HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



115 



For the present establishment of 

 the local militia was, in his mind, 

 so radically wrong, that he had no 

 desire to witness its completion. 

 The bill was then read a second 

 time, and afterwards finally passed. 



House of Commons, March 14. 

 i^Mr. R. Ward moved for leave to 

 bring in the marine mutiny bill. 

 Leave was given, and Mr. Ward 

 broujrht in the bill. On the motion 

 for its being read a first time. 



Sir Charles Pole said, he was 

 glad to have the opportunity which 

 this bill gave him to say a few 

 words on that valuable corps. It 

 was strange to say, that although 

 it now amounted to more than a 

 fourth of the infantry of the line 

 namely 32,000 men, its situation 

 and importance were scarcely 

 known in the house. He would 

 first ask whether it was intended to 

 continue the stoppage of one day's 

 pay for chelsea hospital ? He be- 

 lieved the royal marine artillery to 

 be in a verj-^ neglected state. It 

 had been thought necessary to 

 establish a corps of this nature in 

 1804; and most important it might 

 be if properly attended to. He 

 conceived it ougiit to be augment- 

 ed, and that every squadron of his 

 majesty's ships, on foreign stations, 

 should be furnished with a com- 

 pany of these artillery men and 

 officers. The advantages of sucli 

 a measure to our colonial service 

 must be obvious, whether for de- 

 fensive or offensive operations. He 

 regretted to learn, that this corps of 

 marine artillery was not sufficiently 

 instructed in the use of the field 

 artiller}-, and recommended that a 

 number of young men should be 

 admitted to Woolwich academy. 

 He next adverted to the slow pro- 

 gress of promotion in the marine 



corps. There were officers now 

 serving as captains, who had entered 

 tlie service in the American war. 

 An increase of field officers seemed 

 necessary as an encouragement to 

 that meritorious class of men. 



Mr. ii. ?Farrf, having declared his 

 high opinion of the marine corps in 

 general, said, with respect to the 

 increase of the mere use of 

 tlie marine artillery, that this 

 could not take place without rais- 

 ing the force altogether, and con- 

 verting the marines into a land 

 army. As to the addition of field 

 officers to the marine, it ought to 

 be remembered, that marines on 

 board of ships were not command- 

 ed by field officers ; and as 

 most of them were engaged 

 in that species of service, it 

 was not necessary to have so 

 many field officers. As to the 

 age of some of the captains, as it 

 was a service in which the of- 

 ficers rose by seniority, that could 

 depend only on the length of life 

 of those who preceded them on 

 the list. It had been stated, 

 that in each division of the ma- 

 rines, the senior captains were ap- 

 pointed pay captains, who actually 

 keep the accounts of 2,000 men 

 without any increase of pay, or 

 any kind of remuneration. Mr. 

 Ward was sure that if, for any ex- 

 traordinary labour, any recom- 

 pence could be made to them with- 

 out injury to the service, it would 

 be instantly afforded. The bill 

 was then read a first time. — The 

 house having, on the 16th of 

 March resolved itself into a com- 

 mittee on this bill, Mr. R. Ward 

 rose to make some observations 

 on what had fallen from an ho- 

 nourable baronet (Sir C. Pole) 

 on a former evening, respecting 



I 2 the 



