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THE COUNTY LIEUTENANCIES
AND THE ARMY
1803-1814
:0^^
MACMILLAN AND CO., Limited
LONDON . BOMBAY • CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO
THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltd.
TORONTO
"jL^oOo
. he County Lieutenancies
and the Army
1803-1814
BY
The Hon. J. W. FORTESCUE
MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED
ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON
1909
(^
I J A
yCl LIBRARY ■'"■"■n
6? ^ ^ IJNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
cr/ SANTA BARBARA
PREFACE
The present volume may be described as an " overflow "
from the History of the British Army. It owes Its
existence principally to the Secretary of State for War,
who, recognising the importance of the subject at the
present time, kindly granted the writer a small subsidy
to insure him against loss through its publication. But
for this help, for which I desire to express my grateful
thanks, the matter here printed must have been packed
into some twenty or thirty pages only. As things stand,
the twenty or thirty pages have been expanded into ten
times that number ; and if, as I fear, the ordinary reader
finds them impossible to read, I can only assure him
that I have found them maddening to write.
The subject of the recruiting of the Army during the
Great War has, so far, been left in complete obscurity ;
nor, in my belief, could it be fully cleared up without
examination of the papers (if they still exist) of every
Lord-Lieutenant and of a great many Deputy-Lieu-
tenants, of masses of municipal archives, and of tons of
provincial newspapers. Such a task would occupy the
best part of any one man's lifetime ; and I need not say
that I have not attempted it. I have, however, done my
best to exhaust the official records which bear upon the
vi PREFACE
question ; and these in themselves are neither few nor
unimportant. The most instructive of them is the series
preserved at the Record Office under the title of Home
Office^ Internal Defence^ which consists of three hundred
and twenty-six bulky volumes and bundles of manuscript
correspondence received by the Secretary of State from
the Lords-Lieutenant. Of these the first two hundred
and fifty embrace the period 1803-18 14, and being
arranged by counties and in order of date, are convenient
and intelligible. The remaining seventy-six are imper-
fect and in a state of chaos, covering all dates (exclusive
of the years above named) from 1793 to 181 4, with
loose papers of several subsequent years even to 1826.
For this disorder not the Record Office must be held
responsible, for it has no sufficient staff to rearrange
such papers, but former clerks at the Home Office, to
whom it is an abiding reproach.
The letters from the Secretary of State to the Lords-
Lieutenant and other local authorities, military and
civil, are comprised in a series of entry books, under the
heads of Circulars, Militia, Local Militia, and Volunteers.
Many of them have been very imperfectly kept,
particularly the Circulars ; and it has been frequently
necessary for me to divine the contents of the Secre-
tary of State's letters from the answers returned to
them by his correspondents.
The archives of the Home Office, however, are con-
cerned only with what are termed the Auxiliary Forces.
The records of the Horse Guards and War Office for
the same period are unfortunately by no means so
full. In the first place, the Duke of York's papers
PREFACE vii
seem to have vanished beyond recall, which is a grievous
loss. In the second, the letters and orders concerning
recruiting are not to be found, unless by chance tran-
scribed in the two series of entry books known as the
Secretary at War's Common Letter Books and the
Commander-in-Chief's Letter Books. The Duke of
York, however, caused to be compiled and printed for
his Office brief accounts of the various recruiting Acts,
and of their working and results, together with comments
and returns. Though these accounts, which are entitled
Military Transactions of the British Empire^ do not
extend beyond the year 1 809, when he was driven from
office, they are of the greatest value and fill up many
gaps which are left open by the lack of original manu-
script material. It is greatly to be regretted that the
compilation of these Military Transactions should have
been allowed to cease by the Duke's successor. Sir David
Dundas.
Upon the whole, I reckon that the manuscript
authorities, which I have perused for the compilation of
the present brief narrative, include about 100,000
documents of one kind and another bearing upon my
subject. One very voluminous and most important
return, of which no copy exists at the Record Office, I
was so fortunate as to find at Windsor Castle ; and I
have to express my humble thanks to His Majesty the
King for his gracious permission to make use of it.
Of printed authorities the most important are the
Journals of the House of Commons, which contain some
most useful and interesting returns, and Hansard's
Parliamentary Debates^ together with the Acts of Parlia-
viii PREFACE
ment passed in the period 1803-18 14. Acts, Debates,
and Journals alike are, in great measure, unintelligible
without the gigantic commentary supplied by the
two hundred and fifty manuscript volumes already
referred to.
I must return my warmest thanks, as usual, to Mr.
Hubert Hall for invaluable help afforded during my
researches at the Public Record Office.
♦ J. W. F.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
Weakness of British Standing Army
Three methods of improvising an army
The Militia Act of 1757 .
Pitt's encouragement of crimping, 1 793-1 800
Mistaken military policy of Pitt's Government
The Provisional Cavalry
Enlistment of Militia in the Line
Reduction of forces after Treaty of Amiens
Unreadiness of Napoleon for war
Addington's defensive policy condemned
Effective strength of the Army in 1803
British gains in the West Indies ,
Defensive policy attacked in the Commons
PAGE
I
3
3
4
5
5
6
7
8
9
10
II
CHAPTER II
Volunteer system under Pitt : Addington's Volunteer Act . 1 2
Volunteer allowances : Irish Volunteer Act . . • " 3
The Militia Act of 1802 14
Machinery for the ballot . . . . . . • 1 5
Exemptions from the Militia ballot . . . . .16
Personal and parochial substitutes . . . . .17
Analysis of the Act 18
Position of non-commissioned officers in the Militia . . 19
Fines upon counties failing to produce their quota . . 20
ix
CONTENTS
PAGE
Old and New Organisation of Scottish Militia . . .21
Irish Militia Act, 1802 ....... 22
Various Acts relating to the Militia, 1803 .... 23
Circular inviting further offers of Volunteers ... 24
The First Defence Act, an abstract . . . . • ^5
Seafaring men removed from Militia to Navy ... 26
Abstract of the Army of Reserve Acts . . .27, 28, 29, 30
Difference between Militiamen and Army of Reserve men . 30
Abstract of the Levy en Masse Act . . . . S^j 32
Act for More Speedy Completion of Militia • • • 33
Levy en Masse Amendment Act ...... 33
Abstract of the Billeting Act 34
The Lords-Lieutenant, their character and capacity . . 35
Their difficulties and burdens ..... 36, 37
The Deputy-Lieutenants ....... 38
Methods of ballot procedure ...... 39
General prevalence of substitution ..... 40
Parish substitutes ........ 41
Insurance societies and their methods ..... 42
Extraordinary case of insurance at Blackburn ... 43
Subscription clubs countenanced by the authorities . . 44
Impossibility of making the Militia a local force . . 45, 46
Frequent desertion of substitutes ..... 47
Hatred of the Militia in Scotland .... 48, 49
The Militia despised in England ..... 49
Flogging necessary in the Militia . . . . .50
Inequity of Militia system . . . . . '5*
Deputy-Lieutenants not exempt from the ballot ... 52
Physical infirmity alone no exemption . . . . -53
The Supplementary Militia called out .... 54
Rapid increase in cost of substitutes . . . . -55
Varying conditions for Militia and Army of Reserve . 56, 57
Further rush for substitutes, and increase in their cost . . 58
Volunteer allowances and regulations, March 1803 . . 59
Colonel Vyse's recommendations as to Volunteers . . 60
Abstract of the "June Allowances" to Volunteers . 61, 62
CONTENTS
XI
PAGE
Government attempt to limit the number of Volunteers . 63
The "August Allowances" 64
Exemption of Volunteers under the Billeting Act a mistake . 65
Eagerness of the nation to volunteer . .... 66
Further efforts of Government to limit Volunteers . . 67
Mr, Yorke accepts all offers of Volunteers .... 68
Dismay of Lieutenancies at exemption of Volunteers . . 69
Cost of substitutes in various localities .... 70
General unpopularity of Army of Reserve . . . -71
Utter Failure of the Army of Reserve . .... 72
Numbers and strength of the Army of Reserve, 1803-4 • 73
Deficiency in Militia ....... 73, 74
Recruiting for the Regular Army ruined .... 74
Scheme of Districts for Home Defence .... 75
Summary of the Government's actions with regard to the
Volunteers . . . . . . . . 75j 76
Confusion in Lieutenancies ...... 77
Troubles of the Lieutenants over Volunteers ... 78
Confusion among Volunteers owing to different codes of
regulations ........ 79, 80, 81
Difficulties as to a permanent staff for Volunteer corps .
Government concessions as to staff and pay for Volunteers
Failure of the Government to supply arms to Volunteers
Complaints from Lieutenancies of lack of arms
Local jealousies over the question of arms .
Lack of arms and the question of exemption
Refusal of Volunteers to accept pikes .
Patriotic Volunteers who disclaimed exemption
Volunteer quotas readily supplied by Scottish counties
English counties and their Volunteer quotas
Reasons for lack of Volunteers in certain counties
Composition of Volunteer corps under great magnates
Composition of such corps in the towns
Examples of the rules of Volunteer Associations .
The Volunteers on permanent duty in 1803
Cases of indiscipline among Volunteers in 1803 .
82
83
84
85, 86
87
88
89
90
90, 91
92
93,94
95
96
97
98
99
xu
CONTENTS
Legal controversy as to the right of Volunteers to resign
The controversy decided .....
Case of insubordination in the St. Pancras Volunteers
Indiscipline in other London corps
Insubordination in the Evesham Volunteers
Another case of indiscipline at Bath .
Similar cases in Gloucestershire and Cambridge
Similar cases in other parts of the country .
The case of the Sidmouth Volunteers .
Volunteers and the use of the lash
Hardships of labouring men who became Volunteers
Officers of the Regular Army who served as Volunteers
Difficulty of obtaining Volunteer officers
Dearth of officers in Scotland ....
Volunteer extravagance and variety in clothing, etc.
Weakness of State's control over Volunteers
Mistaken training of Volunteers ....
A few scattered corps of real merit among Volunteers
The Volunteer system under Pitt and Addington a failure
. TOO
. lOI
lOZ
103, 104
. 105
. 106
107
108, 109
. no
no, III
. Ill
. 112
. "3
. 114
• "5
. 116
• "7
. 118
IIQ
CHAPTER III
Establishment of the Army and its effective strength,
December 1803 . . . . . . . .120
Volunteer Consolidation Bill introduced . . . .121
Fox on the Volunteers' right of resignation . . . .121
Question of election of Volunteer officers . . . .122
Question of fines upon Volunteers . . . . .123
Further debates on the Volunteer Consolidation Bill . .124.
Craufurd condemns the Volunteer system . . . .125
Yorke's three proposals . . . . . . .126
Further expedient of raising men for rank . . . .126
Pitt's criticisms and plans . . . . . . .127
Pitt takes office 128
Pitt's scheme for establishing a Permanent Reserve . 129, 130
Parish officers to supply the recruits . . . . .130
CONTENTS
xui
Parliamentary criticism of Pitt's Bill .
Abstract of the Additional Force Act .
Abstract of the Volunteer Consolidation Act
Reforms among the Volunteers .
Mobilisation of Volunteers .
Pecuniary concessions to the Volunteers
The marching-guinea ....
Permanent duty improves the Volunteers
Their Discipline still imperfect .
Powerlessness of Military officers over Volunteers
Failure of Pitt's Additional Force Act .
Reasons assigned by the Lieutenancies
The Act attacked in both Houses of Parliament
Actual decrease in the Regular Array .
Urgent need for an offensive force
Pitt resorts to Militia to recruit the Army .
Abstract of the Militia Enlistment Act
Cost of recruits from the Militia
The expedition to the Mediterranean, 1805 .
The expeditions to the Cape and Buenos Ayres
Failure of Napoleon's plans for his flotilla .
Napoleon's march to Ulm ....
Formation of the King's German Legion
British expedition to the Weser .
Pitt's efforts to make his Act effective .
Reasons for failure of the Act
Death of Pitt. Lord Grcnville becomes Prime Minister
Austerlitz and the Treaty of Pressburg
Effective strength and state of the Army in 1806
State and distribution of the Army in 1 806 .
Windham propounds his ideal for the Army
Windham's proposals for rewards and short service
Opinions of Army officers as to short service
Pitt's Additional Force Act repealed
Windham's speech on the benefits of short service
Regulations as to short service and pensions
132.
H3»
146,
I54»
161
'31
33
35
36
36
'37
38
39
[40
[41
[42
[42
[44
[44
'45
145
'47
'47
[48
[49
50
50
51
52
53
:55
56
56
57
158
159
[60
:62
[63
.64
165
XIV
CONTENTS
Act to enable Irish Militiamen to enter the Line . . 165, 166
Windham suspends the ballot for the Militia . . .166
Windham's reforms among the Volunteers . . . .167
Windham's proposals for national training . . . .168
Parliamentary criticism of the Training Bill . . .169
Abstract of the National Training Act . . . 170,171
Windham abolishes the June Allowances to Volunteers , 172
Difficulties in the enforcement of the Training Act . -173
Change of Ministry : Windham replaced by Castlereagh . 173
Failure of the expedition against Buenos Ayres . . .174
Defeat of Prussia at Jena, 1806 ...... 174
Initial success claimed for short service . . . • *75
Scheme of Army reforms recommended by the Commander-
in-Chief 176
State of the Army when Castlereagh took office . . .177
Temporary revival of the Volunteers by Castlereagh . . 178
Bad news from India, Egypt, and Northern Europe . .179
Weakness and costliness of the second battalions . . . 1 80
The Treaty of Tilsit 180
The expedition against Denmark , . . . .181
Castlereagh's drastic proposals . . . . . .181
Parliamentary debate on Castlereagh's scheme . . .182
Abstract of the Acts for permitting enlistment from the
Militia and for replenishing the Irish Militia . 182, 183
Abstract of the Act for replenishing the Militia of Great
Britain . . . . . . .184
Unfair treatment of Militia by recruiting parties . . .185
Good spirit of the Militia in furnishing recruits . . .186
Difficulties in replenishing the Militia 187
Questions as to exemption of Volunteers . . . 187-188
Difficulties as to the standard of height . . . .189
Evils of ill-digested legislation 190
All classes engage in crimping ...... 191
Spread of insurance societies for the ballot of 1 807 . 192-194
Case of a Scottish insurance society ..... 19+
Traffic in substitutes all over England 195
CONTENTS XV
PAGE
Results of the ballot . . . . . . . .196
Principals, substitutes, and bounties . . . . .197
Strength of the Volunteers ; their use as guards for French
prisoners . . . . . . . .198
Degradation of the Volunteer spirit ..... 199
Cases of Volunteer insubordination .... 199,200
Success of the expedition to Copenhagen .... 201
CHAPTER IV
Table showing progress of the Forces ..... 202
Failure of Windham's reforms ..... 202, 203
Castlereagh's speech on the short-service system . . . 203
Castlereagh's proposals for Volunteers, Militia, and trained
men ......... 204, 205
Two principles the basis for his system of national training . 205
His proposals for the formation of a Sedentary Militia . . 206
His scheme for the Regular Militia ..... 207
And for the Regular Army ....... 208
Castlereagh's speech on introducing the Local Militia Act 209, 210
Lord Selkirk's scheme for national training . . . .211
Abstract of the Local Militia Acts . . . . 21 1-2 14
Abolition of substitution and other merits in the Act . -215
Pressure put on the Volunteers . . . . . -215
Transfer of Volunteers to Local Militia . . . .217
Case of the Somerset House Volunteers . . . .218
British expeditions to Sweden and Portugal . . . .219
Effective strength of the Army, June 1808 . . ' . . 220
The Convention of Cintra, and the action of Corufia . . 220
English enthusiasm for the Spanish insurrection . . .221
Castlereagh's proposals for Militia Enlistment Bill, 1809 221, 222
Discussion in the Commons over the new proposals . 222-223
Abstract of Acts for transferring Militiamen to the Line . 223
Calvert's plan for improvement of the Military Forces 224-225
Effective strength of the Army, May 1 809 . . . .226
Abstract of the Act for replenishing the Militia of Great
Britain ........ 226-227
XVI
CONTENTS
Abstract of the Act for replenishing the Irish Militia . . 228
Development of the Local Militia ..... 228
Abstract of the Local Militia Amendment Act . . . 229
Clothing allowance to Volunteer Infantry abolished . .230
The Local Militia as recruiting-ground for the Army . . 230
Riots in the Local Militia over the marching-guinea . .231
Serious mutiny in the Local Militia at Taunton . . . 232
Foreign expeditions in 1809 ...... 233
Change of Ministry : Palmerston succeeds Castlereagh . . 234
Casualties in the Regular Army for 1809 .... 235
Ill-success of voluntary recruiting for the Militia . . .235
Troubles in Scotland over the Militia ballot of 18 10 236, 237, 238
Difficulties in the English counties over the ballot of 18 10 . 239
Confusion among Lieutenancies owing to multiplicity of
Militia Acts
Abstract of second Local Militia Amendment Act
Evasion of service in the Local Militia
Difficulties with deserters from the Local Militia .
Case of insubordination in Scottish Local Militia .
Hostility of the people towards the Local Militia .
Local Militia riot at Bath .....
Local Militia riot at Aberystwith
Other cases of mutiny in the Local Militia .
Offensive operations of 1 8 10 ....
Effective strength of the Army in 1 8 10
Palmerston's proposals for enlisting Militiamen in the Line
Abstract of the Acts embodying those proposals .
Abstract of the Act permitting interchange of British and
Irish Militias ......
Ballot difficulties and cost of substitutes in Scotland
High price of substitutes in England also
Good spirit of the Militia towards service in Ireland
Improvement in the Local Militia
Casualties and recruiting in 18 11
Establishment of the Forces, 1 8 1 2
Abstract of the Local Militia Consolidation Act .
240
. 241
, 242
. 242
243
•
243
•
244
.
245
246
. 247,
248
•
249
•
249
•
250
ne 250
.251
. 252,
253
h and
•
254
.
*55
•
256
•
257
. 258,
259
. 259,
260
.
260
. 261,
264
CONTENTS
xvii
Unsatisfactory compromise in this Act . . . . .
Simultaneous expiration of the terms of Local Militiamen's
265
service .....
Permission for them to extend their service
Friction between the two Militias
Foreign affairs in 18 1 2
Casualties and recruiting in 181 2
Establishment of the Forces, 181 3
Final dissolution of Volunteer Infantry
Encouragement shown to the Yeomanry
Abstract of an Act to amend the Militia laws
Special enlistment of men for service in North America
Failure of voluntary enlistment for the Regular Militia
Friction between the two Militias
Depletion of Regular Militia
Events in Europe, 181 3
Strength of the Forces
Act permitting Militia to serve abroad
Further military legislation
Failure of Provisional Battalions .
Disinclination of Militia for foreign service
Formation of three Provisional Battalions
Strength of the Army, 1814
265, 266
. 266
. 267
. 268
268, 269
. 269
. 269
. 270
270, 271
. 271
272
• 273
. 274
274» 275
. 275
276, 277
• -^11
. 278
• 279
. 280
. 281
CHAPTER
Summary : Addington's policy
Pitt's reforms
Windham's reforms
Castlereagh's reforms .
Calvert's proposals
Difficulty of the recruiting question
Formation of second battalions
Enlistment of boys
Convicts in the Army
Lessons of the war
282, 283
283, 284
. 284
. 285
. 286
. 287
287, 288
. 288
. 289
290
TABLE OF APPENDICES
PAGE
I. Returns of Casualties and Recruits for Regular Army . 291
II. Effective Strength of the Army, 1804-181 3 . . 293
III. Effective Strength of Volunteers, 1803-1808 . . 294
IV. Memoranda on the Recruiting of the Army . -295
V. The Additional Force Act 299
VI. Windham's Measures ...... 302
VII. State of the Army, 1804-1809 303
VIII. Foreign and Provincial Corps in British Fay, 1809 . 307
IX. Return of the Artillery, 1 803- 1 809 .... 308
X. Return of the Militia Recruits, 1 809-1 81 3 . . 309
XI. Dates of Addition of 2nd Battalions to Regiments of
Line . . . . . . . . .310
XII. Strength of the Forces at Disposal of District Com-
manders in Great Britain, 1804 . . . .312
INDEX 313
XVlll
ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE CITATION
OF AUTHORITIES
A.G. Adjutant-General.
C.C.L.B. Commander-in-Chief's Letter. Books.
C.G.M. Clerk of the General Meeting (of a Lieutenancy).
C.J. Commons Journals.
C.S.M. Clerk of Subdivision Meeting (of a Lieutenancy).
D.L. Deputy-Lieutenant.
H.D. Hansard's Parliamentary Debates.
H.O. Home Office (one division of the Military Records at
the Record Office).
LD. Internal Defence. (See Preface.)
I.F.O. Inspecting Field-Officer.
L.L. Lord-Lieutenant.
L.M. Local Militia.
L.M.E.B. Local Militia Entry Books.
M.E.B. Military Entry Books.
Mila. E.B. Militia Entry Books.
O.C. Officer Commanding.
S.C.L.B. Secretary at War's Common Letter Books.
S.S. Secretary of State.
S.W. Secretary at War.
V.L. Vice-Lieutenant.
W.O. War Office.
xix
CHAPTER I
The military system of England from the close of
the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century was practi-
cally, though with superficial differences, the same. To
every place which required a garrison, whether at
home or abroad, a small permanent force was indis-
solubly attached, and for purposes of war an army was
improvised.
The institution and increase of the Standing Army
affected this system far less than might be supposed.
For if the Army grew, so also did the population of
the British Isles, to say nothing of British possessions
abroad ; and the regular forces were the only police
of the slightest efficiency either at home or beyond
sea. Owing to the jealousy of the House of Commons,
these forces were never numerous enough for their
work ; and, owing to the general hostility of the nation
towards the service, even the meagre establishment
voted for the various corps was rarely maintained at
its proper strength. Hence, if troops were required for
an expedition over sea, it was necessary to draft three
or four battalions into one, and to recreate, or, in plain
words, to improvise new battalions to take the place
of those that had been drained to the dregs.
The improvisation of an army during the eighteenth
century was generally effected in three ways : by ordi-
nary recruiting, by raising new corps, and by raising
men for rank.
2 THE OLD SYSTEM chap.
Ordinary recruiting was a regimental matter, which
kept two or three officers and a small party of men
constantly absent from regimental duty. It was usually
stimulated at the outbreak of a war by adding two
troops or companies to every regiment or battalion,
which gave a step without purchase to a limited number
of officers.^
The raising of new regiments is a thing that explains
itself. Practically it offered commissions to any enter-
prising gentleman or gentlemen who, by hook or crook,
could get together a body of men ; and in its essence
it differed very little from raising men for rank, which
signified the grant of a step of promotion to all officers
and of a commission to all civilians who would collect
a given number of recruits. An increased bounty,
of course, necessarily accompanied the whole of these
arrangements ; and though, in certain instances, men of
rank and station could raise whole regiments of excel-
lent soldiers, yet the backbone of an improvised army
was the crimp.
The replacing of casualties suffered on active service,
that is to say the maintenance as distinguished from
the formation of an army, was left wholly to ordinary
recruiting ; and it need hardly be said that in a long
war this meagre resource invariably failed. Increased
bounties led always to increased desertion ; and even
in Queen Anne's time it was necessary to enlist men
for short service, instead of, as usual, for life, and to
make a levy of so many men from every parish in the
country. As time went on, the difficulty of keeping
corps in the field up to strength constantly increased.
In Marlborough's day every regiment sent its recruiting
parties home as soon as the Army went into winter
quarters ; but when winter quarters ceased to be, and
campaigns were no longer bounded by the seasons, the
problem became almost insoluble. Towards the end
of the Seven Years' War new levies were raised as fast
as men could be found to undertake them, but the
^ This mode of augmentation lasted till the Crimean War.
I MILITIA ACT OF 1757 3
recruits furnished thereby to the Army in Germany
were of miserable quality. In fact, greatly though the
sudden peace of 1763 was blamed, it came none too
soon for the British Army.
That war, however, brought with it one great and
solid advance in our military system, namely, the
Militia Act of 1757. This measure provided for
passing the entire manhood of the country through
the Militia by ballot, in terms of three years ; but it
was never properly executed, and hence lost very much
of its value. The ballot itself was never enforced^
until the American trouble became serious in 1775,
and then, since substitution was allowed, the traffic
in substitutes interfered gravely with recruiting for the
Regular Army. The price of a substitute rose to ten
guineas before the close of the war, which meant that
recruits for the Line could not be obtained for less than
eleven or twelve guineas. This was the first serious
symptom of a very grave mischief.
From 1784 until 1792 Pitt allowed the military
forces of the country to sink to the lowest degree of
weakness and inefficiency; and in 1793 he found himself
obliged to improvise not merely an army, but, owing to
the multiplicity of his enterprises, a very large army.
He fell back on the old resources of raising men for
rank and calling into existence new levies, allowing the
system to be carried to such excess that the ; Army did
not recover from the evil for many years. Never did
the crimps reap such a harvest as in 1794 and 1795 ;
and never was a more cruel wrong done to the Army
than when boys fresh from school, in virtue of so many
hundred wretched weaklings produced by a crimp, took
command of battalions, and even of brigades, over the
heads of good officers of twenty and thirty years'
service. In 1793 the bounty offered to men enlisting
into the Line was ten guineas ; within eighteen months
the Government was contracting with certain scoundrels
for the delivery of men at twenty guineas a head, and,
X H.D. Speech ofW. Windham, 21st Feb. 1805.
4 PITT'S BLUNDERS, 1 793-1 796 chap.
long before that, the market price of recruits had risen
to thirty guineas.
One cause of the extreme clearness of recruits was
dread of service in the West Indies, where Pitt had
decided to make his principal military effort. Nor was
this repugnance unreasonable, for West Indian duty
in those days was practically synonymous with death.
But, apart from this, the Government, by its own
military policy, had done its utmost to hinder recruiting
for the Line. The Militia was, very properly, at once
embodied and made up to strength as soon as the
danger of war became serious ; but substitutes were
allowed, and these substitutes were precisely the men
who, but for the heavy bounty which they could gain
from serving comfortably at home, would gladly have
enlisted in the Army. Furthermore, by enrolling many
scores of thousands of Volunteers as independent units,
dissociating them, contrary to all precedent, from
the Militia, and exempting them from the ballot,
Ministers diminished seriously the number of men who
were liable to be drawn for the Militia, threw the
obligation upon a smaller class of the population, and,
as a natural consequence, increased the demand for
substitutes. Then again, they had raised several thou-
sand Fencible regiments, both horse and foot. These,
being engaged for home service alone, differed from
Militia only in that they were not chosen by the ballot,
and, consequently, they absorbed thousands of men
who would otherwise have taken service with the
Regulars. Meanwhile the mortality among the troops
in the West Indies was appalling ; and yet, for military
reasons, it was urgently necessary to obtain more men
by some means for both Navy and Army. An Act was
therefore passed for levying men from every parish
in the United Kingdom, after the precedent of Queen
Anne. The measure was a total failure so far as the
Army was concerned, and in the Navy it was generally
considered, from the bad character of the men produced,
to have been a chief cause of the Mutiny of 1797.
I THE ARMY FED BY MILITIA 5
By 1796, therefore, the Government was at its wits'
end, and in that year there was serious danger of in-
vasion. In spite of all its Fencibles and Volunteers, it
did not feel safe, and so fell, during the next two
years, to raising more Fencibles, a Supplementary
Militia, more Volunteers, and, last of all, a force called
the Provisional Cavalry, which was supposed to include
all mounted men not already gathered into the Fencible
and Yeomanry Cavalry. The Provisional Cavalry was
a crying failure. " It passed," in Windham's words,
'* over the country like a blight. It was a pleasant
*' conceit to make every man ride another's horse, till
"at length when the men and horses were all brought
" together, no man knew how to mount, and so they all
" separated." So short-lived was this force, that the fore-
going caustic sentence is almost all that is discoverable
concerning it ; but it is very evident that the class
which the Government desired to enlist in it contrived
to evade service by procuring substitutes, though paying
dearly for them. The Supplementary Militia was
more successful. Ministers had the good sense not to
grant any exemption to the Volunteers until the ballot
had been held. But even so, between these various
calls for men, bounties, or, more accurately speaking,
the cost of recruits and substitutes, rose in 1798 to
sixty, seventy, and even eighty guineas.^
It was very plain that such a state of things could
not continue; wherefore, in 1798 Ministers passed
an Act to enable ten thousand Militiamen to enlist in
the Army for a bounty of ten pounds. The Lords-
Lieutenant set their faces against it, not wishing to see
their men shipped off to the West Indies ; and the
measure was a failure. But, fortunately, the demand
for men in the West Indies ceased about this time, and
the Government was able to reintroduce the Act in
1799, with the additional provision that the service of
the enlisted Militiamen should be confined to Europe.
Then the ten thousand, most of whom had already
* H.D. New Series, iii. 599.
6 TREATY OF AMIENS chap.
received large sums as substitutes, swarmed joyfully to
the colours, and having received their bounty, by some
extraordinary folly, in advance, reeled round them in
a state of crapulous insubordination for some days until
the money was spent. After that, they proved to be
good men, decidedly superior, by Sir Ralph Aber-
cromby's testimony, to the ordinary class of recruit.
Many of them volunteered for service in Egypt, though
their engagement did not bind them to do so ; and in
fact the Army depended chiefly on Militiamen for its
recruits until the signature of the preliminaries of peace
in October 1801.
II
The Treaty of Amiens was admittedly only an
experiment, and an experiment so doubtful that it could
deserve no higher title than a suspension of arms. In
such circumstances it was impossible for Addington to
reduce the military force to a peace establishment, and the
lowest number of regular troops for which he dared to
estimate was 1 32,000. On the other hand, the Fencibles,
both horse and foot, were totally disbanded, which
diminished the force for home defence by at least
20,000 men. It had been hoped that most of these
men, who from long divorce from any but military
employment were practically soldiers, would have en-
listed in the Line ; but they did not. The nation seemed,
not unnaturally, to be sick of warlike exercises, and
recruits were by no means plentiful. True prudence
and forethought would have dictated special efforts
to make up the Regular Army to its full establishment,
for if war was to come again, the surest method of
defence was certainly to take the offensive. Such a
policy, however, would have been construed as lack
of faith on Addington's part towards his own experi-
ment, though it was less for this reason than from sheer
want of foresight and ignorance of war that the Ministry
turned all its energies, as shall presently be seen, towards
purely defensive preparations.
I RENEWAL OF THE WAR 7
An attitude of passive and inert defence is very 1803.
rarely sound, and was never more false than in 1803.
It has generally been assumed that, in the circumstances,
it was impossible for England to think of taking the
offensive. Yet this is at least open to question. The
enemy to be encountered was indeed most formidable ;
but before rushing to the conclusion that the initiative
must necessarily have been yielded up to him, some
account at least should be taken of his position.
Napoleon was not prepared for war. He was
entangled in costly and most difficult operations at
St. Domingo when hostilities began ; and the inter-
vention of the British fleet turned them into utter
disaster. Of forty-eight ships of war which he had
sent off to the West Indies, only seven ever returned
to Europe ^ except as British prizes ; while the soldiers
captured by the British amounted to over seven thousand,
quite apart from thirty to forty thousand men who had
already perished of yellow fever or deserted to the
enemy. The British fleet, owing to the mistaken
economies of St. Vincent, was by no means so efficient
as it should have been, but the French fleet was so
contemptible in numbers and unreadiness as to be
hardly worth mentioning. It may be asserted without
hesitation that the British Government could, so far
as the safety of the sea was concerned, have sent any
force that it pleased to any point that it pleased ; and
thirty thousand, or even twenty thousand, men de-
spatched to Sicily or to Naples in the summer of 1 803
must almost certainly have broken up the camp at
Boulogne. Napoleon had violated Neapolitan terri-
tory by occupying Brindisi, Tarento, and Otranto with
a small force. The appearance of a formidable British
expedition would have compelled him to reinforce it
and the whole of his Italian garrisons very heavily ;
for he could hardly have withdrawn this detachment
without endangering his reputation in France, or, indeed,
* They could not even return to France, but were obliged to take
refuge in Spanish ports.
8 ADDINGTON'S FALSE POLICY chap.
1803. without seeing the force harassed to destruction on
its retreat. Calabria and Apulia were ripe for revolt
against him, and the rest of Italy was by no means so
quiet that he could afford to leave it weakly occupied
when there was a chance of a reverse to his arms. The
British force could have been doubled or trebled as the
augmentation of the Army progressed, and Napoleon
would thus have been forced to fight us amid a hostile
population, at the end of a long line of communications,
in a country which favoured the action of our fleet
even more than Spain.
It may be urged that a policy so audacious was too
much to expect of British Ministers in the presence of
such a man as Napoleon ; and such an objection must
not be lightly dismissed. Addington was such a proverb
for mediocrity that, though he was popular among the
country gentlemen, the nation felt little confidence in
him ; and if he had attempted such a stroke as is out-
lined in the preceding paragraphs, he might well have
brought a storm about his ears and have been compelled
to cancel any offensive expedition, even if he had
designed it. But this is not the main point. The real
question at issue is whether in the particular circum-
stances he should have devoted his principal effort to
reinforcing the Army, which could serve abroad, or to
creating a huge defensive force, which could only serve
at home. Obviously, regular troops, which from their
nature are superior to half-trained levies as well for
internal defence as for foreign attack, were preferable if
they could be raised in sufficient numbers and at reason-
able expense. Indeed, though the fact is occasionally
obscured, the Regular Army is, and always has been, the
only land force that we can depend upon for any
description of war. All inquiries, therefore, into our
military preparations at any period must be conducted,
primarily and above all, to ascertain how they affected,
for good or evil, the strength, numbers, and efficiency of
the Regular Army.
War was declared, as has been told, on the 1 6th of
I STRENGTH OF THE ARMY 9
May 1803. Exact returns of the effective strength of 1803.
the Regular Army on the ist of June are fortunately
to hand,^ and it will be profitable to begin by
abstracting them here. It must be premised that the
Regular Army consisted at that time of three regiments
of Household Cavalry ; seven regiments of Dragoon
Guards ; twenty-five regiments of Dragoons ; seven
battalions of Foot Guards ; ninety-six regiments of the
Line, all of one battalion apiece, except the First Royals,
which had two battalions, and the Sixtieth, which had six ;
seven Garrison Battalions ; a small independent corps
at Goree ; another of five hundred men in New South
Wales ; seven foreign corps (about 3500 of all ranks)
of infantry ; the Royal Waggon Train, numbering just
over two hundred men ; and the Staff Corps, or War
Office Engineers, which had been called into being during
the last war because the established Engineers under the
Office of Ordnance acknowledged no master but their
own Master-General, and made difficulties about obeying
the orders of the Comniander-in-Chief. The above
were all white troops, and it will be convenient to reckon
them all together, for the men of the Sixtieth were for
the most part as truly foreign as De Roll's or De Watte-
ville's. Besides these there were four thousand native
troops in Ceylon, all of them useless and some of them
dangerous, and six West Indian regiments, which for
West Indian service were excellent and invaluable troops.^
The effective strength of the whole (deducting the
Ceylonese) was 14,734 cavalry and 79,508 infantry,
effective rank and file^ that is to say, corporals and privates
only. Adding one-eighth for drummers, sergeants, and
officers, we obtain, in round numbers, a total of 1 5,600
cavalry, and 89,500 infantry, or as nearly as may be
1 Military Transactions of British Empire^ 1803-1807. Printed
for the Commander-in-Chief's office.
2 The return shows nine West India regiments, but not one of
them was 600 strong ; and they were in process of reduction into
six. They were, and of course still are, composed of negroes of
African origin, and frequently of African birth.
lo DISTRIBUTION OF ARMY, 1803 chap.
1803. 104,000 men. To this figure must be added further the
two regiments of Life Guards, 700 of all ranks, which for
some reason were omitted from the return, and the
Artillery, which may be taken at between 9000 and
10,000 of all ranks. ^ The effective strength of the
British Army, therefore, on the ist of June 1803 may
be set down with tolerable correctness at 1 14,000 of all
ranks. The establishment fixed by the estimates of 1 802
was 132,000 men of all ranks, exclusive of the foreign
corps. Hence at the outbreak of the war the Army was
over twenty thousand men, or nearly one-sixth, short of
its proper strength.
Of the effective rank and file 9046 cavalry and
22,814 infantry were in Great Britain, 3215 cavalry and
16,556 infantry in Ireland. The remainder were abroad
or on passage. It so happened that the force in the West
Indies was very large, for the garrisons of the French
islands, which had been captured in the late war and given
back at the peace, had not yet returned home. The
Government at once employed them in recovering some
of the restored islands and settlements. St. Lucia,
Tobago, Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice, and Surinam
were taken before the end of the year with little diffi-
culty or bloodshed; and, since many of the Dutch
prisoners from the four places last named took service
with the British, the net loss of men was trifling —
possibly, indeed, was turned for a few weeks into gain.
But the whole of these new acquisitions required garri-
sons, and most of them were extremely unhealthy, so
that Addington's single offensive movement necessarily
involved an increased drain upon the Regular Army, and
that for a station which was loathed and dreaded as the
grave of some twenty or thirty thousand men during
the last war.
However, Pitt's policy of " filching sugar islands "
was undoubtedly popular with the mercantile classes ;
^ Its establishment was 10,296, and, like the Guards and the
Cavalry at that time, the Artillery had no difficulty in obtaining
recruits.
I NEGLECT OF THE ARMY, 1803 u
and Addington may be pardoned if, with the great man's 1803.
shadow always across his path, he fell into the same evil
ways. But when, in these circumstances, Mr. Yorke intro-
duced the Army Estimates on the 6th of June 1803, not
a few members of the Commons were staggered to find
that he proposed, and plumed himself on proposing, no
further increase in the Regular Establishment than from
1 3 2, 000 to 138,000 men. On the other hand, he pointed
with pride to the figures of nearly 84,000 men which he
assigned to the Militia. This complacency brought
upon him a furious attack from Windham, who asked
how men could be expected to enlist in the Regulars for
life, with liability to serve in any part of the globe, when
they could receive far larger bounties to serve for a few
years comfortably at home. " How," he added, " with-
out a Regular Army can there be a possibility of any
but a passive and defensive policy, which must be alike
ruinous and dishonourable ? " Pitt echoed Windham's
criticism, the meaning of which will presently be made
clear, and joined in his condemnation of a purely defen-
sive attitude ; but Addington disarmed opposition by
asserting that, though he had indeed dealt with defensive
measures first, owing to the vast preparations of the
enemy, yet the country would doubtless aiford means
for offensive operations as soon as a favourable oppor-
tunity should arise. Beyond question Addington spoke
in good faith, probably with a thought for a certain
Army of Reserve Bill which was already in preparation ;
but he was completely at fault over the possibility of
turning his defensive measures to offensive account. To
estimate the causes and consequences of his error, it is
now necessary to see what those defensive measures
were.
CHAPTER II
I
1802. Upon the peace of Amiens, Addington made it his first
business to pass an Act ^ to enable Yeomanry and Volun-
teer corps to continue their service if they were willing
to do so ; for the various Acts passed by Pitt's
Administration had provided for the maintenance of
Volunteers only until the close of the war. The whole
organisation and system of Volunteers under Pitt had
been vicious and false. The corps made their own con-
ditions of service, were supported by private subscrip-
tions, and were directed by committees of subscribers
who were not necessarily holders of commissions. These
committees addressed the Secretary of State directly,
and it was an open question whether they or the officers
were the true commanders of the corps.^ But no effort
was made by Addington to reduce chaos to order, nor
in any way to correct what was amiss. Sections 2, 3,
and 4 of the English Act provided that Volunteers and
Yeomanry should be exempt from the Militia Ballot^
on attending five days' exercise every year, forfeiting
that privilege if discharged fi-om their corps. For the
rest. Volunteers were relieved, under section 7, from the
duty on hair-powder, and Yeomanry from the duty on
^ 42 Geo. III. cap. 66 for Great Britain ; cap. 68 for Ireland.
2 The documents concerning the Volunteers of 1794 to 1801 are
so scanty and imperfect that it is impossible to speak of them except
in general terms. So much as I have written above is, however,
certain.
^ It must be noted that as there was practically no ballot in
Ireland, there was no exemption.
12
CHAP. II VOLUNTEER ACTS, 1802 13
one horse, in addition. Corps which, when called on, 1802.
consented voluntarily to march out of their counties to
repel invasion or to suppress riots were, under section
10, entitled to receive the same pay as regular troops,
and were subjected to military discipline, with the pro-
viso that they could be tried only by courts-martial
composed of officers of Yeomen or Volunteers. Under
section 1 1 officers and men disabled on active service
were entitled to half-pay or to a Chelsea pension respec-
tively ; and therewith the enactment was complete. Not
a word was said as to the preservation of discipline
during the days of exercise ; not a word to prevent the
multiplication of small corps, a thing which had been
the curse of the Volunteers from 1794 to 1801 ; finally,
not a word as to pay and allowances, except in case
of invasion.
The Act having been passed, the Secretary of State
for War, on the 2nd of July, sent round a circular to
the Lords-Lieutenant inviting offers of service, and
tendering the following allowances : ;^2 a year to
every Volunteer for his clothing and appointments ;
^60 a year for every troop of Yeomanry which counted
not fewer than forty rank and file.
A fair number both of cavalry and infantry accepted
these terms, more often as isolated troops and companies
than as regiments or battalions ; but a great many
refused further service, not seeing any occasion for such
patriotic display in time of peace.
The Irish Volunteers Act differed not a little from
the British. Therein it was enacted that the men should
receive clothing, arms, and pay from Government while
out on exercise, which exercise was not to exceed two
days in each month. Permanent pay also was allowed
to one sergeant in each troop ; and the provisions seemed
to point to real desire for efficiency, until the third section
stated expressly, with startling abruptness, that neither
enrolment nor the receipt of pay or allowances should
subject either Volunteers or Yeomen to military duty or
discipline.
14 MILITIA ACT OF 1802 chap.
1802. The next measure of Addington's Government was
a new Militia Act,^ whereby several previous Militia
Acts were repealed, and the purport of them, with some
amendments, re-enacted. The population of the United
Kingdom at this time was, roughly speaking, 14,500,000,
namely, England, 9,000,000 ; Scotland, 1,500,000; Ire-
land, 4,000,000. The Act (together with its affiliated
Acts^) provided for raising altogether 51,489 men,
between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, in Great
Britain, according to a regular quota for every county,
and for giving the King's authority to augment that
number by one-half on calling Parliament together
within fourteen days. This augmentation was known
as the Supplementary Militia, the original 51,489 being
distinguished as the Old Militia — technical terms which
should be borne in mind.
All Militiamen were to be chosen by ballot, and by
no other means whatever, and were positively forbidden,
under penalties (sec. 4), to enlist in the Regular Army.
The regular period of training was fixed at twenty-one
days annually (sec. 88).
The machinery for the levy was as follows : — For
the purposes of the Militia each county as a whole was
governed by " General Meetings of the Lieutenancy,"
that is to say, by a Council of the Lord-Lieutenant and
of his Deputies. The Lord-Lieutenant himself was
appointed by the Sovereign ; the Deputies, of whom a
qualification in respect of property was required, were
appointed by the Lord-Lieutenant, subject to the
Sovereign's approbation. In the absence of the Lord-
Lieutenant, the Sovereign could give three deputies a
commission to act in his stead. With the Council of
the Lieutenancy was a Secretary, known as the Clerk of
the General Meeting, who was appointed by the Lord-
Lieutenant and removable by him (sec. 18).
Each county was further parcelled out into sub-
1 42 Geo. III. cap. 90.
2 The Affiliated Acts mean those for the City of London, the
Cinque Ports, and the Stannaries, which were dealt with separately.
II METHOD OF BALLOTTING 15
divisions, under the control of two or more Deputy- ' 1802.
Lieutenants, who held subdivision meetings under the
orders of the General Meeting, and had likewise a
Secretary known as the Subdivision Clerk. Upon the
approach of a ballot the General Meeting gave orders
to the constables of the hundreds (or other adminis-
trative divisions of the county) to draw up lists of all
men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, with a
statement of their claims, if any, to exemption. This
order was passed on to the parish constables for execution
in each parish; and the lists when completed were
affixed to the door of the church, so that every man
could see them and have the opportunity of appealing
to the next subdivision-meeting, in case his claims to
exemption should have been omitted. The decision of
the subdivision-meeting upon such appeals was final, and
the lists as amended by it were then transmitted by the
Clerk of the General Meeting to the Privy Council,
which was charged with the duty of fixing and, from
time to time, revising the quota of men to be found by
each county.
The numbers of his county's quota having been
reported to the Lord-Lieutenant, a General Meeting
decided upon the number to be produced by each sub-
division; and the subdivision-meetings in their turn
distributed these numbers among the various parishes.
The men liable to service were drafted into five classes
(sec. 54) : (i) Men under thirty and childless ; (2) men
over thirty and childless ; (3) all men having no children
living under fourteen years of age ; (4) all men having
but one child under fourteen ; (5) all other men
whatsoever. Notice was then given in each subdivision
that all men liable to be drawn should attend at a certain
place on a certain day within three weeks of the sub-
division-meeting; and on that day the Deputy-Lieutenants
again met and held the ballot.
If a part only of the Militia was to be embodied,
and if the number of men to be called out was equal to
the number of the first, or first and second, or other
i6 EXEMPTIONS FROM BALLOT, 1802 chap.
1802. succeeding classes in their order, then the Deputy-
Lieutenants might take those classes complete, without
ballot, and use the ballot only for the remainder
(sec. 134).
The Deputy-Lieutenants were required to discharge,
without further claim, all ballotted men under the height
of five feet four inches, and all men physically unfit,
provided that they were not possessed of property to the
value of ;^ 100. Exemption was granted (sec. 43) to
peers ; to all officers on full or half pay in the Army,
Navy, and Marines ; to all non-commissioned officers
and men serving in any of the King's other forces ; to
any officer who was serving or who had served for four
years in the Militia ; to resident members of the
universities, clergymen, duly registered teachers, con-
stables and other peace-officers, articled clerks, appren-
tices, seafaring men and men employed in the royal
arsenals, dockyards, or factories ; to men free of the
Company of Watermen of the Thames ; and finally, to
any poor man (which was construed under sec. 53 to mean
a man possessing less than the value of j^ioo) who had
more than one child born in lawful wedlock.^ Besides
these, the Volunteers could claim their exemption under
the Volunteer Act.
Ballotted men, or, as they were frequently called,
lot-men, if they accepted personal service, were sworn
in to serve as privates for a term of five years (sec. 41),
after which time they were exempt until their turn
came in rotation to be ballotted again. They were
known technically as principals^ to distinguish them from
substitutes^ the persons who must next engage our atten-
tion, for there were various means provided by the Act
for commutation of personal service. In the first place,
^ A nice point was raised as to the exemption of a man whose
second legitimate child was born after he had been ballotted, but
before he had been enrolled. It was decided that in this case he
was exempt ; but that if the child was born after he had been enrolled,
then he was not exempt (JV. O. Mi/a. Books, S. W. to Tho.
Wright, 26th Jan. 1803). How far this decision may have affected
the domestic arrangements of poor families we are not told.
II PAROCHIAL SUBSTITUTES 17
any man chosen or ballotted was empowered (sec. 41) 1802.
to produce a man " of the same county, riding, or place,
or from some adjoining county or place, able and fit for
service," and having not more than one child born in
lawful wedlock, to serve in his stead. Such men were
called personal substitutes, and were sworn in to serve
for five years, or, if the Militia were embodied within
that period, then for such further time as it might
remain embodied ; or, in fewer words, till the close of
the war.
Again, the churchwardens or overseers of any parish
might, by consent of the inhabitants, produce voluntary
candidates for the Militia to the subdivision-meeting, to be
accepted in lieu of men chosen by ballot, and might levy
a parochial rate to pay them a bounty not exceeding ^6
apiece (sec. 42).^ Such men were known and named
in the Act, by an extremely unfortunate confusion of
speech, as volunteers. They were really parochial sub-
stitutes, and for the sake of clearness I shall call them
throughout by the name of parochial substitutes. These
likewise were enrolled for five years, or until the Militia
should be disembodied ; and under sec. 43 previous
service as a substitute, whether parochial or personal, did
not entitle a man to immunity from the ballot. No
ballotted man nor substitute of any description whatever
could be enrolled for service unless first approved by
a surgeon (sec. 52).
Again (sec. 136), any man on the list of ballottable
men might offer himself to serve in lieu of a ballotted
man, and might be accepted by the Deputy-Lieutenants,
provided that he were not over thirty-five years of age
and had no children living under fourteen years of age.
The service of such men was subject to the same con-
ditions as if they had been actually ballotted.
Yet again (sec. 45), any ballotted man could pur-
chase exemption for five years by payment of a fine of
;^io ; or, to put the matter in different words, could
^ From this rate men who were serving in the Militia, in person
or by substitute, were excused.
C
1 8 MILITIA ACT, 1802, SUMMARISED chap.
1802. commute his term of five years' service for that sum of
money. But this privilege was not extended to Quakers,
who were required either to serve or to find a substitute ;
and if any Quaker failed to do so, two or more Deputy-
Lieutenants were empowered to hire a substitute for him
and to levy distress upon his goods for payment of the
same (sees. 45, 50). The fines thus collected were applied
by the Deputy-Lieutenants to the purchase of sub-
stitutes for those persons who had paid them ; and
any surplus remaining thereafter was handed over
to the commanding officer of the County Militia
Regiment to be included in the regimental stock-purse
(sec. 66).
For the relief of the poorer inhabitants there was a
provision that any man worth less than ^^500 who
might be ballotted should, whether he elected to serve
in person or by substitute, receive from the Deputy-
Lieutenants a sum equal to half the current price of a
substitute at the time, the money being raised by a
parochial rate (sec. 122).
The general and designed result of the foregoing
enactments, though it may not appear on the face of
the Act, was as follows : — All men between the ages of
eighteen and forty-five were liable to serve in person or
by substitute, or to pay a fine, unless they combined the
disabilities of being physically unfit (including a shorter
stature than five feet four inches) and of possessing less
than the value of ;^ 100 in property. A man might be
blind, deaf, dumb, handless and legless. He was none
the less liable to serve by substitute or to pay a fine, so
long as he were of the right age and worth more than
^100 ; and this is the explanation of the relief granted
by sec. 122, quoted in the preceding paragraph. The
provisions respecting the numbers and age of children
in the cases of principals and substitutes were due to the
fact that the wives and families of Militiamen were
entitled to parochial support while the men themselves
were serving in the ranks. Hence the criticism of this
Act, by a well-known commentator on the Army, that
II POSITION OF MILITIA SERGEANTS 19
as a tax it was local and personal, instead of general and 1802.
imperial, and, as such, necessarily levied with great
inequality.^
The only form of evasion against which the Act
pretended to guard was that of persons who fraudulently
bound themselves apprentices to qualify themselves for
exemption. Such persons could be compelled to serve,
if detected, and the masters to whom they bound them-
selves were liable to a fine of ^^lo (sec. 49).
To provide against malingering, it was enacted that
though men who became physically unfit might be dis-
charged, yet such discharge must be confirmed by two
Deputy-Lieutenants (sec. 55). Vacancies by death or
discharge were filled up by a fresh ballot from the sub-
division, and presumably (though it was not laid down by
the Act) within the parish from which the dead or
discharged man had been originally drawn (sec. 56).
Vacancies through the promotion of privates to be
non-commissioned officers were, however, not filled up
by ballot, the parish being conceived to have fulfilled its
duty by producing a non-commissioned officer (sec. 57).
The point is worth noting, for the position of non-com-
missioned officers and drummers of Militia was peculiar.
They were sworn in to serve until legally discharged by
their colonel, that is to say, practically for life, though
after twenty years' service in the Militia they were
qualified for a Chelsea pension (sec. 86). If reduced
to the ranks by a court-martial, non-commissioned
officers and drummers were liable to serve as privates
for fifteen months at ordinary times ; but if the Militia
was embodied they were not entitled to discharge until
its disembodiment (sec. 105). In the event of the
death or discharge of any one of them, the Deputy-
Lieutenants for the subdivision from which they were
drawn might apply to Quarter Sessions for the average
price of a substitute in the parish concerned, and so
provide a man to take his place (sec. 58).
^ Clode, i. 289, But Clode's analysis and comprehension of the
Militia Acts are extremely imperfect.
20 DEFICIENCIES IN COUNTY QUOTAS chap.
1802. Privates whose time was within four months of
expiring could give notice if they were willing to
prolong their service, stating the bounty for which they
asked. If accepted, they were treated as parochial sub-
stitutes, and their bounties were raised by a parochial
rate (sees. 1 23, 1 24). A guinea was also allowed to them
for renewal of their necessaries at the close of their five
years, part of which was expended by their captain for
their benefit, and the rest — by custom one moiety —
handed over to them. This was known as renewal
money. The like sum was paid also to substitutes at
the end of their first five years' service, and also at the
end of every three years over and above the original
five years (sec. 126). Substitutes who deserted or
absented themselves from duty could be sentenced by
court-martial to serve in the Militia for a limited period,
or in the Regular Army for life (sec. 127). Militiamen
generally, who absented themselves or deserted, were
liable to a fine of £20 upon conviction before a Justice
of the Peace, or six months' imprisonment in default
(sec. 99).
If any county failed to produce its quota of men
within six months after the passing of the Act, or within
three months of notice given by the officer commanding
the Militia regiments of the county, it was liable to a
fine of £10 annually for every man deficient. For the
payment of this sum Quarter Sessions were required to
make an assessment upon parishes at large or upon the
particular parishes that were responsible for the defici-
encies. The money thus raised was retained in the
hands of the County Treasurers for three months,
during which time the Deputy-Lieutenants were per-
mitted to agree with men to enlist voluntarily in the
Militia for a bounty not exceeding ^10. The balance
of the money was then paid to the Receiver-General of
the county, and by him to the Imperial Exchequer ; and
after the Receiver-General's receipt for the same the
county was acquitted of its default for that year (sees.
158-166). If any county failed to raise the fines
II THE SCOTTISH MILITIA, 1802 21
thus imposed, the Solicitor to the Treasury was required '802.
to put the law into force against it (sec. 169).
Thus, outside the cost of pay and equipment, the
Imperial Treasury was not concerned with the Militia
save by the acceptance, in the last resort, of money in
lieu of men.
A second Act (42 Geo. III. cap. 91) applied the same
principle mutatis mutandis to Scotland, at the same time
increasing its quota of Militia from 6000 to nearly 8000
men. Its ten regiments, which had been raised in 1797
for the duration of the last war only, were grouped anew
and reorganised into fifteen battalions.^
1 Old Organisation of the Scottish Militia: —
1st or Argyll i.e. Argyll, Dumbarton, Bute, Inverness.
2nd or Ross-shire i.e. Ross, Elgin, Nairn, Cromarty, Sutherland,
Caithness.
3rd or Lanark i.e. Lanark.
4th or Dumfries i.e. Dumfries, Selkirk, Peebles, Roxburgh,
Kirkcudbright, Wigtown.
5th or Fife i.e. Fife, Stirling, Kinross, Clackmannan.
6th or Aberdeen i.e. Aberdeen, Banff.
7th or Ayr i.e. Ayr, Renfrew.
8th or Forfar i.e. Forfar, Kincardine.
9th or Perth i.e. Perth.
I oth or Edinburgh />. Edinburgh, Linlithgow, Haddington,
Berwick.
New Organisation of the Scottish Militia : —
No. Regiment. Colonel.
1. Aberdeen. Lord Aboyne.
2. Ayr. Lord Montgomerie.
3. Fife. Lord Crauford.
4. Lanark. Marquis of Douglass.
5. Perth. DukeofAthol.
6. Renfrew. Earl of Glasgow.
7. Argyll and Bute. John Campbell.
8. Berwick, Haddington, Linlithgow, ) g^^j ^^ ^^^^^
Peebles. J
9. Ross, Caithness, Sutherland, Cromarty. Lord Seaforth.
10. Dumfries, Roxburgh, Selkirk. Earl of Dalkeith.
11. Edinburgh City and Co. Duke of Buccleuch.
12. Forfar, Kincardine. M. Douglass.
22 THE IRISH MILITIA, 1802 chap.
1802. Both Acts received the Royal assent on the 26th
of June 1802.
Subsidiary to these was an Act to regulate the Militia
of the Stannaries (42 Geo. III. cap. 72), wherein the
general procedure was the same, but the fine for com-
mutation of five years' service was ^15 instead of ^10.
The Militia of Ireland was not dealt with until the
following session, in December 1802, when an Act (43
Geo. III. cap. 2) was passed '* for the more speedy and
effectual enrolment of the Militia of Ireland." The
preamble set forth that " the mode of ballot hath not
been generally adopted in Ireland, and that it might
therefore be attended with inconvenience to proceed
by that mode only " ; the " inconvenience " being an
euphemism for desperate riots. The Lord-Lieutenant
was therefore empowered to recruit men by voluntary
enlistment for the Militia during the space of four
months, offering a bounty of two guineas a man. The
men so raised were sworn to serve upon the same
terms as the substitutes in England, that is to say, for
five years, or if the Militia were embodied within those
five years, then until disembodiment. ^^40,000 was
set apart for the payment of bounties, whence it may
be inferred that the Government desired to raise about
20,000 recruits, though the ordinary strength of the
Irish Militia was 15,000 men. It is important to note
that the Irish Act, unlike the British Act, contained
no authority to raise Supplementary Militia.
II
1803. Before the New Year had come, the prospects of
prolonging the truce of Amiens became very doubtful ;
New Organisation of the Scottish Militia : —
No. Regiment. Colonel,
13. Inverness, Banff, Elgin, Nairn. Sir F. Grant.
14. Kirkcudbright, Wigtown. Sir J. Dal. Hay.
15. Stirling, Dunbar, Clackmannan, Kinross. Dukeof Montrose.
II MILITIA AMENDMENT ACTS, 1803 23
and as the spring advanced the near approach of war 1803.
was more and more apparent. On the nth of March
1803 — the very day, curiously enough, upon which
Napoleon issued his first orders for the formation of a
flotilla — the Government directed the Militia to be
embodied; and thenceforward measure followed measure
with astonishing rapidity upon the Statute-book.
The first was an Act of one section (43 Geo. III.
cap. 19 ; 24th March 1803), prolonging the annual
training of the Militia from twenty-one to twenty-
eight days. The next was an Act (43 Geo. III. cap.
33 ; 7th April 1803) for doubling the bounty for Irish
Militiamen, a sure proof that the men were not coming
forward in sufficient numbers. Then came an Act to
relax the qualifications of property required of Militia
officers in Great Britain until the 25th of March 1804,
sufficient officers of the wealth demanded by the Act of
1802 being impossible to obtain.
It was none too soon, for war was declared on the
1 6th of May, and on the 28 th the Lords-Lieutenant
were directed to enrol the Supplementary Militia, that
is to say, the additional number, amounting to one-half
of the established Militia, authorised by the Act of
1 802. On the previous day, the 27th of May, an Act had
been passed to provide for the usual parochial relief
of families of Embodied Militiamen (43 Geo. III. caps.
47, 89) ; and this was followed three weeks later by an
Act for the more speedy completion of the Militia (43
Geo. III. cap. 50, nth June 1803). This last provided
that within ten days the Deputy-Lieutenants should
meet and fill up all vacancies in the Militia without
inquiry as to their cause ; that Commandants of Regi-
ments should from time to time notify to the Clerks
of General Meetings the number of men wanting to
their full establishment ; and that the Deputy-Lieuten-
ants should meet and supply all deficiencies within seven
days after receiving notice from the Clerk (sec. i).
Further, the fine of ^10 for every man deficient in
the quota of each county was ordained to be repeated
24 INCREASE OF FINES, 1803 chap.
1803. cumulatively every quarter until the deficiency should
be made good (sec. 4). A new oath was also required
of a Militiaman to the effect, among other matters, that
he had no rupture, nor ever was troubled with fits, and
was no ways disabled by lameness or otherwise (sec. 9
and Schedule B). The fine for commutation of five years
service was also raised, from the 28th of May onward,
from ^10 to ^15 (sec. 10). Lastly, at the very end
came a section threatening high constables and con-
stables, as well as adjutants or non-commissioned officers,
with a fine of ^^50 if they should insure, or in any way
be concerned in insuring, any persons for the provision
of substitutes — a very significant matter which shall be
duly explained in its place.
So much for the Militia ; it is now necessary to turn
for a moment to the Volunteers. On the 3 ist of March
the Government issued circulars inviting the services
of more Volunteers under the Volunteer Act of 1802,
setting forth the pay and allowances which they were
prepared to grant to them as well as the number of
days' training required of them, and promising exemption
from the Militia ballot to those who fulfilled these
conditions. This, as shall be told later, caused
some increase in the number of Volunteers ; and the
Government followed this up by producing an Act to
provide more effectually for the defence and security of
the realm (43 Geo. III. cap. 55, nth June 1803), a
measure which I shall call by the name of the First
Defence Act.
Hereby the Lords-Lieutenant of the United Kingdom
were required to procure returns of all able-bodied men
between the ages of fifteen and sixty, distinguishing
those who were already serving in the Yeomanry or
Volunteers, those who were willing to serve in defence
of the country (stating their terms), those who were
willing to serve gratuitously or for hire as waggoners,
pioneers, and the like, and those who from age, infirmity,
or extreme youth were incapable of service. The Lieu-
tenants were further ordered to furnish particulars as to
II THE FIRST DEFENCE ACT 25
vehicles, horses, boats, cattle, food, and forage, so as to 1803.
enable them to be removed or utilised in case of
invasion (sec. i). The King was empowered to com-
mand the Lords-Lieutenant to appoint officers, approved
by him, to train men who were willing to be armed
(sec. 2). General Meetings and subdivision-meetings
could be held, as under the Militia laws, to enforce the
Act (sees. 3-6). The King was empowered to order
the destruction of buildings and the destruction or
removal of waggons, cattle, etc., in case of emergency
(sec. 7). Persons enrolled in Volunteer corps after
the passing of the Act were not to be called out except
according to their offers of service, nor except in case of
invasion or imminent danger of invasion (sec. 8). The
King was authorised to treat for the purchase of land
necessary for military purposes ; and, in case of urgent
need, machinery was provided for compelling its sale
(sec. 10). Provision was also made for compensation
to the owners of property destroyed in case of invasion
or threat of invasion (sec. 1 1).
This Act was apparently designed to encourage men
to enrol themselves in the Volunteers ; but it was, on
the face of it, a half-hearted measure, and it is difficult
to see why the Lieutenants should have been put to the
trouble of ascertaining whether men were willing to serve
in defence of their country, when the King had the
undoubted right to call on them to serve whether willing
or unwilling. However, the Act was circulated in the
counties on 24th June for what it might be worth.
Then came a new complication. Sailors were wanted
for the Navy, and a good many seafaring men had been
enrolled in the Militia, probably as substitutes, being
tempted either by the bounty or by this opportunity of
escaping impressment. An Act (43 Geo. III. cap. 62)^
was passed on the 24th of June authorising all such men to
be discharged from the Militia into the fleet, provided
that not more than one-tenth of the full number of
^ A similar Act for Ireland (43 Geo. III. cap. 76) was passed on
4th July 1803.
26 FURTHER MILITIA ACTS chap.
1803. privates In any regiment were so discharged at any one
time. The men on being taken into the Navy were to
receive the usual bounty granted to seamen, and were
bound to serve till the end of the war and until three
months after the ratification of a definitive treaty of
peace. Their late colonels were authorised to fill their
places by the enlistment of voluntary recruits,^ by beat
of drum or otherwise, and were to receive ten guineas
a man for the purpose, which sum was to be ultimately
charged to the account of the Navy. Thus to the three
different descriptions of recruits already supplied to the
Militia under the Militia Act, viz. lotmen, personal
substitutes, and parochial substitutes, there was added a
fourth — voluntary enlisters for an increased bounty.
Moreover, as the Militiamen transferred to the Navy
were not required to disgorge the bounty which they
had received upon entering the Militia, the country was
put to the expense of paying twice over for their services.
It will be remembered that seamen and seafaring men
were exempted from the Militia ballot under section 43
of the Militia Act of 1802 ; but there was no provision
to prevent them from being enrolled either as principals
or as substitutes.
Yet another little Act was rendered necessary by
the fact that, though the Militia Act of 1802 duly
provided for raising the Supplementary Militia, it had
omitted the means of supplying the increased numbers
with a due proportion of officers. This defect was
accordingly made good by an Act for Augmenting the
Number of Field Officers and other Officers of Militia
within Great Britain (43 Geo. III. cap. 71, 8th July
1803.
Ill
Meanwhile the Government had decided, or thought
that it had decided, upon a definite plan for Volunteers.
The Secretary of State accordingly informed the Lords-
^ They are called volunteers under the Act, but I have avoided
the word to save confusion.
II ARMY OF RESERVE ACT 27
Lieutenant of the fact in a circular of the 20th of June, 1803.
intimating at the same time that no Volunteers accepted
after the i6th of June should be exempt from the ballot
for a new force, which was about to be called into exist-
ence. On that same day, the 20th of June, Mr. Yorke
introduced the measures for the creation of this new
force. These, though entitled the Additional Force
Acts, became better known as the Army of Reserve
Acts (England, 43 Geo. III. cap. 82 ; Scotland,
cap. 83 ; Ireland, cap. 85 ; 6th July 1803). The Acts
ordained that there should be raised by ballot, under
the Militia laws, 34,000 men for England, 6000 for
Scotland, and 10,000 for Ireland.-' Exemption, over
and above the exemptions granted by the Militia Acts
of 1802, was given to poor men who had more than
one child born in lawful wedlock under ten years of
age, or who were infirm ; and the Deputy-Lieutenants
were further empowered to discharge any ballotted man
who was unfit for service through infirmity or otherwise,
if his worldly possessions did not amount to the value
of ^100 (sees. 6, 13).^ Exemption was also granted to
any who had served personally or by substitute in the
Militia (unless their turn to be ballotted should in rota-
tion have come round again), and to all Volunteers and
Yeomanry who had been enrolled and had entered their
names on the muster-roll before the 22nd of June 1803 ;
provided that, in the case of country corps, their offer
of service extended, in event of invasion, to the whole
of their military district, or in the case of London,
Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, Hull,
Norwich, Leeds, York, Sheffield and Birmingham,
Edinburgh and Glasgow, to the defence of these cities
and their respective vicinities. Men who had served in
the Army, or as substitutes, personal or parochial,^ in
1 Besides these, the City of London, which by charter was exempt
from furnishing men for military service, volunteered to raise 800
men for the Army of Reserve, and was empowered to do so by 43
Geo. III. cap. loi ; 27th July 1803.
2 The references are to the English Act.
^ The words of the Act are " substitutes or volunteers," as usual
2 8 ARMY OF RESERVE ACT chap.
1803. the Militia, and had been discharged therefrom, were
expressly excepted from this exemption (sec. 8).
The standard of height for the Army of Reserve
was five feet two inches only, if the man were " other-
wise able-bodied and fit for service " (sec. 9) ; and it
was enacted that notice to a ballotted man's wife, family,
or servant was to be sufficient to subject him to the
penalties of desertion if he did not present himself
within fourteen days of such notice.
Service could be commuted in two ways : (i) by
producing a substitute of the same or some adjoining
county, the limitation placed by the Militia Act upon
the number of a substitute's children being removed
(sec. 14) ; (2) by payment of a fine of ;^20, which,
however, did not purchase immunity from the ballot
for more than one year. Ballotted men who neglected
to pay this fine or to find a substitute could be compelled
to serve (sec. 15). Of each fine of ;^20 one-half was
paid to the overseers to provide a parochial sub-
stitute (sec. 17), and the remainder to the Paymaster-
General of the Army ; and, as in the case of the Militia,
parishes were empowered to evade a ballot, in whole or
in part, by producing " volunteers," that is to say,
parochial substitutes, and paying them the " average
price of a substitute " out of the parochial rates. If the
number of parochial substitutes presented before the
ballot by any subdivision amounted to two-thirds of its
quota, the ballot could be suspended for six days, and
these days of grace could be still further prolonged by
the Royal consent, to give time for the production of
the remaining third (sec. 22). It was also ordained
that half the current price of a substitute, according to
the estimate of the Deputy-Lieutenants, should be paid
to every man who served in person or by substitute,
without defining what description of Volunteer is intended, though
(as the reader may have remarked) the word Volunteer has already,
in the Acts already cited, been used in three different senses. I
take the purport of the Act, however, to have been that no service
in the Militia, except in person or by (not as) a substitute, was to
grant exemption.
II ARMY OF RESERVE ACT 29
provided that his worldly estate was less than ^^500 in 1803.
value (sees. 23, 25). Moreover, every principal upon
accepting service, was to receive two guineas bounty, and
every substitute one guinea, from the general funds of
the county, the money being paid to the captains of the
companies and accounted for by them to the men (sees.
25, 26). It may be reckoned that each man received
one-half of this sum after deduction of half a guinea for
necessaries.
All men enrolled under the Act were sworn to
serve in the United Kingdom and Channel Islands only,
principals for five years, substitutes for five years or
until six months after a definitive peace. All enrolled
men, whether principals or substitutes, were further
required to swear that they were not ruptured nor
subject to fits, nor otherwise physically disabled, and
that they were not apprentices, seamen, members of the
Army, Navy, Marines, or Militia (sec. 19). After enrol-
ment they could either be formed into new corps or
embodied in old regiments, though never outside the
United Kingdom and Channel Islands, and they were
to be subject to the Mutiny Act (sec. 29). Vacancies
through death or discharge were to be filled up, as in
the Militia, by ballot (sec. 31) ; and the wives and
families of Army Reserve men were entitled to parochial
support in the same way as Militiamen (sec. 33). They
were allowed to enlist into the Regular Army if they
wished ; and in this case the parishes were not compelled
to fill the vacancies thus made (sec. 33). Colonels of
regiments were required to furnish lists of vacancies to
the Quarter Sessions of each county on the 29th of
September 1803 ; and for every man deficient of the
quota a fine of j^20 was to be imposed, a further fine
of the same sum being added cumulatively every quarter
until the deficiency should be made good (sec. 35). It
was specially added that the raising of men under this
Act was to be no excuse for not levying men as usual
for the embodied Militia.
The Scottish Act was the same mutatis mutandis.
30 ARMY OF RESERVE ACT chap.
1803. except that the fines for commutation of service were
to be made over entirely to the parish authorities for
the provision of substitutes, any remaining surplus
being remitted to the Paymaster -General of the
Army.
The Irish Act enacted that the ballot should be
employed to raise the Army of Reserve (sec. 11), but
if five members of any General Meeting were of opinion
that the men could be more expeditiously raised by beat
of drum, the Lord-Lieutenant might authorise them to
dispense with the ballot (sec. 38). If within five weeks
of authorisation the county raised two-thirds of its
quota by voluntary enlistment, the Lord-Lieutenant
could grant it three weeks' grace to raise the remainder.
If without such authority from the Lord-Lieutenant
the full quota was not raised in six weeks, or if the three
weeks of grace proved to be unavailing, then appeal
must be made to the ballot.
Judging from the surface of this Act, the Govern-
ment's intention was to raise by ballot 50,000 additional
Militiamen. The points wherein members of the Army
of Reserve mainly difi^ered from Militiamen were
that they could be draft:ed into second battalions of the
Regular Regiments at home ; that they could enlist
from these for general service in the Regular Army ;
that they need not be more than five feet two inches
in height ; and that substitutes could be men with
any number of children.
This measure had not been law for a fortnight
when, on the i8th of July, the Government brought
in yet another bill to amend the Defence Act of the
nth of June, "and to enable His Majesty more
speedily and eff^ectually to exercise his ancient and
undoubted prerogative in requiring the military service
of his liege subjects in case of invasion of the realm."
This bill passed on the 27th of July, and was known as
the Levy en Masse Act (43 Geo. III. cap. 96), the
execution of which was as usual thrown upon the Lords-
Lieutenant and their Deputies, under the machinery of
II LEVY EN MASSE ACT 31
the Militia Laws. They were required first to obtain 1803.
lists of all men between the ages of seventeen and fifty-
five (sec. 3), and to sort them into four classes : viz. ( i )
unmarried men under thirty, with no child living under
ten years of age ; (2) unmarried men between thirty
and fifty, with no child as aforesaid ; (3) married men
from seventeen to thirty, with not more than two
children living under ten years of age ; (4) all other
persons (sec. 4). Exemption was granted to the Judges
of the Courts of Law, to persons too infirm for service,
clergymen, schoolmasters, Quakers, officers and men actu-
ally serving in the Army, Navy, Marines, Militia, and
Volunteers, Lords-Lieutenant, Deputy-Lieutenants, and
peace officers (sec. 12). But ministers, churchwardens,
and parochial officers at large were all required to help
in making out the lists (sec. 13). This done, the King
could direct any parishes to be provided with arms,
which arms were to be stored in the church or other
convenient place under the care of the churchwardens,
acting under the directions of the Deputy-Lieutenants
(sec. 25). The King could order the three first classes
to be trained in the use of arms for two hours at least
on every Sunday (or other convenient day) in the week,
for the entire period between the 25 th of March and
the 25 th of December, the Deputy-Lieutenants being
held responsible for such training (sec. 27). In case of
emergency the King could further require them to be
trained, before Christmas 1803, on successive days
during three or more weeks as the Deputy-Lieutenants
might arrange, the total number of successive days not
to fall below fourteen or rise above twenty (sec. 28).
The Deputy - Lieutenants could further appoint a
captain, two lieutenants, and an ensign to every 120
men (subject to removal by the King), and the
captains could appoint non-commissioned officers (sec.
30). The Deputy-Lieutenants were also empowered
to hire out-pensioners to train their men, and to pay
them not more than half- a - crown a day out of the
parochial rates (sec. 32) ; but a constable was also
32 LEVY EN MASSE ACT chap.
1803. required to be present, under pain of ten shillings fine.
The Deputy-Lieutenants were to appoint days of exer-
cise, and residents within four miles of the place of
muster were subject to a fine of five shillings in the
case of the rich, and one shilling in the case of the poor,
if they failed to attend ; the above fines being raised
respectively to forty shillings and five shillings for non-
attendance on three successive days. If the classes
should be called up for extraordinary training under
sec. 28, the labouring men were to be entitled to
pay of one shilling for each attendance (sec. 37). Any
man misconducting himself during exercise could be
haled before a Deputy- Lieutenant or Justice of the
Peace, and fined five shillings or, in default, imprisoned
for a week (sec. 44). In case of invasion, or imminent
danger of invasion, the King ^ was to direct the whole or
part of the men enrolled under the Act, either to be
embodied and placed in existing regiments of Regulars,
Militia, and Fencibles, or to be formed into new corps.
When thus embodied the levies were liable to march to
any part of Great Britain and were subject to the
Mutiny Act (sec. 44). The King was also empowered
to give provisional orders for embodiment previous to
invasion (sec. 48) ; but no man serving under the Act
could, under any pretence whatever, be compelled to
serve outside Great Britain. The Lieutenants were
further required to fix places of assembly and to
arrange signals for drawing out the men ; and such
persons as disobeyed the order or signal to assemble
were to be deemed deserters (sec. 50). If any man
presented himself on horseback, armed and equipped at
his own expense, he was to be attached to some corps of
cavalry, and not compelled to serve with the infantry.
If only a part of the classes was to be embodied,
the Deputy-Lieutenants were to choose the required
number by ballot (sec. 52) ; but in places where
Volunteer corps were formed, or where a number of
^ The words are " His Majesty shall order and direct." (The
italics are mine.)
II LEVY EN MASSE ACT 33
men of any age between seventeen and fifty, equal to 1803.
three-fourths of the first class, engaged themselves to
serve as Volunteers, and to march to any part of Great
Britain, the King was empowered to suspend the train-
ing prescribed by the Act. For the rest, two guineas
were to be paid to every man when called out to repel
invasion, in order to provide him with necessaries, and
one guinea to enable him to return home after expul-
sion of the enemy (sees. 59, 60). Their wives and
families were also entitled to parochial relief during
their absence, as under the provisions of the Militia
Act (sec. 61). Meanwhile it was expressly provided
that this Act should not exempt men from the ballot
for the Militia or the Army of Reserve (sec. 62).
On the same day (27th July) there was passed
another Act for the more speedy completion of the
Militia and the Army of Reserve (43 Geo. III. cap. lOo),
making men who refused to be examined for their fit-
ness for the Militia liable to compulsory service, if
found physically able, and lowering the standard of
substitutes for the Militia to the height of five feet two
inches. Both provisions showed clearly enough that
men were difficult to obtain.
Then, though the Levy en Masse Act was the
second of its kind, it had hardly been passed before it
was found to need amendment. No provision had
been made for exonerating persons who changed their
parish, or who went abroad, from the penalties imposed
by the Act. The King had been empowered to
remove officers appointed by the Lords-Lieutenant,
but no power had been given to the Lords-Lieutenant
to supply the vacancy by a fresh appointment. The
number of non-commissioned officers allowed under
the Act was insufficient, and, finally, section 32 forbade
the Deputy-Lieutenants to hire any sergeant-instructors
except out-pensioners of Chelsea. All these matters
were set right by the Levy en Masse Amendment Act
(43 Geo. III. cap. 120; nth Aug. 1803). One im-
portant alteration was also added, namely, that if the
D
34 THE BILLETING ACT chap.
1803. number of Volunteers in any county were satisfactory
to the King, he could suspend the operation of the
Levy en Masse Act, even though they did not amount
to the prescribed tale of three-fourths of the first class
(sec. i).
On the same day, however, the nth of August,
yet another Act was passed, which was fraught with
consequences far more serious. This bore the innocent
appellation of an Act to authorise the billeting of
Yeomanry and Volunteers when assembled for training,
and was known as the Billeting Act (43 Geo. III. cap.
121). The measure certainly contained provisions to
justify its title ; but it contained also much more. For it
ordained the qualification of an effective Yeoman to
be twelve days' exercise, and of an effective Infantry
Volunteer to be twenty-four days' exercise in the year ;
and it exempted all such effective men from the ballot
not only under the Army Reserve Act, but under any
future Act to raise an Additional Force (sees, i and 2).
The measure contained also two important provisions of
another kind. Section 9 subjected the Yeomanry and
Volunteers to the Mutiny Act, when called out to repel
invasion ; while section 1 1 removed them from the
control of the Lords - Lieutenant in the same emer-
gency, and placed them under the Generals command-
ing districts. Section 13 vested funds subscribed for
Volunteer and Yeomanry corps, as well as arms
and stores purchased therewith, in the officers com-
manding those corps ; and section 14 made it lawful
for such Volunteers as refused to pay sums required
from them under the rules of their corps to be haled
before a Justice of the Peace, who had power to cause
the same, together with a fine of double the amount, to
be levied by distress, if necessary, and to be paid to the
general stock of the corps.
The meaning of these two last provisions shall in
its place be more fully explained. For the present it is
enough to draw the reader's attention to them, and to
point out that section 14 gave the only power that
II THE LORDS-LIEUTENANT 35
existed, so far, for enforcing discipline among Volun- 1803.
teers until called out to repel invasion.
Yet another Act of the same date (43 Geo. III.
England, cap. 123 ; Scotland, cap. 124; nth Aug.
1803) rectified a mistake in section 5 of the Army of
Reserve Acts, and exempted men who were serving
personally or by substitute in the Militia from being
ballotted for the Army of Reserve, unless their turn to
be ballotted had come back in rotation, and conversely
delivered those who were serving personally or by sub-
stitute in the Army of Reserve from the ballot for the
Militia.
With this enactment the session closed ; and the
wearisome statement of the Acts of Parliament being
for the present complete, we must look next to the men
who were required to enforce them.
IV
The execution of the Militia Act and its affiliated
Acts was committed, as we have seen, to the Lords-
Lieutenant of Counties. Necessarily, therefore, much
depended upon their goodwill, their zeal, and their
capacity. Speaking generally, it may be said that they
performed their duties with admirable intelligence,
energy, and tact. There were, of course, men of all
descriptions among them. A few like Lord Eglinton,
Lord Townsend, the Duke of Northumberland, and
the Duke of Richmond were military officers of wide
experience, considerable technical knowledge, and
original ideas ; but the majority were simply sensible,
industrious, and capable country gentlemen, whose rank
and character gave them deserved influence among their
peers, and whose weight was sufficient to bear down
anything like captious criticism or opposition among
their subordinates. A certain number were of course
fussy, self-important, and inclined to multiply hard
questions and to lengthen out correspondence ; but
these were not many nor, for all their defects, the least
36 LIEUTENANTS' DIFFICULTIES chap.
1803. patriotic or efficient. Three only in the whole of the
United Kingdom seem to have been thoroughly unfit
for their place ; and of these one was a sensitive mag-
nate of slender intellect, who delighted in raising
difficulties, the second was disabled by age and infirmity,
and the third was accused of giving commissions in the
Volunteers to uncertificated bankrupts in order to annoy
a brother landlord who was politically opposed to him.^
In Scotland, where Lords-Lieutenant and Militia were
new things, the jealousies of county against county
often found expression through their administrative
chiefs, but this fault really lay rather in the body of
the Scottish people than in the individuals directly
concerned.
Probably the greatest trouble of the Lords-Lieu-
tenant all over Great Britain lay with brother magnates
of as high position as themselves who, though to the
last degree loyal, patriotic, and generous, often wanted
to conduct matters according to their own ideas, to
erect the corps which they had raised, and which no
one but themselves could have raised, into independent
units, and to employ them only upon such service as
they themselves considered appropriate. Such men
required to be handled with much delicacy and tact.
If their political opinions differed from those of the
Lieutenant, they scented a job in every order and every
appointment ; and it was only by timely concessions
and judicious flattery that they were kept in compara-
tive subordination and good-humour. One of their
worst failings was their preference for addressing the
Secretary of State direct, instead of through the Lord-
Lieutenant, a fault which it was not always easy for
the latter, if he happened to be a personal friend, to
correct or reprove.
The work thrown upon the Lords-Lieutenant was
in many cases extremely heavy. Devon, Lancashire,
Hampshire, and the West Riding of Yorkshire were
* I.D. vol. ii. Berks, passim ; vol. xxxiv. Worcestershire^
passim j vol. xii. Edinburgh, C. Hope to S.S. 25th Aug. 1803.
II INDUSTRY OF THE LIEUTENANTS 37
the counties in which, owing to density of population, 1803.
or extent of territory, or difficulty of communication,
or to all three combined, the demands upon them were
greatest ; but in none of the maritime counties were
their duties light. Curiously enough, nearly all of them
— even such great men as the Duke of Portland and
Lord Fitzwilliam — wrote the whole of their numerous
letters with their own hands. A very few always
employed a clerk, either because they were crippled by
gout or, in at least one case, because the Lieutenant's
own handwriting was illegible. The Lieutenant of
Devon frequently used his wife as his amanuensis, and
it is probable that others did the same.
Apart from their correspondence, the Lords-Lieu-
tenant of necessity were constantly making journeys to
their provincial capitals, to other centres of population,
and to the most important of their neighbours and
friends, either to consult them or to reconcile differ-
ences and put an end to quarrels. In many counties,
where the roads followed the old tracks chosen to suit
the peculiar requirements of pack-horses, riding was
practically the only means of travelling from place to
place ; and it must have been no uncommon thing for
the Lieutenants to be in the saddle at dawn in order
to ride thirty or forty miles to a county meeting and
return before dark.^ The postal arrangements were
very primitive, and the Post Office, strangled in red-
tape, was often a hindrance rather than an aid to the
practical transmission of correspondence. It will hardly
be believed that as late as November 1803 Lieutenants
and Deputy -Lieutenants were called upon to pay
postage-fees for letters delivered on the business of
the State. Complaints to the Secretary of State brought
no relief, until a Deputy-Lieutenant of Sussex wrote to
1 A generation has arisen which has no idea of the part that
riding played formerly in the life of a country gentleman. The
present writer, as a boy, was brought up, according to the old
traditions, to order out a pony and ride for distances so short that
it would have saved time to walk ; but to make the shortest journey
on foot was unheard of.
38 WORKING OF THE MILITIA ACT chap.
1803. his chief that he had recently paid seven shillings for
two packets, and that he would receive in future no
letters on the public service that did not arrive free of
charge.^
Of the Deputy-Lieutenants, who formed altogether
a very large body, it is less easy to speak. • Some of
their failings will appear in the ensuing narrative of
the administration of the various Acts under the Militia
Laws; but in England it seems that the majority did
their work with intelligence, loyalty, and goodwill.
In some of the wilder parts of the country they had
long distances to travel ; stupid and inefficient parochial
officers to instruct ; ignorant, prejudiced, and occasion-
ally lawless peasants to soothe, convince, reconcile or
overpower. The work must have made great demands
upon their time, their patience, and even their physical
endurance, yet as a rule they seem not to have shrunk
from it, though their sympathy with their people was
often greater than their respect for the law.
1802-3. Let us now pass from the letter of the laws, and
from those who executed them, to the actual history
and effect of their working in the years under review.
It will be remembered that the Militia and Volunteer
Acts of 1 802 were passed in time of peace. The first
ballot of the Militia under the new law was likewise
held in time of peace, in the course of the winter of
1802, when the defects of the measure very soon
became apparent. The purport of the Act was to
make a levy of men in just proportion to its population
from every parish in the three Kingdoms. The very
essence of the force in theory was that the contingent
of each county should be drawn from that county, or
at least from the border of a neighbouring county.
Whether the men were principals or substitutes, and
1 I.D. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. nth Dec. 1803 ; Lord
Gage to L.L. Sussex, i8th Dec. 1803.
II THE BALLOT IN PRACTICE 39
whether as substitutes they were personal or parochial, 1802-3
there were special clauses designed to safeguard the
local character of the Militia ; and though, in the case
of substitutes provided by the Deputy-Lieutenants from
the proceeds of exemption-fines, there were no special
words to enact that these men should be drawn from
the district or county, yet the whole spirit of the Act
intimated that this was its intention.
It must be said at once that, even before war broke
out, the bare allowance of the principle of substitution
sufficed to nullify these particular provisions of the
Militia Act completely. This was due to two principal
causes ; first, to the want of uniformity in the method
of conducting the ballot, and, secondly, to the practice
of insurance.
The ballot has been for so long obsolete that the
traditions concerning it have utterly perished ; and it is
now exceedingly difficult to discover anything about it.
The one thing that appears certain is that the Deputy-
Lieutenants of every subdivision were at liberty, so far
as the Act was concerned, to arrange matters as they
found most convenient, and that they availed themselves
of that liberty with edifying readiness. It is, indeed,
probable that there were almost as many methods as
counties.
It should seem, however, that the commonest pro-
cedure was as follows. First the lots were drawn,^ and
the men upon whom they fell furnished their substitutes
or paid the fine which entitled them to five years'
exemption. A second ballot was then held, in which
the names of the men who had been chosen by the first
ballot were omitted ; and the victims of the second
ballot, upon enrolling themselves or[finding a substitute,
received the proceeds of the fines paid by the men of
the first ballot.^ The method was curious, and though
1 The approved method was to write the names of ballottable
men on slips of paper, place the slips, folded, in a bag or box, and
draw them out one by one in public.
2 IF.O. Mila. Book, S.W. to C.G.M. Yorks, 26th July 1803.
40 THE BALLOT IN PRACTICE chap.
1802-3. it was apparently recognised and approved for a time
at headquarters,^ it is easy to see that it was unfair to
poor men and tended of itself to raise the price of
substitutes. Thus if a really poor man were drawn by
the first ballot, he had practically no choice but to
accept six guineas and serve. If, on the other hand,
he escaped the first ballot, he could be sure of at least
ten pounds on being drawn for the second ; and if, on
the second ballot, additional men paid the fine, and it
was necessary to proceed to a third ballot upon the
same principle, the men then drawn might well receive
^15 or ^20.2
But throughout the whole of the vast correspond-
ence upon the subject the most remarkable point is,
that no one, from the parish overseer to the Secretary
of State, ever expected a principal to accept service in
the Militia. It was assumed in every quarter that
substitutes would be provided practically in every case ;
and, in fact, in 1803-5, ^^^ ballot was simply an
instrument for compelling the parishes to organise at
their own expense recruiting depots for the Militia.
The means contrived to attain this end were various.
The Act itself prescribed one by allowing parishes to
produce their quota of so-called volunteers in anticipa-
tion of the ballot. In Carnarvonshire' the practice
was as follows. The Deputy-Lieutenants grouped the
parishes together by twos and threes " to make the
choice of men as equal as possible " ; and the ballot
was duly held. But before the ballot it was customary
^ But Mr. Bragge, when Secretary at War, opined that the
practice was illegal, unless the fines paid for exemption were in-
sufficient for the purchase of substitutes. Sec. at War to S.D.C.
Essex, 2nd Sept. 1803. It is most improbable that the practice
was discontinued in spite of this opinion.
2 But these sums must not be accepted as exact, for the price
of substitutes of course varied according to the demand ; and
though j^6 was by law the extreme fee to be granted to the
parochial substitutes known as volunteers, yet section 122 of the
Militia Act, as has been seen, gave ballotted men, worth less than
j^50o, half the current price of a substitute.
3 I.D. vol. vi. C.G.M. Carnarvon, to S.S. 29th Jan. 1803.
II THE BALLOT IN PRACTICE 41
for the men liable to service to collect money (from 1802-3.
what source is not specified) to pay the fine in lieu of
personal service. Instead, however, of paying this
money to the Deputy-Lieutenants as a fine, pursuant to
the directions of the Act, they handed it to the parish
overseers, who agreed with them to find their substi-
tutes. The advantage of the plan was this. The mere
payment of, the fine to the Deputy-Lieutenants would
have brought exemption to a man for five years only,
whereas the provision of a substitute gave him per-
manent immunity from the ballot. If the price of a
substitute exceeded the means in the hands of the
overseers, the overplus was paid by the parish on which
the lot happened to fall, on the understanding that the
other parishes should in due time contribute their share.
The other parishes, however, sometimes declined to pay
their contribution when called upon ; and owing to this
accident the history of this particular method of apply-
ing the ballot has been preserved. For the Deputy-
Lieutenants, dismayed at finding the peculiar machinery
of their county thrown out of gear, and doubtless
stimulated by the cries of the parish which had so
imprudently trusted to the good faith of its fellows,
actually appealed to the Secretary of State to know if
they had any legal remedy against the parishes which
had declined to pay the money expected of them.
The whole transaction was, on the face of it, of an
extremely doubtful character, for the overseers under
the Act were responsible for the preparation of the
Militia lists ; yet none of the county authorities saw
any harm in converting them into contractors for the
supply of recruits. It is hardly to be imagined that
the overseers failed to make money out of the business,
so that in point of fact they were neither more nor less
than official crimps. Section 15 of 43 Geo. III. cap.
50, was of course designed to check this evil, but it
could be so easily evaded that it can hardly be treated
with serious consideration.
More commonly, however, precisely the same end
42 INSURANCE SOCIETIES chap.
1802-3. ^^^ attained by different means, namely insurance. In
Scotland the practice was " carried to a great height " ;
but the Militia was so new a thing in North Britain
that the country had not learned the higher application
of insurance. The policy of a Scottish society insured
men only for the price of the exemption fine. The
English institutions provided their clients with a
substitute or the price of a substitute. In their incep-
tion these insurance societies arose in the most natural
manner possible. In any given parish or town there
was a given number of men liable to be ballotted, of
whom in normal times only a small fraction — probably
less than one- tenth — was required at one time for
service. So many of these as could afford a small
outlay met together and agreed to subscribe so much
apiece to purchase substitutes for such of their number
as might be drawn for service. This was the simplest
form of insurance ; and hence in the Parliamentary
debates the words subscription society and insurance
society are used synonymously. In many cases the
parochial authorities took the lead in the management
of these societies, made the necessary calculations,
collected the subscriptions, transacted the whole of the
necessary business, and doubtless remunerated them-
selves, with the full consent of their subscribers, with a
small commission for their pains. In Lichfield we learn
that at ordinary times the subscription for substitutes
was no more than five shillings,^ though for reasons
presently to be shown, it rose to four times that amount
before the end of 1803.
In Blackburn, later on in the same year, a still
more curious instance came to light which, though it
deals with a later phase of affairs, enables us to study
the question of insurance in closer detail. After the
ballot-list had been published, but before the ballot had
taken place, a subscription was set on foot in the town
which was open to all whose name appeared on that
1 I.D. vol. xxix. Magistrates of Lichfield to L.L. 19th Nov.
1803.
II INSURANCE SOCIETIES 43
list. The men to be supplied numbered 36 ; the 1803.
subscribers amounted to 512. A contribution of ^^i
a head was reckoned to be sufficient to enable the
subscribers to hire parochial substitutes for the bene-
ficiaries of the society at large, and to pay bounties to
men who provided substitutes for themselves. The
sum of ;^i89 : los. was thus paid out on account of
ten of the subscribers, in bounties varying from j^i6 to
£20. As these amounts were equal to the full current
price of substitutes, and any additional expenditure on
the part of the ballotted men was therefore voluntary
and unnecessary, the Deputy-Lieutenants considered
that any surplus, remaining after repayment to them of
their subscription of ^i and of any little additional
expenses, should go to the general fund for the benefit
of all the subscribers. The ten men, however, thought
differently. Under section 122 of the Militia Act
of 1802 ballotted men, worth less than ^^500, were
entitled to receive half the current price of a parochial
substitute ; and this they claimed as their right. The
Deputy-Lieutenants flatly refused to pay it. The men
had found their substitutes at a trifling cost, they had
also gained exemption from the parish rate levied for
the payment of bounties, and the Deputies were furious
at the idea of their making also ^7 or ^^8 out of the
transaction. It was contrary to all precedent in Lich-
field, where the rule was that men who served person-
ally should alone receive back their subscription and
half the current price of a substitute. Thereupon the
ten men concerned carried their appeal to the Secretary
of State, and demanded their half bounty as a right.
The matter was referred to the law officers, who were
fain to confess that the law was on the side of the
claimants, and that the money must be paid.^ The
Secretary of State gave orders accordingly, and the
Deputy-Lieutenants were left to take such satisfaction
as they might from these very ingenious men.
1 I.D. vol. cliv.. Twelve Liverpool men to S.S. 4th March ;
Mr. W. Carr to C.G.M. Lanes, 28th Jan. 1804.
44 INSURANCE SOCIETIES chap.
1803. The above is the only instance which I have dis-
interred of men actually making money out of the
evasion of service in the Militia ; but it is in other
ways instructive, since it shows that a subscription club
was the ordinary method of raising parochial substitutes,
and that it was not only countenanced but actually
administered by the Deputy -Lieutenants, the very
persons who were responsible for the execution of the
Act. There can be little doubt but that the same
practice obtained, with superficial differences, in the
majority of the parishes in Great Britain. The people
made a law for themselves for the conduct of the
ballot ; and when that law was transgressed, they did
not hesitate to invoke the aid of the Secretary of State
to enforce it. It seems never to have occurred to them
that their local customs, erected as it were behind the
back of the law, could have less force than the law
itself. Nor indeed apparently did the Secretary of State
attempt to override local custom, unless his authority
was called in actually to defy the law. Any attempt to
do so would probably have made the ballot impossible.
But the petty local insurance clubs and societies
were a small matter compared with the much more
important institutions which already existed in 1802, and
which were destined to extend their operations enormously
as ballot succeeded ballot in the years that followed.
Their agents were ubiquitous and vigilant. Even in
1802 three men who were travelling north with the
certainty of being appointed sergeants of Militia, were
intercepted on their way by the emissaries of an insurance
society and tempted by large bounties to end their
journey and to enlist as substitutes and privates.^ The
great centre of insurance was, of course, London ; and
there were bitter complaints from all counties around
the metropolis that its societies offered their policy-
holders either the amount of the fine for exemption or
a substitute who invariably deserted." These institutions
1 W.O. Mi/a.Books,Sec. at War to Lord Galloway, 19th Jan. 1803.
- I.D. vol. cvi. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 23rd Oct. 1807.
II MILITIA CEASES TO BE LOCAL 45
extended their branches as far as Warwick, probably 1803.
indeed further, and it seems that they made enormous
profits.^ Sometimes the insurance society consisted of a
single enterprising individual, who openly advertised his
readiness to provide substitutes at a figure which seemed
extravagantly low but beyond question brought him a
very handsome income. A Mr. Pearce of Hackney
thus filled the ranks of the Tower Hamlets Militia for
twelve years, until in 1 808 the parish officers, finding
that they received no share of his gains, decided to reject
every man that he offered, and so ruined his business.
Pearce was, of course, hardly, if at all, other than a
crimp ; yet, amazing as it may seem, his friends appealed
to the Secretary of State to support him against the
parish officers.^
Thus it has been made sufficiently plain that all the
energy and intelligence of the nation, not wholly with-
out countenance by the Legislature, was directed from
the very first to evasion of personal service in the
Militia. The result was to stultify all legislative pro-
vision for making the Militia a strictly local force. In
the first place, the Act, as has been seen, did not enact
that the parochial substitutes, to be provided by the
Deputy-Lieutenants out of the fines for exemption,
should be of the same or the adjoining county. In the
second place, the main object of the Deputy-Lieutenants,
who were but human, was to produce the men required
of them and to free themselves from the heavy, irksome,
and often distressing duty imposed upon them by the
Act. Men did not travel far afield in those days, and
the squires, great and small, knowing all that was to
be known about every family in their parishes, could
appreciate how hardly the ballot would bear upon this
man or that. Moreover, the ballottable men were often
their own workmen, whom, for their own sakes, they
would naturally be unwilling to lose. Hence it is hardly
matter of surprise if, after harrowing interviews with
1 I.D. vol. cli. C.G.M. Warwick, to S.S. 23rd Jan. 1808.
2 Ibid. vol. cH. J. Bugby to S.S. i8th Feb. 1808.
46 MILITIA CEASES TO BE LOCAL chap.
1803. tearful mothers, wives, and daughters, they should have
listened to plausible persons who offered to provide
any number of substitutes at a moderate charge, without
ascertaining too particularly whether the said substitutes
really came from the same or an adjoining county. It
was always easy for a crimp or an insurance agent to say
that they were from the county town, and very difficult
to prove that they were not. The wording of the Act
also permitted much laxity of interpretation, for it did
not provide that substitutes should be men on the ballot-
lists of the same or an adjoining county, which they
certainly ought to have been if they were to be properly
qualified. The desire, then, for a quiet life and for the
sight of happy faces about them did much to make
Deputy-Lieutenants disregard the enactments for making
the Militia a local force.
In the large towns a different set of causes produced
precisely the same effect. About London the five
Militia battalions of Middlesex and Surrey, after many
ballots and many disappointments, abandoned in despair
the task of raising men upon the spot and sought them
elsewhere. Any number of men were forthcoming in
London itself, but they disappeared with amazing speed
as soon as their bounty was in their pockets. The
Lord-Lieutenant did his best to meet this evil by
marching the men out of the county as soon as they
were enrolled, so as to make desertion more difficult ;
and he actually suspended the ballot until he could
obtain permission to do so. But even so, his success
was small.^ In September 1803, after eight or nine
months of effort, the West Middlesex and Westminster
battalions had not yet made up the numbers of their
original establishment, and had not raised a man of their
Supplementary Militia.^ The East Middlesex battalion
was stronger, but this was because the commanding
officer had early sent recruiting parties to Norwich to
1 I.D. vol. xxiii. L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. 6th and 9th July
1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xxiii. L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. 15th Sept. 1803.
II MIDDLESEX AND SURREY MILITIA 47
collect men. The Westminster battalion followed his 1803.
example by sending a party to Birmingham, nominally
to arrest deserters, but really to enlist recruits. The
practice was plainly illegal, and the Secretary at War
repeatedly pointed out that it was so ; but Colonel
Wood of the East Middlesex let the letters from the
War Office pass unheeded and went his own way,
knowing that if he were to conform to the law he would
have not a man in his battalion.-' Moreover, as the
Secretary at War was fain to confess, there was no
penalty provided in any Act to check this particular
breach of the law, which meant that there was no pro-
tection for any district against any other district which
chose to steal its men. It is an actual fact that in the
ranks of the Middlesex Militia, whose quota (including
the Supplementary Militia) was over 4500 men, there
was but one principal to be found ; and when his time
of service expired in 1808, the Lord-Lieutenant begged
to be allowed to keep him as a curiosity.^
On the south side of the Thames the case was pre-
cisely the same. Substitutes were presented as fast as
they were called for, only to disappear beyond hope of
recall within forty-eight hours. At the beginning of
April 1803, after endless ballotting, the southward dis-
trict of Surrey had produced only 22 men out of its quota
of 288 ; and the Clerk of the General Meeting declared
the task of raising the rest to be hopeless unless the
substitutes could be at once carried off to headquarters,
dressed, powdered, and furnished with queues, so as to
make them easily recognisable.^ It is not recorded that
the difficulty was overcome in the same way as in
Middlesex, but it is reasonable to assume so ; and with
all London open to them for substitutes, it is impossible
^ W.O. Mila. Entry Books, Sec. at War to T. Kerrison, Esq.,
1st June, to O.C., E. Middlesex Mila. 15th June, 3rd Oct. 1803 ;
6th Jan., 22nd June 1804 ; 14th Feb. 1805 ; to O.C., Westminster
Mila. 28th June 1803; to O.C, E. Middlesex Mila. nth Feb.
1808.
2 I.D. vol. cxlii. L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. 24th March 1808.
8 Ibid. vol. xxxi. C.G.M. Surrey, to L.L. 4th April 1803.
48 MILITIA HATED IN SCOTLAND chap.
1803. to suppose that the Surrey Militia can have included
many Surrey men.
VI
The reader will naturally ask whether the reluctance
to serve in the Militia was so general as the foregoing
narrative would lead one to suppose. The answer is
certainly in the affirmative ; and the prime reasons
undoubtedly were that, contrary to the spirit of the
elder Pitt's original Act, personal service was not insisted
upon and the Militia was not made a truly national
force. There was, however, far less reluctance in
England than in Scotland, where the Militia had been
unknown until 1797. From almost every county in
Scotland, even before the war broke out, came the same
tale of difficulty in obtaining not only men but officers,
and of perfunctory conduct, or worse, on the part of
Deputy-Lieutenants. In Aberdeen ballotted men invari-
ably paid the fine for exemption, and no gentleman
would accept even a captain's commission when offered
to him.^ In Banff, again, only one duly qualified
gentleman could be persuaded to become a captain.^ In
Haddington there was the like dearth of officers, and in
Peebles the like unwillingness of men.^ In Bute there
were only five men in the Militia who had not been
drawn from other counties, and not one single ballotted
man had been enrolled.* From Ross came the report
that the Highlanders would have nothing to do with
the Militia ; that the most mountainous district had not
produced a man ; that the Militia laws were ill under-
stood by magistrates and Deputy-Lieutenants, and that,
being an innovation, they were detested by the High-
landers as an intolerable grievance.^ In Stirling the
1 I.D. vol. i. L.L. to S.S. 15th Jan., 22nd July 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. iii. L.L. to S.S. 4th April 1803.
3 Ibid. vol. iv. L.L. Haddington, to S.S. 16th March ; C.G.M.
Peebles, to S.S. 19th June 1803.
* Ibid. vol. xxxvii. L.L. Argyll and Bute, 5th Sept. 1804.
5 Ibid. vol. vi. V.L. Ross, to S.S. 1803.
II MILITIA DESPISED IN ENGLAND 49
Lieutenancy had done its work so ill that in several 1803.
cases the same man had been enrolled and had received
bounty for several different subdivisions.^ In Selkirk
the Lord-Lieutenant despaired of providing his quota
of tvi^elve men for the Supplementary Militia, though
he could count upon payment of the fines.^ Forfar
could show but one principal to every six substitutes,
and to every five men that paid the fine for exemption.^
From Kirkcudbright the Lord-Lieutenant reported that
almost the whole of the Militia would be substitutes,
and that the insurance societies had been largely
patronised in the towns.* In Perth it was a case of few
enrolments and many fines.^ In fact, the service was not
only unpopular but suspected ; for it was bound up
with an oath and a red coat, and it was hard to make the
cautious Scots believe that this combination did not
signify compulsory military service for life.
In England, though there were a few places in which
the same superstition existed, there was generally no
dread of unfair treatment of Militiamen ; and yet the
Service was disliked, and not only disliked, but not
unfrequently despised. This was due, no doubt, to the
practice, consecrated by Pitt, of permitting men to serve
their country as Volunteers, or, in other words, of allow-
ing the mass of the citizens to substitute undisciplined
for disciplined service. The Militia, during embodiment,
was subjected to the same penal code as the Army, not
excluding the lash. Had personal service been enforced,
the character ^ of the men would have been so superior
that the cat-o*-nine-tails would have fallen almost into
disuse except in rare cases, when, in the judgment of that
day, it was the only possible penalty. For it must be
1 I.D. vol. viii. L.L. Stirling, to S.S. 3rd June 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xi. L.L. Selkirk, to S.S. 15th June, 3rd July 1803.
3 Ibid. vol. xiv. L.L. Forfar, to S.S. 4th July 1803.
4 Ibid. vol. xvii. L.L. to S.S. 23rd Jan. 1803.
5 Ibid. vol. xxvii. L.L. to S.S. 24th June 1803.
^ It will be remembered that Abercromby pronounced the
Militiamen under his command in 1799 to be of a superior class to
the ordinary recruits.
£
so APATHY OF THE MIDDLE CLASS chap.
1803. remembered that flogging formed as essential a part of
civil as of military punishment at that period. The
officers of the Militia, especially in the higher ranks,
bore some of the greatest names in England ; and even
if occasionally petty squires and their sons were disposed
to be tyrannical, there were probably always men of
higher social position in the same battalion to keep them
in restraint. But when the ranks of the Militia were
filled with men who, if they had not become substitutes,
would have enlisted in the Army, the case was completely
changed. The lash was absolutely necessary for the
enforcement of discipline; and flogging, though unknown
in some battalions, was certainly not unknown in others.
The waged class in those days, it must also be remem-
bered, was far more lawless, violent, and reckless than
in these, and, unless subjected to some born leader of
men, did not understand gentle measures.
But, in the writer's opinion, the prevailing prejudice
and contempt towards the Militia, which is as strong
to-day as it was then, was only a part of the general
dislike and distrust which Englishmen had for generations
been trained to cherish against a Standing Army. Before
the elder Pitt took the Militia in hand in 1757, the
force was popular but utterly useless. When it was
founded upon an effective basis its popularity rapidly
waned ; and when, after long years of disuse, the ballot
was applied to it, it became hateful. The truth is that
the ballot hit the class which has always been most
averse from military service, and loves nothing of war
except its trappings, because it may possibly gain money
by them. It was this class that, by its superiority of
education and its greater power and facility of self-
protection, formed subscription societies and insurance
companies, and made the largest fortunes by crimping.
Its members, which could have best afl?brded to pay
dearly for substitutes, obtained the first call upon them
and bought them at the cheapest rate. Even failing a
substitute, the purchase of five years' exemption for ^^ 10,
which was prohibitive to a labouring man, was well
II INEQUITY OF THE BURDEN 51
within their means. Had the fine been ;Cioo instead 1803.
of ;^io, the distribution of the burden would have been
infinitely more equitable.
Yet another cause which brought the Militia into
general dislike was the principle of paying for a
national object out of strictly local taxation. To take
the simplest instance of its injustice, a battalion of Militia
stationed in an unhealthy quarter, or detailed for duty
in exposed situations, necessarily suffered greater losses
from sickness and death than others in more favourable
circumstances. Yet the burden of making good the
casualties was thrown upon the unfortunate county, and
in that county upon the unfortunate parishes, which had
provided the dead or disabled men. And closely bound
up with the inequality of this taxation was the extreme
crudity of the system of exemptions. To give but
one example, any man who had served for four years
as an officer in the Militia was exempt. But a man who
had served for twenty years in the Regular Army and
had, it might be, sold his commission and retired to the
country broken down by wounds or disease after active
service in pestilent climates, was still liable to enter the
ranks, pay a fine, or purchase a substitute, provided that
he was, as he very well might be, under forty-five years of
age. There was no point upon which the Secretary of
State insisted more strongly than that neither officers
nor men who had served in the Regular Army were,
or ever had been, exempt from the Militia ballot
solely on that account.^ It is easy to conceive of cases
in which this decision was perfectly just ; but it is not
less easy to see that it might be both unfair and oppres-
sive. Moreover, it was false policy to put a soldier,
who might have given the best years of his life to his
country's service, on the same level with petty attorneys
and tradesmen, who had never worked for any interest
except their own, and never intended to do so. It was
1 W.O. Mila. Books, Mr. Lewis to Col. Matthew, 28th Oct. ;
S.W. to Captain Hardwicke, 13th June ; to F. Davies, 28th June
J803.
52 UNFAIRNESS OF EXEMPTIONS chap.
1803. a weak point throughout the Act that it conferred no
advantages for previous good service to the State.
There was a case in which the last remaining son of a
poor old couple in Northamptonshire was ballotted.
They had given two sons to the Guards, and had lost
them both on active service, and they had at the
moment three more sons serving in the Militia. Yet
it was only by appeal of the Lord-Lieutenant to the
Secretary of State that any consideration could be
obtained for them ; and meanwhile they were unavoid-
ably kept for many days in miserable suspense.*
Another most amazing fact is that though parish
officers, being concerned with the ballot, were exempt
from it, Deputy-Lieutenants were not. The question
was actually raised through the ballotting of a Deputy-
Lieutenant by his brethren, and the matter was referred
to the Secretary of State. His answer was that he
would make inquiry as to the general practice in the
kingdom ; to which the Lord-Lieutenant rejoined that
the practice varied, and that the Law-Officers of the
Crown ought to settle the question once for all without
loss of time. The Law-Officers opined that Deputy-
Lieutenants were not exempt from the Militia ballot.
To this the Deputy-Lieutenant concerned made answer
that in that case he would resign. If, he said, there
were no exemption at all, he would not complain, but
if peers were exempted, why not Deputy-Lieutenants }
Officers of Militia were required and bound to obey the
orders of the Deputy-Lieutenants ; and any three Deputy-
Lieutenants, commissioned to act as the Lord-Lieu-
tenant, could review the Militia. How could ballotted
privates give commands to their own officers ? The
Secretary of State wisely made no attempt to meet
these unanswerable arguments, but replied in true
official style, that the Government would not submit
to Parliament any bill to exempt Deputy-Lieutenants
from the ballot ; and there the matter ended. There
1 I.D. vol. XXV. Mr. de C. Brooke to L.L. Northants, 28th
Sept. 1804.
II UNFAIRNESS OF EXEMPTIONS ^2
can be little doubt as to who was in the right of the 1803.
question.^
It was unfair, again, that such a misfortune as
physical infirmity should in no case have given relief
from the Militia ballot unless a man were worth less
than ;^ioo. Of course, the Deputy-Lieutenants could
always reject a man for the Militia if he were below
five feet four inches in height ; and no doubt this rule
was frequently stretched in the interests of humanity to
give deliverance in many hard cases. But it is to be
noted that the Deputy-Lieutenants were not bound to
reject men who fell below that stature ; and that the
deficiency of inchesof itself gave no immunity from the
ballot and its consequences,^ By the letter of the law,
therefore, a hunchback from three to four feet in height,
under forty-five years of age, and worth ;^ioi, was
liable to pay a fine of j^io for five years' exemption,
provide a substitute, or serve in person ; and the fine
could be extorted from him by distraint upon his
goods. ^ It is noticeable too, in reference to the posi-
tion of the sick and infirm under the Militia Act, that
not a word was said as to the exemption of practis-
ing doctors, an omission which was resented in those
days, and would be still more resented in these, from the
hardship which it meted out both to members of a
singularly self-denying profession and to their unfor-
tunate patients.
VII
Enough has been said to show, without further
analysis of the list of exemptions, that apart fi-om all
1 I.D. vol. clxvii. L.L. Leicestershire, to S.S. 9th Nov. ; S.S.
to L.L. 15th Nov., 18th Dec; Mr. Burnaby to S.S. 28th Dec.
1809 ; S.S. to Mr. Burnaby, 29th Jan. 18 10.
2 W.O. Mila. Books, S.W. to F. Davies, 28th June 1803.
3 Ibid. S.W. to R. Else, 26th July 181 1. "The Law officers
have decided that a man worth more than £,\oo, ballotted and
willing to serve, but physically unfit, is obliged to find a substitute,
under sections 45 and 52 of 42 Geo. IIL cap. 90."
