The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1810-03-20 00:00:00

*heath /if FAniary4tteo, since that time, the Com-
mittee. to trknot it we, r. (erred, was never applied
to for the aecettaiiiivent el the truth upon which a
1.4. founded. Ana sorely, it was lIITC*S try to chew,
the eviineds for a proc.eding, which, if allowed,
world ells, hit a case of ericioachnient and injustice,
unparalleled wince the reign of Charles IL The
Peiitiooer, had applied to the Privy Council, with-
out giving him notice of their applictiticu ;they ap-
plied for a Charter of Incorporation, in direct op-
position to the report of the Attorney and Solici-
tor-General, to whom the case had lures, referred;
a saspition of their integrity, a doubt of their ve-
racity. After having received that report, which
reprobated the injustice of granting their inner,
they then came to Parliament with a news ig to
their bow, and applied for the same thing upon the
lad Jay for receiving private bills; and their excuse
was, that they had not got the decision of the Privy
Council. These proceedings should have been
...Tried on with a gentlemanly sincerity. It had
10,.en represented, that this prowl r proceeded from
L'mrd Mayor and City •1 London ; inch • state-
Inept was ungrounded ; for the City of Londou had
tin corer& whatsoever with it ; and if the Lord
Mayor 'was concerned, he was his Lordship's
boilable servant, but plain Thomas Smith should
have been subscribed to the Petitioo. It was not
his intention to enter into a consideration of the
propriety or inexpediency of granting more patents
for theatrical exhibitions than existed at present.
Indeed, some people might say, that there was
a necessity for more Banks of England. He did not
admire that trick, which -promised but to d.ceive,
which held forth assnrances of correcting immo-
rality, when it carried along with it thelandirguised
face of impracticability and absurdity. Ile roil-
tiered at Mr. Combei land's censuring the morality
of the stage ; and supposed-that the new one, un-
der his patronage. would, if allowed, be appropri-
ated to the purposes of rhorches and chapels.
Under these impressions, he hoped the House
would look with a guarded rye upon the present
application.
81, Juan SHAW said. he had no share or interest
whatseevets in the preierd establishment ; and
hopzd. that nothing di ingenuous would be attri-
buted to him.

Mr. SHIRIDAS said, that his conduct had secured
bim against tiny suspicion, as it was moiled by rill-
crroy and canuoar.
Mr. E. liaowtte said a few words in favour of
the motion.

After which the (driller leave of Rix weilcs wu
grt►ntcd to the pe!itionesa to bring ia their Bill.
ItCHELDT ENQUIRY. _ _ _

Sir JOHN A lESTRUTHER staled, that he ited.two
papers, which he W. 14 to pot into the pos-
ses-i in of the Hoii.e, but was not sure what method
was be-t to adopt to accomplish that desire. The
CrA Mit4 a letter from Sir 11. Popham, of the nth of
March, la to, which came auto his hands, as Chair-.
than of the Committee of Inquiry ; and the
setoff In. a letter, or explinution from General
tinot,:zi, who considered some smpicion an horn%
been thrown upon part of his conduct, with regard
to Vie seisore of some money front the enemy.-.
This part of the fvidr_..wr he was anxious to have
prope►ly explained. Under these circumstances,
le 'Mowed to botthese
capers on is •a e, Fa-Marytutglit-be octavo IS
the minutes of evidence. /lc wished :dm to move,
4. That there he laid before the house, the answer
Bow the Secretary of State to Sir Eyre Coote's let-
ter, ro•stainiog iueloard the propositions, &c. of the
Mayor of Vluahing.."
The ger Alt ISR observed, that the course propos-
rai by tbe Sion. Baronet, was unprecedeutel in par-
liameotary proceedings. The only way the Om-,
seuld emue into possession of batch atom mascots, was
through their own Chairman. and out ditou4lt the
Vh.nettian of a Committee witleh had cussed.
The CA AXL ELXOR of the EXCHEQUER .olcrfled
that the House might resolve into the Committee
of Inquiry, fir the purpose of receivimg these
papers.
The SPEAKER approved of this meal., which w
kept open in case any thing of *th a kiwi should
occur.

