ON THE PURCHASE OF COMMISSIONS.

SIR,-The present aspect of the political horizon appears big with mighty and important events. The die is now cast. And the most collected and decisive energies must be employed, to vindicate our honour, our independence, our existence as a nation.Threatened with the horrors of invasion by the licentious and sanguinary hordes of the Gallic despot; surrounded by domestic innovators, who meditate rebellion and the complete destruction of our venerable constitution and government, our country presents to Europe a magnificent and interesting spectacle. Either Rome must perish, aut delenda est Carthago.-Again our wooden bulwarks must gloriously triumph, and victory, on her indelible tablets, swell the gallant list of our naval heroes, or dreadful alternative! man to man, and shield to shield, the embattled line must rage, on our paternal fields, to maintain with the formidable and insolent foe the dubious contest for all that is dear to social and civilized life.-Although on this momentous occasion every thing may be anticipated which a nation, distinguished for heroic courage and intrepid magnanimity, can display, stimulated by that amor patria which vibrates so strongly in the British bosom, and which so proudly characterises them among the nations; yet, notwithstanding, the most prudent and vigilant circumspection, the most enlightened and energetic measures must be promptly adopted, in order to consolidate our internal security. Should our bold and adventurous enemy, allured by the irresistible stimulus of indiscriminate plunder, by a fortunate concurrence of the elements, clude the vigilance of our fleets, (and who from a false misguided confidence would presumptuously assert the impossibility?) it is then in our army we must confide: it is to it we must look up as the impenetrable ægis of our defence.—I would not here be understood to associate with the name of army, or as forming a constituent part of it, the motley battalions of reserve, volunteer associations, &c., which form such a heterogeneous and anomalous mass of indigested materials; whose numbers would only serve the more deeply to embarrass, and whose aid would only tend to accelerate a defeat; which serve only to impose upon the public false ideas of inefficient strength: in short, the mere gingerbread automatons of a puerile puppet shew. There are other military institutions in the country which though apparently more respectable, are equally insignificant in point of real utility.-But as these are so distinct in their organization, and as the VOL. IV.

members which compose them in general constitute one of the most enviable branches of our happy constitution, they shall be more particularly discussed on a future occasion. The line shall more immediately: claim my present attention; and it is under this appellation I mean to designate the army. -The brave and heroic men who compose this, I need not here attempt to panegyrise; their gallant intrepidity, their indefatigable perseverence, the toils, the danger whic they have so magnanimously braved, the miserable privations to which they have so cheerfully submitted, on the most difficult and important services, and the splendid achievements they have performed before the eyes of the world, have immortalised their valour; and yet, at this momentous crisis, how little has been done towards the improvement of this army! How reluctant, languid, and procrastinating are the steps which have been hitherto pursued to improve the present miserably defective system of our military economy !-This is not a time to procrastinate; nor is it a time for us silently to behold injudicious, improvident, and unjust distribution of the rewards of merit diverted into channels which pollute the sources of our honour, degrade our service in the face of Europe, and officer our army with mere higgling and mercenary brokers.-.To expatiate on this ample field, where such foul and deleterious weeds vegetate in such rank profusion, ought long since to have challenged the attention of every mind, which takes a generous interest in the welfare of its country, and feels animated with the genuine sentiments of loyalty and patriotism.The task is not an Herculean one-and to accomplish it only requires a cheerful and vigorous exertion; it requires nor skill, nor scientific knowledge-and the remedies may be administered with perfect safety. Common sense may judiciously prescribe, and an undiploma'd hand may operate, when the regular physician with his empirical aphorisms, and technical impudence declines to officiate without the prospect of a fee,→→ Dazzled by the brilliancy of our military exploits, it is natural to inquire to what we ought principally to attribute these splendid successes of the British arms? Is it by a fortunate combination of the skill and ex-: perience of the officer, who from the subaltern to the general ascends through each gradation of rank by distinguished merit, superior talents, and veteran services alone?: Is it by means of these, united to the bravery and discipline of the soldier, that our armies lead so often to glory and conquests ?---Let us do justice to the inquiry, let us imY

