HISTORY OF EUROPE 
sducht their situations, but were 
called to them by his majesty, on 
the recommendation of him who 
was at the head of the last admini- 
nistration. Nor had they ever ex 
erienced a want of confidence, on 
the part of the nation. He was 
glad, however, to learn, that this 
supposed want of confidence, was 
the only ground of his lordship’s 
fears for the safety of the country. 
The lord chancellor complained 
of the irregular turn the debate had 
taken. ‘The question was about the 
prince’s annuity, and the arguments 
about the general merits of the admi- 
nistration! He confessed, that the si- 
-tuation he held, had always been 
his highest ambition; he knew 
‘that he had done his duty, and 
while he was sensible that he had 
the approbation of his king and 
country, he troubled himself but 
little about the sentiments of his 
Jordship.. The bill was read a se- 
‘cond and a third time, without fur- 
ther opposition, and finally passed, 
On the same day, there was a 
long conversation in the house of 
commons, upon a resolution, mov- 
ed in the committee, upon the Irish 
amilitia bill. 
Mr. Wickham proposed a reso- 
dution, authorising the lords of the 
‘treasury, in Ireland, to give boun- 
ties, not exceeding four guineas a 
‘man, to persons enrolling them- 
selves in the militia of Ireland; at 
present, they being only allowed ta 
‘give two, 
Mr. Elliot wished, that the mi- 
litia, in Ireland, as yall as in Eng- 
Jand, were raised in the constitu- 
tional way of ballot, rather than 
by bounties; as it must interfere 
yery much with the recruiting for 
99 
the ‘regulars, to give men bounties 
for staying at home, 
Mr, Wickham replied, that in 
Ireland, it had been Somes almost 
impossible to enforce the system of 
ballotting; it was therefore neces- 
sary to have recourse to bounties, 
otherwise there would be no militia 
in Ireland. 
The secretary at war (Mr. Yorke) 
observed, that the hon. gentleman, 
(Mr, Elliot) from the official situa~ 
tion he had held in Ireland, must 
know, that bounties were the most 
effectual means of raising a militia, 
in that country, where they were 
unaccustomed to the ballot. The 
Irish militia had displayed great 
spirit and energy, during the war, 
and most of them made general of- 
fers of service, for any part of the 
gldbe; there should, therefore, be 
no objection now to raise this force, 
in the only manner that it could be 
done. 
Sir Lawrence Parsons took no- 
tice of the difference of the consti- 
tution of the army in England and 
Ireland ; in the latter country, 
where most of the recruits are of 
the catholic persuasion, the ca- 
tholics in the army, are allowed 
the free exercise of their religion, 
which is not the case in this coun- | 
try. He had the hunor of being a 
governor of a county in Ireland, 
and, at a meeting of the deputy go- 
yernors, it was unanimously agreed, 
that recruiting by bounties, and 
not by ballot, was the only effec- 
tual mode, for that country. 
Colonel Fitzgerald confirmed 
the statement, that the system of 
ballotting was not practicable in 
Ireland, where the people are not 
ysed to it; and that the price of the 
H2 substitutes 
