The Tenth Hussars.
The Times, 1824-03-31T00:00:00

Lor,..l ,rs'.) k1orse-btuardt, IMlarch 22. 1824. MYL ordy ha-ve had the honiour to reeie, and to lav before the Commander.irt,Cliier" our Lore.shiip's letter of the 14th fos-tant, and th am directed tom tiat,e brislRoyal l'lighn.i s o tsupised that th Staternert. of Mr. Battier, which appearined ini the MornLing ('Arc- zinle of the I 1thl instant, and in other papers, should hiave filledI you 'ith -stowshiritin t and indignation. Hit Royal Highress rejoicest, however, that youir Lorzdship'ii letter offiers to huln the opotnity of making some observations upon that statemient, atnd of COnve1ying to vyou, for such use as you may thinlk fir to make of it, hi% vit:v of Mr. Battier's recert procee4ings, anti I WiU endeavour It.executc ;is Royal llighnesm's instructions to that etfect as brie-fly r- the s4ubject will adImit, and without entering into aqn~ imnserr.7sry tdeta,il. 'Sour Lordshir is aware, thaut wben ~Mr. Battler aDplied for the exchange to the 110th Eustsars, he produced testimonials of his pre. 'Veous' condluct in the lith D)rVgoon Giiardis, and tlte 18th Hussars, whlich were considlered by hi-, Royal Hflghtness perfectly saLisfacOry. TJhese testimonials were sigtned by Lie'utenAnt.C-oione'l Gordon, of the 'th Drap'o6n Guards, Colonecl iMrirray andI lient-Colonel Huzhes, of thel18th Tlussasr, a-id they, spoke, 'without reservie, of hiis qualific~ation as an officer and a gentleman. Ulpon his joiniing the 111th Flussars, hie expeviencedi a reception anti a treatment 'romn the officers forming the wess of the corps,, which neitherhIIIs apparent incapacity and unfitness for the dutly of a repi- ment ofrazvalt,rv, ot any exception taken to his manner anid appear- arncL, could justif~, ana whichiwere, uponl his represenratioi, ceusuted In thle stronKest termis hy thec Commander-in-Chiief, and drew upon those concerned the expression of hit Royal Hlighness~'s unqualified disapprobation, The communication uipon this subject was miade to Lotrd Cemabermere, who was desiredI to reprimand thie officers, and to admonish them not to persist in a course whichi would expose them to mnarks of more serious displeasure. Bel'ote, however, my letter reached Lard Con,beriihere, the off.- cers cuncerned had been convinceelI of the impropriety of their con-! ,duct, and badl acknowledged their error, andI althoughi they miight not! bave felt in'clined to place themselves; upon a flooting of easy or farmi.I liar intercourse with Mr. Battier, it doe-s not aeopear that thiey, as a, lsodv or is individuials subsequently afforded to him. any cauase of ,conip~ant which could warrant furthler remonstranice, or call fro notice fromn hiigher authority, or which could provoke him to "1 Per. sonal collision." On the contrary, Sir Colquhoiun Grant stat es that .Me. Battieracquainted hiim thiatbe anti his friends wvere satisafe w'ith the mianner in, whichi his representations hadi been met, eandthe whole affair arranged with his brother-officers. Reports were, hiowever, made by C.o1lbIet SiT George Quentin, throughi Lortd Cembemreare and S.`i Colqulhoun Grant, of "1r. Bat. tier's utter unfitness for the du.,ti-es Oft a Cavalry Officer, and of the improbability of his ever beirg sufdicientlv improved, by drill or instruction, 'to becomrag ibeo digusic to his, situatoion, or to theregrnet, lisL p-rscn,tinswere afterwards conflirmed by C. was in consequence, told, by order of his Royal ~ishess tht h iid better remove from th'e 10th Hussars, by re- sang t haf.pv,o(as thcTe was nothing in the reports madew~hich coud a'ec hi chraceras a gentleman) with the option of' pur- chasig a hlf-pa Lutnancy of Infantry, whenever an opportto- I'o his r. Bttier. subscribed, and it was clearly understood thathe houl qut aregimenit anti a branch of the service for which he had been