The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

THE MILITIA BILL.

A bill to enable her Majesty to accept the services of
the Militia out of the United Kingdom, for the vigorthis
prosecution of the war :
Whereas it is important that effectual measures
should be adopted for the vigorous prosecution of the
war, and it is therefore expedient that her Majesty
should be empowered to accept any offers of the mi-
litia for such extended service as hereinafter mentioned ;
be it, therefore, enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent
Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the
Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this pre-
sent Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the
same, 118 follows :

1. It shah be lawful for her Majesty to accept the
services, and to employ in any parts or places out
of the United Kingdom, under the regulations and
restrictions specified in this Act, such of the
militia raised, or to be raised, ire any part of the
United Kingdom as may make a voluntary offer,
duly certified by their respective commanding officers,
so to extend their services, and as her Majesty
may think proper to permit to extend their services in
consequence of such voluntary offers as afotesaid ; -and it
shall he lawful for her Majesty, by any order signed by
one of her principal secretaries of state, or by the Lou d
Lieutenant or other chief governor or governors of Ire-
land, or by his or their chief secretary, directed to the
commanding officer of any regiment, battalion, or corps
of such militi.t, to propose to such regiment; battalion,
or corps, or any part or parts thereof, to extend their
services to any parts or places out of the United Kingdom
to be specified in such order, under such rules and regu-
lations as her Majesty may think fit to appoint.
[Bounty to persons making voluntary offer].
[Oath].

[Enrolment].
111. No person serving in the Militia shall be com-
pelled to make such offer, nor be engaged to serve out
of the United Kingdom, except by his own consent ;
and no commanding officer shall certify, according to this
act, any voluntary offer, before he has explained to the
person offering to serve that the offer is to be purely
voluntary.
[The services of three field officers may be accepted
with 900 men ; two field officers, with 600 men ; and
one, with 300, &c. ; and proportion of other officers ac-
cordinz to the establishment
V. It shall be lawful for her Majesty from time to
time to form the officers, non-commissioned officers,
drummers, and private men who shall •so extend their
services from the regiments, battalions, or corps of mi-
litia, into such provisional regiments or battalions as
may be deemed most expedient for her Majesty's
service ; and it shall be lawful for her. Majesty to ap-
point any such number of officers of her regular forces
or militia as her Majesty may think fit to serve during
any
,period of extended service of the militia out of the
' United Kingdom as field officers in such provisional
regiments or battalions of militia, in addition to the
officers of the militia allowed to volunteer for extended
service, in proportion to the number of men who shall
extend their service ; and all persons so appointed to
serve as field officers in any such provisional regiments
or battalions shall rack as field officers therein, in such
manner as her Majesty shall direct.
VI. Provided always, that in every case in which a
field officer of militia shall have volunteered for ex-
tended service, the officer having the chief cemmancl in
the provisional battalion shall be a field officer of Mili-
tia ; Provided also, that all officers of Militia appointed
by her Majesty to serve in any provisional battalion
with higher rank than that which they previously held
in the Militia, shall be deemed and taken to be Militia
officers of suchl higher rank for the purposes of this Act,
and as such shall be capable of commanding such provi-
sional battalion.
VII. Provided also, that no officer of Militia shall,
while out of the United Kingdom upon any such ex-
tended service, rank with the officers of her Majesty's
regular forces higher than as a Lieutenant-Colonel of
the Militia.
VIII. In any case in which the number of officers of
each rank so volunteering to extend their service,
and accepted by her Majesty, shall not be in due
proportion to the number of men so volunteering, it
shall be lawful for her Majesty to appoint any fit
persons to be offieers in any such provisional Lattalions
of Militia, witheet regard to the qualifications required
by law for sueli officers in the Militia ; but no person
so appointed by ?ter Majesty shall hold a commission in
any such provisional battalion of higher rank than
that of a subaltern, unless he shall at the time of such
appointment have been an officer in her Majesty's regu-
lar forces or Militia. _

[lie; Majesty may supply wcancies.]
X. All commissioned officers of militia who shall have
served an extended service under this act shall be en-
titled to pension for wounds according to the ranks in
which they shall have actually served, in like manner
and under such and the like circumstances as officers of
her Majesty's regular forces ; and the widows of all
such commissioned officers killed in such extended ser-
vice shall be entitled to receive such pensions fur life
as are given to widows of her Majesty's regular forces.
[Militia on an extended service subject to Mutiny Act
as regulars, and militia officers and officers of regular
forces to sit indiscriminately en Courts Martial.]
XII. Provided always that all the militia enrolled
and formed for extended service under this act shall, not-
withstanding such extension of service, remain subject
to all the provisions and regulations in force in relation
to the militia to whioh they shall respectively belong,
except in such cases as are is this act particularly
specified.
XIII. It shall be lawful for her Majesty, from time

to time, to make such regulations as her Majesty may
deem expedient for retaining, at the expiration of any
extended service out of the United Kingdom, any field-
officers, captains, or other officers of militia who have
actually served upon any such extended service in any
higher rank than those in which they volunteered their
services, either as supernumeraries or otherwise, upon
the establishment of the militia to which they belonged,
with the rank in which they have so actually served, or
upon such other terms in respect to rank and service in
the militia as her Majesty may think fit.
XIV. It shall be lawful for her Majesty, from time
to time, to make such regulations as her Majesty may
deem most expedient for the retaining upon the esta-
blishment of the militia to which they belong, as super-
numeraries or otherwise, any °fixers, non- commis-
sioned officers, and drummers of any regiment, batta-
lion, or corps of militia who may not so volunteer to
extend their services, or may not be so employed
.upon
such extended service.
XV. The provisions of this Act shall be construed to
extend to the regiment of Miners of Cornwall and
Devon in like manner and as fully and effectually to all
intents and purposes as to any regiment of militia.
XVI. In the construction of this Act the expression
" the Channel Islands," shall mean Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, and Sark, and the Isle of Man and the islands
thereto respectively belonging.

DEATH OF SIR J. R. HlLTON.—Captain Sir John
Richard Dilton died on the morning of the 6th of
December, at St. Fillans, Perthshire, aged 69.
THE LOSS OF THE PRINCE STEAMER.—Mr. Mare, of
Blackwell, the builder of the Prince steamer, has
written to say that the cables were tested at her Ma-
jesty's dockyard at Woolwich, previous to being placed
on board the Prince.
THE GREAT BRITAIN STHAIIER.—The Government
have entered into arrangements with Messrs. Gibbs,
Bright and Co., of Liverpool, to charter this vessel as a
regular transport for six months, on her arrival in this
country from Melbourne, which is daily expected. She
is 2,936 tons, andj will afford accommodation for about
2,000 troops.
Tgs WOODEN HUTS.—On Tuesday afternoon a party
of half•a-dozen sappers were suddenly ordered to erect
one of the wooden huts in the dockyard, Plymouth, in
front of the admiral superintendent's office. The object
vi as to ascertain how soon this could be done, and to
represent tho sippers at the Crimea on the arrival of the
huts- From what we could perceiee on the emergency,
we can state that half.a•dezen sappers can erect a hut in
two hours complete, snd ready ro aeconamodate 25 men ;
a dozen men would do the same in one hour. The
erecli in of the huts was superintended by Capt sin Fen-
wick, of the Ordnance department, who acted on the
principle of letting it be supposed that men who had
never soon the butt' would have to erect them.