The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-08 00:00:00

CHURCH RATES.

The select committee agreed to on a previous evening was
nominated.

IRISH MILITIA.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY rose to put a ques-
tion, of which he had given notice, as to whether it was the
intention of her Majesty's Government to embody any por-
tion of the militia of Ireland in the event of there being no
establishment of volunteer rifle corps in that country ? It
appeared from what passed in the House of Commons that
the Government had made up their minds not to move at the
present moment in the establishment of rifle corps for Ire-
land ; and remembering what took place last year in the
north of Ireland, he thought their determination was per-
fectly right. He wished, however, to impress upon the
Government the necessity of making provision for the mili-
tary defence of that country.
The Duke of CLEVELAND considered that if any addi-
tional regiments of militia were to be embodied, England had
quite as strong a claim as Ireland. He did not wish to de-
teact from the merits of the proposed rifle clubs, but it was
absurd to suppose that they could be in any way regarded as
a substitute for a militia or a regular military force. He had
no objection to an increase in the embodied militia of Ire-
land, but contended that the same advantage ought tobe ex-
tended to this country. A commission had been appointed
to inquire into the militia system generally, and he thought
it highly desirable that their report should bepresented as early
as possible. At present that system was open to objection in
many respects, and he instanced as one defect the practice of
paying arbounty to militiamen on joining the regular army
equal to that which ordinary volunteers received on enlist-
ment, in addition to the bounty to which they were entitled
on entering the militia. He was not one of those who anti-
cipated invasion or a French war—on the contrary, he
looked upon both the one and the other as most impFobable;
but that was no reason why we should not arm inv
evert
possible way to make the defences of the country as perfect
as possible.
Lord HARDINGE thought, until the report of the com-
mission was before their lordships, it was superfluous to
discuss the question. He trusted that when that report
stepspres;he Government would be prepared to take
ste to carry out such improvements as might be shown to
be necessary. •
The Earl of BANDON called attention to the insuffi-
cient defences of Cork and the south-west coast of Ireland,
and reminded the house that Bandon was no better pro-
tected now that when the French effected a landing there
in the year 1797.
The Earl of RIPON observed that the noble marquis
had been correctly informed that the Government had no
present intention of extending the organisation of rifle
corps to Ireland, and for two reasons,—first, that no appli-
cation had been made for that purpose from the sister king-
dom ; and secondly, because the act under which volunteer
corps could be raised in Ireland differed materiallyfrom the
act under which such corps could be raised in this coun-
try ; and before anything could be done, it would be neces-
sary that those differences should be removed by a legisla-
tive enactment. In answer to the noble marquis's ques-
tion, he had to reply that the Government did not propose
to embody any fresh regiments of militia in Ireland. It
was determined at the beginning of the year by the late
Government,rthat certain regiments both in England and
Ireland, which were embodied. should be disembodied, as
regiments of the line arrived home from India to take their
places. Subsequently, however, the state of affairs induced
them to abandon that intention, and the present Govern-
ment proposed in this respect to follow in the steps of their
predecessors. (Hear, hear.) It should be borne in mind
that while volunteer rifle corps occasioned very little
charge upon the public, the expense of embodied militia
regiments was very considerable, and the Government, not
being of opinion that any addition to the number of embodied
regiments was requisite at present had come to the deter-
minationwhich he had already stated. This decision, how-
ever, was by no means consequent upon any disregard of
the military wants of Ireland, which he could assure noble
lords commanded the constant attention of the Govern-
ment, who would neglect no necessary means of placing
that country in an efficient state of defence. He believed
the report of :the commission which had been referred to
would soon be presented, and then the question of the mi-
litia generally might be discussed. With regard to the
observations of the noble lord opposite (Bandon), he would
add that the defences of the south and west coast of Ireland
would receive the same attention as the defences of every
other part of the country.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE could see no reason
why rifle clubs should not be established in Ireland as well
as in England. He had no fears of invasion, at the same
time he thought every precaution ought to be taken to
place the country in the most perfect state of defenee. He
did not look for any very valuable conclusions in the report
of the commission, and was therefore in favour of entering
into the consideration of the question at once as to how far
the present system under which the militia was embodied
was the most advantageous. He considered the practice of
calling out the men of the unembodied regiments 21 days in
each y.ar as open to many objections.
After a few words from the Earl of DONouGintonE,
which were inaudible,
The Earl of RIPON observed that it might be well to
state that no fresh regiments of militia were intended to be
embodied either in England or Ireland ; but it was possible
that some of those regiments now embodied would be dis-
embodied and others substituted, but there would be no
addition to the embodied force.
Their lordships adjourned at aquarter-past seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBERS.
Lord Castlerosse took the oaths and his seat on his
re-election for Kerry, vacant byl his acceptance of the
office of Chamberlain of the Royal Household ; Mr. J. D.
Fitzgerald, Attorney-General for Ireland, on his re-election
for Ennis ; Lord A. Paget, Clerk Marshal, on his re-elec-
tion for Lichfield ; and Lord Fermoy, on his election for
Marylebone.