Star.
London, England, 1802-05-21 00:00:00

MILITIA.

The SECRETARY at Wait moved the third read-
ing of the Englith Militia Bill.
Mr. B. Cooke objefted to the increafe of the
Militia, as unneccffiary, and creating an ureters ex-
pence. The Bill before the Houfe was alto objec-
tionable, becaufe it would put all chiles of the
community too much on a level, arid he was afraid
that under fuch a Bill, and from the experience
we had had, it would be very difficult to provide
officers properly qualified, in confequence of
their liability to be volunteered for the army
ag,ainfi their will."
The SECRETART at WAR regretted that the ob-
jeftions of the Hon. Gentleman had not been
,urged in an earlier Rage of the Bill, as they were
bustile to its prinsipic, and indeed to the whole

fyfterit of the Militia, inch had from immemorial
ufage placed all ranks of people as much on a level
as the prefent Bill did. As to the pronfed num-
ber of the Militia, the taffies (!f that inct cafe had
been already fufficiently explained to the Houfe,
and therefore he fhould not then repeat them ; 'Le
number was not, in fa& greater than when that
corps was actually difembodied. In the sear 1756
a Bill was carried in the Commons, and only re-
jeded by a (mall majority in the Lords, in which
the number mentioned was 60,000, and from hit:
tory it would be feen that they amounted to that
number in the reign of Charles the Second : when
!therefore, the increafed population of the country
fince theie periods, and the peculiar circumilances
of the prefent times, were taken into confideratiou.
Gentlemen could not be furprifed at the augmen-
tation of our Militia, as fettled in the Bill before!
the Houfe. A report had gone abroad, that it
was intended in future to recruit the Army from
the Militia, but he could affure the Honfe that no
fuch idea was entertained by his Majelty's
Mini-
tiers, and certainly no fuels intention appeared on
the face of the Bill. Perhaps this report had ori-
ginated from the circumilances of the expedition to
Holland,but that was an emergency in which Gen-
tlemen
thought it necelfary tcerefort to extraordi-
nary exertion : and Parliament thought it wife to'
fandion the proceeding with refped to the Militia
which had been in often complained of, at • ! he had
no doubt that in afimilar exigency and under equal
difficulties, the Legiflature would be not lea for-
ward to fecond the efforts of the State for the in-
wefts and fecurity of the Empire. He did not deny
that there wasa feeling of reludance among the of-
ficer of the Militia upon that occafion, but as an of-
ficers of that corps, he might be permitted to fay that
be thought that feeling, in fuck circum fiances, was
carried rather too far. The Hon. Gentleman ex-
preffed his apprehenfion, that there would be much
difficulty in providing officers for an increafed num-
ber of Militia : that apprehenfion, however, could
not be felt for a moment by any perfon that re-
colleded the facility with which properly qualified
officers were to be found for the Supplementary
Corps, though fo numerous ; and he trufted, that
while a fenie of patriotifm exiaed among the Gen-
tlemen of the country, they would be ever for.
ward to keep alive that military fpirit, upon which
the fecurity of all that we polfeffed fb materially
depended.—He had therefore very little fear of a
fcarcity of officers.
The Bill was palled and ordered to the Lords.