MR. OWEN STANLEYsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Under what peculiar Law or privilege commanding officers of the Life Guards and Royal Regiment of Horse Guards discharge men from the regiment without the previous consent and authority of the Commander-in-Chief, in accordance with the General Instructions for the Army contained in the Queen's Regulations?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTON,in reply, said, the answer he had to give to the question of the hon. Gentleman would, he thought, be satisfactory. There was no doubt as to the existence of the power referred to. For a long period of time all colonels of regiments, in consideration of bearing the expense of recruiting, had the power to dismiss soldiers. This power was put an end to in 1784, by an Act passed on the Motion of Mr. Burke, but a special exception was made as respects the Household troops. Consequently, the power to dismiss still remained to the colonels of the Household troops. So lately as 1865 an action was brought against Colonel Marshall, who now commanded the Second Life Guards, on ac- 733 count of dismissing a soldier without cause. The case was tried in the Court of Common Pleas, and the defence was allowed to be perfectly good.