4505] 
The Britifh cavalry, from the beauty, 
the goodnefs and fize of its horfes, and 
tant to the fervice) without being themfelves 
expofed to the galling circumftance of pri- 
vileged precedence. The following obfer- 
vations may be found in a pamphlet publithed 
an 1775, inticled, ‘“Cbjervations on the pre- 
“wailing Abufes in the Brtiifh Army, arifing from 
the Corruption of Civil Governvient, with a Pro- 
prufaltoithe Officers towards obtaining an Addie 
tion to their Pay. «By the Honourable ***, an 
Ojficer”” As mentioned in our laft Number, 
“this gentleman is now placed in an elevated 
fituation in the ‘law. 
“the Guards deferve a place here {fays 
“he) as finifhing the climax of oppreilion and 
abufe. .I do not mean te draw any low invi- 
-dious parallels between the ‘foidiers of the 
~court and the camp, er.to examine into their 
comparative deferts. ‘There ate-many offi- 
-cers in the Guards who would do honour to 
any military corps: but I muft attack the in- 
ftitution as injurious ‘and unjuft. The fu. 
“perior rank which the Guards have over the 
-Line cannot be defended: on: any principle of 
military, policy. 
6¢ To givesan additional luftre to the ap- 
.pendages of royalty is not only proper:but 
neceflary ; men in all degrees being equal:in 
Capacity and frailty, the dignity of power 
and government muft be gloffed over with 
,every varnish which ferves to dazzle the op- 
-tics of the multitude: a King fhould never 
‘throw off the puyple, or unbind.the jewels 
rom his brow. 
_  Dhe,painted roof, the gilded equipage, 
sthe groves of white and yellow fticks, the 
‘rainbow of ribbands, and the firmament of 
ftars, have all their origin in ufe. The dig- 
Mity of royal attendants is authorized by the 
cuftom of all nations. Let the Lieutenants 
of the Guards then be Captains, nay Gene- 
jzals, or Field-Marfhals, if they pleafe, but 
jdet them be a diftinét body from the Line of 
the marching army; and as their duties are 
entirely different, let their rewards not ¢clath 
with each other; let not the fafe filken fer- 
:vice of a court, however honourable, fu- 
-perfede the hazardous and Jaborious duties of 
the camp. 
«* The rife in the Guards is fo rapid, from 
the fuppreffion of the ranks of Lieutenant 
and Major, that the officers of the Line have 
always the mortification to find, after long 
-and painful fervice, a body of men, nurfed in 
“the bofom of peace, who fupeifede them in 
their proféifion, and claim, from abfolute 
military rank, and feniority, moft of the 
elevated pofts inthe army. And while they 
are braving all the hoftile elements, where-- 
ever commerce calls for protection—while 
they are fuffering the difappointments and 
retardments already enumerated, from the 
Britifh Ar itye 
418 
the excellence of their equipment, as well 
as from the boldnefs and qual.fications of 
its riders, poffeffes an undoubted fupe 
riority over all other troops of that de- 
fcription. In a-charge, it is more for- 
midable than any other. A fimple pri- 
vate, in the Englifh cavairy, is as well 
armed, and his horfe as well caparifoned, 
as the officers and their horfes are in other 
fervices. 
The Britifh artillery is fuperior to al} 
others in the choice of men; their canon- 
neers are well-taught, and yield to none 
in courage and dexterity. 
Bc fides the regular troops, of whom 
we have already {poken, the Englith have 
many militia and volu;teer regiments, 
wh.ch occafionally have nobly offered to 
carry their fervices out of the country. 
The pay of Britifh troops is higher 
than that of any other fervice, even-in 
proportion to the dearnefs of provifions.* 
laft removed thofe obftacles,’ and the road 
feems {mooth towards a regiment, an inuns 
dation of Captains in the Guards, who (whate 
ever may be their genius or merit) have had 
no opportunities of acquiring military fkill, 
and who can have no reafonable claim to pro» 
motion in the Line, by dint of court rank 
and etiquette of precedency ftep in between, 
defeat all the profpeéts of the actual foldier, 
and trample upon a life of dangers, fatigues, 
and important fervices to the public.” 
Among other advantages which the Guards 
poflefs, it may not be improper to ftate the 
following one:—A young man purschafes or 
gets a pair of colours by intereft, without 
being fubje€ted to the prefgribed limitation of 
two years fervice, he may become a Liev- 
tenant, perhaps again without purchafes a 
reduCtion fuddenly takes place, and he is put 
on the half-pay lift This court rank goes. 
on progrefiively over all the fubalterns of the 
marching army. The fame cafe holds good 
with a Captain inthe Guards —Prob. Pudor! 
* Let us hear what an officer who fub- 
{cribes himfelf the Hen. *** {aid upon this 
fubjeét in 1775—obferving, at the fame time, 
that although the pay of the non-commifion- 
ed officers and privates has been increafed, 
the fubfiftence of the officer is fill within 
the narroweft limits. 
*¢ An English officer (fays he), in the opi- 
nion of the multirude, bears the fame pro- 
portion to a gentleman, as a poor Knight of 
Windfor does to a companion of the Order of 
the Garter, 
‘« The fituation of an officer whofe fer. 
vices have not been rewardéd by promotion 
is truly deplorable. Often thrown behind in 
his circumftances by unavoidable ‘expences, 
fuperior interefts of many members of their ;. ncompatible with his finances, and his 
own body—when time and patience have at 
Monruty Mac. No. 103. 
income at the fame time fo fmall, that the 
37h mok 
SSS eee = 
= aaa 
