Royal Sign Manual, but not signed by Her Majesty, should be issued and signed under the provisions of the Act. Therefore another Order in Council was issued on the 12th March, 1866, declaring (1) that where, prior to the date thereof, any person had been first appointed to an office in Her Majesty's Land Forces or Marines under Her Majesty's Royal Sign Manual, but no Commission had been issued to him signed by Her Majesty, then that a Commission should be issued to every such person so appointed as aforesaid signed in manner following, that was to say :— :-In any case of First Appointment to Her Majesty's Land Forces (except as in this Clause aftermentioned) by the Commander-in-Chief, or the Field-Marshal, or General Commanding-in-Chief, and by one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State; and in any case of First Appointment to the Royal Marines, by the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Admiralty; and in any case of First Appointment as Military Chaplain, or Commissariat, or Store Officer, by one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State. (2) That the Order should not prejudice or affect the Order of the 7th June, 1862, nor should the Order, or anything contained therein, be construed to prevent Her Majesty from signing any Commission, or to prevent any Commission so signed from having the same validity and effect as if the Order had not been made. In the Appendix to the Order of the 7th June, 1862, these Forms were given: A. VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c., &c., to our trusty and well-beloved A. B., greeting: We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your loyalty, courage, and good conduct, do by these presents, constitute and appoint you to hold the rank of in Our Army, 1 from ' and We do hereby give and grant you full power and authority to command, and take your rank accordingly. You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge the duty of by doing and performing all and all manner of things thereunto belonging, and we do hereby command all Our Officers and Soldiers whom it may concern to acknowledge and 1 The date from which he held similar rank in the Indian Forces. as aforesaid, and you are obey you as a In witness whereof, the General Commanding-in-Chief and one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two. One B. VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c., &c., to Our trusty and well-beloved , greeting:We, reposing especial trust and confidence in your loyalty, courage, and good conduct, do by these presents constitute and appoint you to be an Officer in Our (1)1 from the You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge your duty as such in the rank of (2) * or in such higher rank as We may at any time hereafter promote you to, exercising and well disciplining in Arms both the inferior Officers and Soldiers serving under you, and in using your best endeavours to keep them in good order and discipline; and We do hereby command them to obey you, as their Superior Officer; and you are to observe and follow such Orders and Directions from time to time as you shall receive from Us [in F and G, Our High Admiral or Commissioners for executing the Office of High Admiral for the time being] or any your Superior Officer, according to the rules and discipline of War, in pursuance of the trust hereby reposed in you. 1 (1) to be filled in by:-A, Cavalry; B, Royal Artillery; C, Royal Engineers; D, Military Train; E, Infantry; F, Royal Marine Artillery; G, Royal Marines. 2 (2). Cornet (A); Lieutenant (B C F G); Ensign (D and E). C. VICTORIA, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith, &c., to Our trusty and well-beloved , greeting:We, reposing trust and confidence in your loyalty [*]' and good conduct, do by these presents constitute and appoint you to be an Officer in the (1) * Department of Our [Army (A)] from the You are, therefore, carefully and diligently to discharge your duty as such in the rank of (2), or in such higher rank as We may at any time hereafter promote you to, by doing and performing all and all manner of things thereunto belonging. And you are to observe and follow such Orders and Directions from time to time as you shall receive from Us (in A, Our High Admiral or Commissioners for executing the Office of High Admiral for the time being), or any your Superior Officer, according to the rules and discipline of War. Given at Our Court, at year of Our Reign. 18 the in the By Her Majesty's Command. [Countersigned by a Secretary of State; or, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.] ( V. ) Chapter XVI., par. 46. THE RESERVE FUND. THE history of this Fund appeared to the Army Purchase Commissioners, 1857, to be involved in some mystery, though Returns had been laid before Parliament in 1820 embracing these particu 1 [*] b, c, Ability. a, d, f, Integrity. e, Piety. To be filled in by, (1):-a, Commissariat; b, Medical, or (A), Royal Marines; c, Veterinary; d, Purveyors; e, Chaplains; f, Military Store. (2). a, Deputy Assistant Commissary General; b, Assistant Surgeon; c, Veterinary Surgeon; d, Deputy Purveyor; e, Chaplain of the 4th Class; f, Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Stores. 2 See Note, p. 444. 3 See Note 2, p. 444. 