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taking into further consideration the report of the bill to enable his majesty more effectually to raise and assemble an additional military force, for the better defence and security of the united kingdom, and for the more vigorous prosecution of the war. Previous, however, to the house going into the further consideration of the bill, it was his wish that it might be recommitted, in order to move, that it be an instruction to the committee that they have power to divide the bill into two: the one, as it regarded England and Irelandthe other, as it regarded Scotland. This division would be found very commodious on many accounts, and would occasion no delay. On the contrary, it would facilitate and accelerate the execution of the

measure.

The house having resolved itself into a committee on the bill, the secretary at war moved an instruction to the above effect; which was agreed to.

The secretary at war next requested the committee would then permit him to go through the bill, and to point out the more material amendments which it was thought If he advisable to make in it. should not enter into a very minute explanation of all of them, it was because they were not, in his opinion, of so much importance as to call for such an explanation. He should begin with the clause which prescribed the quotas to be furnished by the different counties. The quotas for Scotland be should not then enter into, but reserve what he had to say on that point when the separate bill was brought in respecting Scotland, which he expected would be done the next day. What was to be furnished by England, amounted to about three

1803.

fourths of the force to be raised.
The quotas, however, for the En-
glish counties would not be re-
gulated exactly in the proportions.
of the militia bills of the last year,
but should be regulated on the re-
turns which had recently been
made by the lord-lieutenants of
each county, and which were now
almost all before the privy council;
and where they were not as yet
complete, the proportion and re-
turn might easily be made out
from the returns of last year. The
number of persons liable to be
balloted for the different militias
was computed at 900,000. After
drawing the ordinary and supple-
mentary militias, there would yet
remain liable to be drawn for the
army of reserve, 750,000: out of
this number, the quotas for each
county would be regulated by the
returns already alluded to, and
corrected moreover by a reference
to the population act. As to Scot→
land, the quotas might likewise be
regulated on the same principle of
the latest returns of the male popula-
tion. It wasthought better by some to
refer to the principle of the militia
act of last year; but so that 40,000
men could be raised in due time, it
to him appeared immaterial upon
which of the two principles they

were raised.

The next clause to which he had to call the attention of the committee was that which included the exemptions; but previous to entering upon that clause, he had to state another alteration which had been made in the bill. The bill, in its original form, proceeded on the scale of the militia ballot, and took were liaage at which persons the ble to serve, at from eighteen to forty-five years. Property, as well as personal service, was also to be attended to on the same ground;

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and

and persons above forty-five years, if possessed of a certain property, should likewise be made liable to a certain extent; and if they were struck on the ballot, they should be obliged to find a substitute. The age for those able and liable to serve personally would now be from sixteen to forty-five, and the size five feet two inches, as usually prescribed for the militia, though not, perhaps, very rigidly to be observed. The criterion which he was disposed to fix for those who were liable to be balloted for above forty-five was, that they paid thirty pounds and upwards to assessed taxes. Such persons, where the ballot fell upon them, should be obliged to find a substitute. A clause was also provided to enable Lieutenants of counties to amend the lists; which might easily be done by striking out those who had left a parish, and inserting in their stead those who had come into it.

He should next proceed to the exemption clauses; and these would be found nearly the same as those enacted by the supplementary militia bill, to which, and to the present bill, he begged leave to refer the committee for particulars. He should propose to take the 22d of June, the day on which the bill was brought in, for the period beyond which the exemptions were not to extend. All articled clerks, therefore, who had not entered into their articles on or before that-day, were not exempted; neither were volunteer nor yeomanry corps; and to prevent frauds, which he was informed had often occurred among a certain description of clergymen, no person who had not obtained licence to preach a twelvemonth be fore the 224,of June, 1803, should avail himself of the exemption proposed for theclergy.

