Star.
London, England, 1827-01-13 00:00:00

- s.----..------se ...-----
to destroy the character of the laiidstrarmy as the nem- aid if copeck, of'matchimi thlitaselves.with" the finest
rally good materials of which it is composed would troops which Eiir'ope ever produced—to the memory or
permit. The. heart must-haveabeen bold that did not his Royal. Highness tire-Duke of York we owe this
despair at the sight of such an Augean stable. • change horn the state of our forces thirty years since.
In the first place, our system of purchasing cons. Toe means of importing the tactics of the British
missions—itself an evil in a military point of view, army did not escape hif Royal Highness's sedulous care
and yet indispensable to the freedom of the court. and attention. Formerly, every commanding Officer
try—had been stretched so far as to open the way manoeuvred his regiment after his own fashion; and if
ibis every sort of abuse. No science was required, no a brigade of troops were brought together, it was very'
Venice, no previous experience whatsoever; the boy.let doubtful whether they could execute any one combined
loose from sichool the last week, might in the course of movement, and almost certain that they could not exe•
*month be a Field Officer, if his friends were disposed cute the various parts of it on the same principle. Milt]
to be liberal of money and influence. Others there was remedied by the system of regulations compiled by 1
were, against whom there could ,be no complaint for the late Sir David Dundas, and which obtained the
want of length of service, although it might be difficult sanction and the countenance of his Royal Highness:a-a'
so see how their experience was improved by it. It was This one circumstance, of giving a uniform principle
no uncommon thing for a commission to be obtained and mode of working to the different bodies, which ark
for a child in the cradle; and when he came from col- after all, but parts of the same great machine, was in
lege, the fortunate youth was at least a Lieutenant of itself one of the most distinguished services which could
some standing, by dint of fair promotion.. To sum up be rendered to a national army, and it is only sue-
this catalogue of abuses, commissions were in some prising that, before it was introduced, the British army
instances bestowed upon yarn Ladies, when pensions was able to execute any combined movements at all.
could not be had. We know ourselves one fair dame We cannot but notice the Duke of York's establish.
who drew the pay of Captain in the Dragoons, ment near Chelsea for the orphans of soldiers, the
and was probably not much less fit for the service than cleanliness and discipline of which are a model for such
some who, at that period, actually did duty; for, as we institutions; and the Royal Military School, or College,
have said, no knowledge of any kind was demanded at Sandhurst, where every specie. of scientific.instruc-
from the young Officers. If they desired to improve tion is afforded to those Officers whom it is desirable to
themselves in the elemental parts of their profession, qualify for the service of the Staff. The excellent
there were no means open either of direction or of in- Officers who have been formed at this institution are
struction. But as a zeal for knowledge rarely exists the best pledge of what is due to its FOunder. Again
where its attainment brings no credit or advantage, the we repeat, that if the British soldier meets his foreign
gay young men who adopted the military profession adversary, not only with equal courage, but with equal
were easily led into the fashion of thinking that it was readiness and facility of manoeuvre—if the British (NB.
pedantry to be master even of the routine of the exer- cer brings against his scientific antagonist, not only his
cise which they were obliged to perform. An intelli- own good heart and hand, but an improved and en-
gent serjeant whispered from time to time the word of lightened knowledge of his profession, to the memory
command, which his Captain would have been ashamed of the Duke of York the army and the country owe them.
to have known without prompting ; and thus the duty The character of his Royal Highness was admirably
of the field day was huddled over rather than performed. adapted to the task of this extended reformation, in a
It oas natural, under such circumstances, that the plea. branch of the public service on which the safety of
sures of the mess, or of the card or billiard table, should England absolutely depended for the time. Without
occupy too much of the leisure of those who had so few possessing any brilliants-, his judgment, in itself clear
duties to perform, and that extravagance, with all its and steady, was inflexibly guided by honour and prin.
