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

§ SIR JOHN LUBBOCK
, in rising to move— That it is expedient that Her Majesty's Government should 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 Try the Honourable Artillery Company or the City of London Militia, said, he did so for the purpose of calling attention to the refusal by the Hon. Artillery Company to permit the City of London Volunteers to drill in their Artillery Ground in Finsbury, and trusted that the Government would be prepared to accede to the very modest and reasonable request which he had to make on behalf of the latter body, that they should be permitted to use the ground in question at such times as it was not required by the Artillery Company. The City of London Volunteers numbered 4,500, and the average number attending drill was 1,000. At present, the nearest place they could resort to for the purpose of drilling was Hyde Park, whereas the Artillery Ground was within a quarter of a mile of the Bank of England. The Hon. Artillery Company derived a large revenue for their corps from the land, which was eight acres in extent, beyond what they paid for rent in respect of it. The property, which belonged to the Corporation, was leased by the Lieutenancy to the Company, and the lease contained a provision that the 681 ground should be available for drilling the Trained Bands of the City of London when required for that purpose. It being assumed with considerable show of justice that the City of London Volunteers represented the ancient City Trained Bands, applications had been made at different times by the Lieutenancy, by the Lord Mayor, and by the commanding officers of the Volunteer Corps to the Hon. Artillery Company to permit the Volunteers to drill in the Artillery Ground, but without success. He trusted, therefore, that without in any way interfering with the rights of private property, Her Majesty's Government would use their influence with the Hon. Artillery Company to induce them to accede to this very reasonable request on the part of the City of London Volunteers. His hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Berkshire (Colonel Loyd-Lind-say) told him last year, that if all legal claim was withdrawn, he would use his influence with the Hon. Artillery Company to allow the Volunteers the use of the ground. On that understanding, he withdrew his Motion, and induced the colonels of the Volunteers to write to the Artillery Company, withdrawing their claim as a right, and submitting it on grounds of public policy. But although that letter was stated by the hon. and gallant Gentleman to be perfectly satisfactory, no result followed, and the Hon. Artillery Company had absolutely declined to allow the Volunteers to use the ground, even when they were not themselves using it. If the ground in question was taken up wholly by the Artillery Company, there would be no more to be said; but that body, if ancient, was by no means large, as its full number was 620, of which 240 never attended a drill at all; 140 not more than nine drills in the year, and the whole number of effectives were 150. He was told last year, when he made a similar Motion, that it was a matter of private property; but it was not freehold but leasehold, and as he had said, the right was specially reserved to the Train Bands, and since their time the Militia, to exercise. It was, in fact, public property, and it was therefore quite within the province of Government to try and influence the Hon. Artillery Company to make their splendid exercise ground as useful as possible. The Volunteers did not ask for admittance to 682 the ground as a right, but as a matter of public policy, and in the interest of the nation. The hon. Baronet concluded by moving the Resolution of which he had given Notice.

§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER
said, he must appeal to the hon. Baronet not to press the Motion. He did not know whether the hon. Baronet was present that afternoon when the Prime Minister made an appeal to hon. Gentlemen who had Notices on the Paper to waive them, with a view to enable the House to go on with the Committee on the Church Patronage (Scotland) Bill; but as those Gentlemen had complied with the request, he hoped the hon. Baronet would do so likewise. The hon. Baronet's Notice stood fourth on the list, and if those hon. Gentlemen who had precedence of the hon. Baronet had not been disposed to waive their right, the Motion could not have been brought forward, at all events, until a late period. His right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War, in whose Department this matter lay, did not conceive it probable that he would have been expected to be here to give an answer to the question. Under those circumstances, he appealed to the hon. Baronet, whether it would be fair to the House, or to those hon. Members who had waived their rights, to proceed further with the discussion of this Motion? He would, however, at once admit that he was not prepared to enter into the merits of the case, beyond saying that it was in substance, if not in words, precisely the same as that which had been brought forward last year; it was a question between two private rights, and not one in which the policy of Her Majesty's Government was concerned. He hoped, therefore, the hon. Baronet 683 would rest satisfied with having called public attention to the question.

§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN
said, he must also recommend the hon. Baronet not to press the Motion, though it was only fair to him to say that he was not in the House when the Prime Minister made his appeal. It was from that circumstance that the hon. Baronet was not aware that other hon. Gentlemen had withdrawn their Motions. But there was this difference between this Motion and the others which stood on the Paper, that this Motion was not likely to give rise to a long discussion as the others might have done. He thought, however, his hon. Friend might be very well contented with having called attention to the matter. For his own part, he regretted that the hon. and gallant Gentleman the Member for Berkshire (Colonel Loyd-Lindsay) was not present, because after what that hon. and gallant Member stated last year, he (Mr. Campbell-Bannerman) was surprised that his hon. Friend (Sir John Lubbock) should be under the necessity of bringing the subject again before the House; for it was stated last year, that if certain expressions should be withdrawn on the part of the Volunteers, the Artillery Company would be willing to grant the use of the ground. Then, why had not that arrangement been kept? He thought that the Government might well be called upon to give some assistance in the matter, it appearing to be a reasonable request on the part of the Volunteers.

§ LIEUT-COLONEL HAYTER
contended that the subject embraced in the Motion of the hon. Baronet was one which, sooner or later, would have to be dealt with by the Government. The City Volunteers, indeed, had no hope of getting possession of the ground referred to, unless the Government lent them their assistance. He thought it was a pity that some 3,000 should be sacrificed to about 150.

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