HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
‘They represented itas an oppres- 
sive and unnecessary measure, an in- 
fraction of the engagements entered 
into by his majesty’s government 
with the volunteers, and calculated 
to damp the zeal, degrade the im- 
portance, and reduce the numbers 
of that respectable and meritorious 
body of men, against whom, it was 
insinuated, his majesty’s govern- 
ment entertained sentiments of the 
_ most inveterate and rancorous hos- 
tility. It was denied by the minis- 
ters, that there existed on their part 
any disposition to undervalue the 
services of the volunteers, or to des- 
troy their establishment. It was 
not intended by government to su- 
-persede them, but to render them, 
what they were originally intended 
to be, men serving their country at 
their own expence. The training 
Dill, instead of, being calculated to 
injure the volunteers, was an auxi- 
fiary meaeure, which would rather 
tend to support and keep up 
their numbers. No _ engagement 
entered into with the volun. 
teers was violated by the pre- 
sent bill, because no volunteer, nor 
‘any person, who chose to become 
a volunteer at his own expence, was 
Tiable to its operation, 
The training bill was followed 
by an act to suspend the ballot for 
the militia in England for two 
years, with a reserved power to go- 
vernment of recurring to it, in order 
to supply the vacancies of any corps, 
which should happen to’ be reduced 
below its quota. 
The last act brought into parlia- 
Mentin pursuance of Mr. Wind- 
ham’s military plans, was one to 
declare that no officer of any corps 
of yeomanry or volunteers, should 
by reason of his commission in such 
; 3 
63 
corps, take rank above any field 
officer of his majesty’s regular or 
militia forces, which by the acts of 
parliament then in force he was en- 
titled todo. Obvious as was the 
propriety of this regulation, and 
Necessary as it was to amend an 
error, which had arisen at first from 
mere inadvertence, there was some 
opposition to the bill, though no 
division upon it. 
Opposition was also made to the 
militia officers’ bill, which was in- 
troduced on the following occasion. 
An augmentation of pay to the offi. 
cers of the regular army being in the 
contemplation of his majesty’s go- 
vernment,it was judged proper toex- 
tend the same to subalterns in the 
militia, but not to field officers 
of the militia, who, being necessarily 
men of property, were not in 
want of it. But by act of par. 
liament the officers of the militia, 
when embodied, are entitled 
to the sanie pay aud allowances 
as the officers of the line. A 
bill to set. aside this provision, 
as far as it should aifect any in- 
crease of pay to officers and sol- 
diers of the line after the Ist. of 
June 1806, was therefore brought 
into parliament. It was opposed 
with great violence and clamour as 
a death blow to the militia, which, 
it was insinuated, government had 
a mind to sacrifice to the same pas. 
sions, which were to be gratified by 
the destruetion of the volunteer es. 
tablishment. It was answered by 
ministry, that there was no 
reason why the militia and re- 
gular army should be on the same 
footing in regard to pay. There 
were already distinctions between 
the two services sufficiently mark~- 
ed. -The regular officers had half 
pay. 
