§ The order of the day having been read for going into a committee on the Militia Completion Bill, lord Castlereagh moved, that the house do now resolve itself into the said Committee.
§ Lord A. Hamiltonrepeated his objections to the bill, on the ground of the pledge which had been given to the country in a former bill, which pledge the adoption of the present bill would forfeit.
Lord Castlereaghreplied, that no such pledge had ever been given. As the best proof of this, he observed that he had introduced into the present bill words precisely similar to those in the bill alluded to by the noble lord, without the least intention that those words should carry with them any thing like a pledge. He should not consider it consistent with his public duty to make a proposition which should so tie up the future discretion of parliament.
92 The house then resolved itself into the committee. A long discussion ensued on the first clause. Mr. Giles and Mr. Windham contended that it was absurd to provide for supplying a deficiency in the Militia to the extent stated in the bill, without the possibility of previously knowing whether or not the volunteering into the line would be so complete as to occasion that deficiency.
§ Lord A. Hamiltonwas by no means satisfied that the different militia regiments would furnish the quotas required from them for the line; without speaking positively as to the fact in general, he knew one regiment which failed in furnishing its quota.
Lord Castlereaghcould see no difficulty in disposing of the supernumeraries in the Militia, even should it turn out, which he did not think it would, that the volunteering into the line would not be so extensive as the present bill anticipated. They might be added to the existing companies, or formed into additional companies.
§ Colonel Woodobserved, that in a regiment which he had the honour to command, the quota to be furnished by the bill would not even supply the deficiencies occasioned by the volunteering, for the latter amounted to 550, while the former did not exceed 531 men.—The clause was eventually agreed to.
§ The next clauses related to the ballot.
Lord Castlereaghdefended the introduction of it in the bill before the committee. He had been induced to extend the period before which the ballot was not to be resorted to, from six to twelve months; but he was completely of opinion, that if in the latter time the number of men required were not furnished by means of recruiting, it would be unwise not to secure them by other means.
§ Mr. Windhamridiculed the expectation that the recruiting could proceed successfully with a small bounty, while the men willing to enlist had in prospect the period when the operation of the ballot would necessarily cause a great augmentation of bounty. The argument of the noble lord was, as if he should say to such men. "Come, come, my lads, make haste, take 12 guineas, for if you don't, you will be very soon compelled to take 40."—(A laugh.)—Nothing could be more unfounded than the hopes that under circumstances like these the recruiting would flourish.
§ Mr. Gilesobjected to this as the worst possible mode of recruiting the army, and by no means to be compared to recruiting by the officers of government.
Lord Castlereaghmaintained the clause as a fundamental part of the present military system of the country which preferred the ballot to recruiting by other means. He contended that the former was the surer mode of raising the men, and confessed he was not daring enough to try the experiment of recruiting recommended by the hon. gent. The experiment for one year was all he durst venture upon.
§ Mr. Gilesexplained. Whether friend to the ballot, or recruiting, he would equally object to the noble lord's plan and take the sense of the house upon the present clause.—The committee then divided,
On re-entering we found sir J. Montgomery proposing that recruits for militia regiments might be raised in the counties adjoining to that to which they belonged; which, after some observations, was agreed to.
For the original clause 52 Against it 2 Majority —40 Another divison took place on the clause for imposing a fine of 20l. per man, on counties failing to furnish their quota of men.
The remaining clauses having been gone through, Mr. Biddulph proposed a new clause: the object of which was to prevent peers of the realm claiming exemption from the operation of the bill. On this clause the committee again divided; when the numbers were,
For it 34 Against it 9 Majority —25 The house having resumed, the Chairman reported progress, when the further consideration was postponed till Thursday next.
For the clause 1 Against it 37 Majority —36