MR. O'CONNOR POWERasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether it is true that Thomas Maguire, formerly a Marine, was discharged the service from Plymouth Barracks, in March 1873, after nineteen years' service, without a pension; and, if so, whether he will state the grounds upon which the discharge was made?
§ MR. W. H. SMITHIt is true that Thomas Maguire was discharged from the Royal Marines in 1873 without a pension, and on the following grounds:— Maguire had been discharged as an objectionable character in 1868, but was re-instated in the Service. This act of leniency, however, caused no improvement in his conduct. Since his entry in 1855 his name appears in the defaulters' book nearly 40 times. He has been guilty of theft, drunkenness, insubordination, and other offences; and, having become a confirmed drunkard, he was finally discharged in 1873 as an objectionable character.