The II +use then went into the Committee and
rec.:teed the paper' ; after which the House resum-
eis received thr report, and ordered theta to be
visaed and addea to the minutes.
LOCAL MILITIA. _

• .On the motion of ►Mr. Secretary RYDER, the
Local Militia Acts were catered as read.
• Mr. ItYPILK then stated, that, in bringing iu e
law to amend these Acts, it was oouece•sary fur
him to enter into moth explanation. The system
of Lewitt Militia, sinew it hal hwn introduced by
his Noble friend (Lord Castlereagh), was su uir-
verssily approve-I, that nothing vva iron men wary
brit to correct it fere error., and obviate one or two
iinistrfection-, which it was imeoschle to foresee or
guard sgaidst. io so ci m.dicated and 'eternise a
ntessure as this. Io considering the objection that
bad beet urged against the system, oh account of the
tap-nsc.ilta A;sjesiy's Ministers bade• &wear& to
d.► it away by diminishing, as far as passible, what-
*, •r parts could be dispensed with, which were ex-
pensive to the country. They had made regolitions
with that view by which the number of noti-coininis-
sinned officers was reduced one-half, and the num-
ber of days training from IN to 11. By the first of
. there regulations a dimilintion of expense was ef-
f cted to tbrunnunt of 19%0001., and by the latter
• farther diminution of 346,00:11., bring together
alsoirt now-half of the whole of the present perma-
nent e-tablislimeut. He au aware that the regu-
lation with regard to non-commissioned officers was
received in inauy parts of the country with corer-
de able disepprohation, and vow thought by many
to lie injurious to the efficiency of the corps, dud
hard upon those who had reliminished the lane, to
•rater auto the staff of the militia. He was hippy.
larwever, to lw rade to stale, that there was no
teressdatiou fur the latter suppositinn, as no injury
whatever merited to Iverson* from the regulars in
eo 1-cptonce of that regulation. With respect t*
it, dirninis'ilog the rfficaei:cy of the core*, he trusted
tart that was not the can• ; and the more so, same
oat of the regulation• to be adopted was to give the
nlowswitaissiorsed officers sewn days' trai ii ii pre-
.lotl.l to the unsnarling of their respective districts.
Gowl diwipline, he hoped, would be further pro-
nr.t•d hypriox power to the local militia to in-
crvas•. the number of non-commissioned office' _
ipwe this increase he did out mean that any (Jr.

the? expense should Le incurred than what was al-
ready allowed by law ; but if, fur instance, they
could have serjeunts at Is. instead of is. lid. a-dsy,
they might augment their numbers without any •
additional cost. Another regulation wa. to give
powers to courts-martial to commence their sittings,
or to sit, after the (trysail teas g had expired. on
offences committed during that period. Late
events had shewn the 'necessity for this measure.—
Another regulation was to reduce the number of
days for volunteers going out, in order to keep their
time in proportion to the local atilitis—and thou
the load militia being reduced from N to 23 days,
he also proposed to reduoe the volunteers from N
to 19. Another clause would go to suspend the
clause in the old act, which subjected parishes to
penalty of 151. for every men deficient at Easter.
This was hard on perishes ; as by it they were sob.
jected to a fine before they had it in their power to
ascertain their liability to it ; and he therefore
would suspend the infliction of the penalty till a
limited time after the days of training. when the
parishes could know what their deficiencies were.—
These were the principal features of the bill he
wished to bring in, the rest lacing merely verbal or
uninteresting alterations. He concluded by moving
for leave to bring iu the same.
Mr. Galas regretted that the Bill was so limited,
and that the Right Hoe. Secretary, now he was
upon the subject. did not. rather than patch up
the old Balls, bring in a Bill to consolidate them
altogether. and place theta in one point of view.
This would be high y beneficial and agreeable to •
those who were, compelled tit wade through no
fewer than six acts, iu order to know what they
must do in their concerns with the Local Militia.
He•therefore earnestly recominanded to the Right
Hon. Secretary to consolidate these acts. He did
not wish to enter upon the subject of the Bill now '
moved far; hot since the subject was started, beg-
ged to say a few words ou one or two points con-
nected with it. The exemptions fro:n the Local
Militia were the same as from the regular Militia.
This he considered as improper, as the two services
were altogether different; time first being to be com-
muted for money, the other only by furnishing a
sulistitute for service. He could see reasons why a
medical tuna should not be liable to serve, but he
could see none why he ought not to be as liable to
pay his money as the carpenter of the parish. Ws
of the clauses in the old Local Militia Act, stated,
4. That they should be subject to the Mutiny Act,
while train•ng in time of war." This, he conceived,
wanted alternation; for if continued during peace,
they must be meant to be equally subject to that
Act. He disspproved of verying so much in the
regulations. It took away and destroyed that coo.
falence in the system, so necessary to give it effici-
ency ; rather than reduce it in parts, and curtail it
by new regulations, it would have been much bet-
ter to reduce its numbers; and it would be found,
(the existing body being too numerous) that a re-
Auction of one-third would have been advantageous
in every respect. With respect to one of the clauses
in the new Bill, to train the nun-commissioned offi-
cers a week before the men met, he was sore it
would never answer. They would never get corpo-
rals vrhrise pre-emscv was to be attained by a
months' training bile the privates got off with
three weeks.
AblYfittirom thonght all the disuses proper ;
but joined with the last speaker in strennonsly re-
commending the consolidation of the Local Militia
Acts; and, until that was done, the publication of an
abstract for the use of Lords Lieutenant and others
interested in their administration.

