OUR best thanks are due to "Senex" for his communication, but the plan of our work does not admit of Memoirs of Living British Officers.

We will meet, if possible, the wishes of a much-valued correspondent in regard to the Orders of Knighthood, although in so doing we shall materially increase our expences.

Communications of the histories and services of corps, and correct drawings of the full regimental costume, are particularly requested. We shall continue in each Number of the Magazine, the Regimental Record. The history of a distinguished regiment will appear in our

next.

Minutes of the Proceedings of Courts Martial will be inserted when of sufficient general interest. Communications are therefore requested.

The Memorial of Capt. F. to the Directors of the East India Company, is too personal to Sir C. C. for insertion.

Communications from the author of "The Hermit in London," and other distinguished writers, will appear in our next number.

The necessity of giving a very considerable portion of this Number to the Memoirs, Campaigns, Anecdotes, &c. of the late illustrious Commander-in-chief, has obliged us to withhold several interesting papers for the present. We have endeavoured as much as possible to meet the wishes of officers of the Army, Navy, and East India Company's Service, in the selection of subjects for the present Number.

We must decline giving an opinion on the case referred to by E. H. It is now in some respects a party question, and we intend our course to be INDEPENDENT of all parties. Moreover, as we publish Parliamentary Proceedings, the case is fairly before the Army, and any comment on our part would be superfluous.

Our best thanks are due to our intelligent Correspondent at Beslow. He may rest assured that every effort will be made to obtain information that can interest, and promote the advantages of military men. But, as stated in our Prospectus, the degree of excellence and utility to which the Magazine may arrive, must in some degree depend on Officers who really have the interest of the services at beart.

The lines from the cemetery of Père la Chaise will have attention. We regret that we could not insert them in the present Number. Nos. 1, 2, and 3, of papers on " NAVAL ARCHITECTURE, and other subjects connected with naval science;" conducted by William Morgan and Augustin Creuze, Naval Architects, formerly students at the School of Naval Architecture in His Majesty's Dockyard at Portsmouth, reached us at too late a period for critical examination in this Number. They shall, however, receive due notice. The papers relating to the "dry rot in the Navy," (the existence of which to any hurtful extent is denied in this scientific publication) as well as those on "The relative qualities of the experimental frigates," and "The Steam-vessel Navigation of the United States of America," are of an important and interesting character. The work is dedicated by its conductors in good taste and with much feeling to Dr. Inman, as having been their preceptor.

The notice of certain literary frauds did not reach us in time: we shall be glad to see the correspondence.

Mr. Cæsar Moreau's Chronological Records of the British Navy, Capt. Badenach on the Indian Army, and other works, will have our early attention.

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Military Hints" in our next.

The paper headed "The Literary Editor and his Booksellers," has been received. We wish, if possible, to avoid interfering in squabbles, whether literary' or professional'; but we recommend the parties a motto

"Nul n'aura de l'esprit

Hors nous et nos amis."-Moliere.

NOTE TO SECOND EDITION.

THE LION' arrived and is in safe custody. Our naval friends will understand us, and we are thankful for the communication. Our course has been just and straight forward. We may notice hereafter the egregious egotism and bombast of the party.

MEETING OF NAVAL OFFICERS.

A Meeting of Naval Officers of the rank of Lieutenants, will be held at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's-Street, March 15th, 1827, at One o'clock, to take into consideration the best means of establishing a "Junior Naval Club" the Members to consist of Lieutenants, Masters, Surgeons, Pursers, and Chaplains of the Royal Navy, and Captains and Subalterns of the Royal Marines and Marine Artillery.

With reference to the above, we with pleasure insert the following observations of a Correspondent, which reached us on the eve of publication.

"It is indeed a matter of surprise that in so numerous a body of Officers, as are comprised in the List of Lieutenants, Masters, Surgeons, Pursers, and Chaplains of the Royal Navy; and of the Captains and Subalterns of the Royal Marine Artillery and Marine Corps; that to this day, while there are Clubs established for every individual Profession for different branches of those Professions - and a United Service and Union Clubs-there is no Clubhouse for the respectability, for the convenience and advantage of the above Officers.

