Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-11-25
The British Army.

Attention is now being directed in Enc-
land. in forcible way, by MIR. George &
lrovy lan, TO what BIO terms the ..horrid
scandal OF tue 81 stem of purchasing com
missions Ill tho British army. Mr. Trevy
! liam IS a nephew Of tho late celebrated b;s
torian Thomas j.. Macaulay. and is q men
Der of the House of Commons from no
| district OF Hawick. In December. 1863
he was appointed Lord of the Admiral,v
ana for the last two years has been PROM.
nent in proposing measures for the reforr,
OF the British Lazy, which were carried
out to great extent. Tie was. howevar
entirely too far advanced in his liberal
political principles to work with the CHAD
stone ministry and resigned his office. bav.
log committed the ''indiscration" of con.
suring the Duke of Cambridge. the corn.
tnandcr IN chief of tue army. Mr.. Trevv.
Ian is an advocate Of the ballot, and j. IN
favor OF the abolition of the purchase of
the commissions IN the army. He has re-.
Gently been delivering pubic addresses on
THIS subject, from which Very interesting
statistics have been gathered. It appears
that the compensation required to abolish
the purchase system, that is the sum which
would indemnify the officers for the prices
paid for their commissions, amounts to
SO. 7Ol go; but on the other hand il il
calculated that by the proposed reform an
annual saving of So, 500, 0O0 or fiv, times
he interest at three per cent. on the alb we
sum, would be effected. Thus il is A.
legged that the British army Is greatly
lover c fficered" in all corps W here the pnr-
chase system prevail. La he regimruts
of the corps mentioned there is one officer
10 twenty men, while in the NORTH der-
man regiments there il one To
f1rty-nine, In the Austrian regiments
one to forty, and in the Frencn rezi
ments one to thirty. again, In the
British army IA purchase IT gim-nt of life
guards requires twenty seven off .ers to
four hundred men, while two battalions OF
horse artillery, containing nearly the same
number of men, are differed, TO tho "ad-
mirAtion Of Europe," with ten regimental
officers. Mr.. Trevyian asserts that when
a man owes his position chiefly t. money
which lie himself has paid, tue same effi-
cheney cannot be eXacted, and that cap
tain and Northumberland ia the Lille
Guards, who has paid $27, 500 for his POSI-
ton, viii not stick to his work like An en-
glneer or artil!ery1an who has earned his
commission.
The principal expense Of the system as
charged upon the British Goverum Mt, is
In connection with the half-paY list, where
sums are paid yearly, parity to cnmpen-
safe officers for their Losses by purrh .se.
and partly to facilitate kindred transac-
tons. by these means the hIif pay list
vi tAe DFlCIsn army amounts 10 81, $40 900
per annum, and 1866 900 are paid to seu-
| erals without active du'i to pertorm
so, too, $3.50, 900 a year are paid % hold
ers OF honorary slnecure colonelcIes. Si35.
600 for "distingutshed SERVICE" aud $40.
600 for widows pensions. But tie Ia ,st
crying abuse, it is stated, is the annual
sum of $500 600 paid to army agents,
through whose hands passe the money
paid in the purchase aud eaIc Of cpmmi,-
sions. TLesc burdens upon the British
treasury do not originate 10 actual serv .ces
performed in time OF war, bur arise from
ciflms upon the government sprIngiug
from the purchase aud sale # com MISSIONS
Mr. TreVylian has made ont IA stroug case
against the orgariZ ,tion of tho British
army, and his complaint against the Duke
of Cambridge is fl dnded upon the decided
opposition of tbs commander-in chief to
reform in offering the army