Star.
London, England, 1806-07-11 00:00:00

Mr. Secretar rWINDH Ahi did not cape& to have I
hear.l Itch utajefliim as that flared by the Honourable
Baronet. The nbjeft of the Bill was merely to pro- I
•ide that certain allowances which it was thought I
expedient to grant to certain defcriptions of Officers
of the Line, Mould not under the operation of the '
Claufe in the Militia AC-1‘ be extended to fnme dere' ip.
ti" of Othzers of Militia. Field Officers of Militia were
repined to pofful a qualification of property, which
removed any neceffity of extending the allowances.'
The fubalterns for obvious reafims, were to have the
allowances, but the fame realm did not apply to
the cafe of Captains and Field Officers.
Colonel WOOD thought his Honourable Friend,
the Hon. Baronet, had mitt aken the nature of the
meafure of the Right Honourable Secretary, and
that therefore, his objetlions were not in point.
Mr. PF:RC VAL did not mean to oppofe the mo-
tion for leave to bring in the Bill, bin at the Caine
time declared himfelf not fat isfied with the principle
on which it profeffed to be founded.
Leave we, then given, and immediately after the
SECRETARY at WAR brought up the Bill, which
was read a firft time. On the motion that the Bill
be read a fecund time,
Sir W. ELFORD role jolt to let hirnfelf right with
the Hnufe,and to thew his Hon. Friend oppolite, •hat
he had not miff sliest the nature of the Bill. He had
not adverted to the allowances that had been made
tome time fiace, of hall-pay to Subalterns of Militia,
to induce thein to engage in the fervice. This Bill
was to deprive Militia Field Officers of the additional
pay, which was to be given to the Regulars. Whilft
they gave their time and efforts to the fervice, he law
no reafon why they lhould not receive the pay. No
great Officer of the Crown gave up his falary becaufe
be had a large private fortune.
The SECRETARY at WAR Paid, that the notice
which he had given was, that an increafe of pay fhoold
be given only to Officers of a particular rank, and in
certain cafes, as i. was exprcffed in the Bill. This
was not exaftly a meafure for a general increafe of
pay, therefore, and the Hon. Baronet might as well
complain thst it was not extended to Colonels.
Mr. PERCIVAL laid that from what he now um

derflood the B:II, to be, it gave much greater powers
to Miniflers that: what were neceffary for the obje&
which they had in view. The law at prefent was,
that the Militia, as to pay, &fluid be ezattly on the
fame footing with the infantry in the Regulars. But
now it appeared,• that, in certain cafes, an increafe
was to be allowed to the one and not to the other.
But the particular (Nett was to give the increafe of
pay to the Mititia Subalterns, and to withhold it from
the other officers. 'There wai no filch particular dif.
tinetion however in the Bill. Betides, the principle
-would certainly go this length, that no pay fhould
be allowed to the rapes ior Militia Officers at all, and
the meafore could not he defended on any other
ground. This might be a good principle, but it
certainly was one which dere, ved Come confideration
- before it was eflablillied, and therefore to propofe it
at thi• late period of the Seffion was not very fitting.'
Mr. WINDHAM flatedohat this would not af-
feet the Officers now fettling in the Militia, as they
Were not put on a work footing than when they en-
tered, and this went only fo far as to fay, that they
had no claim to a participation in the or/spored in.
creak. But the Learned Gentleman (Need to the
principle. But the principle was not what he had
Slated it to be. It was not that the Militia Officers
ought to have no pay at all, but upon the plaip and'
obvious one, that different kinds of fervice ought to
be differently rewarded. The pay, it was true, had
been the fame hitherto, but was that a reafon why
it fliould not he varied if there (tmid appear good
eat& for it A certain proportion had been efla-1
bliffied between the pay of office's of different ranks.,
But that ton might be varied, if there was rearms for it.
As to the Militia Offi-ers above a certain rank, they
mull Lave private fortunes, and could it be contend-I
ed, that becaule you gave an increafe of pay to offi-
cers in the army, whore fei vices might be acknow-
ledged to he of a fupetior nature, who r.:ight have
no private fortune, and might be obliged to depend
&lel), on their pay fur the eflablifhment of their fu.
tare lives, you ought, therefore, to allow the fame in-
creafe to perlens in citcumflances altogether diffe.
rent ? The thing was prepnflerous on the face of it.
lie then adverted to the additional ezpenfe which an
allowance of additional pay to the fuperinr Militia
officers would ore trim:, and contended that this ought
to be avoided, finer thete was no neceffity for it.
Lord CAS I'LEREAGH Paid, that a badge of in.
fericrity would thus befiled um the Militia Officers
much more hurtful to their feelings titan the want of
the pays and they would confider this as the precut.
for of tante future mellffure Rill further to degrade
them. The Might Honourable Secretary himfelf
his' recognized the principle of an equal pay, by
giving it to the fubalterns. The Militia Captains
might be equally in 'want of the pay, becaule the
qualification legniied was only 2001. a year. The
taving.altugether would not be more than y,cool. •••
Bill fispprife the increafe of •pay thoold be allowed lo
the Captains, the Caving then would he quite trifling.
The rum I& the increafe of pay to the regular field
officer., was only ifianonl. The Militia were in rim.

hers alsc tit nre third of the regulars, and the favirg
confequently would be only the third of t 6,0001.—
fle celled upon the Noble Lnrd oppofite (Temple)
to fuppott the cattle of the Militia cn the prcfent oc-
&ion, as ht had done at forme perinds.
Mr. ALEXANDER Rated the influence %hid)
thtir fitnation pave to militia Colonels, who poffeffed
advantages which could not be ?offered by the regu.
tar (.7 nels: • • '

Lord CASTLEREAGH oliferved, that if the
linnourahl. Gentleman had looked at !the ellimate,

be would have found that the additional pay did rot
fateful to the Colonels in either cafe.
• Lnrd 'IIMPLE etpleftad Rig with that his Right
liff•monrahle-Friemt whuld reconfider his

Ifpost the ptincipk which Its bad noted, different
par L•ed the army Well' might harm different claims.
As to the Culotte!, of 'Militia, they had no claim
sabstever. The Field Officers had not much ; but
in to the Captains he mutt • really intitt upon the pay
being es e,..icd to them, heeau'e, its officers could
not he rotit.d with the proper qualfficatintu, power
b td !..t.ly g veil to accept of them without, and j
nutty bad !welt therefore trarni ted without the qua- '
I:st
Wl:r7tDiriAM laid that this would bea more
plow ‘1;.1-4c firt is Coarbittee. • * •

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