disreputable consequences, should.be the characteristic ciple. No solicitations could make him promise what
of many, while others, despairing of promotion, which it would have been inconsistent with these principles to
could ®f be acquired by money or influence, sunk grant; nor could any circumstances induce him to break
into mere machines, performing without hope or heart, or elude the promise which he had once given. At
a task which they had learned by rote. same.tiate, his feelings, humane and kindly, were mall
To this stare of things, by a succession of well eon- possible occasions, accessible to the claims of compar
sidered and effectual regulations, the Duke of York put lion; and there occurred but rare instances of a wife
a stop with a firm yet gentle hand. Terms of service widowed, or a family rendered orphans, by the death of
were fixed for every rank, and neither influence nor a meritorious Officer, without something being done
money was permitted to force any individual forward, render their calamities more tolerable.
until be had served the necessary time in the present
As a statesman, the Duke of York, from his earliest
grade which he held. No rank short of that of the Duke
appearance in public life, was guided by the opinions of
of York—no courage and determination inferior to that
i c rcu mstances are worthy of remark.
of his Royal Highness, could have accomplished a
Mr. Pitt. But two
First, that his Royal..
Highness never permitted the condo
change so important to the' service, but which yet was
deration of politics to influence him in his department of 'I
to unfavourable to the wealthy and to the powerful,
C
whose children and proteges had formerly founds briefommander. in. Chief, but gave alike to Whig as to Tory,
the preferment their service or their talents deserved.'
way to promotion. Thus a protection was afforded to Secondly, in .. himself
attaching to the party-whose. object
those Officers who could only hope to rise by merit and is supposed to be to strengthen the Crown, hts Royal
length of service, while, at the same time, the young
Hiohness would have been the last man to invade, in
aspirant was compelled to discharge the duties of a the s ightest degree, the rights of the people. The fol:
subaltern before attaining the higher commissions.
lowing anecdote may be relied upon. At. the table of
In other respects, the influence of- the Commander. lowing
Commander-in-Chief, not many years since, a young
in-Chief was found to have the same gradual and me- a. '
Officer entered into dispute with Lieut.-Colonel ---,
notating influence. The vicissitudes of real service, and
upon the poineto which military obedience ought to be
the emergencies to which individuals are eipoted,
carried. U lithe Commander-in-Chief," said the young
began to render ignorance unfashionable,
as it wal Officer, like a second Seid, "should command me to do
speedily found that mere valour, however fiery, was .. which I
a thin
unable on such occasions for the extrication of those
en scruple to obey him,and consider myself as relieved from
gag ed in them ; and that they who knew their duty all res nsibilit by the commands of my military pe-
rand discharged it, were not only most secure of victory rim." " So wouldy I, " na
returned the gallant and
and safety in action, but most distinguished at head- intelligent Officer, who maintained the opposite side of
quarters, and most certain of promotion. Thus a taste
for studying mathematics and calculations applicable the question. "I should rather prefer the risk of being
to war was radua shot for disobedience by my commanding Officer, thaw
, lly introduced into the arm y, and
hanged for transgressinr the laws and violating thi
carried by to g
me Officers to a great length, while apes-libirlies of the countr " You have answered like
fect
positively deman intance Wi
dtfromh the routine of the
in field day was
yourself," said his Royal Highness, whose attention had
de every Officer . the service
as an indispensable qualification. been attracted by the vivacity of the debate; rand the
His Royal Highness also introduced a species of mo-
Officer would deserve both to be shot and hanged that
sal discipline among the Officers of our army, which
should act otherwise. I trust all British Officers would
unwilling to execute an illegal command, as 1
trust the Commander.in Chief would be incapable of i
bad the highest consequences on their character. Per-
be as
sons of the old school of Captain Plume and Captain
ssuing one."
