The Sun.
London, England, 1808-03-15 00:00:00

INY BILL.

The SECRETARi,at WAR MO% ed the Order of the
Day for the third reading of the !Mutiny Bill. •
Mr. CALch An. signified his intention of moving
the omission of the words altering the terms blenlist-
anent established last year.
The Sevalvdt said, that e hen the Bill was read,.
a third time, it was competent to propose clauses'
supplying defeas or .omissions. Amendments on
the body of the Bill may he offered Wier. the clauses
and hefore the -motion for passing ,;:the Bill.
amendment proposed by the Honourable Gentleman
he conceived to be of this nature. •
`The Bill was then read :u .third time, and. the
SPEAKER inquired whether there were,aoy.clauses.
Sit F. BURDEPT, porSnant•to the notice given
for hi: i a few clays since, by a Noble Friend: of his
(Lord Folkstone,)„r bud, to offer a clause, to prevent
()facers from being dismissed from.the army by any
other means than the sentence of a Court Martiar----,
Rethought such a provision of essential importance
to the Army, to the interests of the- and
those of the Country. form 01 thL i'lropolllol3
be had to make was so moderate:, that he could not
conceive any objeetien could made to it. He
was nut aware of any opposition being inteuded,
'eept sonic loose ideas that had been thtt.vo out, of
its trenching ari the Prertigative, He did not think:
it did. • But even if it were true' that it did, he did
Lot think that would be a reasonable objeCtion with
the House, if he could skew that the power, so
far as' he 'pewit to correct it, had been exercised
its a manner detrimental to the honotir of time Crown,
and the interests of' the Army and of the Conn-
try.,' the Army, itself
,was constitutionidly looked
,
upon as a great intringernent made by the Crown on
the prerogative of the People, He did not say it was
an unnecessary infringement. But as the Artny.was
constitutionally ati lei asion of the liberties of the
people, the principle Of binning in some respeds
the arbitrary Novice of the Crown, with respect to
the Arniy,' could not be looked upon as trenching
on the prerogatlye of the (crown, which held the
Army only by the indulgence ot l'athatnent. He
contended no preroative of the Crown ought to
Miringe on the lineriies it the people. The clause
he should propose had nutbnig iii view.bnt to secure
justice and fair dealing, which should always mark
the proceeding s of the Crown towarcbt'the people,—
He .propcsed only to restrain that which no King, if
well advised, would ever do. It was due to tie
(hikers of the Army to afford them legal prote&ion
for their fortunes and Byes, and what was of still
more importance; their characters, as persons of
other classes now enjoyed. They were now wholly
tit the mercYof those malicious whispers by which
the ears of persons high in authority were ever lia-
ble to be' abused. Otikers of the Army should cer-
tainly be 00'WOrtie far this tespett than the rest of
'his' 'Majesty's subjeas-,' No man whatsoever. ought
to tie condemned or' punished is. idiom a hearing. --
Such was the prineiple of BritiSli,justiee.' The ho-
llow, Of whiCh military Men were so tenacious, was
exposed to ruin otters without possibilitrolguarding
agtainst it. The discipline of the Artny also suffer-
ed Materially by the .pradice he wished to carted.
.Vor when those who, it brought to trial, 'would in
found deserving of punishment, were blended in the
operation of one nudiOingtlitibing, stroke of •priwer
with those who, if tried, bid the means of prUertrin
an honourable acquittal, virtue and good condua, itt
a great measure, lost their stimulus, and bad con-
duct wits ,sheltered troll' a great part of that , shame
which was the most ~ettecttrill check upon its vicious.
progress. As the 'Objed he bad. in view Was to pre.!
vent futureabuse rather thati censure the past, he
ferbore to cast any rekleaion or to cite. any of those'
cases, which it would be competept to achlui:e.
may be told, these were cases in which persons.were
dismissed,- whom it would be hard to
,expose by a
Court though it would have been • highly-
' Improper to continuc them in the service. Persons
of tins kind may be permitted to resign, and thus
thel'e"Would -atwoyi tee a sufficient Security against
abuse of every' It was the 'principle of. the
British Cotistitutioni to sepatate every. thing odious
train the Crown, mid to adorn it • with the heavenly
attrlbotes of mercy And he power,ofrelief.. It was
an ineamsisistency with'tcds principle be wished to
remove, by ig to the Otßcers of Army the
same measure of enjoyed by the rest of the
c,Aturunc,ity. It was by the ilrtny the Crown was
suppoited and the people proiccled, and-why%should
the Aktny bo its a wore situation titan any other part
Or the people in the essential point of justice. The
Army •hatl now growe to such an exteut, with a dis-
-po,sitton.still further to aragment it, that evenin petit'
-of were tittum;cal entllTlVtptioll, it Wiimi tinge por,
tiou its the people. Atid in the present -critter'' and
dangerous ,;itteitioir of the Country, whr„bn our safety'
&pooled so Winds on alb 7'ol and.energy (it - the
`,..ticers of the Army, ought they to lett in or-
Oa which, they Laity be .whispered out of
tnt- and sittiation, intudisrace and ruin,•and
a Ul,.•;land WOC3C than any law could in-
by the-,irts of a dirk matipant assassin, who
would 'tiot dare .to meet theiri ire the °pan light of
geouine British Justice. Courts Martial, atliirded
ample-ineaos to pettish every description of offence,
and when it was considered these Ceorts were not
Ilse: Juries, bound to be nurmitnous in their sv-i, woe

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