while he knew that it was highly productive to the army. In his opinion it would be wise to allow the whole of the militia to volunteer into the line, and when reduced, in consequence, that the several regiments should be sent to their respective countics, to recruit their complement. Upon moving such complements, he would rather recommend that they should be divided into certain portions, to be trained and kept under arms in rotation, a certain part of the year, instead of the present practice of keeping the whole body under arins throughout the year, which struck him to be quite unnecessary for military purposes, and therefore an useless expence to the country. The honourable baronet hoped that it was not in contemplation to get rid of the ballot-for sure he was that if that mode of raising men were abandoned, the state would at length be reduced to the necessity of having recourse to conscription.

The bill was read a second time, and upon the motion for its committal,

Mr. Yorke rose to ask what was to be understood as the amount of the militia proposed to be permanently kept up? Previous to IS02, that establishment amounted to only 30,000, but in consequence of an act of that year, it was raised to 40,000 for England and Wales, and 8,000 for Scotland. By the repeal of the army of reserve and additional force acts, which repealed the clauses for raising the supplementary militia, these clauses were again come into existence, and any county was liable to be called upon, and fined for neglecting to raise such militia, unless some legislative provisions were adopted to guard against it. This he begged leave to suggest to the consideration of the right honourable secretary: but his principal motive in rising was to ask whether it was intended to reduce the militia to the antient establishment, or to that settled by the act of 1802?

Mr. Windham replied that the reduction was intended to the number settled by the act of 1802. As to the other point, the right honourable secretary had said that care would be taken to make the necessary provisions.

The bill was ordered to be committed on Friday.

MARQUIS WELLESLEY.

The House then went into a committee on the Oude charge, Mr. Hobhouse in the chair, when on the motion

of

of Mr. Paull, Major General St. Leger was called in. The object meant to be gained by his evidence, was the effective force of the 27th dragoons to which he then be longed, in each month, during the time they were employed in the Nabob's service. For this, however, the ge neral referred to the returns made.

His evidence being finished, the chairman reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again on Friday; Mr. Paull having previously declared that the only other evidence beside Sir James Craig, whom he had to examine, was Captain Salmon, if on the production of the account even the re-examination of that witness should be deemed necessary.

On the motion of Mr. Paull, the return of the actual strength of the 27th dragoons, as ordered to be made on the 5th June last, was ordered to be made forthwith.

Mr. Vansittart brought in the Newfoundland fishery bill, which was read a first, and ordered to be read a second time.

Mr. Vansittart presented an account of the sums paid from the civil list unprovided for by Parliament, according to order.

On his motion an humble address was ordered to be presented to his Majesty for a farther list of all such sums still unprovided for.

The others were postponed, and the House adjourned,

』

HOUSE OF LORDS.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26.

In the committee of privileges, evidence was examined respecting the claim of Sir Cecil Bishop to the barony of Zouch. Mr. Adam was heard in behalf of the claimant, and the attorney-general on the part of the Crown. The further consideration of the claim was then postponed to that day fortnight.

Some further discussion took place in the committee of privileges, during which strangers were excluded.

The further hearing of the appeal, Martin v. Macnabb, was postponed till the next day.

The excise regulation bill was read a second time, and committed for the next day.

Simpson's

Simpson's divorce bill passed through a committee, in which the clause for bastardizing the children was on the motion of the lord chancellor, struck out. Report the next day.

The committee on the Irish post roads bill was postponed till the next day.

Lord Viscount Melville adverted to the dispatches recently received from India, announcing events of the greatest importance in their nature and consequences, and to the absence of a noble lord, from whom he wished to derive some information connected with this subject. His object at present was to state to the House, that on Monday next, if the noble lord to whom he had alluded should then be in his place, he should ask a question of that noble lord respecting the ultimate determination of his Majesty's government relative to Sir George Barlow; and if the answer he received was not satisfactory to his mind, he should then give notice of a motion on the subject.

It having been suggested to summon the lords for that day,

The Duke of Norfolk objected that it was unusual to summon their lordships for a notice.

Lord Viscount Melville in explanation said, that he did not mean to give any notice now of a motion, but that it would depend on the answer he received on Monday, whe ther he should then give notice of any motion.

