The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-27 00:00:00

PRESENTATION OF COLOURS
TO THE NINTH REGIMENT OF FOOT.
(From the .Newry Telegraph.)
On Tuesday last, the ceremony of presenting a new
set of colours to the above-named distinguished regi-
ment, at present lying here, took place in the barrack •
square, at the hour of eleven o'clock. The day being
-very fine, a large number of the inhabitants assembled to
witness the presentation. The 9th Regiment has for
the last two hundred years always held a high position
for bravery, discipline, and every soldierly qualification;
and the conduct of the men since their arrival in this
town has been most orderly and exemplary. Besides
the honours they gained, and the victories they mainly
contributed to achieve in the Peninsular, the 9th bore a
distinguished part in Caubul, at the battles of Sobraon
and lerozesbah, and for their services in these engage-
ments they received medals. There is one circumstance
connected with the engagement at Ferozeshab, which,
though not mentioned in the dispatches at the
time, yet deserves to be recorded of the 9th.
It is this:—The 4th division was ordered to
advance, and storm the left batteries. They were,
however, repulsed by the enemy, and in retiring they
came rushing, guns, horses, and men, right upon the
9th, which remained steady under the shock, and kept
perfect order. The 9th were then ordered to advance,
and, supported by the 26th Native Infantry, they suc-
ceeded in storming the batteries. In this action they
suffered severely, having nearly 300 men killed and
wounded. The regiment is at present commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Davis, a gallant old veteran, who
has seen much active service with this renowned corps.
For the part he performed in India, Colonel Davis re-
ceived the title of C.B.
The General having taken his place in the square,
surrounded by his A.D.C.'s, and the whole regiment
being drawn up in line, the proceedings of the day
commenced by the band playing the troop—" The flag
that braved a thousand years the battle and the
breeze." when the band had reached the end ofthe
line they wheeled, and marched in quick time along
the line again to their first position. To the right of
the centre were the Queen's colours, and on the left the
regimental colours, which exhibited all the marks of
having seen much service: They were literally hang-
ing in ribbons from the staff. After the band had got
to the bead of the column, an escort of grenadiers, who
were to receive the old colours, came marching down
along the line after the band, which played the "British
Grenadiers." When they arrived where the old colours
were, the ensigns and colour sergeants came to the
front, the grenadiers in open order, and the band play-
ing " God save the Queen." Having then taken charge
of the old colours, the grenadiers, who were on the left
of the line, the band passing in front of it, wheeled to
the right, and marched away with the old colours, the
front of the grenadiers passing in centre of the line, the
rear rank to the rear of the line, the band and old colours
in front. On the arrival of the grenadiers with the old
colours on the right of the line, the regiment presented
arms, and the rear rank took up close order ; after
which they formed four deep inwards on the three centre
companies, preparatory to forming three sides of a
square, inside of which, placed crosswise on a drum,
were the new colours.
The Rev. W. R. WILLIAMS, the chaplain to the regi-
ment, then came forward and offered up a very solemn
and appropriate prayer.
When the chaplain had concluded,
Major General Bainbridge then advanced to the centre,
and having received the new colours from Major Borton
and Captain Elmherst, presented them to Ensigns Ha-
milton and Wilkinson, :,ho received them kneeling, the
regiment at the same time presenting arms, and the
band playing " God save the Queen. ' The Gallant
General then said-9th Regiment, in the name of her
Majesty the Queen, I present you with these new co-
lours in the place of the old ones, endeared to you by
so many proud recollections—worn to tatters by hard
service—covered with glory, and handed down to you
without a single stain upon them to tarnish your glory.
I call on you to guard these new colours with that
loyalty and bravery which have always charactised the
9th Regiment. You will always in the hour of battle
rally round those colours, remembering that the eyes of
your Queen and your country are upon you, ex-
pecting that every man will do his duty. And what
is that duty ? Nothing less than this—that you
should always be ready and willing to offer up your
lives in the defence of that honourable badge—the
most important badge which you bear upon your
brews'-plate—(The Gallant General here ordered the
colours to be displayed)—the glorious form of Britan-
nia. This distinguished badge, it appears, was given to
you for your gallantry at the battle of Almansa, during
the war, of succession in Spain, by Queen Anne. On
the eccasien of that important battle, it is recorded that
you lost 24 officers, and had 300 men killed and
wounded, out of 467. On that occasion this regiment, I
am happy to say did not follow the example of other
regiments, but fought to the last. In retiring from the
fiehl they covered the retreat of General Lord Galway,
tho commander, under their Colonel, Stewart—a most
arduous, hex irdous, and difficult service—thus showing
that though obliged to retreat, there is still to be "No
surrender." The regiment thus upheld the honour of
Great Britain, and were rewarded for it by Queen
Anne, by allowing them to wear the figure of Britannia
on their breast-plates. This badge must always inspire
every soldier by the recollections it calls to mind, and
incite him to acts of heroism. I see on these colours no
less than nine battles mentioned in which you bore an
honourable part. In some of them you were victorious
over the invincible legions of Napoleon—the French
soldiers— the most warlike nation in the world. The part
you bore in the Peninsula is highly creditable to you;
for in all the actions in r hich you were engaged there
were ne defeats. You were victorious at Rolzia, where,
throiigh you, Bonaparte's hgions lost the term of in-
vincible. , At. Corunna you were forming the force that
covered the emba.ke.tion of the troop and after the
severe and herrassilig retreat on that occasion your re-
gensra performed the m• lanclioly duty of burying the
brave Sir John Moore, and, as the poet says—
" They buried him darkly at dead of night,
With his martial cloak around him."
