The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-03-16 00:00:00

he sufficient fur the printing and perusel of the

papers."
The SPEAKER —" I3.G►re tbia Whiret Is
fist ill,v
rlisoty.ed of, I out not clear, whether some tillers
which have been put in to-night, do not r► quire
the same revipml, as others hare received %Ohl'
were ►ubmitted to a Selecl Committee. The
last Report nip certain of these 'eller% "to """le
early in the evening, unit therefore the Select
Committee is no longer iu hiving. IS it the !plea-
sure of the ;louse that all the letters introduced to-
night be inserted, as they now st: and, in the Ap-
pendix, or that they he subjected to the •:one revi-
sion, whicl► the former letters underwetit ?"
Tlw House made sin order on the subject, and
the motion of postpmwsnent WAS agreed to.
MUTINY BILL.

Ott the motion forthethird reading of this Bill—
Mr. IL GURNEY, in a very low tone of voice,
pointed out some of the evils of the present re-
cruiting system, and, in order to ameliorate theist,
moved, " That schedule I) he omitted."
Lord PALMERSTON said, this subject had been
well and frequently considered in the House—and
the ground on which this part of the system stood,
was evidently the fairest and hest. The recruit
might choose limited or unlimited service. The
difference in the bounty was only 161. if a in-in
wished to enlist for unlimited service, it could
scarcely be imagined that lie was induced to do so
for the paltry allowance of 16s. It must be a mat.
ter of determined choice, uninfluenced by
Sir R. Wtt.sux inveighed
against the puoisli-
ment of flogging, as a disgrace to the army. Ilk
Royal Highness the Duke of York had made a 'e-
volution in the system of military discipline—and
had, by his regulations, greatly changed its com-
plexion for the better. Ile had introduced a lenity
that was as just as it was salutary. The success of
this alteration was so great, that it must encourage
them never to lose sight of this cruel, disgraceful,
and demoralizing system. till it was wholly done
away, or, if preserved at all, preserved only as a
commutation fur the punishment of death. Se-
vere punishments only multiplied crimes—and it
had ever been found, where severe officers citn.
mended troop', that offences increased, and de-
pravity of conduct was observable, in proportion to
the severity that was resorted to; while, on the
contrary, where such a commander was succeeded
by one of milder character, as the infliction of
punishment became less cruel, the number, as
well as the atrocity of crimes, became less
striking. He was not fond of praising indivi-
dual characters, lest lie should be suspected of
acting from interested motives; but, where the
cause of humanity and of morality was assisted, the
person to whom the good was attributable, ought
to receive the praise which his actions challenged.
The Duke of Gloucester it was who first intro.
duced this lenient system—and the regiment on
which he tried it, from being one of the worst in
the service, soon became one of the most retnarka-
ble, for order, honesty, and discipline. Ile meant
not to inflame the public mind on this subject, but,
after the Humber of dreadful scenes he had witness-
ed in his time, he could not refrain from stating the
sentiments he had ever avowed.
Mr. Bscitarr said, the custom to which the
Hon. Gentleman adverted, had long been con,i-
tiered • part of the military system of this country.
When Gentlemen, at different times, urged all
the arguments they could adduce against corpo.
real punishments, they were as regularly answered
by ,the most satisfactory reasoning and the most
decisive appeal to facts. This was not a measure
only one or two years old. For near a cen-
tury and • half this clause for corporeal punish-
ment was in being—s circumstance that seemed
to put this question entirely at rest. Fifteen
or sixteen years ago, Gentlemen delivered an
opinion on this subject, precisely similar to that
which they had just hearth. But he conceived
the triumphs obtained by the British army in the
Peninsula, and at the battle of Waterloo, com-
pletely answered all complaints against the ex-
isting system. How were those triumphs achieved ?
By the discipline of the British army—of whose
system corporeal punishment formed a part. Al.
terations had been made in the system, minor
punishments had been substituted, and the conse-
quence was that offences had increased.
Sir J. NEWPORT was astonished to hear the Hon.
Gentleman assert, that this country .wed the vic-
tory of Waterloo, and other glorious achievements.
to the system of corporeal punishment.--(Heue,
bear.)—This was an assertion he never could give
credit to. He could not believe that the victories
of this country were to be attributed to so base an
engine.—(Hear,hear.)—The infliction of corporeal
punishment would, he believed, militate against
the uccomplishment of mighty deeds. He should
not rejoice in the noble spirit and enthusiastic gal-
lantry of • British army, if they could be traced to
such a source as that the Hon. Gentleman had pa.

negyrised.
Mr. BECKETT and Sir J. NEWPORT severally
explained.
Sir Lowav COLE was unwilling to obtrude him-
self on the House, but having beau fur many years
connected with the army, he might be supposed to
have formed an opinion on this subject. That opi-
nion, he believed, was not a popular one. but still
he was bound to state it. Ile must then say, that,
however objectionable and injurious the system
formerly was, yet lie did not think the British army
could be kept in its present state of discipline, if
it were wholly reinoved.—lllear, hear.) i
Sir I. '.2OFFIX said, the army, with respect to 1
Courts-martial, were in an unhappy state indeed ;
since the sentences were given privately, and trans-
mitted to the Commander-in-Chief, instead of be-
ing, as in the iia4; openly promalged.
The motion was then negatived. and the Bill
read the third time and passed.
CONSOLIDATED FUND PRODUCE HILL.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved
the Order of the Day for the second reading of the
above Bill.
Mr. GRENVELL said, it was then after eleven
o'clock, and he had been in and about the House
for upwards of eleven hours. Ile. and many other
Gentlemen, wished to make some observatioi.s on
the Bill, and he hoped, in candour, the Right
lion. Gentleman would not press it.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER intimated
that the Hon. Gentleman might deliver his senti-
ments in another stage of the Bill.
Mr. Gai:ti x v Ls. said, he would assuredly, in