Star.
London, England, 1803-03-16 00:00:00

IRISH MILITIA.

The Honk having refol•ed id& into a Cont.
toittee on the Irina Militia A&

The SICRITARY at WAR rote and moved, that
it he an inflruflion to the Committee that they da
confider of making further provillons fin filling up
the vacancies of the Militia of Ireland, and that the
Lord Lieutenant be empowered to draw upon the
Lords of the I'reafury for inch toms as may be ne•
ceffary for filling up the fame, provided the• do
not exceed four guineas for each private man.
Mr. Esssor waived to know if the meafure pro-
poled was to be extended to the whole of the Mi-
litia of Ireland

. Mr. %Vietnams obferved, that it had been re-
folved to enrol the Militia in Ottober ur Novem-
ber lan ; but it was found that with fo low a ►oon-
ty as two guineas. which was then propeSed, it
was impoffible to raife an effeiffive Militia. The,
prefent meafure bad it in view to enlarge the power
ro be granted to the Lord I.ieutenant, thAt he
might be enabled to offer a higher bounty, in order
to accelerate the enrolment.

Mr. Es.csor could not help obferving, that fuch
a meafure evidently tended to (Avert the military
fyilem of the country. the conllitutional mode of

rang the Militia was by ballot, and not by
bounty ;betides' by offer ing fuch large films t‘ Licit
enticed men to Ray at home, mull they not be dif-
couraged from entering the regular army ? If the
pretent mode was purfued, it would not be a Mi.
but a Fencible Corps that it would raife.—..
It was obvionfly a direa attack on the recruiting
fervice for the army for who would expo& them.
(elves to the hardflaips of foreign fervice and the
unheadthipcfs of foreign climates, when they cohid
receive fo large a bounty fur remaining at home t
He hoped the Committee would ferioufly pauft
before they voted for a force of more than forty
thoufand metyto be locked up in Ireland—a force
which was merely applicable to defentive opera-
tions.

Mr, AVICKHAM ebferved, that many of his Hn.
nourable Friend's fcruples would have been re-
moved, had he taken the trouble to read the Bill.
He would there find that it went rather to proteet,
than to attack the Militia Laws. The bonntiti
heretofore amounted often to 6!. and even to 101.
per man. What was now propofed was not to
exceed four guineas. How then could it obilrua
the recruiting of the regular army t There were
betides a variety of very cogent reafons, which of
late had very properly ditroaded him from having
recourfe to the mode of ballot. Exceptionable
perfons were the &ft to oiler themfelves, in which
the Officers could not confide. 'l'he Militia mai
therefore be railed by bounty, or not at all. His
Honourable Friend feemed to infinuate that the
Irifh Militia amounted to about 40,000 men. No
filch thing. At the utmorl, when the Aa was
fira propofed, they did not amount to more than
27,000, and now they did not exceed 111,000.
Mr. &Laos- complained that the fyitent by bal.
lot was never gem:rally enforced, and that unlefs
the Militia was railed upon that fyitem, it was so
Militia at all.

The Sscasraer at WAR rote and obferved, it
was pretty extraordinary, that the Hon. Gentle.
man, who was the fir( to found the trumpet of
alarm on the dangerous fttuation of the country,
and to arraign the inefficiency of the public force,
and the fnpinenefs of thole chargedlwith the pubic
defence, the moment that the alarm of real danger
is excited in the country, and that every exertion
is punted forward to Rrengthen the country, that
this Hon. Member thnuld be the firft to rife in his
place, and throw cavilling impediments in the way
of that exertion. The Hon. Gentleman had been
told, from the bell authority, thatthe completion
of the Militia torte with the neceffary expedition,
was found impracticable by ballot, would he then
argue, that there was to be no Militia in the coun-
try ? The very principle, to which he now object-
ed, was not an innovation at this day, but already
a part of the high Militia law, which by a former
Ad enabled the Lord Lieutenant to give a bounty
of two ineas. The Hon. Gentleman was prefent
while that Bill pafed through the Hoare, and fat
(lent, without offering a fingle oblation. If his
antipathy was fo flrong to the novelty of the prin-
ciple, why did he not refill it us &site. infiesd of
referring his oppornion to that cries in the affairs
of the country, when he begged leave to obferve,
it mull appear fo highly invidious ? He was ready
to agree with the Hon. -Gentleman, that the con-
' Ritutional principle of the Militia, was railing them
by ballot; but the predict bad always been of
necetlity, in direct contradidtion to the principle—
for in nine inflames out of ten, the balloted man
(erred not in perfon, but by fubltitute ; where then,
he would Mk the Hon. Gentleman, was the mighty
difference in effect between a militia force, coo.
poled of fubflitutes, and one of recruits ? for in
both cafes the men were railed by bounty.
Sir L. Paasoas obferved, that there were two
modes of recruiting the public forces of the Coon-
I propofed under the projeded arrangement;
the one, for recruiting the Militia, the other for
the troops of the line ; and there *ere many men
who would enter the Militia at a (mall bounty, but
would not be induced to enter into the line for
any confederation. The fervice of the line was
not, therefore, impeded by fuels men entering the
Militia fervice ; the Ilrength of the country would
be materially advantaged by rat:feting to both
modes. It was a fad well known, that, however
defirable it reall, be, under the circumftances of
the Union, to ACfintilate as much as pafible the
principles of laws and cuftoms in both countries ;
yet however lamentable, it was true, that the coo-
Ititution of the army differed totally and almolt ir•
reconcileably in one from the other. In Ireland.
for inftance, the Catholics of the army were per-
mitted the ezercife of their religion : here it was
ntherwife. Other circumltances were created by
a recent convullion in that country, to which be
wfhed not to advert, hot which created many ob.
jeelioss to railing the Militia by ballot ; as by that
means it would inevitably happen that many per.
lons concerned in the late rebellion, would be
chaos to fern., and whom the Officers appointed
to command that Militia wouldbe extremely lorry
to find in their ranks. He had the honour of be.
ing Governor of a County. and in confequence of
the notice he had received for calling out the Mt-
litia. he had convened a meeting of the Depot),
Governors, who were unanimoully decided, that
recruiting by bounty, and not by ballot, was the
only mode by which a choice of proper men fur
the Militia conk, be effected.
Colonel Firaotias.to bferved, that it bad been
all along found impratticable in Ireland to com•
plete the Militia by ballots. That in every county
they were obliged to retort to, the mode of bal.
hitting in that country, as it had been originally
in this, was extremely obnoxious to the people.—
In his mind, the bell and laurel mode of raifing
the Militia force, as well as the moll Conllitutional
and call oppreffive, was by bounty, the fund for
which &mild be levied, as it now is, by the Grand
Juries of the different counties, who were the
nown, legitimate, efiablifted afeffors of acreacle
taxes for local fervice, and againft whore impolls
the people never mannered. By this mode, as
every man paid taxes in proportion to his acres,
in every man would pay towards the public de-
fence (Redly in the ratio of the property be bad to
defend. Front this fund it was, and not from the
public putfe, that the bounty propofed by this
classic would be paid, and by limiting it to four

guineas, the individuals who might be ejlofen by
ballot, would avoid the chaige of ten or fifteen
pounds for fubllitutzs. Betides, what could be
more um eafonable, than that a yeoman who had
not five acres to defend, fhould (land equal chance
of a ballot with a man of soool. a year ?
General TARLETON agreed in the priniples
fupported by the Speaker.
Mr. Ettior again role in fupport of his former
principle, aliening that the recruiting fervice in
Iyeland was already much impeded by the boun-
ties offered to militia men, at a crifis fo perilous
to the country.
The SECRETARY AT WAR denied the fa&
Mr. STUART (the Attorney General for Ireland)
exprefred his allonifbment at the kind of oppofition
this night given by the Hon. Member (Mr. Elliot)
to fuch a bounty as four guineas, and the principle
of recruiting ; while he remembered to have fat
by his fide in the Parliament of Ireland, when he
filled the office of Secretary of War in that king-
dom, and where the Bills he himfelf introduced,
propofing to recruit the Militia by a bounty of fix
guineas per man, when the public fervice required
it, paired without objeftion. It was his own fate
to have been chofen a Member of the Secret Com•
mittee appointed to enquire into the confpiracies
which exifted in Ireland previous to the rebellion,
and it appeared to that Committee, that a leading
principle with the rebellious confpirators was to
get as many of their number as poffible into The
militia, either as principals or fubftitutes, thereby
to acquire arms and difcipline, for the purport of
deferting to the enemy in the hour of danger.—
Apprehenfive, then, that there were fill many
difaffeaed perfons in that country, likely to avail
themfelves of a fimilar defigu; he was decidedly for
recruiting by bounty, anoli)n by ballot.
Mr. Lea and Col. t. both fupported the
fame pricinples.—The.tmeftion being put was
agreed to,and the Bill gone through, and ordered
to beereported to-morrow.
The Sac RR at Wait brought op the Bill for plodding
for the Families of Militia Men called out, which was read a
firft time, and ordered to be read a fecond time to-morrow, and
to be printed.
The Right Hon. Gentleman then rote to make the motion,
of which he gave notice yefteriay,relative to the Eftabilausent
of Officers in the Militia, and filling up Vacancies. The pro-
anions, he faid, were nearly the fame as in the left Bill, reladve
to this fubjedt. In cafes of Vacancies, lft., Field Officers of
Milliia, who are qualified, (hall have power to fill up Vacan •
des, if figned by the Lord Lieutenant, and approved by his
Majesty. telly, Captains, though not qualified, if approved
by his Majefty, Scald be able to fill Vacancies. 3dly, Cap-
tain-Lieutenants, wbo fervcd in the lan war, mall fill Vacan-
cies, and preferve thdr rank. And Mthly, in all cafes, °Mem
on half-pay, either in the Army or Marine!, nail fill Vacancies
not filled up within two months. He then moved for leave to
bring in a Bill to provide for the more fpeedy and effedlual Ef-
tablinurient of Officers in the Militia, and for facilitatiag the
Bing up Vacancies thereln.—Granted.—Adjourned

LONDON.