§ VISCOUNT MIDLETON,in rising to ask the noble Lord the Under Secretary of State for War, Whether there is any objection to mounted men being attached to infantry volunteer corps at the request of the commanding officer if no extra charge be thereby entailed? said, since he had placed the Notice of this Question upon the Paper he had received information that it was the desire of the 1st Middlesex Infantry Volunteers, better known as the Victorias, to have a small squad of mounted Infantry attached to their regiment. The replies, however, that had been received from the War Office upon the subject had been unsatisfactory. If permission were given to form such mounted squad but little expense would be incurred by the country, because the men who would form it were perfectly willing to defray the cost of equipping themselves out of their own pockets, the only demand made being that they should receive the ordinary capitation grant of 30s. now paid to efficient Volunteers.
THE UNDER SEOEETAEY OF STATE (Lord SANDHURST),in reply, said: The experiment of allowing mounted men to be attached to Volunteer corps at their own expense is now being tried in six cases. In two cases out of of the six the authority has been cancelled, and in a third it is doubtful whether the scheme can be continued. Therefore the Secretary of State does not think it advisable to further extend the permission until 1664 he has gained more experience of the working of the remaining existing companies.