The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1819-05-08 00:00:00

1i . 1 I , 4 I It I 1 i I 4 ' I I I { nay alteration in the mode of wading Members to that House; for his own part he professed himself ti decided friend to Parliamentary Reform, taking it it its genuine and moderate sense. and in pro posing this Bill be only sought to do that which was sanctioned by the common law of the land. He wished to abolish • system—he meant the ..plitting of freeholds, which was not less injurious than it was illegal and unconstitutional ; it is a •ractice unknown to the common law of Eng. old, and was so declared by a high judicial autho ✓ity. the reign of Charles 11. that practice was ▪ eportedts, and was cdrrivd to such en extent, that an one'occasion, in one place, 500 freeholders were made (he 'night before the election. He entered somewhat *t large into an histotieal detail, and said, `tSoet it was remarkable that the system was created niorstipported on the one hand by the party who op. posed,andilie other who wished to establish a Popish king. He Wished to !place, he said, burgesses in the aline situation with the freeholders of counties; he wished the same oath 'should be administered to ea -h. As to burgage tenor*, he had to dont a strong objec. Jinn ; but others might have different opinions. If the Legislature thought that it ought to be upheld, let it be so publicly and fairly declared. He look •e41 upon it as noiconstitutiontil—as ro subversion of she rights of the people—but still, if it were openly •sleclareol, the people would then know on what principle they stood. As to •freemeti, what lie would propose respecting them wa', that if a person claimed the right of voting. he should swear where he becam- a freeman by birth, marriage. or servitiort, —that lie was ion d of that right for 11, months before ; if lie was entitled to vote by a holding, then that lie was in posse•sii n l for six months before. There co nthl be no objection as to this oath, there could • be no objection to name distinctly the qualification of Ihr voter. The subject lie considered Ince of g est iti,prlttSl We, and lie hoped the House would into the cioisideraoion of it; it was of importance to inntv that the public mind was at rtat moment grew agitated upon subjects relating to a fair and riot reform of that blouse: for hirmelf, he gloried in living a fiend to l'orlianteutory Reform, to that reform which would give a fair influence of the .prople over their Representatives. The Him. Member coneltuled by mating the Order of the Thy for the Horne to resolve itself into a Com mittee to lake into consideration the Electors °()atliti Bill. Mr. I). (It I.IIEnT said, the 1141 purported not an make any alteration in the existing law of the land, lost wily to render it more effectuel. To .e provision of it, indeed, he saw no objection, totody, that which required every proprietor of house or other property coming to vote et elections, In state the particulars of his right, the nature of she tenements on which it was (minded, the hew sa fro. •.“1 so froth. Bat his objections to other ports of it were most decided, for the Bill in fact went to an entire subversion of one essential part . f the Constitution (tithe kiugdown. lie alluded - to the most material end radical alteration it intend. ..d to make in the rights of voters in homage tenure boroughs. It was knownthot according to the present timbre. any nue possessed or burgage tenure pro• p-rty to a sufficient extent, was permitted to give %is rote without the qualification of having been in posses/soil a certain time before. Now the Bill -‘sire to make that qualification necessary. The 11011. Gentleman said, very candidly, he had a dis like to that mode of exercising the elective fran chise. He (sir. Gilbert), however, undoubtedly itsulterl upon it IN one of the essentials of our ex cellent Constitution. He contended, that that Assembly did virtually represent the people of Itiogldiod. and that the interests of all classes were 'there effectually protected. Bat he thought it sine of I. principle! excellencies. that, while it re presented the ieeople, it never yet consisted of a direct delegation from the whole body of the pro tile. It was not possible that such a (louse—a House riouposesd of delegates from all the na tinn—could en-exist with the remainiog, branches of the CansiltatiOn. unless it were to he kept in awe and order by • military force. He was perimioled either that the exerutirm would pre vail by means of a military force, or that the eleb.guted lowly would overthrow the monarchy. forciithers and theoretical writers were fiend of imagining that there was a balance in our Consti tution t;l* isirts opposite iii views and interests. .1411C11 a balance he esteemed wholly visionary, or theist* there was any balance, it was to he found .i the el, torsos of the House itself ; and he asserted, chat ttwbalatiee was effected through that part of the re:orientation which came from the boroughs in finernino. He supposed that after the strong manner to wliOt the Hon. Gentleman hod expressed him self of burger insures, as that they were a scan dal and di,grace to the country. he would scarcely goy up the provisions of his Bill which respected them. Unless the Hon. Gentleman would consent to take sway the provisions to which he referred. lie thought lie should best discharge his duty by taking the settee of the House on the motion. Ile begged leave to repeat, he did not ob ject to that clause of the Bill which called on an elector to explain the foundation of the right on which his. wished to vote, though, perhaps, it would be difficult to say how far it was applies ble to horgage tenures ; and certainly it would be embarrassitig for the tenant in all capes to say whe ther he tendered his vote in right of freehold or bur gage tenure trilements. Ttudoubtedly all the ob j..cticioable parts to which lie had adverted, might be removed in the Committee, and he therefore tru,ted the lain. Member would declare whether, if the I Irmo- a ,, reed to the niotion„ lie would con. rent to intioduce such atneudments as he had hint. ril WILIIAMS mid, it could not be expected 111111, Wilt it Wrlttld be uncarolid in him to de clare. that he would introduce any amendments in the Committee. If be found the reuse of the Mouse agaiiist it as it stood, he should he sorry to lose it un account of it clause to save hurgage te nures. flit the introduction of such a clause oould nece-sanly depend on the sense of the !louse—awl must proceed, nut from hits, but sonic other :klettilier. Air. AKAN° hoped the House would suffer the Bill to go to a Committee ; he highly approved ..1 it, though, perhaps, his Hon. Friend (.Ir. Williams) would have done better had lie made it - - OfeCiariliOry because he believed the common law ejected all oreasionality of voting. Ile thht at the they of the House to allow the BM to Ito a Committee, as it was declaratory of the general law; and there it might be stated why any parti cular exceptions should he allowed thereto. lie would cordially support the Bill, thinking one of its objects was to do away the system of nomina tion, which was most hostile to, and aubversive of, the rights of representation. Mr. T. COURTENAT said, that if the Bill was to pass, they were to assume a defect existing in the law, which it was not at all clear was so. At common law, occasionality, if ....re out, was deci sive against the right of voting. His objection was, that that being so, it was not prudent to introduce a doubt respecting it, and, by • ride-wind, to make material alteration in the existing law regarding the exercise of the elective franchise. The Bill enacted, that a person claiming to vote in right of a freehold, should not be permitted to do on, unless he made n declaration that be had been in posses sion a certain time before. lie objected to that enactment. because he thought it was law already. The tinestion was, was it prudent to make that law in the case of burgage tenure, which was law in the case of freehold ? lie thought the Bill unne cessary. When it was said that occasionality was against the general law of the land, lie was aware it might he urged, that that was not so. as the Le gislature had. at no very distant period, interfered, and enacted laws against it. But all the Legisla ture did was to explain the law, and supply certain deficiencies. Voting on burgage tenure property, in the mode referred to, had been so long acquiesced in, that it now formei • part of the law of the land. The lion. Member then moved, as an amendment, " That the Bill he committed this day six months." Scrjeant ONsi.ow said, that by the existing law it was difficult to determine what occasionality was —the present law laid down certain criteria of it, and therefore it should have Isis support. Mr. COUKTENAY explained. A Member on the ministerial side, whose name we could not learn, said it had been determined by a Committee, in the case of a Petition against the return for (we believe) W. yinouth, that the objec tion of occasionality slid hut apply to burgage tenure votes. The question on the original motion was then put, and the gallery cleared fur a divisinii. The num bers were— _ Ayes ls hO4ll ll7 M3jurity against Iht Bill SrPPI.Y. The CHANCEI.I.OIt or the EXCHEQUER then moved the order of the day fur the House going into a Committee of Supply. Mr. R. Guano's said, he was desirous, before the Speaker's leaving the Chair, to offer some ob servations on the subject of the new Post-office, to the returns relative to which, on the tattle, lie bad made some allusion before. From these it appeared that