Sir ,
I have had the honor of
laying before the King Your Letter to Lord Barring-ton of the 19th of December-
last with a Memorial from Lieut[enant] Colonel Birch of the 17th Regiment of
(Light Dragoons in which he represents his claim of succeeding to the Troop
vacant in that Regiment by the Promotion of Captain Stanley, agre[e]able to the
tenor of His Majesty's warrant bearing the date the 9th day of August 1773, And
at the same time I presented to His Majesty the Memorial of Captain Lieutenant
Archdale, Lieutenant Nettles and Cornet Cooke, praying for the reasons therein
stated, that the Captain Lieutenant may be appointed to the Troop, and the
Lieutenant and Cornet be benefited thereby in due Regimental Success on.
The King having been
pleased to take this Matter into Consideration has commanded me to acquaint you
that if Lieutenant Colonel Birch has not prefer[ed] his Claim upon the present
Vacancy, His Majesty would have made no difficulty in dispensing with the Warrant
in question, but on the Contrary would have had a pleasure in giving a step to
the three Officers whose good Services as well as peculiarity of Situation
de-serves every Indulqen[t] that can with propriety be shewn [sic] them.
But as Colonel Birch has
stated his pretensions to the Troop now vacant, and has rested them expressly
upon the Terms of a Royal warrant granted in His favor when he purchase-d the;
Lieutenant Colonelcy, His Majesty cannot think of rejecting a prayer founded on
Justice and submitted by an Officer of acknowledged Merit at the head of a
Regiment on actual Service.
I have the honor to be
Sir
Your most obedient and
Most humble Servant
C. Jinkinson [sic]
General
Sir Henry Clinton
&c &c
&c
[Source: Microfilm of
the David Library, British Headquarters Papers 1745, 1-2.]
[As transcribed by
Gilbert V. Riddle.]