5 Feb. 22, Nos. 75-79. lars-1st, an account, from 15th March, 1809, to 31st December, 1819, of all the Commissions sold, showing a total realization of 276,4477. 10s., and also an account of the Half-pay Fund for the like period, showing a balance of 4231. 18s. 10d. in the agent's hands, in dealing with 50,782. 5s. 5d. realized by sales. If the sales in the first account produced any balance they were transferred to the Half-pay Fund, and out of the Half-pay Fund were paid "benevolences" to the widows and children of Officers, by order of the Commander-in-Chief, over and above the provision made for them by Parliament. By a later Return the account of the Half-pay Fund was brought down to December, 1855, showing a balance of 2177. 13s. 10d. in the hands of the agents, and the benevolent objects of the Fund ceased at this period." In or about the year 1823 another Fund originated, under the control of the Commander-in-Chief, which is now known as the 66 Reserve Fund." In May, 1823, the Master - General of the Ordnance (the Duke of Wellington) obtained the sanction of the Treasury to allow a certain number of Artillery Officers to retire by sale of their Commissions at the Regulation price for the Line. The purchasers had unattached Commissions. In 1824 the same system was extended to the Royal Engineers, and still later to the Royal Marines. In December, 1824, a Memorandum was submitted by the Commander-in-Chief to the King (apparently with the sanction of Lord Liverpool, but without the intervention of the War Office), for accelerating the promotion of Line Officers, by enabling Half-pay Commissions to be sold to Officers on the effective list of the Army. For many years there had been an entire stagnation in Fullpay promotions: Majors had held that rank for twenty years, Captains from 18 to 21 years, Lieutenants from 14 to 17, and Ensigns from 9 to 12 years; and if the Army had been called into active operation these inefficient Officers must have been superseded. These sales were to be made upon different terms to the officers selling; that is, the same price was to be paid by the purchasing, but the same or a less price was to be received by the selling Officers, as prescribed by the Regulations of 25th April, 1825. The financial result of these measures was laid before the House of Commons in February, 1831,5 and discussed before the Committee 'Army Reserve, 1857,' p. 468. 3 Army and Navy Appointments, 1833,' p. 221. 2 Ib., p. 74. 4 MS. War Office Regulations, p. 161, and see Sir H. Taylor's Evidence before the Finance Committee, 1827, p. 259, and Returns, p. 278. Nos. 326, 327, and vol. xiii. of Sessional Papers, p. 59, on Army and Navy Appointments, 1833.1 In the Returns and Report laid before Parliament it appeared-1st, that 1005 Officers on half-pay had been bought out at an increased annual charge to the public of 6533l. Os. 10d. for future half-pay, against which a capital sum of 87,6961. 13s. 5d. was paid to the Exchequer up to 31st July, 1831; and, 2ndly, that in the change from older to younger lives on the Half-pay List the cost to the public was 158,4497., and that capitalizing 6000l. of the 65331. at the further sum of 104,2377. made the total loss 262,6861. against 118,7461. (including the 87,6907.) paid into the Exchequer. Up to October, 1828, 81,000l. having then been paid to the Exchequer, Lord Hardinge, as Secretary at War, applied for the permission of the Treasury to use this sum in buying up Half-Pay Commissions by cancellation at a commuted price. This sanction was given, and when the first return was laid before Parliament, up to the 13th October, 1831, 199,685l. 14s. 9d. had been issued to the agents of the Secretary at War to cancel 440 Half-pay Commissions, receiving 30,1937. 16s. 6d. per annum.3 The average income of each annuity was stated at 681. 12s. 5d., and the capital value at 1131. 14s. The sum paid to the Officer was 453l. 16s. 7d., and the aggregate saving on the 440 Commissions cancelled was estimated at 298,2637. 3s. 4d. 4 Later information, up to April in that year, was laid before the Select Committee of 1833. The results were there stated that 857 Officers of every class, holding 58,754l. 17s. 9d., had been commuted at 374,0647. 15s. 7d.,-the profit of each commutation being 6941. Os. 5d. The circumstances alleged by Lord Hardinge to justify this course were, no doubt, peculiar. It was principally applied to Ensigns and Lieutenants, reduced after the peace in 1815, and who in some instances had not joined their Regiments, and in others done little service." Up to December, 1819, the balances of the sale and purchase account were from time to time paid to the credit of the public, through the Paymaster-General, but from that date they have been held by the agents of the Fund, applied under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, and the balance invested in Exchequer Bills.' Upon the augmentation of the Army in 1854, by the direct action of the Crown, rather than through the agency of gentlemen raising Regiments under Letters of Service, a large number of first 1 13 Sessional Papers, pp. 224, 225. 2 P. 83. 3 P. 84. 4 Ib. See also these Returns and Papers :-Vol. xx. (1826), pp. 311, 351, 365, 375; vol. xvii. (1828), p. 197; vol. xxiv. (1833), p. 63; and see Chap. XVI., par. 86. 7 Army Purchase, 1857, pp. 68-72, 469-70. |