already a sum of 2.38,000/. had been expended in making preparations for the site of the new building. The project of erecting a new Post-office had beet. brought forward ut the year twelve months unfortunately before the spirit of economy had been excited in that Hoarse. Ile believed his Right Hon. Friend now holy regret. ted ever having counteualiced the design. But it appeared that a sum of , 238,000/. had hero laid nut as he said. lie hoped the edifice would he a record in such a manner as to do honour to the national taste. Of the sum he had mentioned, and the far. ther charge for the building itself. they were told the City was to repay a considerable part ; but that was all a farce. The only mode the City of ion. dun had to discharge it was, by continuing the duty on coals and wine, and borrowing from the Orphans' Fund. In order to repay it. they would be com pelled to keep up two years longer a duty, similar to what they themselves so much complained of. %%lien the measure was first spoken of, the Chan cellor of the F.schequer and the lion. Secretary (Mr. Lushingtoti), repeatedly dee•lared that no favouritism would he exercised, that the busi n ess should not be made a job—and it appeared from the Report of the Committee, that the fullest com petition of architects was recommended by them, anal that all time plans sent iii sl Id undergo the amplest inspection a n d comparison It turned nit that the plaits had been submitted only to the Treasury, and sent from thence to the Board of Works, which he thought diet not come up to the recornmendatiou of the Committee. Ile hoped, therefore, that no further progress would lie at tempted iii the work till all the plans Flumill have beet' exhibited for the examination of the public at Somerset-house, or mune similar place. Mr. LUSHINGTON diet not at all mean to deny, that he had given frequent assurances of compe tition being encouraged iii the providing a plan. Ile had been in the highest degree desirous of oh. serving those pledges; every encouragement had been held out to architects, and those artists who were desirous of giving in plains had liven attarded every facility. ‘Vhen the lion. Gentleman re lected, that the building was to give sicerminnals- Bon to 7 or son persons. he must see that the com pletion of it would be a mutter of great exp en se. He could assure him it was no job, it was under taketi for the arc, dation of the City of Loudon. Alderman WOOD said. the new ro.t.offiee was a public concern, and a large space of grostoil was necessary for conducting the execution of it, like that of every other extensive cork. The City, or rather the Corporation of London, were nearly 12,000/. a-year out of pocket by the concerti. lie thought that the parsons superititending the execu tionofthe work were the best judges of the plats. Sir JOHN INIEwPoue desired to know wlt;ther • competition of plans IA been really allowed ? Mr. LUSHINGTON made a reply, which was not audible to us. Sir JOHN NEwroa, said, the best mode of pro. diming a good plan would be by exciting u frte and fair competition of artists. Mr. I.UIHINGTON had no hesitation in promising that that would be (lone. After i‘cone further olnervations from I.lr. Gippo, ?4r. LushinKtnii, 111 r. Lung, mot Mr. Gorda'', the Speaker left the Chair. r ARMY ESTIMATES. I.Ortl PALMER/awl wad, that in riving to more the Army Estimates, he did not feel it tierersaly to im into the subject st smy length, lievout , e the Com mittee of Finance had gone into it so minutely, in their two Reports on the table, that little remain ed for him to do. On a general view of the num. hers proposed to he voted at the permanent force of 1819, for Great Britain mid her Colonies, as compared with the numbers for last year, leaving out of consideration the forces employed in France and India, the I louse would see there was a dimi. notion of 9,870 men—and if • comparison were made of the total numbers as in the estimates in pay and under arms this year, with the correspood ing number. in the beginning of lest year, the total diminution in the preceding would he found to he 96,04 i. This diminution in the numbers would naturally lesid to a supposition that there wag • diminution of expense this year Ilan; but the House would recollect, that the charge for the troops (poor tered in France till near the dose of last year had been entirely raised from the contributions supplied by that Power, and that whenever the troops at*. tinned there were withdrawn, that event was items eerily attended with an increase of charge In the revenue—as the pensions, half-pay, military allow. melees, &c. consequent on their reduction, would fall upon the country. The additional expense thus incurred would be about 356,0001. were it not fora staving of 268,000/. made by reductions in re maining ports of the forces. which had the effect of bringing down the advance of expenditure from 356,000/. to 88,512/. for the current year. In the charge for this year was included a sum of 203,254/. for troops ordered to he disbanded in the course of the year. A great proportion of this was temporary—it was expected that the whole of the increase of 148,5:11. would merge in the savings to be made by new reduction.. If they looked to the total charge of all the military esta blishments in every part of the empire in the end of 181 e, and compared them with that for the preced ing year, a reduction would he discovered of 763,3181. 