Mr. C. Wynnesaid, that in consequence of something he had heard was mentioned in the house yesterday, he thought it necessary to state, that no communication whatever was made to the volunteers from the executive government since the 1st of Feb. last, and that there existed no disposition whatever to withhold any information that might be desired upon the subject. Every paper that had been ordered, was already before the house; and if the hon. gent. who alluded to this subject yesterday, thought proper to move for others, they would, if forthcoming, be immediately granted. Here the hon. member read the papers relative to the volunteers, which had been written from the Secretary of State's Office since Jan. last; and expressed his readiness to accede to any motion that might be made for their production. The hon. member took notice of the order for regular returns from the several Volunteer corps, with which order the corps under the command of the hon. gent. had not complied; and before the hon. gent. had ventured to charge a public officer with neglect of duty, he ought to have taken care, if not to perform his own public duty, at least to be better informed as to the attention of others to that point.
Mr. Bastarddisclaimed the intention of imputing any neglect to the officer to whom the hon. member alluded; the hon. gent, would be glad to have all the volunteers on the same establishment, and therefore did not object to the proposed change. As to the returns which ought to have been made from the corps under his command, he had to state that although the commander of 5 or 6 battalions, he left altogether the drawing of pay and the making of returns to the commanders of the several battalions, he be- 838 ing himself unable to attend to such things, from his connection with the militia, with whom he generally was out of the county in which the volunteers alluded to were stationed. The hon. gent. concluded with moving for Copies of the Letters addressed by Mr. Smyth, of the Secretary of State's Office, to Mr. Moore, of the War Office, dated Jan. 27, and Feb. 1; and. also of that addressed by earl Spencer to the Secretary at War, in March last.— The two first letters were ordered, and upon the motion being put as to the last,
Mr. Bastardexpressed a hope that the volunteers would know ere long, upon what footing they were to stand, as much confusion resulted from the uncertainty in which they were at present placed. Indeed the evil was such, that he could with difficulty contrive to keep quiet the corps over which he had any influence, until their fate should be known. Perhaps this uneasiness might have arisen from misrepresentation, but certainly the regulations respecting the volunteers ought to be announced with all convenient expedition.
Mr. C. Wynnewas surprised that any such uncertainty should prevail, as the hon. gent. alluded to. For it was already very explicitly declared, that among that great majority of the volunteers, who were on the August allowance, no change whatever had taken place, excepting the reduction of the drill serjeant's pay. And as to those on the June allowances, the intended change was very fully understood. With regard to the other point in the hon. gents'. speech upon the subject of the future regulations of the volunteers, they were of course to act upon the regulations at present existing, until the new regulations were communicated to them. These new regulations were already in a very forward train, and would be sent to the several corps as soon as they could be prepared. Upon the conduct of the hon. gent. or his corps, he meant to make no other remark than was warranted by fact. As to drawing for pay, he could not say that the hon. gents'. sub-commanders had neglected their duty upon that point, nor, indeed, did he ever hear of any volunteer officers who were at all remiss in drawing for pay, but he was enabled to state from papers he held in his hand, that notwithstanding the utmost endeavours on the part of the secretary of state's office, and frequent ex- 839 hortations to the several commandants, to make the regular returns four times a year, no return had been made from the corps under the hon. gents' command, on any of the quarters ending in the months of Aug. Dec. or April last.
§ Mr. Longasked the hon. gen. if he was competent to answer, whether it way meant that if any of the corps upon the August allowance should be reduced it number, they would be at liberty to admit new members, under the same regulations as formerly?
Mr. C. Wynneanswered, certainly, until fresh regulations should be made out.—The motion was then agreed to