S:i2 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1817. 



remove one great objection to the 

 present system — that of placing 

 the advisers of the crown, with 

 respect lo inilitary promotion, in 

 the- painful alternative, either of 

 withholding brevets, which the 

 claims and efficiency of the ser- 

 vice might render expedient, or 

 of subjecting the country on every 

 occasion of such a brevet to a 

 very considerable addition to the 

 expense of its military establish- 

 ments. 



GARRISONS. 



The estimate for 181 7 is less 

 than for 1816, in consecjuence of 

 some vacant appointments not 

 having been, and not being in- 

 tended, to be filled up ; such as a 

 bairack-master general for !^cot- 

 land, a garrison surgeon at Edin- 

 burgh, and some other small 

 reductions on the establishment of 

 the home garrisons. 



In the garrisons in North Ame- 

 rica, &c. various appointments are 

 not continued in 1817; such as 

 garrison-surgeons and bariack- 

 masters, wliich have ceased to 

 exist on their former footing. 



Tiie Irish garrisons vary but 

 little. 



The charge for 1S17 is also ef- 

 fected, by a day's pay less than in 

 1816 for lea]) year. 



Upon cariying back the com- 

 parison of this liead of charge to 

 the year 179'2, it appears that the 

 difference in favour of the pre- 

 sent year is between 1S,000Z. and 

 16,000/. 



FULL PAY FOR KFTIRED 

 OFFICERS, &C. 



Almost all the persons provided 

 for in this estimate were officers, 

 who, from wounds or infirniities 



contracted on duty, were incapable 

 of active service. The several 

 corps to which they belonged were 

 composed of soldiers nearly of the 

 same description ; and by the let- 

 ters of service for raising the vete- 

 ran or invalid corps (principally 

 by a call of Chelsea pensioners), 

 the officeis were promised full 

 pay on disbandment. These in- 

 valid coips were indeed rather 

 looked upon as honourable situa- 

 tions t)f retiiement for the vete- 

 ran officers. 



Some of these officers, however, 

 were placed on the retired list, 

 from actual incapacity for any fur- 

 ther military duties 



The promotion of the officers of 

 veteran and invalid corps did not 

 go on by brevet. 



HALF PAY, AND MILITARY 

 ALLOWANCES. 



The proportion of charge in the 

 present estimate, under the head 

 of half pay, arising from the in- 

 creased grant in June, 1814, may 

 be reckoned at about 10.5,000i. 

 for the British establishment : but 

 no exact estiniate for the Irish 

 establishment can be given, with- 

 out waiting for a return from Ire- 

 land ; the amount of that intrease 

 may in the mean time be sup- 

 posed about 10,000^ 



FOREIGN HALF PAY. 



The half pay and reduced al- 

 lowances to officers (.f disbanded 

 foreign corps have not been grant- 

 ed U|)on any \iniform system w hith 

 strictly applies to all ; but some 

 sort of principle has prevailed, to 

 give them only to those whose ser- 

 vice has extended to the period of 

 five years, or whose regiments had 

 so long served. 



Jn 