12t. 11d. ; but as the charge of the troops in India was defrayed by the East India Company, nod that of the army in France was paid out of the French contributions, the saving on the latter, and the increase on the former, must be considered, in order to arrive at the differ , Puce in the amount of the sum to he raised by Parliament. nut to those who looked on twirl• tary establialimente with jealousy, as affording sources of patronage to the Crown, it was by no mean* all immaterial consideration that establish• meats to the amount of 763,0001. hid been re moved, even tl gli the cost of maintaining them all was tint derived from the public. Ile should now proceed to state the heads of the estimates fur the year ; it was unnecessary to enter into the de tails, as they had been given with great particula rity in the 2d Report of the Committee on Fitiatice. In the first doss, the Land Forces, which comprised the actual army of the country, including the staff and medical department, there was a diminution of 972,000/. as compared with the last year. In the Staff, there was an increase of 2,236/. which did not proceed from any augmentation of that branch bf the service (for there was, :a point of fact, one 1 General Officer Its% than there was in the last year), but was entirely chargeable on tile Medical Staff. IVlien the Medical Establishment was revised, Itwo or three years ago, a diminution was made, which was thought too great by many persons. 1 It was considered better to leave to the individuals on different stations the power of representing what I augmentation might necessary, rather than to in ! terfere at once with the regulation that had been made. In consequence of those representations 1 smell augmentations had been made, and thus the 1 increased charge of 2,2361. in the present year had Ibeen created. In the Barrack Department there was an increase of 4,000/. This arose from three 1 causes:—first, u temporary charge, owisig to the t necessity of einti!oying a number of extra clerks its 1 certain o ffi ces, on account of the tiresome of Wei -1 11Plie—second, the placing• of harrack-masters on half j pay, w ho, while they were with the many in France, 1 were paid out of the French contributions— ; amid thirdly, the transfer from the extraordinariet to this hea d of estimates, the expense of the otitis. , tary branch of the department of the Secretary for lielimil. There was, under the bead of Me dicine, a reduction of 8,600/. This was occa sinner! by tho great quantity of medical stores brought home from Frauce, which were, of course, 1 made available for the service of the year. Uuder • the heed of Volunteer Corps, there was a ditninuti tttt ' of 187,000/. It arose entirely on the Irish Establish . meld. On that of Englaild, there was a small increase—which was created by the auguien -1 tattoo made last year in the yeomanry cavalry. The whole of the items of saving on the first claw, Iwas, as he had !refine stated, 272,000/. The troops employed in India, the Muse well knew, were paid by the East India Company. Though, in the first instance, the expense of recruiting nod keeping up those corps was paid out of the fonds of this coun try, yet it ultimately constituted a charge against the Company. Oil the third class of estimate to which half-pay, pensions, and gratuities belonged, there was ;111 addition of 13,000/. arising princi pally from the reduction of the army in France. In the !Military College there was a diminution of 3401. lii the army pay Of General Officers there was an increase of 1,293/. owing to casualties. Under the foetid of Gallitano, there was a hitting increase of 9.59/. This arose from the circumstance of the deterinisiation which had been come to, last year, to reduce some of the garrisons its Scotland—at which period it was •gieed that allowances should be nitrite to particular individual.. Under the head of full pay for retired officers, there was a diminution of 5,791/. arising out of casualties. In the half-vay sod military allowances there was an increase of 7,980/. in consequence of the reduction which had taken place iu the army. Under the hind of foreign half-pay, there was a diminution of 6,60 N. lii the