Volunteer and yeomanry corps whose services had been accepted on or before the 22d instant, or to such corps of that description, who, even after that period, should be willing to extend their services to their respective military districts, were also to be included in the exemptions; and likewise, if they offered to perform the garrison or police service of great towns-such as London, Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow, York, Birmingham, &c. The exemption might also be extended to such individuals belonging to the volunteer corps, who, though their services were not accepted on or before the 22d inst., would be willing to appear at muster for a certain number of days. The number of days he should propose for that purpose would be two days in the month, or a certain number of days equal to two days in the month. Another amendment he had to propose related to substitutes. No substitute should be admitted who had more than three children; and for the mode of providing for their families, he would refer to the provi sions of the supplementary militia bill.

He then proceeded to consider the clauses for imposing fines. According to the militia, every person was liable to a fine who did not find a substitute. For the ordinary militia the fine was 10.; but it was increased to 157. since the supplementary militia was introduced. The same principle should now be followed; but some difference should be made with respect to persons of different descriptions of property. He should propose, in the first place, that every person from sixteen to forty-five, if drawn and not disposed to serve in person, should pay a fine of 201., which

sum

tum should go to the parish that is obliged to find its quota. Should the parish be able to find a substitute for a smaller sum, the surplus should go in aid of the poor's rates of such parish; and hence an inte rest would arise to keep down the price of substitutes as low as possible. The lowest fine would, therefore, be 201.; but with respect to those who paid 101. and upwards to the assessed taxes, they should pay 51. more for every ten they paid to the assessed taxes, till the fine amounted to 1001. The surplus, after finding the substitute, in such cases, should be paid into the hands of the receiver-general, by him to be employed for the recruiting service of the army.

Most of the other clauses were the same as in the supplementary militia bill, especially with respect to raising men as volunteers; and the speedy and effectual accomplishment of the measure must chiefly depend on the strenuous exertions of gentlemen in their respective districts. As to the price to be given to volunteers, he should propose that they should receive half the price paid for a substitute, and, moreover, two guineas from the receiver-general. The next clause related to the power vested in his majesty for modelling this army, and appointing its officers. Out of the line, none were to be appointed to the rank of colonels or lieutenant-colonels, but such effective officers of that description, who would be ready to go down and inspect the drilling of their respective corps. Of the half-pay officers, many were always dis posed to volunteer their services when any emergency called for them; and he wished a clause to be inserted in the bill, granting a power to discharge, from time to

time, such as might be disposed to become volunteers in the line. His majesty was likewise to be empowered to accept the offers of those to serve with the regulars who had been enrolled for a limited service, as had been done during the late war, when many of the militia offered their services, on condition of not being sent out of Europe. The new-raised battalions were to be formed as much as possible from the same counties; and where a county did not furnish enough to form a battalion, it should be collected and made up out of the neighbouring counties. They should correspond, in a great measure, with the regulars of each county. They should be accoutred and bear the same facings as the battalions of the regulars, and indeed be considered as so many auxiliary battalions ready to be called out and assist in the same service. Their services to be confined to Great Britain and Ireland, unless they volunteered them for more distant scenes of action; but without their free option, no power on earth should remove them from where they were originally destined to act.-The right hon. gentleman next adverted to the clause relative to the proportion of the men to be furnished by the Cinque Ports and the city of London. He had no objection that London should furnish its proportion of men in the same way as had been done formerly in raising its proportion of the militia. He trusted, however, that the public spirit of the city of London would not be wanting in giving every degree of facility to the expeditious supply of the men to be raised. The right hon. gen tleman then concluded by moving the first clause respecting the quotas.

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Mr.

Mr. Pitt remarked that the Cinque Ports, from the nature of their constitution, had always been left to raise their quota in their own way. He did not mean, however, to state this by way of exempting them from the operation of this bill; but he looked on this as a new kind of levy, and therefore did not know, that under this or any other regulation they could form a true judgement of the numbers which ought to be the quota for the Cinque Ports; and he was by no means certain that four hundred was that which would be fair and equal. On the clause relative to the Cinque Ports, at the end of the bill, Mr. Pitt begged leave to observe, that, by the act of the forty-second of the king, they were directed to raise their quota as they chose; but this was a new levy, and made an estimate of their quota on a new principle. The deputy-lieutenants were every way competent, in the different counties, to the task of raising the militia, and of judging of the quotas to be provided for each; but there were no such persons in the Cinque Ports. The mayors and different officers, in the several towns, had always performed this office, and raised their quota in their own way. He wished, therefore, to apprise his right honourable friend and the committee of these circumstances, in order that they might turn their minds to the subject, and prevent any delay which a misconception on this point might occasion.

