Although not actually sanctioned by the authorities, cases have occurred in the Austrian service where officers have purchased steps from others serving in different regiments to themselves in the following manner:—if any officer is about to retire from the service, the promotion in the regiment being by seniority, the officer whose turn it would be to obtain the promotion would frequently sell his right to a junior officer serving in another regiment, who would thus be promoted into the vacancy. We were informed that this system had formerly led to frequent duels between the officer obtaining the promotion, and those officers in the regiment whose prospects were directly injured, by the senior having sold his promotion, and thus stopped their advancement.
[II. OUTLINE OF SYSTEM OF MILITARY EDUCATION.]
Military education in Austria has been entirely remodeled since the Hungarian war, and is now conducted in a very regular and systematic manner under the sole control and supervision of the Fourth Section of the Supreme War Department, entitled “Military Schools.”
The establishment consists besides of—
2 Majors of Infantry.
1 Captain of Artillery.
2 Captains of Infantry.
2 Lieutenants of Infantry.
2 Employés belonging to the Administration.
6 Clerks.