LIEUTENANT is an officer who discharges the duties of a superior, in his name and during his absence; and who acts immediately in sub ordination to him when he is present.
Thus, in military affairs, the lieutenant-general and the lieutenant colonel are respectively the subordinate grades to the general and colonel, though in process of time the lieutenant-colonel has come to be the officer actually in command of a regiment, the colonelcy being a sinecure appointment. The lieutenant of a company is also imme diately subordinate to the captain, in whose absence he has the same powers. In the British service the lieutenants of the three regiments of foot-guards have the rank of captain ; in the royal regiment of artillery, and the corps of royal engineers, there being no ensigns, the subaltern officers were formerly distinguished as first and second lieutenants, but are now all styled lieutenant, the juniors having the pay of second lieutenant. The rank of second lieutenant is still con tinued in the royal marines. But in fusileer regiMents which formerly had this rank, it has been changed to that of ensign.
In Ward's ' Animadversions of War' (1639), it is said, "A lieutenant is an officer of high credit and reputation, and he ought in all respects to bee well indoctrinated and qualified in the arts military, and not inferior in knowledge to any officer of higher authority ; for an un skilful captaine may better demeane himselfe with an experienced lieutenant than an unskilful lieutenant can fadge with a skilful captaine."
A lieutenant in the royal navy takes rank as a captain in the army, and the number appointed to ships of war varies with the rate of the ship. A ship of the first rate has eight lieutenants, besides supernu meraries; those of the second, third, &c., rates, have respectively one less than the number appointed to the preceding rate ; so that a sixth-rate vessel has three : sloops and bomb-vessels have only two. The monthly pay of a first-lieutenant of seven years' standing, in ships of the first three rates, and that of lieutenants commanding gun-brigs, schooners; and cutters, is Ils. per day. The monthly pay of other lieutenants, for ships of all rates, is 10s. per day.