The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-05 00:00:00

TUESbAY, APR 1 T
. a, 5, 1803.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMEND

• HOUSE OF LORDS.
MONDAY, AP:•4I. 4.
Mr. ERSKINE was heard to the clrese of a most
animated argument, in the Committee of Privileges,
on the Chandos claim of Peerage; after which the
further hearing was adjourned to Co-morrow.
Three private Bills were brought up-! from the
Ilouse of Commons, presented, and laid t first
time.
MILI ['IA OFFICER ESTARLISHMENT COMPLETION

HILL
The Order, of the Day for going intothe Com-
mittee on this Bill haring been read,
The Earl of ROMNEY rose, and professed
himself to have beet. all his life a was m friend to
the Militia, which, according to its et iginal prin-
ciples, he considered as the hest constitational (1:-
fem.! :,f the kingdom that could be devised ; but he
• was sorry to see those principles departed from
every year ; and the present Bill apeeared to him to
contain clauses directly at variance with all the Mili-
tia Laws that had passed on the sutra from its
first institution. It, in an especial meaner, contra-
diaed the preamble of the Bill relative to the Nil'.
tia that passed last year, and by allowine the Lieu-
tenant or Deputy-Lieatemuits of cooot,s to ~ re-
commend and approve any person who, at the
time of the late disembodying of the Militia, vas
nakedly serving in the Militia, not basing the qua-
litication required by law, to resume his station and
rank in the Militia in such regiment, battalion, or
corps as he had before served in by virtue of
his original commission." His Lordship reasoned
:it some length on this clause, the purport of
which went, he thought,, to a direct violation of
the Militia Laws, and a breach of contract with
those Gentlemen of landed proeerty who, from
motives of public spirit and pure patriotism,
had been induced to quit their families, and sacri-
fice their leisure to aaive service in the Militia.—
lie had himself, he said, served for many years, in
what he always considered as the most constitutional
force that could be resorted to for .the internal de-.
tote.: el the kingdom ; and what but the principle
that time Officers of the Militia were by law obliged to
have landed qualifications coui,.l have induced such
men as himself, of rank and charaaer in the country,
Ind others of still higher rank, such as the Duke of
Rutland and other nother Noble Personages, to en-
ter into the Militia, and serve cheerfttily, but the
confidence that the principles of its Constitution,
and the bargain made with the men 6f landed pro-
perty, would be held sacred, and faithfully observed
in all its conditions ? The Militia he considered as
a negative force, originally designed for the defence
of the kingdom, an not to be sent out of it to
ad otfenively and attack the 'limy, whenever
an enemy commenced hostilities.' Was itto be won-
dered at, then, if Gentlemen and Noblemen felt
disgusted at the encroachments made from year to
year on the principles of the original Militia Insti-
tution, and Fere desirous to prefer an attire to a
negative force ? The Militia Laws, he contended,
had for some years past been changing from bad to
worse; and after reasoning upon this point at con-
siderable length, kis Lordship concluded with de-
claring, the so widely different were the Militia
Laws, as now altered, from the original principles of
the Constitution, that he gave it as his conscientious
opinion, and spoke from the bottom of his heart,
when he declared, that he thought it would be a
wiser and a sounder policy to give up the Militia
altogether, and resort to .he old praaice of Noble-
men and Gentry raising Regiments at their own
expence, to reinforce the regular Army, than to
continue the Militia on its present footing—a tooting
that would be by no means any longer to be con-
sidered, as it was originally intended to be the best
mode of. Constitutional force for the internal de-
fence of the kingdom.
The Marquis of TOWNSIIEND said, as he
had the honour to introduce the first Bill forth.
institution of the Militia, he hoped he sal ht lie
permitted to say a few words in defence of t Mi-
litia. He could by no means agree with the lt
'oble
Earl who had just sat down, (for whose sentiments
1 and charaaer he entertained the most profound'
respect,) that it would be better to give up the Mi-
litia altogether, than to consent to the provisional
1 alterations contained in the present Bill. His Lord-
ship enlarged on the essential uses of the Militia, as
the home garrison of the country, when occasion re-
quired that the regular army should be sent out of
it, to attack an enemy on their own coasts; and
' pointed out that the Bill then under consideration
did not exclude gentlemen of landed qualification
from accepting the commission of Captain or Field-
officer in the Militia, but aanally suggested a
preference to be given to them ; and merely pro-
vided that where a sufficient number of Gentle-
men of lended qualification could not be found
to accept of Commissions, that then, on that
emergency, the Lord-Lieutenant, or three Deputy
Lieutenants, might recommend and approve of the
appointment of any person, who served, at the time of
disembodying the late Militia,in any Regiment, Bat-
talion, or Corps, not having the qualification re-
quired by law, to resume his station and rank in the
Militia of such County, Riding, &c. &c. as he
might before have served in.
The House resolved itself into a Committee, Lord
Walsingbam in the Chair.
When his Lordship came to the clauses allowing
the Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy-Lieutenants of
Counties to recommend and approve the appoint-
ment of Officers of the Army or Marines, not hav-
ing landed qualifications according to the Militia
Ltws, to Commissions in the Militia, nut to higher
rank than they skill have respectively held iii his
Majesty'b other finves,
'the Earl of CA RNAkt‘'ON rose, and strenu-
ously objet, .' to the Bill, as a violation of the corn.
pat between. Parliament and the Gentlemen of
landed property, alter: the Militia eas first insti-
tuted. The Militia, he conteuded, was never Meant to
resembl the arms, but it was from year to year, by
the conduct of dirk-rent Ministers, made to approach

