ought to be remembered, was not a profeffion, but a tempo sary occupation. It was of the utmost importance that perfons of the first character and refpectability should be engaged in it, and therefore it ought in common sense to be rendered as little incompatible with their other engagements and avocations as poffible. Now, he knew that it was the opinion of a moft able ftatefman, that it would be a wife regulation for militia regiments never to be marched to any confiderable distance from their respective counties, except in cafes of emergency, to which when it occurred all would cheerfully fubmit; and this principle, therefore, if it was a good one, which he most heartily fubfcribed to, formed a ftrong argument against fuch an arrangement as he had before adverted to. He faid that he had thought it his duty thus thortly to state his opinion in this early stage of the business. He did not mean then to offer any amendment, fuch as that the further progress of the measure should be put off for fix months, although he should be glad that a propofition might at a future period be made by fome one of more confideration than himself. He would only now add, that he should think it his duty to oppofe the measure in every future ftage of the proceeding, from a thorough conviction, that even if the end of Government in an interchange of the militia was a wife one, which he was not prepared to admit, it could not be effected by means more pernicious than thofe propofed.

Mr. Bankes ftated that his fentiments with refpect to this meafure had undergone no alteration fince he had laft the honour of addreffing the Houfe, although from the thinnefs of the House upon the prefent occafion, he should not enter into the fubject at any length, but would referve himfelf for a future opportunity.

Colonel Baftard entirely coincided with the hun. Member who had juft fat down, as to the nature and tendency of the bill before the House.

The motion was agreed to, and the bill ordered to be com mitted for Tuesday,

The Irish militia augmentation bill was alfo read a fecond' time and committed for Tuefday.

Ordered, on the motion of Mr. Corry, that the Houfer fhould on Monday next, refolve itfelf into a Committee to confider of making provifion to enable the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland to augment the militia of that country,

On the motion for the fecond reading of the irifh flax feed:

bill, a converfation took place between Colonel Hutchinfon and Mr. Corry, upon a queftion from the former, as to the tendency which this bill would have to affect the oil manufactory in Ireland. It appeared that fuch flax feed as shall be found upon importation to be damaged, and unfit for the growers to ufe, is to be warehoused for a certain time, unless the merchants can in the interim procure oil manufacturers to purchase it; and alfo give fecurity that fuch feed fhall not be planted. This fecurity is meant for the interest of the linen manufacture.

The Committees of Supply and Ways and Means were poftponed till Monday, to which day the Houfe adjourned.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, APRIL 9.

The feveral bills before the Houfe were forwarded in their refpective stages.

Mr. Mansfield, from the Scotch bank company, prefented certain accounts relative to the capital, &c. of that corporation, which were ordered to lie upon the table.

On the motion of Lord Auckland, Mr. Wyatt was ordered to attend the Committee of their Lordships, to whom it was referred to confider of the best mode of improving the lighting of, and avenues to the Houfe, &c.

The Earl of Suffolk obferved, that as he could not in the ftage the volunteer bill was then in before their Lordships, regularly deliver his fentiments upon the principle of that measure, a confideration which he conceived of extreme importance, he should, the next day, bring forward a motion upon a fubject of the highest importance, and closely connected with the measure alluded to, he meant the general defence of the country. The noble Earl then moved that their Lordfhips be fummoned for the next day; which was ordered accordingly.

VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILL.

Lord Hawkesbury moved the order of the day for the Houfe to refolve into a Committee upon this bill; and agcordingly Lord Walfingham took the chair.

Their Lordships proceeded to the confideration of the eighth claufe; and on a fuggeftion of Earl Spencer, that an annual return should be made, instead of causing it to be VOL. II. 1803-4.

3 C

made

made at three diftinct periods, it was remarked by Lord Hawkesbury,' that the more frequent return would be the more preferable, and for the obvious reason that Government fhould know, as often as it could, without giving unreafonable trouble to thofe concerned, what number of effective volunteer forces it had to depend upon.

The confideration of adminiftering the oath of allegiance, &c. to volunteers, occafioned fome diverfity of opinion upon the point; and the Earl of Chesterfield took the opportunity to state the mode adopted by him at his refidence in Derbyshire, in which quarter he had administered the oath to between two and three thousand volunteers, not one of whom confidered its being tendered previous to their figning the roll, as the flightest reflection upon them.

A few amendments were made in one or two of the fubfequent clauses.

Lord Hawkefbury fignified his intention of moving to fubftitute the first day of June," for the first day of May, as the period for the commencement of the bill.

