Star.
London, England, 1805-01-28 00:00:00

:!ILITART CTFICE.R,s' PAT.

Su-A paragraph having lately appeared in all
the daiiy papers, confidently Rating, that a board of
Gener::_ Offieers had hem orde:ed to alfernhle, on the
ruhit a- of inereafe vf pay to the officers of the army ;
and that the feveral rates had been aaually fixed,
you may eafily conceive what fenfations of joy fuck
intell•gence created Otroughout every rank of thepro•
leffion, from the eungn to the lieutenant-colonel; the
I,••,:er ranks indulging the fond hopes of being loon
refetred trom the constant profped that flood before
them of imprifonment, and the want of common
necclaries of lite ; and the field officers, that they
might be placed a little above their prefent fitnation
of mere exitt:cce. •

The chagrin and deep difappointment that has
fuccesdcd the developemenr rf lo cruel a Ulion can
be very well imagined, and mutt make every well
wither to his country rceret, that that profettion which
you, Sir, lo juttly think, in the prefent political (late
of Eur pe (but particularly of Great Briain), ought
to be elevated over every other clafs of men in the
public opinion, thould have remained fo long and
meanly remunerated, as to be abfolutely defpited by
common tradcfmen for their abjeti (late of poverty !
Is this a fituation, Sir, for the officers of the army
to be permitted to remain in, at a period when every
thing that is dear to Britons is likely to depend upon
tile gallant exertions of the regular force ?
In the year r 797, the pay of the private foldiers
was not only doubled, but they have had, ever fence,
the very great additional benefit of being Cipplied
with their provitions of animal food and bread, at
the low fixed price of fixpence and three half pence
per pound,,fhould thole articles ever have rifen to
ten times that fum ; fo that, in fail, the private fol.
diers pay has become more than three-fold within fix
years, when that of the officers has remained in fists
quo for upwards of fixty, with the exception of one
poor thilling per day to the fubalterns ; what might,
have caufed this fudden effort of unbouded attentios
and comfort to the foldier, without extending any
part to the officers, I (hall not attempt to offer an
opinion on ; but, it is a flubborn fat, that a common
mechanic enjoys a greater degree of pecuniary inde-
pendence than the fubalterns, or even captains of the
army, and, that an officer. when at lilt arrived at
the rank of major or lieutenant-colonel, after long
and, perhaps, kvete fervice, has merely fullicient to
kccp the external appearance of poverty from his
door, without potieffing enough to furnifn ni:n with
ordinary erjoysnents within the reach of his gracer or
taylor. Their circumhances have been frill farther
circumfcribed, in proportion to their rank, by the
force of an indirect order, which has, for there two
or three WI years, obliged the field °Picas tr be con-
handy mounted, and of centric put to the expence
keeping, at leatt, one if not two horf,:s, without any
allowance whatever to cover this enormous expence
this reduces a field officet's pay confidv.ably below
that of a captain. This hardlhip has been more se-
verely felt !ince the period that the field officers com-
panies were taken from them, by which they not only
101 l a confiderable contingency, but likewife, the Eeld
allowances which were attached to compa,lie, ; As WI
altogether has decreafed the field officer's emolument
at lealt lixty pounds per annum ; and unfortunate's-,
jut( at the time that he was made to pay fire per ccat.
income tax.

1:y giving this letter a place in your Paper, you
wili very much oblige an old friend to tli,! army in Lc-
neral, with three lons at prefent in the profctlion.

A. I.

On !h, an hal of Admiral CoRKwALL7s, on Thin(
day in C::wfantl Bay, to repair hi.s rndler, ail die of-
ficers of rank in the garritcn and navy went off to
pay their rcipcds to him.

• 'FraniPotts have arrived at Spithead with the 13th
Regiment of Foot on board, from v. hence they
to proceed with the next convoy to JAM-41CA.
On Saturday, at NI 4rlharough Qreet,ThntnasC
deli was fully committed for trial ou various char;
of fwindling.

No. 743 i, Fira Drawn Ticket, entitled to toot.
was fold in the following Shares : One Q2arter,O.
Eighth, and Ten Sixteenths, by Ffoa %Eros' and
No. 26, Cornhill, who likewife fold in the Shakfpca.
Lottery three Capital Prizes—No. 93 to, t6th drat
prize : No. 625431 a &JIMA prize ; and No. 1424:
35th diiii%n prize.