I should think a Board of Officers should be established to examine into the merits of Officers recommended for such honourable remuneration; and their fiat should either confirm the claim, or reject it altogether: a Badge of Merit would then be valuable. Indeed, if the power of the Board was extended to decide upon the merits for Brevet Rank, the service would gain by it. It is the value of a thing that makes it desirable.
If, in the examination of the merits of an Officer reported to the Board, for honourable distinction, the opinion of the Board should decidedly confirm the claim and right, a Patent should be sent to the Officer, signed and sealed by the President, stating the sentiments of the Board, &c. &c. Such would be an inestimable intimation of his claim to Merit—handing down to Posterity an honourable proof of Family desert.
But the conferring either Title, or Badge on men who have lolled away their time in Ease, and Affluence, is ridiculous, and truly absurd.
Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty at the Edinburgh University Press
Transcriber’s Notes
The cover was created by the transcriber, using an illustration from the book, and is placed in the public domain.
Some page numbers do not appear due to removed blank pages.
The list of [Contents] was added for the reader’s convenience.
All punctuation errors were corrected.
Inconsistent hyphenation was retained.