The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-04-29 00:00:00

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(ponces to which it lied tuteutlency to lead after the
%loath of the officer also deserved consideration. The
temptation to ',priory and evasion was tendered very
atrot% in the case of a helpless woman, incotnbered,
peil;aps, with e large family, when by stating her ac-4;
tual means to he within the limitation prescribed, a
pension might be obtained. It was scarcely micas-
sarsarie him to say, that mail instances of this us-
'tNre were known to have occurred in the navy. He.
sous not kwitie ire w .44uatter this regulation had
but he diditot believe it waseither at the
11""*Gnitrgiv or lltiWar-Office. He was sure that
It could not have received the approbatiou of the de-
snowier Plitice who at 'anent presided over the inte-
reste or theactny. It way not difficult to conceive
that the opinion of that illustrious Person might be
opposed..hu such a wt ject by his Majesty's Ministers,
*se set of proof how independent they were of
' R Ile doubted whether the Noble
• •Lord, the Secretary at War, hid concurred in the
t Ornprioty of its adoption; hut, in other times, such a
circ,;Mstatite would have led to his resignation. The
" --pretence id economy made but a bad appearance,
. when it was found that in no other respect was public
economy consulted, and that no • tetreuchments were
effected, w I;me they.wers most loudly called for.—
Ile felt coniideut that not only the feelings of the
army, but those:lse of the Public was opposed to the
regalatiou;
.with regard to which, therefore, he
shoald seep' no compromise, but move for it. total
.04 tin! nocondit tonal revocation.—[Hear!]—He con-
. eluded by moving that an Address be presented to
"s his Royal flighaeat the Prince Regent, praying him
• '4 to revoke, cancel, alid annul the late warrant for re.
'Frolatiot the Pensions due to the Widows of Military.
• Officers.
• - Colonel DALRYMPLE4*In seconding the mo.
Cott, obsetved, that the 'tegulation in question was
• not 'recirliatended in soy record which had come
ender his notice. He found that, by the 21st of '
• 'Charles 11. pensions were granted to Officers'
Widows. At that period 3,0001. was devoted to
•
4tP., this laudable purpose. In 1647, when the army
' 'Ewes to be disbanded, en order was made for the pro.
-vision of Soldiers' Widows, and of maimed Soldiers.
-In 1716, special provision was made for.the Widows
• of Officers. He had consulted with Officers who
bad been half a centers in the service, and they de.
dared they entered it with the ides net only that they
would r•ceive arbitrate pay for thworeretves, but that
their Widows would be entitle to pensions. Now
*vr, utd it be an advisable measure, for a small es.
•pected saving, to take soil from military Ingo that
ft...ling' towards their country, which constituted its
• 'ride and safeguard ?—[Hear, hear !].—Officers were
• reeliged either to pay large sums for commission's,
11 to hate- the mortification of beholding young
Amen raised over their heads. Oa their deaths, those
commissions &gaits becamethe property of the Public.
Therefore, on their marriage, Officers in general had
but little to•settle on those whom they espoused—
and they looked naturally enough towards the pen.
sins), as something hey and what a Lady's own fortune,
or tile hope of contingent property, enabled them
to consider as a provision for a future period. The
Hon. Colonel then referred to the order of (lime',
Anne, in 1708. and of Gen. I. in 1717, relative to
providing pensions for the Itiolows of Officers. In
both of these apiece, all mention of property de-
sired from the deceased husband was omitted and
eppesteil to be omitted on purpose—for other pen-
sions or allowances from Government were specifi-
cally mentioned as baring an individual from a claim
on the Widows' Fund. Ile believed that officers
timely relied on a continuance of the same system
Toot ihie sets the ate at the time of the passing of
Mr. Ilurke's Bill, in 1782. he could produce living
testimony. A few years since the rate of pensions
was increased.; but it was not until a multitude of
victories were gained, and grants were its consequence
bade, that it began to be imagined that the liberality
of Parliament had extended to profusion, and that
the isles was entertained of molding the number of
widows who had a right to demand pensions. The
country asked for economy and retrenchment—but
certainly this was not the saving they were anxious
for. A novel and vexations test was now, it seem-
ed, to he impnied on those unprotected widows,
while other Ladies were allowed to receive pensions
toe large •ns.iunt—whether earned by themselves or
their reintivea be would not pretend to say.—
[ihar. hear l] —The Honourable Gentleman then
took is b view of the 18th, 19th, and 20th Re-
ports of the Finance Committee, which, he ninety.
ed, did not reconsmeed any measure of this descrip-
tion—anti concluded by expressing his hope, that
the Prince Resent would recur to the practice which
his illustrious ancestors had long pursued, and which
' the votes of Parliament had sanctioned for many
• 'eery

Mr. JOHN SMITH obse►ved that, if he was right
in believing that the Officers of the Royal and
Here-artillery contributed a portion of their pay to
the Widows' Pension Fund, it appeared to him that
the late regulation could Not easily be reconciled to
the ordinary principles of justice. Ills attention had
been directed for several years to the general condi-
tion and circumstances of officers' widows, which he
thought bad a peculiar claim upon the sympathy of
the country, being in many instances women of rank
and education. The considerations of a moral no.
lure which had been ulleded to were also deserving
of the attention of Parliament.
Mr. F. LEWIS rose for the purpose of explaining
the part which the Finance Committee had taken with
respect to the regulation which formed the subject of
• this discussion. It certainly did not originate with
them, but their enquiries had led them to a know.
ledge of the extreme dissatisfaction which prevailed
In the navy, and the perpetual complaints which
were made by the officers in that service on the score
of this regulation. It was not advantageous to the
service. to hear it constantly repeated, that it was
not equally favoured, and that the distribution of re.
wards was conducted in a different spirit than that
which manifested itself in the exercise of patronage in
the army. It appeared advisable to remove the
ground of difference between the two services, and
to cut off a source of so much jealousy and heart-
burning.
Colonel STANHOPE said, instead of doling out
relief, as a miller of charity—instead of suffering the
widow of officers• to sue, in forma pouperir—it
would be far more worthy of a great nation, which
bad been so gallantly defendedi lEtt were to deal out