HL Deb 03 August 1871 vol 208 cc756-61
VISCOUNT HARDINGE

asked the noble Earl the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether the appointment of Captain the Hon. F. Wellesley as military attaché at St. Petersburg had been confirmed? He was induced to do this on account of the propriety of the appointment having been contested in the other House, and of a Question having been there put on the subject at a moment when the forms of the House did not allow a full explanation to be given. He had no personal acquaintance with Captain Wellesley; but he had learnt from a near relative under whom he served in the Coldstream Guards that he was an excellent officer. Military attachés had delicate and difficult duties to discharge, linguistic attainments and great judgment being required, and he had no doubt the noble Earl would satisfy the House that Captain Wellesley possessed those qualifications. He had heard that eight officers had declined the post on the ground of the expense of living at St. Petersburg and for other reasons. He hoped that the discussion raised on this subject was not a sample of what would occur with regard to the working of the principle of selection in the Army.

EARL GRANVILLE

I am glad that the noble Viscount has given me the opportunity of making some remarks on this matter, though I must guard myself against the case being made a precedent, and against my being bound to give explanations to either House whenever a doubt has been raised as to an appointment made on my responsibility. On the resignation of General Claremont, after long and meritorious service, I communicated to the War Office as to a successor, and it was thought highly desirable that these posts should be maintained, especially at a time when nearly every great country is re-organizing its military system. I might have filled up the post without reference to the Commander-in-Chief, for the reports of our military attaché at Vienna, where he was very popular, had been highly satisfactory, and he had the great advantage of an intimacy with some of the highest officers in the French Army. I thought it right, however, to consult the illustrious Duke (the Duke of Cambridge), and his opinion was decidedly in favour of that gentleman. His appointment was therefore submitted to the Queen and approved. The appointment at Vienna thus becoming vacant, I also addressed myself to the Commander-in-Chief. The illustrious Duke took considerable pains, corresponding with me and with other persons, and he eventually recommended Colonel Good-enough, with whom I am not personally acquainted, but who has, I believe, the highest professional reputation. Colonel Blane, military attaché at St. Petersburg, unfortunately died about the same time, and I applied to the illustrious Duke to recommend the officer best fitted for that appointment. The illustrious Duke took great pains in the matter. The officer he first sounded was a gentleman of very high professional reputation and great scientific knowledge; but he had employment which, though of a temporary character, he thought so important that he declined to give it up for the appointment at St. Petersburg. He might have accepted it at a later date; but I thought that, considering all that is going on as to the re-organization of the Russian Army, and all sorts of rumours of a complete armament and other things, it would not be satisfactory to the country if the appointment were left void for some time. The illustrious Duke, after sounding one or two other officers, told me that Captain Wellesley had applied for the post; that he was an officer devoted to his profession; that he was a very clever young man, who had been on the Staff of a noble and gallant Lord commanding the forces in Ireland (Lord Strathnairn), and that he had admirably discharged the duties of adjutant. The illustrious Duke said there was one drawback—that he was young, which was not in His Royal Highness's opinion a disadvantage, but might be the subject of criticism on the part of other persons. After some further consultation we settled that it was better to sound some other officer, and Captain Wellesley was told that his application was positively refused. The illustrious Duke then consulted no less than eight other officers, who, for different reasons, stated that if the offer was made to them they should be unwilling to accept it. The illustrious Duke then told me he had come to the conclusion that there was little choice left but between two officers whom he named. I said I was ready to take his advice, on which he said he would take another day and make further inquiries. He saw Captain Wellesley, and ultimately recommended that gentleman as the fittest person for the post, not only on account of his ability, but for other reasons, one of them being that at his father's house he had gained that acquaintance with the habits of European society which was almost indispensable for the discharge of the duties which he would be required to perform. With regard to the naval attaché at Paris, on his resignation of the appointment I consulted the First Lord of the Admiralty, and decided on abolishing the post, appointing in lieu of it a gentleman whom I did not know, but who I was told had the highest qualifications, to be accredited to the various naval countries, to inspect generally all the European Navies, and give information thereon to the Admiralty. I trust this explanation will be satisfactory to your Lordships.

