asked the Secretary of State for War, If his attention has been drawn to the alteration which has been recently made in section 5, paragraph 59, of the Queen's Regulations, and if the effect of this alteration will be to throw open all staff appointments, not of the three lowest grades specified in the altered paragraph, to Officers who have not passed the final examination of the Staff College, and who do not come under the exceptional heads of Royal Engineers, or of Officers distinguished for ability in the field?

The alterations which were made in 1873 is the Queen's Regulations, 1868, will have the effect of throwing open the higher Staff appointments to all field officers of the Army who qualify under Clause 56 of the 5th section. The personal Staff appointments are governed by Clause 60.