idea of having been taken in. The best soldiers are, as might be expected, either those who have been enlisted after a little persuasion, or those who have offered themselves. The causes which induce men to enter the army are various. They may for the most part be classified under the following heads: women-that is to say, a quarrel with a sweetheart or wife; 1 a poaching or other scrape; a family quarrel; a distaste for regular work; want of employment-the most frequent cause of all; and, in some instances, a love for an adventurous life. The recruit having been caught, the next step is to take him before a surgeon and have him examined. In some cases he is put to a very severe test; but, when the medical officer happens to be a civilian, or if recruits are urgently wanted, he passes very easily. Having passed the doctor, he is taken before a magistrate to be sworn in. This must not be done sooner than twenty-four hours, or later than four days, after his enlistment, Sundays not included; and he has then an opportunity of freeing himself by paying smart, i.e. twenty shillings. The recruit having been attested, the sergeant is entitled to sixteen shillings bringing-money, out of which he has to pay one shilling to the magistrate's clerk. Immediately after the attestation has taken place, Sergeant Kite writes to acquaint the staff-adjutant at Glasgow-which is the head-quarters of the recruiting district-with the fact. Generally speaking, he is told to retain the recruit till some three or four more have been enlisted, when the whole batch is sent off by coach and railway to Inverness, and from thence to Glasgow by canal. Till that occurs, the recruit is lodged in billets, and receives pay as a soldier. During this interval of waiting, the sergeant has hard work to prevent desertion-which, in spite of all his efforts, not unfrequently takes place. High bounties, also, though they doubtless attract an increased number of recruits, yet are the cause of much 1 A man who is known to be married is never accepted as a recruit, but many falsely desertion in the early stage of a soldier's career. A man enlists into one corps, and gets the bounty; he then deserts immediately, and enters another regiment in a distant part of the country; from this he probably again deserts, thus a third time pocketing the bounty. This is with some a regular trade, and a few years ago was carried to such an extent, that it could only be repressed by making it a rule that desertion should invariably be punished by flogging. On arrival at Glasgow, the recruit is again examined by the staff-surgeon, and finally approved by the inspecting field officer, who, however, sometimes finds it necessary to reject recruits, notwithstanding their previous medical inspection. From Glasgow he is despatched, in charge of a sergeant, by canal to Inverness, where he is handed over to his regiment to be licked into shape. 1 We will enumerate the moneys expended on the recruit here taken as an example : The fares of the recruit and the Total. s. d. 2 6 each. 12 6 12 6 26 .£2 17 6 Now, nearly the whole of this expenditure might be saved, and yet recruiting might be carried on more efficiently than at present. This could be effected by the abolition of the recruiting staffwhich measure would necessarily, also, carry with it the cessation of a very considerable portion of the travelling expenses. It stands to reason that the person most interested in getting as good and as many recruits as possible, is the colonel of a regiment. He has the best means of ascertaining the most favourable localities, by inquiring from 1 The order has now been abrogated by the non-commissioned officers and men, natives of the different districts, and by comparing the results of former experiments. He would exercise a direct control over the recruiting-sergeants; and any slackness, or attempt to palm off inferior recruits when better are to be had, could be at once detected, and promptly remedied by the recall of the offender. Having only two or three sergeants to see after, his superintendence would be much closer than that of the inspecting field officer, whose object is, to a certain extent, identical with that of the sergeants, namely, the obtaining of a large number of recruits just able to pass the medical inspection. When a regiment is nearly complete in its numbers, and merely wants some ten or a dozen recruits, the colonel would take care that only fine, strong men, of excellent character and respectable antecedents, were enlisted. The inspecting field officer does not take that trouble; his business is merely to get a certain quantity of raw material equal to the lowest standard. Under any circumstances, the colonel and the regimental surgeon would be very careful that a man was thoroughly fit for the duties of a soldier before they passed him, and the former could at once check any expense to the country caused by men being sent in by the recruiting-sergeant who eventually turn out to be disqualified for service. In connexion with the introduction of this system, it might prove advantageous to establish a real connexion between each regiment and a certain district. Such a connexion does at present exist on paper by means of the titles given to different corps-such as the 15th, or East Riding regiment; the 38th, or 1st Staffordshire regiment; the 52d, or Oxfordshire Light Infantry; the 78th Highlanders, or Ross-shire Buffs; the 86th, or Royal County Down regiment. Practically, this connexion begins and ends with the Army List, and it is possible that the Oxfordshire regiment may be full of Yorkshiremen, and the 78th Highlanders of Irishmen. If it were determined that each regi was abroad, should, as a rule, be quartered in the district from whence it takes its name, not only would esprit-decorps be much promoted and recruiting facilitated, but desertion would be rendered much more difficult. That the first would result is obvious; that the second would be the case cannot be doubted, when we remember how many men get transferred from one corps to another, for the sake of serving with a brother, and how recruits come in flocks and clusters. Moreover, the soldier would not feel that he was to undergo such a thorough separation from home as at present. As to the difficulties which would