roe,ad in fact had acknowvloiged himself to be un- fit, and inwih ever would have been replaced, if'his Royal Highness h cnntben miisled by the testrinonials of his previous: com iandfng ofies ohus stmatters until the -periodi a' your Lordship's visit to, your regiment, an.d Lord. Combermeres review of it. Upon the occasion u,f thec ins.pection of the regiment by Sir Col-; quhoun Grant, on the 19Jth of November, Mr. Battier conveyedl, I thrughLiete~nt-Colonel Taylor, his earnest entreaty to Sr hibitin ho G ll-'et, that he wouild not expose his incompetency by ex-! hibtige b i, in the thirdl class of riding drill. and he again acknow- Sir s unfitness for the situation he heldl. Itte ,olqtihonin Grant acqaiiesredI in his request, and told hiim, in e tseence of Sir Georgge Quentin and Lieutenant-Colonel Taylor, .art as hie couldI nor appear at the review, lie would give him leave ~Or absence, of which he might instantly avail himiself ; Alr. Bat-! tier stating' at the same timen that it woud be unpleasant to him,I under these circiuntasraces, to remain with the regimnent;, and SirI Colquhoun Grant, knowing that M1r. Battier was to be removed Iroin the 10th Hussars, concluded that he wouldl at once take his leave-an impression whichi was confirmed by Mr. Battier's leaving the barracks in plain clothes, and ceasing to do any duty, or to ap. -pear in uniform, accordingr to reguistion.- UJpon the 24th of Noveimbez, wheni your Lordship inspected tile: regiment in the morning, Mlr. Battier didI iot appear, and was re- ported absent on leave, the official notification having been con-; veyed to him on the 23d, the leave hiaving been given verb;ally by S~ir rolquhboun Granlt from the 19th. In the evening of the 24th, wheni your Lordship dinedI at the' ins,Mr. Battier thought fit'again to mak-e his appearance as an, office of the corps, an(l upon thlis occasion the circumstances or-! curred which form the saubject of Mr. Battier's letter to me of the 7th of December, which he has published. tUpo receiving this letter, the Commander.ini.Chief ordlered me odesreLord Comnberincre to call upon Sir George Quentin for his reply to Mr. Battier's complaint, andt not being satisfed witit the! explanationi tberein giveni, he directed me subsequentlyv to write to youir Lordship, and to express his surprise and regret thiat yu :;hould, by your proceeding on the 24th of November, have appear- ed to sanction, and have actuallv sanctioned, a previouts coursec o'f conduct on the part of the officersof Your regimnent, whiich liad incurred his Royal H{ignetsh's dlispleasure, anid had been miarked by! the expression of his seriouis disapprobation. Y'our Lordshi~'% reply, stated your entire ignorance of the proceed- inga which hrd sncurred his Royal Highness's dis-pleasure, and of! the reproof conveyed to the officers con'cernied ;-.it denied many of Mr.a Bi.'eter's assertions, more partictilarly that which stated thait you lintreatened to take steps with hils Royal Highness, the effect of I wl,'ict would be " seriously to injure hii prospects in the army, if I ~ie didl not retire from the mess," and it assigned as, a 'reason for your proceeding, the fact previov.sly stated to You by Sir CoiquhotinI Grant, that he had five days before given M'r. Battier leave to quit the regriment, of which Mr. Battier had actually availed himself, by niot atteniling any duty since the 19th, your impression (as well as Sir Colquhouin Orant's) beinig that be' had left the head-quarters of the regiment. This statement ofl your Lordship's is corroborated by Sir George Quceitin, who was presient at your interview withi Mr. Bat tier on the 24 th. His Royal Highness ordered me, in reply, to assure you that your explanation was satisfactorv, and to censure in stronigterms the con- duct of Sir George Quentin', in omitting to apprise youi of what