultry :zeod service.

L-rsi HO WICK, in reply to the Hon. and Gallant
Member-for Middlesex, stated that he did not give his rea-
sons far refusing the inotian of the Hon. and Gallant Officer,
the Member for Ciiippeallani, because he had understood
!hat it was not the intention of the Hon. and Gallant Gon-
d man ta press it to a division ; but. he had no possible ob-
jectiot:s to st ste them then. They were these—that if
returns of the number of desertions fern the army in Ca-
nada were made and printed by the authority of that House
it might, perhaps, have the effect of suggesting the crime to
ho would not have been so disposed of themselves.
Tii tt was the opnioa of the highest military authorities in
t is country, and it was likewise their opinion that no pos-
,ible benefit to the service of the State could accrue born
Betides this, a return such as the Hon. and Gallant
.officer moved for could give no materials for judging of the
amount of actual dssertien, or founding any measure for it s
prevention. He (Lord II.) would not undertake to say that
great is convenience might not result from it at any time ; but
at such a time as the present, at all events, he thought it his
i!uty to refuse it. With respect to the inadequacy of pensions
to soldiers, alluded to by the Hon. and Gallant Member for
Middlesex, he felt called upon to say,' that it was much too
wile a subject to enter upon in an incidental discussion ; but
be ould not refrain from observing that he was sorry to hear
such a misrepresentstioa of the fact from the mouth of any
m litary man, in connection with respect to the subject.
Sixpence a day was the. very least that any soldier could
hive ; but a much larger remuneration was given by the
ex.sting warrant for long services, great dangers, and good
conduct. However, whenever that subject should be
introduced he (Lord Howick) would be prepared to point
out to the House the alterations made in that branch
of the expenditure, and prove that they have worked
well, rot alone for the service, but for the soldier also.
Ths Honourable and Gallant Officer had suggested tint
the inadequacy of the pensions on the last warrant was
the chief cause of desertion in the army ; but he
(Lord Howick) would he able distinctly to show that
the greatest amount had taken place previous to that war-
rant having been made out. It was true that those soldiers
who deserted ware generally men who bad seen the least
service, and who had, therefore, the remotest claim to a pen-
sion. But he (Lord Howiek) was enabled, from a search-
ing and attentive analytical investigation of the facts, to
state that less desertion had taken place among the men
who had enlisted since the promulgation of the last warrant
than among those who had enlisted previously.
Captain BOLD ERO replied briefly, and asked leave to
withdraw the motion.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn.
MEDICAL CHARITIES (IRELAND).
Mr. FRENCH moved for leave to bring in a Bill for
the better regulation of hospitals, dispensaries, and other
medical charities in Ireland. The Hon. Member said that
the Bill he proposed to bring in was the same as that he
brought in last year, with two exceptions. The first was
the appointment of an unpaid Medical Board in Dublin ;
and the second, the taking away the monopoly which the
College of Surgeons of that city enjoyed, of placing surgi-
cal officers in the medical charities of Ireland. The medi-
cal authorities of that country, he was happy to be able to
add, concurred with the object of the Bill.
Mr. SHAW would not oppose the Bill in that stage,
especially as the Hon. Gentleman had stated that the
highest medical authorities in Ireland approved of the
measure.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave
the measure his concurrence. He knew that the surgical
school in Ireland was considered abroad as the best in the
empire, and needed no protection against foreigners, as it
had no reason to fear their rivalry. He was glad that the
Bill was in the hands of his Hon. Friend, who might feel
assured that the Government would gladly render every
aid in the accomplishment of so desirable ail object.
The Bill was then brought up by Mr. FRENCH, read
a first tune, and ordered to be read a second time on the
first open day.
Mr. WALLACE brought up the report oa the Court
of Session (Scotland) Bill and on the salaries of officers,
which was read and received.

Mr. STEUART brought up the Bill to provide for
patflMt4llment
parishes in the Highlands of Scothind, aid the House
adjourned at a Quarter before Eight o'Clock.