be added to desertion, they would be very considerable. Information would be so easy to get, a man's traces could be followed up with such facility, that, in addition to all other penalties and annoyances, a deserter would be compelled, by fear of apprehension, to banish himself from his native place. Moreover, disgrace or misconduct of a soldier would be so widely circulated in his district, that the publicity might be looked on as a very powerful deterring agent. It is plain that a purely regimental system of recruiting would not be less effective than the one at present existing. It would, moreover, effect a considerable saving to the country. Let us enumerate the items which might be struck out of the estimates : The pay and allowances of recruiting Rent of recruiting offices. such, we imagine, as stationery, firing, &c. now amounting to 4571. might be reduced to 2007., saving. Marching and travelling allowances, and cost of conveyance of recruits, now amounting to 9,000l., might be reduced by at least half, saving Salary of general agent for recruiting services, allowance for clerks, offices, &c. Total saving £23,241 14,555 164 257 4,500 1,350 44,067 The present estimated expenses 119,185 idea of having been taken in. The best soldiers are, as might be expected, either those who have been enlisted after a little persuasion, or those who have offered themselves. The causes which induce men to enter the army are various. They may for the most part be classified under the following heads: women-that is to say, a quarrel with a sweetheart or wife; a poaching or other scrape; a family quarrel; a distaste for regular work; want of employment-the most frequent cause of all; and, in some instances, a love for an adventurous life. The recruit having been caught, the next step is to take him before a surgeon and have him examined. In some cases he is put to a very severe test; but, when the medical officer happens to be a civilian, or if recruits are urgently wanted, he passes very easily. Having passed the doctor, he is taken before a magistrate to be sworn in. This must not be done sooner than twenty-four hours, or later than four days, after his enlistment, Sundays not included; and he has then an opportunity of freeing himself by paying smart, i.e. twenty shillings. The recruit having been attested, the sergeant is entitled to sixteen shillings bringing-money, out of which he has to pay one shilling to the magistrate's clerk. Immediately after the attestation has taken place, Sergeant Kite writes to acquaint the staff-adjutant at Glasgow-which is the head-quarters of the recruiting district-with the fact. Generally speaking, he is told to retain the recruit till some three or four more have been enlisted, when the whole batch is sent off by coach and railway to Inverness, and from thence to Glasgow by canal. Till that occurs, the recruit is lodged in billets, and receives pay as a soldier. During this interval of waiting, the sergeant has hard work to prevent desertion-which, in spite of all his efforts, not unfrequently takes place. High bounties, also, though they doubtless attract an increased number of recruits, yet are the cause of much 1 A man who is known to be married is never accepted as a recruit, but many falsely desertion in the early stage of a soldier's career. A man enlists into one corps, and gets the bounty; he then deserts immediately, and enters another regiment in a distant part of the country; from this he probably again deserts, thus a third time pocketing the bounty. This is with some a regular trade, and a few years ago was carried to such an extent, that it could only be repressed by making it a rule that desertion should invariably be punished by flogging.1 On arrival at Glasgow, the recruit is again examined by the staff-surgeon, and finally approved by the inspecting field officer, who, however, sometimes finds it necessary to reject recruits, notwithstanding their previous medical inspection. From Glasgow he is despatched, in charge of a sergeant, by canal to Inverness, where he is handed over to his regiment to be licked into shape. We will enumerate the moneys expended on the recruit here taken as an example: : The fares of the recruit and the conducting-sergeant from Dornoch to Invergordon, by coach, and from Invergordon, by railway, to Inverness The fares of the recruit and the conducting-sergeant from Inverness to Glasgow, by canal.. The fares of the recruit and the conducting-sergeant from Glasgow back to Inverness, by canal Fare of conducting-sergeant back to Dornoch s. d. 2 6 each. 126, 12 6 26 Now, nearly the whole of this expenditure might be saved, and yet recruiting might be carried on more efficiently than at present. This could be effected by the abolition of the recruiting staffwhich measure would necessarily, also, carry with it the cessation of a very considerable portion of the travelling expenses. It stands to reason that the person most interested in getting as good and as many recruits as possible, is the colonel of a regiment. He has the best means of ascertaining the most favourable localities, by inquiring from 1 The order has now been abrogated by the non-commissioned officers and men, natives of the different districts, and by comparing the results of former experiments. He would exercise a direct control over the recruiting-sergeants; and any slackness, or attempt to palm off inferior recruits when better are to be had, could be at once detected, and promptly remedied by the recall of the offender. Having only two or three sergeants to see after, his superintendence would be much closer than that of the inspecting field officer, whose object is, to a certain extent, identical with that of the sergeants, namely, the obtaining of a large number of recruits just able to pass the medical inspection. When a regiment is nearly complete in its numbers, and merely wants some ten or a dozen recruits, the colonel would take care that only fine, strong men, of excellent character and respectable antecedents, were enlisted. The inspecting field officer does not take that trouble; his business is merely to get a certain quantity of raw material equal to the lowest standard. Under any circumstances, the colonel and the regimental surgeon would be very careful that a man was