Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-03-27

1 mn
on those who have bled for their country and ON
IL rel.,iyas of those who have died. Since we
chnose IA maintain the system of purchase In
onr army we nre hound at least so to regulate 1t
~ ,o avoid injustice. When we expect II man TO
ga into the field or 10 expose his life on the breach
i i not we'll 10 lei him feel as il wife and chii-
dren, or some other relatives were tugging him
tack II is enough that he risks his life, without
NJ the same time being obliged to risk the bread
Of those nearest and dearest to him. he jus
,ioe of paving 10 the representatives of officers
killed in battle the price of commission was
reeognized in royal warrant, but with aproYiso
that .fhe surviving relative 10 whom the pflce oil
the commission may he returned shall not be pro-
Guided by wealthy circumstances Lord Pan
mure has put an Interpretation on this passage
by declaring that all persons having 3O0I. year
or upwards are inswealhy circumstances. We
cannot understand why the line should be drawn
300. year, or, indeed, why il shonld be drawn
at ALL A case is stated Of officer who spent
the whole of his small patimony IN the purchase
Of his commission, who fought on fhe Alma aud
Mt Inkerman, and fell nj the Redan. His mother
n widow Ind lent him nearly two thousand pounds
for the purchase of his promotion, and because
she enjoys n life income OF 35Of. year, Lord
Panrnure says she is ''precluded by wealthy cir
cumstnnces;" although she is the chief support
of her invalid son and his wife. Thus the widow
all chance of repayment Of n sum of money she
could i'll spare. and by an arbitrary rule of The
military authorities she il refused the benefit Of
the royal warrant. The rule must exclude a
wide circle of relatives of officers killed in batle
and certainly every father of British officer. for
ne man whose income does not exceed }OH n
yonr could by my possibility afford to buy n
commission for his son, aud TO maintain him in
in the nrmy The Interpretation Of 'wealthy
nir otu AZ it,
is another rule, which is nHexibIe, aud altogeth
er without Justification. Every father of Brit
isb officer who receives any pension, allowance
provision from the Government is not permit
ted to receive any benefit under the warrant
The smallest pension. or some petry superunnu-
alton will defeat The claim Of man who may
have sunk his all to advance his son. Again the
father making claim must declare that he is in
"disire~sed circumstances" aud he must procure
Il certificate from tie colonel and agents Of his
late sons regiment that they "believe him to be
the father of the deceased officer, aud humby
commend him as deserving Of her Mhjesty's houn-
ty.' 1t is as difficult TO define distressed cir
cumsanees" IA the converse phrase. We have
known duke the owner Of broad domains,
to have been in very distressed circumstances in.
deed,and there arc some who can be "passing rich
ON forty pounds year" man may well be
above distress. although far from wealth, and the
n
sent themselves in the form Of suiiors for char
ity. The country did not mean an act of bonn
ty, but of Justice: aud desire, to the repre-
senatives Of officers who die in the field entitled
ofrght to receive the value of their commissions
Let US take the case of the widow OF n gen
erhl officer who died recently from the effect Of
wounds. Amongst those who fought at Inker
man, none were Drawer that l,rigadicr-G General
Torrens, who was severely, and rs it proved in
Inprprpusl 10 ,vpuuIpI wnl
obliged To come home, and when he arrived in
this country he WINS scarcely expected to live
temporary rally took place ON his reaching
England, but soon after his constitution failed,
aud after having suffered much from his wounds
he died at Paris in August, just nine months af
ter the battle of lnkcrman. BY the royal war
rant the widows Of officers who have died in nc
ton, or of wounds received in tho face of the
enemy, within six months after being wounded
Gro entitled to AN increased pension Sir Arthur
iorrens fingered beyond the Fixed time, and,
consequently he is considered by the War Of
fec not 10 have died of his wounds. Drs Ray
ner aud Vel prau: and Sir j. Clile. who attended
him during his illness, and who examined his
his body after death, have all certified that he
died solely Of the wound he received at Inker-
man The Secretary for War replies that tho
regulation required him to expire within six
months. and, rs he lived three months longer
his widow pension must he reduced from lOOi
the amount paid to others, to little over half
that sum. The hardship of this case is increas-
ed by the fact that the late Sir Arthur Torens
expended the whole of his private property in the
parehase of his several steps. When his regi.
meni was ordered to the East, he might. n Col
onel Torrens. have sold ont and pocketed ten
thousand pounds. He preferred duty and glory;
he distinguished himself and was made IL gen
eral "heer' thereby losing the power of selling.
a lew months after his promotion he shot
through the body and nine months after he died
Had he chosen the easier part and sold out
rather than go To wan, he would have been able
I" provide handsomely for his widow Had he
returned TO England a lieutenant colonel, he
might have done the same; but he distingui >hcd
n'ms'ii-he was promoted-nnd those he leaves
peh,hu are moleted IN proportion to his glory
Lazy iorienS Is allowed nothing for her late
husbands commissions, and she is left without
anything IN the world beyond the miserable pit
lance That the War Office has thought proper to
! grant her.
There is cold and heartess adherence to
routine IN this case, which exeites feeling of
melancholy mingled with dsguest. What can
we nope from officials who have no higher rule
Vi c"ndoct Than is here adopted by Lord Pan.
! "ure! Nobody can doubt that Sir Arthur Tor.
rens dled OF the wound he received at Inkerman.
l, Is equally clear that the intention of the roy
III WARRANT OF the 18th of June 1855 was TO in
crease Inc pensions of the widows of officers who
sn""'u ne OF their wounds Lady Torrens there.
,ote Is entitled to tho highest scale of allowance
out iofd Panmure Games in with an objection.
worthy orr wthered >pecial-peader and saws;
-FOUR late gallant husband died of his wounds;
received IN the face of the enemy beyond all douht
nut ne was not quick enough in DIVING. He
survived by mirole for nine months instead of
uy'hStn SIN and so he has reduced the army as.
inmates by nearly 200i year" Its not Tins
that England desires to deal with her heroes
Que wishes to pay well, to reward and 10 honor
thoso who serve her well, and to show her rrati.
/ Iniunnn