The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-13 00:00:00

BARNSTAPLE BOROUGH ELECTION.

On the motion for considering the special certificate of
Returning Officer,
Sir W. JOLLIFFE moved that the members returned be
called to the table and sworn, as the error insthe certificate
did not invalidate the election.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL saw no objection to the
COllllO.

After a few words from Mr. BUN, the motion was agreed

Accordingly Mr. GUINNISS and Mr. Leram, the members
•eturned, took the oaths and their seats.

MILITIA BILL.

Lord PALMERSTON then rose to move for leave to bring
iu Phill to enable her Majesty is accept offers of service by
militia regiments in places out of the United Kingdom.
In doing so, the noble lord said the bill which he had
the honour to move for leave to bring in would be
framed upon the model of the bill passed during the late war,
which the Government of that day felt it their duty to bring in
to enable them to accept the offers of militia regiments to do
duty in garrison abroad. It would be remembered that at
the close of the last war an act was also passed to enable
regiments, or parts of regiments of militia to join the
army under the Duke of Wellington, and three battalions
were raised, one commanded by the Duke of Buckingham,
the second by Sir Watkins W.Wynn, and the third by Colonel
Gray. The object the Government had in view in the
bill which he was about to introduce was to enable them to
send the militia regiments to do garrison duty in the Mediter-
ranean, and to enable the troops there to be removed to other
places. Gibraltar, Malta, and the lonian Islonds would be
the places to which the militia regiments would be invited to
proceed, and he might also say that Government might even
have occasion to ask them to do duty in the North American
provinces, but for the present it was intended to limit the
volunteering to the stations he had just mentioned. He was
happy to say that, from the reports made by the officers ap-
pointed to inspect the different regiments, that the progress
made in their training was extraordinary, and displayed
a degree of proficiency which justified him in saying that the
militia was equal to do duty with any regiment of the line. He
did not think that th ire was any necessity for him to say
anything further, but he trusted that the officers of the difA
ferent regiments would di all in their power to encourage
their men to volunteer in the different regiments of the line.

Mr. .NEWDEGATE wished to know whether this measure
was to be one to raise subsidiary supplies to enable. Lord
Raglan to reform his regiments from those companies who
had sufficiently performed their drill ?
Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT said that the Government felt the
great necessity of forming such companies, and it was their
intention to form different companies, and place them as a
reserve for Lord Raglan to lay his hands on whenever he re-
quired them. The Government therefore intended to place
at Malta, which offered but very limited accommodation, all
that would bo necesary for that purpose —namely, four com-
panies of reserve for each regiment.

Colonel SIBTHORP expressed his entire approval of the
measure.
Sir J. WALSH hoped that no obstructions would be thrown
in the way of Government carrying out this measure, which
he thought ought to have embodied the whole militia.
Mr. G. BANKS wished to know why this measure had not
been thought of before.
Lord LOVAINE admitted the extreme necessity of prose-
cuting the war with the utmost vigour, and enquired in what
way the proposed bill would effect the militia as now estab-
lished.
Lord PALMERSTON said, in answer to a question from Mr.
Palk,- relative to th4S winter clothing sent to the army in the
Crimea, that between 60' and 8u tons weight of clothing,
valued at from 25,1100/. to 30,0 ,0/., had been sent out in the
Prince, which was wrecked. And in answer to Lord Lovaine,
he could state that the new measure would not enable Govern-
ment to send out any man now in the militia, without his
own free and most distinct consent to accept such foreign ser-
vice as they; the Government, proposed to send him on. This
would apply to every man, without distinction of rank or

previous articles signed upon his entering the militia, and
that in no case should the majority of the regiment bind the
minority, but that each member should act upon his own free
and distinct will iu the matter of entering upon 'foreign
service. Much credit was due to the late Government for the
sagacity they displayed in re-establishing the militia, and he
was sure the members of that Government could have no hesi-
tation in supporting a bill which would only extend their own
measure. (Hear.)
Sir J. PAKINGTON wished to know if the clothing which
had been sent out was warm clothing, suitable to the climate
of the Crimea, or simply the ordinary winter uniform of the
soldier. _ _

Lord PALMERSTON replied that Ministers would answer
that question by producing a return of the clothing.
Lord NAAS asked if the bill would be extended to Ireland?
Lord PALMERSTON replied in the affirmative.
Mr. B. DENISON hoped the bill would allow officers and
men, from the colonel to the drummer, to volunteer or not'as
they thought proper, without any imputation being thrown
upon;,them.for the election they made.
Col. GILPIN hoped militia officers, on their return home,
would be allowed to volunteer into regiments of the line, or
permitted to accept half-pay as during the last war.
Leave was then given to bring in the bill, which was sub-
sequently brought in and read a first time, and ordered to be
read a second time to-morrow.
The other orders were then disposed of, and the house ad-
journed at a quarter-past three o'clock.

SHARE MARKET.-(THIS DAY.)

BUSINESS DONE.

RAILWAYS.— Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston, and
Eastern Junction, 4. E. ; Caledonian, r;l4 ; East Anglian,
15i ; Eastern Counties, 1 a ; Edinburgh and Glasgow,
534 ; Great Northern, 87 64 ; 'ditto B Stock, 123/ ; Great
Western, 70 69.4 ; Lancashire and Yorkshire, 724 ; Lon-
den, Brighton, and South Coast, 106 • London and
North-Western, 991 9 ; ditto Fifths, 14 ; London and
South-Western, 81 21i Manchester, Sheffield, and Lin-
colnshire, 228 s ; Midland, 684 8 ; North British, 314;
North-Eastern, Berwick, 744 34; ditto, York, 51i 2;
North Staffordshire, 134 13 ; North-Western, 64 ; Scottish
Central, 92 ; Shrewsbury and Hereford, 84 8; South
Devon, 124 ; South-Eastern, 584 ; Thames Haven Dock and
Railway, 3s; Vale of Neath, 17.
MlNES.—Clarendon Cons. Mining Co. of Jamaica, ,•
Colonial Gold, i ; Mariquita, I ; New Linares Mining and
Smelting Co. ; South Australian, 14

JOINT-STOCK BANKS.—Australasia, 79. j Z 4 ; Chartered
Bank of Asia, 41 ; English, Scottish, and Australian Char-
tered, 123 ; Oriental Bank Corporation, 381 8 ; Provincial
of Ireland, 50; Union of Australia, 67? f 8j; Union of
London, 231.