Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-06-13
Strength and r eg ulatiOns of the British
Army.

The British army--not including the native
troops employed in India-consists, says the
New York EUening Post, of about 10000
men. There are one hundred regiments OF
infantry of the line, about thirty of which
have two battalions beside three regiments
of foot-guards. Each battalion consists OF
thirty-fve officers, and about one thousand
men and non-commissioned officers. The
cavalry consists of three regiments of Royal
Life Guards; seven ofheavy dragons; eighteen
of light dragons, including four regiments
of lancers, and a military train of six battal-
ions. The artillery and engineers are very
strong in men, metal and horses. The royal
marines consist of l5, 600 men, and due pro-
portion of officers, suited equally to sea and
shcre service. In addition to these there are
three regiments of West India blacks, local
corps At Newfoundland Malta Canada,
Ceylol and st. Helena. The enrolled PEN
force, consist of 10000 men, for the most part
in the prime of life, and the embodied militia
are not less than $4,000 strong. The volun.
teers trained and fit for duty at this moment
number at least 70 900 youth. Thus England
may be said to have at her command, in one
form or another, not less than 360, 900 troops
of all arms.
The officers of the British guards, line, ar
tillery and engineers, are all educated men,
more or less. Those of the two scientific
corps are obliged to graduate at the military
colleges; the Others pass an examination in
mathematics, Latin, French, or German his
tory; geography, English dictation, draw
ing, arithmetic, and any of the natural scien-
ces they may choose to select, the latter,
however, not being obligatory. Commits
sions in the engineers and artillery are open
to public competition, and cost nothing but
the college fees for two years. Commissions
in the guards and the line are generally paid
for, an ensignency costing f450; a coronetcy
fs40. - 0r'
A death vacancy in corps is filled up by
the next senior and costs nothing but va
cancy occasioned by the retirement of an
officer is only filled by the next on the list
for promotion-thus, if A retires and B, his
immediate junior, has not the means of pay
ing for the superior step, O, who may have
lodged the money, goes over his head. In
this way young men of fortune rapidly pass
over their seniors. II seems to involve an in
justice, but it has the effect of placing men
at the head of regiments while they are in
the prime of life. -.
The staff is selected from the regiments;
there is no separate staff corps. All officers
who have attained their sixtieth year with
out becoming majors or lieutenant-colonels,
at the head Of regiments, are required 70
leave their CORPS and are either placed on
half-pay or appointed to small commands and
colonial staff Offices, II they do not sell their
commissions and retire into private life.
Those who may wish to retire to Canada or
the Cape of Good Hope are allowed some
hundreds of acres Of government land, which
they may cultivate after their own manner.
The men Of the army are enlisted for linz
tied periods Of ten years; but they may re.
enlist, receiving fresh bountyj and if they
serve for twenty-one years they receive PEN
sions, the maximum Of which is two shilings
per diem .rla1 1ni.0-