CHAP. XV.

CHAP. XV.

Early in 1746, a Committee was appointed to investigate the state and grievances of the Land Forces and Marines. A considerable increase of expence had accrued in the maintenance of both, which was one of the objects of this inquiry. Such as affected the Marine Regiments I have already detailed, and assigned the causes of the additional charges in this establishment since the peace of Utrecht. The same are applicable to the Army at large, in the allowance which was made to Commission-Officers in lieu of servants, in 1713, in a similar indulgence granted to the Quartermasters in marching Regiments in 1718, and the annuities to Officers Widows, to Colonels for clothing lost by deserters, to Captains for recruiting, and to the Agents of Corps, which were all the newly-adopted establishments of the latter year.

These additional grants, while they meliorated the situation of the Officer, cost the Nation but little.

It appears, in the course of this inquiry, that the perquisites of a Colonel, in clothing a Marine Regiment, exceeded those of the Foot, from the comparative superiority in their numbers, and the articles being of an inferior quality.

The grievances which had existed, and were peculiar to those Regiments, appeared conspicuous in the course of this public research.

"Upon the whole business, witnesses were examined by the Committee who deposed that the Marines, while on the West India expedition, were paid according to the returns of effective men made monthly to the Commander in Chief, and the account of the off-reckonings was kept by the Pay-Office; and that the Officers clearings of the first raised six Regiments had been paid only to the 25th of December, 1740, and of the other four to the 24th of June, 1741, of which the Pay-Master cannot now make any demand, till muster-rolls are delivered into his office, which he must compute, and then certify a state of the Regiment's account to the Secretary at War, who lays it before the King; in consequence of which, warrants for clearing the Regiment are issued to the Pay-master, who then makes out debentures, pursuant to which a warrant is drawn for the payment of the money, and that by this was to be understood clearing the Regiment. It further appeared, that by the usage of the Army, Regiments could not be cleared with till muster-rolls were made out, but that the Marines had never been regularly mustered, (owing to their being detached and employed in every quarter of the globe) to which circumstance is owing their not having been cleared with, which has been a sad inconvenience to many of the Officers who were obliged to assign their arrears at a prodigious discount."

One of the Agents, upon his evidence, suggested to the Committee an expedient, by which to remedy this evil, which was, that muster-rolls might be made up from the books of the Men of War already come home, and from the muster-rolls of the men now at quarters. He additionally submitted it as his opinion, that it was the duty of the Commissary to make up this account, and within his instructions, to accept of such books as immediate vouchers. This Gentleman farther certified, that the off reckonings were regularly paid, but that the clearings were not, and that the Colonel usually saved near £1,000 out the off reckonings, after clothing a Marine Regiment; and he conceived, that the Officers clearings might also be paid by a warrant from the King to the Secretary at War; more particularly as there was no deficiency of Officers, though there might be of Private men; and the returns made being strictly upon honor, might supply the want of muster-rolls.

From another witness it was obvious, that no account had ever been settled with the Captains of Marines for their Companies, the Agents always alleging, that it could not be done without muster-rolls; and that though the Marines, when in the West Indies, were mustered and paid in the same manner as the marching Regiments were; and though the latter were cleared when they came home, yet the former were not.

That in the summer of 1745, indeed, a warranty countersigned by the Secretary at War, was sent to the Pay-Master for clearing the four last raised Regiments of Marines, notwithstanding the want of muster-rolls; but not being signed by the Lords of the Treasury, it was not attended to.

This hardship was peculiar to the Marine Regiments, as it became evident to the Gentlemen forming the Committee of Inquiry, that the different Corps of Foot employed upon the same service had been cleared by such authority countersigned by the Secretary at War alone, without any objection, though the pay had been issued in the same manner to them, and the want of muster-rolls equally their case.

Marine Officers, it appeared, were not allowed to take their servants, when ordered to embark.

At this period, there was a sum of £101,551 3 4 in the hands of the Pay-Master of Marines; the amount of the above-mentioned claims, whose character and motives, however, were clearly exculpated from any blame; but it was not so with his Deputy or Cashier, who had appropriated near £90,000, bearing interest upon land-tax tallies, East India Bonds, and clothing assignments, without the knowledge of his Superior, who had been informed, and till this investigation took place, always understood that the whole had been deposited in the Bank of England.