intrepidity; for, intrepid courage, unless conducted under the auspices of prudence, and matured experience, united to genius, talents, possessing a promptitude and inexhaustible fertility of resources, happily accommodated to the most doubtful circumstances of the moment, is oftentimes productive of the most serious misfortunes. But united to personal bravery, we have numbers equally dis tinguished for professional knowledge, scientifically cultivated, who are every way qualified to grace the most dignified and important situations in the army; and yet, decus! decus et patria! scarce one of these brave and meritorions men have even received a common medal, the humblest order of merit, as a testimony of his services; but reverse the perspective! What innumerable instances daily occur of school-boys just emancipated from the terrors of their usher's rod, by the necromantic power of money, stepping by a bold metamorphosis into military office, and, in as many gazettes as he ought to have served campaigns, superseding many an adult and neglected veteran who has faithfully served his country with a distinguished reputation. -Such is the system by which our military economy is at present regulated; thus are the rewards of merit disposed of-thus completely inverted the just and regular gradation of rank. Hence our army lists are swelled with names from the subaltern to the general officer unknown to their country, but as they appear in the gazettes of promotion-hence that illustrious galaxy of characters which composes our present general staff, and hence that British military phenomenon, a soldier of merit, elevated to the dignity of a subaltern's rank, conferred upon him without purchase, as a grateful testimony of having deserved well of bis country!! I wish it not to be understood that any of the above allusions are designed to be insidiously levelled at our illustrious commander in chief, or his personal military administration. No: the universal esteem and popularity which he has so deservedly acquired with the army, are a sufficient panegyric on his splendid talents, indefatigable attention, and paternal care for its proșperity and welfare. The generous solicitude

which he has so often manifested with a view of ameliorating the service is well knownmore fortunate would it have been for the interests of the country, had the administrative powers supported his exertions and done justice to his wise and enlightened operations. The discretionary powers which the bigh responsibility of his station indispensibly requires, in order to give a decisive effect to his measures, have been too often cramped .and thwarted by the malignant intiuence of

ministerial interference. Surrounded by satellites, who industriously conceal, from his knowledge and observation, the accumulating abuses which have with such impunity crept in, and maintain their post with such daring effrontery in every branch of the military department, must necessarily account for the timid and temporising system lately pursued at the Horse-Guards and in the War-office, which ought at this time most vigorously to co-operate, in order to reform the abandoned depravity of the present organization and economy hitherto practised. Let that be now cheerfully adopted and performed with a grace, which necessity will in no long space of time imperiously dictate. In order to preserve the constitution, before the vitals are assailed, let the corrupted members be amputated, or let the axe be applied to the root, and this flagrant unconstitutional abuse of military policy, the holding of commissions, by purchase, be abolished in car service; let that natural spring of emulation and heroic energy in armies begin to operate with us in its fullest pride: let the rewards of merit and veteran services be distributed with a liberal hand, and let our military youth, by a salutary course of gymnastic exercises, and of a preparatory education for the service, aspire to honour and fame, by a patriotic zeal and generous emolation to excel. Let effeminate novels, cards, and dice yield, or at least hold a secondary place with Saldern and Dundas-let our fashionable heroes learn to figure with as much ease and grace through the various positions and evolutions of a battalion or a squadron, as they can figure across a ball-room or down a country dance. Let them familiarise themselves to as much practice of the natural optic in the field, in order to acquire the important knowledge of the coup d'œil-as they do in reconnoitring in the streets, with their operaglasses, the female loungers and demireps; then we should no longer with shame and contempt hear of officers marching at the head of a platoon under the majestic canopy of an umbrella, or dealing deaths around to every passenger they meet with the level! d tubes of their telescopes! Let it not be imagined that our design is to rouse expectation by a few general declamatory obse:vations: a long and elaborate detail of cir cumstances must be brought forward-tr; t'i will be preferred, the proximate cau-es ‹ f this pernicious evil will be minutely invest gated and explained, and remedies propose 1. It is our wish to convince the public that it is not by the dash of a diplomatic pen that a campaign is fought or a barre won-that it is not the deep mouthed artillery of the i tea

