The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-16 00:00:00

the upper class would be most severely fat by the poorer
elms, it is dezirable, therefore, so G.r an you ceu
consistently with the exigencies of thq public srvice, to
avoid irspesing a tax of this kind up)n thoe who may
be unable to bF ur ir. In the Bill of the late Govern-

,Mete-, as in the Act of 1802. it was proposed in the first
matance to proceed to the ballot. The present Gevern-
1/ion% however, considered most anxiously whether it
would not be possible altogether to dispense with the
riccessity of hying recourse to a mode of proceeding so
adverse to the feelings of the couwry, one' involving so
raueh additional expense, inconvenience, and hardship,
as d after all, in nineteen cases out of twenty, not obtain-
ing the services of those upon whom the ballet falls. In
the year 1831, which was the last occesiou when the
ballot wits put into exercise, a force was required to be
raised of 2,500 men. There were balloted for not less
than 18,000, and of that number, after going through
Sill the processes of the preliminary inquiry, there were
15,000 or 16,000 exemptions which were claimed and
stalest tatiated, while of the 2,000 or 3,000 actually taken
not more than 120 of those who were balloted for
served in tee force; the remainder having provided
oubstitutos. It came, there ore, to this—that by the
volunteer system you will get at once the same clue of
Persons—not the most desirable, perhaps, but still ea-
'Pablo of malting very good soldiers—who serve as sub-
stitutes after you have gone through all the delay, ested
Pmse, and inconvenience of the ballot. Lot me just
Point out to the House, with a view of showing the delay
and expense of proceeding under the ballot, some of the
eateps which are necessary to put that eystem in petition.
-th the first place, as soon as possible after the 10th et
October, a sub-division meeting is appointed to be held
In every county; hate are then• to he retuned of all !nen
-between the ages of 18 end 45 in the division; thee
conies a notice to persons claiming exemption; lists are
next to be made out of persons who have not claimed
exemption, notice of appeal is then to be given, and,
after disposing of the appeals, complete lists are to be
Slade out and forwarded by each sub division meeting
to the general meeting of the county. This f:eneral re-
turn is then to be forwarded to tho Secretary of State,
tie numbers to be raised are apportioned to each sub-
-division, then comes a second meeting of the sub divi-
sion to appoint the members subject to the arrangements
iisued by the general meeting. Three weeks after that
ti third sub-division meeting is to be held, to proceed to
take the ballet. Notice is then to be given of the
lien who have been struck by the ballot, and three
Weeks after a fourth sub. division meeting is obliged
to be held for the purpose of calling upon the men
ultimately chosen by the ballot, to appear to show cause
if they can why they should not serve. All these pros
'eeedings occupy a period of, from first to last, not much
Short of three months, to say nothing of the great ex-
Pause incurred in the various stages. The great bulk of
these expenses were, under the Act of /802, defrayed
from the county rates. We look upon this ai a grievous
pressure upon the local finances of the country, and we
believe that even it it cannot be altogether avoided, yet,
48 far as possible, we desire to threw it upon the gene-
tunda of the country, it being clearly and unexcep-
r• )la3blv an expense which should be borne by the coca-
't3l at large. We hope that in most cases we may be
able to dispense with the tedious and expensive machi-
lerY of the ballot. We hoped- so at the commencement
of the session, and further information which we have
since received leade us to believe that in many, if not in
thost, of the comities of England we ehell experience no
difficulty whatever in raising the quota which may be
:zed by volunteers, and without having recourse to the
(Hear.) We do not purpose to.alter the cha-
racter of the existing militia—we do not desire to intro-
duce a force of a less constitutional character than the
PreSent militia—we do not wish to obtain an army of
reserve under the name of a militia; but we desire to
leave the force, subject as the present force is, to the
e2treesand of those country gentlemen who, in the time
w danger to the country, have never hesitated to teke
their proper places in its defence, and who are entitled
to receive, as upon former occasions they have received,
,faie confidence of tho Crown in raising and commanding
_"1.0 force when necessary. We have, however, with a
'law to the increased efficiency of the force, made an
.alteration in the qualifications of the different ranks of
the officers. While under the present system the legal
qualification depends upon the possession of landed pro-
P,,arty, we propose that with respect to all officers below
"la rank of major—that having the honour to hold a
commission in her Majesty's service shall be assumed
to be a sufficient qualification for the militia. At the
aLltte time let me guard myself by saying that it is not
"ended in the slightest degree, by the introduction of
officers holding commissions in the regular forces, to in-
terfere in any degree in this appointment—that will
*till rest as before with the lord-lieutenants of the re-
aPeetive counties. The time for which we propose the
militia shall be called out in each successive year is a
Period of 21 days, liable to be diminished at the discre-
,"on of her Majesty to three days, comprising, in point
el-c foot, nothing more than a mere muster, and of being
extended to not less than fifty-six days. Ido not
Pretend to say that a drill of twenty-one days is euffi-
eient to . convert a raw recruit into an effective
aaldier; but I think it will not be contradicted that a pe-
tied
; 0 fifty-six days under able and intelligent officers
quite sufficient to enable the rawest country recruits
4
to take that position, and discharge all the duties which,
Zen in the event of an invasion, they would be likely to
: called upon to occupy end perform, while even a drill
i' twenty-one days will be found to be of great advantage
then
Billseqis a provisi on uent training.
for Aenabling the Boardp onother im
fportant oiOrds
nt in
genes
gi to select, at a higher rate of pay, some men from
a Militia for the purpose of instructing them in the
12
of
artillery—a knowledge which could not fail to
be serviceable to them when called upon to perform gar-
ti
• sox duty. There are provisions in the Bill for equttlis-
hg the pressure of raising the men in different years. It
b;Propesed that of the 80,000 men 50,000 should be raised
the present year' and a reduction being then made in
the
a( available population for future years, not more than
MOO will be raised in the following year. There is a
Provision also, that in the event of the 50,000 not being
Zised in the present year, an excess over the 30,000
iii4Y be raised in the next year, sufficient to make up
eee ,number of 80,000; and in the event of threat-
'ited or actual invasion, power is reserved to her
alesty to increase the total force to 120,000 men.