"The appeal, however, "Why a Junior Naval Club should not exist ?" must be made to themselves, and on their considering this question, I feel persuaded, at least I am in hopes, that for the cherishing of the Profession, as well as for the respectability of it, they will no longer disregard an establishment so essential to their interests; but that the notice already given of the Meeting of the 15th of March, will carry conviction to the minds of the readers, (to whom the Advertisements are addressed) of the necessity of their meeting on that day, to promote the same by their presence and support. Unanimity and perseverance would accomplish the object. It looks ill for an Officer, who has been accustomed to Mess-rooms, (to a society in which better feeling and good fellowship no where else can be found)-to be seen skulking about, if I may use such a term, seemingly deprived of all that necessary consequence which attached to him in his but late capacity as a public man. It is a fact, that from a feeling of pride, he blushes as he enters a Chop-house to dine-sits, in consequence, ill at ease-and pays full as much for his dinner, as many of our gallant Officers do at the United Service Club.

"I lament, myself, there is no society among us, because, imbued as I have been with the characteristics of it, I prefer it to any other; besides, we cannot individually afford (at least a great many of us) to read the Daily and Evening Papers, the Magazines, Reviews, the Literary Works, and professional improvements of the day; we are unacquainted with the changes, orders, and regulations that are issued from time to time, and labouring, in fact, under every disadvantage this disembodied state naturally subjects us to. To renew then our former intimacies-to extend the advantages of friendly intercourse to ourselves and to the Service-let us unite, and assume a station in society, becoming to ourselves and the Profession we have the honour to serve in.

"London, February 21st, 1827."

THE

NAVAL AND MILITARY

MAGAZINE.

No. I.-MARCH, 1827.

Memoir of Field Marshal THE DUKE OF YORK, K. G. G. C. B. G. C. H. &c. By the Author of Waverley* ; (with Notes:)

AND

Narratives of His Royal Highness's Campaigns.

IN the person of His Royal Highness the Duke of York,

we may justly say, in the language of Scripture, there has fallen this day in our Israel a prince and a great man." He has, from an early period of his manhood, performed a most important part in public life. In the early wars of the French revolution, he commanded the British forces on the continent; and although we claim not for his memory the admiration due to the rare and high gifts, which in our latter times must combine to form a military genius of the first order, yet it has never been disputed, that in the field His Royal Highness displayed intelligence, military skill, and his family attribute, the most unalterable courage. He had also the universal testimony of the army for his efforts to lessen the distresses of the privates, during the horrors of an unsuccessful campaign, in which he acquired, and kept to his death, the epithet of "The Soldier's friend."

But it is not on account of these early services that we now, as boldly as our poor voice may, venture to bring forward the late Duke of York's claims to the perpetual gratitude of his country. It is as the reformer and regene

We have given this sketch from a consciousness of the avidity with which every document from the elegant and prolific pen of the Author of Waverley' is sought after and also because it is a paper that properly belongs to a Military Magazine, where it may be more easily referred to at any period, than if its publication were confined to daily journals. We have taken the liberty of pointing out certain inaccuracies.-ED.

rator of the British army, which he brought from a state nearly allied to general contempt, to such a pitch of excellence, that we may, without much hesitation, claim for them an equality with, if not a superiority over, any troops in Europe. The Duke of York had the firmness to look into and examine the causes, which, ever since the American war, though arising out of circumstances existing long before, had gone as far to destroy the character of the British army, as the natural good materials of which it is composed would permit. The heart must have been bold that did not despair at the sight of such an Augean stable.

In the first place, our system of purchasing commissions*, itself an evil in a military point of view, and yet indispensable to the freedom of the country-had been stretched so far as to open the way to every sort of abuse. No science

*The opinion of Sir J. W. Gordon, the present quarter-master-general of the army, on this point, merits attention.-Ed.