estimate for Chelsea and Kilmaiii ham (in noel out-pensioners) there was an increase of 12i,0001. The whole of this was 110 a real in crease. Its the estimates for last year, credit was tarot for 30,000/. prise-money, and 14,0001. pound age in the hospital, making a total of 4.1.00 0/. to which amount there was a diminution in the charge for last year. Deducting this from the arparent to crease of 121,000/. it left a real augmentation of 77,0001. In the Royal Military Asylum there was tutu increase of 3,600/. which was unavoidably in rimed on account of the rise in the price of pro , visions. Under the head of Widows' Pensions, there was an increase of 5.2471. occasioned by an addition to the number of persona on the Init.— !In the Compessioutite I.lst„ comprising bounty warrants and tirmions for wounds, there was au iii crease of 6,7001. arising front the saute it nose, that (molted to sot ntent the mann! °f l y/Mows' prin sil's. In the Superannuation Allowances, there was an increase of 2,6954. which was occasioned by the reduction of certain lostiches of tie mili tary establishment in the coarse of the year, It might he satisfactory to tie Committee to know, with reference to the expenditure of the. Country. what ha I been the result of the reductions made within the List few years. In 1416, 1817, Ili Iti, and 1819, official establi-tunetits had been reduc ed to the amount of 24,9541. On these, retir ed allowances hail been granted, /4 ))))) Ullitilbg to 13,691/. leaving a clear saving to the country of 11,.203/.—witti this further consideraiimi, that the establishments themselves hieing aboli,liod. those allowance', would only coot 11110! NU 1(411g as the piers/Iris who held the appoint wrests, when the reduction took place, were it existence.— It appeared then. that. oil the whole of the esta blishments, connected with the military service, there was an increase in money of 180.00 a—while there was a diminution, in numbers, of 9,870 men. He wished before lie proposed the resolution with which he meant to conclude, to draw the attention of the Committee to that part of the Report of the Committee of Finance, in which was pointed nut the proportion which the expense of the first doss (including land forces, staff; Ike.) bole to the elitore amount of the military expenditure. The whole of the expenditure amomited to fi,375,000/.--of which 3,503,0001. was called for by what might be denominated active establishments—Ow remainder being a stun of 5,873,000/. belonged to the third elect—that class which comprised pensions, super annuation'', half-pay, bounty -warrant., &c. He did not think that money thus laid out would be considered to have been either improperly or un fairly expended ; on the contrary, he was sure the Committee would feel the justice of the grant. They would recollect that the persons for whom this charge was incurred, were individuals whose professional prospests were closed, lit consequence of the very victories they had beet instrumental in gaining—officers and men who had been maimed in the service of the country—soil the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in fighting the battles of the empire. He was certain the Com mittee would feel that these were a species of claims which a British House of Commons would always attend to as • paramount duty. - lie particu larly drew the :Mention of the Committee to this portion of the expenditure of the country, because lie was anxious that the public should he aware of the items of which this branch of charge was composed—and he felt the utmost con viction that the good sense and good feeling of the country were such, that, when the justice of any ex penditure was established, no reluctance would be manifested in providing for it.—(//ear, hear.) — With respect to that part of the expenditure which applied to the effective and active ;nut of the army, he wished just to state to the Committee the re duction that had been accomplished in the course of the last two years. if they compared the forces that would remain, in the present year, after all the projected reductions were made, with the forces on foot, in the beginning of 1817, they would find that there would be a diminution, its the present period, of sl,29ti men—and of 1,336,000/. in the amount of expenditure. If they went one year forth. back in their comparison, it would be found, that the forces on foot, in the present year, compared with the ounibers stated in the estimate of 1817 were less in number by 62,982 men—making a diminution in charge, after allowing for int:lease of pemions and half-pay. of 1,366,0001. Having mole this brief statement, lie ; would now move— "That it in the opinion of thin Committer, that a Film not exceeding 2,259,7781. 