Another Subordinate, the Accountant of the Pay-Master, shared in the annual profits of these investments, which were derived from the invaded rights of the injured Officer.—After having divided the spoils during some years, and having made a restitution of the principal, they were both deprived of their situations.

Such a scene of grievance appeared through the whole of this scrutiny, that the Committee emphatically closed their report, by the ingenuous avowal, that the facts which appeared called for public notice, and highly deserved the attention of Parliament.

It ought to be related, to the honour of these suffering Corps, that during the long period of nearly six years they suppressed their feelings until the present occasion, of which they very properly availed themselves.

They now submitted their wrongs to a Board, instituted by legislative sanction, and for the express purpose of redress, as well as of inquiry; the following are the terms in which the Memorial of one of the Marine Regiments were couched:

To the Gentlemen of the Committee, and which may be considered as engrossing the general sentiments of the whole that were employed in the Expedition to the West Indies.

1st. "That in the month of August, 1740, when this regiment was one of those embarked for the expedition to the West Indies, the Captains were obliged by order, out of their own pockets, to provide and lay in a stock of sugar, tobacco, snuff, shirts, shoes, stockings, jackets, trowzers, and other sea stores, for the use of their Companies; and were considerable losers in the waste and weighing, and in the division of the several species to the men; that farther, if any man died (which was frequently the case,) who had not lived long enough to pay the charge of their slops, the Captain was the only sufferer, as he received his mens' subsistence according to the effective monthly returns only, by order of the General; nay, the ordinary allowance of the two Warrant Men, paid in Great Britain and Ireland monthly to the Captains, with their subsistence, was here deducted, notwithstanding they embarked complete.

2dly. "The exchange of money between England and Jamaica, at that time was 40 per cent. and money enough to be had at that exchange for the payment of the Army; nevertheless the Officers and Private Men on that expedition were obliged to receive their pay at 20 per cent. for some time: indeed, upon a general murmur made by the army upon that occasion, there was 5 per cent. more added; so here was still a deduction of 15 per cent. A noted instance of this severity at the end.

3dly. "The Agents now deny making up their accounts with the Captains of Marines, in the same manner that other Captains are accounted with; and in short deny giving any accounts at all. By this means a good deal of that martial dependence a Soldier ought to have on his Officer is withdrawn, as he finds the Agent is his factotum in affairs of money, and his executor in case he dies. The Agents, in order to support these their unjust proceedings, endeavour to screen themselves under some wrested paragraphs in the Mutiny Act; for (as we apprehend), from the Legislatures designed intent, and quite contrary to the King's Order in his Articles of War, which must always be consequent to the above act, as by the said act it is, that his Majesty is empowered to make such orders or articles.

4thly. "The Officers of Marines are by the same terms of chicanery kept from receiving their arrears, there being five years and a half due the 24th of June of the present year (1746), notwithstanding the other parts of the Army receive them punctually, though in no part of the service ought the arrears to be quicker paid than in the Marines, where Officers are put to certain and immediate necessary expences on every embarkation.

5thly. "It is plainly evident that no Officer in the Marine service (whilst dealt and accounted with in this manner), enjoys the same privileges with the other Officers of the Army, which must of consequence create heart-burnings, to the detriment of the service. Seeing, therefore, that these Officers have (notwithstanding their cruel usage) on all occasions and at all times been most ready with their lives and abilities to devote themselves to the service of their King and Country, we humbly beg that this their situation may be inquired into."

The instance which was referred to from the 2d article is as follow:

"A Pay-Master, while the Marines were employed in the Island of Cuba, by order of his Commanding Officer, did receive between 3 and £400 of the deceased Officers money, for which he gave bills upon the Agent of the Regiment in London, and issued out this money to the Officers, on account of their subsistence at the full exchange, which they were in great need of.

"When this Pay-Master was in the course of passing his accounts with the Agent of the Regiment, he was told that the Pay-Master General would not allow him this money, because all money on account of the Regiment (a scheme of which the Pay-Master knew nothing) was to be drawn from the Contractors, that is, the Marines were to receive their subsistence at 15 per cent. less than the currency of the country; though God knows, and the world are competent judges of the hardships and severities of campaigning in such a climate with sea provisions only, and bad water; besides, it was utterly impossible for men thus curtailed of their small subsistence, to purchase the least refreshments, when it is considered that a poor sheep was sold for £4, a turkey at £1 3 9, and so in proportion for every thing that could be termed fresh provisions.

"In return for such sufferings, the few who remained alive to revisit their native country, with the entail of broken constitutions scarcely worth the enjoying, which they still dragged on in the solacing hope of all their sorrows being closed, and all their claims adjusted, in order to restore their health, and to render them once more fit for the service of their King and Country, to their great disappointment, are to this very day kept (we believe) by the juggling tricks of the Pay-Master General, and the Agents, from their arrears, and the small benefits allowed to other parts of the Army.

"From the beginning of this example it is plain, that no charitable regard was to be paid to the executors of deceased Officers receiving their money at par in Great Britain, nor to the sufferings of Officers in America, who received this small sum on the same terms there for subsistence. We therefore most humbly pray your goodness to intercede with his Majesty for the relief of these our grievances."

Such are the details of privation which this meritorious body had long continued to endure in silent loyalty. Thus early did they afford the brightest examples of steady allegiance, which has transcended to their posterity under every change of constitution they have undergone, and what, I trust, will ever be the distinguishing characteristic of a British Marine, under all the destinies of himself or his country.

One resulting and immediate consequence of this public inquiry was, that the Pay-Master made good the balance in his hands, which was lodged in the bank of England for the future benefit of those who were so justly entitled to it.

Having introduced, in the preceding part of this inquiry, some terms which may not be understood by all, I shall take a retrospect of each, and define them in rotation.

The first that occurs is off-reckonings—of these there are two kinds, gross and nett off-reckonings; the former consisted of all the pay of the Non-commission Officers and Private Men above their subsistence: for instance, during the period to which I allude, the full pay of a common Soldier was 8d. per day, out of which 2d. was stopped for clothes, &c. and 6d. remained for his subsistence. From this too, 6d. per week was deducted to furnish stockings and shoes when the regimental articles were worn out.

The Captain of each Company always settled with his men for the balance, if any, every two months. Nett off-reckonings were the amount of the gross off-reckonings, reserved for the purpose of clothing the men, after the deductions of 1s. in the pound, and one day's pay from each Regiment, for the benefit of Chelsea Hospital, with 2d. in the pound for the agent of each Corps.—Such stoppages were always made at the Pay-Office.

Clearings were the balance of each Officer's pay above his subsistence, after the deductions stated were made, which ought to have been regularly paid by the Pay-Master General to the different Marine Agents.

Warrants were documents with the sign-manual attached to each which authorized the receipt, and disbursements of money from the Treasury. They may be considered as the sanctions of any Board. Debentures were commonly made up at the Pay-Office, by virtue of warrants from the War-Office, annexing a general statement of the charges of each Regiment, upon which proceeded a final or clearing warrant. Debentures originated in 1649, and they were a mode in the form of a bond, or bill, by which Government obliged itself to render payments of such monies as might be due to the Soldier, or his assigns, upon examining and closing the account of his arrears.

Nearly twelve thousand Marines was the vote of 1746. Early in this year, an expedition was meditated against Quebec, and a considerable force assembled at Spithead for that intent, amongst which was Colonel Powlet's Regiment of Marines; but from unaccountable delays, there the whole remained until the season was too late for such an attempt.

They were afterwards destined against Port L'Orient, with a view to distress the French East India Company, as well as to create a diversion in favour of the Austrian operations in Provence. The Commanders appointed were Admiral Lestock and Lieutenant General Sinclair.

The long detention of so respectable a force, until the period of Equinox not only gave time for the enemy to ascertain its object, but endangered its progress along a hostile coast, at so very critical a season.

At last, having assembled at Plymouth, the whole set sail upon the 14th of September, steering directly for the coast of Britanny.—Five thousand Infantry to be strengthened, if necessary, by the Marines of sixteen Sail of the Line, and eight Frigates, were the number employed on this occasion.

They made the coast upon the 18th; but from adverse circumstances, a debarkation was not effected until the 20th. The interval was advantageous for the enemy, who by alarm guns during the day, and lighted fire-beacons upon the tops of corresponding hills during the night, soon apprised their distant countrymen of an invader's approach.