nearer and nearer to the regular army; consequently,
it was no longer the same sort_ of constitutional
tares that was intended for the internal defence of
the kingdom at its first institution. The landed
qualification of the officers was its main and essen-
tial principle. Gentlemen landholders were invited
to serve in the Militia for the defence their homes
and their families, upon the idea, that the rest of
officers had, like themselves, a coi.i.ierale stake in
the country, and were animated equally in the cem-
mon cause of defending their I.)!.st interests. By this
Bill, he considered that great leading principle of the
Militia institution as broke in upon, and violated
in the grossest degree. It was a direct breach of
parliamentary faith with the men of landed property,
and such as their Liirdships ought not to lend their
sanction to. The -Militia was, he maintained, meant
originally for the internal defenceqf the country--the
clef:nice of their fire-sides and famille::, and the s.iiiing
them serve in Ireland the year before the last,
was i erversion of the principle of the Militia, and
a departure from the conditions on which theofficers
and privates were induced to serve. His L-ordship
reminded the Committee, that the expence of the
Militia .was not paid out of the purse of the
public, but out of the pockets of the individual land-
holders. lhat on this ground they had a right to
exped that Parliament would keep their faith with
them ; but it was evident that a regular army had
ais.preference in the e)•2i of Ministers, although one
setifter another were anxious to make the Militia
resemble the standing army as nearly as possible,
which was a dired breach of the Constitution. His
Lordship enlarged at considerable length on these
arguments, and opposed the Bill with great force
and energy.
.1 his led the way to a long and desultory debate,
which we shall not attempt to detail, as debates in
Committees are generally too copious and full, of
repetition, to be easily embraced, or clearly 'con-
veyed to the reader. We shall barely give a fea-
ture of the arguments used by the several Noble
Speakers.
The Duke of CUMBERLAND, in a very ex-
preve manner, defended the Bill, as an improve-
ment of the Militia, rather than a deterioration of
it. His Royal Highness sheaved, that it did not
operate against such officers as had landed qualifi-
cations, and could be prevailed on to accept of
commissions in the Militia ; it only empowered the
Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy-Lieutenants of Coun-
ties, to appoint and approve of officers of the line,
who had served in the Militia, though not duly
qualified by the Militia Laws, to resume their rank
and stations in the Militia, where gentlemen of
hinded qualifications could not be prevailed on to
accept of commissions. It was, in fad, a Bill to
provide against a possible emergency, that might
arise, but was not likely in many cases to happen.
The illustrious Duke differed widely from the Noble
Earl, who found fault with sending the English
Militia to serve in Ireland. He expressed a sincere
hope, that since the Ad of Union, England and
Ireland would be considered-as one and the same,
and that the interests of every part of the United
Kingdom would be equally dear to the minds of
British subjects in general.
Lord LIMERICK argued on similar grounds,
and expressed himself with an ardour highly honour-
able to his feelings as a native of Ireland. He said
he verily believed the English militia having served
in Ireland to quell the late rebellion, had, in an es-
sential degree contributed to accelerating the union
between the two kingdoms ; and he trusted that he
should never more hear of any distinctions between
what were formerly two distind kingdoms. Their in-
terests were mutual, and when the militia of England
served in Ireland, they were fighting in support of
an English as much as an Irish cause.
The Marquis of SLIGO spoke warmly in the
same line of argument, and said most of the Colo-
nels of the militia regiments were Lard-Lieutenants
of Counties, and to his knowledge were actuated by
the deepest motives of regard to this part of the
united empire, considering its interests as their in-
terests, and being at all times as ready to take the
field with their respedive regiments in defence of
England as of Ireland.
The Earl of CA KNARVON was supported in his
opposition by the Earls of Ransioii and ROMNEY,
and Lord Hosaiir ; Lord PEI HAM, and Lord
BOLTON, joined with the Duke Of CUMBERLAND in
defence of the Bill.

After the conversation or debate had continued
till eight o'clock, each Peer having been upon his
legs several times, the question was put, and the
Committee were proceeding to a division, which
was however given up. The clause, theretiire, was
permitted to stand, and the rest of the Bill passed
with only a single. verbal Amendment moved by
Lord HOD h RT.
The Report ordered to be received to-morrow.
Mr. BvNG and others brought up from the Corn-
mom the Pancras Workhouse Bill, which was pre-
senzed and read a first time.

All the Bills on the Table went through a stage
each : and the House atijourntsd at half alter eight.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, APRIL 1.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at half-past three
o'clock.
Mr. CAMPBELL brought up the Report of the
Committee appointed to inquire into the merits of
the Petitions complaining of All undue Eleetl„in tor
the Borough of last Grinstead, when it appeared
to the said Committee, that Sir Henry Strachev,
Bart. was duly eleiaed to serve in Parliament for the
same, and that the Petitions against the return were
frivolous and vexatious.
Sir FRANCIS BURDETT brought up a Peti-
tion from certain inlnthit,ints of the paa ish of Pan•
eras, praying to b livard by Counsel against the
Bill for etv,',ting a Workhouse in the s .id parish.
He then moved, that the Petition should lie the
Table until the third reading of the Bill, ;I,:d that
the Petitioners should be heard by Coutt:•el resp,a-
ing the same.
Mr. SHERIDAN sa'd. uncit.rstvod the intrn: