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ment to that purpose; but he was informed by the speaker that it was then too late to introduce an amendment, but that he would have an opportunity on the third reading The bill was ordered to be read a third time the next day, if engrossed. Accordingly, on the of Noverber it was brought up; and the chancellor of the exchequer moved a clause to allow a provision to be . made at the discretion of the magistrates, for the families of those who served under this bill, for the twenty days during which they were called out to be disciplined, After some discussion upon an amendment proposed by Sir William Young which was negatived, that of Mr. Pitt was adopted, which, together with one or two more al terations, were included in a rider, which was annexed to the bill, and the bill. in its a nended state, sent to the lords for their concurrence

As the bill however, after it had passed, as found not capable of being understood, so as to be carried into execution, on the 13th of December Mr. Pitt again moved, "That leave be given to explain and amend the supplementary militia bill." Mr Fox said; that instead of "explain and amend," he should move to have inserted the word "repeal." He conceived the bill to be so objectionable, that he had no difficulty in saying, that it would be wasting the time of the house to enter into a detail upon the subject. He appealed to the house, whether, after what they had heard of what took place in Northamptonshire, and various other places, they were not convinced it was a measure which had excited a general discontent in the country. He concluded with moving the repeal, and was seconded by Mr. M. A. Taylor. General Tarleton said, that the situation of

the country was then very different from what it had been some months before; that the defeats which Le French had received had deconged every plan of invasion. The real Incde of securing the country was to render the people contented, happy and free, instead of harassing them with unnecessary burdens. Sir William Pulteney and sir William Geary spoke in favour of Mr. Pitt's motion; and that of Mr. Fox was negatived without a division. On the 22d of December the report of the amended bill was taken into further consideration by the house, and the different amendments agreed to. Mr. Wilberforce brought up a sinlar clause to that which Mr. Sheridan had proposed in the original bill, namely, that the words “I swear that I am a protestant," should be erased from the form of oaths administered to those who should be balloted to serve in the supplementary militia. This clause was then read and made part of the bill, which was read a third time the following day.

On the 1st of November the chancellor of the exchequer rose, for the purpose of suggesting, before the order of the day for going into a committee on the cavalry bill was read, that it might be convenient to discuss separately the two questions that arose on this bill, namely, on the raising of the cavalry in general, and on the clause for embodying the game-keepers. Though he had by no means relinquished either of those objects, yet, as they might be opposed, and as they were not in their essence necessarily connected, it might possibly answer the purpose of convenience to divide them. Therefore, after the order of the day for the recommitment had been read, he moved, "That it be an instruction

to

to the committee to divide the consideration of the bill into two separate parts, if they should think proper. The cavalry bill then passed though the committee. The chancellor of the exchequer said, that it having been the sense of the committee, that that part of the bill relating to gamekeepers should be formed into a separate bill, he should then move for leave to bring it in, and he hoped there would be no ob jection to its being read a first and second time, and committed the next day. Leave was given to prepare and bring in the same.

On the 3d of November, when the report of the cavalry bill was brought up and the first part of it read, general Tarleton said, that he was decidedly against the measure. He entered into an historical detail of the conduct of our ancestors upon similar occasions, and compared their measures with those which were now intended. He noticed the preparations which were made when the nation was menaced in the years 1688, 1715, 1718, 1743, 1756, and 1759. He desired the house to look to the situation of the country in 1796. At the present moment there were 100,000 men in arms well affected to their country, and a navy equal to our utmost naval strength at any period in the annals of England. He gave his opinion respecting the danger of invasion; there were three points on the coast of France from whence a descent might be made; from Dunkirk to Brest there was no opportunity of collecting troops, and the coast was unfavourable. From Brest to the western coasts, the situation was advantageous for a descent upon Ireland, or an expedition against our possessions in the West Indies, but was not calculated for an invasion of England. From Dunkirk to the Texel there were

great conveniences for the collecting and embarkation of troops, especially since Holland had become the ally of France; but, instead of pouring troops into this quarter, the troops in Holland formerly under Bournonville, had been detached to reinforce their different armies, so that any apprehension of invasion, from a proper consideration of the circumstances, would be in a great measure done away.

Mr. Fox urged the same arguments against the cavalry bill as he had done against the supplementary militia bill. He contended, that ministers might expend millions after millions in preparing against threats which were never intended to be executed; and should the enemy discover this to be their disposition, they might complete our ruin without much danger or expense to themselves. Mr Sheridan joined with Mr. Fox in the same train of argument which had been made use of before. They were opposed on the ministerial side by Mr. Ryder and Mr. Wilberforce, who contended for the necessity of the mea

sure.

The house divided on the question,

Ayes (for receiving the report) 104 Noes (against it) ... 30

The report and amendments being agreed to, the bill was ordered to be read a third time the next day. On the 4th of November Mr. Biddulph proposed a rider to be added to the bill; but this clause was negaived, and one proposed by the chancellor of the exchequer was adopted. The bill was then passed.

The gamekeepers' bill, which at first was a part of the cavalry bill, was brought into the commons by Mr. Pitt on the gd of November, and went, in substance, to enable his majesty to require the personal service of 15,000 men, of

the

the description therein mentioned. Mr. Sheridan objected wholly to the principle of the bill, as being one totally unknown to the constitution of the country, and of the most dangerous tendency. It was ordered to be printed and read a second time the next day. But on the 2d of December, the chancellor of the exchequer said he did not mean to trouble the house further with this bill at present; and it was therefore postponed for six months. The army and navy augmentation bill, another branch of the minister's plan, was taken into consideration by a committee of the whole house on the 3d of November, and was afterwards divided into two bills. It was proposed in them, among other things, that the number of men to be raised should be for the navy 6,000, for the army 9,000. On the next day, when the report was brought up, some clauses were proposed by the lord advocate of Scotland. Mr. Fraser said, he wished that some principle of proportion should be adopted, that the burden might fall fairly upon the respective counties. The quotas bore no proportion to the land-tax and the population of the counties. Sir John Sinclair had made statistical accounts of nine-tenths of the parishes of Scotland; and from those it appeared, that the general population of that kingdom had increased 300,000. He wished a clause to be introduced relative to the Highlanders, a brave, hardy, and serviceable race, who were much attached to their chiefs, and would therefore be much hurt in being forced to serve under other commanders; hence he wished a provision might be made for permitting them to serve under their particular chieftains. The lord advocate of Scotland thought it would be almost

impossible to make a legislative pro. vision to that purpose, but was assured that his majesty's servants would grant every possible indulgence.

The bill was then read a third time and passed, and then ordered to be carried to the lords by the secretary at war.

On the 13th of December, the chancellor of the exchequer moved for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the cavalry act; leave was given, and the bill brought in accordingly.

These bills for augmenting the internal force of the kingdom were respectively carried up to the house of lords, where the discussions upon them were neither long nor interesting.

On the 2d of November, the supplementary militia bill was brought from the commons and read a first time; and on the 8th of the same month it was read a third time and passed, and a message was sent to the commons to acquaint them therewith. On the same day the cavalry bill was read a second time, and the bill for raising a certain number of men for the service of the army and navy of England, and the bill for raising men for the like service in Scotland, went through a committee of the whole house, lord Walsingham in the chair.

The upper house made some amendments in the supplementary militia bill, which were agreed to by the commons on the 29th of December.

On the 30th of December the royal assent was given by commission to the county quota, a provisional cavalry, and militia augmentation explanatory bills. Near the end of the session a bill was introduced for allowing Roman catholics, and protestant dissenters, to

serve as officers in the supplementary militia, but was thrown out by the house of lords upon the second reading, on the 11th of July.

On that day lord Kenyon rose and wished their lordships not to pass a bill which tended in a great measure to alter the common laws of the land, and trench upon the test act he moved, that the bill should be read that day three months.

The bishop of Rochester contended for the motion, and ex pressed his surprize that a bill should be introduced during the dog days which affected the bulwarks of the constitution, and which the experience of above one hundred years

had proved to be serviceable to guard against the designs of the various sectaries and dissenters from the established church of England.

The duke of Norfolk spoke in favour of the bill; but, upon a division of the house, it was rejected by 23 against o.

On the 2d of June a bill was introduced into the house of commons by Mr. secretary Dundas, for raising and embodying a militia in Scotland, which was soon afterwards passed into a law; a law which was found afterwards by the magistrates to be exceedingly obnoxious to the people of Scotland, and which they were compelled to enforce by the musket and bayonet.

CHA P. II.

The Financial Proceedings of the Session! Army and Navy Estimates. Debates upon these subjects. Sums voted. Extraordinaries of the Army. The first Budget. Supplies, and Ways and Means. LOYALTY LOAN. The Sums for which Interest was to be provided. New Taxes. Money sent to the Emperor. Debates upon that Subject. Declared to be unconstitutional when sent without the Consent of Parliament. The Members for the City of London instructed by their Constituents to oppose the Minister upon this Subject. A Vote of Censure proposed and negatived. Account of the second Budget. Supplies, and Ways and Means, according to the two Budgets, for the Year 1797. Terms of the second Loan of Eighteen Millions. Summary of the new Taxes. Debates upon the second Budget. Substitutes for some proposed Taxes. Sums proposed to be sent to Ireland and to the Emperor. Debates upon that Subject. The House informed that no further Sums were to be sent to the Emperor on account of the preliminaries of Peace, &c. Loan Bi' read a second Time in the House of Lords. Portion given with the Princess Royal. Relief proposed to the Subscribers to the LOYALTY LOAN. Navy and Exchequer Bills. India Budget.

fence of the nation, the subject which of necessity next occupied the attention of ministers was the raising of the supplies.

On the 21st of October, 1796, the army estimates were, upon the

ferred to the house of commons in a committee of supply. The honourable secretary observed, that the papers on the table contained all that was necessary to enable the committee to judge of the army

expenses

expenses for this year. He observed, that as it would be recollected that a diminution in the number of troops on the establishment had taken place last year, from which a saving of 800,000l. arose, it would not be expected that any considerable diminution would take place in the amount of the present estimates.

The whole force of this country, consisting of the common distribution of guards and garrisons, and colonies and plantations, amounted to 95,67 men, the expense of which would amount to 5,190,000, so that it would appear that the expense of this year would not exceed that of the last, but, on the contrary, would fall short of it by the sum of 10,4267. The home army, and the army abroad, were to be understood by the general division of guards and garrisons, colonies and plantations. The army at home amounted to 60,765 men, from which arose an excess, above last year, of, 1.545 men. The army abroad, excepting those in the East Indies, which came under a separate description, amounted to 4,276 men; of course there was a diminution of about 13,641 men on this head since last year, which upon the whole force was but a trifling diminution. There was a small augmentation of the invalids, from the circumstance of calling upon, and drafting the out-pensioners who were capable of serving. He then proceeded to move his first resolution "That there be employed for the land service of this year the number of 195,000 men."

General Tarleton said, he had expected that the honourable secretary at war would have gone more into detail. Last year the troops. in pay amounted to 119,000. The expenses of the present year were

stated for these troops a 5 millions and upwards. Considering the disproportion between these statements, a house of commons aught to be watchful over the acts of ministers, but especially a new parliament. He should add the result of the articles omitted, amounting to 580.000l. to the sum of the estimates of this year, arising from the articles on the table. He was happy to find, that, at a period when fears of an invasion were entertained we had such a force as 60,000 men at home, and that the army in the colonies amounted to so large a body. He thought the article of 360,000l. stated as the charge for the recruiting service, was superfluous, when ministers, upon the alarm of invasion which they held out, were to abandon the old mode of raising men by beat of drum, and to have recourse to the mode of requisition for the troops which were to be raised. He spoke of the militia with the highest respect, but thought that the custom which had been adopted by the officers of each corps employing a man as their servant, and engaging of batmen in menial capacities, were obstructions to his majesty's service, and ought to be abolished. He contended, that if the extraordinaries, such as barracks, &c. were added, the whole expense of the army this year would not fall short of that of last year, which amounted to as much as the whole revenue of this country did in the year previous to the war. This was a fact which ought to be attended to, especially by a new parliament. If the army cost so much, how were the other expenses to be paid. With these facts before them, surely the representatives of the people ought to abandon the idea of raising such an additional force as 103,000 men, with

not

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