was no appearance, when affembled as a body, of any want of difcipline, or of regularity of evolutions. The difcretion of the commanding officer in each particular corps furnished the best fecurity against any inconvenience which might arife, and the best cure for any evil which might occur in carrying the meafure of calling out the volunteers into effect. He thought that to give the volunteers the allowance in neceffary articles was by far the preferable mode. By giving the men the whole guinea, to be used at their difcretion, the greatest inconveniences might arife. During the period allotted to exercife in difcipline, they might have the means of launching into dangerous exceffes, and instead of returning in a state of improvement, they would return worfe foldiers and lefs valuable men. On thefe grounds he thought that the claufe ought to stand in its prefent form. The experience of the laft autumn, when twenty-four thousand volunteers were put on actual fervice, convinced him that by the difcretionary power the claufe granted, the great object in view would be fully attained.

Mr. Kinnaird ftated, that as far as his experience went, he had no reason to think that the corps put on actual fervice in Scotland had received the guinea, the distribution of which had occafioned fo much difcuffion. As to the great coats which had been fo much spoken of, he must be permittedto fay, that in that part of the kingdom with which he was connected they were not held in any great request (a laugh). By others they might be thought luxuries; and if men, from the profpect of getting great coats, could be induced to come out with more alacrity on actual fervice, it was highly proper that they should be provided. If a guinea was wanting to procure neceffaries, every dictate of policy fuggefted that fuch a fum fhould not be withheld. If a guinea was to be given as a bounty, he hoped that this would not be given to volunteers ferving in their refpective towns, but that words would be introduced into the claufe, directing that the guinea fhould not be paid, unless to thofe volunteers who marched from their homes. At all events, he trusted that no means would be left unemployed to complete the difcipline of the volunteers. He confeffed that he had heard with much astonishment an affertion of the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the volunteers had not now to learn their bufinefs. For his own part, he would not, as fome people were disposed to do, affirm that the difcipline of the volunteers was altogether neglected. He knew that many corps

had

had made great progrefs in difcipline; but to hold out the idea that any officer, non commiffioned officer, or private in any volunteer corps had not much to learn, was nothing fhort of a moft unjustifiable attempt to impofe on the public, He must fet his face against fuch a doctrine; for, if it were acted on, the country must be expofed to the most dreadful dangers. He knew what the volunteers would do if perfected in their difcipline; and therefore he should fupport every meafure which had in view the encouragement of as great a number as poffible of them to enter for a time on actual fervice.

Mr. Yorke faid, it was owing to a mistake that the corps in the north did not receive the guinea when they were called out last year; but it certainly would be paid, and the commanding officer would have to lay it out according to his dif cretion in purchafing neceffaries for the men, returning the overplus to them.

Mr. Sturges Bourne was in favour of an explanation of the claufe, by which, in its prefent form, no part of the allowance to be given to volunteers entering on permanent duty was to be paid in money. He conceived that it was quite impoffible to deny that this was in fact a direct attempt to nullify the whole claufe. The claufe was formed for the exprefs purpose of holding out encouragement to offers of immediate fervice; yet on the very 7th of the prefent month, after the claufe was introduced, the Secretary of State had issued inftructions that the guinea fhould be applied folely to the purchase of neceffaries, and among the reft of great coats for the individuals entering on duty. The volunteer was to receive no compenfation for his lofs of wages; but in return he is to be furnished with a great coat! But how is it that he is to be furnished with this neceffary? He could ftate that the price of a great coat was from 22s. to 235.; that in many inftances the price was greater, and in no cafe was it lefs than 16s. Independent then of the great coat, what inducement had the volunteers to enter on permanent fervice? Why they abfolutely had none as the claufe at prefent ftood. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, however, feemed now to think that the volunteers had got difcipline fufficient, and that the additional exercife, which, in the first instance, the claufe was framed to encourage, was really altogether unneceffary. He had told the Houfe in direct terms, that they had learnt their business, and that therefore there was no use in giving them any additional allowance to

encourage

encourage them to greater accuracy in their military evolutions. The fact was, that this statement was totally incorrect. Gentlemen would fee a great approximation to perfection of difcipline in the corps of the metropolis; but this was no criterion for the difcipline of the volunteers throughout the country. He could ftate from his own perfonal knowledge, that very many of them were backward in their difcipline, though this arofe from no fault on their part. It was but lately that they had received their arms, and ftill more, lately that they had been fupplied with ammunition. The feafon of the year had likewife prevented their exercise, and it was now, when a claufe was introduced to encourage their entering on actual fervice for a thort time, that Minifters again threw obstacles in the way of fo important an object. In their juftification, they had contended that as twenty-four thoufand volunteers entered on permanent duty without receiving the guinea now propofed to be given, the fame zeal would make its appearance at the prefent moment. The truth of this inference he could not for a moment admit. He begged the Houfe to confider the difference of circumftances. At that time Ministers held out to the volunteers and the country, that a moft formidable attack was daily. menaced by the enemy. But what was now their language? The House heard, only a few days fince, of the idle panic of invafion, of the Mufquito fleet of the enemy, of the impracticability of making any defcent on our fhore. It was not eafy to believe that without fome inducement the volunteers would now therefore come forward with the fame degree of alacrity which they had formerly difplayed. I They would be ready, if a landing of the enemy took place, to fly to their pofts and repel the invader. They would not, however, enter with cheerfulness on actual fervice now, unless they got a compenfation for their lofs of wages and their labour. The allowance of a guinea did give them that compenfation, and therefore he fhould certainly fupport any propofition for giving the allowance in money. The hon. Member concluded by fhewing that there was no analogy betwixt the guinea expended in neceffaries for the regulars and militia when entering on actual fervice, and the guinea to be allowed to the volunteers. In the one cale the fervice was compulfory; in the other it could not be forced, and it was to hold out encouragement to volunteers to undertake it, that the guinea was to be afforded. Mr. Ofborne concurred in the fame opinion.

