HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



HI 



moved, February the 20th, by the 

 Earl of Liverpool ; who stated, 

 that the regular army, at this mo- 

 ment consisted of upwards of 

 210,000 infantry, and 27,000 ca- 

 valry. The infantry was disposed 

 in 126 first battalions averaging 

 902 men each, and 56 battalions 

 of which the average was about 

 400 men each. The object of 

 the bill on the table was, to ren- 

 der these second battalions com- 

 plete. To carry this into effect, 

 it was deemed expedient to allow 

 a certain proportion of the militia 

 to enlist in the regular army. 

 This measure was resorted to in 

 the last session, and had been 

 found most effectual. 



The Viscount Sidmouth could 

 not approve of the practice of en- 

 listing men for one species of ser- 

 vice, and afterwards sending them 

 into another. He regretted that 

 ministers had not availed them- 

 selves of the popular enthusiasm 

 in favour of Spain to procure re- 

 cruits for the army. Had they 

 done so, he was persuaded the 

 present measure would have been 

 wholly unnecessary. However, 

 as he heard of no other expedient 

 from any other quarter for keiep- 

 ing up the army to that efficient 

 establishment which was univer- 

 sally admitted to be necessary, he 

 would not, for that reason, and 

 the extraordinary emergency of 

 the moment, oppose the bill. — The 

 bill was then read a second time', 

 and afterwards finally passed. 



House of Commons, March the 

 15th. Lord Castlereagh, pur- 

 suant to notice, moved for leave 

 to bring in a bill to complete to 

 its full number the militia of Great 

 Britain. The object of the bill 

 wa«, to replace the number of mi- 



litia men, rendered defective by 

 the operation of the bill of last 

 session, for allowing the soldiers 

 of the militia to volunteer into the 

 line. The number already so 

 transferred was about 23,000, and 

 what he proposed, was, to raise in 

 their place a number of men equal 

 to one half of the whole quota for 

 the country, namely, 24,000 men, 

 within twelve months, from an 

 early day to be moved in the bill. 

 Eight months to be allowed for 

 raising the men by bounties of 

 ten guineas per man, to be paid 

 by the public ; but at the end of 

 that time, if the whole should not 

 be raised, then, a ballot to take 

 place in the usual way for raising 

 the remainder, with an allowance 

 to each ballotted man of ten gui- 

 neas towards the bounty of a sub- 

 stitute, if he should not wish to 

 serve in person. At the same 

 time, a privilege was to be allowed 

 to his majesty, in case of any me- 

 nace of danger to the country, to 

 direct that the ballot might pro- 

 ceed without delay. — After some 

 conversation, leave was given to 

 bring in the bill ; which was read 

 the first time, and a day appointed 

 for the second reading. 



House of Commons, March the 

 24th. Upon Lord Castlereagh's 

 moving the order of the day, for 

 the second reading of this bill. 

 Lord A. Hamilton, after arguing 

 against the measure on the same 

 ground with the preceding speak- 

 ers on the same side of the ques- 

 tion, moved, as an amendment, 

 that the second reading of the bill 

 should be postponed to that day 

 six months. Mr. Giles observed, 

 that the noble mover proposed to 

 raise men first by ballot, and then 

 by bounty. But how did that 



scheme 



