The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-01 00:00:00

any injury to the finances of the country. And, looking at
the provisions of this hill with reference to the pensions of
those who only served 10 years, but did duty fur 12 days in
the year for the follotving 20 years, it ems a positive injustice
to those who served 21 years, nut to give them • higher
amount of jfimsion than the first class. There was a vast dif-
ference between the claims of the two claws of men ; and
this ought to he °Doddered in the amount of pension.
Mr. F. MAULE ecpromed a hope that the committee on
the bill might now be allowed to proceed.
Clause the first was then proposed, and
Sir IL DOUGLAS sauced that the period of service to
entitle a man to retirement and pension, should be 14 )ears
instead of 10, as was proposed by the bill.
Mr. HUME expressed a hope that it would be made 7
years instead of 10. It might be said that such a course
would lead to great expense ; but even ar, they were bound
to incur any expense to keep their soldiers as men might to
be kept.
Col. LINDSAY supported the amendment of Sir H.
I Douglas for the substituiion of 14 yams for 10, because by
that means they would have a larger number of the older
class of soldiers in the army. la his opinion, the men
of Id or 16 years' standing were the most usetul, front
their knowledge of the discipline of the army. He quoted
the authority of the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon, to
show that an army of recruit* was of little or no use without
a ',age mixture of veterans.
Mr. F. MAULE said that last night he stated his reasons
for objecting to enlistment for 14 years, and, notwithstand-
ing what ler had now hen-d, he still adhered to his opinion,
that a 10 years' enli-tment was better than that proposed by
the right hon. baronet (Sir H. Douglas).
Cul. T. WOOD supported the proposal fur extending the
-period of enlistment to 14 years.
Col. SIB MORP supported the amendment, which was
opposed by Major Lar•an.
After a few words from Mr. CoLLerr,
Sir H. DOUGLAS, in reply, stated, that with respect to
the artillery, he well knew that if they restricted the period
of enlistment to 10 years, it was utterly impossible that that
department of the eerily could be worked effleier.tly.
The house then divided—For the amendment 27
Against it . 62-33
The clause was then sgreed to.
On the second clause being proposed,
Col. T. WOOD moved that the words " during the last
year of" be inserted instead of the words " after complet-
ing." His object was to compel a soldier to give notice of
re-enlisting in his own regiment, if he wished to do so,
during the last year of his service.
Mr. F. MAULE thought that the proposition of the hon.
and gallant gentleman would restrict the soldiers too much.
The clause as it at present stood gave the soldier the option
of menlisting in his own regiment six months after getting
his discharge.
After a 'short discussion, Col. T. Wood withdrew bit
amendment.
Mr. F. MAULE could not pledge himself, at the pre-
sent moment, as to what arrangement might be made for
granting the bens fit of free discharge to the old soldiers.
After a brief conversation, the clause was agreed to. The
remaining ciauses wire also agreed to, with some verbal
amendments.
_ _

Major LAYARD proposed the following clause :
That, at the expiration of three years from the pawing of this act,
soy person now enlisted to eery. her Majesty, who shall have com-
pleted the term of ten ream in the infantry or twelve years in the
cavalry, artillery, or other ordnanor corps, to be reckoned as afore-
said, and who gull give three calendar months' notice to his com-
manding °Meer that be is desirous of being discharged. shall be
entitled to the benefit of this act, and to the provisions thereof, is MI
full and envie a manner as if enlisted after the pawing of this act.
Re was sun, from the liberal opinions expressed and acted
on by the government, that they would see the hardship of
the case by the present bill, as it affected men now in the
service, and therefore be hoped they would agree to the
clause.
Sir DE L. EVANS seconded the clause.
Mr. F. MAULE said the executive government was armed
with the power of applying the provisions of the bill at any
period of service, and he thought the adoption of the clause
proposed would be all but a work of supererogation. It
would also be very inconvenient to adopt it, as it would not
be expedient for the government to make any declaration of
the course they meant to adopt, with reference to giving men
at present in the army the benefit of their discharges, with-
..tat having some knowledge of the working of the measure,
and its Effect on the public mind, as well as in the existing

army.
After a few words from Sir Da L. Evaks, and Colonel
LINDSAY, Msjor lAyard withdrew the clause.
The house resumed, and the chairman reported progress.
The house then adjourned at a quarter put 5 o'clock, till
Monday, the 12th of April.