54 THE RUSH FOR SUBSTITUTES chap.
1803. prejudice against the Militia, and from all ignoble
shirking of national duty, there was sound reason why
many should find the Act of 1802 both unfair and
oppressive. There was, therefore, much real justifica-
tion for subscription societies, insurance companies, and
all the other apparatus of evasion ; and the result was
that the poor, upon whom the law was not intended to
bear with peculiar hardness, suffered from it beyond all
others. There was a general demand for substitutes to
make up the original establishment of the Militia under
conditions of peace, and prices soon began to rise. In
Hampshire there was a rush to obtain temporary
employment in the dockyards in order to gain im-
munity from the ballot.^ In the East Riding of
Yorkshire the Lord-Lieutenant declared that unless the
entire area of Yorkshire was thrown open to him for
substitutes, he would be unable to fill the ranks of
the county regiment. Men could not be bought even
in March 1803 for the amount of the ^10 fine, nor at
" scarce any price." ^ Details of the price of substi-
tutes at the outbreak of the war are unfortunately rare,
for the Lieutenancies were still in full struggle with
their first difficulties when the proclamation of the 28th
of May threw upon them the duty of raising the Sup-
plementary in addition to the Old or Established
Militia. By that day there had been raised of the
Old Militia 34,302 men out of a quota of 43,539 in
England; 5965 out of 8000 in Scotland; 12,369
out of 15,000 in Ireland. Thus after fully six months
of incessant ballotting and general exertion there were
still 13,903 men wanting out of a total establishment
of 66f^29y making a total deficiency of fully twenty
per cent ; and now there was demanded in Great
Britain a further contingent of rather more than 25,000
men. Moreover, on the 1 5 th of June, almost before the
1 I.D. vol. xvi. L.L. Hants, to S.S. 7th Jan. 1803.
2 liiJ. vol. xxxvi. L.L. Yorks E.R. to S.S. 9th March ; O.C.,
E. York Mila. to S.S. 13th March; Resolution of the Lieutcy.
Yorks E.R. 26th March.
II RISE IN PRICE OF SUBSTITUTES SS
Lords-Lieutenant had had time to set the necessary 1803.
machinery in motion, the Act for completing the
Militia (43 Geo. III. cap. 50) became law, which
raised the fine for exemption to ^^15, and inflicted on
the counties a cumulative penalty of ^10 quarterly for
every man deficient of their quota.
This augmentation naturally increased the demands
for substitutes ; for the provision of a substitute, it
must be remembered, entitled a ballotted man to exemp-
tion for life, whereas a fine gave him immunity only for
a term of years. Naturally the price of the article rose
rapidly in the market, with all other prices that were
dependent on it. In Anglesey in May 1 803 substitutes
cost from ^^12 to ^^13. In Denbigh not one could be
bought in June for less than ^20. In Berkshire during
the same month they received from ^^15 : 15s. to
j^2 1 : los , and were difficult to obtain even at that price.^
In Middlesex the Lord-Lieutenant, by throwing all his
Supplementary Militia into one of his three battalions,
was able to complete that one to its ordinary establish-
ment, and was obliged to leave the remaining two far
below theirs.2 In fact, the Supplementary Militia in
the metropolis was merely a name, for the Old Militia
was still far below its strength. In Scotland the raising
of additional Militiamen was almost as great a farce as
in London. 3 In Essex, and possibly in other counties,
1 I.D. vol. i. L.L. Anglesey, to S.S. 21st May; vol. ii.
L.L. Berks, to S.S. 2 3rcl June ; vol. ix. L.L. Denbigh, to S.S.
31st July 1803.
2 /^/V. vol. xxii. L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. 15th Sept. 1803.
3 I subjoin a return, probably more favourable than the
ordinary, of the progress of the ballot in Forfar. It shows how
many men had to be ballotted to produce a small quota. Unfortu-
nately such returns are all too rare in the correspondence.
Men ballotted for Supplementary Militia on 13th June, 88
Of which enrolled. Principals, 3 ; Substitutes, 33 . • 36
Paid the j^ 1 5 penalty . . . . . . '17
Unfit or exempt, for which others were ballotted . . -33
Failed to attend ......... 2
Total 88
S6 ARMY OF RESERVE BALLOT chap.
'803, a new method of evasion was discovered. Some
ingenious person on studying the Act found out that
if he refused to swear that he was not ruptured, nor
subject to fits, nor physically disabled, the Deputy-
Lieutenants had no power to enrol him even if they
knew his objection to be false. Instantly the epileptic
and the afflicted with hernia were multiplied manifold in
Essex, and the Secretary of State could only make a
memorandum to omit this clause from future enact-
ments.^
Such new enactments, as we have seen, were not
long in coming. Before the Lieutenancies had well
digested the proclamation for the Supplementary Militia
and the Militia Completion Act, they were required to
swallow the Army of Reserve Act, bidding them levy
before Michaelmas yet another forty thousand men by
ballot in Great Britain, on pain of a cumulative
quarterly fine of £20 for every man deficient. This
brought up the total of men to be raised in Great
Britain within less than twelve months to 117,000.
Moreover, by comparison of the Acts of Parliament it
will be seen that the Lieutenants had practically to
collect this number under three different sets of condi-
tions. Men ballotted for the Militia before the 28th of
May (the date of summons to the Supplementary
Militia) were exempt for five years on payment of
^10 ; men ballotted after that date could not gain the
Fina/ Ballot
Total enrolled for County of Forfar, Principals, 12 ; Sub-
stitutes, 76 88
Unfit or exempt, for whom others were ballotted • . .88
Paid the j^ 1 5 penalty 60
Allowed time to find Substitutes . . . . . . 2
Failed to appear (warrants issued) . . . . .18
Total 256
(7.2). vol. xiv. Forfar, 4th July 1803).
^ l.D. vol. xiii. Essex, Mr. Bosanquet to L.L. 3rd July 1803.
But the clause, or rather the oath, as to rupture and fits was
never abrogated.
)
II CONFUSION CAUSED BY IT 57
same exemption for less than ;^I5 ; men drawn for 1803.
the Army of Reserve could purchase only one year's
exemption from that particular ballot by payment of
j^20. Again, the payment of fines for exemption from
the Militia gave no immunity from the Army of
Reserve, though service in person or by substitute in
either force gave exemption from service in the other.
Also, the exemption fines of the Militia were given
complete to the Deputy-Lieutenants for the purchase of
substitutes ; but those of the Army of Reserve were, in
England, divided between the Deputy-Lieutenants and
the Paymaster-General. Next, the standard for the
Militia was five feet four inches until the 27 th of July,
when the Act 43 Geo. III. cap. 100, lowered the
height required for substitutes to five feet two inches,
leaving that for principals untouched ; while the
standard for the Army of Reserve was five feet two inches
for all. Lastly, Volunteers enrolled before the 22nd of
June alone were exempted as such from the Army of
Reserve ; a simple matter which is repeated here because
it presently became complicated to the last degree.
The unhappy Lieutenancies bent themselves once
more to the eternal round of ballots amid ever-increasing
difficulties, for the Army of Reserve Act was loathed
as alike oppressive and unfair. Men who had paid ^^lo
or ^^15, sometimes indeed both sums in succession, in
purchasing exemption from the Militia, complained that
the Government should have warned them that this
penalty would not avail them against the Army of
Reserve, so that they might have spent their money on
a substitute. " The people," wrote the Duke of Rich-
mond fi-om Goodwood, ". . . have become suspicious of
the magistrates. They cannot understand how a new Act
can violate the engagement of the old. A ballot is a
ballot with them, and when they have bought exemp-
tion from one, they cannot understand how they are
liable to another. I warned Addington of this, and
hoped Parliament would make some remedy." ^ It was
^ I.D. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S, 23rd Aug. 1803.
58 NEW SCRAMBLE FOR SUBSTITUTES chap.
1803. useless for men to chafe. The question was raised more
than once, but the Secretary of State was inexorable —
fines paid in composition for service in the Mihtia were
not valid as against the Army of Reserve ; nor fines
paid for the Army of Reserve against the Militia.^
If there had been a rush for substitutes before,
there was now a headlong scramble. Their price, in
spite of the relaxation of the rules concerning them,
flew up by leaps and bounds to an extravagant
height. The Secretary of State himself recognised
that it was hard to expect the ranks to be filled
while recruits were so dear, but he made no sign of
relaxing the fines upon the parishes for men deficient.
As to the Deputy-Lieutenants, they were driven in
desperation to hoard the exemption -fines which were
paid to them against the happy day when recruits should
be cheaper, or when a lucky windfall should deliver into
their hands poachers or other criminals who would be
glad to serve in order to escape the gaol.^ They
suffered a sad shock when the Law-Officers of the Crown
pronounced in July that, though the payment of a fine
exonerated an individual from serving in person or by
substitute in the Militia or Reserve, it did not exonerate
the parish from fulfilling the vacancy.^ Since the price
of a substitute exceeded twice the amount of the fine,
this decision practically required them, to put matters
crudely, to make one sovereign purchase as much as two.
But even so their cup was not yet full, for over and
above three separate levies and the voluminous returns
required by the first Defence Act, there fell upon
them in August the heaviest blow of all, namely, the
wholesale and unexpected exemption fi-om the ballot
of some hundreds of thousands of Volunteers.
1 fF.O. Mi/a. Books, S.S. to Sir A. Duckenfield, 1st July; to
W. Walcot, 20th July 1803 ; I.D. vol. i. L.L. Beds, to S.S. 2nd
July 1803.
2 Hi J. S.W. to Messrs. Edwards and Hughes, 1 1 th July ; to
Sir H. Hanley, 22nd July 1803.
3 Il>id. S.W. to High-SherifF of Cardigan, 1st Aug. 1803.
11 THE VOLUNTEERS 59
VIII
So far the subject of the Volunteers has been but ^803.
lightly touched ; and it is now necessary to enter into it
more deeply. They were reconstituted, it will be
remembered, under the Volunteer Act of 1802, which
granted to them and to the Yeomanry (who at that time
were ranked as Volunteers) exemption from the Militia
ballot in consideration of their attendance at five days'
exercise in the year. Their allowances were also fixed
at j^2 a man to every Volunteer for his clothing and
appointments, and ;^6o a year for every troop of
Yeomanry which numbered at least forty rank and file.
As the prospects of continued peace became more dubious,
the Government, on the 31st of March 1803, invited
offers from additional Volunteers, and gave an outline
of the plan on which it intended to act, adding that
" it must be considered with reference to a permanent
system rather than to a situation of emergency," and
that the extent of its application must be determined by
circumstances. Finally, it directed that all offers of
service should be communicated to the Secretary of State,
in order that a selection might be made. As to the pro-
posed regulations (which were presently to be slightly
modified) it will suffice to say at present that they pro-
vided for paying the men for two days' exercise in every
week from Lady Day to Michaelmas, and granted them
exemption from the Militia ballot during their term of
service. But the point that calls for notice is that a
Government which talked about erecting a permanent
system, and added in the same breath that " the extent
of its application must be determined by circumstances,"
could not be considered to be clear as to its own
intentions.
The new regulations remained under consideration
for two months, in the course of which they were sub-
mitted to Colonel Vyse, an officer who had gained
considerable experience of Volunteers in Scotland
during the late war. His advice may be summed up
6o COLONEL VYSE'S ADVICE chap.
1803. as follows: — (i) Do not be too hard in grudging
pay to officers ; they throw it into a general fund to
make good deficient allowances. (2) Make every
corps swear to serve in any part of Great Britain in case
of invasion ; and (3) to obey the orders of the King and
of the Generals appointed by him. (4) Form regular
regiments in the great towns only ; ^ encourage inde-
pendent companies in the coast towns only, and possibly
a few in the north, but not so as to incur the heavy and
useless expense of the last war. Seventy-five corps,
with 12,560 men, will be ample for Scotland ; in the
last war you had 228 corps with 30,000 men. You
might add a few more men on the coast, but always as
parts of battalions. (5) The great defect of our last
Volunteers was the confused and unmilitary conditions
under which they were formed. Establish one system
for all for clothing, interior economy and discipline, and
we shall hear no more of committees, quarrels, and insub-
ordination. (6) Men should be required to give so
many days' notice of resignation. (7) The Govern-
ment should have arms ready to give to every accepted
corps.
This was excellent and sound advice. Against the
second article the Secretary of State wrote the words,
" I prefer to trust to the spirit of the corps"; and against
the third, " Very proper, but quaere ^ It will presently
be seen that the Government gave much the same degree
of attention to the whole of Vyse's recommendations.
Meanwhile the offers of Volunteers increased ; and
in June the Government at last produced and circulated
their definite plan for the Volunteers.^
^ Three regiments in Edinburgh ; two in Glasgow ; one each in
Perth, Dundee, and Aberdeen.
2 I cannot give the date of the circular, for I cannot find a sign of
it in the Entry Books ; but the new plan seems to have been cir-
culated to the Scottish Lords- Lieutenant on 20th June. Other impor-
tant letters were also unentered ; and I have been obliged to gather
their purport from the answers sent to them. Nay, so careless were
the clerks, that the " June Allowances " themselves, the centre of
thousands of letters and the subject of innumerable speeches, would
II THE JUNE ALLOWANCES 6i
This plan or code of regulations was known by the 1803.
name of the '* June Allowances," a name which the reader
must be careful to bear in mind ; for he will shortly be
confronted with another code under the name of the
" August Allowances." Its purport was as follows : —
( 1 ) Every man must take the oath of allegiance.
(2) Every corps that claims pay must engage to
serve in any part of its Military District.
(3) Battalions of ten companies, or of 250 to 500
men, will be allowed to have an Adjutant and a Sergeant-
Major on permanent pay.
(4) Companies are not to be of fewer than 50 men,
or of more than 100. Four officers will be allowed to
companies containing 80 or more men.
(5) Sergeants on daily pay and drummers on con-
stant pay are to be subject to military law.
(6) In each company one officer, not above the rank
of Captain, will be allowed to draw pay. If he is taken
from the half-pay and has served eighteen months in the
Regulars, Embodied Militia, or Fencibles, he will receive
the constant pay of his rank as a Volunteer. One such
officer, not on half-pay, who has served two years in the
Regulars, Embodied Militia, or Fencibles, may receive
constant half-pay of his rank as a Volunteer. Other
officers are to receive pay for each day's exercise, as
do the men. No officer is to receive pay for two
commissions.
(7) The former services of the officers on constant
pay must be stated in the pay-list.
(8) When Volunteers are not called out, constant
pay will be allowed for one sergeant and one drummer
in each company at the same rate as in the disembodied
Militia. The rest of the non-commissioned officers and
have been undiscoverable had not a Lieutenant fortunately sent his
own copy back to the Home Office to emphasise his views as to their
meaning. Indeed, if a paper were printed at that time, the chances
are that not a copy of it is to be found. The clerks appear to have
kept loose copies for their own use, but only occasionally to have
stuck one into the Entry Book for record. This is all of a piece
with the general slovenliness of their conduct of business.
62 THE JUNE ALLOWANCES chap.
1803. men are to receive pay at the same rate as the disem-
bodied Militia for two days in every week from the
25th of February to the 24th of October, and for one
day a week from the 25th of October to the 24th of
February, making in all eighty-five days' pay for effec-
tives under arms on each day.
(9) Corps called out to suppress riots will receive
pay as disembodied Militia ; ^ if called out to repel
invasion they will receive the same pay as the Regular
Army.
(10) Clothing for infantry is to be red ; for artillery
blue ; for rifles, green with black belts.
Clothing Allowances
For each Sergeant
' IZ 3 9"
„ Corporal
I 12 0
Once in
„ Drummer .
• 236
three years
„ Private
I 10 0
For permanent non-commissioned officers the like
allowance will be made annually.
Allowance for Contingencies
£2^ per annum for every company of fifty men.
^5 for every ten men over.
(12) Field officers and Adjutants will be excused the
horse tax for one horse.
The proposed regulations of March had added that
all officers and men would be exempt from the Militia
Ballot during their period of service ; but this was a
matter already regulated by the Volunteer Act of 1802.
The June Allowances, in fact, were purely a financial
matter, which incidentally tempted Volunteers to undergo
training for eighty-five days in the year. For their pur-
pose they were liberal ; and, attracted by them and
stimulated by the First Defence Act, the Volunteers
began to come forward very rapidly. It seems, how-
^ Sergeants, is. 6d. ; Corporals, is. 2d. ; Privates, is. a day.
II LIMITATION OF THE VOLUNTEERS 63
ever, that early in the day Ministers became alarmed as 1803.
to the effect of the exemptions of Volunteers upon the
ballot ; and that early in June they circulated an inti-
mation that no further oifers of Volunteers would be
accepted until the ballots for the Supplementary Militia
were ended.-' Certain it is that, in spite of the Govern-
ment's invitation to Volunteers to come forward, few
corps were accepted in June and July,^ and that there
were loud complaints that the Government was damping
the ardour of the people. However, the Levy en Masse
Act was passed on the 27th of July, and circulated on
the 30th, with a letter which sought with indifferent
success to make matters clear.
"Under section 29 (such was the purport of the
Secretary of State's circular) provision is made for the
training of a certain number of men in the first instance,
to avoid the delay if all training be deferred until the
returns of the classes required by the Act are made.
This proportion should be not less than six times the
number of Militia named by the Militia Act of 1802,^
exclusive of the Supplementary Militia quota. It is
the decided opinion of Ministers that in all places where
Volunteer corps can be formed, upon such conditions
as the King shall approve, it would be advisable to give
every encouragement for that purpose ; such an arrange-
ment being calculated to concentrate the force, in order
to promote the convenience of the public, and to render
it unnecessary to have recourse to the compulsory
clauses of the Act. I need not point out the difficulty
of issuing arms for the extensive training required
^ I can nowhere find this Circular, but I deduce its existence
and its date from a letter of L.L.BanfF, to S.S. 25th June, I.D. vol.iii.
2 I judge this from statements in the Commons' debates and from
the Entry Book, which contains the letters as to the offers of Volun-
teers at this period {H.O.M.E.B. vol. ciii.) but it is impossible to
say whether these entries are complete.
' That number was, for Great Britain, 51,489; therefore the
number of men to be trained in the first instance under the Levy
en Masse Act would be 308,934, distributed according to the
quota of Militia in each county.
64 THE AUGUST ALLOWANCES chap.
1803. under the Act. I recommend an appeal to the inhabi-
tants of the country to procure a return of the arms in
their possession in order that they may for a time be
appHed to the service of the country, and to take
measures for distributing them. Twenty-five firelocks
is considered enough for the training of one hundred
men. The information given by these returns will aid
the Government much in arranging for the distribution
of arms.
" The object of the Act is to obtain such a force, in
addition to that which has been already provided, as
may enable any attack on the country to be frustrated,
and by combining economy and vigour to continue the
contest as long as may be necessary for the honour and
security of the empire. This communication is made
under the impression of the inexpediency of establishing
a voluntary force to the extent now proposed upon the
allowances already transmitted to you [/.<?. the June
Allowances], and I am persuaded that in the offers of
service made to you greater proofs will be afforded of
the liberality and public spirit which have been so justly
excited by the inordinate ambition and avowed inten-
tions of the enemy."
This last sentence hinted unmistakably that the
June Allowances were to be discontinued for future
corps of Volunteers ; and a new circular of the 3rd of
August set all doubts at rest. "Although in many
instances the persons forming new corps have offered
to put the Government to no expense, yet it could not
be expected, no matter how great the public spirit of
individuals, that such an arrangement should become
general." And therewith were promulgated the new
allowances, known thenceforth as the August Allow-
ances, for the Volunteers accepted after the 22 nd of June.
They were as follows : —
In the case of Infantry ;^ i a man was to be granted
for clothing once in three years, and a shilling a day
per man was to be given for twenty days' exercise in
the year.
II EFFECT OF BILLETING ACT 6s
In the case of cavalry ;^I20 a year, payable half- 1803.
yearly, was to be allowed for every troop.^
This arrangement, it was added, was to be final,
unless it could be so altered as to produce no increase
of expense to the public. Notice, therefore, must be
given to corps which had tendered their services but
had not been accepted, in order that they might re-
consider the matter before renewing their offer under
altered conditions.
Here, then, was another vast burden of work, both
difficult and complicated, laid upon the Lieutenancies,
a full examination of which shall presently follow. But
within a little more than a week the Billeting Act was
passed which, it will be remembered, exempted all
Yeomen who attended twelve days' exercise, and all
Volunteers who attended twenty-four days' exercise in
the year from the ballot for the Army of Reserve and
for any other Additional Force that might be raised in
the future. How Ministers contrived to commit this
extraordinary blunder is a mystery. It is certain from
sec. 8 of the Army of Reserve Act, and indeed from
their own admissions, that they had no intention of
granting this exemption ; and for some time they would
not confess that they had granted it. But indeed they
were so ignorant of the effect of their own enactments
that the Secretary at War actually thought that no
Volunteers, saving those whose offer of service had been
accepted before the 22nd of June 1803, were exempt
from service in the Militia.^ According to one
Member of Parliament, the clause which did the
mischief was smuggled through the Commons after
most of the country members had left London in order
to drill their Yeomanry and Militia at home.^ But the
insertion of the fatal words, however surreptitious, can
hardly have been unknown to Ministers. It seems
^ This item does not appear in the circular of 3rd August, but
in a later circular of 28th Sept. 1803.
2 /r.O. Mi/a. Books, S.W. to C.G.M. Argyll, 30th July 1803
^ Sir W. Yonge's speech, 14th Dec. 1803, H.D. Commons.
F
66 READINESS TO VOLUNTEER chap.
1803. probable that they really aimed at increasing the
number of days prescribed by the Volunteer Act of
1802 to qualify Volunteers for exemption from the
Mi/ilia, znd that by some mistake or conspiracy the
term Army of Reserve was inserted in its place. Be
that as it may, the thing was done, and the country had
to take the consequences.
Meanwhile, quite apart from this particular question
of exemption, it may be said that the entire nation had
sprung to arms, and was anxious to form itself into
Volunteer corps. Though, on the one hand, Volunteer-
ing brought with it immunity from the Militia ballot,
and, on the other, the Levy en Masse Act threatened to
drill every able-bodied man whether he liked it or not,
there was much sound patriotic feeling in the movement.
The people were zealous to defend their country, and
though they decidedly preferred to do so in the way
which they thought best, chiefly because it was easiest,
yet they asked above all for guidance. The Secretary
of State had called for more Volunteers in March, and
his appeal had met with a willing response. The
Lieutenants, seeing that the Government had committed
itself to the policy of Volunteers, backed it with loyal
energy and good-will, albeit there were not wanting
men among them who, in their hearts, considered that
policy fallacious. Even after the Levy en Masse Act
had been passed, they abated none of their energy,
since Ministers evidently wished the people to come
forward of themselves without compulsion. But the
Government, despite of loud murmurs, had checked
the patriotic movement by delaying the acceptance of
offers during the best part of two months, and seemed
about to pin its faith to the ballot ; and hence when
it backed once more, like an unstable wind, to the
voluntary principle, there was a sigh of relief and a
rush to be enrolled. But then came another disappoint-
ment. The Government limited the number of Volun-
teers, as has been seen, by its circular of the 30th of
July. Many willing men who aspired to shoulder a
II LIMITATION OF THE VOLUNTEERS 67
musket were excluded ; so also were a certain number 1803.
more who had apprehended the meaning of the Billet-
ing Act ; and there was a fresh cry of discontent.
By the 1 8 th of August the War Office was so heavily
inundated with offers of voluntary service that the
Secretary of State on that day issued a circular to the
Lieutenants suspending the compulsory training of
the classes under the provisions of the 53rd section
of the Levy en Masse Act, but insisting none the less
upon the enrolment of men in the districts and parishes
and the furnishing of the returns required by the Act.
Also he made another effort, by a new circular to the
Lieutenants, to keep the numbers of the Volunteers
within bounds. " The inconveniences which must un-
avoidably attend the carrying of the Volunteer system to
an unlimited extent has determined the King at present
not to authorise the formation of any additional Volun-
teer corps to be raised in any county where the number
of effectives in their corps (including the Yeomanry)
shall exceed the amount of six times the Militia, ex-
clusive of the Supplementary quota. In providing that
number you will use your judgment in selecting such
as shall be best suited to local considerations ; but if
the effective numbers of the corps recommended by
you have arrived at the figure laid down above, you
will postpone the communication of any further offers
of service until the King determines to increase the
Volunteer corps in your county."
Evidently Ministers were terrified at the monster
which it had called into being ; and they were not
encouraged by the fresh outburst of murmurs which
greeted this new attempt to keep it within reasonable
limits. At this crisis the direction of the Volunteers,
which, contrary to all precedent, had been so far con-
ducted by Lord Hobart, the Secretary of State for War,
was transferred to its old place, the Home Office, under
Mr. Charles Yorke. That unhappy man, confronted
with mountains of unanswered letters containing offers
of Volunteer corps, took perhaps the only course that
68 VOLUNTEER SYSTEM ANOMALIES chap.
1803. was open to him, and issued another circular of 31st
August to settle matters once for all.
*' All the offers are accepted," he said, " provided
that they do not militate against the regulations of the
Defence Act and Levy en Masse Act, or against the
general rules adopted or to be adopted. The limit of
six times the Militia must be preserved, but Volunteers
exceeding that proportion may be attached to established
corps, though without any allowance for pay, arms, or
clothing, and without claim to exemption from any
ballot. Further, all corps accepted since the passing of
the two Acts above named must be formed with refer-
ence to the general Militia system, that is to say, com-
panies of infantry must be at least sixty, and troops of
cavalry at least forty men strong ; and no infantry of
fewer than three companies, or cavalry of fewer than
two troops, will be reckoned a corps."
Thus the question was at last decided, so far as
rules could decide it ; and the country was finally
committed to the maintenance of a huge amorphous
mass of undisciplined men, subject to two different
Acts of Parliament, two different sets of regulations,
and two different spheres of service, namely the
Military District and Great Britain at large ; the whole
of them immune from the Militia ballot under one set
of conditions prescribed by the Militia Act of 1802,
and from the Army of Reserve under a second set
ordained by the Billeting Act of 1803.
Meanwhile for some weeks there was great un-
certainty as to the true state of the law respecting
exemptions. It is demonstrable that many men knew
the purport of the Billeting Act long before the Lieu-
tenants ; and Yorke was bombarded with queries as to
its legal bearing upon the question,-^ for in all quarters
the Magistrates held different opinions, and framed
their conduct of the ballot accordingly. Ministers,
alive by this time to the effect of the Billeting Act, and
1 E.g. I.D. vol. i. L.L. Beds, to S.S. 13th Sept.; vol. iv.
Brecon, C. Morgan to S.S. 24th Oct.
II NUMBERS OF THE VOLUNTEERS 69
greatly dismayed by it, referred its interpretation in 1803.
despair to the Attorney-General, who could not but
pronounce that Volunteers who fulfilled the require-
ments of that Act were indeed exempt from the ballot
for the Army of Reserve. There was nothing for them
but to give in, to circulate this unwelcome construc-
tion^ of their own Act and submit to the consequences.
It may be added that this decision was by no means
received with deference in all quarters. The Lieu-
tenant of Roxburgh announced boldly that he differed
from the Law-Officers; and many magistrates of the
West Riding of Yorkshire equally declared themselves
unconvinced. They could not believe that the old
Volunteers, who had come forward from patriotic
motives, were to be put on the same footing with the
new, who, as the Lieutenant put it, were only Volun-
teers under compulsion.^ In counties where there had
hitherto been hesitation on the part of Volunteers to
present themselves, there was now great eagerness to
form corps, for the sake of the exemption ; and thus
the Government found its scheme for the Volunteers
legally defined in a form which was exactly contrary
to its own intentions.
IX
The result of the withdrawal of some hundreds or
thousands of men from the ballot was immediate. By
December 1803 the effective Volunteers of all ranks
in Great Britain were returned at 380,000, which, added
to 70,000 in Ireland, made a round total of 450,000.
1 The circular appears to have been dated the 7th of October,
but the Lieutenant of Roxburgh was evidently aware of it several
days earlier, so possibly it may have been circulated on an earlier
date. The circular of 7th October purports to enclose two im-
portant decisions of the Law-Officers ; but the Entry Clerks, with
their usual intelligence, give no clue to the nature and date of
the enclosures.
2 I.D. vol. xi. L.L. Roxburgh, to S.S. 28th Sept. 1803;
vol. XXXV. L.L. Yorks W.R. to S.S. 2nd Oct. 1803.
70 PRICE OF SUBSTITUTES RISES chap.
1803. The price of substitutes rose higher and higher, and their
quality sank lower and lower as the autumn of 1 803 gave
place to the winter, and to the spring of 1 804. Never-
theless, the figure varied greatly in different localities. In
Aberdeen the cost of a substitute was ^^20 ; in Argyll
and Bute it was ^24 ; in Berwick men were hardly to
be obtained on any terms. In Buckinghamshire sub-
stitutes commanded from ^^30 to ^^40 ; in Dorset, £i^\
in Middlesex, ;^3o to ^^60 ; in Northumberland some-
thing over £27 i ^^ Sussex, £so. Cases were also
known where the figure had reached £'jOy ;C8o> ^^^
;^ioo.^ Yet with all this the levy did not prosper.
The Army of Reserve grew more and more unpopular,
insomuch that even in Scotland the Militia, which all the
while was of course competing with it for men, was
welcomed as a refuge from it.^ To obtain recruits at
all in North Britain it was necessary to violate the law *
and to pay them the entire bounty due to them, instead of
withholding one-half until they should have joined their
battalions.* In Staffbrdshire the people, who had come
forward generally with enthusiasm as Volunteers, sus-
pected the limitation of their numbers to be due to a
desire to complete the Army of Reserve, and declared
" that they would sooner die on the spot than submit
to it." ^ Nor was the Army of Reserve distasteful only
to the people at large ; it was also intensely disliked by
the Lieutenancies. The principal reason for this was
the friction to which it gave rise with the military authori-
ties ; for not unfrequently substitutes who had been
1 I.D. vol. xxxvii. V.L. Argyll and Bute, to S.S. 5th Sept.
1804; vol. xxxix. V.L. Berwick, to S.S. lith Feb. 1804; vol.
xl. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 26th Dec. 1803 ; vol. xlvi. C.G.M.
Dorset, to S.S. 28th Feb. 1804 ; vol. xxii. Vestry Clerks of Spital-
fields to S.S. 13th Oct. 1803 ; vol. xxiii, {adjin^ undated, 1804 ; vol.
XXV. C.G.M. Northumberland, to S.S. 25th Sept. 1803 ; vol. xxxii.
L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 9th Sept. 1803. Military Transactions, i. 61.
2 I.D. vol. xxxviii. L.L. Nairn, to S.S. 9th Feb. 1804.
^ 42 George III. cap. 91, section 58.
* I.D. vol. xl. Mr. Donald M'Leod (Ross) to S.S. 28th Feb.
1804.
^ Ibid. vol. xxix. L.L. Staffs, to S.S. 12th Sept. 1803.
II LIEUTENANCIES AND ARMY 71
passed by the medical authorities of the county 1803.
were rejected by the doctors of the Army.^ But
the most fruitful source of dispute lay in the dis-
crepancies between the county returns of the men
who had been produced and the regimental returns of
the men who had been received. It had been wisely
arranged by the Government to draft the Army of
Reserve into fifty battalions, numbered as the second
battalions of as many regiments of the Line ; and
England, for the purposes of the Act, was divided into
sixteen districts, to each of which sufficient officers were
furnished to form young, sickly, or worn-out recruits
into distinct Reserve battalions. Between these two
separate sets of regular officers the Lieutenancies some-
times suffered severely. In innumerable cases counties
were summoned to make good deficiencies in their
quota upon the showing of the Inspector-General of the
Reserve, and made answer by indignantly producing
their own figures, and showing that no deficiency
existed.
Again, Ministers had never made any secret of
the fact that they hoped by means of bounties to pass
most of the Army of Reserve as Volunteers into the
Line ; and very soon rumours were current that the
officers were putting the largest clothes upon the smallest
men, giving them misfitting shoes, and applying other
such methods of petty tyranny in order to force them
to take service at once with the Regulars.^
This, of course, did not promote good-will between
the two parties, and sometimes an unfortunate mistake
made the relations between them very bitter. In Bute
the local battalion of the Army of Reserve reported one
man to be wanting, and the Deputy-Lieutenants held a
ballot to fill the vacancy. The lot fell upon a thrifity
and industrious shepherd who had contrived to buy and
breed a few sheep of his own. In despair he sold all
that he had, bought a substitute for £26 ^ and was left
1 E.g. I.D. vol. xixvii. L.L. Ayr, to S.S. 26th March 1804.
^ I.D. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 26th Sept. 1803.
72 FAILURE OF THE RESERVE ACT chap.
1803. a ruined and broken-hearted man. Shortly afterwards
it was discovered that the returns of the battalions were
wrong, and that he ought not to have been ballotted at
all. The Deputy-Lieutenant wrote an indignant report
of the occurrence to the Secretary of State, but the
mischief was done, and there was no undoing it.^
The difference between the accounts of the Inspector-
General and the counties was generally explicable by
desertion, aggravated not unfrequently by the omission
or the inability of military officers to send a sufficient
escort to bring the recruits in. For, as the bounties
rose, so fraudulent enlistment and desertion increased,
until at last, by the actual admission of Mr. Secretary
Yorke,'^ the recruits gained for the Army of Reserve
during the first three months of 1 804 barely outbalanced
the loss by deserters. Meanwhile crimping had been so
general as to engage the energies of an appreciable
portion of the population. Even Adjutants of Militia
turned their attention to it occasionally, and doubtless
made a handsome profit.^ Deputy-Lieutenants, more-
over, in despair passed men both for the Militia and the
Reserve who were quite unfit for service in either ; * but
even so they could not prevent the accumulation of
enormous fines upon the parishes in their districts.
Before long they abandoned the attempt altogether,
and Addington himself was fain to confess that aft:er
November 1803 the inconveniences of the Act exceeded
its advantages. In April 1804, to adopt the official
language used by the Horse Guards, the Act died a
natural death, men having ceased to come in, and the
1 I.D. vol. xxxvii. Minute of D.L. of Bute, 30th July 1804,
in L.L. to S.S. 26th Oct. 1804.
2 H. D. Yorke's speech, 28th March 1804.
' I.D. vol. xxiv. O.C. Montgomery Militia to A.G. 17th
May 1803.
* General Simcoe reported that he was training the Volunteer
Artillery of the Stannaries to work the great guns at Plymouth.
" They are of sufficient stature for the duty, which the Militia
attached to the Artillery strikingly are not " {I.D. vol. xxviii. Simcoe
to Warden of Stannaries, 26th Nov. 1803).
II FAILURE OF THE RESERVE ACT 73
fines having reached a sum so absurdly great as to be 1803.
impossible of enforcement.
By the end of 1803, the term appointed for the
enlistment of the 49,880 men required by the Act, there
had been raised in all 40,897 men. Of these, 4278, or
over one-tenth, had deserted, 1301 had been rejected or
discharged for various reasons, and 286 had died, leaving
a total of 35,032 nominally effective, and a deficiency
of 14,748, or fully 30 per cent. The 35,032 again
were reduced to little more than 30,000 by the elimina-
tion of boys who could not be fit for service for two or
three years. By the ist of May 1804, when the Act
was acknowledged to be dead, the Army of Reserve
had produced a nominal total of 45,492 men, of whom
2 1 1 6 had been discharged as unfit or for other causes,
589 had died, and 5561, nearly one-ninth, had deserted
or were claimed as deserters by other corps, leaving
37,136 nominally effective. Of these, however, 7000
were young and undersized, and had to be drafted into
garrison-battalions until they could grow up. Thus
while paying for 45,000 men, the country gained the
immediate services of little more than 30,000. Further
analysis of the figures, fortunately rendered possible
by contemporary returns, reveals another very remark-
able fact. Of the entire number of men raised, only
2873 were principals, whereas the substitutes numbered
41,198 ; so that practically hardly one man in fourteen
accepted personal service.^ The Army of Reserve,
therefore, can only be described as a deplorable failure.
For the Militia, unfortunately, there are no such
figures to hand ; but beyond all question if they could
be produced they would show much the same result. It
is at least certain that in June 1 804 the deficiency in the
Militia of England alone amounted to 6476 men, and
in that of Ireland (which had no Supplementary Militia)
^ These figures are drawn from Military Transactions of the
British Empire, 180J-1807, a volume compiled by the Military Secre-
tary for the Commander-in-Chief, apparently for official circulation
only, pp. 63-68.
74 RECRUITING FOR ARMY KILLED chap.
1803. to 829. It is therefore safe to assume that the deficiency
for the three kingdoms must have reached a total of
fully 8000 ; but this was relatively much smaller than
in the Army of Reserve, the proportion of men lacking
being only one-twelfth as compared with one-fourth.
Nevertheless the position was very far from satisfactory.
As to the Regular Army, its powers of recruiting
were simply killed by the competition of the Militia and
the Army of Reserve. During the last six months of
1803 there were 360 recruiting parties out, offering a
bounty of ^^7 : 12 : 6 to men who as substitutes could
gain at any time from £iq> tO;^50. They succeeded
in raising 3481 recruits, of whom 291 deserted, leaving
a net total of 3 1 90. It is true that several thousand of
the Army of Reserve in due time enlisted in the Regulars
for an additional bounty of eight to ten guineas,^ which,
added to that which they had already received as sub-
stitutes, made them probably the most expensive recruits
that ever were obtained.^ Had Addington sought first
to fill the ranks of the Regular Army before increasing
the Militia or forming the Reserve, he might have
secured exactly the same men for one half of the price.
The sum of the whole of his elaborate measures,
therefore, amounted to this — that he starved the Army
to make a large body of Militia and Reserve, and starved
the Militia and Reserve in order to raise a vast crowd of
Volunteers.
