CITY OF LONDON VOLUNTEERS. THE ARTILLERY COMPANY'S DRILL GROUND.

§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK
rose to call attention to the inconvenience suffered by the City of London Volunteers from the want of a convenient drill ground; and to move— That Her Majesty's Government be requested to take such steps as they may deem necessary to obtain for the City of London Volunteers the use of the Artillery Ground in Finsbury at such times as it is not required by the Honourable Artillery Company or the City of London Militia. The hon. Baronet said, the City of London Volunteers consisted of three regiments of Rifles, one Brigade of Artillery, and one Battalion of Engineers, making a total of 4,500 men, with an average attendance of more that 1,000 a-week. At present, however, they had no drill ground and were compelled to go all the way to Hyde Park. It was hardly necessary to point out the inconvenience of large bodies of armed men walking through the streets. The City Volunteers would be both more numerous and more efficient if they enjoyed greater facilities of preparation. Now, there was in the heart of the City a large open piece of ground especially intended for military purposes, and at present almost unused. It was no less than seven acres in extent, situated close to Finsbury Square, within a quarter of a mile of the Bank of England, and well supplied with all the necessary accommodation. This piece of ground was now occupied—or rather, he should say, held—by the Honourable Artillery Company under two leases from the Corporation, and the Court of Lieutenancy of the City. These were not ordinary leases but leases for a special purpose—namely, "for the purposes of drill or military 811 exercises," and liberty was expressly reserved to the Trained Bands of the City of London to "muster, train, and exercise therein." Now the City of London Volunteers regarded themselves—and he hoped that this House would consider they were justly entitled to regard themselves—as the present representatives of the ancient Trained Bands. Under these circumstances, the Court of Lieutenancy for the City of London wrote to the Honourable Artillery Company in 1871, requesting them to make such arrangements as would enable the Volunteers to use the ground when they did not themselves require it, and when it was not in use by the Militia. This they declined to do. Again, last year the City of London Volunteer Committee decided to make another attempt, and the Lord Mayor, as chairman of that Committee, placed himself in communication with the Secretary of the Honourable Artillery Company, but with no better success. Lastly, this Spring the commanding officers of the Volunteers, unwilling to trouble this House or the Government if they could avoid doing so, once more addressed the Honourable Artillery Company, but without effect. Of course this could not be complained of if the Honourable Artillery Company really required the ground for their own purposes. Such, however, was not the case. He had no desire to hold up the Artillery Company to ridicule; but he must be allowed to state facts. The Company, according to the last list which he had seen, numbered on paper about 620 members; but it appeared from the official Return that of this number 239 did not attend a single drill, 140 attended less than nine drills in the year, and only 150 out of the 620 attended the number of drills necessary to constitute a volunteer efficient according to the present rules of the War Office. The average effectives for the last three years had been 250; but under the new regulations, which require musketry instruction, not above 150 would have ranked as effectives. He was informed that at the Artillery division drill on Mondays 12 men was about the average; that the other divisions drill on Thursdays, and did not generally muster more than 50 men; yet this very small corps held, at a nominal rent from the City authorities, magnificent head-quarters, drill-rooms, 812 armoury, 100 yards' rifle range, guardroom, mess-room, ball-room, covered drill-yard, and seven acres of drill-ground in the heart of the City. A small portion of the buildings was paid for by the Company itself, and this no one proposed to touch; but in saying that they held the rest at a nominal rent he was understating his case, because, although they paid about £300 a-year for it, they had let off a portion for £2,400 a-year; so that they really enjoyed a subsidy of over £2,000 a-year, or considerably more than £100 a-year for each effective member. In considering, moreover, the expense at which this corps was maintained, we must remember that land near the Bank of England sells at the rate of £10,000,000 sterling per acre. The land in question was not worth so much; but putting it at half that price, here was a piece of land worth an immense sum of money, magnificent buildings, with a considerable and increasing income, all devoted to a corps which did not number 200 effectives. It was true the laud was also used by the City of London Militia, but only for a few days in the year, and the Volunteers would not wish to interfere in any way with them. He felt that, under these circumstances, the House would sympathize with the natural wish of the Volunteers to have the power of drilling in a piece of ground which was so eminently suitable for the purpose, and which had been set aside by the City of London from time immemorial as a piece of ground for the use of the armed forces of the City. When the Artillery Company was the only representative of these forces they had the exclusive occupation of the ground; but the leases under which they held expressly stated that it was to be used for military purposes, and subject to the rights of the Trained Bands. This was no new question, but one which had been already discussed and decided by Parliament. When the Militia was enrolled at the close of the last century there was a difficulty about a drill ground, as there was now with reference to the Volunteers; then, as now, the Honourable Artillery Company stood on what they called their rights, and Parliament then interfered, as he hoped it would interfere now. By 36 Geo. III., c. 92, it was provided:— And whereas the said Militia, being an amendment or regulation of the ancient Trained 813 Bands of the City of London, be it enacted that the said Militia already raised and to be raised by virtue of this Act, shall possess and enjoy all and singular the rights and privileges which were possessed and enjoyed by the ancient Trained Bands of the City of London, and which are not varied, altered, or taken away by this Act. Under this clause, which showed that, in the opinion of Parliament, the Honourable Artillery Company had morally no exclusive right to the ground, it had ever since been used by the Militia, though, as a matter of fact, they only occupied it for a very few days in the year. He believed that the Honourable Artillery Company only existed during Her Majesty's pleasure. If it terminated, the lands and buildings which it held would revert to the Corporation and the Court of Lieutenancy. He should greatly regret the disappearance of so old a corps; but the question would necessarily arise, if it obstructed the public interests and interfered with the strength and efficiency of the Volunteers. The second objection which he thought might perhaps be brought against his Motion—namely, that this was not a case for the interference of Parliament or of the Government, he had already partly answered by showing that he was only asking for the Volunteers that which Parliament had already granted to the Militia. Moreover, the House would recollect that in the Military Forces Bill passed last year the Secretary of State for War was authorized to raise a sum of £50,000 to provide a metropolitan drill ground. That, therefore, was a matter which concerned, not merely the City Volunteers, but the country generally. It was obviously the duty of Government to take care that existing grounds were fully occupied before they spent large sums of money in providing new ones. It might be said that if the case was so clear, why did not the Volunteers assert their rights to use the Artillery Ground? But to establish a legal right would be a very tedious and costly affair. There were, moreover, certain technical differences between the constitution of the old Trained Bands and the Volunteers which would, of course, be urged against the claim; though he thought no one could deny that the Volunteers, as the armed force of the City, did in truth and in substance represent the old Trained Bands. He hoped that Parliament and Her Ma- 814 jesty's Government would assent to his Motion. He asked that in the name of the Volunteers; but it seemed to him to be desirable in the interests of the Honourable Artillery Company also; for he must say it was a grave scandal that the Volunteers should be compelled to march to a distance for a drill-ground, and that the public should be put to a considerable expense, when there was in the heart of the City a piece of ground in every way suitable, which had been and was now set aside by the City authorities especially for that purpose, and which, as he had conclusively shown, was not and could not be fully occupied by the Honourable Artillery Company. The hon. Baronet concluded by moving the Resolution of which he had given Notice.

§ MR. MELLY
seconded the Resolution.

COLONEL LOYD LINDSAY
said, he rose, after the speech of the hon. Baronet the Member for Maidstone, because he thought that by making a short statement and reading two or three short paragraphs, he might render further discussion unnecessary and save the time of the House. The object which the hon. Baronet wished to accomplish was a very proper one. It was to provide exercising ground for the City Volunteers, who were without any such convenience. The West End Volunteers had nothing to complain of in that respect. They had the Parks, which were within easy distance, and they had open spaces on which to parade, accorded to them by public bodies and private persons, if one could use such a term when speaking of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who allowed a regiment to drill in his grounds at Lambeth. The City Volunteers were not so fortunate. They had to parade in the streets—amid a crowd of passengers and among carts and carriages. The hon. Baronet had told the House that the Artillery Company were in possession of a very good drill-ground in Finsbury; but he had not told the House that this ground was as indisputably the right and property 815 of the Company as any house or property could be. The Honourable Artillery Company had held from time immemorial about eight acres of ground behind Finsbury Square, in the City of London. Half was held—with considerable house property adjoining—under a renewable lease from the Corporation of the City of London, the other half was held for the residue of a 99 years' lease from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. For these leases the Company had paid considerable sums. In both leases was reserved the right of the Militia to use the ground on four days in the week during the four weeks they were usually called out; but, subject to that, the ground, and the right of using it, belonged exclusively to the Artillery Company. In addition to the rental received from the Company's houses, the members contributed yearly subscriptions for maintaining the body without any cost to the public or contribution. In that state of the case it was suggested on the part of the Volunteers that they had the same rights as the Militia over the ground of the Artillery Company. The latter denied that there was any foundation for any such claim, and they were confirmed in that denial by the opinion of the Attorney General and of Mr. Bowen, to whom were submitted the titles under which the Company held the ground in question. The Artillery Company, recognizing the disadvantages which the City Volunteers were placed under by having no place to parade in save the streets, were willing to ask the trustees of their property to take such steps as might enable them to permit other corps to use the Artillery Ground upon payment of an agreed compensation. Unfortunately, at the very time when that was about to be agreed to, the City Volunteers sent, through their Colonels, the following letter:— London Rifle Volunteer Brigade Headquarters, 17, Finsbury Place South, E.C., Feb. 20. Gentlemen,—We, the undersigned Commanding Officers of the Volunteer Regiments of the City of London, who claim to be the successors of the London Train Bands, have the honour to request that you will appoint a committee to meet us, with a view to arrange for the use of the ground and premises at Finsbury, now occupied by the Honourable Artillery Company, by our various regiments, according to the provisions of the leases in favour of the Train Bands under which the land and premises are held. 816 We have the honour to remain, Gentlemen your obedient servants, ARTHUR D. HAYTER, Lieutenant Colonel commanding 1st City of London Rifle Volunteers. ROBERT P. LAURIE, Lieutenant Colonel commanding 3rd London Rifle Volunteers. C. BAINBRIDGE VICKERS, Lieutenant Colonel commanding City of London Rifles. H. GARNET MAR, Lieutenant Colonel commanding 1st London Engineer Volunteers. Here was a distinct claim made by the City Volunteers, who called themselves the London Trained Bands, to the ground and premises. The Artillery Company, on receipt of this "Stand-and-deliver-up-your-property" document, refused to proceed with the very liberal proposal which he had described. The Volunteers, on this being made known to them, withdrew the letter written by the colonels, but had never withdrawn the claim to the property. It must be evident to the House that so long as this claim was asserted no arrangement could be come to, because it would be as if the Artillery Company were endeavouring to buy off a just claim by making a concession. When two parties claimed the same property, and persisted in their claims, there was only one course open to them, and that was to go before the Law Courts and have their rights decided. He invited the hon. Baronet to proceed in this legitimate manner; but unless the hon. Baronet was very fond of a law suit and its expenses, he would hesitate to do so with the opinion of the Attorney General before him. He had now shown that the Artillery Company had an undoubted right to their parade and drill-ground, and that if there was any dispute about it, the House of Commons was not the proper place wherein to discuss it. If the hon. Baronet would, on the part of the City Volunteers, undertake to withdraw unreservedly all those unsound claims which they had set up, he would endeavour to bring about an amicable arrangement for the advantage and benefit of the City corps; but the Resolution of the hon. Baronet did not facilitate matters, for its terms were quite inadmissible, and he was sure they could not be accepted by the Government.

§ MR. CARDWELL
said, he thought the speech to which the House had just listened presented a fair prospect of a 817 settlement of this question. His hon. and gallant Friend had shown a perfect readiness on the part of the Artillery Company to meet the natural and legitimate wish of the City of London Volunteers to use the drill ground. But, as he understood, this was a question not of policy but of property. His hon. and gallant Friend said that if there were a claim of law it should be pressed in a Court of Law; but, if not, such a claim should be withdrawn, and then the Artillery Company would be perfectly ready to consider whether some satisfactory arrangement might not be made. This being the position taken by the Artillery Company, he appealed to his hon. Friend (Sir John Lubbock) not to persist in a Motion which was really the obstacle to its own success. At all events he, on the part of the Government, could be no party to any invasion of the right of property, or take upon himself to decide any question affecting property.

§ MR. CRAWFORD
also asked his hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone (Sir John Lubbock) to withdraw his Motion. He thought that the offer of the hon. Member for Berkshire (Colonel Loyd Lindsay) was a perfectly fair one, at any rate from his point of view, and he also thought it was to be regretted that this matter had come under the notice of the House, for if the two hon. Gentlemen had met in a room they could have settled it in a short time without any waste of the time of the House.

§ MR. MELLY
said, he thought his hon. Friend (Sir John Lubbock) and the hon. and gallant Member (Colonel Loyd Lindsay) might easily settle the question between them in a manner satisfactory to both sides.

§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK
said, that it was not so easy to deal with the Honourable Artillery Company as his two hon. Friends supposed. It was only after exhausting all other means that the City of London Volunteer Committee requested him to bring the matter before Parliament. He must remind the hon. and gallant Gentleman (Colonel Loyd Lindsay) that, in 1871, the Court of Lieutenancy in a most temperate letter requested that the Volunteers might be allowed the use of this drill ground, but the Artillery Company declined to grant this request. In the following year the Lord Mayor, as chairman of the City of London Volunteer Committee, again 818 requested the Artillery Company to allow the use of the ground when they did not require it, and the request was again declined. It was true the legal claim had been put forward in the letter of the colonels; but while he thought the Volunteers, as the successors of the ancient Trained Bands, had an equitable claim to use this drill ground, he had never advanced any legal claim on their part. It was one thing to deny that the land in question was private property, it was another to assert that the Volunteers had any legal claim. He based his Resolution not on legal rights, but on public policy. However, if the hon. and gallant Gentleman would bring the matter before the Honourable Artillery Company, and if Government would give this matter their consideration, he could not but think that an arrangement would be made which would be satisfactory to all parties. As he had to a great extent obtained his object, he would withdraw his Motion.

CITY OF LONDON VOLUNTEERS. THE ARTILLERY COMPANY'S DRILL GROUND.—RESOLUTION.