The British army is commanded by the king, as cap tain-general of the whole land forces belonging to the empire ; and, under his majesty, arc the commander in chief, lield-marshalls, generals, colonels, majors, cap tains, and subalterns.
The military departments are those of the adjutant general, quarter-master-general, barrack-master-gene ral, commissary-general, paymaster-general, and the board of ordance.
The adjutant-general is the channel through which all orders, and every thing relating to discipline, are com municated to the army ; and, by him, all returns and re ports are laid before the commander in chief.
The issues the necessary routs' for the march of the forces, and gives orders for their proper accommodation.
The barrack-master-general has the charge of the bar racks for the troops, permanent as well as temporary. Subordinate to him are the barrack-masters, who furnish beds, and other necessaries, for the troops, when lodged. in the barracks.
The commissary-general is at the head of the com missariat department, by which provisions, carriages, camp equipage, &c. are furnished tor the forces.
The paymaster-general superintends the pay of the army ; and all the accounts of commanders, agents, Etc. pass through his office.
The board of ordnance has the controul of the ord nance, arms, accoutrements, and ammunition, and also of the depots and stores throughout the kingdom.
The British army is composed of two regiments of life guards ; one of royal horse guards ; a corps of royal horse artillery ; a regiment of royal foot artillery, con sisting of a number of battalions of great strength ; seven regiments of dragoon guards ; 25 regiments of dragoons ; three battalions of riflemen ; five battalions of light infantry ; 176 battalions of infantry, including seven battalions of foot guards ; a corps of royal en gineers, and one of royal artificers ; a brigade of artillery drivers ; and a royal waggon train.
The regiments of dragoons, when complete upon the war establishment, are generally about 600 strong, the whole number thus amounting to 19,200.
The rifle and light infantry battalions are commonly 1000 strong each, so that the whole number of light troops is 8000.
The other regiments of the line are rated at from 700 to 1000 men each battalion, which, at an average,. makes, in whole, 149,600 men. The king's German legion amounts to about 20,000, including horse, foot, and artillery. • The regular militia of Britain consists of about 96,001 men, and the local militia of 250,000 ; and there is a considerable number of volunteers, amounting to about 50,000.
Thus the whole armed force of Great Britain amounts to 19,200 cavalry, and 563,600 infantry, not including the royal life and horse guards, the royal artillery, engineers, artificers, artillery drivers, and waggon train, nor the native forces in Ireland, which are very considerable. The militia in Ireland, in the year 1798, amounted to 46,000, besides a great body of volunteers.
Regiments of 500 have a colonel, a lieutenant-colonel, a major, 10 captains, 12 lieutenants, 8 ensigns, an ad jutant, a quarter-master, pay-master, surgeon and sur geon's mate, sergeant-major, quarter-master sergeant, 30 sergeants, 30 corporals, a drum-major, and 20 drum Triers ; and regiments of 750, and upwards, have generally 2 lieutenant-colonels, and 2 majors, 40 s'crgeants,.and 40 corporals.
The army, when at home, is distributed over the country, in different districts, each district containing a ,certain number of The districts are commonly commanded by lieutenant generals. The brigades are commanded by brigadeir generals, or majors ; and in many instances there are both a brigadier general and a major over a brigade.
Officers commanding corps make their reports to the general of brigade, who forwards them to the general of the district, or division to which the brigade belongs. The general sends the whole, or a general report, either to the adjutant-general, or to the commander of the forces, according to the nature of the reports, or the general orders issued on the subject.
The superiority of standing armies over every other spe cies of force, is apparent from the experience of all ages. Philip of Macedon, as he was the first who established a standing army, gave an example of its powerful effects in the subjugation of all Greece. He formed his troops to exact discipline, in the progress of his frequent wars with the Thracians, Illy rians, and Thessalians ; and his illustrious successor, Alexander, still farther confirmed the reputation of the Macedonian arms, by the overthrow of the Persian empire, and his brilliant atchievements in Asia. The commercial but warlike republic of Car thage was almost constantly engaged in destructive contests, and her militia acquired all the consistency and discipline of standing armies ; and, under their cele brated generals, they were the best troops of the age. The Roman militia, or new levies, in vain opposed Hannibal at Trebea, Thrasymcnus, and Cannzn ; and notwithstanding their intrepidity and patriotism, they could not resist the shock of a well disciplined regular army. The Romans were equally unfortunate in Spain, and Asdrubal almost entirely expelled them from that country ; but having marched to the assistance of his brother in Italy, with the disciplined troops, he left the provinces to be defended by a militia which was infe rior to that of the Romans, and was consequently subdued. Scipio, who commanded the Romans in Spain, gradually formed them into a well exercised regular army ; and having passed into Africa, vanquished the remains of Hannibal's army, and the militia of Carthage, which op posed him. This period of the history of the ancient world affords another illustration of the superiority of standing armies.