Star.
London, England, 1818-05-01 00:00:00

were carried, the Master-General could not deny'
z,tern their arrears. They would amount to £15,000.
This brought him to the question of Finance. There
were six other troops of this very corps, on the Eng-
lish establishment, disbanded in 1814. It had been
well asked, if they had not served as well as their
brethren ? Their arrears would be £lO,OOO. There
vas, besides, a battalion of Irish Artillery reduced
pall-pay, never to return to the artillery service,
dad at least not yet adopted in the line. If these,
to came within the rule, (and they might pretend
rt) their arrears would be 22,0001.; in all, pro. ;
tubly, 47,0001. ccertainly 25,0001. besides a certain
additional expense of 60001. a year. With no prin-
ciple for them, with all precedent against them; were
the House prepared to grant away all this money ?
elan) Or when the department was called upon,
from one end of the kingdom to the other (by no
cue more loudly than the Honourable Gentleman) to
lower the estimates, could they be deemed good
',swards if they sanctioned the claim ?—(hear, hear.)
Fe repeated, he had every respect for these officers,
whose services he never would undervalue, and, in
particular, the character of Captain Humphreys
!rood high; but he avowed himself at a loss to dis-
cover what there was in the services of these two
troons so much beyond the services of their brother
officers and those of the whole British Army, as to
entitle them to have all rules broken in their favour.
In the line there were many instances of Gentlemen
who had bled in battles, or whose best years had been
consumed, and their healths totally ruined by cli-
mates which the Driver officers never witnessed, and
who had also paid for their commissions, which the
Driver officers had not, yet for whom the Com-
mander-in-Chief had laboured in vain to procure
more than the rule admitted. He had ascertained his
Royal Highness's opinion of this measure, and he
was competent to say, that if it were carried his
Royal Highness thought it would occasion great dis-
content throughout the Army—(hear, hear.) The
caly colour of pretence for it was, that while they
were told they could not return to the Driver ser-
s.co, they were not considered of so military a cha-
Liar at the Horse-Guards as to allow them to suc-
ned, according to their seniority, to commissions on
lull pay. Mr. Ward knew not why this was. If
being accustomed to act in the face of an enemy, to
evolutions in the field, to command and to obey,
made officers, they were so. But, at any rate, this
was in the discretion of the Commander-in-Chief, not
the Master-General that discretion which governed
the return of officers in the line itself, from half to
toll pay. Upon this whole subject Gentlemen seemed
to fall into this great fallacy, that half pay gave a
tight to return to full pay. This was not so—but all
01.5 at discretion. The King might regulate cases
ahe pleased for what he thought the good of the
!,rvice. Suppose he issued a regulation that no half
p.y officer should return to full pay, after the age of
thirty—this would exclude a large class of Gentle-
men; but would any man say it would give them a
riht to come to Parliament and demand full pay
In life ?—(hear, hear.) This was clear. Ndverthe-
kas, at the officers in question were for ever out of the
service, the Master-General. in communication with
c Government and the Commander-in-Chief, was

u far anxious for their interests as to consent, should
the blouse permit it, that they should be allowed to
enjoy their half pay, together with any income they-
night otherwise acquire under Government, and
therefore-to release them from the obligation of the
kali pay oath. For any other boon he was convinced
there was not a colour, and this being the opinion of
thosehe represented he was bound to state it, although
i.i taking the line he did, his Parliamentary duty had
ever cost him so much regret—(hear, hear.)
Mr. LIT fLETON felt perfectly satisfied with the
ot.Aervations made by the Honourable Member, for
the candour in making which he gave him great cre-
it ; indeed, some part of the Honourable Member's
=arks were an anticipation of those which he in-
tended to offer on the subject. He would not, there-
fore, take up the time of the House by adverting
bather to the topics on which the Honourable Mem-
kr had so ably delNered himself. There was, how
ever, one circumstance, on which he begged leave
o say a word. He alluded to the affidavit which was
is be made by every officer on receiving his half pay,
d his not holding any situation under the Crown.—
This he conceived to be a great grievance to the
hhole service. He could not see why a military man,
oho had long served his country, and after that sex,
lice had been placed upon half pay, should be pre-
cluded from again acting in any other than a mili-
tary capacity, except with the loss of their half pay.
If they were found efficient for civil situations, he
law no reason why they should not be employed, and
lola their half pay at the same time.
Mr. BENSON observed, that the case of the Offi-
cers alluded to, was one of justice, for though their
commissions did not say they were to be promoted
to higher situations than that of Captain, yet there
has something held out to them by which it was
two to be understood that they were not to be dis-
banded altogether. The Honourable Member read
an extract of a letter from the Duke of Richmond,
illicit he observed did not contain any direct pro-
tise, yet it left in the minds of the Officers sufficient
awn to think that they would not be treated in the
157 of which they now complained. •
Mr. CALCRAFT thought, that from the clear and
undid statement made by an Hon. Member (Mr.
Ward), there was nothing in the case of the Officers
ti which they had a just right to complain. He
therefore felt himself obliged to oppose the motion,
ylach, if carried, would, in his opinion, create invi-
Claus distinctions in the service. He therefore' trusted
hat his Hon. Friend (Mr. Bennet) would not press
omotion, and he felt satisfied that if the Officers
whose behalf it was made, should come to hear of
what had fallen from the Hon. Member opposite
Olt Ward), there was not one of them who would
tat feel that no injustice had been done to him. There
talteQes a great difference between the situation
of the Olcers of the Artillery Drivers and the °M-
tell of the Army, in this respect, that the latter pur- '
Ilased their commissions, which the former did not.
Mr. BENNET, in reply, repeated, that the case of
tc Olken he had mentioned was one of great hard. '1
15% The nature of their services seemed altogether
be overlooked. They were, in fact, the very 1
tk'''s of the Army, for without them the guns, ans-
"sition, or provision, could not be carnal from,
!4.aue to place. A great many of the Officers had
wafted severely in the se: vice, and many of them