In the eleventh claufe of the bill an amendment was propofed by Lord Grenville, for the introduction, after the words deliver, or caufe to be delivered to any furveyor or inspector of taxes of the district wherein fuch corps shall be enrolled, or," of words to this effect" in cafe there fhall be no fuch furveyor or infpector of taxes then to surveyor, &c. of any adjoining district."

On this the fenfe of the Committee was taken; when there appeared

For the amendment

Against it

Majority

16

34

18

On the next provifion which refpects the certificates to be delivered by commanding officers of yeomanry cavalry, &c. of the number of horses and the names of the providers of the fame, an amendment was propofed by Lord Grenville to the general effect of preventing fuch provision from being unneceffarily troublesome to the commanding officers. this fome difcuffion took place, which was terminated alfo by a divifion:.

For the amendment

On

15

Against it

The claufe relating to volunteers being liable to the ballor for the militia, and on quitting their refpective corps, to ferve or find fubititutes, was amended by directing a notice to be given them, that they were exempted from ferving fo long as they continued effective members of fuch corps ; and a provifion was alfo added, that they thould only be liable to ferve during the prefent war, and until fix months after the ratification of a definitive treaty of peace.

On the provifo relative to the manner in which former exemptions attached to perfons quitting volunteer corps, confiderable difference of opinion arofe between Lord Grenville and the Lord Chancellor, relative to the meaning of the words, which ended in adjourning the confideration of it till the next day.

The Committee then reported progrefs, and had leave to fit again the next day.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MONDAY, APRIL 9.

Mr. John Latouche brought up a petition from the prifoners confined for debt in the prifon for the county of the city of Dublin, ftating the hardthips under which they labour, and praying relief. Ordered to be laid on the table.

He brought up another of a fimilar kind from the pri foners confined for debt in the Mashalfea prison of Dublin, which was alfo ordered to be laid on the table.

Sir John Newport gave notice, that he should on Wednefday next move to poftpone the confideration of the fubject of the Ilchefter Committee from the 17th of this month, until the 8th of May next.

Mr. Corry gave notice, that he fhould the next day propose for the confideration of the Houfe a meafure refpecting the prefent circulating coin of Ireland.

tention

Mr. Fofter afked what was the right hon. Gentleman's inHe took it for granted it related to the filver coin. Mr. Corry begged leave to decline entering more particu larly into the fubject at that time.

Mr. Serjeant Beft prefented a petition on behalf of the company of proprietors of the Swanfea canal navigation, against a bill now depending before the Houfe. Ordered to be laid on the table.

Mr. H. Addington moved, that the order of the day for

3C2

taking

taking into confideration the report on the cotton weavers' petition be poftponed to Thurfday next. Ordered.

Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for going into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider of making provifion for augmenting the Irifh militia; which being read,

Mr. Corry faid, that before he moved that the Speaker do leave the chair, he should state the nature of the measure to be propofed, the augmentation of the Irish militia, and if Parliament should think fit that it fhould take place, money must be advanced out of the Exchequer of Ireland, to be afterwards repaid by the treafurers of the counties; for this it would be neceflary to introduce a claufe into the bill, and there must be a refolution by a Committee of the whole House for the purpose: that should be reported on a subsequent day, and an inftruction muft afterwards be given to the Committee on the bill, that they may have power to infert it in fuch bill.

Mr. Calcraft doubted the regularity of moving any certain fum for a certain fervice, before Parliament had voted that fervice. He thought it extraordinary that the fum of money fhould be voted for a thing, before that thing itself was voted, If there was any abfolute neceffity for it, or that it could not be done at any other time, he fhould be ready to give way, and offer no oppofition to it; but he fhould think it would be much more regular for Parliament to grant the thing itself before it granted the means of fupporting it.

Mr. Secretary Yorke said, that the thing now propofed was mere matter of course, in order to enable the Houfe to proceed in the Committee the next day, on the fubject of the Irish militia, for until there was a vote of a Committee of the whole Houfe to advance this money out of the Irish Exchequer, no provifion could be made to enable the Lord Lieutenant to go into the measure. This was merely matter of form; for if the Houfe fhould not adopt the bill, the vote now about to be propofed would fall to the ground; the report could not be received until the next day, and without this vote it would be impoffible to proceed upon the bill; and he fubmitted, that as there were two bills before the House upon this fubje&t, whether it might not be better that they fhould both come on together.

Mr. Caleraft thought one of them fufficient for the difcuffion of one day, but he was fatisfied with the reafon given for the vote which was about to be propofed, and therefore fhould not oppose it any longer.

The