Star.
London, England, 1806-05-14 00:00:00

PARLIA NE vTART J. Roc ADDY GS.

HOUSE OF LORDS, TUESDAY, MAY 13.
Houle proceeded, aa ufual, to Weltntlofter HalL They
returned foots after thrce, when an Order waa made to proceed
further on the Trial oel.ord Vikount to•morrow, and
a Merge kat to the Houk of Continona to acquaint them there-
with.

The Order of the Day on the Slave importation Reftridion Bill
was dirchartcd, on the motion of the Duke of CLARENCE, and
'encased for Friday.
The Weil India and American Trade Bill was read a third time
and paired, and a Meffage fent to the Houle of Cunt:non, to ac-
quaint t►em therewith.
Strangers were for a wort time excluded whilit the Route dB.-
cuffed (nine matter of privilege.
After our re admilßon, the Earl of WESTMORELAND pre-
tented a Petition from certain Merchants and Traders of Mrnehel-
ter agalnft the Slave importation Reitrietion Bill, which was or-
clued to lie co t►e table.

Stripier. were spin for a fhort time excluded.
After our re-401111(1Jan, the confederation of hia Majefty's Mef.
foie relinkre to Erna Neiron was, on the motion of Lord AUCK-
LAND. deferred dll to-morrow. Adjourned.

He contended, that the A& produced at the nte of
to,ooo men a-year, in addition to the orebnun re-
cruiting. He could not, therefore, content to give it
up till fomethiog better was offered. We ought
to provide for extraordinary cafes, as, in the event
of invation, the army might Irrfe 13, so, or 30,000
men in a battle. He infided, that further informa-
tion and details ought to have been laid before the
Houle. The Right Hon. Gentleman had been tail:
taken as to the limited fervice of the French army,
under the old Monarchy, but if he was to adopt the
model of the French army at all, he woeld rather
take it as it was now. The giving up the ballot for
the Militia was the moll extraordinary idea that ever
wag heard of. If the Minitlers themfelvesfhould do it
without an AO of Parliament, and it firould be found
impotEble to raife the Militia at the commencement
of a war, he had no hefitation in laying they delerved
to tole their heads.

Mr. EYRE had once thought this a good Aa,but
it had failed in all its proviflons. It only obtained
men by means which it was its objea to fupprefs.—
All that he had heard in favour of this Aft ferved
only the more arongly to convince him that it was a
bad one. .It had been explained by military officers,
who certainly had explained it rather for the crimp
than the parith officer. This he thought naconaitu-
tional and improper. AG long as this was in force,
men could not be provided under 26 guineas each—
and five millions would be expended in bounties only.
—This was a bad meafure, therefore, in a financial
point of view. The plan of the Right Honourable
Gentleman would improve the charaaer of the
Army, and he had the molt faaguine hopes of its
faeces.

