The Sun.
London, England, 1819-03-15 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

SUSPEYSION OP MILITARY ALLOWANCES TO
HALF-PAY OFFICERS.
MR. EDITOR,—When an individual undertakes
the Military Ptofeqsion, he so far steps our of the
course of law as to subject himself to certain pe-
nalties, known only in a Court of Honour, with
which the municipal law of the land is totally
tiolcquaiiited, and of which, indeed, it cannot
take any cognizance. 'Io say, therefore, that a
Halt-pay Officer is struck out of the course of
law, when he stands convicted of 'acts for which
an Officer on full pay would be cashiered by the
sentence of a General Court• Martial, is literally
placing him, not only beyond the law, but otii of
the reauti of common honour ; and how the ehti.
racter of such an Officer can remain untarnished
is a question which staggers our humble sagacity,
and is kit to be explained by others. We will,
for iiista.nce, put the following case, and, if our
information be correct, such a case is by no means
improbable. An Officer on Half pay, being in
want of a little money, states ro an lioness trades-
man, or to his credulous agent, that he will make
over to him the proceeds of one, two, or More
quarters, as they become due, and in order to
secure the advance, pledges iris. affidavits, or de.
clarations of a General Officer. Upon the ex-
piration of the varier, he finds his way with ts
fresh affidavit to a Magistrate, renders it avail-
able by taking his oath, and, istetiii of paying
the tradesuhin or agent, applies personally to the
Pay-Office, and there receives the mamma of his
affidavit, and leaves his duped • creditor to the
course of low. We might make the case stronger
from instances vt ithin our own knowledge, by
stating, that he had actually left regularly attest.
ed affidavits with two or three persons, and stolen
a march upon them by being beforehand a' the
Pay-Office, and getting the money himself. What
remedy has the creditor ? It will he answered, he
may proscenia wider the Stature against Frato.ls,
Or he may sue him at Coninion Law. In 'ha first
instance, his success would be very problemati-
cal, for there are so many loop notes in the
course of criminal prosecutions, and the cxpeoce
is so great, that the first loss would probably be
advisable. In the second, he can only arrest him
tor a simple, debt; and, in oilier to clear himself
Of that obligation, an unprincipled and disho-
nourable wearer of the badge of honour (a cock.
ade) has recourse to what To an Insolvent
Bill ! and when he makes his gallant appear-
ance before Serjeaot RuNNusoros, pleaals povet ry,
save and except his allowance as a Half-pay Orli.
cer. Under this glorious safeguard to the most
inglorious acts, the Half-pay Gentleman of ho.
!Mut* comes hack into life, walks the public streets
of the capital, and tint only laughs at his old Cie.
ditorm, but enters into fresh systems of depreda-
tion, to delude and cheat his new ones.
This is the course of law, out of which an ad.
vocate for Half-pay Debtors is extremely anxious
that they should not be struck, but quietly left to
evade t broogh the quit ks and quibbles of low
Attoroies, into honourableitisolvency ; and to do
those acts for which an Officer on full pay would
be cashiered T. Lord PausitßasToN, who is an ho.
nourable man, feels, thinks, and acts otherwise ;
and so does his Royal Highness the COMMANDER•
IN-CHIEF. It ought, however, never to be for-
gotten by the Heads of Departments, that the
very pay and allowances which Officers receive,
come out of the hard-earned fruits of a Trades-
man's labour, and are derived from the taxes of the
country at large. What renders the necessity of
this appeal to the Distributors and Managers of
public monies more imperative, is the facility
which our interc,;urse with France, Belgium, and
Germany now affords to every defaulter and die.
honest individual. Men of this description have
only to cross the Channel, and to meet their in-
jured Creditors upon the Pier-head of Calais or
Ostend, and tauntingly tell them, they eat) do
nothing. These things are better mauag,ai in
France. If a French Creditor can come in con-
tact with a Debtor within the limits of France, be
becomes instantly master of his person, and is
borne out by.his Government. An instance of
this sort occurred lately at Rouen, in the person
of a General Officer. Alas, poor John Bull I. Sic
VOs /lOU vobis fertis uratra Boves

FIAT JL'STITIA.