On the third reading of the Temple-bar and Snow-hill lottery bill,

The Duke of Norfolk urged several objections to the bill, which he did not think ought to be viewed in the same fa vourable light as the lotteries of Alderman Boydell and Mr. Bowyer, which were connected with a national object. In this instance the parties had speculated with a view to their own individual interest, and he thought that Parliament ought not to interfere in their favour in the manner proposed. The extension of lottery bills he objected to in general, as tending to encourage gambling.

The Lord Chancellor agreed in the general objection to the extension of lotteries urged by his noble friend, but he did not think that this bill would in any degree tend to en courage a spirit of gambling, where it was most injurious, among the lower classes of the people. He conceived this bill to be connected with a great public object, that of beautifying the metropolis; and after the deterioration which the

parties

parties had experienced in their property, from unavoidable Causes, and the expence they had been put to in carrying the bill to its present stage, he submitted to the noble duke whether it would not be advisable, under the circumstances in which the case stood, that the bill should pass.

The bill was then read a 3d time and passed. Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

THURSDAY, JUNE 26.

A person from the customs presented the accounts order. ed the preceding day, upon the motion of the Lord Advocate of Scotland, relative to the shipping concerned in the trade of the east coast of Scotland, &c. which account was ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.

Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the Irish export and import bill, which was agreed to, and the bill ordered

to be read a third time.

Mr. S. Lefevre presented a petition from certain mer, chants, traders, and fishmongers, and from the inhabitants of Brighton, in favour of the Brighton jetty bill. Ordered to lie on the table.

Mr. Tierney presented a petition from certain butchers and fellmongers, resident within fifteen miles of London, against the flaying bill. Ordered to lie on the table.

The Irish revenue jurisdiction bill was read a second time, and committed for Monday.

The House in a committee went through the Irish distil lery bill, and the report was ordered to be brought up the next day.

The Lord Advocate of Scotland, pursuant to notice, moved that the report of the committee, of July 1803, relative to a light-house at the Bell, off Cape Rock, on the eastern coast of Scotland, should be referred to a committee of the whole House. Ordered, and that the said committee should sit the next day.

Mr. Grenfell presented a petition from the London assurance company, against the Globe insurance incorporation bill. Ordered to be referred to the committee upon the said bill, and that counsel should be heard in support of the said petition.

Mr. Calcraft moved, pursuant to notice, for leave to bring in a bill for granting compensation to the proprietors of certain lands at Chatham, Woolwich, and Warley-com

mon,

mon, upon which, in consequence of an act of the 44th of his Majesty, certain buildings had been erected for the use of the ordnance. Leave given. The bill was accordingly brought in, read a first, and ordered to be read a second time the next day.

Mr. King brought in a bill for amending the post-office acts, with a view to prevent the secret conveyance of letters, to the injury of the post-office revenue. Read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Tuesday.

Mr. Hobhouse brought up the report of the bill for regu lating the office of the receiver-general of the post-office, &c. which was agreed to, and the bill ordered to be read a third time the next day.

Mr. Rose presented a petition from the trustees of the British Museum, praying aid to complete the purchase of Mr. Townley's collection, and to finish the buildings now erecting for the use of that institution.

Lord Henry Petty having communicated his Majesty's consent to this petition, it was ordered to lie on the table.

VOLUNTEERS.

Mr. C. W. Wynne said, that in consequence of something he had heard was mentioned in the House the preceding day, he thought it necessary to state, that no communication whatever was made to the volunteers from the executive government since the 1st of February last, and that there existed no disposition whatever to withhold any information that might be desired upon the subject. Every paper that had been ordered was already before the House; and if the honourable colonel who alluded to this subject the preceding day, thought proper to move for others, they would, if forthcoming, be immediately granted. Here the honourable member read the papers relative to the volunteers, which had been written from the secretary of state's office since January last; and expressed his readiness to acccde to any motion that might be made for their produc tion. The honourable member took notice of the order for regular returns from the several volunteer corps, with which order the corps under the command of the honourable colonel had not complied; and before the honourable colonel had ventured to charge a public officer with neglect of duty, he ought to have taken care, if not to perform his own publie duty, at least to be better informed as to the attention of others to that point.

Col,