Lords Sitting of 20 February 1809

MILITIA ENLISTMENT BILL.
The Earl of Liverpoolmoved the order of the day for the second reading of this bill. His lordship said it was unnecessary for him to take up much of the time of the house on the subject of the present bill. The prin-

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ciple of it had been fully discussed in the course of last session. Whatever difference of opinion might prevail respecting past events, there was one point on which they were all agreed, namely, that it would be necessary to keep up a large efficient force. The regular army at this moment consisted of upwards of 210,000 infantry and 27,000 cavalry. The infantry was disposed in 126 first battalions, averaging 902 men each, and 56 second battalions, of which the average was about 400 men each. The object of the bill on the table was to render these second battalions complete. To carry this into effect, it was deemed expedient to allow a certain proportion of the Militia to enlist into the regular army. This measure was resorted to in the last session, and had been found most effectual.
Viscount Sidmouthbriefly reviewed the effects of the mode of recruiting the army, contained in the Bill before their lordships, since it was first adopted in 1799. At that period it was a measure of imperious necessity. The necessity, fortunately, was not so strong at this moment, though still sufficiently so, he must admit, to justify the present measure. He had many objections to the measure. Its object was to provide for the augmentation of the disposable force at the expence of the Militia. He could not approve of the practice of enlisting men for one species of service, and afterwards seducing them into another. He regretted that ministers had not availed themselves of the popular enthusiasm in favour of Spain to procure recruits for the army. Had they done so, he was persuaded the present measure would have been wholly unnecessary. However, as he heard of no other expedient from any quarter for keeping up the army to that efficient establishment which was universally admitted to be necessary, he would not, for that reason, and the extraordinary emergency of the moment, oppose the bill.
The bill was then read a second time.