The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-17 00:00:00

JOBBERY AT THE HORSE GUARDS.

Do the people at the Horse Guards ever read ?
Have they any books on the official shelves ? They
must surely possess a Post office Directory and a
Johnson's Dictionary. The Commander-in-Chief
and his Staff must have occasion to direct letters to
obscure individuals, and orthography is not every
soldier's strength. Absurd pedants might perhaps
expect to find some edition of the " Maxims of Na-
poleon," the works of Jomini, or the " Peninsular
War." This is extravagant. But there is Hart's
Annual Army List. It is the recognised book of
reference—stamped almost with official authority.
It is as necessary to the Commander-in-Chief as the
Navy List is to the First Lord of the Admiralty, or
the Oxford Calendar to a Vice-Chancellor. Is it
too much to assume that the heads of the Army
have access to this most useful publication ? If they
have, it is but too plain that its leaves remain un-
cut, or that its contents are scandalously ignored.
Only a few weeks ago the Duke of Cambridge
declared in the House of Lords that he was ear-
nestly anxious to administer the patronage of the
army with a single eye to the public service. An-
xious as he may be for justice, that illustrious per-
son has again and again dwelt upon the importance
of being supported by public opinion. Without
this support he never ceases to declare it to be
utterly impossible to do his duty to the army or
to the country. It may be so. Certain it is that
all-powerful as the Duke of Wellington was, and
fully alive as he was from his very boyhood to the
national evils of jobbing military appointments, he
practically supported the very system which he pri-
vately denounced. Certain;lmoreover, it is that
Lord Hardinge pursued the same fatal policy. After
what the Duke of Cambridge has promised it is im-
possible to believe that he willingly perpetuates the
old system. if scandalous appointments are made, it
must be because even a Royal Duke is not powerful
enough to resist the influence brought to bear
upon him, or because in the hurry of business he
has committed a mistake. But in either case he
needs the support of public opinion. And he shall
have it. If any mysterious power is brought to
coerce even a Prince of the Blood against his duty,
that power must be restrained; if due information
has been wanting, that information must be sup-
plied.

The Gazette declares that the Hon. Charles Grey
has got a regiment. This gentleman entered the
army in 1820, and became a lientenant•colonel in
1831. No doubt his purse was ample or his influ-
ence great, for his promotion was rapid. His active
services are none—literally none. No honourable
scar disfigures his body—no medal adorns his
breast. Like other clothes-horses in the shops of
Pall-mall, he has borne the Queen's ueiform, hut it
has never been soiled by travel or blackened by
powder. His duties have been confined to those of
a Royal Equerry. As such, there is no.reason. to
doubt that he has done whatever was expected of
him. His duties may be laborious for aught .we
know, and after the lipse of time may deserve some
reward. Every labourer is worthy of his hire, and
if those,whom he served considered him ,to merit an
increased salary they ought to have supplied it.
But, strange to say, this EquerrY, who has never
left the pleasant paths of the-Mall, has been 'se-
lected for the Colonelcy of a Regiment. An appoint-
ment which ought to be reserved for men who have
spent their lives in the field of battle has been be-
stowed upon a man who has no more claim to it
than Cardinal Antonelli or Mr. Bright. Is it pos-
sible to believe that such an appointment as this
cad have been deliberately made ? Surely it must
have been unintentional, or some overwhelming in-
fluence must have carried .away the judgment of
the Horse Guards. If people in high places have.
any belief that mankind are all alike, let them re-
flect for a moment upon the feelings with which
such an appointment as this will be regarded.
Open /hot where he details the war-services of
the officers who have got no regiments. Even now
some underling at the Horse Guards might be got
to. remember the look of some of these famous
veterans in their youth—men who had served.
their country before the Hon. Charles Givy bad
left the -breast. It would be iastructive to hear
what the working soldiers say of justice at the
Horse Guards. Contrast two cases. The Hon,
Charles Grey has got his regiment. General Joins
Cox has got none. And who is he Except a few
months he served throughout the whole of the
Peninsular War with the 95th (Rifle Brigade),
beginning with the affair at Obidas on the 15th
August, 1808. He was engaged with the enemy
at Roleia, Vimiera, and the surrender of Lisbon he
served, with the British army under Sir jOhn
Moore, and was present at the battle of Corunna ;
he fought at Talavera, at many minor affairs, and
at Almeida ho defended the bridge against every
attempt to force it; besides the affairs of Mora
Morta and Scala he took part at the battle of 'Busaco ;
he stood behind the lines of Torres Vedras, and fol-
lowed the retreating army of 'Marshal Massena, the
rearguard of which he constantly engaged at
Pombal, Redinha, Concleixa, Casanova, Foz d'Aruce,
Ponte de Mareilla, Frexeda, and Sabugal ; for five
successive days he was at Almeida, at Marialva
Bridge, and at the battle of Fuentes d'Onor ; he
besieged and stormed Ciudad Rodrigo, joined in
the battles of Vittoria, Pampeluna, and the Pyre-
nees. Finally, he took part at the famous field of
Waterloo and in the capture of Paris. Nor were
these , exploits achieved without danger. At
Vimiera he was wounded by a musket-ball, at
Redinba ho received a contusion, at the storming of
Ciudad Rodrigo his left arm was fractured, and a
ball was lodged in his leg while driving the enemy
from the heights of Tarbes. For ten years he fought
and bled for his country : ant all he has received
for his services is what P—a war medal and ten
clasps. Much honour—great glory. John Cox did
everything and got nothing. The Hon. Chas. Grey
has, done nothing and ,got much: Nor is this,a soli-
tary instance. Pagoupon page of the useful //art
is filled with -the services of neglected officers.
Uncomplaining, like good soldiers, these silent
pages stand as' protests against the: system of the