The Sun.
London, England, 1828-06-21 00:00:00

no training there could be no use for the ballot.
The use of the ballot was to place it in the power
of government, always to have within reach, on the
breaking out of a war, a number of men ready to
act, which would render the regular force of the
country immediately available.—( Hear.) The Mi-
litia service had already received and was still re-
ceiving the tuost attentive consideration of those
whoSe duty it was to control the military expendi-
ture, and when they were prepared to present a
plan for reduction, they would willingly accept froth
the House power, to enable them to carry it into
effect.

Sir J. WROTTESLEY could not go the ex--
tent of stating that the militia force ollf,rht ft.i he
abolished; on the coritrisryt he thought it was of
the utmost importance tt One security of the country
on the breaking old of war. He thought that he
could propose a plan which, without an?' additional
expence, would have the effect Of training the rtii=
litia in a more efficient
mode of calling inanner than
em out for Qla rj.i.l;9.—(The Hon.
Baronet I).P.ire
rroceeciell detail his plan; but we
r°,`Jet thai Aehworary interruption in the gallery
preVthited us from hearing his statement.)—He
would, he proceeded to say, find employment for
the militia in the conveyance of deserters (which at
present was done by cavalry), and for many pur-
poses of police. He was disposed rather to render
the force More efficient than to put it down alto-
gether. With respect to retrenchment, he must
express his sorrow at seeing the present Session
come to a close without the adoption of any effec-
tive reduction.

Colonel WOOD said, it was not desirable to
break down a fence like the militia, which was
capable of being called into active service at a short
notice. If war were to take place with France,now
that the facilities of steam navigation were so ex-
tended, the militia would be indispensable. It might
he thought, be desirable to give Government the li
power of suspending the ballot, but even that should
not be done lightly and as a matter of course, for it
had been before refused by Parliament on the ground
of its being unconstitutional. The remarks of the
Hon. Member opposite (Mr. Rice) with respect to
the supposed insufficiency of the militia corps in the
neighbourhood of the metropolis bad not the slightest
foundation in fact. He was Colonel of a corps
which consisted of 1,200 men, and he had that
morning asked his adjutant hew many men would
be likely to turn out, if called on. The adjutant
replied he had no hesitation in saying that 1,000
n-pen would assemble in the course of a few days.
This corps was perhaps the most difficult to assemble
in the whole kingdom.—(Hear.)—The reduction he
would be inclined to propose would be with respect
to corporals, who appeared to be the least service-
able part of the force; but he was not quite sure
that the number of serjeants had not already been
reduced too low. He thought that the Irish staff
should not be allowed to stand on its present footing.
In the English service there was one corporal for
every 40 men, and in the Irish one to every thirty
men only. (Mr. Hume said" one to no men at all.")
Mr. WARBURTON said, that the expence of
the volunteers, added to that of the militia, had
amounted, during the last 11 years, to 5,410,000/.
or about 490,0001. a year. He requested gentlemen
to consider whether it was worth while to keep up
that enormous expence to guard against the possible
event of our being taken by surprise with respect to
hostilities.

Mr. Alderman WOOD wished, as a representa-
tive of the city of London, to draw the attention of
the Right Hon. the Secretary at War to the state
of the Staff of its military force. There had been
two regiments of militia for the city of London, but
it seemed that government thought one was equal
to two, and therefore reduced them to one. Con-
sidering how the Staff of that corps was constituted,
with a bounty of 51. per man for a service of five
years, he was apprehensive there would be some
difficulty in finding them in cases of sudden emer-
gency. (A laugh.) He believed all London was
rejoiced at the reduction, and he hoped this very
imposing force would in the same spirit, be kept up
merely as a skeleton regiment, through motives of
economy. (A laugh.)
Sir H. HARDINGE thought that frequent train-
ings were preferable as to the production of discip-
line, provided the bodies so trained were small, than
parading a whole regiment for a longer time together.
The subject of the reduction of the expense depen-
dent on this head of our military establishment had
been before Government, and considerable progress
had been made in forming an estimate, whereby a
considerable saving would be made. I'le hoped the
reduction might be effected before the next Session
of Parliament. (Hear, hear.) In one department
alone the reduction had been from 500,000/. to
284,000/., since the attempt made to retrench in
that respect. In justification of the anxiety of Go-
vernment to keep this force always effective, he
would remind the House that when the war broke
out in 1803, so suddenly, seven days had not ex-
pired ere the garrison and dock-yard duty were
performed throughout the country principally by the
militia. (Hear.)
Mr. HUME considered the estimate for the sup-
port of the militia excessive, in England, and more
particularly so in Ireland.
hi reply to an observation by the same Hon.
Gentleman respecting the reiterated drawing of the
same individuals to serve in the militia,
Sir. H. HARDINGE was convinced such an oc-
currence, if so frequent as described, must be the
effect of connivance and fraud; but he would pledge
himself that no pains should be spared by him to
meet and detect an imposition so dishonourable.—
The vote was then agreed to.'
Sir H. HARDINGE next proposed a vote of
7,500/. for the Hibernian Society School for soldiers'
children.

This vote was, after an explanation from the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER that such had,
for these 27 years, been the practice, finally agreed
to; as was also a vote of
1,800/, for the Hibernian Marine Society School.

On the vote being proposed for granting 1,51 H),
towards maintaining the objects of the Cork Insf
tution,

Mr. R. GORDON saw no reason why Cork,
which was a wealthy city, should not maintain a
literary society, if it chose to have one, at its own
expense.
Mr. S. RICE was of opinion, that unless the pre-
se:it Committee of Finance took up all these subjects
and reported on them as that of 1817 bad done,
seriah:.n, it would not do its duty.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
should be very happy if the Finance Committee
would take up the subject in its minute particulars.
It was, boweyer, already in a train of gradual re-
duction.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY believed that these dis-
cussions would be much better managed in separate
committees.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said that sufficient encouragement had been held out
that retrenchment would be thk result of the labours
of official persons as well is of this Committee, by
the circumstance that this branch. of the estimate's
for Ireland had been reduced front 670,000/. to
302,000/.—(Hear.)
Lord MORPETH should move, as an aMend-
ment, that the vote be reduced from 1,600/. to
1,0001.
Mr. HUME secolitled the amendment.
Mr. NORTH was apprehensive if the' reduction
was so sudden, the institution woLild be 'deprived of
means to defray the salaries of the professors who
now acted as lecturers in the institution. Re hoped
the Noble Lord would, for these reasons, withdritw
his amendment.

Lord MOV.PETH felt the appeal of the Hon.
and Learned Member insufficient to induce him to
alter his intentiot; to press the amendment.
Mr. BERNAL remarked, that still 1,00(►'. a-year
‘vould be left to defray the salaries of prafessors,
who only amounted to four in number at )0/. per
annum, with a ery cost iderable surplus ovr.
Lord W. POULETT supported the amend-