Mr. WHITISICAD was of the same opinion, and
noticed how troublesome it was to hire so many
nets to consult, and reconcile to cad) other. He
slso called the attention of Gentlemen opposite to
the subject of the qualifications of officers. In
massy counties, the law on this head was totally dis-
regarded; in others it was eluded by nominal qua-
lifications, and other means. As it was impossible
to act top to the law, lie hoped the law would be re-
duced to a pructtcabic scale.

Mr. Hvtitit said, he had consulted those best
able to give an opinion on the expediency of conso-
lidating the Local Militia acts; and. as the law. as
it now existed. was well understood in the country.
they had adtised the pmtpontinent of that mea-
sure till next Session. by whirl' time the system
would be so well estAblished as to require no further
alterations. He agreed with the hints thrown out
by the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) as to the
qualifications of officers. and would turn his attem
Iron to that subject. es well as to all the other mat..
tens touched upon by the otherflonourableGentle.
man (Mr. Giles.)
Leave given to bring in the Bill.
MR. SHERIDAN'S MOTION.

MC WHITBREAD rose to request of his Right
Hon. Friend to postpone his motion. which stood
for Friday, on the subject of the war in Spain and
Portugal. The !louse had been long engaged iu
au anxious inquiry, the discussion on which would
be a very laborious one, and was appointed to MD.
metier on Monday. It would. therefoie, be better.
that, previous to this important debate, the naiads
of Merubers should be left as free from other im-
portant considerations, as possible. Before sitting
down, he would more for another paper. necesiary
to elucidate the subject of throe compaigos—the
indructions given to Marquis IVellisiley. If there
was any obj-ction to the audios now, he would give
notice for to-morrow.
Mr. Sarasota readily eerptiesced in the re-
quest of his Hon. Friend. and the more so, as, by
pootpouiuitig his motion till after the Walcheren
business was deopooed of, he would. et the sortie
time. be obliging woollier Noble Lord, who had
made a 'bailie request. Seeing, however, that by
this menus. Friday would he an open day. he would
take that opportunity of bringing on his motion
respecting the bye-lasts of the Society of Lincoln's-
lain.

The Committee en the Embezzlement Bill was
postponed till Thu's(ley.
Mr. HENRY THORNTON moved for en account
of ilie total amount of the sums paid out of His
Ma)'esty's Civil Li 4, for Scotland. for the years
ending 9th Januar!, 1808, 9, and 10. Also, for
the particular grants since 9th June, 1808, with
the dates of the warrants, &c.—Ordered.
Mr. W. Poza moved, a' That the Report on the
Petition of Mr. W. O.klrv, relative to Ardglays
Harbour, should be referred to the Committee of
Stop!)ly."

Sir Jogs NEtilittat approved of erecting a pier
at Ardglasm. but complained of some -misapplica-
tion of public money, voted for a similar building
at Da ndruns.
.• .

hlr. W. l'oris explained the circumstances of the
billet case, and the anturta via, agreed t".

The Royal Marine Ninthly 11, and the Salt
Duty. Bill, acre severally read a third time end
probed.