The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.-(YESTERDAY.)
PROBATE ACT AMENDMENT BILL.
This bill passed through committee.
DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES ACT
. _

AMENDMENT BILL.
On the order of the day fur going into committee on
this bill,
Lord REDESDA.LE said he did not see why the
' provisions of the bill should not extend to Ireland. He
was opposed to the bill when it was first proposed, but
if they did legislate at all, they ought to legislate for the
whole of the 'United Kingdom.
The Earl of WICKLOW said he took the oppor-
tunity of asking whether it was the intention of the
Government to introduce a bill for Ireland ! —and he
was astonished at the answer of the Lord Chancellor,
which was that they would not introduce a bill fore Ire-
land because of the expense with which it would be
attended. He hoped the noble and learned lord on the
woolsack would state whether it was the intention of
the Government to assimilate the law between the two
countries ; and, if not, that he would give a substantial
reason for not doing so. He protested against this mode
of legislating separately for the two countries.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said it was perfectly true
that he did, when the question was put to him, say that the
expense would be sufficient to justifythe government in not
bringing forward such a measero, but the noble earl would
do him the justice to recollect that some time afterwards
a similar question was put to him by a noble and learned
lord, and he answered that question by saying it was
not intended to introduce such a measure, and he recol-
lected the Lord Chief Justice expressing his regret that
they had no such intention. Now, in the first place,
he did not think it desirable until the Divorce Court
had been more tried, and they had more experience of
its effects, to introduce a measure for Ireland. He was
not answerable for what the late Lord Chancellor might
have promised. If his noble and learned friend desired
that it should be extended to Ireland he might bring in
a bill now, but certainly he did not envy any one the
task who undertook to introduce a bill on such a sub
ject in reference to the sister country. He had no wish
to bring in such a bill, nor any intention to do so. Ile
believed there was no strong desire for it in that country,
and, on the contrary, that there was an apprehension
in some quarters that it would be extended to Ireland.
At all events, he bad no intention to introduce a bid to
extend the divorce courts to Ireland.
Lord CRANWORTH said the question was put to him
when he was Lord Chancellor, and he replied that he
should not propose to extend the measure to Ireland, be-
cause he was perfectly aware that there were circumstan-
ces which might render a measure desirable for England
which as as not desirable for Ireland, but he told the noble
lord that he would bring in a bill to assimilate the law
of the two countries, so far as the social state of the two
countries rendered it possible or desirable. And un-
doubtedly he should have fulfilled that pledge had he
remained in office, but when he ceased to boll office, it
appeared to him that the introduction of a bill affecting
the social state of the country was a matter that no man
not connected with the government ought to be called
upon to undertake. It was necessary to obtain infor-
mation, and a variety of details which it was impcssible
for any one not connected with government to get.
Therefore, although it had been his intention, in con-
currence with his colleagues, had he continued to hold
the great seal, to fulfil that promise, when he left office
he thought himself absolved. Having said that, he could
only say that if in accordance with the suggestion of the
noble lord they so altered the bill as to enable Irish sub
jects to come to the court here, he should see no objec
tion to it.

The Earl of DONOLTGHMORE deprecated extend-
ing the measure to Ireland, and said he hoped that at
all events their lordships would not agree to the propo-
ion of the Chairman of Committees.
Lord CAMPBELL said it would be n3onstroas that
Irishmen should come over as suitors to England. All
her Majesty's Scotch subjects had a remedy by apply-
ing to the Court of Session, and her Majesty's English
subjects had a remedy by presenting a petition to the
Divorce Court. If the measure were extended to Ire-
land he thought it should be by another bill.
After a few words from Lord REDESDALE, who
said he was precluded when in committae from propos':
ing any amendment, but that he could do so on the re•
port,
The house went into committee:and the several clauses
were agreed to without any amendment being proposed
to intend the measure to Ireland.
The house then resumed.

