that it was right to expose a pauper to be bandied about from one end of the kingdom to the other, upon an ex-parte adjudication, which was liable to be reversed; when all this cruelty, and all this expense, would be incurred for nothing: and when in case of appeal, whether the order was reversed or confirmed, the pauper would be called back again from the place to which he was removed, at best, in the character of a witness. But it was contended, that the machinery to effect this amendment was complex. He really doubted, if hon. members who made this accusation could have attentively read the Bill. There was no complexity in the machinery; there was not even novelty except in one clause, which was so far from being essential to his grand object, that it might be struck out without leaving the smallest chasm. Indeed, the clause alluded to, which gave occasion to all the arguments that had now been urged against the Bill, was not his own it had been inserted in his Bill of last year, at the instance of the learned member for Oxford (Mr. Lockbart), and adopted in substance, but a little simplified in its manner, in the present. This clause provided, that after a first examination into a pauper's settlement, justices should give notice to the parish where the pauper's settlement appeared to be, that they would proceed to an adjudication on a future day, in order to give such parish an opportunity of being heard in opposition to it, if they chose so to do. This provision appeared to sir E. to be salutary. It was now urged, that it would tend greatly to increase expenses, and to encourage litigation in a premature stage: that at tornies would be called into battle against attornies; and that witnesses would be brought from one end of the kingdom to another, to contend before magistrates in petty session, who would be bewildered by conflicting arguments, and after all make decisions which would be still liable to appeals, and expose the parties, at another great expense, to agitate the question over again at a quarter-sessions. The member for Essex (Mr. Western) was alarmed at still additional evils: he conceived that all this premature battle might end in the discovery that the parish, thus urged to contend at great trouble and cost, had nothing to do with the pauper; and that the settlement was in some third parish. But did the hon. gentleman forget that such a discovery would not have

been made but for that contest? And that if the parish had avoided the evils of this opposition, they must have had the greater evil of supporting the pauper himself, so erroneously thrown upon them, till they could get rid of him on appeal? But if it was the opinion of this House, that the evil of this clause was greater than the good; if it was fairly liable to the objec tions thus brought forward, surely it afforded no ground for condemning the whole Bill: it might be struck out in the committee, without the least affecting the unity or principle of the Bill. For his own part, he had no wish to adhere obstinately to it: he would willingly sacrifice it, rather than create even a doubt on the other parts. As to the latter, he implored the House again to cherish the great object he had in view. He pressed upon their attention the anomaly which the law, as it now stood, exhibited on a subject affecting the essential happiness of perhaps not less than one-third or onefourth of the whole population of England. On other points, even of the most trivial nature, no judgment could be obtained upon ex-parte statement, or ex-parte evidence; nor could any judgment be executed till after appeal, or till the time of appeal had expired.

But here, on a question, on which depended the well-being, the domestic comforts, the moral feelings, the power of independent livelihood, the very character of almost every poor person in the kingdom, and perhaps his posterity for generations, an ex-parte decision was made, probably on the most imperfect evidence, to be carried into instant execution! Upon that decision a pauper, his wife, and his children, were to be packed off like felons for transportation; lifted into a cart, and dragged away from their home, to be a mark for the finger of scorn, through half the villages and towns, perhaps from the eastern point of Kent to the Land's-End! Is this enormous evil still to go on, after it has once been brought under the consideration of Parliament? Are minor difficulties, if such exist, to stand in the way of an amendment, for which there is such an imperious call? Can little objections about machinery, even if real, much less if imaginary, stand in the way of an endeavour to take away injustice of so extensive a nature? But where are the obstacles? Is there any obstacle to the effecting the delay of an order of removal? Is there any machinery required for a

together. It was only by touching small parts at a time that we could hope gradually to amend a branch of the law so complicated, so wide, and involving so many conflicting interests. He should therefore certainly vote for the second reading of the Bill, thinking that if there were objections to its details, they could be best discussed and altered in the committee.

The House then divided: For the Second Reading, 55; Against it, 23: Majority in favour of the Bill, 32.

