ARMY REFORMS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.

17th December 19:3.

SIR-1 have twice or thrice troubled you with thoughts touching " Army Reform s ;” and shall now again venture to encroach on yourpatience with sonic further items on the some subject, which an experience of nearly forty yams has CATO 011 my notice. I have always been of opinion, (which the recorded judgment of NAPOLEON, that eminent master of his craft, has only confirmed,) that the number of our regimental officers and staff is by far too great in proportion to the men com- posing what is ridiculously termed o regiment with us •' but which is, in reality, only a battalion, e. the fraction of a regiment. ARegiment of infantry in France has 3.4, or 5 Battalions. The Pe sai establi4ment is 3 battalions, with 1 Colonel, 1 Lieutenant-Colonel, 3 Chef: do Battalions, 1 Major, 1 Paymaster, (or Capitaitt Tresorier,) 1 Aide-U.:men:Int in time of war, 1 Capitaine d'Ha- billement, (or Quartermaster.) 3 Adjutants, 3 Fortes-Dmpeaux, (or Ensigns,) 1 Surgeon-Major, and 2 Aides, to a corps of 2,500 men ; giving 6 Field tatfi- cora and 11 or 12 Inferior Staff to the 3 battalions. To the same body with us there are 3 Colonels, (all sinecnrists, being General Officers,) 3 Lieutenant- Colonels, (or 6 in India,) 6 Majors, 3 Paymasters, 3 Adjutants, 3 Quarter- masters, 3 Surgeons, 3 Assistant Surgeons, or 6 to all corps abroad; the En- signs with us being regimental officers taken from the duty of their companies, and not staff, (old deserving non-commietioned officerss) as in the French ser- vice. Thus, to the same body of men, we have 12 Field Officers, (or 15 in India,) just 'double that of the French army, and 15 Inferior Staff, (or 18 in all the Colonies,)—which,deducting the 3 Portes-Drapeaux of aFrench regiment from their 11 or 12 Inferior Staff, as they have no parallel in our Staff, gives ex- actly double of that class also, as the average of our service above the French. The organization of nearly the Continental armies seems to be nearly that of the French. In the Cavalry, the reftee establishment in Frauce is 5 squadrons (in war 6 or S) to a re71mCot, with ft Colonel, 1 Lieutenant-Colonel, 2 Chefs d'Eseadron, (1 to every 2 squadrons : they have no troops or (.0m/entice, as with ns,) I Major, 1 Adjutant, 1 Paymaster, 1 Quartermaster, 1 Surgeon-Major, 1 Aide- Major, 1 Vetermture—Total, 5 Field lancers, 6 Inferior Staff to a regiment of 5 squadrons of 75U ma and horses. V% e have to a regiment of 3 squadrons, comprising 335 men nail 283 horses, I sire ore Colonel, 1 Lieutenant-Colonel, 1 Major. 1 Paymaster, 1 A.djataut, 1 Querb.rnia4er, 1 Surgeon, 1 Assistant, and 1 Veto:nate, or a to-al of 3 Field °Ina :s and 6 Inferior Staff; while, for the extra squire:La turael to a regimeet going to India, we have an extra Lieu- tenant-Colonel met as extra ajor retie I to replace the missing Colonel—or 5 Field Officer: to ieedreas. 1 lmve omitted the Purtes-Etendurds, ft ho are Staff in a French regimi at of Cavalry, ea the Cornets attached to troops per- form that duty with ns. The most perfect. aireple, and well-defined organization in Europe. is that of the French army,: while it leis the further advantage of being about twice or thrice as eheitp as our :mil. They,' support an army ot 409,000 men of all arms on a genervi budget of 12,0‘..0,1eal. sterling; and this includes an enormous Steil for 130 tori Inca limos or places, for 2,0tX1,000 of National Guards, and doe their inuneuse force in Ali•hm; while our budget is 6.0C10,000T. for a force of 8,,,000 teem the East India t.'onipany paying the 20,000 men in India, and the Ordnance being niunneleasly sell:trate branch with us of 1,500,000/. f•fl.;•/, xhile it it included in tie French estimates. The French have. besida A.frica and their Coloeiel lease,,,leas, 23 Military Divisions in France. cacti with a I ientenaut-Genxial and a numerous Staff. and about four times that number of 3Injor-Generals, corneeoeling the subdivisions under them. We have 3 Divisions in England, 1 in Scotland, and 5 in Ireland; yet the French charges ore nevrly pLT (,•111. cheaper than ours.

