Mr. Holms, the senior Member for Hackney, addressed his constituents
on Tuesday, speaking chiefly upon the condition of the Army. He declared that during the first ten months of this year the number of deserters advertised for from the Regular Army was 5,007, and from the Militia, 10,709. In five years they had 82,630 men advertised for as deserters. With an Army which at home and in the colonies cost us £18,500,000 a year, we had four men out of ten running away, and putting the country to the expense, if they were caught, of locking them up. The great errors were the keeping up two armies, the Regu- lars and the Militia, to compete with one another ; the insufficient pay of privates and non-commissioned officers, and the plan of keeping men in barracks and in celibacy longer than we need. He believed that with a sound organisation, £12,000,000 would keep up a magnificent Army. But he so despaired of seeing improvement unless the people themselves stirred, that he pro- posed to visit the chief centres of population, and see if he could not induce them to take up the subject. Mr. Holms could hardly be engaged in a more useful undertaking, though we fear he will need aid from Members of Parliament which he will not receive.
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