§ LORD WAVENEYasked the Under Secretary of State for War, Whether the rule for embodiment of brigades of Militia Artillery is analogous to that adopted in regard of regiments of Militia Infantry, by retaining them in their respective districts on withdrawal of the Royal Artillery; and whether they might in the meantime be employed supplementally in arming the respective works and forts to which under the scheme of localization they were attached?
§ VISCOUNT BURY,in reply, said, that in the event of the Regular troops going on foreign service, they would, in many instances, be replaced at home by the Militia. The brigades of Militia Artillery would be treated on the same principle as brigades of Militia Infantry; but the noble Lord was under a misapprehension in supposing that the Militia Infantry would necessarily remain in the dis- 1062 tricts to which they belonged—they would be used to replace the garrisons of towns from which the Regular regiments were withdrawn, and the Militia Artillery would be sent to man the fortresses where necessary. The localization scheme would not apply to cases of invasion. As to the employment for the Militia Artillery suggested in the Question of his noble Friend, it was to be borne in mind that the Militia Artillery were only out for a short time, and that a large number of them were young soldiers who were engaged in learning other portions of their duty than those which had to be discharged on these works and forts. If the noble Lord wished to have his regiment of Militia employed in the manner he suggested, the course for him would be to apply to the General of the district.