The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-24 00:00:00

LORD HILL'S MOTIVES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.
Sir—When the Commander-in-Chief dismissed Lord
Brudenell from the Lsth Hussars, no one questioned
the tree agency of Lord Hill, although many thought
his sentence severe ; a sensitive jealousy for the honour
of the army was the ascribed motive for his conduct on
that occasion. Lord Hill is, as you have observed, a
weak man—but let us not be too severe upon him ;
let us in ail charity make allowance for the extraordinary
influences which have intrigued against his better judg-
ment—influences which none but a great man could

withstand.
The blow struck at the Cardigan family, by the dis
grace of the heir of that Noble house, vibrated sensibly
through every branch of it, and it influenced none more
powerfully than the Co•intess Howe, the sister of the
disgraced Colonel, and the wife of Queen Adelaide's
particular favourite.
Anxious to remove the cause of uneasiness, the
Queen offered her services to induce the King to take
the matter into favourable consideration, but in this un-
dertaking she met with difficulties and repulses of no
ordinary kind.
William 11". refused to interfere with what he em-
phatically called Lord Hill's righteous judgment ; end
the intrigue would have fallen to the ground if, as a last
elrd, they had not induced the old Lord Cardigan to beg
a private audience of the King, at which his grey hairs
and infirmities more moved the good Monarch than all
the petticoats put together ; he reluctantly declared
that "if Lord Hill advised with him on the sub-
ject he should be willing to give a favourable
consideratio❑ to their entreaties." This was enough ;
the Queen's influence soon brought Lord Hill to
the Palace, and in spite of his declared opinion that
Lord Brudenell was constitutionally unfit for co►n-
mand,; the re-appointment took place. These memor-
able words were, however, used by his Lordship :—" I
have consented to this step, because I am unable to en-
dure the distress of this noble family, and because I hope
the author of their distress is now sensible that he can-
not be permitted to follow the dictates of his ungovern-
able temper. 1 trust this lesson has not been thrown
away." flow far the confidence of Lord Hill has been
justifled, the late events best speak ; but if ever man
were bound by honour and conscience to avoid, the con-
duct which led to his former disgrace, that, man is Lord
Brudenell.
The conduct of Lord Hirt since these unhappy differ-
ences have existed, only he accounted for on the
principle, that when men take a false step they generally
flounder on until they are inemricably involved in diffi-
culties ; and thus the Noble Lord, not content with a!-
lowing his protege to insult the army by treating his
orother officers like menials, is positively unjust enough
to listen to whisperings prejudicial to the character and
interests of those whom he is as much bound to defend
from slander as from insult.
If the officers of the 11th be not principally of the
class to which the crawling . . . belongs, they
well know how to vindicate their honour from assaults
which would be endured by no man bearing a Royal
commission in any army in Europe. ARGUS.
Knightsbridge, Sept. 23.