X
It is now time to examine the composition and value
of those Volunteers, again reminding the reader that
with them is included the Yeomanry, which originally
bore the designation of Volunteer Cavalry. The Govern-
ment's action towards the Volunteers, so far as we have
followed it, may be summarised as follows : — In 1802
they called them into existence upon their own terms
1 Eight guineas at once and two guineas more (subject to deduc-
tions for necessaries) upon joining the first battalion. C.C.L.6.
25th Feb. 1804. 2 See Appendix.
II
THE VOLUNTEERS
75
of service, and granted them exemption from the Militia
ballot in return for five days' exercise annually, together
with certain allowances.
On the 31st of March 1803 they called for more
Volunteers, and proposed to give them what were after-
wards known as the June Allowances.
Having called for them, they became nervous lest
the exemption of a number of Volunteers should interfere
with the various ballots, and left many of their offers
of service unanswered.
On the nth of June they passed the First Defence
Act for general training of the people, and exempted
the Volunteers from its operation.
A few days later they issued the June Allowances,
which offered pay to the men for eighty-five days'
exercise in the year, and required of them an agreement
to serve within their Military District, in return for which
pay was granted to a limited number of officers and to
a permanent staff. A list of the said Military Districts
was issued at the same time.^
1803.
^ Scheme of Districts for Home Defence ordered by the
Duke of York
District. Contents.
Southern. Kent, Surrey, Sussex (ex-
clusive of London).
Eastern. Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambs,
Hants, Essex.
London. (Including Surrey within
the bills of mortality).
South- West. Hants, Wilts, Dorset.
Western. Devon, Cornwall, Somer-
set (exclusive of Bristol,
Bath, Troubridge, Ux-
bridge, or other places
garrisoned from Bristol).
N. Western, Cheshire, Salop, Lanes,
N. Wales.
Northern. Northumberland, Cumber-
land, Westmoreland,
Durham.
Yorkshire. Yorkshire, Lines.
G.O.C.
Gen. Sir D. Dundas.
Lt.-Gen. Sir J. Craig.
Lt.-Gen. Gwyn.
Lt.-Gen. Gardiner.
Lt.-Gen. Simcoe.
Lt.-Gen. Prince William.
Lt.-Gen.Sir H.Dalrymple.
Lt.-Gen. Lord Mulgrave.
76 THE VOLUNTEERS chap.
1803. While circulating these allowances the Secretary of State
announced that corps accepted after the i6th of June
would not be exempt from the ballot for the Army of
Reserve.^
Ministers then again became nervous as to the
expense of raising Volunteers upon the June Allowances,
and delayed the acceptance of offers of service.
They then passed the Levy en Masse Act on the
27th of July for the compulsory training of all able-
bodied men, with a clause to suspend the operation of
the measure if a sufficient proportion of Volunteers
should be produced for each county, which Volunteers
should be bound to serve in any part of Great Britain.
A circular of the 30th of July directed that immediate
training should be given to a number of men equal at
least to six times the quota of the Ordinary Militia.
Next, on the 3rd of August, were produced the new
regulations known as the August Allowances, making
the third set of such regulations issued within twelve
months, for the government of the new Volunteers to
be created under the Levy en Masse Act.
Then on the 1 1 th of August they passed two
Acts, the one to cancel the rigid rule as to the pro-
portion of Volunteers to be raised under the Levy en
Masse Act ; the other to grant Volunteers exemption
from the ballot for the Army of Reserve, on condition
that the infantry underwent twenty-four days' and the
Cavalry twelve days' training within the year.
Finally, on the 31st of August Ministers accepted the
I. of Wight. ... Maj.-Gen. Hewett.
Severn. Glos., Worcester, Here- Lt.-Gen. the Duke of
ford, Monmouth, S. Cumberland.
Wales.
Home. Middlesex, Herts, Berks. Lt.-Gen. Lord Cathcart.
North Inland. Derby, Notts, Staffs, Leic, Lt.-Gen. Gardiner.
Warwick, Rutland,
South Inland. Beds., Oxon, Bucks, Lt.-Gen. Gvvynn.
Northants.
^ W.O. 6/193. Circular of 20th June 1803.
II DIFFICULTIES OF LIEUTENANCIES 77
offers of all Volunteer corps, only stipulating that any 1803.
men over and above the quota of six times the old
Militia should be supernumeraries and not entitled to
exemption of any kind.
It is hardly surprising that the Lord-Lieutenants
should have been puzzled by the amazing confusion of
these successive measures. " I wish," wrote the Lieu-
tenant of Devon,^ plaintively on the 29th of August,
•* that the Acts of Parliament and instructions framed
upon them were clearer. The general idea is that
Volunteers to any extent are to be accepted, and there
is disappointment owing to the corps being refused.
Refusals also spread a false notion that the danger is
abated." And this is but one example out of many.
Much trouble also was caused by the carelessness of the
Home Office in omitting to forward copies of Acts of
Parliament to the Lieutenancies, but communicating them
to the newspapers. ** I never heard," wrote the Vice-
Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire on the 2nd
of May 1804, " of the Act of 27th July 1803 for com-
pleting the Militia until yesterday, nor had another very
active magistrate of this county." ^ The Lieutenant of
Bedford, a peer of the realm, complained bitterly that
the Acts were not forwarded to him ; but he was obliged
to write twice before he could obtain a copy of the
Billeting Act.^ " Your last circular," wrote the Lieu-
tenant of Cornwall, " I read complete in the Sun news-
paper before I received it. In the newspaper it was
dated the 22 nd of September ; in the official copy it
is dated the 28 th." '^
Added to the difficulty of ascertaining the law of the
land was that of divining the wishes of the Govern-
ment. Did Ministers really want Volunteers or not }
This was a question which the Lieutenancies found
it hard to answer, and they found it none the easier
1 The writer's great-grandfather, the mild patience of whose
protest he cannot but admire. ^ I.D, vol. Ixvii. 2nd May 1804.
3 LD. vol. i. LL. Beds, to S.S. 13th, 30th Sept. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. viii. LL. Cornwall, to S.S. 5th Oct. 1803.
78 DIFFICULTIES OF LIEUTENANCIES chap.
1803, because the direction of the Volunteers, as has been seen,
changed hands from the War Office to the Home Office
in the course of 1803. A few of the Lieutenants were
opposed to the whole principle of Volunteering, but
though these did not conceal their opinions, only one of
them, Lord Essex in Herefordshire, frankly set his face
against them until the ballots should have been held.
He was at once taken to task for neglecting the
Volunteers. He answered sharply enough, " Every one
will offer [to volunteer] to escape the ballot. . . . The
Militia are 246 men short ; and the subdivison-clerks
supported by the country gentlemen ballot illegally by
throwing several parishes into one, so that the parishes
guilty of failing to complete their quota shall not be
detected. I thought that I was acting in conformity
with your orders in discountenancing Volunteers until
the ballots were complete, but now that I know to
the contrary I will act differently. Most of the Volun-
teer offers here have originated with a view to meet the
approach of the next General Election rather than the
enemy. I shall be glad to leave the whole business to
the Vice-Lieutenant." ^ On the other hand, in the county
of Montgomery, where Volunteers were unknown
before the passing of the Levy en Masse Act, the
Lieutenant submitted no offers until he had received all
that were likely to be sent in. Whereupon Mr, Yorke
wrote in the margin, " Perfectly right. I wish every one
had done the same." ^ No doubt it would have been
more convenient if all the Lieutenants had acted upon
this principle ; but Ministers solely were to blame, for
at the beginning they had only asked vaguely for more
Volunteers, upon which the Lieutenants naturally for-
warded every offer that was sent to them.
Another extraordinary mistake on the part of the
Government lay in fixing the same quota for all counties,
whether inland or upon the coast. The maritime
counties naturally demanded, and some of them ulti-
1 I.D. vol. xvi. L.L. Hereford, to S.S. 12th Oct. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xxiv. Mr. Mytton to S.S. 5th Sept. 1803.
II THE THREE VOLUNTEER CODES 79
mately obtained, a larger allowance than the rest ; but 1803.
the omission to discriminate between them led to vast
correspondence and to a good deal of ill-feeling.
But the most fruitful source of confusion undoubtedly
lay in the existence of three different codes for the
regulation of the Volunteers, and in the variety of their
conditions of service, which not only gave enormous
trouble to all concerned, but in case of invasion must
have caused great embarrassment to the Generals in
the field. Of the whole number of 342,000 effective
rank and file (that is to say corporals and privates)
comprised in the Volunteers of Great Britain, 207,000,
or, including supernumeraries, 211 ,000, were more or
less subject to the Levy en Masse Act and the August
Allowances, and were therefore liable to serve in any
part of Great Britain ; 67,000 were more or less under
the June Allowances, and by the positive act of the
Government were liable to serve in their Military Dis-
trict only ; and 63,000 were more or less self-supporting
and subject to special terms which might extend to
service all over Great Britain or might limit their
sphere of action to their parish or a short radius beyond
it.-^ The Government was naturally anxious to have as
few little isolated corps as possible, and rightly encour-
aged the amalgamation of troops and companies into
regiments and battalions. But the inevitable result was
that within the same corps were to be found perhaps
two troops on the June Allowances, and five or six on
the August Allowances. The latter were, of course, very
jealous of their more favoured brethren, and this
inevitably gave rise to friction. Again, there arose the
difficulty as to filling vacancies in the corps on the
June Allowances. Were these corps to be kept up
to strength or not ? There could be but one answer.
The men who raised them having undertaken to do so
^ I derive these figures from a long MS. return in the Library at
Windsor Castle, dated i6th Dec. 1803. I have used the modifica-
tion, more or less, because it is often extremely difficult to understand
what were the allowances granted to some of the corps.
8o CONFUSION OF ALLOWANCES chap.
1803. under certain conditions, it was impossible for the
Government to go back upon them. Hence officers
commanding corps under the June Allowances may be
said to have enjoyed a peculiar kind of patronage ; and
it was not unknown for the commander of a corps under
the August Allowances to find that several of his men,
without saying a word to him, had transferred them-
^ selves to another regiment on the June Allowances. The
distinction between the two conditions was felt the
more acutely because in many instances volunteers had
sent in their offers of service in good time to be
accepted before the 22nd of June, but, receiving no
answer until after that day, were reduced to the level of
men who had only become Volunteers under pressure of
the Levy en Masse Act. This trick, for it cannot be
dignified by a higher name, was very much resented ;
and it need hardly be added that the burden of making
good the shortcomings of the Government fell upon a
few patriotic gentlemen. One such, who had raised
two companies in Gloucestershire, counting upon the
June Allowances, and had already spent ^^ 7 a man in
clothing, equipping, and arming them, found himself
saddled with a further expense of ^^ 1 00 for the pur-
chase of substitutes for some of his men. The Duke
of Atholl wrote that the pernicious results of two con-
current rates of allowance could only be averted in
Perthshire by private subscriptions, which would raise
the August Allowances to the level of the June Allow-
ances. He reckoned the cost to himself and his col-
leagues at j^ 1 0,000 annually, and added that in many
instances landlords would have to pay more than their
annual rental. *' Had the August Allowances been the
only allowances," he wrote, '* we might have carried the
measure into effect, though so small proportion of dis-
cipline [twenty days' exercise] would have formed little
better than an armed rabble ; but to call on them [the
recipients of August Allowances] for more extensive
service [in any part of Great Britain] when the June
Volunteers were called on for service in the district only,
II CONFLICTING VOLUNTEER ACTS 8i
makes it impossible." However, the Duke called a 1803.
meeting to collect subscriptions ; and by the generosity
of himself and of his brother landlords the full proportion
of Volunteers for the county was completed. None the
less it was iniquitous that these gentlemen should have
been subjected to an extraordinary tax, simply to make
good the mismanagement of the Government.^
Another miserable complication was that no one knew
whether Volunteers receiving the August Allowances
were governed wholly by the Levy en Masse Act, or in
part also by the Volunteer Act of 1802. Under the
Volunteer Act all claims for exemption from the ballot
had to be furnished by the 21st of September in every
year, so that the days of exercise necessary to qualify
for exemption had to be accomplished before that day.
The magistrates in various parts, possibly indeed in the
whole of England, very naturally and sensibly took the
Volunteer Act of 1 802 as their principal guide in dealing
with that particular force ; and finding that few of the
new corps had performed the necessary number of drills,
promptly declined to allow them exemption. The case
was hard, because the Government had so long delayed
the acceptance of Volunteers, and the clerks, moreover,
were so dilatory in giving them official recognition in the
GazettCy that many corps, with the best of good will,
could not possibly have fulfilled the necessary days of
training. They went out, however, as often as they
could ; and their commanders appealed to the Secretary
of State to be indulgent. In Surrey the magistrates,
perceiving the hardships that might be involved in the
question, suspended the ballot until all doubts should be
resolved by the Law-Officers, lest men who had really
earned their exemption should be drawn. The Secretary
of State's answer, however, was short — he could not
interfere with the working of Acts of Parliament — and
there arose new causes of discontent among the Volun-
^ I.D. vol. XV. Gloucestershire, Capt. Bricknell to S.S. 27th
Feb. 1804; vol. xxvii. L.L. Perth, to S.S. 14th, 27th Aug., 8th
Oct. 1803.
G
82 DIFFICULTIES AS TO EXEMPTIONS chap.
1803. teers, and new confusion as to the enactments by
which they were governed.^
Yet another trouble arose from the action of the
Government in combining the requirements of the June
with the pay of the August Allowances. The new Volun-
teers of course needed adjutants and sergeant-majors as
much as the old, but were informed first that no pay would
be allowed for a permanent staff, except in very special
circumstances, in corps raised after the 3rd of August.2
This position proving untenable, Ministers in November
offered pay for an adjutant to every infantry corps of
500, and every cavalry corps of 300 ; for a sergeant-
major to every infantry corps of 200, and every cavalry
corps of 120 ; and both adjutant and sergeant-major to
every infantry corps of 1000 and every cavalry corps
of 600 effective rank and file, provided that they agreed
to undergo eighty-five days' exercise in the year. This
roused much indignation in the parties concerned, for
whereas the corps under the June Allowances received
pay for the whole of the eighty-five days, those under
the August Allowances received pay for but twenty.
The theory seems to have been that fifty-two out of
the eighty-five drills were to be held on Sundays, on
which day no man received wages ; that twenty days'
payment made up the fifty-two to seventy-two, and
that each corps must make its own shift to eke out the
remaining thirteen days, or, in other words, must be in-
demnified by the officers. The complaints against such
treatment were bitter, especially in Scotland. " We
enlisted our Volunteers for twenty days' drill," wrote
Lord Dalkeith ; " we cannot now call on them for
sixty-five days more ; and yet on that account we must
lose our adjutant." ^ The Secretary of State then fell
back on the excuse that twenty days* pay was enough
for eighty-five days' drill of only two hours a day.
^ I.D. vol. iv. Brecon, Charles Morgan of Tredegar to S.S. 24.1!!
Oct. ; vol. xviii. Kent, Capt. Powis to S.S. 25th Nov.; vol.xxxi. V.L.
Surrey, to S.S. 8th Dec. 1803. 2 Circular of 28th Sept.
3 J D yoi^ y.\ L L_ Dumfries, to S.S. 3rd Nov. 1803.
II CONCESSIONS TO VOLUNTEERS 83
"But this," wrote Sir John Murray, from Perthshire, 1803.
*' makes no allowance for time consumed in dressing
and coming to parade, in these parts often six or eight
miles. Moreover, two hours a day is not training
enough for recruits. Men cannot be disciplined as
soldiers in 1 70 hours, much less in 40 hours. Again,
it is urged that the men have the advantage of clothing.
This is no advantage. The men have only the trouble
of cleaning it, and the Government pays not one-third
of the cost. . . . The eighty-five days' drill was
claimed in return for the use of an adjutant, as if it
were a personal advantage to the Volunteers. But the
Government will not get the value even of its trifling
twenty shillings [twenty days' pay for one man] unless
it provides proper instructors."^
Complaints such as this could hardly be passed
over ; and the Government presently receded once more,
granting in January both adjutants and sergeant-
majors on easier terms, and adding in February that
Volunteers who attended inspections should receive pay
for the same, provided such inspections did not recur
more frequently than once in two months. Thus, under
the pretext of anxiety for frequent musters of Volunteers,
Government doled them out pay for six additional days
in the year.^ These concessions, having been wrung from
Ministers against their will, were, of course, received with
a growl instead of with thanks ; but this was always the
fate of Addington and his colleagues. Having by sheer
ignorance and carelessness called the Volunteers into being
on easy terms, they tried to impose harder conditions by
a side wind, and were invariably beaten in the attempt.
XI
The most serious trouble of all arose out of the
lack of arms. Colonel Vyse, it will be remembered,
had particularly cautioned Ministers against creating
^ I.D. vol. xxvii. Sir John Murray to S.S. 14th Dec. 1803.
2 Circular of 1 5th Jan. 1804.
84 DIFFICULTIES AS TO ARMS chap.
1803. corps which they could not arm ; but they boldly
enrolled hundreds of thousands of men on the under-
standing that twenty-five muskets for every hundred men
would be sufficient for purposes of instruction, and that
pikes would be cheerfully accepted by the remaining
seventy-five. Never were the authorities more pitifully
deceived. It has already been mentioned that the clerks
in Downing Street were extremely casual as to the gazet-
ting of officers ; and as no corps could receive arms until
gazetted, this formed an initial source of discontent.
There was one case of twenty-four companies, which
were offered in May, accepted in June, and still waiting
to be gazetted in September.^ But the majority of the
complaints upon this head arose from actual failure in the
supply of arms. Such complaints are very numerous,
but the selection of a certain number will show how
serious would have been the danger of an invasion, had
Napoleon attempted it in the autumn of 1803. From
Ayr it was reported in November that many of the
Volunteer corps were still incomplete, want of arms
having checked the spirit of the people.^ The Lieu-
tenant of Berkshire asked plaintively how he was to
distribute 603 muskets among 2763 men ; and one of his
commanders complained in October that his men had been
clothed and drilled for weeks, but that unless weapons
were given to them at once they would learn nothing
about them till next summer,^ From Nairn came in
September a wail that was distressing. " The situation
of the North of Scotland is truly deplorable, left with-
out arms of any description. . . . All efforts to get arms
for the Volunteers so far useless. . . . Not a man in
arms (though many are willing) to north of Aberdeen,
except two companies at Elgin. . . . We are all at the
mercy of any petty privateer." * From Sutherland a com-
1 I.D. vol. i. V.L. Argyll, to S.S. nth Sept. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. i. L.L. Ayr, to S.S. 9th Nov. 1803.
^ Ibid. vol. ii. L.L. Berks, to S.S. 19th Sept. 1803 ; J. Weyland
to S.S. 24th Oct. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. iii. L.L. Nairn, to S.S. 6th Sept. 1803.
II DIFFICULTIES AS TO ARMS 85
mander reported late in October that he had had 11 20 1 803.
men enrolled in his two battalions for some months but
had no weapons for them.^ In Dumfries, at about the same
time, only 106 firelocks had been supplied for 1200
men.2 The Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire protested
at the end of October that so far the county had not
received a single musket or pike.^ In Cornwall the
Lieutenant, after war had been declared fifteen months,
went near to lose his temper. "No new corps," he
wrote, " will ever be effective unless the Ordnance
supply arms. I lately applied for some, and was told
that Cornwall had a thousand more than she was
entitled to. If you continue to accept corps, pray
order the Ordnance to arm them, or acceptance is a
farce." * From Denbigh, towards Christmas time, the
Lieutenant, having with reason lost patience, wrote
likewise with unusual warmth : '* I cannot get from
the Ordnance a single musket, nor a word as to the
price that they will allow to those who provide themselves
with arms. Unless something is done soon, the Volun-
teer corps will disperse." ^ In Derbyshire the lack of
arms was lamented as a grievous misfortune,^ In
Durham the Lieutenant took a higher tone : " If only
half the Volunteer force is to be armed, and if that half
is to depend on the arms issued during the last war, it
will damp the spirit and energy of the people, who are
already in some degree hurt and disgusted by all the
changes in the arrangements for the Volunteers." " . . .
From Flint, in July 1804, a gentleman who had offered
to raise and clothe a corps if the Government would
arm it, reported that he had been obliged to exceed his
contract and purchase weapons as well as clothes, and
would therefore be obliged by the grant of the usual
1 I.D. vol. vi. Sutherland, David Campbell to S.S. 2 1st Oct. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xi. V.L. Dumfries, to S.S. 22nd Oct. 1803.
3 ji,jj^ voi_ v.L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 28th Oct. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. xliv. L.L. Cornwall, to S.S. 25th Oct. 1804.
5 Ibid. vol. ix. L.L. Denbigh, to S.S. 24th Dec. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. ix. Joshua Strutt to S.S. 17th Nov. 1803.
' Ibid. vol. xii. L.L. Durham, to S.S. loth Sept. 1803.
86 DIFFICULTIES AS TO ARMS chap.
1803. clothing allowance.^ The Mayor of Bristol brought
forward a new difficulty. He had 1400 Volunteers
who, in rotation, were finding a guard for French
prisoners. There being but 500 stand of arms between
the 1400, the muskets were necessarily passed from
hand to hand, which led to disputes as to who should
keep them clean, and to much discontent.^ In Hamp-
shire, a county in which every man should have been
trained, several Volunteers resigned from impatience at
being left without arms.^ From Lancashire the Lieu-
tenant, most loyal and zealous of men, week after
week in vain repeated his remonstrances against the
Ordnance for leaving his county unarmed.* In
Northumberland the Duke had raised and clothed
1300 men at his own expense, asking no allowance for
them but only arms and belts ; yet the General
commanding the district reported that the Volunteers
were " likely in point of discipline to be no more than
a name, as the greater number were without any arms
whatever." ^ FromlPembrokeshire the Lieutenant sent
word in September that he had written to the Ordnance
repeatedly, but had failed to obtain half the arms neces-
sary for his Volunteers : " Their zeal is cooling," he
added, "and I firmly believe that in the course of
a month the greater part or the whole will go to
the right "about." ^ In Staffordshire, as Lord G.
Leveson Gower declared in debate, not a firelock had
been received up to the middle of December.^ In
Shropshire, by February 1804, only 600 arms had been
obtained out] of 1 300 due to the county ; and it was
only by general patriotic exertion that 4000 out of
5000 Volunteers were provided with weapons.^ Lastly,
1 I.D. vol. xiv. W. D, Shipley to L.L. 21st July 1804,
2 Ibid. vol. XV. Mayor of Bristol to S.S. 5th Oct. 1803.
3 Ibid. vol. xvi. L.L. Hants, to S.S. 4th Oct. 1803.
* /^;V/. vol. xix. L.L. to S.S. loth Sept. 1803, and subsequent
letters.
^ Ibid. vol. XXV. Sir H. Dalrymple to A.G. 21st Sept. 1803.
^ Ibid. vol. xxvii. L.L. Pembroke, to S.S. 26th Sept. 1803.
"^ H.D. Commons, 13th Dec. 1803.
8 I.D. vol. Ixii. V.L. Salop, to S.S. 22nd Feb. 1804.
II DIFFICULTIES AS TO ARMS 87
from Surrey a Colonel of Volunteers wrote that his men 1803.
had provided themselves with 220 muskets out of 600,
and that unless the remaining 380 were at once found
by the Ordnance, the corps would be broken up :
" The men," he added, " have drilled for three months
without arms, and are tired of it." ^
Such are samples of the cries that assailed the War
Office and the Home Office during the years 1803 and
1804 ; but these by no means indicate the whole of
the mischief and confusion. Owing sometimes to the
carelessness of Lieutenants, and sometimes to sheer
foolishness at headquarters, violent local jealousies were
aroused by the partial issue of arms. Staffordshire was
much affronted at receiving no muskets, while Derby-
shire, Leicestershire, and Warwick were fully supplied.'*
Berkshire was rent asunder and the Lieutenant much
incensed by the action of the Ordnance in consigning
190 muskets direct to the Windsor Volunteers, an
insignificant corps of 180 men, and that though they
were only entitled to one firelock for every four men,
and the distribution was supposed to be left to the
Lieutenant.^ In Shropshire, by a similar blunder, the
whole proportion of the county's arms was delivered to
the Shrewsbury Volunteers, the last corps which came
forward to offer its services and, even so, under 600
strong. The Secretary of State, being adjured to make
these Shrewsbury men disgorge their ill-gotten treasure,
declined in the name of peace and quietness to inter-
fere ; whereupon the commander of another corps of
1 800 men peremptorily demanded the muskets in order
to keep his men in a good humour. And so the battle
raged in Salop, with the general result that every one
was aggrieved.* In Hertfordshire similar dissensions
^ I.D. vol. xxxi. Letter enclosed in L.L. Surrey, to S.S. loth
Sept. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xxix. L.L. StafFs, to S.S. 26th Dec. 1803.
3 Ibid. vol. ii. L.L. Berks, to S.S. 20th Nov. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. xxviii. L.L. Salop, to S.S. 31st Oct. 1803 ; Mr.
Kynaston Powell to S.S. loth Nov. 1803.
88 ARMS AND EXEMPTIONS chap.
1803. arose from the action of the Lieutenant himself. The
Board of Ordnance sent 590 stand of arms, being the
due number for a quarter of the county's Volunteers ;
but the Lieutenant, who was interested personally in
the First Regiment, seized 480 of them for behoof of the
favoured corps, and left the rest to *' scramble as they
could " for the remaining 1 10.^
Even this did not exhaust the troubles that arose
from the Government's want of foresight in the matter
of weapons. It was ordained by Act of Parliament that,
to gain their exemption. Volunteers must appear at
exercise " properly armed and equipped." This of
course brought up the question whether such a regulation
could be enforced when the Government had failed to
provide arms. As usually happened, the Deputy- Lieu-
tenants took different views in different parts of the
country. In Shropshire they chose the strictly logical,
though very unfair, method of exempting the officers,
who of course had provided themselves with swords,
and not exempting the men ; a decision against which
the Colonel protested with justifiable indignation.
" Surely," he wrote, " arms and clothing are not
necessary, besides twenty- four days' drill, to give
exemption ? " ^ In Plymouth a Deputy-Lieutenant like-
wise tried to deny the exemption, but finding that he
was rousing serious agitation, and that his colleagues
in other parts of the country were divided in opinion
upon the subject, wrote to the Home Office to ask for
instructions.^ The answer was given in a Circular of
the 23rd of November : " It is the opinion of the Law-
Officers that a commandant of Volunteers cannot return
as effective men who for want of discipline are unfit to
have arms in their hands or who, even from no fault of
their own, have had no opportunity of learning the use
of arms. Such men, therefore, cannot be exempted."*
^ I.D. vol. xvii. W. Baker to S.S. 24th Oct., loth Nov. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xxviii. Lord Kenyon to S.S, 17th Oct. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. X. Jonathan Elford to S.S. 15th Nov. 1803.
* Circular of S.S. to L.Ls. of counties where any officers are on
II AVERSION FROM PIKES 89
The whole question was complicated by the fact 1803.
that some officers, from natural and proper un-
willingness to use up the whole of the twenty days'
drill without a day's instruction in the use of arms,
reserved a certain number of drills against the happy
moment when the long-expected weapons should be
delivered. By so doing they prevented their men from
earning their exemption in time ; and up came a fresh
crop of indignant letters to the Secretary of State. ^
The Government feebly endeavoured to right itself
by averring that pikes to any number would be fur-
nished, if only officers would apply for them. But the
Volunteers would not be content with pikes. In Scot-
land the people entertained not only material but senti-
mental objections to them ; the weapon of rebel Ireland
being in their judgment unfit for a loyal Scot.** In
Flintshire the Volunteers would hardly take pikes into
their hands, except on the assurance that they would
be speedily exchanged for muskets.^ The Duke of
Richmond, a soldier of experience, declined to receive
pikes for the Volunteers of Sussex, declaring them to
be useless except in the hands of perfectly trained men
and yet capable of being turned to dangerous account
by a mob.* In Berkshire one officer concentrated his
objections to the weapon into a single enthymeme.
" The pikes issued by the Ordnance are eight feet long ;
the French ones taken last week were thirteen feet long ;
therefore an English regiment so armed could not
attack and beat a French one."* Finally, in Somerset
a Major of Volunteers, who disliked pikes as much as
did his men, gave his company orders to leave their
pikes at home when they came to drill, and being
permanent duty. The hardship was redressed, as shall presently
be seen, at the first possible moment by Act of Parliament.
1 I.D. vol. V. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 6th Nov. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. iii. L.L. Inverness, to S.S. loth March 1804 ; vol,
viii. L.L. Kinross, to S.S. i6th Sept. 1803.
3 Ibid. vol. xiv. L.L. Flint, to S.S. 7th Nov. 1803.
* Ibid. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 23rd Aug. 1803.
5 Ibid. vol. ii. Sir I. Pocock to S.S. i6th Nov. 1803.
90 VOLUNTEERS IN SCOTLAND chap.
1803. rebuked by his Colonel, resigned his commission.^
Such were the consequences of neglecting the advice,
deliberately sought, of an experienced officer like
Colonel Vyse.
XII
Passing from these lengthy, though preliminary,
details as to the administrative difficulties which were
thrown in the way of the Volunteers, let us now
examine more closely their composition and their
discipline. And first let us make a brief survey of
Britain, noting the quarters in which the patriotic spirit
was lively or the reverse.
It must be premised that among the Volunteers
were certain corps in various parts of the country who,
upon enrolment, expressly disclaimed their title to any
exemptions whatever. They numbered in all about
7000 men,^ of which the city of Edinburgh furnished
1 162, the county of Devon S77, and the city of
Westminster 508. The remaining counties and cities
furnished only small contingents to this body of really
self-denying men, whose public spirit is worthy of
record.
Speaking generally, Scotland responded remarkably
well to the call for Volunteers, the unpopularity of
the Militia making this alternative service extremely
welcome. In Aberdeen by the beginning of September
12,000 men had offered themselves against a quota of
3840 ; in Bute 598 men came forward to fill 366
places ; in Berwick there were almost immediately 1350
offers to fill a quota of 930 ; at Haddington the figures
were 1500 and 634. So too Kinross covered her quota
of Volunteers three times over within August and Sep-
tember ; Dumfries immediately offered more than twice
the number required from her, and Edinburgh, by the
first week in August, also had more than double her
1 I.D. vol. XXX. L.L. Somerset, to S.S. 13th Nov. 1803.
' The return shows 6620, but it is admitted to be incomplete.
I.D. vol. Ixviii. Miscellaneous, 31st March 1804.
II VOLUNTEERS IN SCOTLAND 91
quota on foot and effective. In Argyll more than half 1803.
the quota was already enrolled in June ; Banff supplied
nearly its full contingent before the introduction of the
Levy en Masse Act ; Elgin in the same time had
furnished 480 out of the 780 assigned to her, and
Inverness 2540 out of 3320. Dumbarton produced
two-thirds of her men in May and June, and had small
difficulty in enrolling the rest; Fife, Forfar, and Kincardine
could show half, or more than half, of their respective
quotas early in June. In Ayr voluntary enrolment soon
exceeded the demands of the Government ; though certain
parishes stood aloof, and a few positively refused any
service. Ross also found few men before the Levy en
Masse Act compelled her to do so, and in Stirling
there was less forwardness than usual, some difficulty
being found in raising the allotted number before
the end of October. In Linlithgow two-thirds of
the quota had been enrolled before the 26th of July;
and Nairn, Caithness, Peebles, Cromarty, and Suther-
land had furnished their full contingent before the end
of June. So it was also in Selkirk and in Roxburgh,
even though the Lieutenant gave preference to the
men who were less likely to be drawn for the Army of
Reserve. In Clackmannan no corps were accepted until
September, but on the other hand the whole contingent
was self-supporting, receiving no allowance whatever
from Government. Lanark added 300 Supernumeraries
to the 4473 privates which were due from her. The
difficulties in Perth have already been mentioned, but
they did not prevent her from doing even more than
her duty, half of her Volunteers having come forward
in time to receive the June Allowances. Lastly, Renfrew
had over four thousand offers from which to choose
her quota of 2424. Altogether the record would be
creditable to North Britain, were we not compelled
to bear in mind that she was extremely backward in
producing any Militia.^
^ Returns at Windsor Castle. LD. vol. i. L.L. Aberdeen, to
S.S. 8th Sept.; L.L. Argyll and Bute, to S.S. 17th Aug. ; L.L. Ayr,
92 VOLUNTEERS IN ENGLAND chap.
1803. In England there was by no means the same
uniform eagerness to volunteer, and in some parts
there was a positive reluctance. Speaking generally, it
may be said that a few counties, notably Anglesey,
Middlesex, Brecon, Monmouth, Bedford, Devon, and
Kent, came forward with the same enthusiasm as the
best counties of Scotland. Kent, indeed, whose natural
quota was just under 8000 men, wished for her own
safety to raise 15,000, and actually raised 10,000. It
is, however, noteworthy that the Mayor of Canterbury
at first refused to call a meeting to form a Volunteer
corps for that city, one citizen averring that there was
no occasion to arm the people, as the Government
would send soldiers enough.^ The Cinque Ports, under
the leadership of Pitt, brought forward 3500 men.
Devon, whose quota was 9000, produced over 16,000 ;
and the rest of the maritime counties, from considera-
tions of their own security, generally obtained permission
to enrol additional men. Lancashire, Norfolk, and
Somerset, however, were exceptions, having failed to
make up even the quota required of them. Middlesex,
with London, Westminster and the Tower Hamlets,
turned out about 35,000 men. For the rest, Derby,
Hereford, Nottinghamshire, Radnor, Shropshire,
Worcester, and the East Riding of Yorkshire hand-
somely brought forward more than their complement.
Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire,
Stafford, Warwick, Wiltshire, and the West Riding
of York showed deficiencies more or less great ; and
the remainder produced their quota or thereabout.
Of the counties that failed, Cambridge seems to
have been the worst, though her deficiency amounted
to only 300 wanting out of 2886. Her Volunteers
gave a deal of trouble; and by September 1804 the
to S.S, 9th Sept.; vol. iv. D.Ls. Berwick, to S.S. 7th Sept.; L.L.
Haddington, to S.S. 23rd Sept.; vol. viii. L.L. Kinross, to S.S. 24th
Aug.; vol. xii. Edinburgh returns of 9th Aug.; vol. xvii. L.L. Wig-
town, to S.S. 25th Aug. 1803.
1 I.D. vol. xviii. L.L. Kent, to S.S. 15th Aug. 1803.
II REASONS FOR LUKEWARMNESS 93
number lacking had increased from 300 to 800 owing 1803.
to the persistent refusal of the larger parishes to
produce a man. It seems that the people had grown
suspicious over the 58 th section of the Levy en Masse
Act, which ordained that the men raised under that
Act could be attached to other regiments, whether
of Militia or Regulars, if called out for service. The
Duke of Richmond found exactly the same apprehen-
sion prevalent in Sussex, and was so nervous as to its
results that he urged the Government to proclaim that
the King would not enforce this particular section. In
another section, the 54th, it was expressly laid down
that Volunteers should not in any circumstances be
placed in corps of Regulars ; but Yorke as usual chose
to maintain, for as long as he dared, that this applied
only to men enrolled under the Volunteer Act of 1802.
The folly of leaving so important a point for a moment
doubtful is obvious ; but such was the way of Adding-
ton's Ministry.^
In Buckinghamshire the failure in Volunteers seems
to have been due mainly to lack of men, for the county
had always done its duty admirably both towards
Militia and Regulars, and had before June mustered
1000 Yeomanry. Moreover, the Grenvilles, who mainly
controlled all local business, were most zealous in
military matters. The quota of Volunteers required of
it was 3594 ; and the Militia lists contained in all but
9900 names. Strangely enough, however, many of the
inhabitants were troubled with ignorant fears lest the
oath of allegiance required from every Volunteer should
bind them to some unknown military service. Lord
Grenville went in person to argue with them and to
reassure them, but they would not be convinced ;
wherefore, lest such an example should spread, he at
once called up the peccant parishes to undergo com-
pulsory training under the Levy en Masse Act. This
1 I.D. vol. vi. L.L. Cambs, to S.S. nth Sept.; vol. xli. C.G.M.
Cambs, to S.S. i6th Sept. 1804 ; vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 23rd
and 30th Aug. 1803.
94 REASONS FOR LUKEWARMNESS chap.
1803. suspicion does not appear to have prevailed elsewhere
except in the Isle of Man, where the people disliked
the combination of oath and red coat as much as in
Scotland. " They will be difficult to persuade of their
error," wrote the Lieutenant-Governor, " and even if
persuaded they will be undisciplined." The Manxmen
may be pardoned for their ignorance, which was re-
ported to be excessive ; but it is extraordinary that
their misgivings should have been shared by men living
within twenty miles of London.^
In Lancashire, where the deficiency was less than
400 out of a quota of 14,600, the fault seems to have
been due chiefly to the blunderingof the Government in
the matter of regulations and arms, for the people came
forward with enthusiasm enough ; and the same holds
good of Staffordshire, where the deficiency amounted
to over 700 on a quota of 6800. In Warwickshire
the Lieutenant wrote that he could not trust arms in
the hands of many men who came forward ; but to
show that he was not lacking in zeal, he offered to
subscribe £ 10,000 towards the cost of arming the loyal ;
to which generous offer, astounding as it may appear,
he received no answer.^ In Wiltshire and Northampton
no particular cause for lukewarmness of patriotism can
be traced. In Norfolk excessive jealousy of the different
corps among themselves may have accounted for the
fact that only 6900 Volunteers were forthcoming instead
of 7254. But it is difficult to say what petty agencies
may have affected the levy for good or for evil. In
Salop the enrolment of Volunteers was checked for a
time completely by the action of some Friendly Societies,
founded for the support of the sick and infirm, whose
rules contained a clause ordaining the expulsion of any
member from the moment when he became a soldier.^
1 I.D. vol. V. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 31st July, 6th Oct. 1803 ;
vol. xxi. Lt.-Gov. of Man to S.S. 26th April 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. xxxiii. L.L. Warwick, to S.S. 12th, 22nd, 25th Aug.
1803.
3 Ibid, vol. xxviii. Salop, J. Kynaston Powell to S.S. 17th July
1803.
II COMPOSITION OF VOLUNTEERS 95
The careful publication of this clause was of course the »8o3.
work of mischief-makers ; and one of the Deputy-Lieu-
tenants drafted a short bill to declare such rules of
such Societies to be null and void. But it would need
a very long bill to guard against all the contrivances
imaginable by men who wish to shirk their duty towards
their country.
I pass next to the composition of the Volunteer
corps. This of course varied greatly according to
locality. When powerful magnates, such as the Duke of
Northumberland or the Duke of Bedford, enrolled their
tenants into one or more corps and provided them with
everything but arms, the procedure was simple. The
great man summoned his people, and called upon all
who were able and willing to take service with him for
the King, under command of himself or of one of his
family. Such a lead was readily followed, feudal
feeling and the example of the landlord being sufficiently
strong to rally every able-bodied man on the estate to
the ranks. Lesser magnates in like fashion formed
their tenants into troops, companies, and squadrons, and
sometimes (but by no means always) amalgamated them
under the command of one of themselves into regiments
or battalions. From the relative position of officers
and privates in these corps, there was comparatively
little difficulty in enforcing discipline. In the first
place the men were often of superior station and intelli-
gence. In the second every one of them wished to
stand well with his landlord ; and even if the landlord
refrained from using the enormous powers which he
then enjoyed over his tenant, yet expulsion and liability
to be ballotted as a Militiaman, meaning as they did not
only personal inconvenience but social degradation,
were sufficient deterrents from insubordination.
But in cases where no individual's station marked him
out from among his fellows as the natural leader, and most
notably in the towns, the proceedings were uniformly as
follows : — A meeting of the citizens or parishioners was
summoned, an individual was called to the chair, and
96 VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATIONS chap.
1803. after a solemn preamble setting forth the ambition and
the vices of the hated Bonaparte, a series of resolutions
was passed that an Association for the defence of the
locality should be formed, that subscriptions should be
invited, and that a committee should be organised for
the general direction of its affairs. Then followed the
rules of the Association, which included the conditions
of service and the regulations for internal economy and
discipline. The Committee did not necessarily include
none but officers of the corps. On the contrary, it
consisted commonly of the largest subscribers who, with
sound commercial instinct, claimed an influence propor-
tioned to their contribution. It was the great ambition
of every Association to be, if possible, self-supporting,
to the end that it might be self-controlled. In fact the
Associations were, or aspired to be, simply clubs formed
for purposes of defence, on the principles of equality
that govern social clubs ; that is to say, that the Com-
mittee was elected ; that the officers also were either
elected or chosen by the Committee; and that the
general proceedings of the Committee, together with
any matters of extraordinary importance, were subjected
to the criticism of General Meetings, ordinary and
extraordinary.
There were, of course, cases, notably among the
metropolitan corps, where the system worked well.
Such corps were composed of men, indeed of gentlemen,
to whom self-suppression for a common object came as
an instinct, and who thought it no shame, but rather a
proud duty, to yield obedience to their fellows. The
rules of such corps, and indeed of many other corps
besides them, were exceedingly drastic ; the need for
vesting all power of discipline in the commanding officer
was generally recognised ; and there was always sufficient
moral support in the mass of the regiment to enable
him to enforce the rules without hesitation.
A few samples of such rules will not be out of place.
Among those of the Monmouthshire Cavalry, subject
to the Duke of Beaufort, it was enacted that no member
II VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATIONS' RULES 97
of the troop should leave it unless he produced a sub- 1803.
stitute, on pain of a fine of twenty guineas ; that no
horse should measure less than fourteen hands two
inches ; and that no horse once approved should be
exchanged, except for a better, under penalty of a fine
of one guinea.^ In the Isle of Ely Association it was
laid down that the members should be householders;
that officers should be recommended by the Associa-
tion to the Lord-Lieutenant ; that the majority should
be entitled to reject any proposed member ; and that
the Government should supply arms only.^ The regu-
lations of the Gravesend Rifle Corps provided that
every private and non-commissioned officer should
subscribe five shillings a quarter, and every officer half
a guinea a quarter, the officers and non-commissioned
officers being elected by ballot of the members.^ In
Clapham the Association resolved to form two companies
of infantry and one or more of cavalry ; the officers and
men to serve without pay and the whole to be governed
by a military committee of twenty, elected by the members.
Zachary Macaulay commanded one of the companies,
and doubtless exercised it on Clapham Common under
the eyes of his marvellous little boy Tom, who at three
years old was probably ready with historical parallels
for the transformation of so staid a citizen into a soldier.
The Battersea Association was formed on much the
same lines, the Committee supplying uniforms out of a .
general subscription of the parish.^ But the variations
of rules and terms of service could be indefinitely
multiplied, the Government having taken no precau-
tions before the passing of the Levy en Masse Act to
secure uniformity.
But if associations of enlightened gentlemen and
corps of tenants commanded by landlords were
comparatively successful in securing discipline and
1 /.Z>. vol. iv. L.L. Brecon and Monmouth, to S.S. 2nd Jan. 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. vi. Cambridge, Owen Gray to S.S. 30th July 1803.
8 Ibid. vol. xviii. Kent, Regulations dated 24th July 1803.
^ Ibid. vol. xxxi. Surrey, 21st July and ist Aug. 1803.
H
98 PERMANENT DUTY chap.
1803. efficiency, such was not the case when the direction
of affairs lay in the hands of the great middle class,
which, with all its merits and all its virtues, seems
unable to crush down its imperious instinct to give
nothing without expecting something in return. Under
its guidance the associations broke down in all direc-
tions, and there was not only insubordination but
occasionally sheer chaos.
To understand the story thoroughly it is necessary
briefly to mention a further proceeding of the Govern-
ment towards the Volunteers in 1803, after its decision
to accept the whole of the corps that had been offered.
Its first step was, in the circumstances, eminently wise
and prudent. Napoleon's preparations, though as a
matter of fact hopelessly backward and misdirected,
were reported to be far advanced ; and there was reason
to fear that the local forces in the maritime counties
might at any time during the winter be called into the
field. Preference had rightly been given to these
counties in the distribution of arms ; and early in
October Ministers determined to invite such corps in
England as were ready and willing to come out on
permanent pay and duty within their own counties and
districts. The defence of Newcastle in particular was
recommended for special attention, and the Lieutenant
was asked to ascertain if any of the corps within reason-
able distance of that city were prepared to assemble
there, relieving each other successively either in fractions
or as complete battalions after a fortnight's duty. " The
King," added the Circular, " can invite the Volunteers to
do so ; he cannot compel th.Qm except in case of invasion, or
appearance of invasion on the coast." -^ The response
to the invitation was for the most part hearty ; and in
the winter of 1803 the Volunteers had a chance of
showing their quality.
The signs of indiscipline in that year were relatively
unimportant, though they brought into glaring relief the
defects of the Government's measures. Thus, under the
1 Circular to L.Ls. 12th Oct. 1803.
II INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS 99
Levy en Masse Act, provision had been made for fining 1803.
men who neglected to attend their drills, but none for
imprisoning them in default of payment. The result
was that early in the day a Volunteer in Hampshire
attended the first day's drill, for which his Commanding
Officer had provided a dinner, and refused to come out
again. He was fined to the extent of thirty-six shillings,
but, having no property,snapped his fingers at the penalty
and remained master of the situation.^ The Lieutenant
of Gloucestershire was confronted with exactly the same
difficulty, and complained that men with no property
to distrain upon were uncontrollable. "A force," he
said, *' which depends upon the good-humour of several
hundred illiterate persons cannot last long." ^ The
other cases recorded in 1 803 seem to have arisen out of
the changes which distinguished the system initiated in
1802 from that which obtained between 1794 and 1801.
In Devon during the month of July a battalion refused to
work, except in separate companies under sergeants of
their own election, as in the last war. They repented
very speedily, for the Lieutenant disbanded them on the
spot, and swept every man into the ballot for the Army
of Reserve ; but this salutary example was of course
unknown except in the immediate district, and insubordi-
nation was not always so well-timed as to bring on itself
immediate punishment.^ In another case, in Hereford-
shire, it was the officers who showed a mutinous spirit ;
a number of subalterns protesting very discourteously to
the Vice-Lieutenant against the action of the Command-
ing Officer who had recommended a stranger to be his
Major, instead of allowing promotion to go by seniority
within the battalion. The real grievance was that the
Colonel had hitherto consulted his officers before making
any such appointments, and on this occasion had omitted
to do so. The Vice-Lieutenant, instead of ordering the
1 I.D. vol. viii. Cornwall (misplaced letter), Lawrence Reynolds
toV.L. Hants, 13th Nov. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. 1. L.L. Gloucester, to S.S. 15th Jan. 1804.
8 Ibid. vol. X. L.L. Devon, to S.S. i6th July 1803.
loo VOLUNTEERS' RIGHT TO RESIGN chap.
1803. subalterns to withdraw their letter, under pain of instant
dismissal, forwarded it to the Secretary of State, who
likewise contented himself with rebuking the writers
severely. Thereupon twelve officers of the corps
resigned on the spot, and doubtless made the county ring
with the fame of their spirited behaviour.^ In yet another
case a sergeant of Volunteers refused to collect the fines
imposed on privates by the rules of the corps, abused his
officers, and even threatened them with his pike. He
was brought up before a Justice and fined five shillings
in pursuance of the Act ; after which he calmly sent in
his kit and retired into private life.^ " Discipline will
be injured if every discontented man can thus discharge
himself," commented the writer of this memorandum ;
and his opinion was shared by many other officers.
There was, indeed, a sharp controversy as to this same
right of Volunteers to quit the service at their pleasure
before the conclusion of peace, which, until decided, led
to much trouble. The question was one which had not
been anticipated by Ministers, otherwise they would
undoubtedly have settled it by Act of Parliament, and
settled it, moreover, in the negative. They referred it,
however, to the Law-Officers of the Crown, Spencer
Perceval and Manners-Sutton, who decided against the
right of resignation. " If," said Perceval afterwards in
the House of Commons, " Volunteers enter into an
engagement, as undoubtedly they do, they ought not to
be able to renounce it at all times except at the period of
actual invasion." ^ This, on the face of it, appeared to be
common sense ; and the opinion was at once circulated *
to the Lieutenants without a doubt that it would be
final. But a champion of the right of resignation
arose in the person of Thomas Erskine, the future
Chancellor, who being at the time Colonel of the Law
1 I.D. vol. 1. V.L. Hereford, to S.S. 28th Jan.; Colonel J..
Matthews to S.S. 6th April 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. xviii. Kent, Memo, of 27th Dec. 1803.
3 H.D. Perceval's speech, 8th Feb. 1804.
* Circular of 7th Oct. 1803.
II VOLUNTEERS' RIGHT TO RESIGN loi
Association Volunteers, or " Devil's Own," immediately 1803.
took the field against the Law-Officers, and in a public
letter to the newspapers upheld precisely the opposite
contention. This letter, with marvellous rapidity, made
its way all over England, and put new heart into the
insubordinate. In Devon it caused great agitation ;
and in two different corps men who under their regi-
mental rules had been summoned for absenting them-
selves from exercise, pleaded that they meant to resign.
In Yorkshire likewise Erskine's flowery speeches and
letters were read with avidity, so pleased were the
Volunteers to find yet one more opening for the evasion
of discipline.^ Meanwhile, however, the Secretary of
State's faith in the Law-Officers was beginning to totter ;
and he actually wrote to one of the Devonian com-
mandants that he had better allow all men who did not
choose to stay in his corps to go about their business,
" If there are not Volunteers enough, the classes will be
called up," he added, doubtless wishing in vain that he
had never allowed the nation to be trained to arms at all
except under the Levy en Masse Act. But it was too
late. The question was presently brought before the
Court of King's Bench, which decided that Volunteers
had undoubtedly the right in law to resign whenever
they chose, though not to the prejudice of regimental
regulations to the contrary.
In Norfolk the effect of this decision was startling.
Men sent in their kits and arms from all quarters, without
taking the trouble to obtain a proper discharge ; and
the officers, to check the evil, begged that the seceders
might be called out under the Levy en Masse Act.^ But
the mischief was by no means confined to displays of
this kind. Such a defeat of Government by a popular
hero of Erskine's type was in principle extremely bad
for discipline ; for with all his ability as an advocate,
1 I.D. vol. xlv. Devon, Lord Rolle to S.S. 24th Jan.; Lt.-Gen.
Simcoe to S.S., 4th Feb. 1804 ; vol. Ixvii. V.L. Yorks, to S.S. 3rd
Feb. 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. Iviii. Norfolk, P. L. Powell to S.S. 24th March 1804.
102 INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1803. he was compounded chiefly of vanity and egoism.^
The triumph of such a man upon such a question was
the worst possible example for self-governing corps ;
and in the winter and spring of 1803-4 there was a
succession of very discreditable incidents.
The St. Pancras Volunteer Association was governed
by a *' Military Committee " with undefined powers,
the said Committee consisting of three officers and
twelve privates, with a private for president. An
inferior mechanic and a disreputable attorney, by fre-
quenting night clubs and public-houses in company
with the lowest class of privates, obtained election as
officers, and therewith demanded for the Committee the
control of the subscriptions, which by law were vested
in the Commanding Officer. The Attorney-General,
being consulted upon the point, declared that beyond
all question the control of the subscriptions lay with the
Commanding Officer, and that the legality of the Mili-
tary Committee was very doubtful. Upon this, without
consulting the Colonel, the malcontents summoned a
general meeting of the corps, and after a scene of
scandalous indeceny persuaded forty-five members to
sign a protest denying, in the face of the law, that the
funds were vested in the Colonel. The case was
examined by the Deputy-Lieutenants, who recom-
mended the expulsion of the offenders, but blamed the
Colonel also for his unconciliatory bearing. On receipt of
this report the Secretary of State wrote a letter annulling
the appointment of the Military Committee, and the
rules as to election of officers by the corps. This letter
the Colonel read on parade, and at the close called upon
the five ringleaders to fall out. Several voices from the
ranks answered, *' One and all, one and all," and the
Colonel, after manoeuvring the regiment for an hour,
^ As a Colonel of Volunteers he was helpless without a
card to recall to him his words of command, and very inefficient
with one. But Lord Ellenborough, afterwards Lord Chief Justice,
even, with the aid of chalked marks upon his boots, could never
remember to step off with the appointed foot. Campbell's Lives of
the Chancellors^ vi. 547.
II INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS 103
left the dismissal of the ringleaders to the Adjutant. 1803-4.
Both parties then appealed with much mutual recrimi-
nation to the Lord-Lieutenant and the Secretary of
State ; to which the Lieutenant, being a sensible man,
replied by recommending that the corps should be
disbanded.^
The Royal Southwark Volunteers, commanded by
Tierney, the politician, distinguished itself in somewhat
sinilar fashion. The Colonel had rejected a sergeant
chosen by the men of one company in favour of a
candidate selected by himself; and against this the
company handed in resolutions of protest, as also against
his appointment of an officer without first consulting
then. Tierney at once paraded the company and
ordered it to deliver up its arms, which the men did
without a murmur, being ignorant of the meaning of
subordination rather than insubordinate.^
In another London corps, the North Britons, a
corporal refused to be silent on parade, or to obey an
officer who bade him hold his tongue, on the ground
that the officer in question belonged to a different
company. The corporal then addressed the following
letter to his Commanding Officer : —
Sir — I am desired by several privates in my company to
acquaint you it is their determination to withdraw themselves
unless you immediately order Leake ^ to resign. I think he
ought to bless his stars I did not bayonet him — but, damn him,
I have done with him — Yours, etc. P. Wood.
And the Commanding Officer, instead of turning
Mr. Wood out of the corps and taking measures to
have him drawn by the ballot, reported the case to the
Secretary of State in utter helplessness and despair.*
1 I.D. vol. Ivi. Middlesex, Report of 5th Jan.; CO. St. Pancras
Vol. to S.S. 30th Jan. ; L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. 30th Jan.; CO. St.
Pancras Vol. to R. Pole-Carew, 19th March 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. Ivi. Tierney to S.S. loth Jan. 1804.
^ I take Leake to have been the officer who ordered the
writer of the letter to be silent.
* I.D. vol. Ivi. Lt.-Col. Alex. Davison to S.S. Jan. 27th.
I04 INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1803-4. In Lambeth there was a Loyal Lambeth Corps,
wherein the right of electing officers was supposed to be
vested in such members as had clothed and equipped
themselves. The original officers had been nominated
by a Civil Committee, whose members, no doubt, had
given liberal subscriptions ; but the Commanding Officer
presently appointed a Military Committee, consisting of
officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, for the
regulation of military, as distinguished from financial,
affairs. A vacancy for a Lieutenant occurred, and the
Civil Committee recommended several persons for elec-
tion. The corps, ignoring the recommendations, elected
a man not mentioned by the Civil Committee, whose
name was then submitted, without any details of the
circumstances, to the Lord-Lieutenant. Five ensigns,
feeling themselves aggrieved, thereupon addressed a
remonstrance to both committees through the Com-
manding Officer, who, after expostulating with them in
vain, laid the letter before the Military Committee,
which decided against them. The ensigns then
threatened to appeal to the parish, when the Command-
ing Officer invoked the Lieutenant's authority to
prohibit publication of the appeal ; and the whole body
of the officers was appointed a court to inquire into the
matter. Unfortunately, I have been unable to trace the
further career of this interesting corps.^
Later in the same year a company of Camberwell
Volunteers, with the connivance of their officers, held a
mutinous and disorderly meeting, subversive of all
discipline. It was at once disbanded by the Vice-
Lieutenant, when the men offered themselves to a
South wark corps and were readily accepted. ^
But such occurrences were by no means confined
to London and its vicinity. Major-General Jeffery
Amherst, after thirty years' service in the Army, in an
evil moment for himself, yielded to patriotic enthusiasm
and took command, as Major, of the Evesham Volun-
1 I.D. vol. Ixiv. V.L. Surrey, to S.S. 26th Jan. 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. Ixiv. V.L. Surrey, to S.S. nth Aug. 1804.
II INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS 105
teers. Unfortunately there was another old soldier in 1803-4.
the corps, a very remarkable man. He had begun
life as a private in the cavalry, had been employed in
the recruiting service, and had made sufficient profit
out of it to purchase a commission, which he had finally
laid down in order to keep a pot-house at Evesham.
Owing to his military experience he was appointed an
officer in Amherst's corps, and his first quarrel with the
latter arose from the fact that Amherst forbade him to
parade his men in front of the pot-house's door, thereby
depriving him of the profits of selling ale to them. He
then insulted the Adjutant, a veteran of fifty-two years*
service, during exercise, and challenged him to a duel
while in the execution of his duty. Upon this the
officers sent a deputation to him to ask him to resign ;
but he took one of them, the son of a shoemaker,
into his councils, and the two between them contrived
to excite a mutiny of the corps on parade. The affair
caused such disturbance and scandal that the Magistrates
took it up, and appealed to the Lieutenant to dismiss
this precious pair ; whereupon the culprits went to the
Justices with tears in their eyes, and promised not to
interfere further with the corps if the matter were
allowed to drop. However, they made false represen-
tations of their conduct to the Home Office, and
managed to extract from the Under-Secretary a
letter which spoke of the "honourable motives
which induced them to resign." This they published
in Evesham, of course filling the inhabitants with
disgust, and reducing poor Amherst to speechless
indignation. No better example could be found
than this to show the essential defects of the Volunteer
system.-^
In Somerset a private of the Loyal Bath Volunteers
appeared on parade in liquor, and fell to quarrelling
with the officer of another company. He was ordered
by the Colonel to apologise to the officer, and as he
^ I.D. vol. Ixvi. Worcester, Major-Gen. Amherst to S.S: 5th
Jan. 1804.
io6 INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1803-4. refused to do so he was dismissed. Next day the
privates of his company met, and after duly debating
the conduct of the Commanding Officer, passed, with
nine dissentients, resolutions that they could not attend
another muster until their comrade was reinstated, and
that it was ungentlemanlike for officers of one company
to interfere with men of another. These resolutions
they handed to their Captain to be laid before the
Colonel, together with an expression of their confidence
in the said Captain. That individual, who, though fully
cognisant of what was going forward, had not moved a
finger to prevent it, thereupon approached the Colonel ;
and he, good, easy man, offered to refer the affair to a
General Committee of the regiment, though he delayed
to do so for some hours, in the hope that matters would
right themselves spontaneously. On the following day,
however, the men who had held the meeting printed
and published a full account of the proceedings,
announcing at the close that no alternative remained to
them but to resign. The entire city of Bath, at that
time by no means the most orderly in the kingdom,
was stirred to its foundations ; and the Lieutenant, for
reasons best known to himself, referred the matter to
the Secretary of State. That functionary, more in sorrow
than anger, rebuked the original offender, who then
apologised to the officer. The men who had held the
meeting also apologised ; and, in fact, there seems to have
been a carnival of apology, without, however, any remark-
able benefit to the discipline of the Bath Volunteers.^
In the East Riding of Yorkshire the officers of the
Derwent Dale Volunteers resigned in a body, their
grievance being that their Commanding Officer never
convened them for consultation upon any subject relat-
ing to the regiment. So well satisfied were they as to
the legitimacy of their complaint that they urged it
without concealment in a letter to the Lord-Lieutenant,
and were somewhat taken aback when he disbanded the
1 l.D. Somerset, vol. liiii. Statement of 21st Aug. O.C. Bath
Volunteers to L.L. 8th Sept. 1803.
II INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS 107
regiment "without regret, owing to their unmilitary 1803-4.
behaviour." ^
In Gloucester two companies of Volunteers were
formed at Wotton-under-Edge, under the direction of
a Committee which undertook to provide, not for its
finances, but for its support and for making the neces-
sary regulations. The Committee consisted of a Magis-
trate, who was chairman, two clothiers, a doctor (none
of them Volunteers), and the officers of the corps ; and
the chairman was the person who had recommended
the officers for appointment by the Lord-Lieutenant.
One day on parade a lieutenant addressed some con-
temptuous words to an ensign, who replied by challeng-
ing him to mortal combat. The Committee took the
matter up, and recommended to the Lieutenant the
dismissal of the ensign, who was duly gazetted out.
The non-commissioned officers thereupon drew up an
address to the General commanding the district, pro-
testing against the ensign's dismissal as highly arbitrary
and contrary to the rules of the corps. It is noteworthy
that of 108 signatories to this document, 37 were unable
to write their names. The case is curious as an example
of a Volunteer corps appealing to a military chief against
the action of its own Committee. But in truth they
would appeal to any one in order to get their own way.^
In Cambridgeshire there was an extremely interest-
ing corps, in which one company fell at variance with
the Colonel because he objected to their drinking in the
ranks when at drill. The Colonel appealed to the
officers of the company, who declined to intervene,
saying that the practice was usual ; and one of the men,
having finished his draught, stripped off his coat, rolled
up his sleeves, and doubling his fists challenged his
Colonel to fight him. Meanwhile another officer came
forward to remonstrate with the ensign of the erring
1 I.D. vol. xciii. L.L. Yorks, E.R. to S.S. 29th Sept., 5th
Oct. 1805.
2 Ibid. vol. 1. L.L. to S.S. 3rd Jan.; Richard Nelmes to L.L. 6th
April 1804.
io8 INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1803-4. company, whereupon the ensign brandished his sword in
the intruder's face, and retired with twenty of his men to
a cask of ale hard by, from whence, after further refresh-
ment, they marched off the ground. A court of inquiry
was held, when it appeared that the ensign and five of
the ringleaders were drunk on this occasion ; indeed,
one of them, bent upon maintaining his character, was
drunk when he came before the court. The chief
offenders were dismissed, but to no purpose, for the
company only repeated its misconduct a few weeks
later, and was then disbanded.^
In Cheshire there was trouble with the Nantwich
troop of Volunteer Cavalry, which refused to go out
for ten days' training or for eighty-five days' drill in
the year.^ In Yorkshire the Wakefield Volunteers
declined to obey an officer not of their own election,
and nominated a Committee of officers and privates to
give such directions as the privates thought proper ;
but they came to their senses after the dismissal of their
leaders, and submitted to officers of the Lieutenant's
appointment.^ At Ripon there were scandals in a
Volunteer corps which occupied the pens of the clerks
at the Home Office for months. Even in Scotland
there was one corps at Falkirk which joined issue with
the Lord-Lieutenant over the right to elect its own
officers, and threatened to resign unless indulged with
its own way. The Lieutenant commanded them to
parade without arms, ordered in another corps with
muskets loaded with ball cartridge, and resolved to
disband them on the spot unless they repented. The
General, however, deprecated any display of force and
contrived to bring the regiment to reason ; the entire
trouble being due to a few turbulent men who were
disarmed and dismissed on parade.*
1 I.D. vol. xli. M. Brackenbury to L.L. Cambs, 12th April;
L.L. Cambs, to S.S. 4th May 1804.
2 Uid. vol. xlii. Cheshire, L.L. to S.S. i8th Feb. 1804.
3 Ibid. vol. Ixvii. Yorks W.R. V.L. to S.S. 19th Jan. 1804.
^ Ibid. vol. xliii. L.L. Stirling, to S.S. 2nd Feb. 1804.
II INDISCIPLINE OF VOLUNTEERS 109
The first call upon Volunteers for permanent duty 1803-4.
led also to considerable insubordination, and fortunately
to one very salutary example. In Cambridgeshire the
appeal for this service was a failure. Few of the com-
manding officers took the trouble to answer at all ; only
four thought that their men would be willing to come
out, and of the four one doubted the success of embody-
ing his corps outside the limits of his parish. The
company at Little SwafFham could not even refuse to
go on permanent duty without riotous and disorderly
conduct ; and the West Wrathing company declined
either to drill at home or to march out to drill else-
where. Both were disbanded ; and by September 1 804
Cambridge had increased the number lacking to her
quota of Volunteers from 300 to 800.^ In Caermarthen
one regiment mutinied while on permanent duty, but
the fact was not reported by the Commanding Officer,
and would not have been known at headquarters had
not some of the officers favoured the Secretary of State
with a criticism on the judgment of a court of inquiry
upon some of their fellows.^ In Dorset two companies
marched to Dorchester for permanent duty, but declined,
in spite of remonstrances and a strong feeling against
them, to proceed to Weymouth. The Lieutenant was
weak enough to write to the Secretary of State for
orders, instead of disbanding them with ignominy in
their county town, but in due time they were sent
about their business.^
In Devon the Sidmouth Artillery Volunteers came
out with others on permanent duty, and were warned
that while so engaged they were subject to the same
discipline as the Army. One man appeared on parade
an hour late, asked his officer for leave of absence, and
abused him violently on being refused. The officer
ordered some men to take charge of him, but they
1 I.D. vol, xH. C.G.M. Cambs, to S.S. 15th April, i6th Sept.;
L.L. to S.S. 13 th, 23rci May 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. Ixxi. Maj.-Gen. Gascoigne to S.S. 23rd July 1805.
3 Ibid. vol. xlvi. L.L. Dorset, to S.S. 7th, 12th May 1804.
no A SALUTARY EXAMPLE chap.
1803-4. declined, one of them saying that he knew the rules of
the Volunteers and that "he would be damned if he would
take the prisoner to the guard-room." The officer
thereupon seized the first offender by the collar and
dragged him off, fighting furiously all the way, while
the second mutineer harangued the populace and tried
to stir up a riot. Matters became serious ; the local
magistrates were feeble ; and it was at last necessary to
send for an escort of the Army of Reserve to bring in
the prisoners. But now the case was taken up by
stronger hands. The two men were tried by regi-
mental court-martial and sentenced, the one to 150
lashes, the other to 1 00 lashes, and both to be drummed
out. The Commanding Officer rightly and wisely
reduced the punishment to thirty lashes and twenty
lashes, but the drumming out was performed with all
due ceremony ; and the effect was good. " The
Sidmouth company," wrote General Simcoe, " consider-
ing all circumstances — the village politics, the tea-table
interferences, the want of energy in the magistrates —
have behaved tolerably well. Thirteen resignations
have taken place (out of a full strength of 269) ; and
two of these wished to withdraw their resignations but
were not allowed."^
It may be asked whether it were not an indignity
to resort to the lash in the case of the Volunteers.
The answer is that, with the exception of some of the
corps from the larger towns, the ranks were filled
chiefly with ordinary labouring men, that is to say, with
the same class as supplied the rank and file of the
Army. There are no statistics to show actually that
this was so, but there are casual allusions which prove
that it was true of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire,
Cornwall, Denbigh, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, Norfolk,
Radnor, Stafford, Sussex, and Yorkshire in England,
and of Lanark and Ross in Scotland, so that it would
be reasonable to conclude that it was not otherwise in
^ I.D. vol. xlv. Lt.-Gen. Simcoe to S.S. 23rd March, 12th
-April ; L.L. Devon, to S.S. 27th March 1804.
II COMPOSITION OF VOLUNTEERS in
the remaining counties.^ It was evidently not originally 1803-4.
contemplated that this class would fill the ranks of the
Volunteers, otherwise the Government would have
provided other punishment than fines for breaches of
discipline. Under a Levy en Masse they would, of
course, all have been enrolled ; and it was almost
certainly a mistake for Ministers ever to have placed
them in the state of Volunteers, especially under the
August Allowances. In the first place, as has been seen,
they were too poor to afford a day's drill without pay ;
and yet if their corps was to be provided with an
efficient staff, they were required to exercise on fifty-
two Sundays and thirty-three week-days for the wages
of £1. Some entertained earnest and conscientious
objections to drill on Sundays, which made their trial
the severer. Nor was this their only hardship. Masters
in some cases refused to hire servants who belonged to
Volunteer corps, or deducted part of their wages when
they went to drill. A case is recorded of a Volunteer,
enrolled with his employer's knowledge and under no
special agreement as to wages on that account, who at
the end of the year found that twelve shillings out of
his annual wage of five pounds had been stopped by his
master for twelve and a half days' attendance at exercise.^
Lastly, there was the extremely troublesome complication
1 I.D. vol. V. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. Oct. 1803 ; vol. xli. Sir J.
Mackenzie (Ross) to S.S. 17th March 1804; vol. vi. L.L. Cambs,
to S.S. nth Sept. 1803 ; vol. xliv. F. Gregor to L.L. Cornwall,
14th Jan. 1804 ; vol. xliv. Denbigh, Rich. Willding to S.S. 2nd July
1804 ; vol. 1. L.L. Glos. to S.S. 15th Jan. 1804 ; vol. xxiii. Vestry
Clerks of Spitalfields to S.S. 13th Oct. 1803; vol. Iviii. L.L.
Norfolk, to S.S. 2nd Oct. 1804; vol. Ixi, enclosed in L.L.Radnor,
to S.S. 9th June 1804; vol. xxix. Magistrates of Lichfield to S.S.
19th Nov. 1803; vol. xvii. Lanark, J. Geddes to S.S. 17th Dec.
1803 ; vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 14th Nov. 1803 ; vol. xxxv.
Yorks W.R., Thomas Plumer to W.O. 12th Nov. 1803.
2 I.D. vol. xxxv. Tho. Plumer to W.O. 12th Nov. 1803 ; vol.
xliv. Denbigh, Rich. Willding to S.S. 2nd July 1804. The salary
of ;^5 a year is called a low wage by the writer. The case occurred
within the Lieutenancy of Denbigh and Merioneth. The employer
was evidently a farmer, so that probably the man received boaf-d
and lodging as well as the £^ a year.
112 VOLUNTEER OFFICERS chap.
1803-4, that agricultural labourers of a great many counties
both in England and in Scotland changed their master
annually at Michaelmas or Martinmas, shifting into
new parishes and consequently taking service in new
Volunteer corps, or at any rate in different companies of
the same corps. As Parliament met in November it
was necessary to prepare the returns of the Volunteers
for the estimates and for the perusal of the House
immediately before this annual change ; and hence the
returns were never more than approximately, if even
approximately, correct.
As regards the officers of the Volunteers, the reader will
have gained some idea already from certain of the instances
of indiscipline. Taken ^s a body they were probably
not very efficient, though of course there were excep-
tions. It is worthy of remark that many officers of
high rank in the Army gave their services willingly to
their local corps. The case of General Amherst has
already been cited ; and again, there were in Sussex
alone Lieutenant- General Whyte, who had held an
independent command over nearly ten thousand men on
active service, Lord Gage, Colonels Newton and Crosbie,
and the Duke of Richmond. This advantage, how-
ever, was not without its drawbacks. The Government
early in 1804 appointed inspecting field-officers from
the half-pay list to every county for the Volunteers,
and, as these held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel only,
there was some discontent among such men as those
above named at being placed under the orders of an
officer of inferior rank. The Commander-in-Chief,
however, set his foot at once and firmly upon any
complaints of this kind. " While you are in the Volun-
teer service," he wrote to Colonel Crosbie, " you cannot
avail yourself of your Army rank, not even if your
corps is on permanent duty and serving with other
corps." ^
Occasionally an officer of the Regulars would give
1 I.D. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 3rd Oct. 1803 ; vol. Ixv.
Sussex, D.A.G. to Col. Crosbie, 5th April 1804.
II VOLUNTEER OFFICERS 113
enormous time and trouble gratuitously to the improve- 1803-4.
ment of the Volunteers in the neighbourhood of his
quarters ; ^ but for the most part corps were dependent
on such few half-pay officers as they could collect under
the regulations, and upon their adjutants. Good adju-
tants, again, were not very easy to procure, as is
usually the case in time of war ; and the best of whom
record remains was a man of fifty-two years' service.
He had passed through the whole of the American War
as a private in the loth Foot, with many wounds ; he
had then served as sergeant-major for between twenty
and thirty years in the same regiment, had finally
received a commission, and after yet another ten years
as an officer, had retired, only to emerge, still possessing
the vigour and activity of youth, to be the soul and
the mainstay of a Volunteer corps.^ Such men, how-
ever, were rare. In many parts of Wales adjutants
were especially difficult to find, for unless they could
speak Welsh they were useless.^ Indeed officers of any
kind were so scarce in some counties of the Principality
that the Lieutenant of Denbigh declared it to be im-
possible to find enough for the Volunteers unless the
clergy received commissions. With this view he sub-
mitted the names of three reverend gentlemen for a
single gazette, having first received the sanction of their
diocesan ; and was greatly disappointed when their
services were not accepted. In Rutland also the Lord-
Lieutenant urged that a parson should be posted Lieu-
tenant, as every single gentleman in the country was
already absorbed by some corps or another.* But the
Secretary of State set his face on principle against the
drawing of a red coat over a cassock, and the Church,
as far as the Volunteers were concerned, remained
restricted to spiritual warfare.
1 J.D. vol. V. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 28th Oct. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. Ixvi. Maj.-Gen. Amherst to S.S. nth Feb. 1804.
3 Ibid. vol. Iv. L.L. Montgomery, to S.S. 8th March 1804.
* Ibid. vol. ix. L.L. Denbigh, to S.S. 20th Nov. 1803; vol. xxvii.
L.L. Rutland, to S.S. 17th Oct. 1803.
I
114 VOLUNTEER OFFICERS chap.
1803-4. Iri Scotland, too, there was a dearth of officers,
chiefly owing to lack of wealthy men. In Ross the
Volunteers numbered under 1700 rank and file, but the
Commandants found it impossible to get men to lead
them. A few came forward at first under the idea that
the menace of invasion would at once be realised, and
that the repulse of the French would leave them free to
go home ; but prolonged service they could not afford,
so they either resigned, or left their names as a favour
on the list and declined to attend any drills. It was
not surprising, for many of them depended on their
own industry for a living.^ In Banff, a county that has
never lacked military enterprise, the Lieutenant begged
that the officers should receive as many days' pay as
the men, for there were few who could afford to buy
a uniform or serve without compensation.^
Nor were such difficulties wholly unknown in
England, though they presented themselves in a
different form. It was rare for an officer openly to
solicit pay ; but one Commandant had the courage to
ask that it should be given during permanent duty,
and put forward very good reasons for the request.
" Government allows twenty days' pay for the men,"
he said, " but we, the officers, make it up to eighty-four
days', besides the expense of £2 ^ ^^^ ^^^ clothing."'
There lay the heart of the matter. The Government
might boast of their economy in limiting the mass of
the Volunteers to the August Allowances, but as a
matter of fact the whole of them received the June
Allowances by the generosity of their officers or of other
private individuals. Even so, from want of money,
innumerable corps collapsed or were stifled in their
birth. First, those that had aspired to be self-support-
ing found the burden heavier than they could bear, and
1 I.D. vol. vi. Donald M'Leod (Ross) to S.S. nth April ; O.C.
1st Ross Volunteers to Donald M'Leod, 5th Sept. 1804.
2 /^/V. vol. iii. L.L. Banff, to S.S. 15th April 1803.
3 Hid. vol. xxiv. Lt.-Col. Robert Harvey (Norwich Vols.) to
S.S. 19th Dec. 1803.
11 VOLUNTEERS' CLOTHING 115
either broke down entirely or begged for the August 1803-4.
