The Sun.
London, England, 1807-07-29 00:00:00

MILITIA VOLUNTEERING BILI..

The Order of the Day having been read for going
into a Committee on she Militia Volunteering Bill,
Lord. CASTLEREAGH moved, that the Speaker do
now leave the Chair.

Lord MILTON stated,. at some length, his ob.:
jeetions' to the Bill, which no pectiliar emergency
called for, and which would so materislly affect that
important and constitutional branch of our defence,
the Militia. An additional ballot for
.the Militia
would be most oppressive on a part, and a part alone,
of the landed- property, for which reason be should
always object to any extension of the Militia beyond
what was indispensably necessary for the home gar-
rison.. If the families of the men who might 'enlist
from the. Militia into the Regulars were, to be pro-
vided forby .the parishes, it would be most burthen
some on them, as ,they would also have to provide
fbr the families of the men who would be ballotted
into the Additional Militia, The Noble Lord's.. Bill
would completely destroy his Right Hon. Friend's
plari,beneficial as it was, and highly as it had' been
approved by the country. We should provide, :not
for an emergency, but prepare our population to sus-
taM a protracred contest, If an immediate invasion
..were threatened; such an extraordinary exertion
would i)e excusable, but not in the present situation
of affairs. ' , - , •

sir T. TU4TON declared, that it had lon4 ap-
peared 'to him -144 the Coun t required a large, nal I
tar} force; but he obje&ed strongly to the ballot, and
dwelt particular4v on the inecrtality cedistre.4 which
it occasioned:. With pue solitary exception,..h'
prOved of all the Continental. qieasbres of the late
Administration ; for lie' had always been oropiniOn,
that if Europe could not save itself. Great Rrito;.,

could not save it. There could be bit one oinion,
that in the present situation of pubic abiry a large
military force was indispensable ; but he deprecated
,the diminution of the Milian for that purpose. Nor
Aid he think the adoption.of the Army of ,Reserve
Adt would be advisable. He was most solicitous to
keep up the-Volunteer Force, and however economy
was necessary, he, condemned that false parsimony
which. would deprive that force of the encourage
ment which was indispensable to its maintenance.
He would recommend that the Officers should be
'empowered to enforce. attendance, and the men en-
couraged to attend. Let 'them be paid for their
time, and the objea would be accomplished. The
Militia and Volunteers (although he knew they, were
not half so numerous as had been stated) might
form a most important and most constitutional aid to-
the Regular Army.. He felt great reluCtance in thus
stating his objeCtions to the Noble Lord's Bill.
Colonel 1100 D had hoped, that in the,present
situation of the 'Country, all party considerations
Would have been-laid aside ; and expreskd his asto-
nishment at the sentiments that had been promul-
gated on this subjeet. With great relu&ance he
gave.his consent to the deterioration of that most
constitutional force, the ; but when he re-
fleeted on the present state of Europe, ii was impos-
sible for him to withhold it. He thought, that the
Plan of his Noble Friend was the only one that
could give thedesirable force. A Right Hon. Gentle-,
man, had last night said, that we had nothing to
' apprehend, because Bonaparte and his army were
at such a distance; but in 'six months they might)*
on the opposite shores. He then entered into*
best mode of defence in case of invasion,
recommended strongly the erection
..of .Marte/.IQ
Towers, and the fortification of our arsenals and
dock-yards, which were now unable to resist a,
siege of-a fortnight, or three weeks. He should
give the present question his decided support.
• Mr. D4VIS GIDDY, although he could not apt-
. prove, in every, point, of the plan of the late itt.
Hon. Secretary of State for the War Department,
yet thought, that if Suffered to proceed, it would be
" very produaive; and_ he regretted that the Noble
Lord's plan would interfere with it. Still, how-
ever, it appeared, that some sort of compulsion was
necessary. to provicje a large Military Force, but he
did not altogether see the utility of the volunteering
from the Militia; and expieised his preference of a
ballot direaly for the Army. As a majority of the
House, however, had determined in favour of the
Noble Lord's plan, he should eheerfully acquiesce
in that determination.

