Page:The supersession of the colonels of the Royal Army.djvu/13

 after the War Office Committee reported, when the following letter from H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge startled the repose of the War Office.

"Horse Guards, "5th March, 1869. ",

"I herewith forward for your information three letters from the Officers named in the margin, representing the supersession to which they are being subjected by the promotion of Colonels of the Indian Army to be Major Generals, who are very considerably their juniors.

"As this supersession has now been going on for a long period, and will be of constant future occurrence, it appears to me to be a question of the greatest importance as affecting the interests of the whole body of Officers of the British Army, and I consider it one which merits your attentive consideration.

"You are aware that a Committee was assembled some months since for the purpose of considering this subject, and that their Report on the same was submitted at the beginning of January. "I am, Sir, Yours,

"(Signed)&emsp;&emsp;."

This letter led to a series of negotiations between Mr. Cardwell and the Duke of Argyll; in the course of which, the contemptuous indifference of an economical Government on the subject of justice to its Officers was displayed by the following extract from one of Mr. Cardwell's letters to the India Office.

"'Mr. Cardwell feels that it will be of little use for him to apply to the Lords Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury"