degree exist, and with the view of remedying every inconvenience which might arife on the subject, it was propofed to grant to the Lord Lieutenants of counties the power of appointing fuch days for exercife, as to them, under all the circumstances of the cafe, fhould feem the leaft objectionable, and the most agreeable to all parties concerned. This was an alteration brought forward from refpect to thofe perfons of tender confciences whom the claufe, as it originally food, might have difpleafed. The right hon. Gentleman having touched on these points, concluded by expreffing. his readiness to hear with fatisfaction whatever improve ments in the measure might be propofed, aud to adopt them, if they appeared to him calculated to give it greater force and efficacy. Lord Caflereagh faid a few words on the mode in which the enrolment night be formed. He fuggefted, that, long before the whole procefs required by the bill was gone through, the Lord Lieutenants thould be empowered, as foon as the act was paffed, to receive voluntary offers of service. In this way delay would be avoided, and from the moment that the act was paffed the difcipline of a great proportion of the force to which the bill referred would be going forward with alacrity and effect. Mr. Kinnaird declared that if the fuggeftions of the noble Lord were carried into effect, the grand fource of his objection to the measure would be removed. Mr. Pitt next rofe, and at confiderable length canvaffed the general provifions of the bill. That the time allotted for exercise must be extended, he believed every member of the House would admit, and he was glad to find that his right hon. Friend (the Secretary at War) had expreffed his conviction of the neceffity of this alteration. As the bill now ftood, it would be quite impoffible to enter with effect on the difcipline of the force propofed to be embodied till the Spring of the fucceeding year. It was an object infinitely defirable that the period for completing the enrolment thould be shortened as much as poffible, and nothing was more effential than to prevent the inaccuracy of the levy to be raised. The fuggeftion of his noble friend tended in a confiderable" degree to remove the objections which he had to the prefent provifions of the bill on this fubject. The bill to a certain degree profeffed to look to the preference of offers of voluntary fervice, but in his opinion its provifions on this head were not fufficiently explicit.The great object at the pre fent fent moment was to obtain offers of this kind to as large an extent as poffible, while the procefs of regular enrolment was going forward according to the rules which the bill prefcribed. If, during the interval occupied in going through this procefs, a fufficient number of offers of voluntary fervice could be obtained, then the application of the provifions of the bill would be unneceffary, and a most im portant object would be obtained with a view to the real fecurity of the country. He was fure that he need not, as a Member of that Houfe, as poffeffing any regard to con ftitutional principles, enlarge on the preference at all times to be given to voluntary above compulfory fervice. The fuperiority was at once obvious, and while this mode was fuperior in point of feeling, it was no lefs fo with referenca to real efficient fervice. The means of accomplishing this moft defirable object were obvious and fimple. It was only neceffary to inveft the Lord Lieutenant with the power of illuing a proclamation immediately after the paffing of the act, inviting offers of voluntary fervice, and enabling those appointed to collect the return, to afcertain the wishes of the people. This would be the mode applicable to counties generally; and in parishes the veftry might, without difficulty, collect the wishes of thofe to whom the invitation was addreffed. In this invitation not merely the first class, but all the claffes prefcribed by the bill, or even to the age of fixty, or beyond the age of fifty-five, if voluntary offers could be obtained, might be included. A report might, without any confiderable delay, be made by the Lord Lieutenants to his Majefty, who might order an immediate proportion of those making voluntary offers of fervice to be received. Of course the difcipline of those fo received would be foon without m terruption. This was a provifion which could not but, if properly reduced to practice, materially contribute to the expedition which was fo infinitely defirable. There was however a provifion of a different defcription, which would promote the speedy application of the bill in a ftill more effectual manner. The provifion to which he alluded was, that without waiting for the enrolment at all, to fix for al particular county the quota which, on a fair calculation, it was fuppofed was a fair proportion; and if before a par ticular day fpecific voluntary offers of fervice to the amount of three-fourths or four-fifths of the whole number were obtained, to fufpend the operation of the bill in that county or district. In fuch a cafe as this, minute ac Curacy curacy was not at all important, and any trifling errors in the calculation of the quota to be required could easily ber corrected at a fubfequent period. If the calculation was too high, the inaccuracy could be easily corrected. It would only be neceffary to determine by ballot what was the actual number required. On the other hand, if the number was too low, the deficiency could be easily fupplied. It had been stated that the number in the firft clafs was four hundred thousand, and if this was accurate, the calculations for par ticular districts could be formed on principles which at least afforded the profpect of general accuracy. It was not necellary for him to refer to examples to prove the practicability of this general accuracy. He might however, just allude to the cafe of the Cinque Ports, where, without any reference to the fyftem on which the militia quotas were arranged, a tolerably accurate calculation had been eftablifhed. The right hon. Gentleman next, with extraordinary clearness and fimplicity, alluded to the time which, as the bill now ftood, would be employed in reducing the bill to practice. The whole period would not be lefs than two months. He fuggefted the expediency of shortening the different divifions of this period. He thought that the ten days for the meeting of the Deputy Lieutenants were quite unnecellary. The time allowed for giving the notices was alfo much greater than neceffary. The houfeholders ought to make their returns within a much shorter space. As the bill now food, fixty days would be confumed, whereas by new regulations the whole bufinefs might be finished in lefs than the half of that time. After adding a few other obfervations on this point, the right hon. Gentleman fat down with declaring his determination to offer to the Committee a claufe, with a view of carrying into effect the fuggeftion int the conclufion of his fpeech. Lord Cafilereagh explained the point to which his right hon. Friend, who had juft fat down, alluded, with refpect to the operation of this bill before the enrolment thould be made, The fact was, that the compulfory power of calling every man to parade in cafe of neceflity, would by the provisions of the bill vest in his Majefty; but the object of the bill was, that this compullery power fhould not interfere with the voluntary offers of the people, from which an inexhaustible force was expected, fully competent to answer the purpose of fecurity, to ferve, without expence, and to be trained withaut any material inconvenien e to the individuals engaged. Mr. Mr. Pitt admitted the great faving of public expence, but thought at the fame time the faving could not be prudently carried to the extent alledged; for if men whofe livelihood depended upon their daily labour, were to be called to devote their days to drilling for the public fervice, it would be but reasonable to remunerate them for the time fo devoted from their means of livelihood. The Secretary at War had no objection to remunerate, in fach cafes, men who were fo fituated as not to be affeffed in poor's rates; but he could not feel the neceffity of extending the principle farther, as every man was bound, in exigencies like the prefent, to contribute his fhare of fervice in the public danger; and fo long as a man was only called upon to devote a few hours in the week for the purpose of being trained to the ufe of arms, and not called upon; for actual fervice, it was no fuch hardship or lofs as to call in all cafes for remuneration. Befide, if the principle recommended by the right hon. Gentleman were to be adopted, it would, he feared, open a door to frauds that would be incalculable. The bill had, he faid, two objects: the one to encourage as much as might be the offers of voluntary service; the other to effect difpatch in carrying its purposes into operation. With refpect to the former, he had no objection to the mode propofed by the right hon. Gentleman of directing the Lords Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants of counties, and those who act under their direction, to canvass their districts, and fee who are willing to volunteer their fervices; but he begged leave to obferve, that there was a clause precifely to this effect, in the act of the prefent feffion, which the prefent bill was defigned to amend and render more effectual. He could not fay how far the powers given by that claufe to the Lords Lieutenants of counties and their Deputies had been fairly tried; but hitherto he had no proofs that it had been attended with the defired effect. With refpect to the numbers neceffary to be called for difcipline on the prefent occafion, he was well convinced the first class alone, namely, unmarried males between the ages of 17 and 30, would amply fupply them. The calculation was, that the number of thofe, in proportion to the male population of the country, was as 1 to 24, making the whole from 4 to 500,000; and if by a demand upon this number, three-fourths could be found willing to volunteer their fervices in any county or district, he perfectly agreed in the idea of fufpending the further operation of the act in fuch + 621 fuch district. With refpe&, however, to many of the arrangements proposed by the right hon. Gentleman, for omitting from the preparatory arrangements the meetings of the Deputy Lieutenants of counties, as well as fome others for shortening the period for making returns, he questioned much whether they could be practicable, confiftently with the defired effect. Dr. Laurence acknowledged that the Houfe owed much to the noble Lord by whom the amendment under c ation was propofed, although it went in fome degree perhaps to impofe pofthumous penalties. Sir F. Pulteney ifapproved of the idea, that the voluntary offers of three-fourths fhould exempt from fervice those who might be fo bafe in fuch a crifis as the prefent to shrink from their daty He cautioned the Houfe on reckoning fo much on the extent of voluntary offers, or on the efficacy of vo lunteers in cafe of attack The honourable Baronet declared that he had many other obfervations to offer on the bill, but that he would not any longer trouble the Committee. On the whole, however, he could not help feeling fome fear that the provifions of this bill would interfere with fome military arrangements of great importance, for the establishment of which he was exceedingly anxious. Mr. Sheridan profelfed his inability to understand the argument of the right. hon. Gentleman under the gallery (Mr. Pitt) upon the fubject of vokintary offers, and the circumitances under which compulfion thould be reforted to. With refpect, however, to thefe voluntary offers, he confelled he could not help agreeing with the hon. Baronet who had just fat down, that the probable amount of such offers. was rather overrated; but the amendment propofed by the noble Lord, of which he much approved, provided that, in cafe the voluntary spirit fhould fail, other means fhould be reforted to, to fecure the object of the bill.. As to the act of the prefent feflion, referred to by the Right Honourable the Secretary at War, he believed that the fruits of it would be very small indeed. of the act of the laft Adminiftration, which was almost uniIt appeared to be an exact, tranfcript verfally confidered to be a very foolish act, and which not at all answered the ends which thofe who propofed it profeffed to have in view. The hon. Gentleman read an extract from this at, requiring a return of the men, and the man-ner in which each withed to serve. He stated that at the time this act was carrying into execution, he was in NorVOL. IV. 1802-3. thumber 4 H |