THE DUKE OF BUCCLEUCHsaid, he wished to call the attention of the noble Lord the Minister of War to the want of barracks for the militia in Scotland. He could trace many of the offences which were committed by the men to the peculiar position in which they were placed, and which rendered it impossible to enforce discipline among them. By the Scottish law, regiments were only to be quartered in certain ancient market towns and boroughs, where some of them had now remained for several months. He particularly observed that this inconvenience had been severely felt at Dalkeith. He had applied to have the regiment removed to barracks, and had suggested that some method of hutting them might be adopted, but nothing was done; and this system of billeting in private houses, and the crowding and indecency which it caused, were felt to be an intolerable grievance. He wished to know whether any better arrangements were about to be made for providing accommodation for the militia in Scotland?
§ LORD PANMUREsaid, he quite admitted the existence of the evil, but was afraid it could not so easily be remedied. The large numbers of militia who had been called into existence in Scotland were far beyond what the barracks in that country could provide accommodation for. He had endeavoured to supply the want as far as possible; but, with hutting works of a very extensive character going on in England and Ireland now, he had not been able to do so to the extent he wished. As fast as he could remedy the evil he would endeavour to do so; but it would be some time before it was possible to remove from billetings one-half of the regiments which were in that country; and it must be regarded as one of the hardships that were incidental to a state of war.