§ LORD ELCHOsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, in the first place, Whether he can state to the: House what has been the result of the inquiry instituted for the purpose of ascertaining whether any insubordination, had been shown by any of the Volunteers on their return from the Windsor Review; and whether, in the event of its being; proved that any insubordination had occurred, any steps have been taken to strike out of the Army the companies or company which had been guilty of such insubordination; and, secondly, whether it is the intention of the right hon. Gentleman during the Recess to take steps to ascertain whether the opinion held by some that the Volunteer Force could not be kept up to their present strength upon the present Parliamentary Capitation Grant is or is not well founded?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONSir, in answer to the first part of the Question of the noble Lord, I have to state that in consequence of information I received in regard to the alleged insubordinate conduct of the Second Company of the First Administrative Battalion of the Hertfordshire Volunteers on the occasion in question, I called on the Commanding Officer for an explanation of the circumstance. I am sorry to say that the explanation I received was by no means satisfactory, and that it became my painful duty to advise that the Second Company of the First Hertfordshire should be removed from the Army List. A similar charge of insubordination on the same day has been made against the Ninth Essex Corps; but, as the inquiry has not yet been completed, it is not in my power to state the course which I shall pursue. With regard to the latter part of the Question, I am not prepared to institute a formal inquiry into the matter; but I shall always be open to any fresh facts which may be placed before me.