HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



113 



clause ; the object of which was, 

 to prevent the peers of the realm 

 from claiming exemption from the 

 bill — For it, 1 ; Against it, 37. 



On the question for the third 

 reading of this bill in the house 

 of commons, May '2, Sir T. Turton 

 said, that he could not suffer it 

 finally to pass through the house, 

 without giving it his reprehension. 

 He could not consent to keep up 

 a much larger standing army 

 than the necessity of the times 

 required. There was no imme- 

 diate danger of invasion ; and as 

 to coping with France by land, 

 we should not attempt it. The 

 annual expense of our military 

 force was now prodigious, amount- 

 ing to nearly 25 millions, while 

 we had in arms near 700,000 

 men. He saw no reason for 

 such a vast expenditure of money, 

 or for tearing so many men from 

 their ordinary avocations. — Mr. 

 Wilberforce thought those general 

 declarations against standing ar- 

 mies very dangerous in the present 

 times: experience had abundantly 

 proved that it was only by regular 

 armies well supplied, that regular 

 armies were to be effectually re- 

 sisted. As to the conduct of 

 ministers with respect to Spain 

 and Portugal, he thought they 

 were rather too forward than too 

 backward in the assistance they 

 gave. This was an error, how- 

 ever, on the right side, and 

 agreeable to the general feeling of 

 the nation. — Mr. Hawkins Browne 

 was of the same opinion with Mr. 

 W. Invasion was not impossible ; 

 nor the deliverance of Europe, or 

 any part of itabsolutely hopeless. — 

 Mr. Windham spoke in support of 

 those military opinions which he 

 had so often expressed in that 



Vol. LI. 



house. He could not allow that 

 the local militia was worth the 

 money it cost, or that it would 

 be in any way better than the 

 training bill. There were always 

 men enough in the country, and 

 it appeared to him, that if without 

 going to the expense of drilling 

 or training them, they were simply 

 to be enrolled and incorporated 

 with the army ; they would be of 

 more use than when locked up in 

 corps under militia officers. — The 

 Chancellor of the Exchequer said, 

 the bill hsd already been so fully 

 and frequently discussed, that even 

 tiie rich and fenile mind of Mr. 

 Windham had not been able, that 

 night, to advance any thin^ new on 

 the subject. The house divided. — 

 For the third reading of the bill, 

 57 ; Against it, 8. The bill was. 

 then read a third time, and passed. 

 House of Lords, May 9.— On 

 the order of the day being read 

 for the second reading of the 

 tnilitia completion bill, the earl of 

 Liverpool rose to explain its na- 

 ture. On account of the late 

 volunteering of the militia into a 

 more regular and disposable force, 

 the regiments had been considera- 

 bly diminished in their numbers. 

 In the regular course this de- 

 ficiency would have been sup- 

 plied by ballot in the different 

 counties ; but as that mode, in the 

 present times, might be considered 

 as rather hard upon that class on 

 whom the ballot would imme- 

 diately fall, it had been thought 

 advisable, by the present bill, to 

 enable each regiment of militia to 

 supply its deficiencies by enlist- 

 ment for a limited time. If after 

 that period it should turn out that 

 this mode had not been success- 

 ful, it would be then necessary to 

 I recur 