had rased, anid in suffering you to remain in ignorance of it when yrou desired hIm to speak to Mr. Battier, and to prevent his dintng at the maess, adding, that his Royail Hliohness was conifidient, that if you hall been dlulyr apprised of the previous occuzi-ctices, and of hlis Royval H ighness's view of'them, you would,in spite Of Mr. Battier's ifl-Judged and ill-timed appearance at the incass, have felt anxious, to concur with his Royal Highness in checking proceedings inconsis- ten-t with thie principles of subordination and the acknowledged nitles of society, which therefore hiis Royal Highness must condemn whierever they occur, and in maintainiting thiat respect for sutperior authority, of 'which some officers of' the 10th had lost sight in the adoption of a line of conduct that had drawn upon themn a reproof of which they had acknowledged the iustice. lihaving given this general statemneiit of the circumstances, as de- l'ived from the official docu.ments in mny possession, I shall ptrocced, in obedience to htis Roval Highness's comimands, to make somie ob- servations upon Mr. Batttier'a statement, which is an appeal to the feelings of the armiy and the publtc against thte Cemmander..in-Chief 'whom he most unjustly and incorreetlr accuses of havingdisregaed~J his comiplaints, not less than sitis a i'ibel upon your Lordr-hijs, anti upon the regiment from which hie has retired, los the avowed pur- po*e of resorting to such a course. The first parts o01t it adrte hnardlY deserVing Of comment. Mr. Bat- tier complains that the Comiuander-in-Chief had in private visited the conduct of the officers of the 10th with his censure and repri- mand, "-but had not been pleased to Publish throughout the army a-ny manifestations of this displeasure." His Royal Highness cons- ceives that he may use his discretion in the maniner of noticing a.ny representation or appeal made to him ;.and that uponi thisI occasion hie adopted the course best suited to circumrtstances, such Rs indeed did Droduce the desired result, as must appear from the statemezit of fat. have given, and frons MrI. Battier's own admission. Ar. Battier states, that while the offi cers of th4e 10th placed Iu "in Cov-entry," and withheld from, him the marks of courtesy whilchm, in civilized society, are considered due to a gestlemnan and a stranger, each member of the corps observed the catstious Policy of shuinning all risk of personal colliston., Headmirsthis. He expresses the feeling under which he quitted the oorps-a feeling of decitled liostility-..a feeling which leads him 'witen he had crossed the water, and as soon as he had ceased to bear a commissionl in it, to insult soifl defy, not one memnber of it, but the whole corps indfiscrim~inately ; and 'Yet this iniv(iidual who) would steM, freJnl his owni account, to have courted " personal' collision" aind who negw discovers grounds for insulting a whole corps which hbail een denied to him by "the cautions Policy of each miember of it," dlid not hesitate, very unnecessarily and very indiscreetly, dir. cumstanced as he was, to appear at the mess after leave of absence bad, been given to hi'm in consequence of hiis enitreaty to Sir Colquho-in Grant that he might not be exposedI to ridlicuile. It is reasonable to ask, what could be Mir. Battier's mnotive for ap- pern ttemesa at such a moment, and with feelings such as he avowsin,grhis published statemenit ? Were his intenitions amicable or hoatije? If amicabole,his subsequentitinTectives wouldlbrrray strange incons-istency; if hostile, and supposed to besofrom any previous expression in other quarters, of those sentimpents now published, no better justification couild be found for your L-ordship's exclusion of Islem from the circle to which he sough'tadmis8ton. After these remarks, Ihis Royal Highness considers it wholly