MEMOIRS of GENERAL AND FLAG-OFFICERS RECENTLY DECEASED:- Young, ib.-Major-General Sir John Dalrymple, ib.-Lieut.- General George Cookson, 238-Admiral Sir Charles Tyler, 381 119, 264, 411, 547 List of Ships composing his Majesty's Navy, specifying the dates when, and the Places where, they were respectively built, &c. THE UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL. ON PROMOTION IN THE BRITISH ARMY. In the last number of this Journal we laid before our readers some observations on the subject of promotion,-particularly promotion by purchase, and we were proceeding to state how this system first originated, and to mark the various modifications it has undergone, from its introduction to the present period, when want of space compelled us to defer that information till the present number. Promotion by purchase has existed in our service, from a very early period. Indeed, had not most of our military records been destroyed by Cromwell, it is likely we should have been able to trace the practice to a period coeval with the existence of the British Army. The composition of our forces in feudal times probably first led to its introduction. When the Sovereign unfurled the standard of war, the Army which gathered around it was composed of tenantry, raised by the principal nobility and gentry of each county, and in most instances officered by their relatives or wealthy adherents. The Sovereign possessed or exercised very little authority indeed in the choice of any officers, save those who held important commands. Prior to the year 1598, no mention is made of colonels in the British Army; which then entirely consisted of companies of one hundred men each, under a captain, a lieutenant, and an ensign; and the captain seems to have had the appointment of his subaltern officers. When this privilege was entrusted to men such as Falstaff, it may be supposed that they were not unfrequently influenced in their selection by a bonus, as the price of a commission. Whatever was bought under these circumstances, the purchaser would claim the privilege of selling, and thus, probably, that which at first was an abuse, ultimately came to be organized into a system. But we are not to suppose that this practice was exclusively confined to the British: it existed prior to the revolution of 1789, to a considerable extent also in the French Army; and we accordingly find that the witty and satirical pen of Voltaire has not spared to lash the practice with the bitterest of his irony. In James's Military Dictionary, voce Prix d'Emplois, we find the following stated as the prices of the various regimental ranks permitted to be sold under the old French regime. In the Royal Corps and Etat-Major the price of a troop was 10,000 livres ; and the subaltern commissions 8000. In the Dragoons the price of a troop was 7000 livres. Among the Guards and Household troops, more immediately in attendance on the Royal Person, the price was much more considerable; but in the Infantry of the Line no commissions were allowed to be sold. * See Voltaire's Romances, &c. Vision of Babouc, and the Huron. U. S. JOURN. No. 82, SEPT. 1835. B The earliest document in the War-Office, bearing reference to the sale of commissions in the British Service, is a warrant by Charles II., dated the 7th of March, 1683, to the following effect:— 66 Whereas, out of our great care for the maintenance of such as have, or shall have served, in our land forces, we have given order for the building and finishing a Royal Hospital; and it being also reasonable that such officers as receive our commissions should contribute to so good and charitable a work, our will and pleasure is, that when any governor of our forts and garrisons, or any commissioned officer of our land forces, shall obtain leave from us to surrender his commission, command, or employment, and that at his humble request we shall grant the same to any other, that in such case the person so surrendering his command shall pay twelve pence out of every pound that shall be given him in case of such surrender; and that the person, likewise, to whom the said surrender shall be made shall also pay twelve pence for every pound given to the person surrendering as aforesaid: and, to the end that a true account may be had of the money so appointed by us to be reserved for the use of our said Hospital, we do further direct that no commission be issued out of the office of either of our Principal Secretaries of State, to any governor or officer of our said forts, garrisons, or land forces, without a certificate first had from the Paymaster-General of our Forces, that such person so surrendering. to whose behoof such surrender is made, shall have each of them duly satisfied the said reservation of twelve pence out of every pound, or given sufficient security for payment of the same to our said Paymaster for the use of our said Royal Hospital. And we do further charge and command the said Paymaster of our Forces to take care, upon the appointment of such person as aforesaid, that such certificate be duly given so soon as they shall appear to have complied with our will and pleasure." This clearly establishes that, antecedent to