The secretary at war then moved that the number of men to be furnished by the city of London, should be eight hundred, and by the Cinque Ports four hundred. Mr. Alderman Coombe said, it was not, he was sure, the wish of the city of London to provide less than

their fair proportion; but as they had peculiar privileges upon this subject, he hoped this clause would be suspended until some further consideration could be had. It was accordingly agreed that the clause should be suspended.

The clause regulating the mode in which the lists were to be formed gave rise to a very long conversation. The secretary at war, in the course of this conversation, said that he first had intended to propose the age to be between sixteen and forty-five, liable to personal service, or to find a substitute, and then from the age of forty-five to fifty, liable in like manner, provided the person was assessed 30l. a-year for the assessed taxes; but now he collected that the committee wished the age should be from eighteen to forty-five, and then from the age of forty-five to fifty, in case the assessed taxes of the person were what he had stated them to be; but it was indifferent to him as to the ages between forty-five and fifty, provided the bill was carried with speed, and the number he had stated raised. He had thought that the age between forty-five and fifty might be taken in upon the present occasion; but there might be another measure by which they might be called upon for service, or for substitutes, as he had already stated. As to the list, he had a clause in his hand to regulate the mode of making new lists, in cases where that would be necessary. Mr. Pitt thought the present lists preferable with a view to expedition, and recommended the propriety, for the present, of overlooking trifling defects. It was finally agreed that the age should be from eighteen to forty-five. On the clause relative to the exemption of clergymen, some observa

tions were offered relative to licenses. Allusions were made to former frauds; but it being at length agreed that the clause, as it then stood, was adequate to the prevention of their recurrence, it was agreed to.

The next clause respected the exemption of the volunteers. A discussion of some length ensued. Sir J. S. Erskine entertained the highest idea of the zeal and loyalty of our volunteer corps, but at the same time he thought that it would be requisite to guard, against a practice which might in some individual instances be adopted; that was, that men should not enter the volunteer service, and then lay down their arms as soon as the ballot was over. At present, he believed, there was no sufficient tie on them to continue their services to any given period.-Mr. Sturges suggested the propriety of inserting the 6th of June, the day on which he believed the army estimates had been presented, for the time of volunteers' service having been accepted; that no service tendered after that day should exempt them. He was well convinced that many had entered volunteer corps, merely for the prospect of being exempted from other service, in consequence of something that had fallen from the right honourable secretary of state in the course of that day's debate. After a few more observations, the question was put, and carried without a division,

Colonel Craufurd proposed that persons enrolled for the army of reserve should also be made liable to serve in the regiments of the line, any where within the united kingdom. He did this to avoid the trouble and delay of waiting for voluntary offers, and that the country might be sufficiently guarded,

at any moment, to meet the extraordinary designs of the enemy.

The secretary at war said, that it was intended to vest a power in his majesty to transmit any of the persons enrolled by virtue of this bill, from the army of reserve to any of the regiments serving within the united kingdom; and that the blanks should be filled up accordingly when they came to the clause. They might either be formed into regiments within themselves, or they might be ordered by his majesty to fill up regiments of the line, serving within the united kingdom, Guernsey, or Jersey; or they might give their own voluntary service to regiments serving in any quarter of the world.

On the clause settling the period of service, Mr. Pitt observed that the militia, he understood, were to serve for five years, or during the war, and he wished that the terms of the service should be the same. He thought that it might be attended with great inconvenience, if a greater part of the army were to be disbanded during the war. One month, too, after the ratification of peace was too short a period to allow the government time to adopt measures for replacing the army. He hoped that, by a vigorous and successful war, we should, at last, arrive at a peace more permanent than the last; but still he thought that any peace would necessarily demand a greater degree of precaution, and of military force, than had been found requisite at any former period. It would be in peace that our military system would be adopted, and then there would be time to settle it upon such a footing as to enable us, in case of any emergency, to call forth a force applicable to any occasion. That system ought

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