And at Woolwich, what was going on? Promotion was brisk, with death so busy all over the world; officers got their commissions when very young; and the age of the cadets fell in proportion. Hence we feel no surprise that the legislation for these young gentlemen occupies a considerable part of the order-books of the period. But the remaining orders are not destitute of interest. One, dated 1st October, 1758, introduces a name which has been familiar to the Regiment ever since in the same capacity: "R. Cox, Esq., is appointed Paymaster to the Royal Regiment of Artillery." The division of the Regiment into Battalions rendered many orders necessary. It was now for the first time laid down that the quartermasters were responsible for the clothing and equipment until handed over to the captains. A separate roster was kept for detachments, which, however, was not to interfere with officers accompanying their own men, when the whole company moved. Promotion from matross to gunner was ordered never to be made without submitting the case to the Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, in the same manner as the promotion of non-commissioned officers. No non-commissioned officer was to be recommended for promotion who had not written in full for the examination of his Captain the names and different parts of guns and mortars, their carriages and beds, and also a full description of a gyn. And at every parade the Captain of the week was to take care that the men were made acquainted with the names of all the different parts of a gun and carriage, and of a gyn, and once a day to mount and dismount a gun. Every man was supplied with three rounds of ball-cartridge, without which he was never to go on duty; when discharged, an English gunner received a fortnight's pay; a Scotchman received a month's, provided he had been enlisted in Scotland; no Irishman was on any account allowed at this time to be enlisted for the Royal Artillery; no recruit was permitted leave of absence until he had been dismissed drill; no man on guard was to "extort money from any prisoner on any pretence whatsoever;" no man was to pull off his clothes or accoutrements during the hours of exercise; no pay-sergeant was allowed to pay the men in a public-house; the drummers and fifers were, when on duty, always to wear their swords; any pay-sergeant lending money at a premium to any of the men was to be tried and reduced to the rank of matross, and any man consenting to be imposed upon in this respect would receive no further advancement in the Regiment. No men were allowed to enter the Laboratory in their new clothing. Every recruit for the Regiment at this time received a guinea and a crown as bounty, provided he were medically fit, 5 feet 9 inches in height, and not over 25 years of age.
Many of the orders would lose their quaintness, if curtailed.
November 19, 1758. "Complaint having been made of the Greenwich guard for milking the cows belonging to Combe Farm, the Sergeant of that guard to be answerable for such theft, who will be broke and punished if he suffer it for the future, and does not take care to prevent it."
Jan. 6, 1759. "The Paymasters of each company are to clear with the nurse of the hospital once a week. No man is to be allowed within the nurse's apartment."
March 19, 1759. "The sentries to load with a running ball, and when the Officer of the Guard goes his rounds, they are to drop the muzzles of their pieces to show him that they are properly loaded."
June 14, 1758. "In drilling with the Battalion guns the man who loads the gun is to give the word 'Fire,' as it is natural to believe he will not do it till he believes himself safe; and he who gives the word 'Fire' is not to attempt to sponge until he hears the report of the gun."
With regard to officers, the order-books at this time divided their attention pretty equally between the Surgeon and his mate, who had a playful habit of being out of the way when wanted, and that favourite theme, the young officers. Much fatherly advice, which in more modern times would be given verbally, was given then through the channel of the Regimental order-book. Nor was the system more successful, if one may judge from the frequent repetitions of neglected orders. Various orders as to dress were given, from which we learn that boots for the officers and black spatterdashes for the men were the ordinary covering for their extremities on parade—white spatterdashes with their six-and-thirty buttons being reserved for grand occasions. It was a very serious crime to wear a black stock,—white being the orthodox colour—and the lace from the officers' scarlet waistcoats was removed at this period. Very great attention was paid at this time to perfecting the officers, old and young, in the knowledge of laboratory duties, nor was any exemption allowed. From the order-books of this date, also, we learn that officers' servants were chosen from among the matrosses; and that, on a man becoming a gunner, he ceased to be a servant. Nor was a matross allowed to be made gunner until a recruit was found to fill his vacancy in the lower grade. As now, the practice prevailed then, whenever a man in debt was transferred from one company to another, of making the Captain who received the man reimburse the Captain who handed him over, repaying himself by stoppages from the man's pay.
With this general glance at the Regiment during the Seven Years' War, the History will now proceed to a somewhat fuller examination of the three important episodes in that War, which have been selected.
N.B.—Good service was rendered at Guadaloupe in 1759 by a Company under Major S. Cleaveland, and at Martinique in 1762 by two Companies under Lieutenant-Colonel Ord.