The Express.
London, England, 1852-06-16 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE. OF LORDS.—TI'EsDAY, Jrtt g 13.
The LAID Co t•icet.i.on took his seat at 6 o'clock.
IrETI l'lONte PRESENTED.
Ovano.—By E irl NELSON, from • place in Oxford-
shim. censplaisiing of the high price of guano.
Alarmiririt.—Mso from the General Asscmtly of thel
Church 114 Seutiasel, against any furtir r groat to Nlayliouth.
R 'UMAT CAtIIIAUM. By the Duke of NOIIT1117)1.
BERLAND, from N.A.:la Shield. and Nevreastle•en-Tyne,
eineretinieg of the want of lights in third-elass railway
carnage,
Disositirtga ur ins Jaws.—lly the Earl of CAR-
LISLE, (rum the corporatism of London, praying he •
repeal of Jewish disabilities.
BURGHS (SCOTLAND) BILL.
On the motion of the Hall of MINTO, this bill was
read a third time, and .
111117141 A BILL.
The Earl of DERBY moved the order of the day for the I
mooed reading of this bill, the importance of which would
net be uudervalued by any of their lordship.. It had
already received the assent of the other house of parlia-
ment, after long discussion, by overwhelming majorities.
It was a bill for reorganising and placing in comparative
efficiency the ancient constitution of a militia ic this
country ; and after who• had taken place ibis session,
and tin discussions in the oth r house of parliament,
he could hardly entertaia a doubt that the principle of the
bill would be acceded to by their lordships, and meet with
almost unanimous concurrence. He begged to repeat now,
what he hail said at the commencement of the session, that he
did out bound his concurrence in the general views upon
this ...object on any immediate apprehension which he en-
tenanted with regard to the hostile intentions o foreign
powers. On the lint occasion on which he addressed the
house as a minister of the crown, he expressed the belief
which he thin entertained, and which subsequent circuit
stances had tended still further to increase and strengthen,
in the personal pacific disposition of the present ruler of
the French repub.ie. If they were to ask him whether,
from any antieipa'ioa of hostility proceeding from
the Prince President, he asked for additional
measures of defence, he should answer that in-
quiry with a most distinct and absolute negative. If
they went on to ask him whether he considered that the
state of France and of the continent of Europe was so firmly
totablish.il and free from li ebility of interruption as to ren-
der It poeible for them to rely on that which might take
place from other causes than the actual disposition of the
rulers of France, he should answer such a question with
much more quelitication than he should a question with
regard to the pers ica! predilection of the Pointe President.
Ile could not shut his eyes to the fret that frequent changes
had taken place of late years in the government of France,
and to the tact that in that country many unquiet spirits
were now kept down by the stern rule 05 discipline, and
were impatient el the control to which they were subjected,
anwee 'show would le• found many who were not at all
enmity to this country. (Ileac. hear.) If they asked him
fortis r wiled.' r. in teat state of things, and looking to the
great naval and inilitar resources of France—to her nearness
to this country, and the large amount of forte which in a
short period she could, it en disposed, throw on our shores—
looking at all these circumstances, if they asked him whe-
ther he thought they ought to be content with our
present sc int, provision eit iinst the possibility of in-
volS1(.11, he should answer that by saying that it would be
the height of folly and madness if we were so content,
with the probability of any contingency. however remote
and unlikely, w bleb should, for the lint time for centuries,
inflict on this country the possibility of a hostile descent on
our coasts. Hear. Iliac) When the proposition of the
late government was brought before the House of Com-
mon., .'though there was a great acquiescence, not only
in the necessity of increasing our force, but also of este-
Whiny s militia twee, a difference of opinion prevailed in
that house. to which he would not further allude, as he did
not wish to call up any reminiscences which might be pain-
fui to noble lords, on the other side of the house. A differ•
race of opinion existed as to the specific plan which the
government then propwed for the organisation of a local
M1i1.1.1, Mlllll they declared it necessary to introduce a nee-
ant- tor the purpose of reorganising, amending, and con-
age' sting the laws relating to the local militia. Thus
they arrived, step by step, at thisconclusion--first, that ell
Parties agreed that our existing means of defence were in-
sufficient ; *ext. that all parties fur the most pars agreed
that a militia force ouelit to be raised; and thirdly, that
the Roue of Common, entertained an opinion, on where
it subsequently acted, that it should be not of a local,
but of a general character, in accordance with the
former law on the subject. That was the position
in which affairs stood, when himself and those with whom
hr acted were called upon to take the position they now
occupied lie believed that very few of their lordships enter-
tained any doubt that some increase in the force of this
country was necessary. Whether under ordinary circum-
stances the British army was moil for the laborious duties
which devolved omit la quota a the globe—whetherit was adequate to the • .1 those duties—or whe-
ther, for ordinary eiremielesees, looking at the great
amount of those duties. alai the enarantly increasing calls
which new se giusitiou were isaking on the army—whe-
ther smiler all these circa:steam that army was sufficient
to meet, with a due regard to the comfort of the soldier,
the demands now made upon it—was a question which he
would not then enter into. But our present peace esta-
blishment was not sufficient to meet any extraordinary
emitesey, still kw au invasion by •disciplined army thrown,