VOL. II. 1803-4

Mr. Pitt faid, if he had understood the inftructions fent round by the Secretary of State according to the construction now put upon them, he would not have troubled the House about it, but certainly that was not the way in which they were generally understood. He was perfectly fatisfied with the explanation he had heard, and fhould act accordingly; but he fubmitted, whether it might not be proper that fome means fhould be taken of informing others who might have underftood the instructions as he had done, and who had not the, advantage of hearing the explanation which had been given. He would not fay any more upon that subject, but he wished to do away a mifconftruction which had been put upon what had fallen from him. It had been reprefented as if he wished that the guinea fhould be given to the men as foon as they were called out, in order that they might spend it in drunkenness and debauchery. He had never faid that he wifhed the money to be paid to the man as foon as he was called out.. It might be paid to him after the time for which he was called out was expired, or it might be paid to him in different portions during the time he was out. He fhould therefore propose that the money should be paid to the men within one month after they were called out, or fooner, if the commanding officer fhould judge neceffary. It had been faid, that it was always intended that the money fhould be laid out in neceffaries, and particularly for great coats; but this could hardly be the cafe confiftently with the other provifions of the bill, because it was proposed that the man fhould only receive a proportion of the guinea, according to the time he was out, for instance, feven hillings for one week. But if the money was to be laid out in the purchase of a great coat, it would not be very easy to purchase a great coat, which would coft at the lowest 16s. out of feven fhillings, and to pay the overplus to the man. In the cafe of invasion he did not think the money ought to be paid in the first inflance to the men, becaufe then they were called out compulsorily, and for an unlimited time; but the cafe was very different when it was an object to induce men to go out in order to improve themselves in their difcipline.-Mr. Pitt concluded with moving an amendment to the clause, the object of which was, that the commanding officer fhould pay the guinea to the man within one month after he was called out on permanent duty, or fooner if he fhould judge neceffary.

Mr. G. Fanfittart opposed the amendment.

General Maitland fuggefted a difficulty, that individuals in want of the most effential neceffaries, would not apply the money fo received to the purchase of them. They would

thus

thus be altogether unfit for fervice. Instead of improving in difcipline, they would only wafte their time in vice and dif fipation.

Mr. P. Carew was quite adverfe to the accumulation of allowances to volunteers. We ought to depend on the zeal and energy of the people, independent of fuch expenfive allowances. If thofe allowances were thus extended, the volunteer fyftem would be a caufe of the weakness, inftead of the confolidation of the ftrength of the country.

Mr. IV. Dundas conceived it to be highly neceffary, that the money should be paid to the men as an inducement to them to go upon permanent duty; and as to the objection which had been made, that the men might want neceffaries before the expiration of the month, there was nothing in the amendment of his right honourable Friend, that would prevent a part of the money being advanced before the month was expired.

Mr. Hobhoufe fupported the claufe as it ftood. The object of it was by means of a bounty to induce the volunteers to affemble and perform military duty, with a view to improve them in difcipline. It was contended, that if the guinea, or any part of it, were given, not in money, but in "neceffaries,"" it was abfurd to talk any longer of a bounty. But he (Mr. H.) thought that there was no force in this argument. If a great coat, which in inclement weather was useful to a foldier, or any other neceffary were purchased for a volunteer, it was his own property, and in that fenfe it was as much a bounty, as if the value of it were given in coin. It fhould, alfo, be recollected that a bounty in fpecie would foon be fpent, and foon forgotten; whereas the volunteer, as long as any ferviceable article of cloathing lafted, would be conftantly reminded of the generofity with which he was treated by the ftate. He was, therefore, for giving the guinea, either the whole, or in part as occafion might require, in neceffaries, because fuch a difpofal of it was not only a bounty, but a more durable fpecies of bounty, with the addition of this advantage, namely, that by affifting in the equipment for the field, it tended to promote the very object of the claufe, which was introduced for the fake of perfecting the volunteer corps in difcipline. His right hon. Friend below him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had obferved that, the guinea being given on the day of affembling, it would be expended in drink and other improper methods; and until the laft fhilling was gone, rarely a man would be seen on the parade. To this remark the right hon. Gentleman under the gallery (Mr. Pitt) had replied, that it was not Cc 2

his