JAMES STEUART received a military education in Germany, and at sixteen years of age King George III. presented him with a cornetcy in the royal dragoons, his commission bearing the date the 17th of March, 1761. He served the campaign of that and the following year with the regiment in Germany; was at the battles of Kirch, Denkern and Groebenstein, and took part in several skirmishes. In 1763 he purchased a company in the Queen's royal highlanders, and that corps being disbanded soon afterwards, he improved his knowledge of the military profession by travelling in France and Germany. In 1766 he purchased a troop in the second Irish horse, now fifth dragoon guards; in 1769 he was appointed aide-de-camp to the lord-lieutenant of Ireland (Lord Townshend): and in 1772 he obtained the majority of the thirteenth dragoons, from which he was removed, in 1775, to the first Irish horse, now fourth dragoon guards. In 1776, he was nominated to the lieutenant-colonelcy of the thirteenth dragoons, and having brought that regiment into an excellent state of discipline and efficiency, he was rewarded with the rank of colonel in 1782; in 1783 his regiment was constituted a corps of light cavalry. In 1788 detachments from the cavalry regiments in Ireland were assembled at Dublin, and placed under his command, for the purpose of forming an improved system of interior economy, discipline, and field movements for the cavalry; his labours were honored with the approbation of his sovereign, and his systems, particularly his field movements, having been more completely defined and arranged by Sir David Dundas, were adopted for the cavalry. His services were rewarded in 1791 with the colonelcy of the TWELFTH Light Dragoons; and having been promoted to the rank of major-general in 1793, he was placed on the staff of Scotland, and appointed to superintend the formation and discipline of the fencible cavalry in that country, which was encamped under his orders in the summers of 1795, 1796, and 1797. In the autumn of 1797 he was promoted to the local rank of lieut.-general in Ireland, and appointed to the command of the southern district of that kingdom, which district was, by his excellent arrangements, preserved during the rebellion of 1798, in a state of tranquillity not known in any other part of Ireland. He was rewarded with the rank of lieut.-general, in June, 1798; and after the suppression of the rebellion, he resigned his appointment on the Irish staff. In 1803 he was promoted to the rank of general; and in 1815 he obtained the colonelcy of the Scots greys; he was also honored with the dignity of knight grand cross of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. His rank and age prevented him from participating in the active measures which led to the wonderful military successes from the recommencement of the war in 1803 to its termination in 1815. He represented in parliament his native county (Lanark) for many years; his mansion at Coltness was proverbial as the