thoroughly fit for the duties of a soldier before they passed him, and the former could at once check any expense to the country caused by men being sent in by the recruiting-sergeant who eventually turn out to be disqualified for service. In connexion with the introduction of this system, it might prove advantageous to establish a real connexion between each regiment and a certain district. Such a connexion does at present exist on paper by means of the titles given to different corps—such as the 15th, or East Riding regiment; the 38th, or 1st Staffordshire regiment; the 52d, or Oxfordshire Light Infantry; the 78th Highlanders, or Ross-shire Buff's; the 86th, or Royal County Down regiment. Practically, this connexion begins and ends with the Army List, and it is possible that the Oxfordshire regiment may be full of Yorkshiremen, and the 78th Highlanders of Irishmen. If it were determined that each regi was abroad, should, as a rule, be quartered in the district from whence it takes its name, not only would esprit-decorps be much promoted and recruiting facilitated, but desertion would be rendered much more difficult. That the first would result is obvious; that the second would be the case cannot be doubted, when we remember how many men get transferred from one corps to another, for the sake of serving with a brother, and how recruits come in flocks and clusters. Moreover, the soldier would not feel that he was to undergo such a thorough separation from home as at present. As to the difficulties which would be added to desertion, they would be very considerable. Information would be so easy to get, a man's traces could be followed up with such facility, that, in addition to all other penalties and annoyances, a deserter would be compelled, by fear of apprehension, to banish himself from his native place. Moreover, disgrace or misconduct of a soldier would be so widely circulated in his district, that the publicity might be looked on as a very powerful deterring agent. It is plain that a purely regimental system of recruiting would not be less effective than the one at present existing. It would, moreover, effect a considerable saving to the country. Let us enumerate the items which might be struck out of the estimates : The pay and allowances of recruiting Rent of recruiting offices. such, we imagine, as stationery, firing, &c. now amounting to 4571. might be reduced to 2007., saving. Marching and travelling allowances, and cost of conveyance of recruits, now amounting to 9,000l., might be reduced by at least half, saving Salary of general agent for recruiting services, allowance for clerks, offices, &c. Total saving £23,241 14,555 164 257 4,500 1,350 44,067 The present estimated expenses 119,185 idea of having been taken in. The best soldiers are, as might be expected, either those who have been enlisted after a little persuasion, or those who have offered themselves. The causes which induce men to enter the army are various. They may for the most part be classified under the following heads: women-that is to say, a quarrel with a sweetheart or wife; a poaching or other scrape; a family quarrel; a distaste for regular work; want of employment-the most frequent cause of all; and, in some instances, a love for an adventurous life. The recruit having been caught, the next step is to take him before a surgeon and have him examined. In some cases he is put to a very severe test; but, when the medical officer happens to be a civilian, or if recruits are urgently wanted, he passes very easily. Having passed the doctor, he is taken before a magistrate to be sworn in. This must not be done sooner than twenty-four hours, or later than four days, after his enlistment, Sundays not included; and he has then an opportunity of freeing himself by paying smart, i.e. twenty shillings. The recruit having been attested, the sergeant is entitled to sixteen shillings bringing-money, out of which he has to pay one shilling to the magistrate's clerk. Immediately after the attestation has taken place, Sergeant Kite writes to acquaint the staff-adjutant at Glasgow-which is the head-quarters of the recruiting district-with the fact. Generally speaking, he is told to retain the recruit till some three or four more have been enlisted, when the whole batch is sent off by coach and railway to Inverness, and from thence to Glasgow by canal. Till that occurs, the recruit is lodged in billets, and receives pay as a soldier. During this interval of waiting, the sergeant has hard work to prevent desertion-which, in spite of all his efforts, not unfrequently takes place. High bounties, also, though they doubtless attract an increased number of recruits, yet are the cause of much 1 A man who is known to be married is never accepted as a recruit, but many falsely desertion in the early stage of a soldier's career. A man enlists into one corps, and gets the bounty; he then deserts immediately, and enters another regiment in a distant part of the country; from this he probably again deserts, thus a third time pocketing the bounty. This is with some a regular trade, and a few years ago was carried to such an extent, that it could only be repressed by making it a rule that desertion should invariably be punished by flogging. On arrival at Glasgow, the recruit is again examined by the staff-surgeon, and finally approved by the inspecting field officer, who, however, sometimes finds it necessary to reject recruits, notwithstanding their previous medical inspection. From Glasgow he is despatched, in charge of a sergeant, by canal to Inverness, where he is handed over to his regiment to be licked into shape. We will enumerate the moneys expended on the recruit here taken as an example : --- Now, nearly the whole of this expenditure might be saved, and yet recruiting might be carried on more efficiently than at present. This could be effected by the abolition of the recruiting staff— which measure would necessarily, also, carry with it the cessation of a very considerable portion of the travelling expenses. It stands to reason that the person most interested in getting as good and as many recruits as possible, is the colonel of a regiment. He has the best means of ascertaining the most favourable localities, by inquiring from 1 The order has now been abrogated by the |