The Sun.
London, England, 1808-06-18 00:00:00

LOCAL MILITIA,

Lord HAWKESISUIti: moved the Order of the Day,
for the House resolving itself into a Committee op-
'on this Bill. In offering this motion to their Lord-
ships, he thought .proper fe observe,: that. powerful
and superior as our Navy undoubtedly was to any
naval force that could be brought (o.3ta against it,
atilt our Navy, unassisted 'by a Military Force, was
not judged sufficient to place the security, of the
country beyond the reach of every hostile attack.—
Forthe increase of ottr Military Force, and to allow
a .more free and extended scope to its exertions.,
was the present measure framed; and he was happy
to add, that as far as it 'was' known throughout the
country; the principle upon which it proceeded had
been very generally appolved. If it trenched at all
on the Volunteer SyStem, it was not from any dis,
appr,ohation of the zeal and, spirit 1W which the. Vo-
lunteers mast be eclinowledged tt:Fhas;p
acted, but !roil) a conviction th:tt encouraging the
One.. system, most counterat the stfccess of the
other, -which, after due conslderatibn, ,was undor
every circumstance of the couiftV Vest calculated
to ntzswe the objeat.which Government had hi view,
and whiCh the general situation of the ~.Einpire
called tor.

• Lord SELKIRK preferred the system of defence
which he had so often recommended to their Lord-
ships ; again entered into a minute detail of all
its beariugs.
Lord u.U.cKLNOBAaISHIRIE, upon", ON, whole, was
willing to support the 1.41 ; beeattslke.,!lFlt the ne-
cessity of adopting some measure for. the increme of
the milititry, means of the country: lie thought,
lioWeVer, that the measure .now' before the House
might be much Unproved by bringing over to this
country some of the Irish -.Militia Iteo°inients, and
substituting in their place some of the English Mi-
litia.

Lord, MotaA only. objeited ,to the measure, inas-
much as he conceived it-to discountenance and dis-
courage the Volunteers:- At a moment and under
circumstances like the .present;,-,the. Country stood
peculiarly in need. of a torso animated by genuine
patrotisin, and by an ardour which Only tne..zeal of
patriotisrit (mild The .present was' a Inca.
sure of compulsion, anti as such, could sway men
only bye cold sense 61 duty, ,which would not put
them on a level with the present 'einergency.
Lord. HAWILESBURY., Meant no • disparagement
whatever to the Volunteers..
Lord :liot.t.is ND objeeted.to the Bill. There were
two Objects which in the present circumstances it
was desirable to obtain. The first was to crdate a
fhrce animated with a popular and pkriotic feeling
thf3 neat to create a force well diieiplined and effec-
tive. Neither of these.objea s, in hi, opinion, did
the Bill under consideration secure. Its only ten-
Aeticy waft to render Those tuhjeded to its operation
bad citizens, witlsotxt making them good soldierS.
commented particularly on that clause of .the
Ali by which, as he stated, the individuals hallotted
+.vere vrecluded from availing themselves'of thens-
sistance of/their friends in the provision of a substi-
mte and contended that the clause was calculated
to favour the selfish, and to depress the disinterested.
Lord SIDMOUTH declared himself to be in favour of
he Bill. Great Britain had at the pittietu,t. motueni

.near 500-,000 men in he naval and military ser-
vice (exclusive of Voluntoets), a proportion of .her
population which exceeded precedent. He did not
believe that this regular fort* could be much in-
creased; or, that it it were practicAble, it would be
wise to increase it. Ott this account it was tharhe
entertained sentiment's favourable to before
the House, which went to provide a force in aid of
the regular establishment. He Witi att%ious, how-
ever, in addition to these meals, that the plan ad,
vised by a Noble and Illu‘trious Statesman (the
Earl of Selkirk), in a publication with which he
had lately favoured the world, should be preserved;
and that all males from the age of 18 to that of
21, should be trained to military exercise. He also
recommended that the Militia of England and Ire-
land should be consolidated, and that Officers should
be appointed by the King; the Officers of Local
Militia still being Gentlemen of local rank and con-
sideration.

The Marquis of BUCKINGHAM supported the Bill
in general, but objealtd to that clause which sub-
jetied the Local Militia to the Mutiny Aft. He stat-
ed his intention Of proposing in the Committee an
amendment to that clause, by which it should be
provided, that no senten9eot a Court Martial, for in-
tliaiug corporeal punishment, should be carried into
effe6t until submitted to his Majesty or the Corn-
tnander in Chief. '

Lord Mui,4IIAVE defended the Bill. With resrea
to the clause to which the Noble Baron had ascribed
such a selfish character, it Merely went to prevent
insurances, which had been ever found most nris-
hievoqs to individuals engaged in them. As to what
the Noble Marquis statud of the Mutiny Bill, it 'milk
be evident to the House that it was indispensible to
preserve a due subordination ; -if the ranks of - the
Local Militia %yen:, tilled from the lowest classes of
society, such a check would be absolutely necessary ;
if they consisted in a great measure of individuals of
a superior description, their condua would, be such
as-to render any exercise. of the provisions of the
Bill superfluous.
The LOAD CHANCELLOR, adverting to what had
been said on the subject of insurance, requesthl
Noble Lords to inquire what had taken pace
their own families in these cases. 'They would find
that frequently those of their servants who had nut
insured were ballotted, while those who had insured,
escaped; *l4:rom this circumstance it might fairly be.
inferred that the insurers had some influence in the
arrangement of the business.
After, various explanations 110(11 Lords Holland,
Sidthouth, Buckingham,
,and Mulgrave, the House
resolved itself into a Committee.
The different clauses of. tbv Bill underwent a dis-
cussion. Eventually' they were all- agreed to, and
the House having resunied, the Report was ordered
to be received on Monday. ,
Adjouiued at Twelve o'clock until to-morrow.