The National Register.
London, England, 1808-04-18 00:00:00

APRIL Ige

....
would not be placing our detence on ,
principles, which the state of the times imperiously
IVitatev!r confidence ParliaMent placed in the Volunteers, it
was its duty not to tru-t altogether to voluntary zeal, but to
prov
ide against every t fiance by a fixed and permanent force.—
lie deprecated the Training Act, and said that the provisions of
the art could not be carried into execution, so far as respected
the training .400,000 within the year, nod the employ ing of
parts
• -11 officer- as drill set:fr es
onts, a purpose for which ne tim:Ott
t heia totally unfit. It was necessary that the country shoulo
have a regimented force upon as hieh it could depend ; and look-
in:; at the force alread. existing, the regulars and the militia, it
was incumloatt on Parliament to determine as hat further regi-
weauved forte it was proper to keep up, and what ought to be
s.dostituteil for the deticienvies in the Volunteers. It was the
opinion of experier • d military men, that if tie had a regular
subsidiary force a ta. •,ting to six times the number of the Mili-
tia, ;moiler, eo.:•oiloal vs ith the Regular Force already et
isting, and the powers under the Training Bill, would be sufli•
tient as a permanent an,. established system. Upon tie princi-
ple of six times the Militia. there would be T10,0(10 provided
fur Great Britain only, winch, with the addition of the 70,000
Regulars in Ireland, would make up for the United Kingdom
400,00, inflependesit of the 50,000 that might be called out tin-
der the Training Bill. Hi- Lordship said. that the obieci of
his Bill was to assimilate the mode as nearly as possible to that
by which the Regular Militia was raised, with this fundamen-
tal difference, however, between the two bodies, that whereas
the Regular .‘tilitia in time of war was kept on duty like troops
of the line, the force lie proposed to raise would not he march-
ed from their counties, hut 01l called out there for training. io
the saute manner as the Regular Militia was in time of peace
As to the terms of service for which they ought to be called, In
thought a few days in one year totally inadequate for the pur-
poses of tfaili*, the men. A certain portion of each year fur
four years WOUI4I better answer the convenience of the country,
as aril as that of individuals. This service was certainly no
serious burthen—it was nothing more titan that it should not he
open to the men to withdraw at any moment, but that they
should engage for a fixed time.. If this had been originally
proposed to the Volunteers, he had no doubt they would have
acceded to it. People might say, that their trades and private
tillitirs required their presence at home, but unless the country
was secured, they might find their domestic cares of little avail
In the Regular Militia, substitution was properly and neces-
sarily allowed, because, ashen called out during war, which
might last for several years, they were obliged to turn their
barks on their other avocations. In this force, the men were
only to be called out for a few days in each year, and if substi-
tution was to be allowed, it would operate as a grievous tax
upon the country. He would propose, that no substitution
should he allowed iu this force; although he would not go to
such an extreme as to say, that no mode should be left open for
withdrawing personal service. A hue should he the only mode
of exemption ; but that line ought to he such as would secure
the personal service in some capacity or other, even of the
higher orders, unless they bad 60111 e very serious obstacle to en-
counter. Another mitigation might be allowed, and that was,
that persons might be permitted. to volunteer into this local Mi-
litia; care hew taken that these should not be substitutes for
individuals. With this view, it would be made penal for the
parish to take any volunteer as a substitute for any individual,
and for any individual who accepted of such substitute. To en-
courage volunteering into this force, under the regulations above
mentioned, a small bounty might be allowed. If the whole
400,000 men were to be hallowed for at once, it would be no
difficult matter to ascertain the proper peritals. Ile thought the
best mode would be to throw out the persons of more advanced
age, at which men did not learn the military exercises so rea-
(W.F. and to fix upon the periods between 18 and fl , applying
to such as were not serving in any Other capacity. and did not
‘"ltloleer into this force. It was desirable that the force should
as nearly as possible he assimilated to the existing Militia, and
viat the (Miters should he appointed under the same requisites
as to property. Ile would propose, that whoever had held the
rank au Field (Hiker in the Army. might hold the same rank
here, without regard to the qualification in point of property.
Anil there taws be a provisism that tto one should, by his engag-
ing for four eats in thk service, he precluded from enlisting in
Or Line, orfrout entering into the Regular Militia. The only
ri:oriction tltk point would be, that no one should be allowed
enlist iu this manner, till he had heen trained during certaiu
tattoo of the time prescribed. Another proposition was, that