Star.
London, England, 1803-03-24 00:00:00

MILITIA OFFICERS RILL.

Mr. WINDNAM laid, it was not his intention to
oppefe this Bill, although it was in his mind highly
objeftionable ; but he would confent to it, becaufe
of two evils it was the feller. It certainly would
be a greater evil, that the Militia fhould be with.
out any Officers at all, than have the unqualified
perfons [fated in the Bill. The word Militia was
now a mere term, which had in it nothing of its
original fignification. The Officers were to be
wanout qualification in point of property, the men
were raifed without ballot. The idea of excluding
from it all property, and putting military experi-
ence in its (lead, took away from it every thing
like a confiitutional force. This only ferved to
confirm the opinion he gave on a former evening,
that it would be better to have an effeCtive Itand-
ing army at once, than a force which could not be
cunfidered as a Conftitutional Militia, and which
wanted the benefit of experience ; but inllead of
that, the country was now otvr. ntilitia'd. While he
protected againft the principle of bringing the mi-
litia to a fimilarity with the army, he would be
glad if, in Come ref-peas, the army could be brought
to a fimilarity with the militia. The grand objec-
tion to the prefent conftitntion of the army was,
that it could not be raifed with the fame facility as
the militia, which even robbed the A 7111,/ of meg.
—Nine guineas were now given for lubilitutes to
ferve in the militia. The plan be would recom-
mend with refpet to the army was, that men
thould be entitled for a term of years, which
was done in every other coinery but this, and
that the praetice of drafting Ihould be wholly
abolillsed. Every military man he ever converted '
with AEI eed o.ith him in this. The very regula-
tions in the prefent Bill, for Coffering unqualified
perfons to come into the Militia, in cafe others did '
not offer, would make the evil fill greater, and
more officers from the army would be dill wanted.
Thus would the army be robbed of its oleers as I
well as its men.
The SICRET•RY AT WAR laid, that this was
not the time for confidering the queftion whether
there ought to be a militia or no militia at all ; or
for propofing changes in the mode of recruiting
the army ? the only qitellion at this time was,
How were we to make the belt of the force we
had ? He admitted, that in all the armies on the
Continent the men were entitled for a term of
years, but there was a material difference between
thofe countries and Great Britain. There the
troops hardly ever went beyond the frontiers of
the State they belonged to ; but a great part of
the Britifh army was fent on Colonial fervice ; fo
that great inconvenience would arife if the men
were enlisted only for a term of years; as to draft-'
ing, it was totally abolithed. The Hon. Gentle-
man had arued as if the prefent Bill laid afide
every qualification ; it did no fuch thing ; it only
gave the Lord Lieutenant a power, in cafe of his
not being Ale to procure qualified Officers, to fill
up the places with Officers from the army, &e. In
order to do away every kind of jealoufy on this
fnbjet, he thould move a claufe, by which the
Lords Lieutenants fhould not have power to ap-
point unqualified perfons to any rank higher than
that of Captain.
This claufe was adopted, but it is not to extend
to Scotland.

L rd STANI.II* foggefted. whether it would not !
be ad vilahle to adopt tome emote relative to Ro• t
man Catholics, who might be Officers in the Mi-
lit;4; .i. great part of the landed property of

the county he came from belunrlc...l to men o' t,
petluafion.
The SECRETARY AT WAR Lid, he had It,
Amendments topropore to the Committee to

. . „
added to the Bill:—the one afrer the word " "...
lath," to infert " or in any other corp.;
ferving ;" and the other, " that the p.m :r
to Lords Lieutenants (hall not extend beyond t} -
rank of Captain," to be added as the conel.ll,..it
of the claufe which !lutes that power.
further add, that he did not v..:fir this
amended part of the clatife, to ever;,i t.r Sec: 11:,d
Mr. KINN•IRD laid, he was not prepared ..tt
preterit to (late which way the dirpatitions
people in that part of the Empire might in,line ;
but he fhould be glad to know of the Right Ho-
nourable Secretary, if a with should be expreti:2d
to a contrary etre& by the inhabitants of the part
alluded to, whether they would be allowed the
gratification of that fentiment
' The SRCRITARY AT WAR laid, that the body•is
the claufe already extended equally to Enght;tc
and Scotland ; but if they withed that the provifo
thould be extended there alfo, it could be done
on the third readiqg of the Bill.
The AMendments were then agreed to, and the
Bill was ordered to be read a third time on Mon-
day next.
The Committee of Ways and Means was then
pollponed to Friday.—Adjourned.