the above period, the sale, not only of regimental commissions, but also the governorships of forts and garrisons had been a customary transaction in the British Army; though it does not appear under what conditions or regulations such sales were authorized, or what was the specific value attached to each grade of promotion. It would appear, too, that the seller had the power of recommending his successor, of which, however, he was deprived by the warrant of the 27th of February, 1719, which is the first document stating the prices of commissions and length of service necessary to qualify a purchaser. Its provisions are as follows: 1. That whatever officer shall desire leave to sell shall be obliged to resign his command at the rate, and on the conditions hereafter mentioned; to which end the seller is not to be admitted to interfere in any manner whatever in the recommendation of his successor. 2. That no officer above the rank of lieutenant be admitted as a purchaser whereby he may obtain any higher rank, unless he hath served as a commissioned officer upwards of ten years. 3. That no colonel shall sell but to such as have rank as colonel or lieutenant-colonel; and no lieutenant-colonel but to such as have rank as major; no major but to such as have rank of captain; no captain but to such as have rank of lieutenant; and no lieutenant but to a cornet or ensign. 4. That every officer having leave to purchase any higher commission shall be at liberty to dispose of his then present commission for the prices hereafter mentioned, and according to the preceding rules. To avoid any doubt it is declared, that captains of horse, dragoons, and foot, as well as lieutenants in the Foot Guards, may be admitted to purchase companies in either of the three regiments of Guards; and the ensigns to purchase the posts of lieutenants, subject to the regulation and prices mentioned. Every officer desiring leave to dispose of his commission, shall sign such his request, and that he is content to resign at the price fixed, and lodge the same in the War-Office, that a successor may be appointed to him. The prices of commissions as established by this warrant, were as follows: At this period, it will be observed, there was a difference in the prices of commissions, both in cavalry and infantry, according as the corps. happened to be serving in or out of Europe. As this must have been productive of much inconvenience when corps came to be relieved, a Board of General Officers was ordered to assemble in February, 1766, to arrange the prices of new, and particularly to determine whether there should be any distinction on that account. They accordingly fixed upon the following as the price of commissions in future; but declared there was to be no difference whether corps were serving in or out of Europe: At this time the colonel, the lieutenant-colonel, and the major, all had companies, which were commanded by the captain-lieutenants. In this scale of prices no mention is made of the price of colonelcies, adjutancies, or quartermasterships; from which we may infer that the sale of these commissions was no longer legalized. It is interesting to investigate the principle upon which these prices were fixed for commissions. This is explained in a letter by the JudgeAdvocate-General, for the information of his Majesty, dated 3rd of February, 1766, in which he states, "That the Board considering the value of the pay and rank distinctly, after fixing what appeared to them a reasonable price for the commissions of cornet and ensign in the respective corps, and which they might probably be sold for in time of war as well as peace, proceeded to estimate every increase of pay at the rate of 100l. for each shilling a-day, in a general view, not attending minutely to fractional sums; and in the next place endeavoured to fix a certain proportional value upon each advancement in rank, such as might, if possible, be extended to all the different corps." The value thus attached to the advancement in rank alone he states to have been "For gaining the rank of lieutenant, 50l.; captainlieutenancy, 2507.; captain, 450l., or in corps where there is no captainlieutenants, and the promotion from lieutenant to captain is made in one step, 7001; for a majority, 600l.; and for the rank of lieutenantcolonel, 7001.; and the same valuation of rank is extended also to the foot service, except in the single commission of captain, wherein the Board has in some degree conformed to the difference which has ever prevailed in the price and reputed value between a troop in the cavalry and a company of foot, and has valued the advancement from lieutenant to captain, including the captain-lieutenancy, merely at 4001." In July, 1772, in consequence of captain-lieutenants obtaining army and regimental rank as captains, the price of a captain-lieutenancy was raised to 2450l. in the Horse Guards; 1850l. in the Dragoon Guards The purchaser of the regimental rank of major in the Foot Guards obtained the army rank of colonel; that of captain and captain-lieutenant the army rank of lieut.colonel; and that of lieutenant and ensign, the army ranks of captain and lieutenant respectively. |