The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-06-08 00:00:00

CONSENT OF PARTIES TO PRIVATE RILLS.

The Fart of 1)Elt BY moved, that the Sta.,ding Order kl hich
required the consent of parties to lie given to Private Bills in
which tbey were interested before the Committee, might be sus-
pended, for the pm pose of enabling him now to give his con-
sent in the lim,: on the second reading..
The Order being suspended, his Lordship gave his consent
to Lori Stanley's Lstates Bill as it stood, or as their Loidthips
might choose to alter it.
Lord ELLEN BOROUGH said, the consent most he taken
only to the Bill as it stood, for a tain,eat to a Bill, boss ever it
might be afterwards altered, could not be legally taken.
After some observations by Lord Bedevil-de. the Marquis of
Lansdowne. and Lord Shaftesbury, it appeared to be admitted
on all hands. that .n case any material alteration were mode in
the Bill, the foment must he !They% ed.

The eignet:t was then ta!ten to the Bill as it stood.
LOCAL

Lord SIDMOUTH moved the third reading of the
Local Militia Bill.
Lord ST. JOUN rose to state some observations
and doubts with respect to this Bill, at the same
time declaring that nothing could be further from his
intentions than to throw any obstacle or difficulty in
the way of the measures of defence and vigorous pro-
secution of the war which Government might find it
necessary to adopt at the present crisis. The Local
Militia had been found, be believed, a most valuable
and efficient domestic military, which was in no small
degree owing to the zeal end alacrity with which
Gentlemen of counties came forward as officers to
assist in bringing this species of force to the utmost
perfection of which it was susceptible, for the pur-
pose of defending their own property and that of
others. Nothing could be more impolitic, therefore,
than to do any thing that might disgust these officers.
But last year a part of this force had been called out
for the purpose of enabling the men to volunteer
their services for forty-two days out of their coun-
ties, a bounty of one guinea being given to each
man so volunteering. While this volunteering con-
tinued, the regiments were in a state of the greatest
derangement, and scenes of riot and drunkenness
were permitted, subversive of Military discipline,
and not very creditable to the service itself. He
spoke from his own experience, having commanded
a regiment of Local Militia, in which these scenes
had been exhibited to a veiy considerable extent.—
These things were apt to disgust the officers, and it
was on this ground that he had doubts as to the
policy of calling out the Local Militia for the pun.
poses of this volunteering. He recollected also, that
doubts had then been entertained whether Govern-
ment had a right under the Act to call out the Local
Militia for this species of volunteering; the Act only
giving power to call them out 1..4- the purposes of
exercise, or in case of invasion. He again repeated,
that it was not his object to throw any obstructions
in the way of the military exertions now making.
Lord ROLLE stated, that he himself marched into
a place, which he named, at the head of a thousand
men, called out for the purpose of this volunteering,
and that all the officers had encouraged the volun-
teering to the utmost of their power. Ihe men at
first thought there was some trick in it, but after-
wards they were satisfied, and volunteered cheerfully.
Lord SIDMOU said, that nothing could be
more fair and candid that, the manner in which the
Noble Lord (St. John) had stat:q! his objections to
this Bill, or rather his doubts and observations upon
it. Ile admitted that every thing ought to be avoid.
ed, if possible, which could give offence or disgust
to the officers of this valuable species of force. No.
thing could exceed the zeal and alacrity with which
the Gentlemen of the country had come forward in
behalf of their country, and the exertions which all
of them made to promote the views of Government
in this particular. Their Lordships had to consider,
first, whether the same occasion now existed for this
measure as had existed when it was before resorted
to: and if they thought that en equally pressing oc.
casiun did exist, they had then decided, in a great
measure, on the principle of this Bill: that an equally
pressing occasion did exist he was sure their Lord.
ships would feel, and therefore he need say nothing
further on that point. The reasons which induced
Government to have recourse to a measure of this
kind, for it was not exactly the same as this, at a
former period, was this :—ln order to procure a large
supply for the disposable force of the country, it had
been thought expedient to allow a volunteering from
the regular militia into the line to an amount of about
the half of the whole number of the Militia. The
Militia amounted to 70,000 men, and it was expect-
ed that about 30,000 men might be precored for the
army. This, however, would trench materially on
the domestic force, and as it was intended, if possi.
ble, to avoid the mode of filling up the Regular Mi.
litia by ballot, it was resolved to invite a certain por.
Lion of the Local Militia to volunteer their services
beyond their counties for 42 days. By this means
17,000 men had been induced to volnuteer, and
therefore the expedient in a great degree, though not
to the full extent, answered the purpose. It was
true that a notion had spread among the men, that if ,
they accepted the bounty of a guinea, they would be
liable to serve for an indefinite time, and in any part
of the country, instead of being limited to the ad. I
joining counties. But, however, they must now I
have been satisfied by the fact that such a notion was !
erroneous. With respect to the present measure, the'
Militia had, at the conclusion of the late peace, been
mostly disembodied. In calling them out again, it was
desirable to avoid the inconveniences and personal I
vexations of the ballot, if it was possible to avoid it.
He had now to state, that great progress had been
made in raising them by beat of drum, and it was
hoped that the mode of ballot might be avoided. But
this mode of raising the men by beat of drum must
take up some time, the duration of which could not
he exactly calculated; and, therefore, it had been
thought expedient that Government should be em.
powered, in case of necessity, to accept the services
of a portion of the Local Militia out of their ow',
counties. The sertice was to be only for 28 days