The Twenty-third Light Dragoons at Talavera. MR. EDITOR,-You are right in saying that Colonel Napier "has given short measure of praise to the 23rd Dragoons for their conduct at Talavera." Victor Duke de Belluno was not so parsimonious of his praise, when he sent his aide-de-camp to the officers of the 23rd who were taken prisoners, and told them that he wished to see the men that made so daring and successful a charge;" and after several compliments on their gallantry, sent his aide-de-camp to conduct them into good quarters at Castel Legos, with an intimation, that if they would write a letter to Sir A. Wellesley, requesting to be exchanged, it should be forwarded by a flag of truce: which was done. Gen. Villatte was equally complimentary, and so were a great portion of the French general officers, who came to see what sort of people the 23rd could be, who would dare to burst through the invincible column: they thought it must be the effects of aguardente. Victor's Aide-de-camp (Capt. O. Gm) told one of the 23rd officers, while conducting him to Castel Legos, that the General was never so much astonished as at the daring and desperate charge made by the 23rd; in fact, that the fighting on that day exceeded any thing he had ever seen before; that the English fought more like lions than men, and that their conduct throughout was above all praise, but that of the 23rd was never equalled. During the three days that the officers were at Castel Legos as prisoners of war, with a very slender guard, indeed almost nominal, they were treated by Gen. Villatte with the utmost kindness. He sent dinner to them from his own table, with abundance of wine. His Aide-de-camp and brother-in-law, Capt. Cholet, visited them twice each day, to see they wanted for nothing, and two and sometimes three surgeons visited them (by order) twice a day to dress their wounds; in fine, the greatest possible kindness and attention was shown to them, and when their escape on the night of the 31st of August was easily effected, if not connived at, as the French retired without insisting on the officers being taken away, although carts had been provided, they pleaded the badness of their wounds, which was taken as excuse sufficient to be left behind. A great portion of what is above stated can be vouched for by the three senior officers of the 23rd, who are still happily alive, and it would not, and could not, be denied by Victor, Villatte, and many other generals of the French army and their staff who are still alive, and are certainly more ready to admit merit in the English army than the English are themselves. The writer could furnish many anecdotes connected with the transaction, that would convince Gen. Victor and his staff that he knows all about it. Any use you may choose to make of the above is at your service, and to put it into any form you may please; but never let it be denied that the 23rd charged through the French column-that still can be proved beyond all doubt. AN OLD TALAVERA MAN. Yacht Clubs and Regattas. MR. EDITOR,-The writer of an article headed "Yacht Clubs and Regattas," which appeared in the May Number of your excellent Journal, in enumerating those regattas which are, as he asserts, conducted "on a liberal and extensive scale," altogether omits that of Cork Harbour, and would, I presume, lead your readers to believe that the regatta at Cove is conducted on less liberal principles, or is less extensive than those of Cowes, Dublin, Belfast, and Plymouth, which are honoured by his notice. This indirect reproach upon the oldest Yacht Club in the United Kingdom, and upon a The Cork Yacht Club is of great antiquity, and there are no records extant to show the exact period of its foundation. We are in possession of a book containing the rules of the original establishment, called 66 The Cork Harbour Water Club," which was printed in 1720; but the Club was no doubt founded previous to that period. regatta, which, to say the least, is not inferior to any of those that have been enumerated, is so unjust, that I trust you will give a place in your pages to the following short statement of the principles upon which the Cork Harbour Regatta has been hitherto conducted, and of the prizes which have been offered by the club for the last two seasons. I must first premise, that unlike the exclusive regatta at Cowes, where yachts belonging to the Royal Yacht Club only can contend for the prizes, (this was also the case at Portsmouth and Plymouth until last season,) the Cork Harbour regatta has always been open to gentlemen's yachts from any part of the United Kingdom. That no military precision is exercised with regard to the time of entrance or starting; so that a visitor, delayed by accidents or contrary winds until the day before the race, has no apprehension of being told that he is "too late to enter;" nor are yachts obliged to start until the stewards satisfy themselves that they are all equally well prepared. Our Club-house also is open to the members of the Royal and Northern Yacht Clubs during their sojourn in our harbour. So much for the liberality of principle on which the Cork Harbour Regattas are conducted; I shall now proceed to show their extent. Hookers, or Fishing Boats not exceeding 30 tons 41 Hookers, or Fishing Boats not exceeding 30 tons 35 Ditto Ditto 15 ditto 20 Trusting, Sir, that I shall be considered to have shown that in the list of those regattas which are conducted "on a liberal and extensive scale," the Cork Harbour Regatta may fairly claim a place, Cove, June 1st, 