238
THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.
the opinion of the late Commander-in-Chief in India,
already quoted, is clear and decisive.

49. On the other hand, although the introduction
    of one general rule of Army promotion by length of
    service, generally fair and just to the whole service,
    could not fail to be followed, on its first introduction,
    by changes in the relative position on the general roll
    of the Army of Officers of different Corps, the rule
    has, upon the whole, been attended with benefit to
    the service at large, and the result of the several
    measures carried into effect since 1861 has been to
    give a general impulse to promotion, both army and
    regimental, throughout the Army.

50. Satisfied that, upon the whole, the Officers of
    the Army have derived, and will continue to derive,
    great benefit from the system of brevet promotion
    lately sanctioned by Her Majesty's Government, as
    laid down in General Order by your Government,
    No. 634 of the 4th August, 1864, Her Majesty's
    Government do not propose to interfere with its
    future operation.

51. Your Excellency will, however, have observed
    that since the introduction of the rule for conferring
    brevet rank upon the Officers of the Indian Army,
    there has been a disposition on the part of the Officers
    to complain that the rank thus conferred upon them,
    with the view of remedying supersession, did not
    carry pay, and was therefore less favourable to them
    than that conferred upon Staff Corps Officers.

52. Whatever title the Parliamentary guarantee
    may have given to the Officers to exemption from
    supersession in rank by any process inconsistent with
    the established usage of the service, Her Majesty's
    Government cannot recognize the claim of the Officers,
    either under the rules and custom of the service or
    under that guarantee, to any rate of pay beyond that
    to which they are entitled by their regimental rank
    under the established principle of rise by regimental
    seniority.

53. No officer can at any time claim an amount of
    pay beyond that due to his regimental rank so
    regulated, whatever might be the pecuniary advan-
    tages which the Government might think proper to
    give to another.

54. Being, however, desirous of removing all ground
    of complaint on this point, Her Majesty's Govern-
    ment have resolved upon the adoption of the following
    modification of the existing rules regarding admission
    to and promotion in the Staff Corps.

55. From and after the date of receipt of this
    Despatch, the qualifying period of service in the Staff
    Corps laid down in the second paragraph of the Royal
    Warrant of the 16th January, 1861, will be dispensed
    with, so far as concerns Officers now in the Staff
    Corps and those of the Indian Army who may join
    any one of those Corps under the terms of this
    Despatch.

56. Officers of the Cadres of Cavalry and Infantry
    of the Indian Army will be allowed to enter the Staff
    Corps of their respective Presidencies from the date
    of receipt of this Despatch, provided their application
    to that effect be received at the Adjutant-General's
    Office of their respective Presidencies by the 1st
    January, 1867, if the Officer be in India, by the 31st
    March, if he be out of India.

57. Such Officers will not be subject to any test
    prior to admission.

58. Inasmuch, however, as many of these Officers
    have gained great promotion as a consequence of
    measures which conferred no such benefit upon Staff
    Corps Officers and that such rise in promotion was even
    due in some cases to the removal of the names of the
    Staff Corps Officers from the list of the local line ser-
    vice; and that it would be giving to such Officers, if
    admitted to the Staff Corps with rank so obtained, an
    undue advantage over those already in the Staff
    Corps, it has been determined that Officers of the
    Indian Army, availing themselves of the opportunity
    now offered to them of being transferred to the Staff
    Corps, can only be allowed to enter that Corps upon
    these terms, with the substantive rank to which they
    would have attained under the Staff Corps rule,
    as modified in paragraph 55 of this Despatch, if they
    had joined the Staff Corps on its formation, viz.,
    18th February, 1861.

59. Any higher regimental rank they may have
    attained meanwhile in their respective cadres must,
    on their electing to join the Staff Corps, be cancelled.

60. I have further to inform you that it has been
    determined so far to modify the rule regarding suc-
    cession to Colonel's allowances, laid down in para-
    graphs 13 and 14 of Sir Charles Wood's Despatch,
    No. 467, dated 3rd December, 1861, as to make the
    rule of succession to that allowance after the stated
    period of service in the grade of Lieutenant-Colonel,
    applicable to all Officers now in the several Staff
    Corps (with the exception of those who fall under
    the rule laid down in paragraph 37, clause 2, of this
    Despatch), and to all who may join them from the
    Indian Army, under the terms of this Despatch,
    without reference to any fixed establishment of
    Colonels with Colonel's allowance; and further, to
    allow the brevet rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, granted
    under the rules contained in Sir Charles Wood's
    Despatch, No. 194, of the 17th June, 1864, to count
    towards the completion of the twelve years period
    of service so laid down.

61. I request that your Excellency will, without
    delay, cause the above instructions to be carried into
    effect by notifying to the service at large that—

(1.) The promotions in the Presidencies of
Madras and Bombay made under paragraphs
52 and 80 of Sir Charles Wood's Despatch of
the 17th June, 1864, and those in succession
to them, are to have retrospective effect from
the 1st January, 1862.
Cavalry. Infantry.
Madras, to be Lieut.-Col. 1
Bombay, 4
ditto 3
0

(2.) All Officers of the Cavalry and Infantry of
the Indian Army who attained the rank of
regimental Lieutenant-Colonel prior to the
1st January, 1862, and all officers of the
several Staff Corps who had attained to the
rank of regimental Lieutenant-Colonel prior
to the formation of those Corps, viz., 18th
February, 1861, shall hereafter, upon the com-
pletion of ten years in that grade, be placed in
receipt of the Colonel's allowance, in the event
of their not having already attained to that
allowance in ordinary succession, under the
operation of the system laid down in Sir
Charles Wood's Despatch, No. 340, dated 10th
August, 1861, paragraph 18.

(3.) The Military Retiring Regulations of 1837
will be extended by the addition of the two
following rates of pension :-

Per Annum.
After 35 years' service... £600
After 38 years' service... £750

(4.) From and after the date of receipt of this
Despatch, the qualifying period of service
in the Staff Corps, laid down in the second
paragraph of the Royal Warrant of the
16th January, 1861, will be dispensed with,
so far as concerns Officers now in the Staff
Corps, and those of the Indian Army who
may join any one of those Corps under the
terms of this Despatch. Officers of the
Staff Corps who may be entitled to promo-
tion to a higher substantive rank under the
modification of the existing rule, will receive
such promotion from the date of receipt of
this Despatch.