Sir O. WARILINDER repeated his former argu-
ments en thii subjeft, and contended, that the dish
,posable force now existing, which amounted to
81,000 men, was amply sufficient. His grand ob-
je&ion to the Noble Lord's plan was.. that it ap.;
peared a temporary' remedy for a permanent evil,.
while the plan of his Right Hon. Friend opposed a
permanent remedy to a permanent. evil. He ex-
preSsed his astonishment, that at a moment like the'
present, Ministeri should venture to disorganize the
defence of the Country; and detailed the inconvef
nieneies and disadvantages to which the Militia must
ahe huhjeed by the measure, one principal source of
which would be the distance lit which the regill)""
were at from their reTee'tive conntics. I-To cil,ap-
proyed of the Noble Lord's plan but a:.it was sanc-
tioned by• Parliament, he should exert himself to
carry it into effect.

Air: BA BINGTOW contended,- that the Noble
Lord's Bill would not give the Country the number
of .men which he had himself declar,..l was necesT
sary. Were we to sit down contented with 36,000
men, when 150,000 men were required ? Ws,
ought to have men not only to resist the attack in
case of invasion, but to repair the loss which in curt-
sequence must be sustained. The Training, Bill of
the Flight Hon. Gentleman opposite had been very
beneficial in many points of view, and he deptecNit"
ed:• all interference with it, except to pia it into eX.
QCUtiOrl. As to the Army of, Reserve Act, if ti"t
were tried, he thought it would fail.- • • -
Lord COCIinANE declared, that, the only part Qt.
the Noble Lord's plan which 'appeared to him to
fall heavily upon the people, was the ballot for the
Militia, for which some alleviation .might be,
~,ttna,
ought to be, provided. He thought allowing the NW
'Wit to enter voluntarily into the Line was a mostwise measure.
• Colonel BAGWELL did not think the numericalforce of the Line would be so much increased at
seemed to be anticipated.
Mr. IPINDHiIif entered into a general defence
of the Training Bill, and while he allowt.d, that
like every other measure, it' • had detects—defects
which be should he most happy to join in coerectingt
maintained that it had not more of such defects Oil
any,other measure of a similar nature. After all
that had been said of the greatness of the existing
danger, and the grandeur of the Noble' Lord's Plan'
what was it to produce ?. Simply the difference ber
tween 36,000 men, and the number which the re;
gular recruiting might otherwise have been expic"
to afford. Adverting to the remission of the snes,,
incurred under the Defence Act, he allowed that duo'
remission would•render more difficult a recorrennc
to any. such measure; but then he contended that;
recurrence tcrany such measure was to be shttnneu;.
The iplestian. had beenoyhether the enforcement to
those fines would not have been an act of flagrant
injustice. He repeated what an .Hon. Baronet had
said, that the Noble Lord's measure was one of tein
porary relief for a lasting et it,. ,
General TARLETOA, stated several cases its
which the plans and systems of the Right Hon;
Gentleman opposite had discouraged and depresse"f
the Volunteers. He denied that the appointment °
Inspecting Field Officers was unnecessary, and c°o-
- that the General Officers could not exeenta
the duty for which those Inspecting Field Officer:
were appointed. He wished that the Inipectin,
Field Officers had more power,' for by the smelt%
ration of the Volunteers, we should save the trouble
of Training Bills, orally plans of a similar nature.
With regard to the Militia, which were the yell
stamina of the force which was to defeat the enemy
in case of invasion, the object was to obtain a
,posahle torce, „sorequisite in the resent .eircnfao
stantes of the world. It had been said, there
In emergency at present. No was not the Coupe
try .env•rnneti by more dangers than any during
experience of any man living 2 When the first Gem
h
neral.df the.age .(for so he outd acknow.edgeum
it
to be) had acquired such immense power, wots
. • 1! /Int for
• •