Brazen, men who swore hard, drank deep, bilked trades.
melt, and plucked pigeons, were no longer allowed to The religion of the Duke of York was sincere, and,
arrogate a character which they could only support by be was particularly attached to the doctrines and con.
deep oaths and ready swords. If a tradesman whose &minion of the Church of England. In this his Royal
bill was unpaid by an Officer, thought proper to apply Highness strongly
resembled his father ; and, like his
'to the Horse Guards, the debtor received a letter from father, he entertained a conscientious sense of the obli-
bead-quarters, requiring to know if there existed any gations of the Coronation Oath, which prevented him
objections to the account, and failing in rendering a sa- from acquiescing in the further
against relaxation of the lawel
tisfactory answer, he was put on stoppages until the ere. Catholics. We pronounce no opinion on the,
tor's demand was satisfied. Repeated applications of justice of his Royal Highness's sentiments on this im.
this kind might endanger the Officer's commission,which Portant point, but we must presume them to have been
was then sold for•the payment of his creditors. Other sincerely entertained, since they were expressed at the
moral delinquencies were at the same time adverted to; hazard of drawing down upon his Royal Highness an
and, without maintaining an inquisitorial strictness over odium equally strong and resentful.
the Officers, or taking too close inspection of the mere In his person and countenance, the Duke of York was
gaieties and follies of youth, a complaint of any kind im. large, stout. and manly; he spoke rather with some of
plying a departure from the character of a Gentleman the indistinctness of utterance peculiar to his late father,
and a man of honour, was instantly inquired into by the than with the precision of enunciation which distin-
Commander-in-Chief, and the delinquent censured or guishes the King. his Royal brother. Indeed, his Royal I
punished as the case seemed, to require. The army Highness resembled his late Majesty perhaps the most
VAN thus like a family under protection of an indulgent of any of George lll.'s descendants. His family affec-
father, who, willing to promote merit, checks, with a nods were strong. and the public cannot have forgotten
timely frown,the temptations to license and extravagance. the pious tenderness with which he discharged the duty
The private soldiers equally engaged the attention of of watching the last days of his Royal. Father, dark.
his Royal Highness. In the course of his superintendence ened as they were by corporeal blindness and mental
of the army, a military dress, the most absurd in Europe, incapacity. No pleasure, no business was ever known
was altered for one easy and comfortable for the men, to interrupt his regular visits to Windsor, where his un-
and suitable to the hardships they are exposed to in happy parent could neither be grateful for, nor even
actual service. The severe and vexatious rules exacted sensible of, his untemitted attention. The same ties of ,
about the tying of hair, and other ogling punctilios affection united his Royal, Highness to other Members of '
(which had been found sometimes to goad troops into his Family, and particularly to its present Royal Head.
mutiny), were abolished, and strict cleanliness was sub. —Those who witnessed the Coronation of his present
stituted for a Hottentot head-dress of tallow and flour. Majesty, will long remember, as the most interesting 1
The pay of-the soldier was augmeined, while care was part of that august ceremony. the cordiality with which
at the same time taken that it should, osier as possible, his Royal Highness the Duke of, York performed his
be expended in bettering his food and extending his act of homage, arid the tears of affection which were
comforts. The slightest complaint on the part of a mutually shed between
the Royal brethren. We are
private sentinel was as regularly inquired into, as if it aware that uncles this heavy dispensation, his Majesty
had been preferred by a General Officer. Lastly. the will be chief mourner, not in name only, but in all the
use of the cane (a brutal practice, which our Officers sincerity of severed affection. The King's nearest
borrowed from the Germans) was entirely prohibited, brother in blood was also his nearest in affection; and
and regular corporal punishments, by the sentence of a the subject who stood next to the throne, was the indi-
court-martial, have been gradually diminished. vidual who would most willingly have laid down his
If, therefore, we find in the modern British Officer life for its support.
more information, a more regular cootie of study, a In social intercourse, the Duke of York was kind,
deeper acquaintance with the principles of his proles. courteous, add condescending—general attributes, we
sion, and a greater love for its exertions—if we find believe, of the blood royal of England, andwell befit.
the priiate sentinel discharge his duty with a mind un- deg the Princes of a free country. It may be rentals-
embittered by petty vexations anitregimental exactions, bered, that when, in " days of youthful pride," his
conscious of immunity from capricious violence, and Royal Highness had wounded. the feelings of a young.
f sheltering himself be. where to appeal if he sustains injury—if we nobleman, be now thought o