LProposing the adoption of the volunteer system we are
Ireland
adopting a plan which was in actual operation in
e'ssd during the whole of the last war. In the course of
th a last war the number of men who volunteered into the
regulart troops from the militia was 64,000; and among
h 'octi the Noble Duke at the table (Wellington) will not
eeitate to say that he found many who, after a very
Short
h period of service, were every way worthy to stand
,!,tbe side of the old-trained soldier of the Peninsular.
wokßear, hear.) We propose then to revert to the
li-known constitutional system of the militia, but we
jt..°Pose to reverse the process which has hitherto taken
Plac
e, and instead or making volunteers subordinate to,
',l_ld following the ballot, we propose to take the ballot as
the lest resource. We believe confidently that in the
teat majority of the counties, without the expense at-
tendant upon the ballot, and without much difficulty, we
411 all raise by volunteers the full number of men which
kay be required, and that this force will be raised by
Persons who as volunteers will receive at once that
bounty which they would receive as substitutes under
the ballot, with all its inconveniences and expense.
While upon the one hand I do not feel it consistent with
te
cite discharge of the high and important duty which
.evnives upon me to deprive the Crown of the last re-
Latirce, of that which I think necessary, though undoubt-
rclY an inconvenient and oppressive mode o; proceeding
t)r the service of the country, yet I desire to postpone
4,7 exercise of that method until all others have been
ird- I believe that in the course of the year wo shall
o
kAli4 the experience that it will not be necessary to
Spirit recourse to any such proceeding; but that the
of Englishmen will induce them to come forward
volunteers—to tender their services first of all, no
z_a_ubt, for the performance of a comparative trifling duty,
at eventually to take upon themselves to perform those
"t °re effective ones which may fall upon them in case it
Should be necessary to employ them in actual service: I
tru•
st that your Lordships will give, if not an unanimous,
:1,91 events a very general concurrence to a policy,
7410 h, following in the first instance the course ream-
,,nded by the late Government, but departing from the
ran. recommended by it with respect to some of the de-
ails, we have thought it our bounden duty to attempt to
; through Parament for he purpe of iving er-
ectand entire security to the t
country os
not against any
Present invasion, but egainstth© possibility of hostile ag-
tression.—(Hear, hear.) I beg, my Lords, to move the
second reading of the Militia Bill.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said that he felt too
greatly the importance of the subject to remain altoge-
ther silent on the present occasion. While he was not
Prepared to give his negative to the motion of the Noble
Earli he felt it his duty thus early in the debate to state
he grounds upon which he assented to the proposed
3111aasure. He believed, in common with her Majesty's
;4.°N-erne:net, with his colleagues with whom he had re-
-04 acted, and he might add in common with the
tZgest portion of the reflecting people of this country,
t-Ot it would be utterly unsafe to leave the defences of
h'e
country in their present condition, and he would
erer shrink from taking his share in any unpopularity
A''jell might attach to an attempt to put those defences
tiea More effective state. He was bound, however, at
p :same time, to say that while he abstained from op-
e4trag such a measure, because be felt in the present
rcurastancea of the country and of Parliament, if they
not pass this measure they could adopt uo measure
ti
all
if, Calculated to give efficiency to our defences—
'ipas said, on that ground he was bound so far to give a
wing acquiescence to the adoption of the measure, it
pe SEDISIIIy his duty to state fairly and without estsg-
;tation the doubts end difficulties that pressed on his
all, if
with respect to the efficiency of this measure; above
if it was to be considered as a solitary measure for
meeting the exigencies of the defences. What was the
tit if 11,_re of those exigencies? It would be a different case
couay wore preparing by slow degrees to to raise this
Ought to occupy. Bat it was not a crisis—admitting
tne
anon Possibility
acted war. of invasion—
What we redthat wouluired be likwas ely a
large to mad
fi-s- -rotrq
Crerae stationed along our shores, which should at once
Ziaush such an invasion. Now did this measure give us
assurance that an efficient and well-disciplined army
rt-'1,1!? Be was compelled to come to the conclusion that
trtV not. What would be the effect of twenty-one days'
iA4nl4, or even of forty-two or fifty-six days' training,
furnishing
us with the materiel which we wanted? Ho
had been it- that from a drill
told, on competent au, ioi ,
' a number of recruits for the regular army, the utmost
thatbo could be expected of them in twenty-oho day s would
1,1 that they should be able to march.--(A laugh.)
tr icy would certainly not be considered fit to be en-
aved with muskets or bayonets. At least twenty-one
days' more drill would be rtquisite before they could be
Permitted to carry such armt's Wel', then, would a militia
ibroe, chilled hi one or evcial t )(
to CD, with be in a state
„Lend an expeete,,,ed, powerful, and well-
tfined army?—(Hear, hear.) Is would be an alarming
State of things to fancy we had such au army' when in