Star.
London, England, 1803-04-01 00:00:00

MILITIA.

Lord HOBART moved the fecond reading of
the Militia Officers' Bill. His Lord(hip fupported
the principle of the Bill on the ground of the ur-
gent neceffity at the prefent moment of giving
every aid in the power of Parliament to the Execu.
rive blanch c.f. our Government. He urged arcing-
ly the difficulty of procuring a fufficient number
ref qualified perfmts to aft as Officers in the Mili
ea. The Notlle Lord went at confiderable length
into the detail of the minuter branches of the Bill,
as well as the defcription of its general charaeler.
tlfter expatiating on the neceffity and expediency
of each particular part as he proceeded, he con-
cluded with espreffing a hope that other Noble
Lords would fee that meafure in the fame view as
he did, and that the reafons which he had pre-
mired would have fufficient weight with the Houfe
molt cheerfully to afrent to what was the purport
of his prefent motion.
The Earl of CAR fi•lt VON, in a very animated
fptech, combated the arguments of the Noble Se-
cretary of State who made the motion. He
pointed out the neceffity of a Militia force being
officered by men who had a (take in the Country,
and who would not only of consequence have
w.:;ght and authority in the county to which they
Llonged, but who, from their long refidence, and
moil likely that of their anceftors, among the
people, would have a flronger claim on the fer-
vices of the people, from the affeCtion which would
nttturally attach to them as neighbours, patrons,
to fiiendc. His Lord(hip laid, the Conftitution
had molt wifely adenowledged this principle in
the formation of a Militia, as the Conflitutional
means of defence for the country in time of peace.
But the Noble Lord obferved, this was a moll
important meafure, and called for the moll let ions
attention of their Lord hips, whereas it was only
two days open to their contideration. lie declared
himtell incompetent to decide lufficiently on the
cliff-trent ohjeifts it embraced, from the flight view
he hail taken of the Bill, and. indeed, he luppored
that other Noble Lords ma have felt a flmilar in-
convenience, from the (bonnet; of the pciiod for
which the Bill had been fubmitted to their confi-
deration. The Noble Lord concluded with fug-
gelling to their I.tirdlhips the prom icty of poll-
porting the conlideration of this me:time to tome
future day, when the Houfe would generally have
more maturely deliberated on the nature of the
different propiiii.btris which that Bill contained.
Lord HOMAR T re.tla:ed lowa' of his former
arguments, and mentioned, in addition, that the
protifion was only conditional, that it was by no
means to he cntifidered as compulfory, or what
mutt in every I..:lance be complied with. On the
contrary, the (pee of two 'booths was allowed
to the Lnrd I.it.u!'i.ants to provide perfons pro
prly qual.fied, .f that ollj.et could not be
effated within the tittle fpecifivd, that then only
were they to have tecriiirfe to the meafure autho-
rued hy :he Ili:1 now before their
The Lail of CA It %AltVoll replied. His Li-it-di/lip
lilted his ideas bi ;lie ul iginal formation of a !sli
V: a, ‘4lllCh %%tilt rt. (hew iliat Parli lens it, jealous
f the exitlence of a flandirg army in tone of
peace, as datwevnus to the Contlit.ition of the
Cotinti y, had firit initituted the Militia, whole in.
ter eits ere not the f...-ne as foldiers, and who were

officer:el perfms of conflderable property in
the coin ti p. it appeared to him a mealnre pnrely
parliament try, an.l.to his mind it Teemed as if
Governmem hid a:I inclination to do away this
cenft••iitir.nal a!together by the many en
c,,,A,!'ftepts 111.. t *linkl late ycats hien fl..4de on
wizmal crntiriviirn that body. pre-
f. he :11(,11,0.•r. tznded more Itrongly than
a v I the rell to an;imlate the militia to a (Unti-
e ; III).
*.r!". • 1.,.pn c3ilc.l to nr.kr.
Tic r 4,1 r,l Cat KNAII.V.II:—. My 1.0,d, I .-1m
p-, ..,ti-r. I I .y i,iit W. 41.41 14.15
proptr :.it ui e t Ltivrc us."

The Loan C/i ANC 1LL01....-44 I did not call to
.it,ler on that account, but it is contrary to the rules
the fora Member to fpeak twice on the
lame fubje& except by way of explanation."
The Earl of CA kW A R VON I know that this
indulgence has been granted to others ever fince '
I had the honour of fitting in Parliament, and I
have a fight to infifl upon the fame indulgence."
'The D ;kr of Moizransa fpoke in favour of the
Bill, and übferved, it was a lamentable confidera-
ion, that in times of public danger like the pre
fent, a failicient number of the landed Gentlemen
i.f the country did not manifeft that promptitude
n come forward in the Militia fervice as to luper-
cele all necettity for a Bill of this nature. But if
the nceeffities of the public fervice required it,
elfglit not to be precluded from effi.
mean, for officering the Militia. lie could
not coincide with the Noble Lord in the neceffity
I r delaying the fecund reading of the Bill, as tile
whole of its merits were clearly within the corn-
prelimlion of every Noble Lord in the Ht ule ;
ind lie therefore fincerely deprecated any delay of
meafure to necelfary to the means of public de-
fence, at a moment of threatened danger, when
every man who pofrefred an acre in the Country
lhould be ready to (land forward as a foldier for
its defence.

Lord RADNOR coincided in the arguments of
Lord Camas Vl/4,11, and laid, it was obvious Minitters
did not like the Militia ; that they willed to dif-
guit Gentlemen of landed property from the fer-
vice ; that for this purpofe, and with a view to
create a necetlity for this obnoxious meafure, the
New Militia was In conaitutcd as to require three
additional Captains in each Regiment, and thus
to create an inadequacy in the number of quali-
fied Gentlemen for the fervice, and an occafion
for introducing swiqualified perthns. He agreed
with the Noble Lord that this principle, if adopt.'
ed, would prove a doath•blow to the Militia fervice.
Lord CARNARYON again role, but was called to'
order, having fpoken twice before.
This produced a converfatiun on the point of
order, in which Lord I'ELHAM, Lord REDESDALE,
the LORD CHANCELLOR, Lord ELLENBOROUGH,
and Lord CARNARVON, bore parts.
Lord CAWDOR (poke against the Bill, and fully II
adopted the fentiments of Lord Carnarvon, as well
with refped to the claufe in this Bill for admitting
unqualified perfons to command., as to the cit.-
cumitance of drafting men from the militia ranks
for fervice in the line during the war ; and on this
point he withed to alk the N Axle Secretary of State,
whether or not a fimilar meafure was intended
again to take place ? as the anfwer to that queition
thould govern not only his vote 'to-night, but the
condud he thould adopt with ref-pc& to the militia
fel vice.

Lord Honaar anfwered, that before any filch
meafure as that alluded to by the Noble Lord could
be reforted to, it mutt be authorized by an A& of
Parliament. If the Noble Lord required any far-
ther anfwcr, and if it was the fcnfe of the Houfe
that he ought to give it, he was ready to do fo.
The LORD CHANCELLOR Paid, that if it was not
thought right to rejal the Bill altogether on its
principle, but that there were Come parts admitli-
ble, though others were objetlionable, the more
regular way of proceeding would be to fuller the
Bill to be read the fecond time,and go into a•Com-
mittee, when there would be ample room to dif-
c ifs the whole, and fuggeit fuch amendments as
thould kern neceffary.
The quellion beiag put, that the Bill be now
read a fecond time, paffed in the affirmative on a
div ificn—Cantents 4 t —Non Contents z—and the
Bill was read accordingly. On the motion that
the Bill he committed, _ _ .

Lord CARNARVON again rote, and fpoke at eon-
fiderable length againft the principle of the Bill,
upon the general ground of his former arguments;
and he laid, that the Bill, by veiling a difcretion-
ar y power, of recommending Officers, in the Lord
Lieutenants of Counties, might be perverted by
filers to the total eaclufion of qualified Gentle-
own from that fervice, and render it totally de-
pendant on the Crown ; and thus place the Confli-
union of the Country at the mercy of the creatures
of the Crown, who were Lord Lieutenants of
Countiel.—The Bill was at length committed for
hlt.nday next.