sury Bench which can destroy an invading host, nor the brilliant Phillippics of a fluctuating opposition that can stem the torrent which threathens to overwhelm us, or turn the keen edge of the hostile faulchion which is Lifted up against us, that neither the nice and elaborate calculations of the budget, nor voluntary contributions, nor civic enrollments, nor armies of reserve, can work out the salvation of the country-that nothing can make the declining orbit of our military glory shine out with renovated lustre, and its half extinguished rays shorn of all their beauty, reflect once more the proud and luminous characters which decorate the venerable shrines of our immortal forefathers, but the complete abolition of holding commissions by purchase, or at least regenerating the present disgraceful and corrupted system. VIRGINIUS.

TO THE EDITOR.

SIR,The great struggle we are engaged in, against the unbounded ambition of a restless foe, appears to have operated with a few individuals, whose minds are, no doubt, so enervated as to make them forget the proud and generous character, which has ever distinguished Englishmen in the field of battle; and in their panic, they seem to wish to sacrifice the dignity they derive from the valour of their ancestors, and hold out the language of cowardice in recommending the barbarous maxim, of giving no quarters to the enemy, from a dread of seeing them enter their luxurious abodes, which they do not feel themselves disposed to defend." I beg therefore, to remind them, of the sentiments delivered by a Roman General, who lived in times not dissimilar to the present, and saw the capital of the world plundered, and committed to the torches of the destructive Gauls; but who never sullied the profession of arms, by such acts, as are recommended by these degenerated Britons to whom I allude.- -War, at best, said Camillus, "is a savage thing, and wades "through a sea of violence and injustice, yet even war itself has its laws, which men of honour will not depart from; " nor, do they so pursue victory, as to avail "themselves of acts of villainy and base

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ness."- -What! will British soldiers debase themselves to execute that diabolical decree, at which, even the blood-hounds of Robespierre shuddered?-No! they will to a man exclaim: "perish the thought," and prove, what t they have ever been, terrible in battle, but generous in victory, and will hold in the same contempt, those men, who en

tertain such unmanly sentiments, with them who allowed the pride of this free nation to be trampled upon by the petulent ruler of France; and who, after having committed the honour of the empire, by their diploma tic quibbles, dread the sight of their antago nist, conscious of their neglect in preparing to meet him in the field of battle, where all ill conducted negotiations are generally ratified.-Here crouds on my mind such a ca lamitous continuation of blunders in our po litical and military operations, that I cannot encompass them in the narrow limits of a letter, neither would it perhaps answer any good purpose to develope them in the present circumstances; but, Sir, will it be believed hereafter, that the present administration, after having been forced, by public clamour to warn the nation of the approaching storm, after spending an entire session in framing confused bills, not yet understood, for the defence of all that is dear to Englishmen, who spontaneously turned out to meet the enemy, that they should be told at last, notwithstanding the numerous taxes they pay towards the defence of the empire, that there were no arms in the military magazines, and that they must provide themselves in the best way they could, or apply to the Board of Ordnance for pikes, which were not resorted to, from a convic tion of their advantage when intermixed with muskets, but from an actual deficiency in the stores of Great Britain; on whom the blame of so shameful a neglect to alight? Not on the Master General of the Ordnance, for he is president of the council, and notwithstanding he is an active man, and an experienced officer, cannot be supposed to at. tend the council board, inspect the ordnance stores, and discharge the duty of a general officer commanding a district; allowing him ten hours in bed, the remaining fourteen can scarcely be sufficient to attend to such an immense weight of business; however, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, it is to be hoped, the skill of the present pilot will weather the storm, aud bring the ship to a safer anchorage than the late one. Perhaps, also, when the self-armed people have cleared the land of the disorders which threaten it, some good doctor will, with modest as surance, tell them, that it was bis pills, and not theirs, that purged the country, and restored it to health and vigour.-But, I confess, Mr. Editor, that I have more confidence in the nature of Englishmen, and rely more on their good constitution, than on the abili ties of the quacks, who administer their nauseous drugs in spite of the poor sufferers who seem to be sensible of the poison they