Star.
London, England, 1806-07-04 00:00:00

of an enemy in fuch a way eat predicable, he conie
not feel the country fecure againft danger, even with
all the proteelinn of our formidable fleets at feat and,
therefore, he thought our force at home could not be
ton formidable : for this reafon he highly approved
of the Bill.
Dr. MATHEWS conGdered the meafure before
the Houle as unneceffary and injurious. It was fin-
gular, he obferved, that Gentlemen on the other Gde
talked of the expenditure of millions as of a matter
of infignificanee, and yet they relied upon economy
as the great recommendation of their cootie of pro.
ceeding with refped to the Volunteers. The Hon.
Gentleman remarked upon the facility with which
the prefent Minißers contrived to change their pain.
ciples with their places.
Mr. G IL ES vindicated the char ader of the meafure
under confideration, to which, he maintained, the
charge of involving any breach of faith towards the
Volunteers was totally inapplicable. This affertion
the Learned Gentleman (Whined by referring to the
I my ea 114# Ad, from which the charge was profef.
fedly deduced, and alto to the circular lever from the
Secretary of State, which was publdhed fubfequent
to that Ad. From both he inferred, that nothing
like a permanent pledge was given that if a certain
number of Volunteers offered for any &aria, facia
diflria thould be uniformly exempted from the ope-
ration of any meafure of the nature of that before the •
Houfe.

Mr. R. RYDER contended that the operation of
this meafure would be to reduce the Volunteers to a
Rate of degradation and inefficiency. The delicacy •
lately profited for that gallant body. which led to a
certain claufe in the Bill before the Houle, proceeded
entirely from a defire to reduce Tome part of the un-
popularity attaching to this meafure, and by no means
from any refpea or eßeem for thole corps.
Mr. C. WYNNE replied to the lan Speaker, and
maintained, notwithflanding all the Houle bad heard
of local influence, that people who should be called
I upon in the boor of battle would go forth with much
greater alacrity under the command of perfons whom
they fhould know to be verfed in military bufinefsp,
than under the diroftion of thole with whom they '
might happen to be perfonally acquainted or locally
conflated.
Sir IL LAWLEY had Come clanks to propofe,
which he had no doubt would be very agreeable to
the Volunteers, as they had in view the arrangement
and improvement of their difcipline.
The SPEAKER foggeßed to the Hon. Baronet,
that this was not the proper time to propofe loch claufes.
Lord KIRKWALL afferted, that the opinion
which the Volunteers had been naturally induced to
form, as to the views of the Right Honourable Au-
thor of this Bill. bad (erred materially to damp
their zeal and diminifh their numbers. In fupport
of this affertion the Noble Lord Rated, that he had
the honour to command a corps of Volunteers,
which confined of 460 effeaive men, twelve months
ago, but which at the laft mutter returned no more
than to. A (miler reduaion was, be apprehended,
to be generally looked for, from the language and
projeas of the Right Honourable Secretary.
Lord DE BLAQUIERE could not imagine any
thing morealford than the propofition of an efficient
levy, for which neither officers nes adequate infirm*
tion was provided.
Lord BINNING called upon the Learned Load
on the minillerial bench (the Lord Advocate of
Scotland) Who was not prelent on a former evenieg
ffi when this meafure was under difeoon, to Rate Ms
opinion upon the propriety of extending it to Scot.
land. If there was any benefit in the meafure, the
Noble Lord could not conceive that. upon any
principle of fairnefs, Scotland Mould be refuted a
participation of it ; and if it were a burthen, he did
not think it fair that it Ikould be confined altogether
to England. There were many parts of Scotland to
which this Bill would be as applicable as to this gouts*
try, and there was no danger of its meeting any
fuch oppofition as the execution of the Militia Law
formerly did. But that oppofition was not, in fart,
the circa of the Militia, but of that dilatation to
the Government which, he was happy to think, anis

now no more.
The LORD ADVOCATE was furprifed at the
line of conduit adopted by his Noble Relation, who 1
had jut fat down, and thofe who ailed with him....
, They maintained, that this meafure would Involve a
breach of faith, and an invafion of the King's pre-
rogative; would be productive of great expense and
opprelfion ; and yet, Paid they, " give a (bare of this
abomination to Scotland." (A laugh.) They had
been abufing the Bill for Come weeks, alerting Otia" it
would lead to confufion, and pull down the Volun-
teers; and yet, with all their profeffed regard for
Scotland and the Volunteers, they would have the
(cope of its operation extended. As to the opport-
tion to the Militia Law, which had been alluded to
by his Noble Relation, and which had been 'fretted
to proceed from difaffeltion, he was not difpofed to
come into that opinion. He was aware that difaf-
feEtion was often flatted to prevail very generally in
Scotland, and that he himfelf was &retitled as one
of the difaffeeed. But if he was dirdrated then, he
was to fill. For he held no principle at that time;
which now, in the King's fervice, did not remain
perfeetly unchanged (a loud cry of hear! hear ! from
the Minjfierial Benches), and they Ilould ever continue ,
fo (a renewed cry of bear! hear!). Bat to return to
the oppofition which at the outlet the militia law met
with in Scotland, that oppofition did in lift vile
from the general mil-conception prevailing of that
law, and the pride and arrogance of tome perfons in
that country, who would not condercenel to commu-
nicate with the lower orders, and explain to them its
°Nee and provifions. It that law had been properly
underfood, he ventured to Cay, that it would have
experienced no refinance whatever. In the diflrie
where he refided, the law was fully explained to the
lower orders, and therefore it was carried into exe-
cution without any attempt even at oppofition. With
regard to the Bill under eonfideration, the Learned
Lord confered himfelf anxious that its principles
Mould be extended to Scotland, and this opinion he
had already communicated to its Right Hon. Author.
But yet he would not defire the pretent Bill to be Co
extended, as in many of its parts it was inapplicable
to that country. He would rather with to bring in
a feparate Bill upon the fallen, and he would pledge
himfelf to prepare fuch a Bill in 48 hours as Ihould
be perfectly adapted to Scotland. The Learned
Lord alerted that the former Levy ea Ma& AS was
quite inipraliticable is ketlaad, and he concluded