ARMY ESTIMATES.] The House having resolved itself into a committee of supply, to which the Army Estimates were referred,

Lord Palmerston said, he should merely state to the House, in a general way, the nature of the arrangements relative to the army. He had, in the first instance, made an estimate founded on the establishments at Christmas last, and then he had stated the augmentations which had been made since in consequence of the rupture with France; and the House would thus be enabled to see what increase had been made in consequence of the general state of our relations with France. There was, upon the whole, a decrease in our esta blishments of this year, compared with those of 1814, of 47,000 men, and 2,652,000l. of charge. The total amount of Land Forces at Christmas last was 199,252, for which the charge was 5,587,7061. for Great Britain, and 1,134,1731. for Ireland-in all 6,721,8801. But since the rupture with France, there had been an augmentation of 9,148 men, and 317,2191. of charge, leaving the balance of diminution in favour of the present year, of 47,000 men and 2,652,000l. of charge. On the Household troops there had been a reduction of 1200 men. The regiments of Cavalry were first reduced after the peace, on account of their great expense; each regiment was reduced to eight troops of 60 men each. The number of regiments of Infantry had been considerably reduced-24 second battalions had been entirely disbanded. The whole reduction arising from this, without considering the augmentation which had since taken place, amounted to 22,000 men. The next head, the Embodied Militia, could not be compared with the estimate of last year. With respect to the next head, the pay of General Officers not with regiments, this was

founded on the arrangements of last year, and could not be compared with former accounts. In the next head, of Staff and Garrisons, a reduction of 237,000l. had taken place, of which 98,000l. was for the Home Staff, and the remainder for the Foreign Staff. He would state the comparative amount of the Staff now, and as it stood the former year. The Staff of 1815 was less even after the late augmentation than in 1814, by an amount of 39 general officers.-The increase on the head of Pay for Supernumerary Officers, ran to 6,000l. The head of Half-pay and Military Allowances had experienced an increase of 38,000. This was partly owing to the number of reductions, and partly owing also to the augmentation in the rate of half-pay. In the head of Oat pensioners of Chelsea and Kilmainham hospitals, there had been an increase of 100,000l. arising partly from the disbanded second battalions, and partly from invalids. The Volunteer Corps had been diminished in expense 145,000l. The expense of the Local Militia was 27,6000l. less than in 1814. In the article of Foreign Corps there was a diminution of 10,000 men, and 383,000l. This arose principally from the disbanding four Foreign corps: the Brunswick infantry, which had gone to the service of the duke of Brunswick, Dillon's regiment, and the Chasseur battalion. In the Royal Military College there was an increase of 7,000l., but of this 6,000 was only a nominal increase. There had, however, been an actual increase of something more than 1,000l., of which 8801. was for a new building at Blackwater. In the Royal Military Asylum there had been a dimi nution of 3,000l. In the head of Retired Chaplains there had been a like reduction of 3,000l. arising chiefly from deaths. In the head of Medicines and Hospital expenses, there had been a diminution of 89,000l. on the estimate at last Christmas, but then there had since been an augmen tation of 50,000l. over that estimate, leaving a balance of 39,000l. The increase in the Compassionate List amounted to 17,000l. In the Commissariat Department of Ireland there was a total increase of 69,000l. On the Barrack estimate the saving was 208,000l. There were some other variations which it would not be necessary to go into at present. The augmentation in the Land Forces, since Christmas last, amounted in all to 9,148 men, and 384,000l. of charge. The

Mr. Wilberforce thought the Military College highly beneficial to the country, from the instructive source of military education which it formed. It was surely essential that the officers in the service should have the opportunity of an extensive preliminary education.

Sir John Hope reprobated the general assertions in which Mr. Bennet had dealt, in his attack on the institution at the head of which he had the honour of being placed. The object, if properly executed, was most beneficial; it was open as day to inspection, and he should be happy to receive any hints that would be useful; as soon as any useful suggestion was made, the improvement would be attempted.

Mr. Bennet replied, that his objections merely went to the military tone which the form and manner of the school as sumed, not to the general principle of the establishment.

Sir John Hope spoke highly both of the objects and success of the institution in question. At the commencement of the war we had been obliged to study military science under foreign masters; we had since, through the munificent aid of Parliament, acquired the means of obtaining that instruction within ourselves. Out of 276 students of one class, 114 either had served, or were now serving on staff departments. The time consumed in becoming acquainted with regimental drill, and the manœuvres of taking up ground for forming in line, did not exceed an hour, or half an hour in the day; the rest was devoted to pursuits becoming a gentleman as a well-informed member of society, or more immediately connected with the views of that profession to which it was intended the student should be trained. In addition to those branches of instruction in which he was supposed to have already made some progress, his attention was directed to mathematics, to fortification, to the principles of military survey, both practical and theoretical, to drawing, and, according to the abilities displayed, to an intimate knowledge of the French and German languages. The series of his studies was completed by a high finishing examination made by other masters than those under whose direction he had been, and it was those masters who finally decided whether his proficiency and qualifications entitled him to a commission without purchase in his Majesty's service. Of another class, 651 officers