Allowances. From that instant their ultimate dis-
appearance was only a question of time. Subscriptions
were forthcoming in the first moments of excitement and
enthusiasm, but after a short time the excitement palled
and the enthusiasm waned. Moreover, expenses tended
to increase rather than the contrary. The regulation
that all infantry should be clothed in scarlet naturally
caused such a demand for scarlet cloth that the price
rose appreciably.^ Again, the extravagance of a few
wealthy corps set an example of gorgeous raiment for
the men, and in particular for the bandsmen, which
regimental emulation and masculine vanity soon con-
spired to render infectious. Many a subscription-list
was squandered in absurdly expensive clothes and head-
dresses ; and the exultation of the Volunteers in their
plumes and trappings is, after a century's interval,
positively humiliating to contemplate. Scores — I
believe that I might say hundreds — of Volunteer
officers all over England and Scotland called in the
painter's aid to immortalise their " regimentals " and
their martial bearing.^ Every one of the London corps,
whether by its own act or by the enterprise of some
print-seller, obtained commemoration at the hands of
some limner of fashion-plates, and has been visible in the
windows of print-shops ever since. The likeness even
of Pitt himself, whose scorn of frippery was hardly
exceeded by his deep love of his country, was tendered
to the public in the full uniform of the Cinque Ports
Volunteers, mounted on a prancing charger and flourish-
ing a sword ; while for pendant there was off^ered a
similar presentation of the vain and ridiculous Erskine.
All this was very well for a few months — in London
and a few more rich towns for even longer — but then
1 I.D. vol. ix. L.L. Denbigh, to S.S. i6th Aug. 1803.
2 I speak as a collector, for several years past, of engraved
portraits of distinguished officers of the Army. To such a collector
the portraits of the illustrious obscure, many of them of great merit
AS works of art, are little short of a curse.
ii6 FAILURE OF SUBSCRIPTIONS chap.
1803-4. the subscriptions were exhausted, and the civil sub-
scribers, having done their duty as they thought by
their first contributions, buttoned up their pockets and
would give no more. Further, the more zealous the
Volunteers, the more rapidly of course was their raiment
worn out. ".Eighty-five days' drill and twenty-one
days' permanent duty have reduced the clothing allowed
to my corps by Government to rags," wrote an officer
of a Welsh corps ; " the Captains will subscribe their
contingent money, if the Government will help."^ But
if the Government helped one corps, it must help all ;
and the answer to the above application could only be
in the negative. Thence followed as a natural conse-
quence the humouring by their superiors of rich officers,
so as to keep them in their corps at any cost, and of
poorer officers in consideration of the sacrifices that they
had made ; while a general tenderness on the part of
the Government towards indiscipline at large in the
Volunteers evoked from Windham in the House of
Commons the statement that the Cabinet was afraid
of them. And this was perfectly true. How could
Ministers not be afraid of a vast body of men,
many of them voters, whom they had practically invited
to serve their country in the way which they thought
best and easiest for themselves, and at the expense
of the most patriotic individuals among them? The
entire force naturally claimed the indulgence that was
due only to the unselfish minority among them. The
subscribers as naturally demanded some share in the
control of the levies which they had helped to raise and
equip ; and the State's rightful hold upon the Volun-
teers in the matter of discipline was lost.
Nor was anything gained economically. The
expense of the Volunteers to the country, as it ap-
peared on the estimates and returns, might seem
relatively small ; but this was only because the balance
was defrayed by private subscription. Windham in
1 I.D. vol. ilix. Glamorgan, Rowley Lascelles to S.S. 9th July
1804.
II FALSE SYSTEM OF TRAINING 117
1806 reckoned that the Volunteers had cost in three 1803-4.
and a half years five millions from the public purse,
and at least as much more from individual contributions.
This entire sum of ten millions of course came out of
the pockets of the nation, and impoverished it by that
amount, whether it was gathered in the form of taxation
or of a patriotic gift. The burden of expense was
unwisely and inequitably laid upon the willing who
made shift to bear it ; but no part of the outlay was
thereby saved. The only difference was that the country,
by leaving its defence in great measure to private
enterprise, renounced even such proportion of control
as was due to it in return for a grant of public funds.
Incidentally this relaxation of the Government's hold
upon the Volunteers led also to a false system of train-
ing. Being left to themselves, these amateur soldiers, of
course, aped their professional brethren ; and hours were
zealously devoted to the classical eighteen manoeuvres
of David Dundas and the stiff formality of the
Prussian system. All this was utterly useless. General
Money, a retired officer who had fought in command
of troops of Revolutionary France in 1792 and had
written one of the best books extant upon the work of
Light Infantry, trained and armed three companies of
Volunteers as sharpshooters. This, it must be remarked,
must have cost him an appreciable sum, for the Govern-
ment while countenancing by its regulations the forma-
tion of Rifle corps, would issue no rifles, nor grant
more than the contract price of muskets for corps that
provided rifles for themselves.^ " You cannot make
men equal to regular troops in twenty-four days' drill,"
wrote Money, " but you can make them good sharp-
shooters in ten days ; whereas long, tedious drills weary
the peasantry."^ The plea fell upon deaf ears. In
Parliament, as shall presently be seen, a soldier who
later won immortality in the command of the Light
1 I.D. vol. xxxiv. Yorks N.R., Lt.-Col. Morritt to S.S. 14th
Oct. 1803.
2 Ibid. vol. Iviii. Money to L.L. Norfolk, 12th Aug. 1804.
iiS
MEHTS O^ IfTXJQNXBneS
i Sotfe
oTHs
oftlKVi
ce aiO"
rje resc
t k ID
oTtke
of
jscji cnfcar ar
Mi
mt :x2siies5 cf ri-
se
'-So-
Ijctt sir. Vtrggg*
IIS
TVa li-m't ■>
n
THE SYSTEM A FAILURE
119
Act. I assure yoo dut hociB I report the
every considenblc man in the CDunty."^ There
no other coniptiinT of this kind of the Levy czi Nlasse
Act; and it is prubaUe that, if pot to tlie test. Lord
Fitzwilfiam and his deputies wooid have been as zedoos
in cnforoi^ it as tnar —^'gM'"*"*- m ocfaer coonticsL.
Bat the really amaying thing is tliat after nine years
of war, mxn I793 ^ 1802, after many tlwrjlfed
invaaons of Ei^jand and one actnal invasion of bdand,
tne wisdoni of Ministers and or PKnamcnf skomd nave
been onaMe to produce an Act winch mnid be accepted
heartily fay the whole ujuniiy to guvcin the traioiBg
of its popohtioD for defences The task, it most he
abondandy conlcsBed, was no easy one; hoc after
review or the profrftnngs or Addington s Minis! tf it
hardly be said, I think, that they ^hnwr in the
tion ofEo^andfer war. Stfflitmaitbe
that Adffii^gton was preceded fay rkt, and
more or less aider his protectiaa ; and that it wasHtt
and no other wfaoi, nndrr some iwhjp^
onginated the whole or die VohinlBCi
started it wniiiiclf and liictiicvjlily hi
diiwtinii.
of rt*^-^-
JJP. voL xixT. UL. Tacz3 WJL so SS. 15:^ Aa^ licj
CHAPTER III
1803. With all their imperfections on their heads — with a
Regular Army starving for want of recruits, a Reserve
already damned as an expensive failure, a Militia swollen
to large numbers on paper, but with ranks unfilled and
impossible to fill, and an enormous Volunteer force,
unregulated, undisciplined, unorganised, but irrepres-
sible— Addington and his colleagues met Parliament on
the 22nd of November 1 803. On the 2nd of December
the Army Estimates were introduced, showing an
establishment of 141,000 Regular troops (including the
Army of Reserve) and 110,000 embodied Militia at
home, and 61,000 Regular troops in the Colonies and
India. The number actually effective at home was
69,000 Regulars, 26,000 Army of Reserve, and 80,000
Militia, Artillery not included. There was a brief pre-
liminary debate on the 12th of December, wherein Pitt
declared that according to the original intention, mean-
ing, no doubt, according to his original plan, the Army
of Reserve was to have been raised by each county in
strict proportion to its population, and no substitutes
were to have been received except from the county
concerned or from those immediately adjacent to it.
Possibly his design was to insinuate that under his own
management the Act would have been differently
administered. Possibly, too, it might have been ; but
the results would have been much the same. The true
1804. defect in the Act lay in the admission of substitutes at
all ; and it was futile for Pitt to argue that his bantling
120
CHAP. Ill VOLUNTEER EXEMPTION ACT 121
had been maltreated, when it had been conceived in '8°4-
fallacy, brought forth in weakness, and was foredoomed
by constitutional debility to an early grave.
But the great battle of the session, as may be
imagined, was fought over the Volunteers. In order to
extricate Ministers from the thousand difficulties in
which haste, feebleness, and carelessness had involved
them, Yorke, on the 13th of December, introduced,
in the first place, a Volunteer Exemption Bill, a simple
measure which was designed to set all doubts upon
exemption at rest, and to enable Commanding Officers
to certify that men had undergone training without
arms in cases where no arms had been issued. This
was passed on the 20th of December 1 803 (44 Geo. III.
cap. 18) ; and Yorke shortly afterwards presented a
more important Bill to consolidate all existing Acts
concerning the Volunteers. This was, in fact, an effort
to correct the many blunders of the past session, and
as such was likely to enjoy a stormy career.
As a first step it was proposed that the number of
days' exercise required to exempt Volunteers from the
Militia ballot should be raised from five to twenty-four,
so as to place exemption from the Militia and the Army
of Reserve upon the same footing. This was at once
opposed as a breach of faith, and Addington was fain
to plead that the ntw regulation would not come into
force until May, so that Volunteers who disliked it
would have plenty of time to resign.
An attempt was also made to override by enact-
ment the decision of the Court of King's Bench as to
the right of Volunteers to resign, when Perceval, as has
been seen, upheld his own contention against that right,
while Erskine vindicated the judgment of the court.
Fox summed up the action of Ministers on the question
in a single sentence. '* First," he said, " it was intended
that the Volunteers might resign ; then the Attorney-
General said that they couM not resign ; then the Court
of King's Bench said that they could resign ; and now
Ministers bring in a Bill to say that they can resign,
122 CONSOLIDATION BILL chap.
1804. and insert a provision which renders it impossible for
many to resign." ^ Against Fox and Erskine united
the Ministry could make litde fight, and the clause
containing the obnoxious provision was withdrawn.
The third and most important novelty introduced
into the Bill was a declaration that Volunteers should
no longer be allowed to elect their own officers ; and
this proposition was warmly combated. Whitbread,
a shrewd, sensible man and Colonel of a Volunteer
battalion at Bedford, defended the practice of electing
officers, provided that their names were submitted to the
King through the Lieutenant for approval. " Had I
offered my services as private in my Volunteers," he
said, " I own that I should be very unwilling to serve
under any officer appointed by the Crown to command
me without my own consent." Sheridan warned
Ministers against interference with the right as a
breach of faith, and Fox adjured the Volunteers not
to allow themselves to be bullied.^ The question was
compromised by making all future rules of corps
subject to disallowance by the King. From this point
to the general question of discipline the transition was
easy ; and since most of the members were officers of
Volunteer corps, there were few who had not stories to
tell or suggestions to put forward. Yorke considered
that discipline was sufficiently safeguarded by giving
Commanding Officers power to discharge men, and so
to make them liable to the ballot, and by using the
machinery of the Levy en Masse Act to call up dis-
orderly or irregular men for training.^ Pitt, full of his
experience as Colonel of the Cinque Ports Volunteers,
actually moved to omit as unnecessary the clause em-
powering commandants to discharge men ; but Yorke,
who knew the ways of Volunteer Committees better
than Pitt, insisted upon it, because the regulations or
many corps forbade the dismissal of any man without
1 H.D. Commons, 19th March 1804.
2 Ibid. 8th Feb., 27th Feb. 1804.
3 Ibid. 8th Feb. 1804.
Ill CONSOLIDATION BILL 123
consent of the majority of the members.^ On the other 1804.
hand, it was argued that it was dangerous to give a
commandant authority to subject a man to the ballot
and to the probable expense of finding a substitute,
without any appeal ; but none the less the clause was
carried as it stood.
The question of fines for irregular attendance
or misconduct was also brought forward ; but the
Attorney-General was shy, as he said, of proceeding too
far with a compulsory system for the Volunteers ; and,
though Pitt took a different view, a great many mem-
bers seem to have held with Perceval. One member,
Mr. Giles, had from the first maintained that Volun-
teers might discipline themselves, but that Parliament
had no right to impose discipline.^ Yorke condemned
the enforcement of attendance and discipline by fines
and imprisonment as " inconsistent with the Volunteer
system; " ^ and Whitbread said roundly that any attempt
to enforce fines with severity would cause many Volun-
teers to run away.*
In truth, the more the question of the Volunteers
was debated, the more obvious it became that, whether
their military value were great or small, they were ex-
tremely expensive and utterly unmanageable. No one
knew how to draft a Bill which could control them ;
and if any one knew how to draft it, no one knew how
to carry it. Addington and his colleagues shuffled and
shifted their ground upon every point with pitiable
weakness, trying always to obtain some mastery of
the huge creature that they had called into existence ;
but invariably they failed, and were always not un-
deservedly chastised by biting comments from Fox and
Windham. By the 19th of March 1804 the Bill had
been committed and recommitted four times ; twenty-
four new clauses had been added ; nearly all the
original clauses had been altered and amended ; and yet
it was as far from passing as ever.
1 H.D. Commons, 6th March 1804. 2 /^/^_ 13th Dec. 1803.
8 Ibid. 2nd March 1804. * Ibid. 19th March 1804.
124 CONSOLIDATION BILL chap.
1 804. There were suspicions in more than one quarter that
the whole principle of Volunteers was wrong ; and even
Pitt, in course of the debates, betrayed some misgiving
as to their usefulness. He admitted that the Volunteer
system had been pushed to a far wider extent than had
been at first foreseen, and that he looked with great
concern upon its imperfections ; but he vowed none the
less that he believed in it.^ He admitted further that
there should be permanence and consistency in a defen-
sive force, which should render it equal not only to the
present but to all future dangers ; and added that in his
opinion the principles upon which the Volunteer system
had been founded were perfectly right. " But," he
continued, " it is impossible to trust continually to the
operation of the Volunteer spirit. When the danger is
past they may doubt the necessity of future exertions.
It then becomes the duty of Parliament to do that for
the country which spontaneous zeal cannot do. . . .
If the Volunteer system fails, we can fall back on the
National Defence Act." 2
It is difficult to see why, when a permanent defen-
sive force was wanted, Pitt should have approved the
expenditure of enormous sums in creating one which
was avowedly built upon ephemeral sentiment. " Zeal
is in its nature a very transitory feeling," said Wind-
ham, " and a permanent Volunteer system is almost a
contradiction in terms." Whitbread put the case more
strongly still. The Volunteers, as he truly said, were
in daily danger of being dissolved. The dismissal of a
corps was the only remedy for a difference between it
and the Government. Moreover, every corps that he
knew of was more or less in debt ; and the calls for a
second subscription would only collect from the liberal
that which should be exacted from all. " We have
gone to enormous expense in drawing men from the
Militia to the Regulars [from 1799 to 1801] ; we have
gone to enormous expense in raising an Army of
^ H.D. Commons, 27th Feb. 2 /^/^^ 29th Feb. 1804.
Ill CRAUFURD'S CRITICISMS 125
Reserve, and finally we fall back on the Volunteer '804.
system, which is the most expensive of all." ^
But by far the most clear-sighted man in either
House was the soldier, Robert Craufurd. Being im-
bued with the foolish notion that it was his business to
treat his audience to all the paraphernalia of exordium,
peroration, and so forth, he spoke at enormous length,
and hence received little attention. From the first he
declared that the Volunteer system was a mistake from
beginning to end, wrong in its constitution, in the
defrayal of its cost, in its committees of management, in
its training, in the use to be made of it, even in its cloth-
ing. The system of private contribution was wrong.
The country ought to bear the entire expense of the
Volunteers, and would thus do away with the necessity for
committees which were constantly coming into collision
with Government. The training was wrong. The
Prussian system of drill was ill-adapted for fighting in
England, and would be a mistake for the whole Army if
the troops were to be employed in England only. The
whole of the first class under the Levy en Masse Act
ought to be called up, dressed in an uniform coat, and
trained principally to marksmanship and to withdraw at
the word of command from shelter. The clothing was
wrong. It was an error to dress Volunteers in red, for,
if they retired, the Regular troops might think that their
comrades of the Line had been defeated, and would be
disheartened, whereas the enemy would be encouraged.
It was wrong also to cheapen military titles. Lastly,
it was a fatal defect that among the Volunteers it
was impossible to enforce discipline. " If you try to
enact regulations, you are told, not that they are unjust
or just, but that they are not agreeable to the Volun-
teers. So delicate a machine is unfit for war." ^
The unhappy Volunteer Consolidation Bill dragged
on its weary way through both Houses until the middle
of April without making any great progress ; but mean-
1 H.D. Commons, 8th Feb. 1804.
2 iiifj^ 27th Feb., 22nd March 1804.
126 GOVERNMENT'S NEW PROPOSALS chap.
1804. while the repeated remonstrances of Craufurd, Windham,
and others against the neglect of the Regular Army and
the want of an offensive force had borne fruit, and on
the 29th of March Yorke unfolded a fresh bundle of
proposals. The Army of Reserve Act, as he was fain
to confess, had ceased to produce any recruits. He
proposed therefore, first, to suspend it for a year, and to
limit the bounty in such counties as had not yet pro-
vided their quota to ten guineas ; secondly, to bring
10,000 Militia over from Ireland in order to set free
as many Regular troops ; thirdly, to make good the
loss to Ireland by augmenting the Irish Militia from
1 5,000 to 28,000 men. Castlereagh, who supported the
measure, added that this would be the cheapest way of
accomplishing what was needed, since Irish Militiamen
could be obtained for a bounty of four guineas, whereas
the price of substitutes in England ranged from forty to
fifty guineas.-^ The Bills were accordingly brought in,
the one to enable 10,000 Irish Militia to volunteer for
service in England ; a second for raising the additional
Militiamen by beat of drum and without local expense
to the counties, the bounty of four guineas being fixed
by the Treasury ; and, lastly, a bill to suspend the Army
of Reserve Act.
Even so the Government's resources were not quite
exhausted. They now proposed to increase the " dis-
posable " force of the country, that is to say, the force
that could be spared to strike outside England, from
10,000 to 25,000 men. This they hoped to do by
levying new regiments on the old system of raising men
for rank ; but no officer was to gain more than one
• step ; the step was not to be granted at all unless the
men were produced within six months ; and the pre-
scribed bounty was not to be exceeded under penalty of
a court-martial. This experiment, it must be added,
was tried, and resulted in the raising of second
battalions to the 78th and 79th Highlanders, and of
four new battalions in Ireland, three of which became
1 H.D. 29th March 1804.
Ill PITT'S ALTERNATIVE POLICY 127
new regiments of the Line;^ but a contract given to 1804.
two officers to raise 5000 men for levy money of
thirteen guineas a head was a complete failure.^
During the early months of 1804 the incompetence
of Addington and his colleagues became so apparent
that on the 23rd of April, in a general debate on the
defence of the country, Pitt turned upon them with the
strongest censure. " No one measure for public defence
can they truly be said to have originated," he declared,
" whereas several they have enfeebled and retarded." On
the 25th, in Committee on the Army of Reserve
Suspension Bill, Pitt reviewed the entire policy of the
Government, and explained that which he proposed
to substitute for it. The formation of new Regular
regiments he condemned as impossible ; but he advo-
cated in their place the reduction of the Militia in
England from 70,000 to 48,000 men, the augmentation
of the Army of Reserve by ballot to 60,000 or 70,000
men, and its maintenance at that figure so that there
might be drawn from it annually 14,000 to 15,000 men
for the Regular Army. To render the ballot effective
and to disarm subscription - clubs he proposed that
ballotted men should be able to purchase exemption for a
moderate fixed sum, and if they served in person, should
receive that sum as bounty ; that substitutes should be
found by the parish and not by the individual and taken
from the hundred and not from the market towns ; that
the bounty should be limited and that the magistrates
should see that the limit was not exceeded ; and that, if
the substitutes could not be found in the hundred, the
bounty-money should be handed to the Colonels of
the county-regiments to obtain a recruit for that amount
and no more. He reckoned that thus the Army of
Reserve would offer always the larger bounty, and
^ The remaining battalion was drafted into the 87th Foot. C.y.
vol. Ixi. p. 630.
2 S.C.L.B. 30th April 1804. The officer was a certain Colonel
French, who was mixed up in the scandals of Mrs, Clarke. He pro-
duced only 154 men by 31st Jan. 1805.
128 PITT'S NEW GOVERNMENT chap.
1804. by drawing its recruits from the locality would leave
the market towns open without competition to the
Regulars.^
Such initiative in suggestion, added to so much
careful and explicit detail, showed pretty clearly that Pitt
expected very shortly to take the reins of Government
into his own hands. The scheme, however, did not
pass without criticism. Yorke declared that it was
hopeless to think of drawing substitutes only from the
same hundred as the ballotted men, and impracticable to
expect to put down subscription-clubs ; while Fox,
an acknowledged authority on such matters, averred
that " he had never heard of an Act which laid down
that five men must not subscribe ^5 apiece to provide
a substitute for the one among them that might be
ballotted, but must toss up which of them must pay
^25."^ But the House was more eager to condemn
Yorke's measures than to consider those of Pitt, and the
majority in Addington's favour was so small that on the
following day he resigned office.
Owing to difficulties which need not detain us
here, fully three weeks passed before Pitt was able to
form a new Administration, wherein Lord Camden held
the office of Secretary for War and the Colonies.
Hence Pitt was unable until the 5 th of June to bring
forward the Bill which embodied his new and mature
scheme for raising men. The objects which he set
before himself were good and statesmanlike, namely,
first, to put an end to the competition for recruits
between the Regular Army, the Militia, and the other
forces engaged for home-service only ; secondly, to
abolish the obstacles in the way of establishing a Per-
manent Additional Force as a standing foundation for the
recruiting of the Army. As a first step he proposed to
repeal the Army of Reserve Act and reduce the estab-
lishment of the Militia to its original figure of 40,000
men for England and 8000 for Scotland. He then
proposed to merge the quota of the Army of Reserve
1 H.D. Pitt, 25th April 1804. 2 j^j^^ 25th April 1804.
Ill PITT'S NEW SCHEME 129
and of the Supplementary Militia into one, making a 1804.
total force of 79,000 men.^ As fast as this number was
diminished by the enlistment of its members into the
Regular Army, the counties were to be called upon
to fill the vacancies, with the proviso that in no one year
should the number of men to be so raised exceed one-
sixth of the entire force. In plain words, he proposed
to devise machinery for establishing a Permanent
Reserve of 79,000 men for the Army, and for making
good any drains upon it to the extent, at most, of 13,000
men annually, over and above any recruits that might be
obtained for regiments by ordinary and voluntary enlist-
ment. As an encouragement to the counties to favour
this measure he proposed, if the men were produced, to
remit all fines incurred by them for deficiencies under
the Army of Reserve Act.
Had the Army of Reserve and the Supplementary
Militia stood at their full strength at this time, there
would have been no occasion to put the new Bill into
force until casualties had occurred ; but, as has been
told, both were seriously below their establishment, and
to increase them to the appointed figure it was necessary
to raise at once little short of 20,000 men.^ In addition
to this it was necessary that at least 1 1 ,000 men
should be levied annually to replace those who should
have volunteered from the Army of Reserve into the
Regular Army, the first instalment falling due on
1st October 1805. Altogether, therefore, the scheme
required 3 1 ,000 men to be supplied within the succeed-
ing fifteen months.
How was this number to be obtained .'' The ballot
had broken down, having produced, thanks to the
admission of substitutes, an indifferent lot of men and a
gigantic rise in bounties. The first step, therefore, was
1 Army of Reserve of United Kingdom, 49,880 ; Supplementary
Militia of Great Britain (Ireland had no Supplementary Militia),
29,071. Total, 78,951.
2 Deficiencies in the Army of Reserve, 1 2,477 ; in the Militia,
7305. Total, 19,782.
K
I30 PITT'S NEW SCHEME chap.
1804 to reduce bounties ; and Pitt hoped to achieve this end
by putting an end to the ballot and throwing upon the
parochial officers the responsibility for producing the
quota of men assigned to their parishes. He proposed
to empower them to give a bounty, which was not,
under penalties, to exceed three-fourths of the bounty
offered to recruits for the Regular Army, and to take an
appointed share of it for their own encouragement. On
the other hand, they would be forbidden to accept men
who resided more than twenty miles away from the parish,
if in the same county, or more than ten miles distant
if in another county. If they failed to produce their
men, the parish was to be fined ^^20 for every man
deficient of the quota, and was therewith to be quit of
all further trouble. Effective Volunteers and Yeomanry
were to be exempted from the rates levied for payment
of these fines. The money thus collected was to be paid
into the general recruiting fund of the kingdom ; and
the Commanding Officer of the regiment concerned was
then to fill the vacancy by ordinary recruiting, paying
the same bounty as that offered by the parish and no
more. Finally, the men were to be enlisted for home
service only, and for five years or until six months after
the cessation of war ; and the bounties proposed were as
follows : — For the Regular Army, ^^16 : i6s.; for the
Reserve, under the new Bill, £12 : 12s.; to the Re-
servists upon enlisting in the Regular Army, ^^ 10 : los.
The fee granted to the parish officers for each recruit
was to be^^i : is. The men when raised were to be
formed into second battalions to the Regular Army,
promotion of officers being interchangeable between the
two battalions, so that the attachment between officers
' and men might encourage enlistment for general service.
Such was the plan proposed by Pitt in his introduc-
tory speech, and such it remained in substance when the
Bill, on the 27th of June, became an Act. Not, how-
ever, that it passed uncriticised. Windham, while
approving the reduction of the Militia and the abolition
of the ballot, declared himself sceptical as to the sound-
Ill CRITICISM OF THE SCHEME 131
ness of the scheme, and prophesied that if parish officers 1804.
produced any men at all they would buy them from the
crimps. Other members predicted that the Bill might
produce money but would never produce men, and that
the fines would be equivalent to a double land-tax on
landed proprietors ; for which reasons they deprecated
the disuse of the ballot. One member, Mr. Elliot, very
pertinently pointed out that to offer a man £16 : i6s.
to enlist directly into the Line, and ^23 : 2s. to enter
the Line through the new force, was on the face of it an
absurdity. But most conspicuous among the objectors was
Robert Craufurd, speaking as usual at extravagant length,
who opposed the measure without reserve or com-
promise. The Bill, as he urged with unanswerable force,
held out no inducements to recruits, increased the com-
petition between the Line and the Militia, and was suffi-
ciently drastic to irritate the parishes though not enough
so to produce men. He advocated compulsory training
for all men between certain years of age, but not as an
embodied force ; and then there would be an end of
enlisting men for service at home and bribing them to
serve abroad. His remedies for the Regular Army were
(i) substitution of limited service for service for life ;
(2) liberal provision for retired soldiers ; (3) aboli-
tion of military service in the West Indies for the
regiments of the Line.
The arguments of the opponents of the Bill were
thrown away. Pitt thought that he had made a master-
stroke by turning the parish -officers into recruiting
sergeants, and would listen to no prophecies of evil.
Upon one point — that of keeping a Reserve to feed the
ranks of the Army, and feeding that Reserve by a steady
annual supply of recruits — he felt most rightly that his
views were sound ; and in respect of other opinions he
showed strong sense and an open mind by declaring his
readiness to accept short service for the Army if it
could safely be introduced. But to contemplate the
possible failure of his scheme he utterly refused.
Perhaps with declining health, with the knowledge
132 PITT'S RECRUITING ACT chap.
1804. that the followers both of Fox and Grenville were
against him, and the consciousness that they were
subjecting him to more powerful and damaging
criticism than he had ever encountered, he felt it
imperative to assert his will. Be that as it may, the
Bill became law, and by a melancholy fate was prac-
tically the last of the great statesman's important
legislative achievements.
Its provisions may be summarised as follows. The
Act itself was known as the Permanent Additional Force
Act (44 Geo. III. England, cap. ^6 ; Scotland, cap. 66 ;
Ireland, cap. 74) ; and the first section provided for
raising 58,235 men in England ; 10,666 men in Scot-
land ; and 10,000 in Ireland (sec. i). The men already
raised under the Army of Reserve Act were to be
accepted towards the fulfilment of these quotas. Returns
were to be made in each county of the men deficient of
the full quota under the Army of Reserve Act, and that
number was to be forthwith raised as part of the force
required under the present Act (sec. 2). Ample facili-
ties were given for comparison of the returns of
deficiencies presented by the counties and by the In-
spector-General of the Army of Reserve, and for the
adjustment of differences between them (sees. 3-9).
The Militia of Great Britain was to be reduced to its
original quota under the Militia Act of 1802 (sec. 10),
and, in cases where the Militia exceeded that strength,
no further ballot was to be held until this number had
been reduced as aforesaid (sec. 11). In counties where
the Militia was below its quota, the deficiency was to
be raised as part of the Additional Force under the Act
(sec. 11), unless the deficiency fell short of the quota
of 1 802 ; in which case the numbers short of the quota
were first to be made good (sec. 12). For the year
beginning on ist October 1804, and ending on ist
October 1805, and for each succeeding year, a maximum
of 9000 men in England, of 1 800 men in Scotland, and
of 4000 men in Ireland (14,800 in all) was to be raised
to fill the vacancies of men who had enlisted in the
Ill PITT'S RECRUITING ACT 133
Regular Army from the Additional Force (sec. 15). 1804.
Parish-officers were authorised to obtain men, and
were to be entitled to a share of bounty for every man
produced (sec. 20), provided such men had resided for
thirty days in the parish or in some other parish not
more than ttn. miles distant from it in the same county,
and provided that the parish-officers brought a certificate
of the recruit's residence to the magistrate on attesting
him ; the penalty for refusing to bring such certificate
being a fine of£ i to £^ (sec. 21). The levying of rates
and raising of subscriptions to induce persons to enlist
was forbidden, and the penalty for offering more than
the prescribed bounty was a fine of ^^20 (sec. 22). The
bounty was not to exceed three-fourths of the bounty
given for the Regular Army ; it was to be paid out of
the Imperial Treasury ; and it was to be accepted in
lieu of all payments and allowances prescribed by the
Army of Reserve Act (sec. 24). Parishes failing to
produce men within one month after notice given (in
the first instance, within six weeks after the passing of
the Act) were to be fined ^20 for every man deficient,
after which the Commanding Officer of the corps con-
cerned was to be at liberty to enlist recruits to the
number deficient, for the bounty named in section 24
and no more (sec. 26). The men were to be enlisted
for five years or until six months after the signing of
peace, and were to swear that they were not lame,
ruptured, or subject to fits (sec. 28). If a parish paid
its fine for any man deficient, but managed to produce
a man before a recruit had been enlisted by the Com-
manding Officer, three-fourths of the fine were to be
remitted (sec. 33). Rates levied for payment for fines
were to be separated from the poor rates. Effective
Yeomen and Volunteers and Militiamen serving by
person or substitute were exempted from such rates, if
the property on which they were assessed for poor rates
did not exceed the annual value of j^20.
The most noticeable point in the Act, apart from
the dispensation with the ballot, was the shifting of the
134 VOLUNTEER ACT, 1804 chap.
1804. expense of bounties from the parochial funds to the
Imperial Treasury, thus marking a temporary advance
in the more equitable distribution of the expense of
recruiting the Army.
II
A few weeks before this Act, Pitt's administration
passed also the Volunteer Consolidation Act (44 Geo.
III. cap. 54 ; 5th June 1804), which in its final shape
contained the following provisions. First, the Volun-
teer Act of 1802, the Billeting Act of 1803, and the
Exemption Act recently passed, were repealed. The
King was empowered to continue the services of
accepted corps and accept the offers of new corps
(sec. i). Volunteers entitled to exemption under the
repealed Acts were to have the benefit of the n until the
1st of July 1 804 (sec. 2). Effective Volunteers were
also to be exempt from the ballot for the Militia and
for any additional force; though such corps as had
disclaimed exemption were to be held to their bargain
(sec. 4) ; and an effective member was defined to be
one who in the cavalry attended four days and in the
infantry eight days of exercise every three months
(sec. 5). Men belonging to corps to which arms and
accoutrements had not been issued were equally entitled
to the exemption if they duly attended muster and
exercise (sec. 6). Men on leave of absence were per-
mitted to do the whole of their drills within four months
(sec. 7), or in two successive periods of four months
each (sec. 8). It is to be noted that effective men
enrolled in the Yeomanry or Volunteers were by the
new Act not exempted from the ballot, but from service
in the Militia and Army of Reserve, their names being
kept on the ballot- list so that they might be called up
at once if discharged from the Volunteers (sec. 17) ;
and the like exemption was guaranteed to them after
the signature of peace if they continued to serve as
effective Volunteers throughout the war (sec. 18).
Infantry corps voluntarily assembling for permanent
Ill VOLUNTEER ACT, 1804 135
duty were subjected to the Mutiny Act and Articles of 1804.
War (sec. 23) ; but not corps of Yeomanry cavalry
(sec. 24). Officers of Yeomanry and Volunteers were
to rank with those of the Militia and Regular Army
as the youngest of their respective grades (sec. 26).
Commanding Officers were authorised to discharge men
for misconduct, though not to the prejudice of any
rules, made by the corps, which had received the King's
approval, and subject always to the King's pleasure
(sec. 27). Commandants were further empowered to
disallow the day on which a man misbehaved as a day
of attendance, or to disallow his day's pay, unless the
case were otherwise provided for by the rules of the
corps (sec. 28). They could also order a man into
custody for misbehaviour for so long as the corps might
remain under arms on the occasion (sec. 29). The
right of resignation was affirmed conditionally upon a
man giving fourteen days' notice, delivering up his
arms, and paying all fines due from him (sees. 30, 31).
Upon resignation a man became liable to serve in the
Militia or any Additional Force ; and the Commanding
Officer was required to certify his discharge to the Clerk
of the General Meeting of the Lieutenancy (sec. 32).
Persons aggrieved by the refusal of the Commanding
Officer to accept their resignation might appeal to two
Deputy-Lieutenants, whose decision was to be final
(sec. 33). The clause in the Levy en Masse Act
allowing 2s. 6d. a day to be paid to persons employed to
instruct Volunteers was repealed (sec. 34). On being
called up for active service two guineas were to be paid
to the Captains for each man, and when called out for
permanent duty, one guinea ; for which sums the
Captain was required to account to the men (sec. 36).
Another guinea was to be allowed them on return from
active service (sec. 39). Finally, no future rules and
regulations of Volunteer corps were to *be binding
unless submitted to the Secretary of State and not
disallowed by the King (sec. S^) '^ ^^^ ^^^ right was
reserved to the King of annulling any rules which might
136 MOBILISATION OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1804. have been made in the past or should be made in the
future (sec. 57).
The passing of the Act was of very solid advantage,
for it gave at any rate some powers of discipline to
Commanding Officers, and assured all ranks of pay
during permanent duty. The only misfortune was that
it should have come so late, when indiscipline had
already become deeply ingrained in many corps. It
was also shameful to enforce by enactment the dis-
claimer of exemption given by the 7000 patriotic men
at the opening of the war. They might at least have
been left at liberty to continue their offer gratuitously.
But this was practically the only blemish in the Act,
and a few additional regulations tended to heighten the
improvement brought thereby. The first step in 1 804
was to appoint and station field-officers to inspect the
Volunteers.^ The next was to arrange for the mobilisa-
tion of the Volunteers themselves. Orders had been
issued on the 31st of October 1803 for the removal of
all cattle and so forth, or, as it was called, for " driving
the country " upon the enemy's approach or landing ;
but these were contested by the Duke of Richmond in
Sussex, who declared the plan to be impracticable ; ^
and as Sir John Moore agreed with this opinion, it may
be accepted with confidence that the Duke was right.
Incidentally, however, the order had led to thoroughly
careful registration of horses and vehicles ; and the Duke
of York took advantage of this to suggest that one light
cart for every company should be set apart and marked
for regimental transport,^ and that waggons also should
be set apart, marked and provided with seats for the
conveyance of men from the remoter districts to London,
the expense being borne by the Imperial Treasury.*
Later on, in August, an improved disposition of the
1 Circular of I2th Jan. 1 804.
2 I.D. vol. xxxii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 3rd Nov. 1803.
8 Of course the phrase " regimental transport " was unknown in
those days ; but I use it for convenience.
* Circular of i6th and 19th Jan. and lOth Feb. 1804.
Ill CONCESSIONS TO VOLUNTEERS 137
Volunteer Force was made by the War Office, for the 1804.
speedier concentration of the Volunteers upon any
threatened point, and for that purpose a muster of the
regimental waggons was ordered.^ But then arose a
difficulty. The farmers of the West Riding of York-
shire refused to produce their waggons for a muster :
they were ready enough to give them up if wanted, but
muster them they would not.^ Their reason is not
stated, but was probably not unconnected with the
Department of Excise ; and though no similar objec-
tions seem to have been urged by other counties, the
example was likely to spread among folk so suspicious
as British farmers.
Some further pecuniary concessions had also been
made to the Volunteers. A day's pay, over and above
the twenty days' pay allowed annually by the August
Allowances, was promised to every non-commissioned
officer and private present at an inspection of his corps
by a General Officer or Inspecting Field-Officer, pro-
vided that such inspections did not recur more
frequently than once in two months.^ A grant of pay
for one sergeant to every company on the August
Allowances was also conceded,* as also a further sum
for hiring or obtaining safe dep6ts for arms. At about
the same time were issued, in anticipation of the Volun-
teer Act of 1804, further regulations to encourage all
corps, whether of maritime or inland counties, to go on
permanent pay and duty for periods of not more than
a month or less than ten days. But here, as usual,
1 Circular of lith and 17th Aug. 1804. This Circular of llth
August is not in the Circular Book, but may be found in I.D. vol.