The Duke of BUCCLEUCH inquired whether any
steps were in contemplation, or had been taken, to refer
to a commission, or to a committee of either house of
Parliament, the present establishment and organisation
of the permanent staff of regiments of militia, with the
view to reader the staff more effective, both when the
regiments are disembodied and also when embodied or
called out for training I Whether it was intended to
call out for training this year all or any of the regiments
of militia which have not been recently embodied ! If
it was intended to do to, how were these regiments
to be quartered—in barracks, billets, or other-
wise I He understood from an answer which
bad been given in the other house, that it
was the intention of her Majesty's Government to
issue a commission to consider in what wanner the per-
manent staff might be made more efficient. At the pre-
sent moment there was great difficulty in procuring effi-
cient officers. It might be said that they could be ob-
tained from the pensioners, but they would be of little
use, because the system of drill had been most materially
altered. The pay was so small, that non-commissioned
officers who bad no pea-ion could not subsist without
working at some trade, and the result was that they had
no time to attend to the course of instruction and exer-
cise in the Minis rifle, and, therefore, when called upon
they were not so efficient as they ought to be. Anoth'r
obstacle to their acquiring a knowledge of the Minie rifle
was, that the weapons served out to them were nothing
but the old flint and steel muskets, ornamented wi•h
percussion locks. The pay of the adjutant was perfectly
inadequate to provide him with proper lodgings. He
could not procure such lodgings for 10s, a week, and in
the regiment which he commanded the adjutant could
not obtain convenient accommodation for less than (101.
or 601. a year. Then, with respect to his second ques-
tion, whether it was the intention of the government tai
call out for training this year any of the regiments of
militia which have recently been embodied. If the militia
was to be kept in a state of efficiency, the regiments must
be periodically trained and kept together for a sufficient
time to allow them to be properly instructed. If it was
intended to call out these regiments it was most im•
portant to consider how they were to be quartered. At
the present moment there was not a single unoc upiod
barrack in Scotland. In Berwick there was sufficient
space for a regiment, but the barracks were in such a
state that they were unfit for occupation. The billeting
system bad been strongly objected to, and in pieces
where there were only two or three inns, the hardship
was undoubtedly very great. It might he said that in
Edinburgh and Glasgow there was ample billeting room,
but he knew nothing more objectionable than the billet-
ing of the militia in those places. He trusted the go-
vernment would turn their attention to the points he
had mentioned, and use their utmost efforts to render
the militia an efficient body.
The Duke of CLEVELAND said it was most
important to define what was the object of the militia.
(Hear, hear.) It had been pointed out as a nucleus
for furnishing troops for the regular army. He did not
' mean to say that in the event of a great increase of
troops being required, it would not be necessary to take
them from the militia, but to send down a number of
sergeants to keep the men in a state of intoxication was
destructive of all discipline. If the militia was to be use-
ful it must be kept in an efficient state; and he thought
it would be better, instead of giving them 28 days' train-
ing every year, tv give them 56 days every alternate
year. With respect to the adjutants, he did not think
they had much difficulty in providing suitable lodgings
at the rate of 261, or 301. a-year. (Hear, hear.)
Lord HARDINGE said her Majesty's Government
bad determined to constitute a commission, to which
tho subject would be referred. The instructions had not
yet been framed, but he believed the duties of the com-
mission would be to inquire into the establishment and
organisation of the permanent militia staff, with the
view of rendering it more efficient for military purposes,
and ascertaining whether it might not be made useful in
the way of recruiting for the line. The inspector of the
militia had reported most favourably of the condition of
the permanent staff generally, and it appeared that in
September last they raised upwaris of 8,000 men cf the
line. He believed the whole of the matters which bad
been alluded to would come within the scope of the in-
quiry to be instituted by the commission. A portion of
the militia would be called out in the autumn, but at
present he was unable to give any precise information on
that point. With respect to the billeting system, a
committee was now sitting to inquire into that subject.
There were a considerable number of small barracks

unoccupied in Ireland, and one portion of the militia
would occupy those barracks, and the other portion
would be billeted. It was impossible to say exactly
what amount of force could be placed in the
barracks in England. With regard to Scotland,
he was obliged to the noble duke for the suggestions
which he had thrown out, and could assure him that
they would be duly considered by the Government.
Earl GREY agreed with the noble duke on the cross
benches (the Duke of Cleveland) that the first point to
determine was the object of the militia. ([fear, hear.)
Was it to be an instrument for recruiting, or was it in-
tended to be an efficient reserve force ? Unless Govern-

---
went made up their mind as to the accomplishment of
one of these objects, they might fail in both. It had been
said that the militia were not to be embodied in time of

war except to guard against invasion. Now, perhaps
there never was less danger of that than during the Rus•
siau war, and yet a large militia force was embodied, di-
rectly competing with recruiting for the line. The per-
manently embodied m ditia force consisted of 65,000 men.
The number of recruits given to the army and marines by
the militia was only 33,000 during the war ; while there
were obtained for the army by regular recruiting 80,000
men, although every recruit had a direct bonus of 1/.
offered to him to take the militia as the road to the army.
They had to consider whether such a system was an eco-
nomical one. The noble duke on the cross-benches bad
told them that it was a common practice for men to enrol
themselves in a regiment of militia which was not imme-
diately to be called out without the slightest intention of
coming up when it was called out ; and besides this, it
was the practice of men to enrol themselves in four or
five regiments of militia one after the other, and there
was no means of checking the practise, Up to 1856,
when the militia had been a few
years in operation,
there were no less than 39,500 men out of 193,500 struck
off the strength of regiments for desertion—that is, one
fifth of the whole number. 11e was told *that, if the
return was made up to the present time, the number
would be found much greater, and that, you had paid
bounf— 4.q nearly 800,000 men INI:o tad been !struck off