The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-03 00:00:00

RECRUITING FOR THE ARMY.

The revised regulations for conducting the recruit-
ing service to be substituted for pages 314 to 318 Of
the Queen's Regulations and Orders for the Army
have just been promulgated. They contain a sche-
dule showing the age and standard of recruits on
enlistment for the different arms of the service. In
the heavy cavalry the height of the recruit is to be
from sft. Bin. to sft. llin. ; in the medium, from
Mt. 7in. to oft. gin. ; and in the light cavalry,
from sft. Gin. to sft. Bin. If under sft. Bin., the
chest measurement must be 33in. ; under sft. 10ine
34in. ; and above that standard, 35in. The age
of the recruits is not to be under 18 or beyond 26
years. Gunners for the artillery may be enlisted
from sft. 7in., between the same aged ; and, growing
lads of 17 and upwards may be taken at Oft. Gin.
The standard for drivers is Oft. 4in. to sft. sin.
Grooms, farm labourers, and others accustomed to
the management of horses, even though not fulfil-
ling the requisite conditions of height or age, will he
enlisted on special application being made to the
adjutant gener,.l through the inspecting field officers
of districts. Blacksmiths, wheelwrights, harness-
makers, and carpenters, may be taken from sft. Gin.
The lowest height for sappers is fixed at sft. 6in.,
and the age is the same as for cavalry and artillery.
Recruits for this corps must be men of good charac-
ter, be able to read and write, and been brought up
to, or served an apprenticeship as, carpenters or
joiners, cabinet-makers, stone-cutters, builders,
bricklayers, blacksmiths, millwrights, wheelers,
coopers, painters, and glaziers, and plumbers. None
but good artificers must be taken, and the qualifi-
cations must be ascertained by actual trial in the
trades to which they profess to have been brought
up. Men of other trades required only in limited
numbers will be enlisted onspecialapplication being
made to the adjutant general. Drivers for the En-
gineers will be taken from sft. 4in. to Mt. 6in., but
there are only two troops in the Engineers in which
drivers are employed, and vacancies seldom occur.
The standard for the Military Train is Mt. 3in. to
sft. 6in., and for the infantry of the line and de'
partmental corps sft. sin. and upwards: At least
24- hours must elapse between enlistment and attes-
tation, and the period is not to exceed four days.
Special directions are given to the superintending
officers with respeeto the mode of measuring the
chests of recruits. Great care is to be taken in select-
ing men for the recruiting service, only sergeants and
corporals of artillery and cavalry, and sergeants Of
infantry being eligible. No non-commissioned offi-
cers engaged in recruiting are to leave their stations
for the purpose of attending fairs or on any other pre-
tence without the express authority in writing Of
their superintending officers. Special application
must be made to the adjutant general with re-
spect to the enlistment of foreigners and boys•
Militiamen are not to be enlisted in the line
without having procured from their commanding
officers the usual " conditional discharge certifi-
cate." No one under the rank of a field officer 10
competent to approve of a recruit. The decision of
an inspecting officer is not to be questioned except
on very special grounds, but if a recruit be rejected
for any cause showing culpable inattention on the
part of the recruiting officer be is to be sent back to
the place from which he came, and all expenses are
to fall on the officer. In the case of recruits ob-
jected to from surgical or medical causes the matter
is to be referred to a medical board for their report.
The regulations for the re-engagement and re-en-
listment of soldiers require that before re-enlistment
men must produce the parchment certificates of
discharge and character. Recruiters are not to re'
engage men at the expiration of their first period Of
limited service, but are to direct them to the head-
quarters of the district. Weekly, monthly, and
quarterly returns of recruits are to be furnished to
the adjutant general.