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out of enabling Government to obtain them. He analyzed the preamble, and indeed the whole of that part of the Bill which referred to the objects ftated in the preamble, declaring that they were mifchievous and impolitic, tending to weaken the force of the militia, and, what was ftill worfe in times like the prefent, to deftroy difcipline and fubvert fubordination. He fhewed that the giving the private an unqualified right to demand his discharge from the colonel or commanding officer, and leaving the latter no difcretion whatever, but obliging him to grant it, could have no other tendency but to destroy difcipline. The claufes of the Bill, the Marquis faid, went much further than the words of the preamble led those who read it to expect, and the provifions contained in the claufes far exceeded the ideas entertained by the militia officers at the meeting alluded to. His chief objection went, however, to that part of the Bill which regarded the men to be discharged from the militia in fervice, in aid of the artillery corps. The only limitation prefcribed was, one out of ten, which upon the whole number would amount to five thoufard, and thofe taken from the militia, when they were in camp and in actual fervice. How was this great deficiency to be fupplied, and especially at fuch a time of year? The Bill faid, volunteers were to be recruited by beat of drum; but where were men to be got at that time of year, and what authority had he or any other Colonel of militia, to compel his officers to go upon the recruiting fervice? He knew not of any. Another impropriety in the Bill was, the bounty money was ftated equally, and was the fame through out the kingdom; whereas their Lordships well knew, that in fome counties men were to be got much more readily for two or three guineas, than for ten in others; a difcretion, therefore, ought to have been given to officers to act accordingly.

With regard to the part of the Bill that referred to feafaring men, it was open to much abufe, as a feaman might accept the bounty and enlift one day, and demand his difcharge the next, in order to go to fea; becaufe although feafaring men could not be balloted for militia-men in the first instance, they might be taken as fubftitutes. In fact, there was neither of the provifions of the Bill which went to its two main objects, that was not highly exceptionable. The Noble Eart had complained of the taking away the men for the artillery fervice, as a particular hardship to him, because he had made an offer to train forty men for the corps of artillery, and his offer had been rejected. He complained of it as a perfonal hardship to him for a directly contrary reason, viz. because

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that he had made a fimilar offer, and that offer had been accepted. The men fo trained were to be taken from him twice.

Having gone through his objections to the main parts of the Bill, the Marquis declared, there were various others which he could ftate, but he would confine himself to those topics which had been principally rendered the subject of that day's debate. The remainder of the Bill confifted of claufes wholly irrelative to the statement in the preamble, and were clearly thrown in as ingredients of the mefs of a militia Bill, which he had experienced in the Houfe of Commons to be generally confidered as that fort of mess, in the cooking of which a variety of Gentlemen thought themselves entitled to have a hand. His Lordship made fome general remarks on that part of the Bill, and concluded with declaring his concurrence in the opinion of the Noble Earl who opened the debate, with whom he faid he should vote.

Lord Mulgrave faid, he was not much accustomed to take a part in debates upon Bills relating to the militia, as the fervice he had been bred to and had been in all his life, led his mind to confiderations of a different nature. There had fallen one or two obfervations however from the Noble Marquis, which he could not but take notice of, and first that of a militia colonel not having any authority to oblige his officers to go upon the recruiting fervice. If the prefent Bill paffed, there was a claufe in it authorifing the commanding officers of the militia, or officers acting by their authority, to raife recruits by beat of drum, and the colonels and officers of the regular army had no other authority. The main object of the Bill, his Lordship obferved, was to remove fuch men from the militia ranks, as in truth ought not to be in them, feafaring men and men qualified to serve in the corps. of artillery; in fact, therefore, it did not affect the militia, properly fo confidered, but merely thofe who ought not, ftrictly speaking, to ferve as militia-men. With regard to the hardfhip complained of, it was not confined to the militia. The regular army were obliged to give up feamen when called for by the Admiralty, and fo likewife were thofe corps, which he confidered as the mongrels of the military fervice, he meant the fencibles. His Lordship expatiated for fome little time on these topics, and declared he should fupport the Bill.

The Marquis of Buckingham replied, and maintained his former argument with refpect to a militia colonel's having no authority to oblige his officers to go upon the recruiting fervice. The Marquis alfo noticed what the Noble Lord who fpoke laft had faid, refpecting the feamen to whom, on application,

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plication, the commanding officers of the militia were directed to grant their difcharge, which the Noble Lord had declared, if it was any hardship, was a hardship felt equally by the regular army, and what the Noble Lord had been pleased to term the mongrels of the military fervice. That did not in the least, the Marquis faid, diminish the evil complained of, much less did it go to the greater evil ftated, viz. the obligations impofed on the commanding officers of the militia, respecting the men to be difcharged for the artillery service.

Lord Mulgrave was upon his legs once or twice to explain. The Earl of Radnor declared that he had not heard any argument in the courfe of the debate fufficiently weighty to do away the ftrong objections he had ftated against the Bill, and which he felt very ferioufly; he fhould therefore persist in objecting to the Bill being committed.

