§ VISCOUNT BURYsaid, it might be desirable for him to make a statement about the Volunteer Review. It would be in their Lordships' recollection that there had been some doubts as to the legality of holding the Review during the elections. Several communications had since been received, stating that very great inconvenience would ensue if this view were held to, and the Law Officers of the Crown were consequently appealed to for their opinion. There was no doubt that the Act of 1847 prohibited soldiers from parading during the time of an election; and there also was no doubt that if Regular troops were with the Volunteers at the Review they would come under the Act which he had mentioned. But it was held that if no Regular troops were to parade with the Volunteers, the latter would not come under the operation of the Act. It had been represented to his right hon. and gallant Friend the Secretary of State for War, that the Volunteers had entered into contracts which they would be unable to perform if a Review were not held, and that general inconvenience would be occasioned. It had therefore been decided that a Review should be held, and that the Volunteer Regulations, which alone stood in the way, should be suspended for that purpose. It would not be necessary to bring any Bill into Parliament on the subject.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEcould not help thinking it was to be regretted that the opinion of Her Majesty's Government on this subject had not been arrived at sooner, because very great disappointment and inconvenience had been occasioned by the delay. Precisely a similar inconvenience arose, he thought, last year in regard to the position of the Army Reserve. He believed the War Office had been advised that the Army Reserve could not legally volunteer in the event of an emergency. Subsequently however, it was found that that step—which would have avoided immense trouble, and particularly the necessity for indiscriminate drafting from other regiments—might have been taken without any departure from the law.