HISTORY 
Yiolated ; fiot only’on the last elec- 
tion, but on former occasions. The 
eutrages, committed at the last, 
were -of such peculiar atrocity, as 
to call for a special report from the 
committee. The object of this 
bill, however, was neither to dis- 
franchise, nor to punish; but to 
preserve the peace of that town, in 
future elections, by giving the ma- 
gistrates of the county a concurrent 
jurisdiction with those of the city of 
Nottingham. 
_ Mr. Pierrepoint stated, that he 
was in the town of Nottingham, 
during the election; and thought 
the present bill absolutely neces- 
sary ; it was impossible. to describe 
the confusion and riot, which daily 
interrupted the election; and which 
‘was owing, in a great measure, to 
the negligence of the magistrates. 
Mr. Fox did not oppose the 
bringing in the bill, but felt him- 
‘self convinced, from the most at- 
tentive examination of the minutes, 
that Mr. Davison, the mayor, was 
not guilty of negligence; he had 
done eyery thing in his power to 
preserve the peace, except calling 
in the military, and surrounding the 
booth, with armed men. This was 
what, he believed, the magistrates 
‘of the county would be as incapa- 
ble of proposing, as those of the 
town. He hoped this country 
would never witness such an elec- 
tion as had been described, by a 
naval officer, (Sir Sidney Smith) 
to have taken place, at Brussels, in 
a hollow square, of the French 
army. He did not deny, however, 
that a remedy might be necessary, 
and, as a remedial measure, he 
‘Should not oppose it. 
Mr. Bond stated, some shame- 
ful outrages, which had come to 
OFT EUROPE. 
101 
his knowledge; and, after some 
conversation, leave was given to 
bringin the bill; and it was order- 
ed, that.a:new writ should not be 
issued, sooner than three weeks. 
Previously to the second reading 
of the bill, 
Mr. Fox presented a petition 
against it, from the mayor and cor- 
poration of Nottingham, who stat- 
ed, that such a biJl would be a vir- 
tual censure upon, and degradation 
of, the corporation, without any 
imputatien of delinquency: and a 
violation, in the persons of the ma- 
gistrates, of those rights and privi- 
leges, which Nottingham had now 
enjoyed for nearly 400 years. ‘This 
petition was ordered to lie upon the 
table, till the second reading of the 
bill, 
The next daya debate took place, 
upon the report of the comnuittee, 
upon the Irish militia bill, 
Mr. Windham rose, to pxotest 
against the mischief, with which it 
appeased to him, that the present 
measure was fraught: he avowed, 
candidly, that he was not a friend 
to the militia system: he had a sort 
of prepossession for it in his early 
years; but he had none at present. 
He gave every credit to the patriot- 
ism of the militia officers, and the 
courage of the soldiers; but, from 
want of experience in real danger, 
he thought the militia would always 
be inferior to troops of the line. 
Even the bravery of the militia, 
might operate as a mischief, when 
not regulated by that prudence and 
discretion, which is only to be got 
by experience; he thought, it was 
highly dangerous, to rely upon 
them for the defence of the empire ; 
and that they never could be equal 
to regular troops, He said, the 
HS constitutien 