Mr. Secretary WINDHAM did not conceive he
was called upon to go into any arguments upon the
Cubic°, nor indeed to account for his filence, for
which a fort of contumacious reproach had been
call upon him by the Honourable Gentlemen oppo-
lite. They had, in die courfe of the debate, intro-
duced collateral topics, which did not prefs upon the
fubjed. They had affumed to themfelves the right
of canvaffing the whole of the military meafures in-
tended to be adopted, which he and his friends had
no objedion to allow were as bad as the Gentlemen
on the oppofite fide might chafe to confider them,
referring only to themielves the right of filence.—
They had as it were invited a number of guells to
an entertainment unbidden, while the mailer of the
hunfe was abfent. The Noble Lord on a former de-
bate had produced a variety of papers to prove his
talk for the meafure, like Sir Roger De Coverley,
who had a mile for roan beef, and becaufe his ap.
petite was Co beefifh, concluded every other perfon
mull have a lirnilar taße. Unluckily, however, for
the Noble Lord's argument, the papers commented
on did not begin till twelve months after the Bill
had paffed into a law. It had never been heard of
in the country, nobody knew what litcl become of it.
The firft intelligence which was gained was from
Lord Hawkefbury's letter of the 31a December.—
The
letter and the papers were a fort of coroner's
inquell upon the Bill to know how it came by its
death (A laugh). The manner in which Knitters I
had proceeded with the Bill reminded bim of frame
modern novel writers, with this difference, however,
I that by way of entertaining their readers the Noble
; Lord and his friends fet out in the firft volume with
the death of their hero; proceeding on, they find out
that he is not quite dead, and in the fecond volumes
I they all as a fort of humane fociety, and employ
I their refureitative powers to reftore him m life ; they
I begin by rubbing and applying their bellows, and
. ufing every means to call him into ;idiom. (Loud
laughing from all part: of the Nomfe.) It was in vain
; to difcufs the Bill. After two debates (by the bye
t not half debated), they then come with their aroma.
tic herbs, and endeavour to bring out the fweets by
, rubbing and rubbing them in their hands, but wais-
t out effeet. The Bill was in fad any thing but what
it purported to be, viz. " a Bill for providing a per-
, manent additional force." The tendency of it was
to fupply the cafualties to the amount of siooo within
the year ; but it was intended to go to a greater
amount ; it would be found a lofing concern, and
. would diminilh its quota ; at leaft the quota would
be reduced to gooey and the cafualties only on that
number would be fupplied. To fay nothing of its
demerits, this was the Bill which was to lay a foun
dation for fupplying the army with a permanent and
difpolaible force for the prefent, and for time to
come. It had been contended that it was fuccefsful ;
but how was it fuccefsful ? The papers to which the
Noble Lord had referred would Thew that it was fo
far fuccefsful, that it fucceeded in cutting off the or.
dinary means of recruiting. Every line of thole pa-
, pets would prove the evil of giving high bounties.—
Was it not evident, both by oral tellimony delivered
in this Houfe, and written documents, that the Bill
was meeting and counterading itfelf in every Rep
which was taken under it. The Honourable Gen.
tleman had Paid it was a main addition to the army ;
but he mull contend it was a derogation. The powet
which it gave was mifchievous, and its influence was
money, operating through the medium of oppreffion.
The (Viola morum to whom it was entrufled, the pa-
rith officers, thofe grave and fad men, as they had
been defcribed, had come, hot with turfing and
fwearing, but like Serjeant Kite, ringing
" Come all who with to lead merry lives,
" By getting rid of brats and wive*,
" 'tart and enter Into pay,
" And then—over the hills and far away."
(Loud laughter).—After all this depravation of cha-
rafter and condo& on the part of the parifh officers,
it was probable that they would not be very fucceff:
ful in their new profeflion with the Cylar Peanut:dm
and Tummu: Appleirets of their village, on account of
that unlucky " we ;" " we (hall lead more happy
lives." There was a Rory of two French Officers,
who, in addreffing their men, differed in this point :
the one Paid " Go ;" the other " Let us go," and
the men liked the one who laid, " Let us go," much
better than the other. In the fame way, if a confla•
ble were to come up to a young lad, and tell him,
,4 Come, my lad, you (ha'nt any longer brufh your
mailer's coat, nor carry your miffreib's cloak and
pattens to church on a Sunday—you are a fine lad—
I can tic preferment written in your face—you [hall
be a Gent/man foldier, and I would underwrite you
for a Colonel at lean—you ought to be a foldier—
there is no life like a foldkr's." The fellow would
very naturally reply, "Mr. Conflable, if a foldier's
life is fo very pleafant, why were not you a foldier ?"
Upon the fame principle the Judges and Whops
might be feat about to prt4b the dottine of a

