Star.
London, England, 1804-02-09 00:00:00

principle propofed by his BM. But fiat, in anfwer
to what had fallen from the Hon. Baronet, he Cud,
Government, in the dittribution of the Volunteer
armed force, had aka as the exigencies of the pub-
lic fervice feemed to require, or as local circum-
LITICCS rendered necelTary. With retina to the con-
dition upon which an Hon. Gentleman uppofite to
him (Mr. Whitbread) had Rated the Volunteers,
generally, to have offered their fervices ; namely,
that of having the privilege continually of eleaing
their own Officers, he denied that fuch a principle
ever was recognized by Government. It sas poffible
that the Lord Lieutenants of counties, to whom
fuch offers of let vice were firft tendered, might ngt
always tranfmit the tenders to his Majefty's Secre
tary of State, in the precife words in which filch
tenders were originally made ; but certainly, fince
he had the honour of coming into an official depart-
ment of his Majefty's Government, he had no re-
colleaion of any offer made or accepted upon any
fuch principle. There had come, from many popu-
lous towns and diarias tenders of tervice upon the
principle of chufing and recommending their own
Officers ; but Government. without a breach of the
military ptisciple, could do no more than connive at
the cuftom, which, though they might have done it,
it was never meant as an acknowledgment of that
as a general principle which was contrary to the fpi-
rit of military law; and certainly, fince he had the
honour of filling fuch a fituatiun in the military de-
partment of adminiltration, he knew of no offers of
fervice accepted upon filch conditions as thole of
continuing to elea their Officers after the formation
•ol the corps was firft completed. The diffinaion to
be taken between the limo agreement amnngft the
Members of a Corps to affociate for the purpofe of
offering their fervice in the public defence—and re.
commending from amongfi their number the perfons
whom they willed to be officers, to be approved by
his Mikity, and the fituation of that corps after it
was completed and acknowledged as a Military Corps,
was pretty obvious ; and, indeed, from the very na-
ture of military fervice it was imp,ffible that Govern-
ment could accede to fuch a principle with any corps
as the permanent right of eleaing their Officers.—'
Suppote, for inftance, in cafe of- afloat fervicc in
the field, a body of Volunteers going into aaiou
befide any other troops of the line, or Militia, and'
that any of their Officers fhould be killed in affirm ;
was that corps, the moment the araion was over, to
I proceed to the elation of Officers from amongft
themfelves, to fill up the vacancy, without appealing
to the judgment of a Commander in Chief ? He by
no means meant to deny their right of recommending
perfons whom they conceived eligible for Officers;
but there was a material difference between the right
of recommending, and that of eleaing. By denying
the latter, it was by no means to be implied, that
Officers were to be forced upon thole corps without,
in any degree, confulting their withes and attach-
ments. It was not to be prefumed, that in recom-
mending perfons as eligible for Officers in fuch corps
that the Lord Lieutenant of a county would give
filch recommendation without confulting the Com-
manding Officer of !itch corps, and exercifing his
own judgment in drooling filch a perfon as was moll
likely to bear their confidence and attachment. The
Hon. Member had argued as if the right of perma-
I neatly eleaing their Officers was the general idea of
all the Volunteer Corps ; whereas, from the bell in-
formation lie conid colic& on the fubjea, no fuch idea
was generally entertained. But if at was potable,
that any fuels notion had generally gone forth, or
even that fuch a principle did really exalt, was it to
be argued, that if fuch a principle was found to be
inexpedient and injurious to the objeas of public fer-
vice, that Parliament was to. have no privilege of
reviling the Volunteer fyftem, and making fuch
amendments as obvious neceffity fhould point not,
without incurring the charge of breaking faith with
the Volunteers? He truited, that nothing which he
had urged in fupport of the neceffity of loch amend-
ments, could be enflamed to convey the flighteft im-
putation upon that gallant and patriotic body of men;
btu furely, that could not be called a breach of faith
which recognized the right of every Volunteer, who
di:liked the continuance of his fervices, under the
new regulation, to withdraw himfelf horn his corps,
recollcaing, however, at the fame time, that by fuch
relignation, he (wandered all claims of exemption
from the ballet for other br4nches of the public once
to which he bemuse entitled under the firft regula-
tion. Another point adverted to in the Bill, was the
increafe propelled in the number of days fervice, fro m
20 days to 14 days ; but this he thought could make
no very material difference to individuals.
Mr. WHITBREAD rote to explain. He (aid,
that what he called a breach of faith, was, that after
putting men to conliderable expellee and trouble in
acquiring difcipline, under certain acknowledged
principles, by which they were taught to confider
themfelves exempt from the Militia and Army of Re-
terve, a new pi inciple is brought forward, to which,
unlefs they think fit to accede their former exertions
go for nothing, and their exemptions are forfeited.—
If the Right Hon. Gentleman denied the right of
Volunteer Corps to dal from aniongft themielves
the perfons whom they Ihould approve for their Of-
ficers, he begged to know, how it was that the Lon-
don and Wellminfter Light Wife continued to this
day to exercife that privilege ; fur furely if it was the
right of one Volunteer Corps it was equally that of
another.
Mr. Secretary YORKE anfwercd, that the pin-
ciple upon which that Corps was conitituted, differed
molt materially horn cut y other in the Iv ewe.—
They were a much older Corps than any either, and
the principle of elating and :ecrmmending their own
Officers, was a comps& agreed to by his Majetiy,
upon their formation. They had beiid: another pri•
vilege peculiar to them, that their appointments came
not through the Lord Lieutenant of the county, but
dirca from the Secretary rf State. So long as his
Ma:jelly Mould think it cap, dient to continue the fer-
vices of this Corps, his M..:tty would, no (kola.
maintain towards theta the terms of their original
contlitution : but certainly no fuch principle was im-
plied or undo-flood by Government in refpea to the
Volunteer Carpi, in general, a. now formed.
Mr. WHITBREAD t eplicil, that though, accord-
ing to the argument of the Right Hon. Genticm tn.
the Crown 1 ad the privilege of rtjeaing the claims
of the Volunteers to choofe their own Otfiects, he
hoped its Knitters would have the wifslonz to advite
the Pomo not to exert it. He trailed they tro-1.1
icroselly sae cautioutly trade, Wine they ventured