The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-02-16 00:00:00

taiA the two points, of calling together Parliament,
and calling out the Militia. Tney wished the autho.
city of Parliament to frown down the opinions which
'were then becoming but too prevalent, and a military
force to repress the disaffected at home, aho could
be dangerous only because of the countenance givers
4111eus from abroad. But was it possible to draw the
smallest inference from this to a case where no daft.
ger was stated -to exist? No man court say that
Atettlea- threatened this country with ittra,iort.
We were at peace with France and with Ilo!land;
not 'only at peice; bit t ti matratt lance. IV hertz,"
the Govertiatent of lifffweredcereriennt imaginary
alkindists,.,no stun could sap that thew was any dam:
ger now ; the difference betiaelevi thertwe periods nes
no less than between war a'nd Oboe. He remained
convinced that to keep thit-fbreif oft ftist is' peace,
and in circumstances witicif did not' threaten a rap.
ture of that vette, was a direct viollitinreof the Con.
stitntiOn. If the unsettled state of Europe' was
leged as a reisbn fbr regeiting the Militia, rhea
communication to that effect ought to be made to
Parlialnent. The conviction on his mind was, that
this fifrte was not kept up for the purposes which
had been stated, but to enable Government to keep
an army abroad, in order to obtain something of an
influence-en the negotiations which were going on in
a distant part of Europe:. When this subject came
to be argued, he was ready to show that such an
army could not be aural, but meat, on the contrary,
be prejudicial. The prerogative came first .to be
accurately studied in the thee of Charles I. aid was
the cause of the Civil War. Alter the Restoration,
general words only Were used'; bht from that period
there was no trace of an effective exercise of the pre•
rogative dirt the Militia. The. time at length cane
when the Crown was again entrusted with that con.-
initutional force—not in the exercise of its preroga-
tive—but in conseguenceat as Act passed by Par_
littnebt, faint which thb whole authority of tW
Crovin was defiled.
The Earl of LI PERIN:001: sad, after ilhaopiniont
delivered by his two Noble and. Learned Priendsi it
Would be preitimptuous in him to take up the Oudot
at any length. It was agreed on all bands that Barbas
meat had defined the circunetanoes under which the
' Militia might be embodied, but not those when they
o4ht to be disembodied. Now he contanded, that
' this prima facie was in favour of a discretionary
power in the Crown. The Local Militia was a force
of a very different description from the regular
Militia; and it would be tattotied with the greatest
.incOnvenience that it should remain emboditilany
longer Than neeeisary. What had theliws mated eta
the subject statecitho cases when it might be em.
bodied, and their the power to keep and continue it
after the causes of disembodying it had ceased, for a
period not exceeding six weeks. Here, instead of
leaving a discretion to the Crown, a precise time was
specified. Mild.ters had a full right to the use of this
law in explantitidti of .the others. With that law be.
fore them, specifying when the Local Militia should
be embodied' Cod .when disembodied, and with-the
other Act tipecifying when the Militia should be
embodied, it was evident that the disembodying. was
dierely a question of discretion en the part of the
-Crown, for whiCh 1141siisterti were responsible. We
.Were still at war with America, and though pease
was concluded with Frames, . out of the Treaty with
*it country certain arrimgethents were to take place,
.110 which a British force was to be kept up fee a
b4use on the Continent. With the gamut elesiro of
bodying the Militia, Government had pracsedil
at far as circumstances would admit. Sollisethatheilli
disbanded since the matter was.last debated lo Patio.
/lent ; some were disbanding at present, ant
would be disbanded as soon as the circumstances
eciuntry would allow such a measure to be safely
sallied into effect. All he maintained was, that Go.
eernment had a latitude of discretion when such forts
ought properly to be disembodied.
Lord GRENVILLE shortly explained.—Thek
Ltirdshipt then divided,
Cotitehts •
Nua-Contents
Majnrity against the Address • 15
The Hoare immediately after Adjourned.
ROUSE OP COMMONS.

Petitions were presented from Siaford. Loughhemiegb, Chip-
peoham_, and Evesham, against the Ploperty Tax.
Mr. PR ITTI. E preseived a Petition train the Canty ofTip•
perarv, praying for as alteratino in the Con Laivs.
Mr BURS'. nosed for leave In bring in a Bill to extend At
Act which allowed the Magistrates it the Quarter Sessions to
give an allowance not exceedinrg 5Ol. per anions to the Chap-
lains wiliciating at the County Gaols. This Act, limiting the al-
lowance to 501., was passed DO lung as 43 yeah ago, and slitte
that time, even 51. of that allowance had been taken awns. from
them in the shape of Property Tax. He, thereto,. moved for
leave to bring in a Bill to emibte the Magistrates to increase the
allowance.
Mr. D. GIDDY asked; whether this Bill was to he confined
to the County Gaols, or whether it would extcad to Houses Of
Cm rerti.m?
4IIr. HUH ST said, that it was roamed to County Cools.
cave wale then given to brine in the Bill. It was afterwlrds
.brought up. sod read a first time. Ordered to be read a second
time un Friday sennight.
Capt. BEN NETT brought in his Bill fur the Abolition of
Gaol Fee,„ which was real o first time.
After a few words from Sir WM. 'CURTIS, It was orderfed
to be read a second time on Vietineadits next.

W
The Sheriffs of London appeared at the ear, and
pretented a Petition from the Corporation of Lon•
don, praying leave to present a Petition with respect
to the erection of a new Post-Office in the vicinity of
St. Martin's-le-Grand. The Petition alleged that
the Petitioners had not sooner been enabled to maks
the necessary arrangements with Govuontent upon
this.sabj4Ct.
thetiIANCELLOR of the EICOEQUER,.
Asir* to express the consent of his Majesty's Go.
ierionent to the acceptelfice of thii Petition, to*
occasion to contradict some rumours, which he on•
deritobd bed .gene abroad, that Government had held
nut a thieet to the Corporit ion of London upon the
stihject. The fact was, that Government felt the
erection Of a new Post-Office indidpensibly neces-
sary to the accommodation of the public, and bad
Pt 'palled that opinion, but no threat whatever was
used to any body of men. Several places bad bees
•pointed met as eligible mites for the proposed bend+
11% !bit the plibe pointed out by the PetitiOtters was,
after roll consideration, deemed the most eligible,
and, therefore, approved of .by Government. Be,*
Sidi', from the estimate he had seen on the subject,
he was happy to say, that • coevals's*. *Rh the
wish of the Petitioners Week] be attended with lest
expeoce than any other plan he had heard or. 'net,
in a word, the project alluded to by the Petitioners