(bort life and a merry one. It really appeared to
him, that parilh officers matt not entice young
men lb eater the army without deftroying the mo-
rals of their parifhioners, which it was their duty to
voted.' He was aware, however, that Come Gentle-
men would call it merely philofophical and fentimen.
tal, to fpeek of morality and jußice in the manner of
railing men for the army. He hoped, however, that
the Houle would not be of their opinion, but would
confider it a molt ferions oblation to any military
plan, if it could not be executed without a havock
of the morals of the country, and without injullice
and oppreffion. There were Gentlemen who appear.
ca entirely indifferent about the means, provided
men could be got. Their fentiment was like that
rant, "Ye gods I annihilate both (pace and time.
and make two lovers happy." But whatever confi-
dence they profeffed in their fchernes for railing men,
experience had thewn that they were inefficient. Al-
though the path% officers were fo Ilupid and incapa'
Isle of under/landing the Bill, there was one who, it
feem,, molt perfectly underltood it. This pad& ffi-
cer lived in Leicaterthire, and by his knowledge of
the Bill he made pretty pickings for himfelf, proba-
bly about fifty guineas a week, fur a confiderable
time. In thort, this famous recruiting parifh officer
was one of the molt cape, ienced crimps in the whole
county. It was aßonithing that this Bill thould have
been fo generally mifunderftood, when chore who
brought it in had taken Co much pains to protell that
their objed was to get men and not money. The
reafon that it was mifunderßood was this: thole who
were to execute it, knew from the beginning that it
was utterly impoltible that it could procure men at
the bounty that was fixed, and they therefore thought
money mutt be the real objet. The impoffibility of
railing the men could be feen by ruftics as well as
Statefinen, and could be as well judged of in a coun-
try veltry as at Downing &at. As to the claufe
about refunding, he thought it neceffary, to avoid
injuftice and oppreffion. It was a maxim in law—
" News tender ad intopik."—ln this cafe there was an
impoffibility of raifing men, and therefore it would
be unjult that penalties fhould be int:lifted for not
doing what was impoffible to have been done.
Mr. PERCIVAL objected ftrongly to the claufe
which went to reflore the penalties, and raid that it
would be attended with the molt mirchievons and de-
grading effees, when the Right Honourable Gentle.
man's plan failed, ani we thould be again forced to
have recourfe to eompulfion. He thought this was
holding out encouragement to difobedience, and ob.
ferved, that he ought to alter his phrafeology, and,
intlead of " be it enacted" fay " be it fubmitted "
He Paid it was the worn policy that could be conceiv-
ed to revile the ballot, the principle of which it might
be neceffary to refort to next year. With regard to
the iojunice of impofing. penalties in there cafes, he
contended that the principle already prevailal in the
militia, and that it was no new one. He Rated that
the bill fought to be repealed, grew 'out of the army
of referee bill, under which many parithes had bal-
loted for 30 and 4o men. If it was jai to return the
penalties in the prefent intlance, they ought to be
given up under that bill alto. If they thould be
obliged to have recaurfe again to compulfory fer-
vice, what language could they hold to parithes in
this fituation ? He believed in his confcience the
Right Honourable Gentleman had not at this mo-
ment read the bill he wirned to have repealed. If fo,
why did he Rate it as a meafure intended only to raife
gOOO in any event, whereas it was intended to keep
up a force of 58,000 men. He begged of his Ho.
nourable and Learned Friend the Attorney General,
to obferve, that he would afterwards be told that
this bill was introduced during his Minißry, and that
he mutt aofwer for what it contained. He prefurned
the Right Honourable Gentleman confidered it as the
perfeaton of human reafon, in the fame way as it was
once argued that human genius might be brought
to fuch a pitch, that a plough put into a field on this
improved principle, might be capable of performing
its bufinefs without affittance. Yet Co much bad the
Right Honourable Gentleman even doubted of this
immaculate prolluelion of his, that he had laR day in
the Committee introduced a claufe, authorifing its
repeal or alteration within the !anon. He hoped this
would thew the Right Honourable Gentleman that
he ought to be a little more merciful in treating the
errors of others. He underttood that a Gentleman
cf molt approved knowledge in the framing of bills,
was Rill retained by the prefent Minillers (Mr. Ab-
bot), but Rill faults would be found in every fuch
performance. The bill fought to be repealed, was
prepared under the eye of a perfon now no more,
who, though of a molt capacious mind, was obferved
to be particularly verfant even in this inferior depart.
ment. Who had, as the Right Hon. Gentleman
himfelf had happily expreffed it, " a mind like the
proborcis of an elephant, equal to the pulling up of
a tree, or to the picking up of a pin." A (mall
claufe, as a rider, would be neceffary to this magni.
ficent car of the Right Honourable Gentleman, which
would be fo far ufeful as it would bring him down
to the level of other people, whom he treated with
fo little ceremony.
Mr. WINDHAM explained that he had never
made any declaration as to the total abolition of the
ballot.

