Star.
London, England, 1828-12-27 00:00:00

REDUCTION OF TIIE MILITIA STAFF.

The resolution of Government to effect this redu:-
don, the official or d+ r for which we I.ohlt.lird on the 7 Is
inst. has long been anticip4ted ; and we are inclined to
regard the measure as a pieliniinry step to t' e tr t+l
abolition of the entire staff establishments. The ter
vices of the Militia during; the war hate been viten

acknowledged, both in Parliament and ILEof 1 • T..e
, and Ir sh Mil tins at that period amounted to
one hunched and twenty-:sine regintentv, and their
united strength, on a rongh calculstio:., could'not have
been less than eighty thuusand men, all as effich-nt ard
well disciplined as Vie line. They were not only the de-
pots from which tie lewd sr army derived peti, dically
•its largest aod most serviceable reinforct ments, but
almost the only force which remained to gait ison the
lliitish islands, and maintain their internal tranquil-
lity. When the war let minated they were marched
home to their respective cou-.ties and disbanded, with
the exception of the stiff or skeleton of each corps,
which was retained, under stated regulations, to pr -
serve a framework, as it were, for the raw materials
that it was contemplated to model into soldiers at t e
annual t :linings. The subaltern Officers—that is the
Lieist oatits and Ensigos—wer: temporarily dismissed,
with an allowance in lieu tit ha f pay, partly gua-
ranteed at the commencement of the war, but finally •
fixed by Act of Parliament shady before the peace,
for which they were un ,nimitusly gratefu'. The Field
Officers and Capta ns Itavoig • been l remised nutting
were awarded melting; and to this day they complain
with bitterness of their fruitless services. Several
years elapsed bef re Government conceived it ne-
cessary to order a tiainina ; and, in the twelve
years that hive gone by since the gen-tal disband.
men!, the militia have only beers time limes called
out, and in no case !or a longer pe:iod than four meek*.
In that space-of time it is need ess to say that no extra-
ordinary progre-a was made in modelling saw recruits
suddenly called from the loom and the plough-:a-1.—..
The Staff undoubtedly 1 .boured hand, and so did the
docile novices themselves; but, as serer al dais at the
beginning an.] end of each period were unavoid bty ota
copied iii giving out and taking in at ens and clothing.,
they had b Ately begun t. f el thentselves at ease in
the ranks, wen they were tens to the right about
This being a well-known fact, we scarcely 'leak
that even the staunchest stickler for the di:embodied
system will say th..t it has been of material advantage
to the count, y. S thousinds of count, y lads have,
it is true, been instructed timaey rules of the
mi:itary discipline; but we question whetter the in.
jury their morals must have sustained (torn their
being cnngregatei in a town, arid emancipated from ths;
sut veillance of their friends, does not more than court
terbalance the ultimate advantage. The staff have don
their duty well, a; far as duty was required of them ; t.ute
for-years together, that-duty teas been nothing more
than attending a monthly parade, and giving casual
assistance to the civil power in ca,es of riot or fire. The
non-conimesioned officers have becon e ant spatted both
in system and years. The subalterns, ti.o, are fast
losing their mtlitar knowledge. and, iLouhtedls, , their
youthful ardour, and the field officersa- d captains who •
beljnged to the corps when on permanent service, har-
ing rio inducement to remain indai s men, have, in in-
numerable instances, thicien up their commissions,
which either imam vacant or are held by ni vices
who know nothisig of discipline. Under these clic urn•
stances we do rot see how Government cuulJ do better
than put an cod t0.4.1te whole system, with the under.
st rutting that due compenv-tion .hail be made to all
who have a claim to it. At tis moment the average
allowance to each tegument, fit subaltern officers, does
tot, according to the Parliamentary returns, amount to
5001. annually, and a rapid diminution of that sum may
.be confide thy anticipated. In the same way there
would be a yearly diminution of any retired allowance
which might be made`to the members of the staff;
and, in the course of a very short time, the expense to
the country would become-quite insignificant. We are
at a loss to determine, horn tie order referred to above,
whether it is the intention of Government to grant a
retired allowance to the individuals who are to be struck
off the establishmei t on the 24-11 June, 1529; brat we
take it for granted that such is the case. In the event
of the set vices of ,the militia bring again required, an
expesienced Adjutant, and a supply of smut, well-
trained uon-contruissioned officers fn m the line, wculd
re-organise the corps anew as expeditiously, and as
.serviceably, as the exigencies of the State could possibly
demand.—Edinburgls Observer.

The paragraph about ele revenue w! ich we col ied
from The Vines of Thursday, cola si is a material error.
An increaser t I,OOOAX/0/. on the quarter in the Excise
is wrong. On the year it is a great sum, and mt.re
ban Ministers, we believe, had any eipestatirn
Our late Monarch, Gwent the Tniao, was the 'res.
vial patron of Dr. IlantvirEL, and or w did then con-
descended to visit hum. While tie Doctor was con.
su ucting his large celestial tele.cfn e, the KING called
one clay along with one of the Bishops, to see tin
instrument, which was, lying on its side, and wide
enough to admit a person to walk into it with d httlr
stooping. The Bishop wished to follow, but his Ma.
rum insisted that he should, in this case, lead; "go
on," said lie, "go on, and show me, as you are in duty
bound, the way to Ileaven."—Scolsnran.

These i• no vutts in the Paragraph a WO has gone
the rounds that the yetervs ate tit be celled obi. We
can po itively state thli :he Government has nu such
steps in contemplaton.— Plymouth J0111'11(11.

CIONSTADTI DEC. 2 —The Gull -6 entirely coveted
with ice, excepting a small opening at am Muleircid,
and a tew spots which are not frozen over between thil
place and Oranienbaum, from whence a number of
people have closed to-day on foot.