The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-20 00:00:00

GENERAL REPORT OF COMMIS-
SIONERS FOR INQURY INTO NAVAL
AND MILITARY PROMOTION AND RE-
TIREMENT.

(Continued from The Sun of Satur.y.)
THE ARMY.

Having passed through those services wh en are
commonly termed seniority services, as being g verned
entirely on a principle of seniority in regard to promo-
tion, we proceeded to the examination of the condition
and prospects of the officers of a service in which,
under certain regulations, the whole system may be
described as one of selection by the Crown, from the
first promotion to lieutenant to that of lieutenant-colo-
nel, and of seniority from the rank of lieutenant-colonel
upwards ; for such, upon the authority of the general
commanding in chief, is stated to be the system of the

British army.
On coming to the consideration of this part of the in-
quiry, we were aware that we should meet anomalies, and
espc&ally in respect to promotion, which by some persons
were thought to require correction ; but the army had
provsd itself perfectly efficient in the field, and thus far,
at least, experience was favourable to its organisation ; it,
however, remained to be seen whether it would equally
bear the test of that longcolonial service in which it has for
the rnest part been employed since the peace. During the
war, es ben the possession of military rank might be expec-
ted to lead to reputation and honour, it was natural to sup-
pose
that officers would be ready to make pecuniary sacri-
fices in order to obtain a position which would open to
them sneh advantages ; but at a time when the army
was emp:oyed either at home, or in colonial service,
and why:, no such prospects of distinction were afforded,
it might have been doubted whether there would have
been found such a readiness to purchase. Experience has,
however, shown during the last twenty-four years, when,
owing to the increase in your Majesty's colonial pos-
sessions, and the reduction in the number of the colo-
nial corps, an amount of duty unprecedented in the
British or any other service has fallen to the regular
army, that the advantages of speedy promotion to the
superior regimental ranks may, to a considerable extent,
be secured by the system of purchase, even under cir-
cumstances which, in some respects, may be considered
unfavourable to its development.
We do not desire to be understood as pronouncing
the present systems of army promotion altogether per-
feet, or as stating that under a strict administration of
them entire and complete efficiency would exist through-
out every rank, under all conditions of service ; but we
feel justified in distinctly repeating the opinion we have
already expressed generally, that the present systems
of promotion, sanctioned as they are by long-established
usage, while they have produced an army fully equal
to any duty that may be required from it, offer a secure
foundation on which additions and improvements suitable
to any emergency may be based.
The qualification we should desire to make of our
approval of the systems would apply to the advancement
to the higher ranks, and to them more particularly in a
state of war, when greater bodily energies would be re-
quisite than could now be found among the general offi-
cers of the army ; bat having reference to the great ex-
tent of colonial service which has followed upon a long
protracted war, we can have no hesitation in expressing
our conviction that, under no other system than that
pursued in the British Army, with its advantages of
early advancement by purchase, would it be possible to
find so large a portion of officers physically efficient, as
is shown from the returns placed before us to exist, in
the several regiments.
In any investigation of the claims of the officers of the
army, the consideration is naturally directed to the ex-
tent of colonial service which that army performs. It
is obvious that the immense colonial possessions of this
country must exact from the military force, and more
especially from the infantry of the army, a very extended
tour of foreign service, embracing every variety of cli-
mate, and entailirg upon he soldier a necessity of pass-
ing a considerable period of .his service on distant, and
frequently on very unhealthy stations.

This service, as Sir Willoughby Gordon informed
the Commission, is unexampled in any army that is or
that ever was in the world.

Three-fourths of the infantry of the line, at the pre-
sent e3tablishment of 103 battalions, are at this moment
serving abroad ; there being 77 battalions on foreign
sertice, 21 of which are within the tropics, and 20
more (or a fifth of the whole) are always in India. To
show how this service has affected the present regiments,
the following detail of the foreign and home service of
the 103 battalions, prepared from the records of the
'ar-office, was laid before us.

Between the Ist January, 1818, and the 31st De-
cember, 18:37, a period of twenty years, 97 of the pre-
sent battalions have been in existence. Six were
added in 1824. The services of the 97 regiments have
been as follow :

Twenty Years,

Foreign tinvice.

-2 Battalions

Home Service.