11n. 2J. he granted to his 31ajenty fur the Land Forces in Great Britain, and on the station• nhrinul, excepting the at giments employed in the East f...m the 25111 Dtcember, 1310, to the 24th Decem ber. 181 D " Colonel DAVITS conceived, that a reduction, of not less than 1.20,000/. might, with prosier care, be made no these estimates, ItkiViliVs at the same time. the military establishmeut as Ofretire as it was at present. He recommended the reduction of at least three regiments of cavalry—and also the disbanding a number of infantry regiments To counter balance any weakness that this sairicteding might he supposed to induce, he would suggest the propriety of keeping up the full and perfect number of the regiments which remained. By pursuing this course, a number of heavy appoint ments would be rendered unnecessary. The Hon. Member then proceeded to point out the great dis parity which was oh•ervabte between the number of offiee. ou the staff in England and Ireland, com pared with the numerical force of the army. He could not conceive on what principle the enormous military staff at present in exi-tence could be justifi ed. Sonic reason might be adduced for such an esta blishment in time of war—but, in a period of pro found peace, it was most preposterous. Those in dividuals could scarcely be employed on any other service than that of repressing the smuggling sys tem, a duty formerly undertaken by officers far in ferior in rank. The staff of the Military College was also unnecessarily great. He did not mean to trouble the House further et present—but he now gave notice, that when the Report wail brought up, he would move for a rednytion of 120,000/.—end he would then point out the mode, by which, he conceived, the proposed saving might be made. Mr. HUME did not mean to object to that part of the estimate, which provided for the support of wounded and superannuated officers—but he was not so much eutisfird with the appropriation of the remaining three million. and half. He was as sen sild.! of the merits or the army as any Gentleman could be—he knew the arduous duties they had to perform in supporting the glory and greatness of the country—but, as a Member of Parliament, it was for him to consider, whether, after many years of suffering, after having borne their burdens with exemplary patience, the people of England could not be relieved from a part of those burdens, with. out destroying the efficiency of the military force. Looking to the Report ot• the Finance Corn. miner, now lying on the table, it appeared to him that that Committee had not fulfilled the expectations which the country had entertain. ed of the result of their labours. They met to consider wind further measures were to be adopted, in order to relieve the country from the burdens which pressed so heavily on it. He had read the Report attentively—and, from first to he could not find a syllable, U 4 to any mode by wilich' the burdens of the country aright r,e re. ,laced, The Report was altogether a conotarie r r of estimates that had been laid before the llouos, What was the standard they called oil the Hosi.e to adopt ? Instead of instituting a coin. parisois between the military force of 1792 (which they admitted to he the proper point), and th A t whtch existed. at the present period. they sei se ,. oil the .years 1816, 1817, and 1411, with them the comparison was made. They I.oi okra selected the year 1814 (whet§ almost u.. paralleled exertions were merle) as is proper stailit u . with winch to compare the oirearut expeedittire i,„ der the head of Publie (Miceli. The !Wile lion. II id ponder, out a variety of erviligs- heat t a , saving', he must observe. did tint appear nn 1:i• table. ‘Vheis the Noble Lord spoke of a sivin, of 2500)00/. he did not inform the Con:mm.. e that the expenditure of the present year, as corn_ pared with the last, presented an increase of 1:40,000/. He (Mr. Hume) believed that the ewe. mate for let2o would not be 1001. less than +hilt for the present year, which he considered a most melancholy prospect for the country. The emir. mune amount of the staff employed in a period profound peace had been very justly commented oil by the Hon. Member who had preceded him —and lie hoped his Majesty's Ministers would make such reductions in that part of the military estalei.i.