§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH rose to recall the attention of the noble Baron at the head of the War Department to a subject upon which he offered some observations a few days ago,—namely, as to the number of militia who would be embodied under the Vote passed by the House of Commons granting £200,000 for the purpose. He understood the number to be embodied was about 10,000. He wished to remind the noble Baron that about thirty battalions of the army were now transferred to the East India Company, who have to maintain them, and the expense of their pay for six months would be £450,000. Four additional regiments of cavalry were transferred to the charge of the East India Company, and he believed their pay for six months would amount to about £39,000. From 2,000 to 3,000 artillery were to be sent, and their pay for six months would amount to £32,000. It was said that some sappers and miners were to be sent, and he believed their pay would be £8,000 during the same time. Therefore, the revenues of this country would be charged £529,000 less than had been anticipated. They were at once relieved of the charge for 30,000 men, and the charge for the recruits who were to fill their places would come gradually upon the public revenue. He thought that the total charge, allowing 1,000 to be recruited every week in the next six months, would be under £30,000, 2005 and there would then remain a balance of £230,000 in favour of the Imperial Exchequer, applicable, under the clause in the Appropriation Act, to which the attention of their Lordships was called the other day to any military purpose. The noble Baron would have the power, not only of embodying 10,000 militia, but about 11,000 or 12,000 more could be paid for by the surplus under the different heads of charge which he had pointed out, and he ventured to express a fervent hope that the noble Lord would employ that sum in the manner he had indicated.
§ LORD PANMUREsaid, the noble Earl had shown, with his usual lucidity, and correctly described, not merely the position of affairs, but the course which the Government intended to pursue. Under the Vote of £200,000, 10,000 or 12,000 militia would be embodied, and whatever balance remained in their hand disposable, whether £200,000 or £300,000, it would be applied to the exigencies of the service, either in embodying more militia or in sending out more recruiting parties for the army. He was happy to say that during the last three weeks upwards of 1,500 men had been recruited, and, as the winter approached, they would speedily be able to fill up the void occasioned by the draughts to India.