The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-12 00:00:00

PROBABLE REFORMS IN THE BIUTISII
ARMY.

(From the Anglo American 2 imes.)

The incoming House of Commons is likely to
make some radical changes in the British Army,
and an able reformer has taken up this subject in
the person of Sir Charles E. Trevelyan. As the
British Army will soon occupy national attention,
it may not be out of place for us briefly to touch on
the military system of England, and to throw some
light on the points about to be discussed. There
are three distinct military organizations for the de-
fence of the Empire—the Regular Army, the Militia, I
and the Volunteers. The two latter nee 1 but a
small outlay, and will occupy but little of the atten-
tion of Parliament, though we believe the tendency
is towards resting the defence of Great Britain on
these organizations, instead of on the Regular
Army. The peculiarity of the English, structure
was the complete and perfectly formed bricks of
*hid' the edifice _was composed, without mortar.
No better constituted community could be devised
than the ordinary marching British regiment before
innovations were introduced, which injured it, with-
out remedying the defect, by knitting all into one
machine. During the time of the Iron Duke, when
a gradual change was everywhere in progress but in
England, a Briti-h regiment, through the nature
of its foreign service, became an isolated unit, per-
fect in everything pertaining to itself, but wholly
unconnected with anything else. This made the
model and the mess of the British Army; the grand
material in peace, and the hocus-pocus in war; the
power of effecting actions of extraordinary brilliancy,
yet making a muddle of a campaign or of a siege.
Towards the close of his life the Duke saw the
necessity of modifying the system, and so far carried
out the purpose as to strike the first blow, which
was at the little peculiarities which distinguish the
different regiments, and to which the British sol-
dier attaches a ridiculous importance. The pri-
vileges of crack regiments were abolished, and the
King's Own Light Infantry, or the Royal Rifles, as
the regiments delighted to designate themselves,
became the 51st Foot or the 60th Foot. The 7th, the
43d, the 52d were material losers as hitherto the 3
had been exempt from West India or East India
service, their range being confined to the North
American provinces and the Mediterranean. The
Second Lieutenants of the Fusilier and Rifle Regi-
ments were turned into Ensigns, and the Royal
Fusiliers, which had no such low grade, were put
on a par with their neighbours. It was thus that
the concentrated wisdom for which the Horse
Guards has become renowned, exp.cted to fuse an I
amalgamate these perfect little communities into an
army. This policy was pursued of er the Duke's
death, though still in a measure based on the notion
that e object could be affected by destroying th-!
distinctions which gave the esprit de corps and by
making all alike, so that the difference could only
be known by the number on the cap instead of by
bringing into good working order the departments
which move and subsist au army in the field. Thus
depot battalions were formed to train recruits, both
officers and men, work, formerly done, when a regi-
ment was abroad, by the companies it left at home
forming a depot for the purpose. Gradually troops
were accumulated in England, where a s )ldier had
scarcely ever before been seen. A great camp was
established at Aldershot, and lesser ones elsewhere,
such as at Shorucliffe. The object was to train for
working in niasses, and to drill generals in the art
of handling large bodies of men, of which, out of
India, till then they were so profoundly ignorant
that the Duke asserted if a division were massed iu
Hyde Park, few Generale in the Braidh army could
get it out. The changed policy of the country re-
garding
colonial defence facilitated this, enabling
the Horse Guards to withdraw many regiments for
home service. But these complete units constituted
as they were for active operations on the coast of
Africa, in Kaffirland, or New Zealand, are much
too complete and costly for Europe, where the ope-
rations of war are wholesale, instead of in the retail
quantities supplied by the British system. The
difference is like the general store of a backwood
village, which though there the correct thing, is very
unsuitable in a capital of Europe. The number of
combatant officers is in excess in the regiments, and
the non-combatant officers ought not to belong to
regiments, but to departments. Now it is in break-
ing up the general store system, and in classifying
the different articles in their proper establishments,
that the difficulty exists. [here are other questions
of vital importance relating to the interior economy,
such as the abolition of purchase, a more general
promotion from the non-commissioned into th co,n-
rnissioned grades, and greater inducements to en-
list to the better classes by modifying the present
stringent regulations which sn hamper the liberty
of nien, by adding to their amusements, ply, and
furloughs, as well as by brightening the prospects
in their calling. Those who think at all on the
subject beyond matters relating to their conveni-
ence, are aware that regimental officers are two to
one in excess of the requirements of a battalion on
home service, and in that proportion the Govern-
ment, without injury to army efficiency, could re-
duce the various regiments. In doing so, however,
the country would be compelled to raise the pay of
those who remained. Men accept the actual posi-
tion, but change the conditions, when work will be
increased and leave of absence curtailed and compen-
sation wilt be required. It is, however, a mistake to
suppose that if the 40 combatant officers of a battalion
were reduced to 20, with double the pay, that the ex-
pense would be equalized. The pay of an officer is
only the chief item of his remuneration. Independent
of his barrack accommodation, his perquisites in
coals, candles, mess allowance, &c., every year of
his service gives him an additional claim on the Go-
vernment, which eventually accumulates into a con-
siderable sum for an allowance on retirement. The
country is compelle l to recognize the right of those
to be supported by it who devote themselves to its
service, but if the service is superfluous while the
right remains, the nation is a loser, though it gave
nothing at present towards the support of the
claimant. The advisability of materially reducing
the number of officers in the British regiments will
probably be one of the questions debated in the
Reformed Parliament. Another, the Purchase
System, now seriously discussed, is closely connected
with it. In 1858, the Report to Parliament on the
Sale and Purchase of Commissions estimated the
gross value at over seven millions, and as upwards
of three more would be required to compensate for
sums paid over regulation, it follows that if the
nation paid some five or six millions sterling they
might get rid of half their officers and their system
of purchase at the same time. If Parliament de-
cided to abolish purchase and to reduce the number
of officers emp'oyed, those who disapproved of the
new system, or considered themselves aggrieved or
disliked the harder work, could sell out; the nation
becoming the purchaser and cancelling the com-
mission. Many would go voluntarily, and more
still if they knew that the choice lay between that
and interminable half-pay ; and although there
would be an addition to the national debt, the sav-
ing in the Army expenditure would compensate,
even if increased pay were given to the remainder.
The efforts to reduce all British regiments to a
uniform standard could not obliterate the pecu-
liarities acquired in centuries, and the composition
still remains curiously diverse. The 109 regiments
(numbered) of the British Army contain Rifles,
Fusiliers, Light Infantry, and Highlanders. Of
the latter, the first is the 42d, officially designated
the Royal Highland, and generally known as the
" Black Watch." The number (42) was first be-
stowed upon a regiment raised by Colonel James
Oglethorpe in 1734, for service in Georgia and
South Carolina, which was disbanded in 1749, end
as the " Black Watch" was -placed on the esta-
blishment in 1739 it dropped into the number
formerly held by Oglethorpe's corps. The next,
the 71st Highland Light Infantry, does not
wear the kilt, and its dress is peculiar to itself. Nor
does the 72d wear the kilt, though• we believe the
others do, consisting of the 74th, 78th, 79th, 91st,
92d, and 93d. Two Rifle Regiments only are in
the regular line, of which one, being unnumbered,
is designated the Rifle Brigade, and both (the
other being the 600, the Royal Rifles) are com-
posed of four battalions. Up to and including the
25th each regiment has two battalions—au objec-
tionable manner of augmenting an army scattered
over the world, as the promotion of officerS runs
through the entire regiment, and changesinecessitate
transfers, sometimes from Canada to India. The
Ist, or the Roya's, is perhaps the oldest regiment in
the world, claiming to be formed from the Scottish
Archers. The 2d,
the Queen's, originally from
Tangiers, became celebrated in Monmouth's re-
bellion, where, as " Kirke's lambs," they paved the
way for Jeffreys. The 3d, the Buffs, were formerly
the train bands of Loudon, and retain the right of
marching through the City with colours flying and
drums beating. Many, besides those first on the
list, have histories. For instance, the 103 d, the
Royal Bombay Fusiliers, is one of the oldest regi-
ments in the army, being transferred to England
with the Portuguese settlement of Bombay. Rank-
ing next to the 49th is the Royal Marines, one of
the finest bodies of men in the service, though not
in the regular Line. But finer still are the Guards,
consisting of three regiments, termed the Grenadier

Guards, with three battalions ; the Coldstream,
with two battalions ; and the Scots Fusilier Guards
also of two. The Household Cavalry consi,t of the
Ist and 2d Life Guards and the Royal Horse
Guards. The cavalry of the Line is composed of
twenty-eight regiments, of which seven are
Dragoon GuArds, five Lancers, three Dragoons,
and the rest Hussars. Independent of the regular
Lille there are several colonial corps, among which
are four West India Regiments. One, the Royal
Canadian Rifles, was expressly raised for service