had been stated by the noble Marquis, refpecting the Irish militia being enlifted for the limited fervice of their own country, was true; and with relpect to the noble Duke's idea of coming manfully forward, with a legiflative provifion on the fubject, it might be manly and courageous, but certainly, under the circumftances of the cafe, it would be dangerous. He was adverfe to the experiment of legiflating for men fo circumftanced as were the troops in question, with arms in their hands. At the fame time no man could more earnestly with for a reciprocity of the militia fervice than himself, and he had always held out the idea as tending to confolidate the military force of the united kingdom, and render it the more fecure: but under the circumstances of the cafe, this could not be effected, as far as the Irish militia was concerned, by legislative provifions in the first instance.

Lord Grenville was folicitous to contribute his fhare of applaufe to the ardent zeal and patriotifm of thofe troops who had fo laudably come forward, and he agreed with the noble Marquis in what he had ftated as the probable refult of the union between the two countries. It was the object of that great measure to identify the interefts of Great Britain and Ireland, and to promote the happiness and fecurity of both; to bring them not only under one Legislature, and fyftem of laws, but that the fpirit of Government in both countries fhould be precifely the fame. As far as thefe principles were acted upon, fo far were the ob jects of the union attained. He was aware of the terms upon which the Irish militia were raised-not by means of ballot, as in this country, but by means of bounty, on enlifting the men. It would certainly have been preferable that the defired arrangement had been the refult of legislative provifions, and not, as in the prefent inftance, proceeding from the voluntaay offers of the corps themfelves. At the time the bill by which the Irish militia were raised was under difcuffion, it was earnestly recommended to Ministers, that the militia fo raised by bounty, thould be enlifted for the fervice of the united kingdom. That advice was then rejected, and in confequence, they were placed in the prefent predicament. His Lordship faid, it was by no means his intenion to oppofe the motion.

Lord Hobart highly commended the fpirited and patriotic offer of the Iith militia; fuch, he was fenfible, would always be the condua of the people of that country, when not mifled by the intrigues of their enemies. The queflion was not now whether it would have been better to raife fencible or

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militia regiments in Ireland. As it had been determined to raise a militia, let that force only be raised on the ufual condition of ferving in the country. Since an engagement to that effect had been entered into, it was above all things neceffary that the public faith fhould not be violated. With regard to the advice which the noble Lord'd had been given to his Majefty's Minifters, he declared that for his part he had no recollection of having ever heard of it before.

Lord Darnley was of opinion, that the principle laid down by the noble Lord, that a militia force must be raised on the ufual principle of not ferving out of the country, was applicable to the state of Ireland before the union, but not to its state now. He thought that the militia of both England and Ireland should be liable to ferve in either country. He did not understand how the offer of the Irish militia could be faid to augment the difpofeable force of this country.

Lord Grenville remarked that the meffage did not exprefs what part of the Irish militia had offered to ferve in this country. He hoped that the offers were not made by individuals, but by complete regiments.

Lord Hawkesbury answered, that, as far as his recollection ferved him, the offers came from regiments.

The Marquis of Sligo faid, that the meffage from the Throne did not do entire juftice to the zeal and patriotism of the Irish militia; that though it implied that offers of fervice had been fent from a part, he believed the entire of the militia had offered to volunteer to this country, and was perfuaded they would do fo if they had conceived their fervices would have been accepted; that many or most part of them had made the fame tender during the last war.

The addrefs was then voted nem. dif. and ordered to be prefented to his Majefty in the ufual manner.

The bill for regulating the admiffion into priests' and deacons' orders was read a fecond time, and committed for Friday fe'nnight, Lord Ellenborough obferving, that in the Committee he thould move, that the bill fhould not go to affect the rights of the Archbishop of Canterbury or the Primate of Ireland.

Adjourned to Thursday fe'nnight.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28.

A new writ was ordered for Knaresborough, in the room of James Hare, Efq. deceased.

VOL. II. 1803·4.

Rr

A message

A meffage from the Lords informed the Houfe that their Lordships had agreed to the expiring laws bill, and the fugar warehousing bill.

Mr. Steele prefented an account of the army extraordi naries, from the 25th of December 1802, to the 24th of December 1803, which was ordered to be laid upon the table, and to be printed,

Mr. Alcock, from the Treasury, prefented an account of the fums in the diftribution paper remaining in the Exchequer, and to be raised, which was ordered to lie on the table.

The St. Pancras poor bill was read a third time and paffed,

Mr. Bullock prefented a petition from the land owners, maltfters, &c. of Effex, praying relief with refpect to the duties on malt.. Ordered to lie on the table.

Lord Marsham reported from the Middlesex election Committee, that if leave was given them to adjourn over the Eafter holidays, after having fat eight weeks, it would cause no additional expence to the parties, but might be attended with advantage to them. After bringing up the report he moved, "That the Committee fhould have leave to adjourn to Monday the 9th of April."-Leave given.

IRISH MILITIA FAMILIES' BILL.

Mr. Corry moved the order of the day for the further confideration of the report of the Committee on the Irish militia family provifion bill. This measure had been postponed on account of the abfence of a right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fofter), whom he was happy then to fee in his place.

After feveral other claufes, that claufe was read which contained the amendment made on a former night by Mr. Fofter, relating to the arrears of militiamen, on which

Mr. Fofter begged leave to afk the right hon. Gentleman oppofite (Mr. Corry), if it was his intention to oppose this claufe in the progrefs of the bill?

Mr. Corry having admitted that fuch was his intention, Mr. Fofler ftated, that his object in propofing the amendment was, to put the militiamen of Ireland exactly on the fame footing as they had been previous to the alteration that had been made in that fyftem, in confequence of the union. He wished that they fhould at least be placed on the fame footing as they had been led to expect when enlifted. The alteration that had taken place in the militia fyftem, had

paffed

paffed the Legislature in the month of August, but those men who had enlifted in the month of November, had no opportu nity of knowing this regulation, and had therefore enlifted on terms very different from thofe in which they were after wards placed. He thought Parliament was bound to keep faith with thofe men, and to approach as nearly as poffiblė to the terins on which they fuppofed themfelves to enlift. He had confiderable objections befides from another view of the subject, that not more arrears should be received at a time than a fortnight. Many families of the defcription now in queftion, were at a confiderable distance from the places where fuch arrears were to be paid; and it would be very hard, he conceived, to compel fuch people to travel thirty or forty miles every week or every fortnight, when once in fix weeks or once a quarter might ferve the purpose equally well. While they were known to have this fund at com mand, they could very eafily procure credit for what neceffaries they might want. Should any regulation of the kind be thought advifeable, it would be much better, the right hon. Gentleman thought, to compel officers to pay the arrears every fortnight, if demanded. Against this there certainly could be lefs objection, but to order people to receive fuch fums every fortnight, whatever might be their distance or their neceffity, was a folecifm in common fense which he could not admit to pafs the Houfe without his fincere oppofition.

Mr. Carry thought the great object of the right hon. Gentlemin was acceded to, fo far as the bill had gone, but with regard to the allowances made to the families of militiamen, there ought to be fome difference certainly in the mode of payment, as thofe allowances were now to be made from the Exchequer, instead of being paid by people connected with the respective county or parith as formerly. Such Gentlemen, therefore, as fhould be appointed by the Exchequer, were not to be fuppofed to have in their power to attend fo clofely to the minutiae of this bufinefs as Gentlemen of another defcription; thus it became neceffary that a new regulation should be adopted, more adapted to the new mode of payment, and the new channels from which those payments were derived. His principal reafon, however, he contended, for this mode of difcharging the arrears and other allowances, was, in order to preferve as complete a uniformity as poffible in the militia fystem, which the amendment of the right hon. Gentleman went to destroy. Rr 2

On

On the question being put Mr. Fofter's amendment was negatived without a divifion.

The report was then agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day.

Mr. Hiley Addington brought up the report of the Committee, respecting the difputes between cotton manufacturers and their workmen, which was ordered to be taken into confideration on Monday, the 9th of April, and to be printed.

Mr. Curwen moved for an account of the amount of the port duties in the Isle of Man, upon exports and imports, from theft of January 1798, to the 1st of January 1804, together with all fums paid thereout on account of falaries, &c. and the fupplies remaining. Ordered.

Lord A. Hamilton, after obferving upon the neceffity and propriety which he thought exifted for the Committee on the difference in the duties between English and Scotch barley, deriving every information upon the fubject from Gentlemen from Scotland, moved to add to the Committee the names of Sir John Sinclair, Mr. Kinnaird, and Sir W. Erskine.

Sir R. Buxton would not refift the motion, but wished that an equal number of English Gentlemen might also be added.

After a few words from Mr. Kinnaird, the names of the above Gentlemen were added to the Committee.

Sir R. Buxton was proceeding to propafe four English Members to be added to the Committee, but afterwards withdrew his motion, and gave notice of it for the next day.

LISKEARD ELECTION.

Mr. Sheridan presented a petition from Thomas Sheridan, Efq. complaining of an undue election for the borough of Liskeard. After ftating that he wifhed to propofe that the petition fhould be taken into confideration on the first open day after that fixed for the confideration of the petition of right, he obferved, that he thought it utterly impoffible that the Houfe could fuffer the other petition from Mr. Hufkiffon to be taken into confideration previous to the difcuffion of the petition of right, as it was impoffible to say that the Committee on either petition might not go into the merits, which would interfere with the confideration of the right.

The Speaker obferved that the only queftion which could

then