"I believe that the origin of the purchase and sale of commissions arises pretty much as follows. In every other service in Europe it is understood that the head of the army has the power of granting pensions to the officers of the army, in proportion to their rank and services; no such power exists in the head of the army of this country; therefore when an officer is arrived at the command of a regiment, and is, from long service, infirmity, or wounds, totally incapable of proceeding with that regiment upon service, it becomes necessary to place a more efficient officer in his stead. It is not possible for His Majesty to increase the establishment of the army at his pleasure, by appointing two lieutenantcolonels where one only is fixed upon the establishment; nor is it consistent with justice to place an old officer upon the half-pay, or deprive him altogether of his commission; there is, therefore, no alternative, but to allow him to retire, receiving a certain compensation for his former services; what that compensation should be, has been awarded upon due consideration by a Board of General Officers, that sat, I think, forty or fifty years ago, somewhere about 1762 or 1763; they taking into consideration the rank, and the pay of each rank, awarded a certain sum that each officer who was allowed to retire should receive upon retiring; that sum is called, the regulation price of commissions." The bearing that this has upon the army is a very extensive question, but there can be no doubt that it is extremely advantageous for those officers who cannot purchase. I cannot better illustrate it to the committee, than by stating an example: We will suppose, of the first regiment the third captain cannot purchase; the first and second can: if those two officers could not purchase, it is very evident that the third captain would remain much longer third captain, than if they were removed out of his way, by purchase in the great body of the army; and if no officer can be allowed to purchase, unless he is duly qualified for promotion without purchase, there cannot possibly be any objection to such regulation, nor can it be said that any unexperienced officer is appointed, by purchase, over the heads of others better qualified than himself, no officer being allowed to purchase but such as is duly qualified by His Majesty's regulations.

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་

Upon the whole, you consider the present mode in which purchases and sales of commissions is limited, as advantageous to the service? As a matter of opinion, I certainly do."

was required; no service, no previous experience whatsoever: the boy, let loose from school the last week, might in the course of a month be a field-officer, if his friends were disposed to be liberal of money and influence. Others there were, against whom there could be no complaint for want of length of service, although it might be difficult to see how their experience was improved by it. It was no uncommon thing for a commission to be obtained for a child in the cradle; and when he came from college, the fortunate youth was at least a lieutenant of some standing, by dint of fair promotion. To sum up this catalogue of abuses, commissions were in some instances bestowed upon young ladies, when pensions could not be had. We know ourselves one fair dame, who drew the pay of captain in the — dragoons, and was probably not much less fit for the service than some who at that period actually did duty; for, as we have said, no knowledge of any kind was demanded from the young officers. If they desired to improve themselves in the elemental parts of their profession, there was no means open either of direction or of instruction. But as a zeal for knowledge rarely exists where its attainment brings no credit or advantage, the gay young men who adopted the military profession, were easily led into the fashion of thinking, that it was pedantry to be master even of the routine of the exercise, which they were obliged to perform. An intelligent serjeant whispered from time to time the word of command, which his captain would have been ashamed to have known without prompting; and thus the duty of the field-day was huddled over rather than performed. It was natural, under such circumstances, that the pleasures of the mess, or of the card or billiard table, should occupy too much of the leisure of those, who had so few duties to perform, and that extravagance, with all its disreputable consequences, should be the characteristic of many; while others, despairing of promotion, which could only be acquired by money or influence, sunk into mere machines, performing without hope or heart a task' which they had learned by rote.

To this state of things, by a succession of well-considered and effectual regulations, the Duke of York put a stop with a firm, yet gentle hand. Terms of service were fixed for every rank, and neither influence nor money were permitted to force any individual forward, until he had served the necessary time in the present grade which he held. No rank short of that of the Duke of York-no courage and determination inferior to that of His Royal Highness, could have accomplished a change so important to the service,