1831, I remain, your constant reader, A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL CORK YACHT CLUB. United Service School-Naval and Military Museum. MR. EDITOR,-I have read with interest in your Journal for the present month, the report of a meeting, at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James'sstreet, preliminary to the establishment of a school for the education of the sons of Naval and Marine officers. It has occurred to me, that the benefits proposed in the formation of this school, the chief of which appear to be, to provide a respectable general education at a moderate expenditure, and to ensure to the pupil a society more select than would result from the union of boys in a school, open to all, where the premium is fixed at a low rate, may be extended to the sons of officers of the regular army, and that with increased advantage to the institution itself, and to the country generally. As it is proposed to combine nautical instruction with the ordinary education of young people of the more respectable classes, it may be observed, that such elementary knowledge is equally adapted to prepare a youth for the army. Mathematics is the foundation of the peculiar studies of each profession, and languages, fortification, and artillery, are equally useful to one and to the other. The jealousies which once existed between the naval and military service are no longer known. The United Service have long felt that the glory and honour of each branch is reciprocally reflected on the other. The United Service Clubs, and your own periodical, Mr. Editor, have in no small degree contributed to foster this desirable feeling. The Naval and Military Colleges, too, are based on the principle, that the sons of officers of either service shall be admitted with equal advantage to one establishment or the other. If, then, the Crown has set an example of cultivating this union of interests between the services, is it not to be regretted that the principle should be deviated from in the formation of any institution which promises to be of national importance? If it were desirable to create an exclusive and illiberal feeling in the young men to be educated at the proposed institution, no surer method could be adopted than that now proposed; but, Sir, if instead of being a Royal Naval School, it were an UNITED SERVICE SCHOOL, it would tend to strengthen and perpetuate that cordiality of feeling between the Services, which is not only calculated to promote the individual happiness of officers of both Navy and Army, but is essential to the best interests of our country, and not unfrequently to the success of great national undertakings. Your Journal of this month, Mr. Editor, announces the establishment of a Naval and Military Museum, an institution worthy of the utmost commendation and support, and not the less so for being another United Service Society. Its extreme liberality is, perhaps, liable to objection, admission being extended to bodies of men not identified with the profession of arms; it might be sufficiently comprehensive, if in addition to the officers of the Navy, Marines, and regular Army, it included all Company officers, their attachés, and the commandants or, at furthest, the field-officers of Militia and Yeomanry. In an United Service School, it could not be imagined that any could be admitted but the sons of officers of the Navy, Marines, and regular Army. The extension of number in a well-regulated establishment, the funds being proportionate to its increase, would, so far from lessening its advantages, augment them; much might be said in favour of this position, but, Mr. Editor, to your advocacy it is committed, no man being more In our notice of the proposed Naval School, we recommended, and again strongly urge, that the Army should participate in its plan and benefits.-ED. competent or better fitted to vindicate the cause of the United Service than you, whose labours are so consistently devoted to promote that union which is the life of both services; and it is conceived, the merits of the present question being apparent and its object important, you will not fail to lend to it your powerful and influential aid. June 8th, 1831. I have the honour to be, MR. EDITOR,—It is very much feared that the rising generation of Masters, that is to say, those who have been brought up entirely in the navy, will not prove so good as the old stock who were grounded in the merchant service, in consequence, it is said, of their not having sufficient practical knowledge as Channel pilots. I have, therefore, to make a proposition, which, if found worthy a place in your Journal, may by that means meet the eye of some of the naval men connected with the Admiralty, viz. as the coast blockade is going to be done away, and as several cutters have lately been paid off, I have to suggest that eight or ten cutters should be employed in the Channel to prevent smuggling, &c. each of these cutters to be commanded by a master, and to be allowed four or five officers, either second-masters, master-assistants, or volunteers of the second class, and by that means these young men will have an opportunity of obtaining that practical knowledge of pilotage which is so necessary for a master. I am, Sir, YOUR CONSTANT READER AND SUBSCRIBER, Mates in the Navy without Rank. MR. EDITOR, Your pages being always open to any suggestions for the improvement of either service, I trust you will give insertion to the following comparisons between Ensigns in the Army and Mates in the Royal