§ MR. WHALLEYasked the Secretary of State for War, with reference to the promotion to the brevit rank of Major in 1872 of certain Captains of the Line and Royal Marines whose commissions bore date previous to April 1860, Whether it is intended to concede similar promotion to those Captains of the Line and Royal Marines whose commissions as Captains are anterior to May 1863, many of whom have held that rank for upwards of nineteen years, and all having been superseded by the promotion of the first Captains of Engineers and Artillery in 1872?
MR. GATHORNE HARDY, in reply, said, that although, in consequence of the numerous promotions in the Artillery and Engineers, there had been a largo supersession of the captains of the Line and Royal Marines, that supersession had not extended so far as was generally thought; because, though the length of service of captains in the Artillery and Engineers had been longer as such than that of the Captains of the Line, yet, in their general service, their relations were pretty nearly equal. The question was one of such magnitude that he was unable at present to hold out any promise as to what might be done.