- nient as eircomstances would warrant. He beg ze i to call to the attention of the House the pree. : a state of the Military College. When this cooniry h id 350,000 men in arms, he would nut ry that It was not a very proper eatablisliment. Hot the Committee was not perhaps aware of the little im portance of this establishment to the public, at the present day. He would shew what the real efficiency of that College was. The number of students in the College was 400, who were eligible after an educa. lion of four yew« to hold commissions in the arms, Now, the number of officers appointed to the arinv from that College, in the cuurse of three years, n i t 76—twenty by purchase, and fifty-six without it. This appeared from a paper for which he had moved a few days since. His inference from this e s ., that they were paying the sum of 25,000/. per (m --eant for the education of a very few young genii. - men. With respect to the half-psy list, he was anxious to offer a few observations. In the begin ning of 1816, there was an immense number of offi cers on half-pay. There were 1,163 Captains -3,063 Lieutenants—and 1,241 Cornets and En signs. At that very moment, when Government were making reductions in differesit quarter., some of which he had no doubt gave them pain, they wee filling up vacancies in the army by the issue of cont. miesions to individuals who hail never served. No less than 294 persons were sent to the arm s , without purrheae—and thus a succession of t o tants were forced on the public—for the vaine return proved, that 294 persons were, at tria period, placed on half-pay of 3a. per diem. T i e was a body of annuities crewed, to the amourit of 16,060/. by filling up vacancies, without purchase, instead of taking from the lialf-pay list officers who had been discharged only a month bef.ire.— (Ilear.)—By this means the public war burdened with a suns of 300,000/. the capital necessary to produce annuities to the amount he had stated. With respect to the Royal Military Asylum, it cost the public 36,0001. per annum. He conceived. that during the war, it was proper that it should be ex tensively supported. But he doubted, L ow that peace had returned. considering that the couritly was at present over-populous, whether it was pru dent to continue the Asylum to its existing extent. Mr. BEN N ETT said, the real question %%0, IPA whether Ministers hail reduced the military forte from a war to a peace establishment ? hut whethe, the establisinuerit now proposed was not entirely too large under existing circionatatierei ? It ap. peered to him, that it was not necessary, in the year 1819. a period of profound peace, to keep a force of 29,533 mess in this country, partreirlai as there wits a large and efficient emir:of voliiiiti el.. With respect to Ireland, he could tint conceive ai.y good reason for supporting in that country a force of twenty thousand six hundred and .eventy-oni. ri l e.. If such a force were necessary th ere, it argued that the people were badly governed. Except in tilo s:ales that were ceded to new masters, by the act• of the late Congress, this system of over-Asa:Da a people by the terror of military force, was no oler , . else adopted. If that were the object Mined at, 1:1 supporting so large an army in Ireland, it iv.e. most disgraceful sod discreditable to those who supported it. If, when speaking on such a sub ject, they could contemplate a seeing of money, he would say, that it would create a great saving, if pains were taken to attach the Irish people to this country instead of making them hate and detest I'. Facts had lately come to his knowledge, connected with Ireland, of which perhaps the House were eve , -' rant. He had learned, that, instead of turels-is. every gaol in Ireland, except our, was atteritleit a number of soldiers. Evidence of this, he iahr. stood, was given before a Committee, now ,it ting in another place. Thirty-six soldier*, .1 appeared, were employed to take care of etc prison only. There individuals were selected to perform duties winch could be easily ex ' acted by six or seven turnkeys. Now, set ting aside the unconstitutionality of empliiy ' jug the military in this manner, he conceived that one way of reducing the great amount of military force in Ireland, would be to call on the different counties to provide proper turnkeys. The number ef officers on the Staff was a matter of serious complaint. There were no less than seven Ilajo , - General in Ireland, each of whom could not hate much inure than 2,000 or 3,000 men wilder li 0 command. He would now advert to a subject. which, though net strictly connected with the discussion, was well worthy of observatio n . He alluded to the distribut of the prize-money claimed by the army who assisted in gaining tie battle of ‘Vaterloo, IVhether it proceeded hour the vague way in which the order was drawn up, or the vague manner in which it was interpreted, he could not say, but it had the etiect of depriving re giments of their share of that reward, which, %wile soy other circumstances, they would have beep coil• aidered entitled to—and, at the same tittle, it im.t ed in officers, as worthy of remuneration, .01'r had not the most remote title to the 'twilit Of it single shilliug. Troops not actively engaged. bet who were us much with the army as if Or). bad been absolutely in the battle (because protected the flanks and rear from the attacks of the