hon. Members who were connected with that part of the united kingdom, and thofe efpecially connected with the mi liti, would do him the juftice to believe he did not state the difference of the two cafes from any invidious motives, but for the fake of the argument that arose out of them; and he had the lefs fcruple on this occafion, because that gallant body of men, the Irish militia, wanted no adventitious praises; they wanted not their characters to be propped up by merit to which they were not entitled: their conduct in the last war was fuch as to have rendered the most effential services to their country, and to have gained a lafting honour to themselves; but he would not infult the common sense of that refpe&table body of men, or of the Houfe, by faying or pretending to think that there was any kind of fimilarity whatever between the circumstances under which the British militia volunteered their services for Ireland, and thofe of Ireland had offered to ferve in this part of the united kingdom. When the former event took place, Ireland was in a state of inforrection and rebellion, the feeds of which were fo widely diffeminated, that where they had not appeared they were expected to spring up every moment. The enemy were actually landed in the country, and no difpofeable force adequate to the emergency could be found here. These were

the circumstances under which the British militia volunteered their fervices; and although he was as ready as any one to allow that a fevere blow was then given to that establishment, yet he thould ever be of opinion that the Administration on a due confideration and balance of the evil, and the benefits to be derived from the measure, had acted wifely in advising his Majefty to apply to Parliament for power to accept their offer. The event of it was important, and he believed, decifive, not so much from the effect of the mere physical force of thofe who went thither, which was however confiderable, as in another point of view, which he had once before had an occafion to ftate to the Houfe, and which he now repeated, which was, that the Irish rebels had been perfuaded that perfons of their own clafs in this country were ready to abet and affift their views whenever an opportunity fhould offer, and this opinion was fo firmly rooted in their minds, that no reasoning or arguments could eradicate it; but when they faw thofe very perfons from whom they had been taught to expect co-operation, volunteering their fervices against them, the hopes they had fo long entertained were effectually crushed; and he believed in his confcience this circumstance tended more

to put down the rebellion than any other event that happened during the whole progress of it. But what was the cafe at prefent? did any rebellion exist here? was this country more likely to be invaded than Ireland?-what then was the foundation of this measure in the prefent inftance? He was aware that he and others who opposed the prefent, and who had voted for the former measure, would be accused of inconfiftency, not becaufe there was any inconfiftency in their conduct, but because he could not expect better treatment in that refpect than a right honourable and more refpectable Member not now in his place, who on a former night had been fo accuted, and certainly on pretenfions equally unfounded. A man might with the most perfect confiftency vote for the fame measure at one time which he might oppose on another, because times and circumftances must always be taken into the account, and muft conftitute the motives of action. On the former occafion it was the extreme urgency and neceffity of the cafe that warranted the measure, and that excused such a departure from the conflitutional principle of the militia eftablishment; no fuch neceffity could now be maintained, and it was on thofe grounds he oppofed it. He' faid, when he saw a very strong propofition fupported by very weak arguments, he could not help thinking that the whole cafe had not been stated, that there was fome cause unavowed, and he owned he fufpected that caufe to confift in an intention on the part of Minifters to excite the offers of the British militia again to go to Ireland.. If that was the view of his Majesty's Ministers, let them avow it; we fhould then know what we were about; but at prefent they were endeavouring to effect that, and by the worst of all poffible means, by putting military bodies into a fiate of deliberation, which neceffarily tended to infubordination, and a thoufand other evils, which those who had feen the progrefs of volunteering on former occafions were fully apprized of; and he understood that fome British regiments had already offered their fervices for Ireland, and that one had already done fo without the knowledge or confent of their officers. If the view of Government was this interchange of the militia of the two parts of the united kingdom, let them manfully profess i', and propose to do it in a direct manner; and if it was to be effected, the evil of the prefent means would be done away. He owned, however, that he thought the principle not good," and for this reafon, among others, the militia fervice, it

ought

ought to be remembered, was not a profeffion, but a tempo rary occupation. It was of the utmost importance that per fons of the first character and refpectability fhould be engaged in it, and therefore it ought in common fenfe to be rendered as little incompatible with their other engagements and avocations as poffible. Now, he knew that it was the opinion of a most able statesman, 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 moft heartily fubfcribed to, formed a ftrong argument against such an arrangement as he had before adverted to. He faid that he had thought it his duty thus shortly to ftate his opinion in this early ftage of the bufinefs. He did not mean then to offer any amendment, fuch as that the further progrefs of the measure thould be put off for fix months, although he thould 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 nieafure 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 proposed.

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 thinness of the House upon the prefent occafion, he fhould not enter into the fubject at any length, but would referve himself for a future opportunity.

Colonel Baftard entirely coincided with the hon. 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 committed for Tuesday.

The Irish militia augmentation bill was also read a fecond time and committed for Tuesday.

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

On the motion for the fecond reading of the Irish flax feed

bill, a converfation took place between Colonel Hatchinfon and Mr. Corry, upon a question 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 use, is to be warehoufed for a certain time, unless the merchants can in the interim procure oil manufacturers to purchase it; and alfo give security that fuch feed fhall not be planted. This fecurity is meant for the intereft of the linen manufacture.

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

HOUSE OF LORDS.

MONDAY, APRIL 9.

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

Mr. Mansfield, from the Scotch bank company, prefented certain accoun's 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 House, &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 fhould, the next day, bring forward a motion upon a fubject of the highest importance, and clofely connected with the measure alluded to, he meant the general defence of the country. The noble Earl then moved that their Lord fhips be fummoned for the next day; which was ordered accordingly.

VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILL.

Lord Hawkesbury moved the order of the day for the House to refolve into a Committee upon this bill; and accordingly 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 fhould be made, inftead of caufing 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 reafon 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 administering the oath of allegiance, &c. to volunteers, occafioned fome diverfity of opinion upon the point; and the Earl of Chesterfield took the opportunity to ftate the mode adopted by him at his refidence in Derby thire, in which quarter he had administered the oath in between two and three thousand volunteers, not one of whom confidered its being tendered previous to their figning the roll, as the flighteft reflection upon them.

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

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

In the eleventh clause 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 infpector of taxes of the diftrict 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 furveyor, &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 veomanry cavalry, &c. of the number of horfes and the names of the providers of the fame, an amendment was propofed by Lord Grenville to the general effect of preventing fuch provifion from being unneceffarily troublefome to the commanding officers. On this fome difcuffion took place, which was terminated also by a divifion: