the force, the removal of which it would authorize, would: be replaced.ed Lord De Blaquiere thought it would be an infult to the Irish militia to reject their offers, as if they were not worth accepting. With respect to giving a deliberative power to foldiers, he recollected to have been the inftrument of giving it himself in many inftances. The orders were iffued for weeks together, relative to the expeditions to America, Tou lon, Holland, and Egypt. He deprecated the idea of coupling the English militia in the measure, confident of their ala crity, if their fervices fhould be neceffary in Ireland. There were now in Ireland 30,000 regulars, and 11,000 militia. If Government wanted to leffen the defence of Ireland, the removal of the regulars would have been the moft eafy mode of effecting it. The question being put the Houfe divided: For the Speaker's leaving the chair 124-againft it 54-majority 70. The Houfe went into the Committee; and the report was ordered to be received on Thursday. Mr. Alexander brought up the report of the Committee on the Irith militia augmentation bounty. The refolution was agreed to; and it was ordered that the Committee on the Irith militia augmentation bill be inftructed to make provi fion accordingly. Adjourned at half past 11 o'clock. HOUSE OF LOR D S. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11. Counsel were heard in continuation relative to the Scotch crofs appeal, Abercromby v. Fleming. The further confideration of the cafe was adjourned till Friday. The bills upon the table were forwarded in their feveral ftages. Previous to the order of the day being entered upon, The Earl of Suffolk had a few obfervations to make respecting a degree of mifreprefentation which prevailed in one of the daily papers, of part of what he faid the preceding day in reference to his noble and gallant friend the Earl of Moira: it was ftated, that he faid the noble Earl re ceived his half pay as a Colonel for only ten years, whereas he obferved that he had received it during twenty years. A mifrepresentation-obtained upon a point of another na 3 G 2 ture, ture, and which he was more anxious to rectify. He was stated to have faid, that the vacant regiments were bestowed upon officers who had performed no fervice to their country. What he faid, however, was, that these regiments were given to junior officers. The officers in queftion poffeffed confiderable merit, and for them he entertained the highest refpect. He was not a little hurt at the idea that these refpectable officers fhould imagine he had fo fpoken of them.. His Lordship regretted having occafion to notice this matter; and he was of opinion, that the reporters should be granted fome indulgence, in order to enable them to be more correct in their reports. On this remark, one or two peers faid "Order" on which the noble Earl declined proceeding. VOLUNTEER REGULATIONS BILL. The order of the day being read, their Lordships went into a Committee upon this bill, Lord Walfingham in the chair. When the twenty-eighth claufe was arrived at, it was frongly objected to by Lord Grenville, who cenfured it as futile, inefficient, unneceffary, and abfurd, and these characteristics he thought appeared on the face of the claufe fo clear, that it was fuperfluous to take up the time of the Committee. The effect of this claufe is, that volunteers, while under arms, or going to the place of exercise, &c. who fhall misconduct themfelves, may be ordered by the commanding officer into the cuftody of any perfon belonging to the corps, while it remained under arms. Lord Grenvine concluded by moving for its omiffion. The claufe was defended as neceffary and proper by Lord Auckland and the Earl of Weftmoreland. The animadverfions of Lord Grenville were fupported by Earl Spencer and Lord King. Lord Harrowby differed from his noble Friend (Lord Grenville) with refpect to the claufe; he conceived it proper for the due maintenance of difcipline, and he thought it might be improved fo as to answer every objection, by providing for the attendance of a conftable on fuch occafions. The difcuffion upon this claufe was terminated by a divifion, when there appeared, for Lord Grenville's motion, 7 against it 22-majority 15. Several of the fubfequent claufes were difpofed of after fome difcuffion, in which the above-mentioned Peers, with the the addition of the Earl of Morton and the Duke of Montrofe, were the principal fpeakers. With respect to the 36th claufe, which refers to the exercife of the royal prerogative in requiring the military fervices of his Majefty's liege fubjects, Lord Grenville would not then give it any oppofition, as it was in the recollection of their Lordships, that a few nights back he had fignified. his intention to take an early opportunity to bring forward the fubject in the important and folemn form of a bill. In the 39th clause, which relates to the payment of two guineas to each volunteer who affembles on the fummons of the Lieutenant of the county, or upon any general fignal of alarm, &c. an amendment was moved by Lord Grenville, on which a divifion took place: for the amendment 14against it, 24-majority 10. During the fhert interval of the exclusion of strangers on this divifion, another amendment was moved by one of their Lordships, on which almoft immediately another divifion took place: for the amendment 11-against it.24 majority 13. The fubfequent claufes to the 47th were then difpofed of The Chairman was directed to report progrefs, and the Committee were ordered to fit again the next day. HOUSE OF COMMONS. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11. Mr. Vanfittart brought up an eftimate of the fum which may be wanted for foreign and fecret fervices for the year 1804, which was ordered to be laid upon the table. 1 Sir John Newport poftponed the motion of which he had given notice, upon the fubject of the Ilchefter election, until Friday next, on account of the abfence of the fitting Member for that borough, Mr. Fofter moved for several accounts, for the purpofe of fhewing the operation of the act of union, viz. An account of all flour, corn, grain, meal, malt, &c. imported into and exported from Great Britain, together with the bounties and duties paid thereon, from the first of January 1800, to the first of January 1804, diftinguishing each fpecies and each year. An account of the average price of corn, grain, &c. in England and Wales, per quarter, and of oatmeal per bolt, &c. from the 13th of March 1802, to the lateft period the fame can be made up. An -An account of the duty received on the export of linens from Ireland to Great Britain, fince the commencement thereof, diftinguishing the rate of duties, number of yards, together with the amount of duties imposed thereon, &c. to the latest period the fame can be made up, diftinguithing each year, &c. Ordered. Mr. Windham had a motion to make, to which he under food there was no objection, and he accordingly moved, That there be laid before the Houfe an account of the number of men raised for the army of referve in each month in Great Britain and Ireland, fince the commencement of the act for that purpofe, and of the number of men who, during the feveral periods, have engaged for general service, diftinguishing under each head, as far as it can be done, the number of those who have entered for general fervice. and those who remain on the balloted fervice, &c. Ordered accordingly....de IRISH MILITIA. Mr. Secretary Yorke moved the order of the day on the bill for augmenting the militia of Ireland. The order being read, he obferved, that by an inadvertency in drawing the bill, the fum.to be voted was made to fall wholly upon Ireland, which error he intended to be corrected in the Committee. He then moved, that the Speaker do now leave the chair. Colonel Craufurd obferved, that this bill had fo near a connection with that which was the fubject of difcution the preceding night, that he could not proceed to deliver his opinions on the one, without fhortly alluding to the other. He faid he had come down to the Houle with an intention of voting for the bill of the preceding night, for introducing 10,000 Irith militia into this country upon an emergency, but that he was deterred from doing fo when he found for what purpofes his Majefty's Minifters intended it, and heard them diflinctly difclaim the being in any degree influenced by thofe reafons upon which alone he founded his opinion of the policy of a meature to which upon other grounds there certainly exifted very strong ob jeations. He therefore had felt himfelf fo much at a lofs which way to vote that he had gone away without voting at all. But although he flood in that ftate of doubt with regard to that bill, he had no hefitation whatever in giving his decided negative to the prefent one. He ftrongly ob fected to any incicafe of that defcription of force, whofe fervices, 1 fervices, if required out of a certain diftrict of the empire, you must accept as a favour, inftead of commanding them as a duty. He was indeed for many reafons averfe to any augmentation of the militia; and he even went fo far as fo with we had no embodied militia at all he did not mean to fay we ought not to have any militia in Britain, but that it ought not to form a part of our embodied force. But befides thefe general objections to the militia force, he had no fcruple in faying, that confidering the prefent fituation of Ireland, it would be unwife to keep up in that country a large body of men entirely compofed of Irifhmen. la faying this he begged he might not be understood as meaning to throw the fmalleft reflection upon the Irish militia, whofe loyalty in the year 1798 had, with the exception of one or two inftances, withstood all the attempts which were made to feduce them. The conduct of the greater part of that body did them the highest honour, but it was a trial to which they ought not to be expofed without abfolutè neceffity. The rebellion which raged in that country fo few years fince, muft be recent in every man's memory, and he fhould be glad to know what proceedings had taken place, on the part of Minifters, to inquire into the caufes of that rebellion, or what changes had taken place in the fyftem of Government towards Ireland, for the conciliation of that people, and the prevention of future difcontents? None but the measure of an union, which was held out to be a remedy for all ills, and a prompt and efficient means of amelioration to Ireland. But he was anxious to know from his Majefty's Minifters, of what single inftance of amelioration it had been productive? The prominent measure which had been held out to the population of that country, as the firft great object of the union, and the price of their acquiefcence to it, had been pofitively with held, and in a manner extremely grating to the feelings of that people; and he was much at a lofs to know, what ether meature had been obtained for Ireland towards effecting that conciliation and rapid improvement in the country, fo fpeciously held out as the immediate and neceffary confequences of the measure. He knew of none: nor could he conceive by what species of magic it was that Minifters affected to change the political fentiments of the great ma jority of the Irish population from that ftate which, three years ago, had excited them to open rebellion, in which it was true they were conquered, but, he feared there was too much reafon to fuppofe, not converted; and in proof of his appre |