CO885(1-2) — Page 71

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O.

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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siderable number in some of the more healthy colonies. In many of our colonies such a force would be of the greatest possible use, and in some cases almost the only one required. In New Zealand two or three thousand of such men would be amply sufficient to maintain the authority of the Government. while, at the same time, they would be very valuable as settlers, and save the heavy expense of the present large garrison. Annexed to this memo- randum will be found an extract from a very able paper by Colonel Tulloch, on military colonization.

III. For the purpose of supplying the requi- site number of men for the kind of force just described, and at the same time to forward the great object of rendering our military service more popular than it now is, so as to raise the general character of the men who enter the

army,

I should further propose that the prin- ciple of enlistment for a limited time should be introduced, and that measures should also be adopted to render service in the army more advantageous and agreeable than it now is.

The term for which I would suggest that soldiers should be enlisted would be for ten years; so that the youth of eighteen, on entering the would have to look forward to being

army, once more his own master at twenty-eight. It should, however, be provided, to obviate the inconvenience that might otherwise arise, that if a soldier should be actually serving against an enemy in the field, or in a distant colony, when the period at which he was entitled to his discharge should arise, there should be a power of retaining him in the ranks for an additional time, not exceeding two years in the first case, or one year in the other. But it would be in vain to abridge the period of military service without also endeavouring to make it both more advantageous and more agreeable to the soldier. For this purpose 1

that on propose the expiration of his ten years' service, every soldier should have the right of being enrolled

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for service, when called upon, in reserve com- panies, organized precisely upon the same principle with the local companies of pensioners above adverted to, and upon the same terms with these men as to payment, except that, not having pensions, the men discharged after ten years' service should have an annual gratuity of two pounds instead of one. To those men who should enrol themselves and regularly fulfil the obligation of serving when called upon,

I would give the right of receiving a pension of 6d. a-day on their attaining the age of sixty. This annual gratuity and the eventual claim to

a pension in old age, would, I have no doubt, be regarded as a great boon. But I would further propose, (and to this I attach the very greatest importance,) that during his ten years' service, every soldier in the army should receive precisely the same instruction which is now given to the Sappers and Miners. The conse- quence of this would be, that in a very short time a discharged soldier, instead of being considered unfit for any other employment, would be regarded as the most useful man to be found for all the ordinary employments in which skilled and intelligent labour is required. If this system were brought into full operation

man

the army would become a great industrial school, having served an apprenticeship in which would give a a preference over others in the great competition for employ. ment which is always going on; and thus, at absolutely no expense, an advantage would be given to the soldiers of our army which would not fail very soon to be highly appre- ciated, and to render admission to its ranks

an object of very general desire amongst the working classes.

This conversion of the army into a great industrial school, would also have a very bene- ficial effect in diffusing amongst the whole working population of the kingdom a knowledge of all improvements in industry, and in the effective application of labour. This would be more peculiarly important as regards Ireland,

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