Earl Spencer rofe again, and expreffed his concern that none of the arguments, which in his mind had been so powerfully urged in fupport of the Bill, fhould have had the effect of removing from the Noble Earl's mind the objections which he entertained against it. Having, as he had before ftated, ferved in the militia for fome years, and being fincerely attached to it, if he really could perceive any just cause for ferious complaint, he would not for one give his vote for the Bill; it ought to be recollected that in times of fingular exigency like the prefent, no measure of the nature of an experiment could be fuggefted, which had not its inconveniencies; but under circumstances, when every exertion must be made, and every means reforted to for the defence of the country that could be hit upon, and was likely to conduce to the object, it was incumbent on individuals to fubmit to the temporary difficulty of the moment, whatever it might be, for the lake of the general fafety of the kingdom.

The question was put, and their Lordships divided, when the numbers were,

Contents
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Majority 17

The Bill was ordered to be committed to a Committee of the whole Houfe, on Wednesday the 27th inftant.

Lord Grenville prefented a copy of the convention, figned at Vienna on the 4th inftant, between his Imperial Majefty and the King of Great Britain, relative to the loan of four million eight hundred thousand pounds.

HOUSE

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

FRIDAY, May 22.

A motion was made and agreed to, "That the House at. rifing adjourn to Wednesday next."

The Speaker ordered two writs to be iffued for the election of burgeffes to ferve in Parliament for the borough of Yarmouth, and the borough of Agmondesham, in the room of Henry Beaufoy and William Drake, Efqrs. both deceased.

Mr. Secretary Dundas brought up an account of the dif ferent fums of money paid to the Emperor by his Majesty's. commanders, with the dates of the refpective payments.Ordered to be laid on the table.

MOTION FOR PEACE.

Mr. Wilberforce faid, that he rose to give notice of his intention to bring forward on Wednesday next a motion respecting peace. As private bufinefs was now almost over, he hoped that a fufficient number of Members would attend on that day in proper time to make a House.

Mr. Coke (of Norfolk) faid, he hoped from the intimation which the Hon. Gentleman had now given, that he would. himself attend in his place; (this alluded to the absence of Mr. Wilberforce the preceding day, at the time when the House was counted out.)

Captain Berkeley gave notice of his intention after the re cefs, to move for leave to bring in a Bill for the more easily convicting perfons felling ale without licences.

On the question that the Datchet Canal Bill be now read a third time, the Houfe divided,

Ayes
Noes

The Bill was read a third time and paffed.

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32

In confequence of a fummons from the Black Rod,

The Speaker stated, that he had attended in the Houfe of Peers, where the Royal affent had been given, by commif fion, to the Dutch Property Bill, and several other public and private Bills.

IMPERIAL LOAN,

Mr. Secretary Dundas brought down a copy of a Convention between his Britannic Majefty and the Emperor, figned at Vienna on the 4th of May 1795.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer moved, that it be printed. for the ufe of the Members, and taken into confideration in a Committee of the whole Houfe on Thurfday next.

VOL. III.

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Mr. Fox fuggefted that there was another business which ftood for difcuflion on that day (the motion on the papers relative to the conduct of Sir Charles Grey and Sir John Jervis during their command in the Weft Indies).

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that it would be more convenient for the Houfe, that the other bufinefs fhould be poftponed, as the difcuffion on the Convention between his Majefty and the Emperor would require to be followed up with a Bill.

In confequence of Mr. Barham fignifying his acquiescence, his motion was poftponed till Tuesday, June 2.

Some converfation took place on the Call of the House; Mr. Stanley moved, that for the convenience of Members, it fhould be discharged; but Mr. Wilberforce fuggesting that, as feveral Members had come from a confiderable distance in the country, if the Call fhould now be discharged, it might leffen the respect to Calls in future, the motion was withdrawn, and it was understood that the Call should take place on Thurfday next, the day for which it was appointed.

Mr. Martin concurred in fentiment with Mr. Wilberforce, that if Calls of the House were fo feldom to be enforced, all refpect for them would neceffarily cease.

Mr. Porter prefaced his motion for granting an addition of pay to fubaltern officers in the army, with ftating the difference of times when that pay was adjusted, and the subse quent rife in all the articles of life. He mentioned the increase that had fince been given to the foldiers, and the allowance lately granted to officers in the militia; and concluded with moving, that an humble addrefs be prefented to his Majefty, requesting his Majefty to take into confideration the ftate of the pay of fubalterns in the regiments of infantry, &c. and to take fuch measures for their relief as to his wif dom fhall feem meet, and the Houfe will make good the fame.

The Secretary at War objected to the motion, on account of the time and mode in which it was brought forward; it involved too great a change to be haftily adopted, more particularly as there was no neceffity of the fervice, which called for any fuch augmentation as that proposed by the Hon. Gentleman.

General Tarleton said, that as additional allowances had been granted to fubalterns of the militia, that Houfe was in a particular manner called upon to confider thofe of the line; the latter, engaged in war and danger, fubject to all the viciffi tudes of heat and cold, in all the climates of the world, would receive no increafe; whilft the former met afliftance and

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