Mr. SHERIDAN admired the dexterity and mi-
litary fpirit with which the Gentlemen on the other
fide had uniformly advanced in fupport of the Bill
fought to be repealed. They leaned at fiat to have
held a Military Council, and, of all things, to have
refolved not to meddle with the Bill itfelf—to attack
the meafures of the Right Honourable Secretary, but
to let the merits of the Bill alone. That was their
conduft on the fira day. On the fecond day, the
debate was opened by an Honourable General, who
confined himfelf to the civil part of the Bill, and re-
ferved the military part to another oceafion ; and, on
the lath day, they had omitted both civil and mili-
tary—the Honourable and Learned Gentleman con-
fining himfelf to an oblation to one particular claufe
in the Repeal Bill. The fame line he had obferved
this night, and, according to his own Ratement, had
entered into a moil unneceffary argument, by difcuf-
fing a fubjeft which he had completely argued before.
As to the fuppofed error in his Right Hon. Friend's
Bill, he thought a triumphant notice of this kind
came with a peculiar bad grace from perfons who
had taken TO months to underftartd their own Bill.—
lie cutfeffed the obligation under which the prefcnt
Minitlers lay to the Honourable and Learned Gen-
tleman for his kind advice in begging them not to
be lcd away by the (nets of office. He could only,

however, rtturn the compliment by befellthing r:
Learned Gentleman not to be too deeply mortifi..
or to allow his mind to be Poured by being out of thi. 414
bed of rofes he had lately quitted, but to bear hi•
misfortunes.
A Noble Lo
and difappoinrd tmtenonts,
alto withpabrieiccoumlair?) f
equanimity
anxious for the wellbeing of the prefent Miniftry, had
Paid that if he wifhed their overthrow he would let
them alone ; if he was their enemy, he had nothing
to do but to allow them to take their own way. It
was to preferve Minifters in their places, not on his
own account, that the Noble Lord gave them any
trouble. If, however, the Noble Lord and the Ho.
nourable and Learned Gentleman timid . declare
open hoftility againft them; if they &mild even pn
to the length of feceding from the Houfe, finding
them perfedly incorrigible, Minifters, he affured
them, would not believe them lefs fincere in their c 4
mnnftrations of regard. They would greatly pre'
that mode to the fyllem of mifreprefenting what the
could not or would not argue fairly The Leaf ne.'
Gentleman had Paid, that on the principle of the
prefent Repeal Bill, the language of the preambles of
nut Ads fhould be altered from "ended" to " fob=
witted." Did the Learned Gentleman fay, that there
was a tingle parifh in the kingdom, where one man
was kaafuk railed incompliance with the Ad, or ra.
ther, that every man railed was not mired in breach,
of it? If In, could it be Paid that to introduce a Bill
repealing loch an Ad, was trifling with the dignity
of Parliament ? The Bill was incapable of being. ex-
ecuted ; and with as much cafe to themfelves might
the different parifhes have been called on to raife
given number of cavalry brides, or even of elephant'.
at tol. a bead, as, locally, to mile the number amen
alieffed en them. If the Right Hon.' Gentleman,
who brought in the Bill, were alive, he (Mr. Sheri.
dan) was convinced he would give it up ; not merely
fo, but that as he promifed Ink Seffion, he would
himfelf move the repeal of it. The Learned Gentle.
man had favoured the Houfe with a new preamble
to their Bills. He would give the Learned Gentle.
man a title which would completely fuit the indent
Bill—" A Bill for degrading and making contempti-
ble the Magiftracy of this country; for railing the
bounties to recruits; for perverting the morals of
Farah Officers; and for preventing. the recruiting,
fomenting difeontent, and encouraging mutiny and
defertion among his Majefty's army." The Bill
fought to be repealed was, he obferved, the tingle
meafore of the great man who had introduced it. It
was too a fubftitute for other meafures, there were
the Iris Militia Transfer Service, the railing men
for rank, and the Army of Referee. The Honoura-
ble Gentleman oppofite (Mr. York), loathed to fee
the fubftitute for this Ad. 7.f be could find
other, he felt no befstation in (eying be •
thole for which it (erred is a futillitute.
Bill he confidered a nuifance, of which
duty of the Houle to get quit as fpeedil•
He then took a retrofpeft of the Bill,
paring what had been promifed, with
tually been produced, down to.the 31f
(hewed that it had then done nothing.
Lord Hawkefbury of that date, be c
objeftionahle in itfelf that he ought
been indemnified for it, or called to at
commending and fandioning fo grofs
law. He particularly dwelt on the inft
to the Magiftrates in putting Military
them, and contended that every man enlii
Officers, in taking the oath appointed by •
perjured. He concluded by complimenting .
cendent ability, eloquence, and unimpeached inte-
grity of Mr. Pitt, whom he declared, though he had
all along afted as a political enemy, no man- more
admired while living, or revered and refpefted
that he was dead. He was lint er
whom he admired as a ftatefman.
be thought, had been too great.
too lofty to bear controul, or even co.oper:..
he entertained no doubt that he, in every r
with the ben intentions for the good ,
He was on his death bed when the
Hawketbory was written. He was r
would have approved of it, and he L
tlemen who had been his friends not
connedion with the letter, or with •
prefent Bill.
The Repeal Bill was then ordered
time.