At Bussaco they came up most opportunely, and charged
the foe home at the point of the bayonet. Here their
discipline was most conspicuous, having ceased firing
upon the moment they were ordered to do so—a most
difficult thing when in the excitement of a battle. At
Aranjuez their patience and steadiness was well tried.
They were part of the light brigade, and the regiment
was deployed all along the line, their files were naked as
much as if they were on parade, and their Colonel, Sir
John Cameron, was riding backwards and forwards, and
when a staff officer came riding up to him, and told him
to charge, he replied (here the General took off his hat),
" Thank you, sir; that is the best news I have heard to
day. Now, boys, we shall get at them." The advance of
that brigade was one of the finest things ever seen. They
had to march quite exposed for half a mile up a hill
ars limit the enemy who were on a rising ground, from
Chicle they drove them. At St. Sebastian also the regi-
ment displayed great bravery. At Nive, too, their dis-
cipline showed itself; for notwithstanding that part of
the enemy, having overpowered the fourth division, got
in the rear of the regiment, Sir John Cameron ordered
the 9,h to advance, which they did, and succeeded in
taking 160 prisoners. It is a singular fact that all the
Peniesular battles were fought tied- r Sir John Cameron,
who, though often wouieled and suffering from ill health,
was al vays to be foiled at the head of his regiment when
theleieg was required. The services of the regiment in
Ceubut was known to us all. It would be impossible to
e; ter io'o them in detail; but fer these services you got
the word " Caubul" on your eel :ure In the campaign
of h • Sutlej General Sir John M'Caskill was killed.
The victories of Moodkee, Ferozeshah, and Subteen, are
hied v glorious to this regiment. The Seikhs are a most
warlike notion, and are well instructed in tho European
'rode of warferts by experienced French officers. At
Moodkee and Feroz-shah, where Lieutenant-Colonel
Taylor commanded, the regiment highly distinguished
hself. It is very gratifying to me to see so many
dais on the breasts of the officers and soldiers—
thus showing that they bore a part in those battles, and
contributed to those victories. At Ferozeshah, the Seikhe
had 190 guns of the heaviest metal, which they served
with the greatest effect. The 9th Regiment was ordered
to attack their position, which they did with complete
success, driving the enemy before them, and covering
themselves with immortal glory. In this attack your
regiment lost nine officers, and had 260 men killed and
wounded,
in consequence
Borton, upon whom the command
Colonel T4lcoornsequence of the death of Lieutenant
battle had the re' nwkaosf severely wounded, and after the
The discipline
of
this Brevet Major conferred upon him.
rgiment has always been conspi-
cuous. After the storming of Badajos they w, re ordered
to enter the town, and
the duties soldiers are tallied atop to plunder; and of all
upon to perform this is the
most arduous and painful. It is what tries discipline.
On that occasion some of themth. were killed or wounded
seem
theirown friends. In the
by the straggling shots of
retreat from Rodrigo we
caOhenthteheseevoemsre-
displaying itself is a striking manner
rsentewll preserved
discipline again
mander-in-chief issued upon that occasion
absent
general
but necessary general order, this regseeensit-sa.
its discipline. On the march only two
—:consequently the 9th were exempted from thatte
order. In the year 1815, when desertion was so
among the troops, not a single soldier deserted from the
9th. Lord Murray paid a high compliment to the regi-
ment for this. On the arrival of the regiment home
from India, when Colonel Davis was asked if he wanted
any non-commissioned officers, his reply was that he did
not—that he had a sufficiency of excellent non-com-
missioned officers. lam particularly gratified to see
so fine a body of colour sergeants, whose duty it is
to protect the colours, and to assist in enforcing dis-
cipline among the men. Discipline is one of the
highest requisites for a soldier. Without it the bravest
troi.ps in the world are nothing better than a mere rabble.
I must warn young soldiers against desertion—it is
one of the highest offences a soldier can be guilty of. I
must also warn them against drunkenness. It is the
sere cause of bringing a man into trouble. It is nothing
snore than a habit, which any man, by practising a
little self-denial, can overcome. This I say from my
own experience. I was myself once much disposed to
drink. Forty-eight years ago, when I entered the army,
it was the fashion then to drink. The times are changed
sins chat, and n 'vs it is the fashion to keep sober. I
myself am now almost a water drinker; and, in cen-
se quence, I find that I am a better man in every way,
and better able to do my duty, or to go through a cam-
p sign, than I was fifteen years ago. Drink destroys a
man —it weakens the coating of the stomach—weakens
the nervous spa las—causes the band to tremble, and
401110WS1hArrkcomes an old soldier before his time—he is of
o himself or to the service. Lastly, I
=re- you all to attend to your religious du-
Q r you belong to the Church of E, agland,
le,el-h7.t/W:c.hiiinittiof Rome, or the Church of Scotland.
theathen with your chaplains and priests.
- /to receive the Holy Sacrament, and to make
eMI- stliMtl'estlytk (Tod of your sins. This will rive you the
iti)steaf tr.aven in the next world, and will keep you
Awaysnepared for death; and by being alwl-7 Pre'