at a few hours' notice, on our rusts. (Hear.) Then he had
heard it said in the Hone, of Commons, if that be the use,
why propose the establishment of a militia force' Why not
propose at once to increase the regular army by tea or
twenty thousand men' Ten thousand disciplined troops
they bad been told would be a more economical and effective
force than 50.000 militiamen. lie should, however, adopt
web a declaration with some qualification. He spoke with
great deference on a subject on which he was not competent
to ewes.. au opinion, and in the presence of the highest
auth critics on the subject. First, however, as to the ex-
penditure. lie thought it easy to show that 10,000 regular
troop. would, for the purpose for which a militia was now
rowel, be more eiradve than 30,000 militiamen. If they
wen entering ima im pea armipaila, fir win pima as sir-
rumeasees es Mile% the hers et a reauriiii
depend, in which they meld have to Mimi misses
miler ere, firmness, saddled ins, it was e
habit *et the noble sad t duke would WAR Lit
learta
10,100 Seeps then eamparatively
milisiemes. BM the else Si an invanuerritto
emoray, set foe the yam s. of etternser=
lIIIIIMIst occupation, but for insult and
Weald be different. That would be a eloomelleoei
which would regal:east se mad organisation ad trfi
pline as would reader asessmey that iii which ohm Bei
British army was dellefeat—emaely, in poshamo aill 1
memo. lie would ant enter into details en this
but he believed it la been stated over sad seer oilslolll
the Masa .meet ef regular troops that said he dews
Pother he the thrustdds country from Omsales 'm-
aimbas. *a ham la lealmad. was AMP ma i sad
a Mose Sall aapeaissen, they weal boa say
ass Is mama magi as army as mists be lemeilt
swam this. Thor ea as the opposition that tremersery
paints sad sesegiel piss la this cottony they wire to
withdrew /veer dash alms Sol have all three pass% all
itsdiliPPidlf. ell die pridmais sad Isetlisaisia miasma a
ass to defend Asa Ill'hy
_Ow the dame, ea a Elsa
mama scale, of the Isailled plasma that wadi le loping
sommAdits what a these 30,000 men WOild nee lei mere
thisaei leeit 'anises. Add, therefore, 10,01111mna to
the "why lase of ais away, rad sopplaizog the =
sea atm ferdrod be palm day ohs ray with
they woad lays Is mai a am Nal sada of 10Alltasa,
mad 4,000 emairy. But, if imam& of 10,06:1 make limps
they had immediately sealable eft or sixty or =
tbessand milleiamen„ and they were se place WOO
to perilhom the garrison duty, for which Meg egald
be seemelly qualified, assisted, as they might his by small
metim et die regular troops—it was not tea ms& to say
that these 30,000 militiamen would set tree WOO out of
the 30,000 regular troops, and 40,000 or 60,41111 militiamen
would be left to co-operate with the 26,000 weep. And '
thus, instead of an army of 10,000 regular taurge, they
would have an army free to act in the field of 26,000 regular
troops, assisted and supported—mid their services in that
respect would be invaluable—byan additional force of fort
or fifty thousand militia men, our garrisons and ors
being perfectly defended. (Hear, bear.) He was not we
dirrialuing discipline and organisation, he was not yes.
tending for a moment to compare an individual militiamen
with an individual soldier, but he had stated the
on which the government preferred trusting the dernel:t
the country to a large augmentation of militiamen MU,
than to a small increase of the army. (Hear, hear.) Bet
there weft other motives; the augmentation of the regular
array at a time of passe, would be opening the question in
the House of Commons to a motion year after year for the
pales' of reducing it. (Hear, hear.) Besides which,
although it was not a question which, if thought right,
should stop them from taking any course, aid It was not
a subject which they ought to put out of their
i ensideration, that by the establishment of a militia
force they would indicate to all forties esmatries
that their motives were purely defensive. tHear, hear.)
The augmentation of the regular army, that being of an
offensive as well as defensive character, might suggest to
111,411 nations the necessity of increasing their forms. But
when they simply increased a force which it was certain
most he limited to the defence of our own shores, they in.
.he ind that their intentions were pacific. (Haar, hear.)
Ile came then to the question as to the peculiar mode
which could be adopted for carrying into effect the estab-
ibleit law of the country, as to thy militia, and he would
remind their lordships that that taw was so absolute and
strict, that without an act In each successive year, the crown
would not have the power, although it might have the de-
sire, of dispensing with the obligation of calling into genet
operation the militia forge. He did not wish to enter let*
any invelioue comparison between the present measure and
that which had been proposed by their predecessors. The
noble lord at the heed of the late government had conesta-
ale ited to him privately the bill which he intruded to sub-
mit to parliament, and he felt bound not to return for such
courteous kindness any unnecessary criticism on the noble
lord's bill. (Hear, hear) At the same rm., although that
len was nominally for establishing a local militia, yet
in two particulars it was divested of the character
trually afield to a local totals, sad with regard
to them he weld not see any great difference
between the bill of tile late government and the
pecieet tali. A local militia conveyed the idea of a force
dot only locally raised, but qualified to act 'n its own ionise-
Cite locality, yet it was stated by the noble lord (Lid J.
Russell) that he felt it to hr a matter of importance that a
fore, should be provided which might be available for ser-
vice in aay part of the ('sited Kingdom wherever it.
Vll•ifta might be required , and whereas the laws of a local
militia strictly forbade substitutes and required ell persons
balloted he Is oozes is peas, the noble lord felt so strongly