The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-04 00:00:00

The Rule of the Service.

iS
Colonel Sayer, of the King's Dragoon Guards,
about to be turned out of his regiment and placed
on half-pay, losing a position which it probably
cost him some £12,000 to obtain. Our non-prefer
sional readers, having read thus far, will naturally
seek to be informed what has Colonel Sayer de°e
that such a hard punishment should be inflicted ear
him. We can answer the question. Colonel SaY;
has served her Majesty very honourably and fi e e
ciently for twenty-one years ; he was in the
in the Crimea and China ; he gained the distill-
tion of C. 8., and was sufficiently long a reg.;
mental lieutenant-colonel to qualify him to b° -
full colonel in the army nearly two years ag°ci
But it will be said he must have comraitte
himself in some way ; he must have been guilty °f
some shocking act which has obligedthe authorities
to ignore his good services and turn him out of 1)1°
profession. Nothing of the kind. Colonel SaYer
has done nothing to stain his character as a gentle-
man, while no one alleges that as an officer he is
not well fitted to continue in the position he 110
hitherto filled. This dreadful punishment is
flicted upon him simply because of a a rule of tt;
service, ',under which a regiment while serving
India has had two lieutenant-colonels, and 3 re,
giment at home but one. The King's Drag°°o
Guards will land from India in a few days Pr;
bably. Colonel Sayer is the second lieutenallis
colonel. He is no longer wanted, and so be 0
thrown aside upon the half-pay list, and treated 13
better than a man who had disgraced the unifero
of the Queen.
This case is but one of many. Every caOlfir
regiment that comes home adds some one or twef °-
perhaps three, officers to the list of those whO 31,
thus foully used by the country. In Col. SaYerii'-
own regiment two captains will also go to the walla
Under the existing rules the authorities have net the
power to help them. But in some cases the 11Orao
Guards are able to neutralise the injustice, and'
a rule, they can always provide for the majors 1110'r
are placed in this position. The departure
to
India next month of the 11th Hussars will glst
the authorities an opportunity, which we ti•tiog
they will not again refuse to profit by, of ,cl°,l,rs
justice to one of those cavalry field 0"1/Teir
placed upon half-pay by the return a t not
regiments from India or by reasons
of their own seeking. The position of such ofncit.
driven out of their profession for no fault ef
own, and without a prospect of returning to it
0.
less by an outlay of several thousands, is Ines; the
fortunate ; and we have more than once urge" heir
Horse Guards to take this, the only means at ti,oo
disposal of remedying the injustice. Twice we , is
spoken in vain. In 1863 the sth Lancers, and .or
1864 the 18th Hussars, got their second r°3lthe
by the promotion of a captain and not bY
00„
restoration of a half-pay major. Of late, 21 boo
ever, a more considerate and equitable spin—, of
been shown. The second lieutenant-colonel ay
the 17th Lancers was restored to fllll
a few weeks since ; and although theCaP 0
tion given to him—the command of tue,,,,,t of
Mounted Riflemen—was not as desirable as re•
which he was deprived by the return of his °;.l
jot
the giment from India, still it was the best apPeirß re is
the Duke of Cambridge had in his gift, and sold
no ground left for complaint. We trust to oiri
similar course taken with regard to those ea we
officers who are still on half pay. There are'tiod
believe, one lieutenant-colonel, two majors'
and
andthree captains now in this unlucky predicament 'safe
unless the authorities stretch out a hand t°
; defial
them, they are likely to remrin so for an -11 set
period. Major Slade, of the King's Dragoon 011`set
has been seconded, being allowed under the the
regulations to retain his appointment 01000
Indian staff, notwithstanding the return how°
it to
corps ; and if the vacancy be filled up it etig
provide for one of the half-pay majors, the coo
Hussars being available for the other. In the
vior
of the lieutenant-colonels thrown out of ell4resti'
ment, as we have said, the means of makingoci it
tution for the wrong inflicted is not at hand
t.; ;loos
is a disgrace to our system, although not totae he
Guards, that an officer like Colonel Sayer sb° ne of
thrown on the half-pay list with the faintest 11°.r so
regaining a position which it cost him probed ghat
much money to acquire. We are convinee,ooo
if these hard cases were generallY 'use of
and were properly brought before the
111 e s
fed'
Commons such a displacement would not be the
But, before the Treasury is asked to be libereoe
of
military authorities are bound to show their %oci
the hardship by providing for those officers wb°
rofes,
have it in their own power to replace in their P JO,
sion. There are but few to whom restitution:o not
Those who have taken unattached promotionto
in the same category. They have gene ill uiclinl/6
ment voluntarily and deliberately, and as a /on.°,
g to
made pecuniarily by the transaction, the extra
realised in their regiments more than slif °jo, 3 on
l. ed
pay for their half-pay step. But the °a turd
whose behalf NI e again venture to
s sP
eaPk et
ualtel °-°s l the
rel ?
out against their will, without a x
ee,
way of compensation and without a fa
part. It is their hard case that we hope to
rifnee and
et
the Horse Guards, and then the War .nciple°
of justice which would prevail in m
Treasury, deal with, according to thoostseinPstriltultirocinv;
outside her Majesty's service.—A onY
of
Gazette.

On the 4th of July next a general wove' ne at
all, the Railroad Presidents, Chief Engineers, alld,G4ne-14.11
„Dityrintendents in the United States is to be WI" Throfb
ladolphia, for an interchange of views in regard to I'3l - ,°
c :1 all
construction, management, and operation. ut-3 'it,
11l
all
the convention has been signed by railroad ofticers
parts of the country, aud the chief officers of rail
and
l'
the British provinces have boon ins ital to at.t°o t'(
ticipato in the deliberations.