brought in a bill for enlarging the powers of the corporation of excise in Scotland, and a bill for raising a further sum of money for improving the harbour of Leith, which were read a first time.—The Edinburgh police bill was read a third time and passed.—Mr. Curwen moved, that an humble address be presented to his Majesty, requesting that he would be graciously pleased to cause to be laid before the house a copy of the proceedings of the privy council in 1765, on the petition of the duke of Athol, for a further compensation for the sale of his feudal rights. Ordered.—Mr. Rose presented the report of the privy council, dated 21st July 1804, on the petition of the duke of Athol, which was ordered to be printed.—The American treaty bill, and the French and Spanish trade licence bill, went through committees, and the reports were received.—Mr. S. Bourne brought up the reports of the committees on the foreign prize ships bill, and the neutral ships bill, which were agreed to.—On the motion of Mr. Magens it was ordered, that there be laid before the house an account of all dollars issued by the bank of England to the latest period at which the same could be made out.—Mr. Alexander brought up the report of the committee on the Spanish wine duty, which was agreed to, and a bill ordered accordingly.—A message from the lords announced their lordships' assent to the additional legacy duty bill.—Mr. Cur- wen inquired why, in the report of the privy council relative to the Isle of Man, that bad been this evening laid on the table, the names of the subscribers had been omitted? Mr. Rose promised to make an enquiry on the subject.—Mr. Alexander brought up the report of the committee on the custom duty bill, which was agreed to.

rose, in pursuance of the notice given by him yesterday, to move for leave to bring in a bill for reducing the militia of Ireland, and enabling them to enlist into the regiments of the line, artillery and royal marines. The general arguments in favour of this measure had been so fully discussed upon a similar question, with regard to the English and Scotch militia, that it was not necessary now to dwell upon them. The arguments, as far as they related to general policy, applied with greater force to the militia of Ireland. The militia of Ireland stood on a different ground from that of England. The plan for lowering it did, not bear a greater proportion than it ought; but it was also to be considered, that in Ireland there was a greater facility in gaining an acquisition to such a description of force as the militia, than there was in this country. His plan was not to take from the militia more than two-fifths. The zeal and ability of the commanders would, he was persuaded, soon place the militia regiments on the same footing they now stood. It was not necessary to trouble the house with any of the details at present. He concluded by moving "for leave to bring in a bill for allowing a certain proportion of the militia in Ireland voluntarily to enlist into his majesty's forces of the line, artillery, and marines."

was of opinion, that the militia system, however advantageous it might be to England, was injurious to Ireland, and he could therefore wish to see it abolished in that country in toto. He nevertheless highly disapproved of the measure proposed by the right hon. gent. Ireland was, he believed, justly considered the most vulnerable part of the empire; and was it prudent, at present, to deprive it of a considerable portion of its disciplined force for the purpose of substituting a parcel of new recruits, whom it would require two or three years properly to train? He was not a militia officer; he never had been one; nor was it likely he ever should be one; and therefore he might, without any suspicion of interested motives, express his sympathy with that respectable body in the mortification they must feel in losing so many men, whom they had been at such pains to instruct, and in being degraded to the situation of recruiting officers for the regular army.

approved the bill. Many people thought, that the Irish militia would be better employed any where than in their own country. He did not like to hear the gentlemen of Ireland talked of as crimps, and recruiting serjeants.

rose to order. He had and never made use of the word crimp; what he said related to officers.

informed the hon. baronet, that what he was now stating was in explanation, and not on a point of order. He could not rise in explanation, until the noble lord concluded his speech.

resuming, observed, that his hon. friend and himself would have many opportunities to talk over these things. The words of the hon. baronet, amounted, in their effect, to those he had used. He would be the last in the world to impute to any man sentiments that he did not entertain, or put in his mouth words that he had not uttered. He denied that the bill could have the effect to degrade the Irish gentlemen. He thought it a good, substantial measure.

adverting to the opinion of the hon. baronet, that it would require two or three years to train the recruits who should fill up the chasm that this bill would produce in the militia of Ireland, took occasion to remark, that the result of his own experience, and that of many other officers with whom he was acquainted was, that an Irishman was much more easily disciplined than a native of any other part of the united kingdom, and therefore he was certain that a much less time would be found necessary to bring these recruits to the same state as that in which the old militia stood, than was supposed by the hon. baronet.

was apprehensive that the marine service was considered preferable to that of the line, most of the men volunteering, would wish to enlist in the marines, an event which would defeat the grand purpose of the measure.

replied, that this would not be at the option of the men. The act gave his majesty a discre- tionary power to allow which regiments he should think fit to volunteer for each service.

thought this quite a distinct measure from that with respect to the English Militia; as, in point of fact, the Irish Militia had nothing but the name of militia belonging to them. They were not raised by ballot, but by bounty; and if the Irish gentlemen were willing to become recruiting officers for the army, he saw no reason why the motion of the right hon. gent. should be resisted by the house.

supported the motion, and panegyrised the character of the Irish Militia officers. Their conduct and that of the Irish gentlemen in general, who by their own subscriptions raised the militia and kept the country safe, without any contribution from those absentees whose lands they thus defended, was, in his judgment, entitled to peculiar praise. Considering the conduct of the Irish militia who, to a man, volunteered last year to serve in any part of the united kingdom, and the public-spirited feeling of their officers, he could not help saying that he, was much astonished at the selfishness exhibited last year, as well as in the whole course of the debates of the present week, with respect to the English militia.—After a few words from Lord Temple, Mr. Alexander, and. Mr. Calcraft, the motion was agreed to.—The bill was afterwards brought in, read a first, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday.

The house having, in pursuance of the order of the day, taken into consideration the Report of the English Militia Enlisting bill, several amendments were made in the Committee.

proposed two new clauses, one for adjusting the mode of ballots, in those counties in which the greatest and least number of men should enlist; and another to prevent serjeants and corporals of the Militia from volunteering as serjeants and corporals of Artillery; both of which were agreed to.

said, that though it was thought proper to put the ballot out of sight in the present bill, yet it was not the less in existence, and that for the sake of uniformity in the recruiting, both for the Regulars and the Militia, it was necessary, in his opinion, that a clause should be inserted, enacting that when vacancies occurred, instead of obliging a person to find a substitute, the men should be raised by a small bounty paid by the parish. Having moved a clause to this effect,

seconded the motion. The parish, he said, was already obliged to pay half the bounty given by an individual for a substitute, and a small addition, he thought, might be sufficient to release the individual altogether.

observed that he agreed with the hon. gent. as well as the hon. bart. as to the unavoidable necessity of recurring to the ballot, but, in doing so, he acted in strict conformity to the opinion of the house, which was, that When the militia should be reduced to its quota, the custom of balloting ought not to be given up. He could not accede, therefore, to the motion of the hon. gent.—After a few words between Mr. Wilberforce, in support of the clause, and Mr. Canning and sir James Pulteney against it, the question was put from the chair, that the clause be brought up, which was negatived without a division.—Adjourned.