It was in vain that opposition was attempted against the descent of our troops, by a body of undisciplined Militia. After having landed the cannon, with the ammunition and stores, in Quimparley-Bay, the whole were left under the charge of a small party of the Royal Artillery, and a body of one hundred Marines.

On the 21st the army advanced in two columns against Plymeur, which they reached after some slight skirmishing. The place having agreed to surrender, but afterwards treacherously firing upon a detachment, it was given up to plunder. On the following day, the whole moved on to a rising ground within a mile of Port L'Orient, the ultimate object of their views. After a fruitless parley, which the French had established, in order to gain time and to collect their scattered means of defence, hostilities commenced on the 24th.

Some affairs took place between that and the 26th, when after a cannonade, which did considerable damage to the town, a retreat was commenced under cover of the night.

The French were now pouring from all quarters, and the situation of our forces became critical. The fatigues endured by our men of every description were excessive. The opportunity of conquest seems to have been lost in the want of early energies, which allowed a valuable interval to the enemy for defence.

After a loss of about one hundred and fifty killed, wounded, and missing, and some Artillery, the re-embarkation was effected, when the fleet set sail upon the 1st of October, for the Bay of Borneuff, off Quiberon, and to the South of Quimperlay.

The body of Marines I have mentioned, were intrenched at Quimperlay, to guard the landing-place, and the rest, under Colonel Holmes, were united with the Army.

Upon the 4th of October, some troops were landed on the peninsula of Quiberon, without opposition, from whence the natives had fled with all their effects. After remaining ashore some days, the whole returned to England, without having effected any thing during that time, worthy of remark.

Nothing of moment appears farther on the face of the military operations of the present year, in which the Marines had a share.

In the gradual increase to the Establishment of the Army during the present war, the Marines became incorporated with the Line, and their numerical precedence commenced with the 44th Regiment, entitled, The First Marines.

The following is the detail of the Field Officers and Agents of each Corps, all of which were quartered in Great Britain, and in the vicinity of the principal sea-ports, at the close of the present year.

These Regiments, when complete, were supposed to consist of one thousand Rank and File each, and every battalion of ten Companies.

At this period the whole forces upon the British Establishment amounted to eighty-five thousand six hundred and eleven men.

As institutions of honor, and distinctions of merit, are necessary incentives for animating the zeal both of Corps and individuals, as like every other inheritance, peculiar privileges ought to be transmitted, unimpaired, to the lineal successors of Public Bodies, if not forfeited by misconduct, or abused by wantonness, I am thus led to remark an occurrence that took place in London, and which is authenticated by Major Donkin, in his "Military Collections," who was a cotemporary and intimate with the Officer to whom the circumstance happened. It is thus expressed:

"The 3d Regiment of Foot, raised in 1665, known by the ancient title of The Old Buffs, have the privilege of marching through London with drums beating, colours flying! which the city disputes not only with all other Corps, but even with the King's Guards going on duty to the Tower! It happened in the year 1746, that as a detachment of Marines were beating along Cheapside, one of the Magistrates came up to the Officer, requiring him to cease the drum, as no Soldiers were allowed to interrupt the civil repose. The Captain commanding (an intimate friend of mine) immediately said, Sir, we are Marines.—Oh, Sir! replied the Alderman, I beg pardon; I did not know it! Pray continue your route as you please."

It has been already noticed in the early part of this retrospect, that the Corps of Marines was originally engrafted upon that Regiment to which the Major alludes—that the Old Buffs of the present day gained one numerical step in the Line, from the extinction of its predecessor, previous to which circumstance it had no claim to the privilege in question, and could establish no subsequent one from merely a sameness in name.

The conclusion which naturally arises must be, that after having ascertained our First Parent, as children, we should enjoy unalienated the honors of our forefathers.—Whether or not, in authenticating the fact he has stated, the Major means to advance a similar inference by a like train of analogy, I know not, but it appears to carry a feasible construction.

Although the metropolis is but rarely the scene of our service, except that of recruiting, still no one can anticipate the reforms which may be judged necessary in the different military establishments of our Country. In adducing one example of undisputed right, it must certainly fix it as a recognized principle under all future contingencies, excepting that the laws of police shall have utterly abolished the practice.