tun- niecessary to notice the general redlections writh whichl Mr. BAtI.ier has favoured the orps of officers. Iprocee tMr. Ba~ttier's comments upon the Commanderirin. Chief's conduct. He states that, "1in conseouer.ce of your Lordship reporting hiim unacquainted with his duty, Ptod unfit for cavalry ser- vice, hia Royal IHighness was pleased to take no notice of his appeal, 8ather n loin i to purchas~ap half-pay lieutenancy at' the As l~ooir. Btirthuh i xi W~;tter toug to pi ublish wvithlout anype er Mission obtained.froma his Roya lH ighnees, my lette of theviu 1pthro 1rebruary, which acquaints him that his Royal H4ighness had more than once expressedi his disapProbation of the conduct observed to- wgards him by same officers of the loth ul as it may,be presumed that it waz not from delicacy or discretion that ho abstatned from nublishing also miy reply to his letter of 7th of Decembr,n fwhc now subojon a coyfor ber etsi'ifrmto, and fromi 'which it wtll appar tha'I r. Battiehaticnar to anve tromth ~,blic so muhol swoliev i own curpoe andiv to wth.. otheeasoa asigned by his R s further what had passed. ya i esfor not noticinlg I am directed to add, thathwvrdso. oani htAr -Batierhadexpeieneda treatment, while a member of the loth BHussars, which wascalculated to produre much.- soreness Of feel.. in,and howe-ver willng to allow for the ir'ritation under which he qultte the co.rps, and even for thle impression he may, h... en.. tertained' that his comPlaints had not met with the attention to which he considered thern entitled, sod which wast in fact shown to themn-ir. Battier's publication appeared to his Royal Highness to bea so grosssa breach of discipline, that his first intention was to have recommenlded to his MV ajeatr that he should be dismissed from the service ; and I wa tefore ordlered, on the 12th instanit, to write to him, and to desire he 'woulil state whether he wras the author of it? But as this, publicatiop, independently of the Insult offrered to ybusr Lordship, his late Colonse1-and to the whole cors. ontine alo cmmets ponhis Roal lRlhniess's conduct whih mghtbe reume tobe ersnaly olemsive tohimi,his Thsyal Bighess as bstaned i'op folowng a course which a sense of sluy t th vie wuldhaie oheriseprecried,let might t m 1eeted 4itthe~t tsiy hths?8hei-j Eahtio yot Ldshp, t teihoniiiof yotur teeSIn'nt, t;kf inv noticeeof hye Battieg,'s stetemeiit at'a to repeat, thaLyt mat ~make free use ofthis letter and the encleeurv. 1 hive, &;c.; -(SIgnec)' '" 'H:eAYLOR. " Homse Guards, Jan. 13, 1824. "Sir,_'Having laid before the Commander-in-Chief your letter of the 8th of December last, and having, by order' ot hi';Royal Highness, made a reference udpon the subject to Lieutenant-General Lord Combermsere, and to l,ieutenanteGeneral-theMIo'qiuTi of Lon- donderry, I am directed to acquaint you, that as his Royal High- ness had already, in consequence of the report made somie time since ot your untitness for cavalry service, exoressed his intention of recommending you when the opportunity should ofc'er for the pur- chase of a Lieutenancy of Infantry, he does no; consider it neces- sary to notice further what has passed in regard to you in a re- gimert whici yoa will not bc called upon again to join, the more especiallv as it ap pears from the report of Major-General Sir Col- quhoun Grant, that previously to your appearance at the mes.s upon the occasion which produced your complainit, you had beeen allowed, at your own r2quest, to 2bsenit yourself from the review of the 10th Hussars, and had ol tain-d leave of absence, of which you had availed yourselt so fer as any duty or appearance on parade were concerned. " I have, &c. ' (Signed) "H. TAYLOR. To Cornet Battier, 10th IHussars, Thompson's Hotel, Holles-strect." illftz II&V271 IYUSSARS. Ndbb-- 'XO LTiEt'r..OE%ERALTR? IA19QUt0SP to.46rDtRA4.0C-S- I