Aconverfation then took place betty,
Mr. PIRCIVAL, Mr. WM. SMITH.
and Mr. Fox, as to the propriety
chide, by way of rider to the Bill
wives and widows of the men railed
of Referve Aft, the provifions allot
Aft ; or, whether the fame end
eafily accomplilbed by a feparate Bii
at loft agreed, that the further cow
third reading fhould be poftponed
Mr. YORKE wifhed, as a matt
afk the Right Hon. Secretary (Mr.
had fixed the day on which he was t
for carrying into effect his Military
Mr.WINDHAM Paid, that if he
day, the queflion of the Hon. Gent'
been rendered onneceffary, as he
the Loft to the Houk. The Bills w
had already Paid, but a variety of
vented him from yet fixing on the
thould bring them in.
Mr. YORKE replied, that he ht
Lion as a matter of courtefy. He .
ther, after Bilk were ordered, it was not in the powc
of any Member to move that they be brought it.
forthwith.
GRANT TO MI FAMILY OF LORD WILSON.
On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQIER, the Houle refolved itfelf into a
Committee on his Majeity's Meffage on this fulsjeft ;
Lord HOWICK in the Chair. , 1
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQIJER.
then laid, that his Majefiy's meffag'e defiretl that the
Houk would enable him to provide for a grant of
Spool. per annum, out of the confolidated fund, to
the Heirs of Lord Nellon for ever, and alfo for a fum
of i zo,oool. to be laid out in the purchafe of a houfe
and land, to be annexed to the family for ever. He a
trußed, that the Houk would require no perfuafinn
to convince them of the propriety and expediency of
this meafure. Strongly as he felt the necetlity of ,
economy at the preknt period. he yet derived much
gratification, from being called upon to propofe the
prefent grant ; fince he was convinced, that no laying,
however large, could accomplifh a mote valuable por.

could ind no
ee would prefer.
:. The Defence
Lich it was th
dily as poffibl.
11, and by codb
It what had
II of Dec e
. The lett
eonfidered ai
either to h e
sccount for •
i a violation
fults then the .
y Officers ov
enlifled by thefe
by the Aft, was 4
toting the tranf.

and refpe&ed now •
eradly the perf
in. His ambitio
. He had ami
co-operation.
every refpedt,adt
rood of his count
the letter by Lo
. convinced be new
begged chore Gen
:ot to fix on him any ,
1 the fuppott of thil
ed tc be read a thindi
mtween Mr. Yoacs,
If, Mr. WINDHAM,
y of introducing a
fecuring to the
id under the Army
lowed them by tha;
might not be as
Bill ; when Mr. Fox
onfideration of the
d till to morrow.
:ter of courtefy, to
fr. Windham) if h
to bring in the Bill
ry Plan ?
he had fixed on any
ntleman would have
: would have ftated
were ready, as he
of matters had prep
e day on which 14
had aficed the goof
: did not know wh-

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Nffiroaisu 74"..rr