The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-06 00:00:00

Captain BO LDE RO did not think that the number of
troops was et al sufficient fpr the exigencies of the-coun-
try. He would ende :your; to have a Select Committee
aepoin•ed tot •ke offthe warunt which altered the pensions.
That warrant seas working dr trimentally to the, ervice.
Lord ARTHUR LENNOX thought the present
would be a good opportunity to inquire of the. Master-
' General of Ordnance, whither it was intended to issue
percussian &clocks to the: army, as the old locks were
found t r be v .re inefficient:
Sir H. VIVIAN said he thought the question would
have been more appropriately put when the Ordnance
Estimates were Wire the' House ; and as he hoped to
bring them forward on Monday, he would beg "leave to
defer answering the question to that dale With respect
to what had just fallen front Hon. Members, he admitted
the pressure on tie army, and thought the system'of reliefs
was a mistaken one, and one which required well looking
into, and new arrangereent.•
M-. MA CAUL A Y said that during the last year a
measure hat hen adopted, which, although it did not facrilL
tate. the relief carps would greatly facilitate the rel:ef of
indivi
Si- U. HARDINGE sail he quite agreed with what
had fallen from the Noble ',Ord (Lord Howick), and was
f ee,ly aeisfied with the result of the debate. He agreed
vii h the Master-General of the Ordnance, that he thought
4be eh ,!e system of reliefs ought to be examined; but he
hoped it woul i not be thought that any blame attached to
Quartermaster-General, whose particular duty it was
to attend to the reliefs. Ho was surd that no officer in
the service had performed his duty more faithfully than the
Qua-termaster- General.
Sir DE LACY EVANS said be differed a little in
opinion as to the tone adopted on this subject by the Right
Hon. Gentlemen, which, however, he attributed alto-
gether to a zeal for the service ; but he did not think it
quite consistent with the existing law to argue the
question as if it was a grievance to the army.—
( Hear, hear.) Everybody admitted the advent ige
of a good system of rel'ef ; but he did not think either
efficers or men felt the inconvenience of the present sys-
tem in the degree intimated by the tone adopted in the
House ; and if it were so he would suggest the propriety
of not adopting such a tone. He merely wished to throw
it out as a sugeest'on.
Sir H. HARDINGE said he was surprised that the
Gallant Officer should censure him for interference when
he rose as a Member of that House to discharge what he
connived to be his duty to the service, lie was not
aware thrt there was anything objeetionable in the tone be
had adopted, and as he considered it to be a calm and proper
one, he hoped, whenever he should egein choose to exercise
his right as an independent Member, it would be in the
same tone as thae be had used on the present occasion.
Sir DE LACY EVANS sail, the Right Hor. Gen-
tleman Lai entirely mistalten him. He (Sir De Lacy
Evans) was not aware that he had sail one word about the
interference of the Gallant Officer in the affairs of the
army.—( He, r, hear.) He had merely said, that he be-
liLvei the Gallant Officer was actuated by zeal for the
service, and good motives, but that he (Sir De L. Evans)
objected, as he had a right to do, to the tone which he had
adopt d, which he thought was not calculated to excite
good feeling in the army. He might have been in error,
but that was his opinion. —( Hear, hear. )
Af er a few words from Sir H. VERNEY, which were
not heard in the gallery,
Mr. HUME said, he wished to offer a little advice to
the Secretary at War as to the mode of remedying these
complaints, which he thought be could convince the
House were owing to mismanagement, end not to be reme-
died by increasing our forces Our army consisted of
92,000 men, 46,000 of whom were at home. There were
quite sufficient for relief, if all had their regular turns ,
of service, which he thought it was but fair and proper
they should have.

Afar a few worth from Mr. HAWES,
Colonel RAWDON took the opportunity of noticing
the great diminution of force in Ireland There were now
8,00,1 rnea less in that country than in the year 1830.
Toe vote was then agreed to,
Tt.e next vete was fur a sum of 3,510,77.11... for the nay-
.: u once ingnoM
Mr. HUME asked if the sum of 10,7951., which ap-
peared in the estimate, under the head of postage, was
for p')state alone ?