i

agt;nst Great Britain, s )11Ong the object of his pecuie)
liar hostility ? —He exliurtea the. Country 'to eon-
tetel whit united energies ,agaiuSt the foe, and Ate
result must be tortuieste.
Mr. SHAW LEFEVRE made a feW observetiOns iii
praise of the Militia Force, and eXpi-essed a doubt.
whether the Supplemental Militia could boaised
to the foll extent proposed by the measure, Whilit
there was a certain proportion of the former Sup-
, plementat Militia at_present serving in. the Militia.
Lord CASTLEREAGH replied, that the obje4tion
was a legal, not a political One, but declared it to be
• his opinion, that after the Supplemental Militia had
been re.'uced or incorporated with the original Mi-
litia, it was perfettly competent to his Majesty and
the Legislature to call out the amount of Supple-
: mental Militia proposed.
• The House then resolved. into a Committee on
• the Bill, in which the various blanks were filled up,
after ninth and frequent discussion, conformably to
the general outline of the Plan opened by the Noble
Framer. When the Bill had been gone through,
Lord CASTLEREAGH brought up a Clause for, allow-
ing an option to the men who
_should be obtained'
under the Bill either to enlist for a limited term, ac,
cording to the, system adopted last year, and to be
be entitled to all the advantages to be derived under
that system, onto enter for unlimited service. The
ground on which the Noble Lord propoed this
Clause was, that as so large a force was to be raised
in the Present year, it might be proclue-tive of much
future military inconvenience, if so large a portion
, of the army wa, to go out within so short a period
as at the expiration of seven years.
Mr. W. Ssi ITH had one general objeEtion against
'offering the °satin' proposed in the clause, because it
svould materially interfere with the system now in
existence. The necessity of bringing up such a
WAS a strong argument against the measure of
the Noble Lord.
Tile SECRETARY at Wait, in confirmation of the
argument of his Noble Friend, stated, that the flece
that would be raised within the present year by this
• measure, and by the ordinary recruiting,. would
amount to 48,000 men ; and if so large a portion of
Our Military force were to be entitled. to theiedis-
charge at the cud of seven years, it might be produc-.
tine of much mischief.
Mr. Derry-rmx should give a decided negative to
this clause, thus surreptitiously introduced into the
LIU without notice, to subvert the system at present
in force. Why had the clause not been produced `at
first on the face of the Bill?
TheCliii.NCELLORef the EXCHEQUER, to
coned the mistake of the Hon. Gentleman, remipd-
, ed the Committee, that his Noble Friend'had; in the
first instance, seated his intention to bring forward
this Clause in the Committee. The reason' why
they had not introduced the clause on the face Ofthe
sill was, that his Noble Friend wished to take the
sense of the House on the general principle of his
measure in the second reatiing of the Bill, without
endangering its adoption, if
.there should be any
general objecction to such a clause. For the same
reason, he chose to take the, scnse of the o.alrait-
tee on the clause, which, if rejeEted, would not
ate eet the general measure. This enlistment was to
be only of a temporary nature, and, therefore,
to allow the option would not be to depart
from the uniform permanent mode of recruit-
ing. On their own principle, the :Gentleman
opposite ought to agree 16 the clause, because,
though their system was at first to apply to all men
serving in the army who had served twenty-one
years, they had been deterred from a4ing upon it,
when they found that the number to br discharged
aniotmted to 6000. To be consistent therefore, a hey
who were altetid tncFs_liarge 6000 then serving, but
not raised tinder the provisions of their system, should
not obje6t to giving an option that would have the
erre& of. nreventitee the whole of so large a force as
28,000 men, not raised under their plan, from being
entitled to'their discharge at the same time:
Lord G. CAVENDISH argued against the Clause,
and contended, that it would be nugatory, because
for the same botinty any man must prefer the li-
i
neted to the unlimited period of service.
Mr. BABINGTON felt rather jealous of any men.
sure that went to disturb what had already been, laid
clown fur' litnited service, and from which it was
most natural to exped the most beneficial result.
Ikloch conversation ensued as to the operation and
~,,,efrea- a- the Clause • it was supported by General
•LAULETOI,I, Mr. T. YONES, General Nitres, Lord.
' CASTLE'REAGII, and General Loc.; .tr.ster, and pp-
posed on a variety of rounds by Mr. Wietasst
e the Hon. Mr. ,WARD, the Hon. Mr. LYT-
Mr. D. Ginotes, Inlet wtticli the
questing being Universally and eagerly celled for,
tne House divi.teo—.For the Clause, 7a—Against.
10--.Maiority, 63.
• On stran,•eis .6eitecOdmitted into the gallery, «•cfentud that the Conninttee had gone through the Bill,
and that the Report was ordered to be received to-
tonrruw.
The other Orders of the Day were. then disposed
of, and the HOU-S e adjourned at Half Past One.

