SER ( 807 ) SEE

by practice, viz. He has seen a greatdeal of service.

Service likewise means the periodduring which a man has done duty, orfollowed the military profession in anactive manner.

Service, Fr. in building, signifies theconveyance of materials from the tim-ber-yard to the foot of the edifice whichis being constructed, and thence up tothe scaffolding.

To go, oj' enter upon Service, to joina corps which is ordered into actualwarfare.

To meet in Service, to come in con-tact with a person who is engaged in thesame state of warfare.

To see Service, to be in actual con-tact with an enemy.

To be on Service, to be doing actualduty with a corps, or detachment.

To enter into the Service, to pur-chase, or receive without purchase, acommission in the army. In either casethe individual must be recommended tothe Commander in Chief, or to the secre-tary at war, (as the case may be,) statinghim to be fully qualified to hold thatsituation. This is done for his Majesty’sapprobation ; and no person, under therank of a field officer, can recommendanother. See Recommend.

To retire from the Service, to quitthe army, or resign with or without theadvantage of being benefited by the saleof one, or more commissions.

No officer can resign his commission,or retire from the service, without hav-ing previously obtained his Majesty’spermission through the Commander inChief, or the secretary at war, as thecase may be.

To retire from the Service, keepingone’s rank. It has sometimes happen-ed, that an officer has obtained per-mission to quit the army, keeping hisrank; by which means he has beenenabled to return into the service, andto take advantage of his original stand-ing. A very meritorious officer, ofhigh rank at present, was permitted toretire in this manner. There have beeninstances of officers retiring, not onlywith their rank, but with a certainallowance from the regiment. Few ornone, however, of any description, haveoccurred during the administration ofthe army under His Royal Highness theDuke of York, who is said to be deci-dedly averse to every filing of the kind.

Infantry Service, service done byfoot soldiers.

Cavalry Service, service done bysoldiers on horseback.

General Service. This term is ap-plied to troops that are liable to be sentto any quarter of the habitable globe;hence, men raised for general service.Regiments composed of volunteers fromthe militia are not of this description;nor do the officers, who came from thatestablishment, enjoy progressive rank inthe army. Stars are affixed to theirnames in the Army List.

A Letter of Service. SccLetter.

Home Service, in a military sense,and with us, the duty which is donewithin the limits of the three United Kingdoms , and the adjacent islands.This term is frequently used to distin-guish such troops as are not liable toserve beyond specified limits, from thosethat have been raised for general service.

Foreign Service, military duty, orservice, done abroad.

Secret Service, any service performedby no individual, in a clandestine secretmanner. It likewise means intelligence,or information given by spies whencountries are engaged in war, for whichthey receive pecuniary compensation.

Secret Service (abroad), the act ofobtaining and transmitting intelligencerespecting the movements and measuresof an open enemy, or of powers, &c.that may be more or less connectedwith him.

Secret Service (at home), the act ofwatching the conduct of persons athome, for the purpose of giving infor-mation thereon to government.

Secret Service money , the reward orcompensation which is given for secretintelligence.

Hard Service. This term is used,among the British , to signify the exer-cise of military duties in the presence ofan enemy : we say, he has seen muchhard service; which the French expressthus: 11 a beaucoup servi.

Service of danger. Any duty, of-fice, or undertaking, may be so calledwhen the character or personal safetyof an individual is involved. Thus towrite for the public good, however purethe motive may be, is always a serviceof danger, especially in degenerate times,and under a system of corruption.

Limited Service. A prescribed pe-riod by law, during whieh men enlisted