Mr. MACAUL AY said that it included the expense
of s•ationary and other charges.
The vote was then agreed to.
On the motion that 167 449/. be gran:ed for the pay of
staff officers on foreign stations.
Mr. HUME said that, as no one had thought proper
to bring before the House the conduct of Lord Hill in re-
spect to the 1 lth Dragoons, which bad caused great ex-
citement, and given great scandal throughout the country,
he thought that was the proper opportunity for callieg the
atternion of the House to the subject. Although the meteor
had not been &Hurled to in the House, public opinion had been
vtrongly expressed upon it. The Press on all sides had
done its duty. He thought it right to declare his opinion
that the conduct cf the Secretary at War hid been
highly culpable, seeing how public feeling had been out-
raged and irri ated : and what had been the conduct of the
Commander-in-Chief towards Lord Cardigan, who had
commanded his regiment in such a way that no min,
having the frelirga of a gentleman, could serve under
h•m. He ( Mr. H.) blamed Lord Hiil more than Lord
Cardigan--( Hear and a laugh)—for his laxity in some
eases, and his severity in others.—( Hear.) He should like
to sea a return laid on the table of the House of how many
officers had left the regi.nent in consequence of Lord Car-
digae's conduct, and how ma ry had got leave of absence,
rather than they should be allowed to sell out or throw up
their commissions, which would bring additional odiam
upon the corps.—( Hear, hear.) Conduct more likely
to injure the service of the country he had nnver
seen in a long life of attention to public effiirs,
and it was his conviction that no officer could enter
the regiment under Lord Cardigan, without writing the
word "slave " upon his forehead. ( Hear, hear.)
He had brought to a court-martial an officer of twenty-
six years' standing, who had received the appro-
bation and commendation of every superior under who.n
he had served, until Ire came into contact with Lord Car-
digan. There had been a court martial upon another
officer, and he would ask any honest man who attended to
the proceedings whether he did not anticipate a different
result?—(blear, hear.) He thought the whole conduct
of the Commander-in- Chief was unjust and injurious to
her Majesty's service ; but be did not so much blame that
Noble Lord as the Secretary at War, at whose door he
thought id! the blame should be laid.---( Hear and a laugh.)
Mr. M ACA UL Y regretted that a subject which
bad excited so much irritation throughout the
country should be brought foraarl under present
eircumstanee;.—(llevr, hear.) He had not now an op-
portunity of enteri,g into the matter fully. But he would
endeavour, without g ving offence to any one, ts state tte
pr'neiples which governed her Majesty's Ministers in the
course they hid pursued, and which, he had no doubt,
would be approved cf as soon as the irritation upon the
subject should subside. In the first place he would ask the
Hon. Member fur Kilkenny, whether there was any thing
in the whole matter whereupon to raise an imputation
ag hilt her Majesty's Government?—( Hear, hear.) Was
Lord Cardigan a partisan of the Government? —( Hear,
hear.) Ministry could not he secured of party f .vour to
that officrr.—( Hear, hear.) But were they to be charged
with cowardice ?—( Hear, hear.) Why ? There was no
difference of opinion amongst the press. Was there any
difference of opinion amongst the public generally?—
( Hear, Lear.) Could Lord Cardigan go on a railway
train without being hissed by the passengers ?—( Hear.)
Could he go into a theatre without having the whole audi
ence set upon him?—( Hear, hear.) Could Probart,
after the G•ll'e-hill murder, or Hare, after the trial
at Edinburgh, be more hunted down?—( Hear, hear.)
Was it cowardly of the Government not to take adven-
t .ge cf that unpopularity of a political oppocent ?
( Hear, hcar)—especially when the matter bad been de-
termined by a General who had led the British armies in
many a field, and had filled the office of Commander. in-
Chief under several administrations of different political
parties.---( Hear, hear.) That distinguished Geiveral was
decidedly of opinion that there was no case before him for
insthit itirg a court-martial upon Lord Cardigan. Was
the Government then to put him upon half-pay, or to cis.
miss without any court-ma Aim ?—( Hear, hear, he•r )
Were they to put him upon half-pay as a punishment ?
(Chaers.) He (Mr. M.) would never ag ee to the prin.
ciple that half-pay was to be a pun:ailment —( Cheers)
—because half-pay was intended partly as a reward fur past
and partly at an earnest for future services.—( Loud
chi e-s.) The alternative then was dismissal from
the service or a court-martial : and it was the
opinion of Lord Hill that there was no ground for a
court-martial.—(Hear,. hear.) The Crown had, and in
paw his °n, ought to have, the prerogative of dismissal
from the service without giving a reason. But it was a
prerogative which ought not to be exercised.
He would venture to say that this was the'first time in the
history of this country in which the Minister of the
Crown had not dismissed from the service of the Crown
tet unpopular Nobleman who always voted against them.
He wculd give no judgment on Lord Cardigan's conduct;
all he contended for %YU, that the Government had been
throughout actuated by the purest motives, and he was
sure before many months should have elapsed that those
who were now the loudest in their condemnation would
admit the justice of their conduct.—( Cheers.)
Mr. HUME had not blamed the Government for not
dismissing Lord Cardigan without a court-martial. He
had again and again declared his opinion that no officer
ought to be dismissed without a court-martial; but was
there no alternative? Could they not have instituted a
Court of Inquiry to ascertain if those complaints