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE

Though I agree with the noble Viscount and the noble Earl that the present discussion should not be made a precedent as to the application of the principle of selection, which may have to be frequently exercised, I am glad that this Question has been put. I have seen very unsatisfactory remarks made about this appointment, and it has been so little understood by the public, that it was extremely desirable that the subject should be brought before your Lordships, and that so clear a statement should be made by my noble Friend. I have not a word to add to it, for he has stated verbatim et literatim all that passed between us. I do not deny that there might have been some advantage in appointing an officer of rather more standing in the service; but a number of officers declined to accept the post. I am sure your Lordships would rather not hear their names, for it would place them in a false position, and they had, no doubt, good grounds for their refusal; but were their names mentioned it would be clearly seen that every measure had been taken to put the best man into the place. There were, however, great difficulties in the way, and not the least of these was certainly that of the expense of living at St. Petersburg, particularly for a married man, who would find it almost impossible to live on the income derived from the post. It therefore became necessary to find a younger and unmarried man. Captain Wellesley was at first refused the post, as it was thought a man of somewhat higher standing should be selected; but we were unsuccessful in this, and I am satisfied that, under these circumstances, no better selection could have been made. I do not think these appointments are quite understood. The fact that these gentlemen are accredited to military nations makes an immense difference. We are not a military nation, and therefore a gentleman's social status is not affected by the same considerations; but in a military nation an officer is received and accepted by the military community in a very different spirit from that which would be felt towards a civilian. A civilian, however competent, has not the same power of getting at military information that a military man has. I sincerely hope, therefore, that military attachés may be retained. It is a great mistake to imagine that they send in no Reports. I can assert that we have many valuable Reports from them. Of course, these Reports cannot be made public, for if they were published they could not be made at all, and we should lose all the advantage we derive from the employment of these officers. I was surprised, therefore, to see it suggested that they ought to be published. I do not know a more intelligent, painstaking, smart young officer than Captain Wellesley. He was for some time aide-de-camp to my noble and gallant Friend (Lord Strathnairn), and he has been for four years adjutant of his battalion in the Guards. He has taken great pains to study his profession, and when the war on the Continent broke out he expressed great anxiety for employment on the Continent, had any more officers been required to accompany the French and German Armies, which, however, was not the case. I am satisfied he will prove himself a useful officer, and having been brought up abroad he knows foreign society, which is an essential ad-advantage. Under these circumstances, I hope your Lordships will be of opinion that my noble Friend (Earl Granville) and myself have not been remiss in selecting Captain Wellesley for this appointment.

LORD STRATHNAIRN

said, he could bear testimony to Captain Wellesley's many qualifications. He had served on his (Lord Strathnairn's) Staff as aide-de-camp nearly two years in Ireland during troubled times, and he derived the greatest assistance from Captain Wellesley's thorough knowledge of his duty, his clear perception, and untiring zeal and energy. He regarded him, indeed, as a very promising officer. It was always considered desirable that these appointments should be well received at the Courts to which they were addressed; and on this score he believed there was no ground for apprehension. Captain Wellesley bore a name which had been as much honoured in Russia as in his own country; and he (Lord Strathnairn) was happy to avail himself of this opportunity of expressing the deep sense of gratitude, that he believed every officer in the British Army shared with him, for the great distinction bestowed upon our great leader of undying fame in the Russian Army. The Duke of Wellington was made Field Marshal of the Russian Army, and the compliment was the more to be valued because it emanated from a nation whose Army had made great sacrifices for the independence and rights of their country, and because the characteristic of the Russian Army was that their resolution and courage rose, instead of subsiding, with the difficulties and dangers of war.