COLONEL NORTHsaid, he had a question to put to the hon. Gentleman the 1407 Under Secretary for War, which was one of great interest to the officers of cavalry regiments. In paragraphs 68 and 73 of the Report of the Commission on Army Promotions, it was arranged that a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry, who paid 6,715l. for his commission, when he retired on full pay, would only receive the pay of a lieutenant-colonel of infantry, who paid but 4,500l.
§ MR. FREDERICK PEEL, in reply, said, that the reason why cavalry officers going upon the retiring list only received infantry pay was, that the warrant of 1840, which created the establishment of retiring on full pay, and which strictly followed the recommendations of the Commission of that year, established a scale of pay which was an infantry scale of pay. Consequently, a cavalry officer who wished to receive full pay must either accept the infantry pay or exchange into an infantry regiment, receiving the difference between the regulation price of the two commissions. The warrant of last year made no difference whatever with regard to retiring full pay. It simply allowed the officer retiring to receive an additional step of rank, but no increase of pay.