The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-13 00:00:00

THE COMMISSARIAT.

A royal warrant has recently been issued reor-
ganizing the Commissariat attached to the forces,
substituting the following new rules, in pursuance
of a report of a committee of officers, recommending
alterations in the system existing up to the date of
the warrant, the 28th of October last. Those parts
of the Treasury regulations of the Ist of March,
1852, which prescribed rules for the admicsion of
officers into the Commissariat Department, and for
the employment, promotion, retirement, full-pay,
_half-pay, retired-pay, designations.relative rank of
such officers have been cancelled, and in lieu
thereof the subjoined rules have been substituted :

"1. The duties of the Commissariat shall be
superintended and directed by an officer of that
department, with the designation of Commissary-
General-in-Chief, acting under orders from our
Secretary of State for War.
" 2. The ranks of Commissariat officers in our
army shall be as follows, viz.:—
" Commissary-General,
" Deputy Commissary-General,
" Assistant Commissary-General,
"Deputy Assistant-Commissary-General, inclu-.
ding a probationary class of Acting Deputy
Assistant-Commissaries-General.

" 3. To be eligible for promotion, an officer must
have served on full-pay during the following
periods, dating from his first entrance into the Pro-
bationary Class :
" A Commissary-General, 13 years, and at least
years thereof as Deputy Commissary-General.
" A Deputy Commissary-General, 10 years, and
at least two years thereof as Assistant Commissary-
General.
"An As iistant Commissary-General, five years.
" 4. All first appointments to the Commissariat
shall be made from the subalterns of our army,
provided a sufficient number of qualified volun-
teers, duly recommended by their commanding
officers, can be procured. Volunteers shall be of
not less than two years' service as commissioned
officers, and under 25 years of age ; they shall be
subjected to an examination, and, if found compe-
tent, shall be placed on a list according totlieirmerits, and in their order thereon shall be employed
by the Commissary-General-in-Chief, under the au-
thority of our Secretary of State for War, as their
services may be required. These volunteers shall
be subjected to a probation of six months, with the
rank of Acting Deputy Assistant-Commissary-
General ; at the termination of which period, if
found competent, and still willing to serve in the
Commissariat, they shall be required to resign their
military commissions, and shall be furnished in-
stead with commissions as Deputy Assistant-
Commissaries.
" 5. The establishment of the Commissariat shall
be fixed from time to time on the same principle as
that of our army ; and in order to furnish a rea-
sonable preparation for war, it shall be main-
tained to such an extent as to provide suitable
employment in peace for officers, not only in the
colonies, but also at the several camps and large
military stations at home, according to the ordi-
nary requirements of the service.
" 6. In selecting officers for promotion, provision
shall be made for the advancement of those who
have shown special aptitude for their duties, or
have distinguished themselves by zeal and ability
in the performance of them ; but such selection
shall be mainly guided by length of efficient ser-
vice. The promotions in the Commissariat shall
take place, as in other branches of the public ser-
vice, as vacancies may occur.
" 7. On reduction of the establishment, the
junior officers of the respective ranks shall be the
first reduced, and on restoration to full pay the re-
duced officers who are senior in their rank shall be
the first restored, except in cases in which a strict
adherence to such rule would be manifestly detri-
mental
.to the public service.
" 8. In order to obviate the necessity for an un-
due augmentation of the establishment in time of
war, and the consequent inconvenience arising from
a large reduction on the termination of hostilities,
4 the Commissariat shall be allowed to avail itself of
the temporary assistance that may be afforded by
officers drawn from our regular army, or from the
half-pay of our army, to be selected under regula-
tions which shall be framed for the purpose by our
Secretary of State for War and our Commander-in-
Chief, to act in the capacities of Assistant and
Deputy-Assistant Commissaries-General. The offi-
cers of our army thus placed on the Commissariat
staff shall be considered supernumerary in their
regiments, retaining their proper places in their
respective corps, and participating in regimental
promotions as opportunities offer, but they shall be
employed exclusively in the duties of the Commis-
sariat and shall not be at liberty to withdraw them-
selves from those duties, so long as their services
promotion to
tmhaeyrabnekroefq ufiierledd ,0
ffiexcept i
their a ses regiments.f
" 9. The relative rank of the Commissariat
officers of our army shall be as follows, viz.:--
" Commissary-General, as Major-General,
" Deputy Commissary-General of five years'
standing, as Colonel.
" Deputy Commissary-General, under five years'
standing, as Lieutenant-Colonel.
"Assistant Commissary-General, as Major.
" Deputy Assistant Commissary-General, as
Captain.
Commissary-General Acting Deputy Assistant

" 12. It shall be competent to our Secretary of
State for War to place Commissariat officers on the
retired list at the rates specified in the preceding
scale, after a meritorious service of 20 years in the
department as commissioned officers, including the
period of service on probation, if, by reason of
mental or bodily infirmity of a permanent nature,
to be certified by a medical board, they shall be
unfit for further duty ; and all officers shall be at
liberty to retire after 30 years of such service.
" 13. A roster shall be observed of home and
foreign service, not to be departed from except in
cases of necessity. With respect, however, to the
West Coast of Africa, officers are to be allowed to
volunteer, receiving such special pecuniary advan-
tages as may be fixed by our Secretary of State
for War."

* In case of military officers, to be made up, on confir-
mation, to 10s. a day, from the date of entering on their
probation. A Commissary-General with an army in the
field, to receive a special rate of pay, proportionate to the
magnitude of his charge.