Navy. It is well known to all acquainted with Naval affairs, that a Mate has no rank whatever, although he must have served six years before he can pass his examination, and very frequently has served ten, eleven, and twelve years after he has passed, which qualifies him for the rank of Lieutenant, (equal to that of a Captain in the Army); whereas an Ensign enters the Army frequently at the age of sixteen or seventeen, which is at least two years younger than a Midshipman can pass, and has rank at once without a day's service. Surely that difference might be altered, (very much to the benefit of the service, as tending to render it more respectable, and certainly very much to the satisfaction of the officers concerned for the same reason,) by giving Midshipmen rank corresponding to that of Ensigns or Lieutenants in the Army, and a commission as soon as they have passed. Again, an Ensign, should he by any chance be placed out of employment the very day after he receives his first commission, has a right to half-pay; whereas a Mate, let him even have served twenty years as such on the most arduous duties, the moment he gets out of employment, (which he necessarily does much oftener than an Ensign, by ships in time of peace being paid off three every years,) does not receive one farthing of half-pay, and if he has (as is often the case) nothing but the service to depend upon, must either become dependent on his friends, or have recourse to manual labour for his bare subsistence. Is this a fit state for an officer to be reduced to who has served his Country faithfully, and in many instances fought her battles? Surely in these times of reform and improvement, these points should not be overlooked, but something should be done for a class of officers who have bee long looked down upon with contempt even by their superiors in the same ship, from their having no rank, and borne down by poverty and distress on shore, from having no resource from the moment they are paid off, should they (as it is too often the case) be unable to get another ship. Hoping these remarks will meet the eyes of those honourable and gallant officers now at the head of the Admiralty, and lead to improvement, I remain, Sir, Your obedient humble servant, A MATE. Medical Department. MR. EDITOR, The Army in general, and in an especial manner the Medical Department, owe you many obligations for opening your Journal to an exposure of the abuses which have existed, and continue to exist in that department,-abuses which have arisen from a system of partiality and maladministration, that has produced distress and dissatisfaction little known to the public. To have been a meritorious officer in the department, without at the same time having the power of gratifying the hobbies, and adding to the éclat and personal advantage of its chiefs,t has been to some a misfortune and source of disappointment as far as professional views in the service are concerned, whilst others have had favours lavished on them in a manner unprecedented in the bestowing of public rewards. As specimens of the manner in which the department is conducted, it is only necessary to adduce some of the promotions of 1829, and particularly the extensive one of July 1830, which was understood to have been originally intended to include all those who had been actively and conspicuously employed during the arduous and trying duties of the late war, and who had been removed from permanent to unattached appointments. But mark how it was given in some instances to men who had declined unattached appointments, although held out as a sine qua non to further promotion, and preferred the comparative ease and permanent comforts of a regiment, and even to some of these, as if born and reared only for indulgence, was given a retirement greater than they had ever received as a full, efficient, and working pay. We shall say nothing of the ingratitude of ONE person in authority concerned in the recommendations, for whom the staff surgeons of the period alluded to did so much, and for whom he has done so little; but we shall say in some cases it was a most uncalled for promotion, and an unjustifiable expenditure of public money. We trust, however, that a reform in the department is at no great distance, but in the mean time it is necessary the medical officers of the army should continue to make known the grievances they have so long laboured under. To M. M. in your last Number, the service is indebted for his judicious observations on the stations of the medical staff at home, and more especially for those in Ireland, which, as examples of gross injustice to the regular medical staff, are without parallel. We wish him success in his future investigations, and hope that they may be a stimulus to others to assist in exposing abuses which have excited so much complaint. London, 13th June 1831. M. S. * Under the present system of management, so overloaded has the department become in all branches, that measures have been resorted to for its reduction which have been very severely felt by many, namely, the calling back into active service men who had been forced upon half-pay, and left for many years as practitioners in civil life, or compelling these men to receive a commutation in money at a very disadvantageous rate to the individual. + Every medical officer knows that allusion is here made to the funds and subscriptions for widows and orphans, and museums and libraries (at Aberdeen even), and pieces of plate and portraits, and to addresses and agencies, &c. &c. &c. |