If a Paymaster, a S•111'•:•.:.!•. tluarter•vister. in France. can perform their

several duties for a curi,,, hum to 4.0410 infantry, (and I. know no

country army where e .1 e. co oefelly performed, or where the details of duty are more: ,,r . v \ steel,) there can he no earthly reatem wiy the te.me no , t, .• I, .! i•■• i !. -• tame duties for a corps of opal ttreillt in the habits and character ot our country-m:1i 1,c ;•,,L .:• '•.• than those of the French offi-

cer% an anneeita co e,•' ' o• el1.1 I. • OUT regimental administra- tion alionht lie "roe6ded to fee, bue.ls . h I the French service,—which is

uniformly the case in ail tither Imanch. • r service: vet we find exactly double the number of Field. Officers 1131,i • Stud' in our army to that which the French find to work admiraldv in it Mere system. order. 'man-

city. and QC11110111y, has effected. in 111,, I ,iniental administration that

which we have not yet ventured 1' o .!1 I, ith such superior means in the

gTeater tolidity utol stwuiluess of el: ,,,,,•• t• pftslei,F?. ecouomy of the re. ;.- fle,,,j1 w,itild he very great, is not the only reason for ELVOIll11101t11! 1 III,' t. ..-•■•■• -• IIfk. ill your journals, Nos. 502 and 504, of the 10th an 1 1. . , all our Regiments of Infmtry he doubled up into • - !' • . . • - r 16 companies each, with an effective Colonel :old .! ( , • : 1 raymatter, I Quartermaster, 2 Adjutants, 1 Surfeenn. 1 1. '. • , French service,) 2 at most, and 2 Colonr-luiarers, 1 for each i•tt ; 1,•:tving the 16 Captains, 16 LicutenaTts. and 16 Sub-Lieutenners effective:, hy ',lacing every Staff' Officer on half-pay. fiCCOIlling to no existing regulation. •The 10 extra companies in the First F1101. CI tiaras reduced, with a'l nhalternt in the (litanies extra, to I of each per com- pany. Reduce 3 regiments ofC:,,;01., , • !;:ig officer. audluo's,.. • to Cl/11100h' the other regiments 0. 4 squadrons :• „.j,; of Cragoons and 12 of Light CavalTs. an effective Colon,i. 1,, Colonel. and Aujor each, mid a Pay nee r. a Quartermaster. an -'• •• Surgeon. an Attisttolt, Ven. i,itIngsmoster, to each 0 •'•.: Standard-bearer ' ' , Captoi0-:. - -

11:111t4. and S ,ways with their t ••

111:1•11'011s. the • .• clas:es of Captains e different rates of Fir .• Second Captain to ter:, ,quielron. or 5 of each per rvgiment of not this is immateriai. Ant mg -t :he othe r abates of our ,•!, ,:eemir daily to an observer,

is the systern of sale of commi,,sion, :•, tyl,..14.. life nearly twist

have been spent on 11111.: . ( .01,11(21. lInsvet of dale. will. a regimeotal half-pay the other day, who Judi retired on bait'-F: t• i;I 1;05, •t du•ty-i i:".•e , A Cuptain 0:1 pay, the .• •yt v I t'Ne.;•III':2••-•1•,' ! • "I '"It the

day. ;;.s: 0 • 'ijor oto, (neot:.•,:,•, ',lone' the same Ca:tel le, in to' :••,• I r • :.••- vs' .• /,0,///o/r..p.iy, A Lient,timut half-pay, t' I. 1) • . • . '!• ''•,, ,i!,, r after iI.fte- years'

services half-rns, ‘• !!! 1- it,•!1 ,!!1- 1 3.tt (Iowa

the Annual Army 11.1--t, and you will r', sue l,

The next is the tat iliLy with which !,,, ,i's :.ry short \ it•..'■ still get On half-pay. to lie a lairden to the vomit re no. 'tI —the return for services of six. eight. ten years, or le A-sIsti•■. t (It IL Dra;oons, was placed on

half-pay the otl;er eole, e:,,•1: , ‘, ,,,ner only six years service.. Another of the 4th lirago,.•n mod-, • plaeLel on half-pay witness

exchange, after ten years se cries. thohld intertire. and de- viate what length of stir\ is to I•••!'•!' .))y officer to claim retire- ment on half-intv, and' to :Ant: the paw r 'tt. .• 0..s.• Guards Om: to add to expenses whielL he reserved for : I • •, !it what,: seriiee, sign on half-pay, Vocal yi.o, ooly tn. years actual service.. int

who has spent nineteen on half-pity, :.•tt i' • •iI Ile r day. (111 the mho.

Land, we see merit rewarded in the 111,7 '...,It gentleman, bearing the same name as our excellent I...xi:I:Mg a company in tie

20th Fuut, after rue yelo's -ervice Liert. tie heads of ten Lieu-

tenants out of tunic e. Ah hough it a es p:omulgoted by the Parlia-

ment:Iry Committee of Itt3.1, 1 think, • I: ,r :!.. , ' ••,lities won:d in future: lw

granted in the Army, General Sir ti : En. V.-110 has for sixteen years held the Colon:ley of the 52.1 Foot, , moluments thereon'', 1,er- taining, (and the Coonuender-in-Chief et !la for five years.) thoneh pos- sibly lie has not seen the regiment :dace 1., :Tpoititment. was some eighteen months ago limpid the Royal [Leland. Chelsea, with a salary Of 4(101. a year, a hone, and divers periliOnituS. WII5 it Ileet:Irqtry to Violate the rule so recently ettabliolied ; or are there no old meritorious wounded officersof rank, who have not the good fortuoe to hold a sinecure of 1,200/. or 1,4001. a year already, to whom this retreat could have been given? Pray en- large on these sad atlases. it Las generally ben under.stuud that the Paymastershipq of regiments. though too numerous by halt' at least, were useful in rewarding 'ad officers, nut I am, Sir, your humble servant, X.