MAILS.
AR Riv 111.--1 tonningcn„ t llublin, t Wattrfad.
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PRICE OF S'T'OCKS
tlits PA Y. AT TWEI,V X O'CLOCK.
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THE SC. -N.

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LON D 0

IVZDN4SDAY, JVL•Y 20, I tio7.

*W----~----~..:

We have received by the Tonningen Mail, wilict
arrived this mornini, a Letter, which purports to
totnalo the principal Articles of the Treaty of Peace
between France and Prussia. They are as follow :

1. The boundaries of the Duchy .of Warsaw shall
be detertuine.d as well as that of the territory of the
free Haase Towns of Dantzic.

2. Tile latter are to be marked two miles Tonna
the town by fUlrtench, Dantzic, Saxonian, acid
Prussian arms.

3• The bounchries of the Kingdom of Westplla-
li-t 14.4 be defined.

4. Tilsit 51101 tie evaCtliied 'by 'the Trend tro.),),i
t:he fecith July, •aud
:5. Konigsburgh the sth July. •

G. Before the Ist of August, East Prusiiii, as far
as the Passarge.

7. Before the 20th, as far as.theVistida. : •
8. Before the sth of September, :as far as the
Oder ; and

9. All the, other Royal Prussian -dominions,- as
well as by the Ist 061ober;
10. The Province of Magdeburgh on the right of
the Elbe, Passewalk, and Prentzlow, shall not be
evacuated mail the tst of November.

:. With regard to Stettin, the time of its eva-
cuation shall be determined by•the Plenipotentiaries.
Until the evacuation it shall be occupied by 60i0
French Troops.

.)2. *Spandau, Custrin, and all Forti:esses in Si-
lesia, shall be surrendered to the l'cussians on the Ist
of Oetober, •

All other points yet to be arranged shall be settled
by Plenipotentiaries to be appointed by both Con-
traaing Parties, who ,are to meet at2Berlin on the
25th ot.July. The revenue of the Prussian domi-
nions is to be for account of his Prussian Majeity,
from the 13th .July, an 'condition that the contribu-
tion demanded be paid to the French.
COPENII.IOE23', JULY t7.---The day before yester-
day His Serene Highues the Hereditary Prince of
Mecklenhurgh Schwerin 'left Altona. for Tilsit,
to wait on His Inapert.il Majesty•of Russia. To-
morrow the reigning Duke sets out from hence for
Schu tkin.

On the 14th inst. r•ord CATHCART passed the
Soinad, on board an English Frigate,' of 44 guns,
and proceeded without a mdkpents delay to Stralsund.
The Master of a Ship which sailed from Anclam
to Rostock, heard on the 14th inst. a heavy cannon-
ade.on the sAe. orPoinerania.

STETTIN,JV LY 1 B,—Troops are continually :marchi..
ing tluougti ourtto‘.sin from Farther Pomerania to
the Swediih Territo.
,Yesterday passed the 4th
Italian regiment of the tine, the Q3d regiment of
horse chasaeurs, and
,tgtitregitnent of toot of the
•
line. •

The Swedish Frigate which is stationed off Swine-
!nun& permits all ships to' sad tar neutral ports,
but does not allow even ships sailing in h.l;l,lst to
enter the port.---(Thonho' Correspond. July

PRUSDEN, JULY 15.—Prince .TEROMIi is expt.i.led
hero from Siietiia, and the celebrated PdLlcc is fitted
up for his reception. His Royal irlijesty le.,ves
this Capital to-morrow, to meet the Emperor
Pa L. t. ow at Buaessin. Besides the FO-411i:11Eitiperp ri
tic Emperor of RussiA, the King of BAVARIA.
acid other Princes.are also expthed,bere. Accord.
ing to other accounts, the Emperor of 11ussiA is
'gone to St. Petersburgh. Oar town will be very
brilliant.