Ixviii. Miscellaneous. It was arranged to take troops by post-
carriage for the last four stages to London, the stations fixed upon
for the purpose being Guildford, Andover, Marlborough, Bedford,
Banbury, Davcntry, Northampton, Kettering, Stilton, and Cam-
bridge. It was reckoned that the waggons would carry the troops
forty miles a day for three days ; and the proprietors were directed
to send three days' forage with them.
2 I.D. vol. Ixvii. L.L. Yorks W.R. to S.S. 22nd Aug. 1804.
5 Circular, loth Feb. 1804.
* Circular, 19th March 1804.
138 THE MARCHING-GUINEA chap.
1804. Addington and his colleagues contrived to import con-
fusion into their orders. In a circular of the 5th of March
they promised an advance of a guinea, which was known
as the marching-guinea, to all men who would come out
on permanent pay and duty as aforesaid. In a second
circular of 1 2th April they engaged to give also ten days'
additional pay to all men under the August Allowances
who within the next two months would do so many
additional days' exercise without leaving their homes ;
but denied them the marching-guinea. Men under the
June Allowances, on the other hand, were to receive no
special pay when on permanent duty, as the days taken up
thereby were to be reckoned among the eighty-five for
which they received pay annually ; but they were to
receive the marching-guinea. It appears, further, that
yet more regulations were issued, which I have been
unable to discover, reducing the extreme term of per-
manent duty to three weeks, but still holding out the
reward of the marching-guinea. Then came a series of
painful disillusions. The Haddington Volunteers went
out for permanent duty for fourteen days, and received
only fourteen shillings instead of the twenty-one which
they had expected. Some of the Durham Volunteers
went out and received pay, but could obtain no guinea.
In Glamorganshire a corps under the June Allowances
went out, claimed its guinea, and was refused because it
had agreed to serve in its Military District only, and
not in any part of Great Britain. All of these cases
occurred before the passing of the new Volunteer Act
of 1804, and were partly due to the old confusion
between June and August Allowances ; but they did not
fail (and they were by no means solitary instances) to
rouse bitter discontent.^
The new Act, however, set doubts upon these
points at rest, and in September the Government gave
still further encouragement to the training of Volun-
1 I.D. vol. xxxviii. Lord Haddington to S.S. 5th June 1804 ;
vol. xlvii. L.L. Durham, to S.S. 6th Feb. 1804; vol. xlix. R.
Lascelles (Glamorgan) to S.S. 1 8th Jan. 1804.
Ill IMPROVEMENT OF VOLUNTEERS 139
teers by ofFerIng ten days' pay to all who would go out 1804.
for ten days of additional exercise during the following
six months.^ Under such stimulus and with the experi-
ence of continuous service the Volunteers improved
rapidly during 1804. The number of men who came
out for permanent duty between the ist of November
1803 and the 5th of March 1804 was just over 80,000
of all ranks ; and as these belonged to the maritime
counties only, the figure is creditable to them. In June
Pitt announced that the number had been swelled to
between 100,000 and 150,000.^ In fact, the men
enjoyed permanent duty. The unmarried only were by
preference taken for it, and their reunions were some-
times so festive that critics were found who denounced
them as demoralising to the population. No doubt
permanent duty had its drawbacks ; but no one who
has witnessed the salutary change wrought in country
lads by even a week of continuous training can doubt
that those drawbacks were far outweighed by the
advantages.
Meanwhile arrangements had also been made for
forming the Yeomanry and Volunteers into brigades,
the proportion being as follows : —
Eastern District . . 2 brij
jadesof cav
airy
, 4 brigad
Southern District . i
>»
j>
3
South-Western District i
»j
»»
4
South Inland District . i
»
ii
4
London . . .1
»»
>»
7
Home . . .0
»
»>
6
Further, every effort was made to group small isolated
corps into regiments and battalions, not always with
success, owing to the bitterness of local jealousies.
Norfolk and Suffolk gave particular trouble in this
matter ; and indeed it was from Suffolk that there came
the only protest against the new system of brigades.
Lord Rous declaiming vigorously against the Suffolk
Yeomanry being brigaded under a regular officer,
1 Circular of 24th September 1804.
2 H.D. 1 8th June 1804.
I40 DEFECTS OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1804. General Money, if called out to repel actual invasion.
Lord Rous, it may be observed, was not himself an
officer of Yeomanry at this time, though he had been
so during the last war. Moreover, though Suffolk sup-
ported thirteen troops of Yeomanry, these were so jealous
of each other that they were not even regimented.
Lastly, Money, though a retired General of considerable
reputation, had given enormous pains to the Volun-
teers, and actually commanded a regiment of Norfolk
Yeomanry. However, the General of the District, Sir
James Craig, was obliged to come forward, smooth the
ruffled feathers of the incensed magnate, and point out
ostentatiously to Money, who had been guilty of no
more than announcing the organisation of the brigade
in orders, that his command as a brigadier was strictly
limited to the event of active service, and that great
caution must be employed in proclaiming such facts, as
the Volunteer's obedience was only voluntary.^
Thus, at every turn, the old difficulty recurred.
The Volunteers had undoubtedly improved greatly
under permanent duty, but large numbers of them were
still utterly useless. In Norfolk, in May 1804, the
Inspector could report only three corps out of thirty-
three to be fit for service ; and the Lord-Lieutenant,
himself a General, was obliged to confirm his judgment.^
This was a maritime county, which had enjoyed for
eight months the privilege of sending men on per-
manent duty ; and the condition of the Volunteers in
inland counties can hardly have been as good. Moreover,
such improvements as there were had been bought only
by enhanced expenditure, by doles of pay for this,
allowances for that, bounties or marching-guineas for
the other. And though the men might be steady on
parade and proficient at their manual exercise, their
officers remained always a weak point ; nor was this
weakness likely to be strengthened while their jealousies
^ I.D. vol. Ixiv. Suffolk Mil. Sec. to Mr, King (with enclosure),
4th Aug. 1804.
2 Ibid. vol. Iviii. L.L. Norfolk, to S.S. ist May, 17th June 1804.
Ill DEFECTS OF VOLUNTEERS 141
forbade them to work together under a competent 1804.
instructor. The tone of the entire force was parochial,
or at best provincial, never national. Its commanders
clamoured for non-commissioned officers from the
King's Regular regiments, for these were their inferiors,
or at most their equals ; but Volunteer officers thought
themselves hardly used when the Colonels of the Line
declared, very truly, that their sergeants and corporals
could not be spared from their legitimate work. Yet
they revolted from guidance by the King's Regular
officers, who knew nothing of their local importance
and judged them simply by their fitness or unfitness
for their work. It must be remembered also that they
were wholly under the protection — one cannot call it
the control — of the Home Office ; the War Office and
Horse Guards having no part in them. General
Tarleton, commanding the Severn District, complained
to the Commander-in-Chief that he could not get a
Yeoman in his district to travel for him five miles with
an official order. After ten days' delay he received a
" cold, phlegmatic answer " from the Adjutant-General
that he had nothing to do with the Volunteers. The
reply was strictly true, nor could have any other have
been returned. Had the Adjutant-General infused any
warmth into his letter, he would doubtless have added
that he thanked Heaven that he had nothing to do with
the Volunteers, seeing that their obedience was volun-
tary. When on permanent duty, which it must be
remembered was not compulsory, or called out to repel
invasion, the Volunteers were indeed bound under
military law to obey the King's Generals, but at other
times they could and did snap their fingers at them, and
indeed very often at every other authority. Well
might Craufurd exclaim that so delicate a machine was
unfit for war.
Ill
So the winter of 1 804 drew on, and the Govern-
ment's attention became fixed chiefly on Pitt's Per-
142 FAILURE OF PITTS ACT chap.
1804. manent Additional Force Act. Passed on the 25 th of
June, it allowed a fortnight's grace to the parish officers
to master its contents, and one month more for the
raising of the allotted number of men, so that, according
to the wording of the law. Ministers expected the first
batch of 20,000 men to be raised by the 9th of August.
On the 23rd of August they issued a circular to the
Lords-Lieutenant asking what measures they were
taking to execute the Act and with what success, repeat-
ing the request on the 30th of August. Answers came
in slowly, but were uniformly the same. Hardly a man
could be obtained ; the area of recruiting was too much
restricted ; the bounties were too low ; the reward to
parish officers was too small. The Lieutenant of Norfolk
added that recruiting was much hampered by the number
of young labouring men serving in the Volunteers. It
made little difference what reasons were assigned. The
parish officers, after perusal of the Act, had made up
their minds that it was hopeless to obtain recruits under
such conditions, and that the Government only wanted
fines in lieu of men ; so they christened the measure
"TheTwenty Pound Act," and resigned themselves to the
inevitable payment. The Government, therefore, issued
another circular on the 25th of September, pointing
out that, after all, only the men deficient of the Army
of Reserve and Supplementary Militia were required
for the present, and that the limit of time would be ex-
tended to the 15 th of November, after which the officers
of the Regular Army would receive orders to raise
recruits, and the fine of £20 upon the parishes would be
rigorously enforced. This produced no greater result
than an exceedingly sharp answer from Inverness to
the effect that, from a county where some districts were
two hundred miles distant from the county town, the
Secretary of State was expecting impossibilities.^
The Government then sent round another circular,
of the 17th of October, conceived in terms of bland
insinuation. Would it not help the levy if the
1 I.D. vol. xxxviii. L.L. Inverness, to S.S. 4th Oct. 1804.
Ill DENUNCIATION OF PITT'S ACT 143
churchwardens and overseers of every parish were 1804.
informed that they would receive a guinea, free of all
deductions, for every man produced, and that for every
man so found no expense or burden would be laid upon
the parish, whereas for every recruit raised by the
Colonels of regiments a fine would be imposed ? " It is
conceived," continued the circular, *' that by such a
comparative statement it will be made manifest to the
inhabitants how materially they will consult their own
advantage by providing the men required of them by
the 15th of November." Then at last there was some
little sign of movement in the counties ; and it was high
time, for by the ist of November only 778 recruits had
been raised out of the 19,782 which were required, and
of these 95 had deserted. The amelioration was not
such as to prevent violent attacks upon the measure
when Parliament met in January 1805. Returns were 1805.
called for, and on the 1 5th of February a motion was
brought forward in the Lords for the repeal of the Act
as a total failure. Lord Hawkesbury defended it,
alleging that practically it had not come into force until
November 1804, and that during the past fortnight it
had produced 300 recruits a week, at which rate it would
bring in 1 1 ,000 in the year. Upon this very incon-
clusive assurance the House rejected the motion for
repeal ; but a week later (21st February) the attack was
renewed in the Commons by far more powerful advo-
cates. Windham led the way with a detailed criticism
of all past measures of recruiting, and pointed out that
such men as had been raised had been produced chiefly
by crimps who, in spite of the professed limitation of
the bounty, received in practice both the fines from the
parish and the sums allotted to tempt recruits, making
a total of ;^34 for every man. He contended that the
Army could be maintained by voluntary enlistment if
it were made attractive enough ; and to that end he
advocated short or (as it was then called) limited service,
the abolition of drafting, special regulations of service in
the West Indies, abolition of flogging except for certain
144 STATE OF THE REGULAR ARMY chap.
1805. specified crimes, and increase of the private soldier's
privileges in default of increase of his pay.
Canning was put forward to answer Windham,
which he did with no great effect ; and on the 6th of
March 1805 Sheridan moved the repeal of the Act.
Pitt, in its defence, declared, like Hawkesbury, that the
measure had not begun to work until the middle of
November, and that it was too early yet to judge of its
failure or success. Whitbread, however, pointed out
that the actual raising of men had begun in the first
week of September, and Castlereagh, on behalf of the
Government, was obliged to admit that this was true.^
Sheridan's motion was lost by a majority of 140, but
the situation was serious, and Pitt knew it. He had
already caused another circular ^ to be sent to the Lords-
Lieutenant with fresh explanations and threats for the
parish officers ; but the House was anxious to look
into matters for itself, and ordered returns to be made
of the special rates levied for fines under the Act and
of the bounties paid to parish officers. These would
suffice to show that the Act was a failure so far as raising
recruits was concerned ; and the country was not
inclined to be lenient to failures.
The great need of England was a compact and suffi-
cient force of Regular troops which could be employed
over sea in offensive operations. The casualties from
deaths, discharges, and desertions at home during 1804,
and abroad during the first nine months of that year,
amounted to 16,400 ; the recruits gained during 1804
numbered but 13,400.^ Lord Grenville indeed stated
in the House of Lords * that the Regular Infantry,
which on ist January 1804 had numbered 105,886, had
sunk by ist January 1805 to 105,033, showing a net
decrease of 8 5 3 in a single year. Moreover, it was not
a question whether Ministers could abstain from sending
more forces abroad even if they wished to avoid it. In
1 H.D. 6th March 1805. 2 ig^h Feb. 1805.
^ C.J. Returns in Appendix i 5 to vol. Ix.
4 H.D. 8th March 1805.
Ill MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT, 1805 i45
the same month of March the French fleet had appeared 1805
in the Caribbean Sea, threatening raids upon the British
West Indies ; there was an unpleasant httle cam-
paign going none too favourably in Ceylon ; and in
India the Mahratta war, so brilliantly opened by Lake
and Wellesley, was beginning to assume a disagreeable
aspect. Also there were signs that Russia, Prussia,
and Austria would shortly incline to renew the contest
against France, and it would be necessary for England
to produce a military force as well as subsidies.
Ordinary recruiting was practically at a standstill, the
number of men obtained both in 1803 and in 1804
being far less than in 1800; and that though the
bounty had been swelled more than twofold between
1 803 and 1 804. The Commander-in-Chief gave orders
for the enlistment of boys, since men could not be
obtained ; but it was perfectly clear that some other
method must be found for filling the ranks of the
Regular Army. Pitt, therefore, notwithstanding the
fair promise which he professed to detect in his Per-
manent Additional Force Act, was fain to supersede it,
for the time at any rate, by an old-fashioned expedient.
On the 3 ist of March, therefore, he brought in a Bill
to enable the excess of the British Militia over the estab-
lished quota, or, in other words, the Supplementary
Militia, to enlist in the Regular Army. There were,
he said, 68,000 Militia embodied in Great Britain at the
moment. Of this number he proposed to set aside
34,000 as the nucleus of an ultimate quota of 51,000 ;
and to take what he wanted — 17,000 men was the
number named by him — from the remaining 34,000,
restoring the balance to the establishment. With a few
sarcasms the Bill was allowed to pass, and became law on
the loth of April (45 Geo. III. cap. 31).
Its main provisions were as follows. The King was
empowered to appoint Regular Regiments and divisions
of the Marines into which Militiamen might enlist (sec.
i), the number of men enlisting being restricted in
every regiment of Militia to the excess over the ordinary
L
146 MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT, 1805 chap.
1805. quota, or, in other words, to the actual strength of the
Supplementary Militia in each county. Not more than
one non-commissioned officer for every twenty men was
to be accepted (sec. 2). The Commanding Officer of
every Militia regiment was empowered to ascertain how
many of his men were ready to enlist, and if their
number equalled four-fifths of the full quota permitted
to enlist, then these could be handed over to the
Regulars at once, and no more could be claimed (sec.
3). (The object of this last provision seems to have
been to reward Colonels who stimulated their men to
enlist, by taking fewer men away from them.) Again
the Commanding Officers of the Militia might set apart
any number not exceeding one-half of the original quota
of a regiment, complete with non-commissioned officers,
and forbid them to be enlisted (sec. 4). (This was
doubtless intended as a sop to reconcile the officers to the
weakening of their battalions.) Commanding Officers
were also empowered to refuse to discharge any Militia-
man upon due cause shown (sec. 16) ; no drummer,
musician, clerk, or armourer could be enlisted without
their consent (sec. 14) ; no men could be enlisted at all
unless duly discharged by Commanding Officers from
their regiments (sec. 10) ; and enlistment of men not
duly discharged was strictly forbidden (sec. 17). The
men enlisted were not to be under 5 feet 4 inches in
height, nor above thirty-five years of age (sec. 5). If
four-fifths of the allotted quota were not ready to enlist,
the Commanding Officer was to read out to the battalion
the terms of enlistment and explain them, and on the
next day call on the men to come forward. If more
than the appointed number offered themselves, they
were to be reduced to the required number by ballot
(sec. 6). If less than the appointed number came
forward, the Commanding Officer was to open a book
in which for ten days men might cause their names to be
inscribed. At the close of the ten days the terms were
to be again explained and the names of the men enlisted
forwarded to the Clerk of the General Meeting. If the
Ill COST OF MILITIA RECRUITS 147
number of enlistments still fell short of the appointed 1805.
tale, the process was repeated for another ten days, after
which all further effort was to be abandoned (sec. 7).
The recruits were allowed to choose their own regi-
ments, were entitled to a bounty of ten guineas (sec. 10),
and were not to be drafted from their chosen corps
without their own consent (sec. 20). Non-commis-
sioned officers retained their rank upon enlisting into
the Line, though they might be reduced to the ranks
for misconduct ; but no sergeant or corporal could
enlist as such into the Artillery (sec. 13).
Under this Act 10,696 Militiamen^ passed into the
Regular Army between the loth of April and the 26 th
of June, four-fifths of them into the Infantry, and about
one-tenth (to the huge indignation of many Regular
officers) into the Marines. It is noticeable that neither
Middlesex nor Surrey contributed a man to these
figures ; and that Kent with two battalions of Militia
supplied but eleven men. Assuming that these Militia-
men received, one with another, ^20 to serve as substi-
tutes, their net cost to the country in bounties before
they could be finally bribed to enter the Regular Army
amounted to some ^^ 3 30,000. Had they been enlisted
directly in 1803 they would have been obtained for one
half of that sum. However, by these means, and by
contributions from the Army of Reserve, the effective
strength of the Regular Army, infantry and cavalry,
rose from 152,000 on the ist of May to 159,000 on the
I St of June ; and in view of the steady ripening of the
Coalition of Russia, Austria, and Prussia against France,
Pitt decided to take the offensive.
IV
It was characteristic of the man that he could not
bring himself to direct the whole of his available force
1 But another return in W. O. Mi/a, E.B., dated 5th June, gives
the figure at 170 sergeants, 236 corporals, 10,755 ™c"- Total,
11,161.
148 MEDITERRANEAN EXPEDITION chap.
1805. against any one point. Past experience might have
warned him against frittering away his troops in small
detachments ; but even before he came back to office he
had foreshadowed a division of his forces between the
north of Germany and the south of Italy ; ^ and to
these expeditions was now added a third to the Cape
of Good Hope.
The first of these armaments was that designed for
the Mediterranean, which seems to have been under
consideration as early as February, and was actually
despatched in April, before the drafting of the Militia-
men into the Line. It consisted of rather fewer than
5000 men under Sir James Craig, and was destined
primarily for the protection of Sicily, but secondarily to
join the Russians in operations for the defence of Naples,
to occupy Alexandria, to defend Sardinia, or even to
capture Minorca. Napoleon's comment upon it was
as follows : " The celebrated secret expedition entered
Lisbon on the 7 th of May and left it on the loth.
Whither is it bound ? That's the problem. My
opinion is that the only reasonable thing it can do is to
capture the Cape or reinforce Jamaica or the Windward
Islands. If it is destined for Malta [its actual destina-
tion in the first instance] all the better. Nothing can
better prove the folly (jneptie) of the English Cabinet ;
for these combined continental movements founded on
a few thousand men are pygmy combinations. If there-
fore you find that the expedition is gone to Malta, you
may rub your hands (rejouissez vous), for the English
will have deprived themselves of 6000 (sic) men and of
a certain number of ships." ^ This force in the Medi-
terranean, it may be added, did little profitable work
from the beginning to the end of the war. The one of
its achievements which is remembered is the battle of
^ Stanhope's Life of Pitt, iv, 223-224.
2 Corres. de Napoleon, ^7^7- Robert Craufurd's criticism in
the House of Commons was precisely to the same effect — Craig's
force was larger than was wanted for defensive purposes and too
small to take the offensive.
Ill EXPEDITION TO THE CAPE 149
Maida in 1806, a brilliant action which might have been 1805.
turned to great account had not both the General and
the Admiral concerned been shallow impostors.
The expedition to the Cape had been originally
designed to reinforce the West Indies, in consequence
of Villeneuve's abortive raid on the Windward Islands.
It was not ready until the end of May ; and mean-
while Nelson's pursuit of the French Admiral made the
despatch of a force to the Antilles unnecessary. At
the end of July, therefore, its destination was altered to
the Cape of Good Hope. It numbered rather more
than 6000 men under Sir David Baird ; and, reaching
the Cape after a very tedious passage, compelled the
Dutch to yield up the Colony on the i8th of January
1806. This object accomplished, Baird was persuaded
by the Commodore, Sir Home Popham, to lend him a
battalion for an absurd expedition to Buenos Ayres,
which, as shall presently be seen, entangled England,
much against the wishes of the Government, in unprofit-
able operations in that quarter.
Meanwhile during the spring and summer of 1805
England awaited Napoleon's attack with breathless
suspense. Towards the end of June confidence in the
security of the British Isles seems to have been pretty
firmly established ; but Robert Craufurd warned the
Commons that the danger was not yet passed. The
enemy, he said, might draw off our naval force to the
West Indies, and, hurrying back to Europe, gain
temporary command of the Channel, capture the anchor-
age of the Downs, and bring their army over. Mr.
Bragge, the Secretary at War, answered this by a smile,
whereupon Craufurd retorted that the plan had actually
been proposed by the Marquis de Bouille to Count de
Grasse in 178 1, before the battle of the Saints. It is
curious that Craufurd should actually have divined
Napoleon's intentions.^ Once indeed, on the night
of the 15th of August, when some burning rape-
straw was mistaken for a beacon, a false alarm was
1 H.D. Commons, 28th June 1805.
I50 NAPOLEON'S MARCH TO ULM chap.
1805. given, and all the forces in Derbyshire and the West
Riding of York at once got under arms. The behaviour
of the Volunteers generally on this occasion was most
praiseworthy. The Rotherham infantry in particular, a
battalion nearly six hundred strong, was at its appointed
rendezvous, with all its waggons and every man present,
within twelve hours, having made a march of twenty-
two miles.^ But Napoleon was never really in a condi-
tion to execute his project. He had started on the
wrong lines by constructing a flotilla of vessels which
were designed to be both fighting ships and transports,
but answered the purpose of neither. The difficulty of
bringing these small craft to the ports of the Channel in
the face of the British cruisers was very formidable, and
even when assembled there they could not, despite of
much money spent on improving the harbours, put
to sea in less than two tides. The distribution of the
troops among these boats was indeed settled upon paper,
but except on paper it was absurd. The great man's
orders to his fleets had also been faulty ; and as a matter
of fact he never had more than 90,000 troops ready for
immediate embarkation. Upon the failure of his fleets
to clear the Channel, therefore, he broke up his camp at
Boulogne and marched on the 28 th of August for the
Danube, covering his failure by a number of letters
wherein he laid the blame for all shortcomings upon
his Admirals.
Shortly afterwards Austria and Russia declared war
upon France. On the 21st of October Napoleon gained
his first signal success against the Austrians at Ulm ;
and having captured Vienna, marched into Moravia to
combat the Russians and the remnant of the Austrians
which lay at Austerlitz. The issue of the struggle
depended upon the part that should be played by
Prussia ; and a special embassy was sent from London
to Berlin urging King Frederick William to throw in
his lot with the Allies and to crush Napoleon once for
1 I.D. vol. Ixxv. Lt.-Col. Jebb (Derby) to S.S. 4th Sept.; vol.
xcli, Yorks W.R., B. Frank to S.S. 17th, 19th, 28th Aug. 1805.
Ill THE KING'S GERMAN LEGION 151
all. The King of Sweden, whose hatred of the Emperor 1805.
of the French amounted to a mania, had assembled a
few troops in Pomerania. Hanover, though occupied
by French troops, had shown strong attachment to her
lawful sovereign ; and it was imagined that, even if
Prussia held aloof, the Swedes, together with a corps of
Russians recently disembarked from the Baltic, might,
with the aid of yet another corps from England,
operate on the north-eastern frontier of Holland, and
make a powerful diversion against the French in
Moravia.
The corps from England, thanks to the blunders
of Addington and Pitt, was not likely to be a very
formidable one ; but it chanced that at this time the
Government had the good fortune to meet with a
windfall. Immediately upon the declaration of war
in 1803 the French had invaded Hanover and com-
pelled, under a convention, the disbandment of the
Hanoverian army. Burning with shame and indigna-
tion, both officers and men sought to pass over to England
in order to form themselves anew into regiments and
fight for their sovereign. The scheme was eagerly
encouraged by King George ; and in August 1 803
authority was given for the formation of a King's
German Regiment, which by November had expanded
into a King's German Legion. The corps grew apace,
so that by the end of December 1 804 it had grown to
two regiments of cavalry, five batteries of artillery, and
six battalions of infantry ; and within a year the six
battalions had been increased to nine. And these were
no mere mercenaries like the Hessians whom England
had hired in the eighteenth century. They were not
only excellent soldiers under excellent officers, but
spirited, patriotic men, devotedly loyal to their King,
and thirsting to avenge the humiliation thrust upon
them by a pusillanimous commander in 1 803.
Thus it was that Pitt, besides his detachments to
the Mediterranean, was actually able to send a small
expedition to Germany in the winter of 1805. A first
152 EXPEDITION TO THE WESER chap.
1805. division of 11,000 men sailed in November from the
Downs to Cuxhaven under General Don, and took
post on the Lower Weser, the Russians having already
stationed themselves higher up the river ; and in
December Lord Cathcart, following with the rest of the
force, found himself, by January 1 806, in command of
over 26,000 men, without counting nearly 3000, who
had been wrecked or driven back by a storm. In all,
therefore, Pitt had sent out some 30,000 troops, 16,000
of them British, to North Germany, but unfortunately too
late. On the 2nd of December the battle of Austerlitz
was fought, which put an end to all hopes of a diver-
sion in favour of Moravia. Prussia, by a fatal error,
had kept herself aloof from the struggle ; and the Tsar,
by a still more fatal error, after the defeat of Austerlitz,
put his troops in North Germany under the command
of the King of Prussia. Strong hints reached Cathcart
from Berlin that he would do well to leave the country,
and in February 1806 he re-embarked his whole force
for England. Prussia must be held mainly responsible
for this fiasco ; and yet it should be observed that if
Cathcart's troops had been sent to reinforce Craig,
they would have retained their power to act with
effect whatever the issue of Austerlitz.
However, the troops were at least intact ; and if
the Permanent Additional Force Act had fulfilled Pitt's
hopes, there would have been fair prospect of really
telling operations in 1806. But nothing could
galvanise that unhappy measure into life. After a year
of disappointment Ministers sent another circular, on
the 1 6th of September, to the Lords-Lieutenant, request-
ing full details of their proceedings with regard to
the execution of the Act, and offering a new scale of
rewards for recruits. The reward for recruiting parties
for the Regular Army was raised from ^^3 : 3s. to
;^5 : I2S. for every approved recruit. ^^4 : 4s. also was
offered for every man enlisted for the Permanent
Reserve by order of the Commanding Officers of Regular
battalions; and ^^4 : 4s. in lieu of ^^i : is. to parish
HI
PITT'S RECRUITING ACT
^S3
officers, of which £i : is. was to be paid to the actual
bringer of the recruit.^ The object herein was stated
to be that parish-officers should be able to offisr to all
persons who enlisted men for them the same sum as
was appointed by the King's regulations for the Regular
Army, namely ^2:12:6. The liberality and advantages
of this plan, as of former plans, were dwelt upon at exces-
sive length, and the terror of the fine upon the parish
was exhibited for the tenth time in naked and painful
contrast to the temptations of the bounty. Nothing,
however, could stir the apathy of the parochial officers ;
wherefore, after a preliminary call for returns from the
1 Scale of Distribution of Rewards for Recruits
Bounties to the Recruit.
On attesting .
On approval by
officer
On final approval
recruiting"\
m money
." "
in necessaries
in money
in necessaries
For Recruits
raised by
Militia
Officers and
Regiments.
£4- 4
14
Total to recruits themselves
;Ci2
Bounties to Recruiting Parties.
To the recruiting officer on approval by the"i
receiving officer or headquarters of regiment j
To the party on final approval.
To the bringer of a recruit (whether of the"\
party or not) on intermediate approval j
To the party receiving a final approval .
To parish officers (who will pay the bringer 1
at their discretion) on intermediate approval/
Total levy money
o i6
o 15 6*
■212 6
^16 16 o
For Recruits
raised by
Parish
Officers.
;C4 4 O
o 12 o
5 14 o
2 2 O
£12 12
I I O
3 3 o
£\6 16 o
I
* Not allowed for recruits raised at headquarters of regiments, but
one shilling in lieu for attesting.
Men volunteering for general service on being approved at
regimental headquarters will receive bounty of . . ;^9 9 o
Bringers of such volunteers will receive . . . ;^i i o
1805.
154 PITT'S RECRUITING ACT FAILS chap.
1805. peccant parishes, Government proceeded to analysis of
their contents. It then appeared that of all the men
obtained under the Act, three-fifths had been produced
by ten counties, and two-fifths by eighty-one remaining
counties of the United Kingdom ; and, further, that
five-sixths of the whole had been supplied by twenty
counties, while among the rest, twenty-five actually
had not furnished a man.^ The reasons put forward to
account for this failure of the Act were various ; though
all the Lieutenants concurred in the opinion that the
parish-officers, from ignorance and negligence, had made
but indifferent recruiting agents.
But some few of the Lieutenants gave details which
were the reverse of reassuring. From Perth it was
reported that the bounty offered was too low — a com-
plaint echoed by practically every county — that no
liberal provision was made for the families of the
Permanent Additional Force, as had been made for
the Militia and for the Army of Reserve, that there
was want of individual interest in the levy, and that
there was a great demand for labour by manufacturers.'-^
The Lieutenant of Edinburgh explained that, among
other discouragements, men had not been allowed to select
their own regiments.^ Caithness pleaded exhaustion
owing to the numbers of recruits taken for the new
battalions of the Seventy-eighth and Seventy-ninth.*
The Lieutenant of Caermarthen reminded the Govern-
ment that in the American War a battalion had been
raised in his county and had been sent to Goree, from
which not a private returned home, and added that in
Merthyr-Tydvil there were to be found not only high
wages, but total impunity for all deserters, no man
daring to execute the King's warrant therein.^ In other
counties, again, there was conclusive evidence of evasion
1 Circular to Ls.L. 31st Dec. 1805.
2 I.D. vol. Ixxxvi. L.L. Perth, to S.S. 19th Nov. 1805.
8 Ibid. vol. Ixxvi. L.L. Edinburgh, to S.S. ist Oct. 1805.
* Ibid. vol. Ixxi. L.L. Caithness, to S.S. 9th Oct. 1805.
^ Ibid. vol. Ixxi. L.L. Caermarthen, to S.S. 22nd Oct. 1 805.
Ill PITT'S RECRUITING ACT FAILS 155
on the part of the authorities. In Cornwall the magis- 1805-6.
trates assessed the penalties due from the parishes for
failing to produce recruits, but professed themselves
unable to find any authority in the Act for enforcing
those penalties.^ In Hampshire the parish officers, after
calculating their probable losses by desertion, decided to
raise no men but to pay their fines, as the lesser of two
evils.^ In London also the parish officers, finding that
they were outbidden by recruiting parties for the
Regular Army, made up their minds to pay their fines
without more ado, hinting at the same time that the
crimps were purposely starving the market.^ It is,
however, clear that there was no general combination
of crimps throughout the kingdom, for the county of
Anglesey appears to have ofl^ered £10 2i head for recruits
to one of the fraternity at Manchester ;* and indeed
Robert Craufurd said openly in the House of Commons
that out of 4000 men raised under the Act by June
1805, 2292 had been obtained by payments to crimps.^
Altogether the reports were not encouraging, but
Pitt would not yet give up his favourite scheme ; and
on the 31st of December a last circular was sent to the
Lords-Lieutenant announcing that intelligent military
officers would be sent round to all the parishes to relieve
the Deputy-Lieutenants of the irksome duty of instruct-
ing the parochial authorities as to the execution of the
Act ; and asking that a competent civilian might be
chosen in each county to accompany and assist them.
Such, however, was the disgust inspired by the Act that
even this innocent request was ill received in some
quarters. The Lieutenant of Berkshire replied that no
man in the county, whose assistance was worth having,
would give cordial help in the matter ; and the Lieu-
tenant of Sussex observed curtly that as the failure of
1 I.D. vol. xcv. L.L. Cornwall, to S.S. 27th Feb. 1806.
2 Ibid. vol. xcviii. L.L. Hants, to S.S. 4th Jan, 1 806.
3 Ibid. vol. c. L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. ist Oct. 1806.
4 Ibid. vol. Ixxii. C.G.M. Carnarvon, to S.S. 6th Nov. 1805.
^ H.D. Commons, 28th June 1805.
156 TREATY OF PRESSBURG chap.
1805-6. the Permanent Additional Force Act in his county was
due to scarcity of men, the despatch of a military officer
would only be a useless expense.^
This, however, was the expiring struggle of the
unfortunate measure, which, none the less, the authori-
ties at the Horse Guards pronounced to be the most
valuable that had ever been produced. For in the first
place it connected the Army with the country, and in
the second permanently established second battalions
for all the regiments of the Line that were serving
abroad.^ Then on the 23rd of January Pitt died, and
his administration gave place to the " Ministry of all
the Talents " under the presidency of Lord Grenville.
The war department was entrusted to Windham, the
great advocate of short service and the uncompromising
enemy of the Volunteers, who entered upon his new
functions on the 5th of February 1806. Thus it was
evident that great changes of military policy would
certainly ensue ; and it will be well, therefore, to review
the situation at the moment.
In the first place, all immediate danger of invasion
had been banished by the total defeat of the French and
Spanish fleets at Trafalgar on the 21st of October 1805.
But, on the other hand, the European Coalition had
been broken up. Austria, heavily defeated at Ulm
and Austerlitz, withdrew from the struggle immediately
after the latter action, and on the 26th of December
agreed to the humiliating Treaty of Pressburg. The
Tsar, though mightily discouraged, was determined to
fight in Polish territory, having been excluded from
that of Austria under an armistice preliminary to the
Treaty. But as the disaster of Ulm had caused the
hasty withdrawal of the Austrians from Upper Italy,
1 I.D. vol. xciv. L.L. Berks, to S.S. 8th Jan. 1806; vol. cii.
L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 3rd Jan. 1806.
2 Military Transactions, Supplement, pp. 3-4.
Ill STATE OF THE ARMY, 1806 157
so that of Austerlitz had forced the Tsar to recall from 1 806.
Naples the small corps with which Craig had hoped to
co-operate ; and the detachment under Craig's orders
was obliged therefore to stand on the defensive in Sicily.
All offensive movements in the Mediterranean, on this
account, were for the present paralysed. It depended
mainly upon the attitude of Prussia whether an effective
field for offensive operations could be found in Northern
Europe, though in point of fact no better sphere could
have been selected than that of Italy, which lay per-
fectly open and ready.
The effective strength of the Army on the 17 th of
March 1806 was, including artillery, 192,372 ; of
which 165,790 were engaged for general service, and
the rest for home service only.^ The cavalry at this
time consisted, over and above the Blues and Life
Guards, of thirty-two regiments of Dragoon Guards
and Dragoons, to which must be added five regiments
of the King's German Legion.
The infantry counted three regiments (seven
battalions) of Guards, one hundred numbered regiments
of the Line, three Garrison Battalions,'^ nine Veteran
Battalions, six independent corps specially formed for
garrisons in West Africa, New South Wales, and Canada,
and the Royal Staff Corps. The above were all
European troops, and to them may be added nine foreign
battalions, besides the ten battalions of the King's
German Legion.
There were, further, eight West India Regiments
and four independent West Indian companies.
The artillery numbered 17,927 of all ranks, over
1 These figures are from Castlereagh's speech of 3rd April. I
use them because they include the artillery ; but they do not tally
with the official returns in Military Transactions, and I do not
think that the omission of the artillery in the latter accounts for
the difference. The returns show a grand total of 185,701, of
which 167,701 engaged for general service.
2 These had been made up of the sixteen Reserve battalions,
consisting of boys and worn-out old men recruited for the Army of
Reserve.
158 STATE OF THE ARMY, 1806 chap.
1806. and above five recendy created batteries of the King's
German Legion.
Of the cavalry five regiments only were abroad, four
out of the five being in India. The remainder were all
at home, the King's German Legion being among them.
Of the Infantry fifty British battalions, over and
above all foreign and provincial corps, were quartered
in the West Indies, in Canada, the Mediterranean, the
Cape, and Ceylon. Twenty more were in India. Of
the foreign corps one battalion was in India, and the
remainder in the Mediterranean. The British troops
abroad were, generally speaking, the best in the Army ;
and their effective strength on the 17th of March 1806
was 67,033, or 24,910 short of establishment.
In the United Kingdom there were, besides the Guards,
106 Regular battalions and corps, from which, however,
must be deducted eleven Garrison and Veteran Battalions,
as well as sixty-three feeble second battalions recently
formed out of the Army of Reserve and the Permanent
Additional Force. These last were still very weak and
raw, and for the most part were not bound to serve
out of the British Isles. In all, from the beginning of
the war up to March 1806, 23,370 men had volunteered
into the Regular Army from the Army of Reserve and
the Permanent Additional Force, and 14,271 from the
Militia; and during the years 1803, 1804, and 1805,
23,860 recruits had been raised by ordinary recruiting,
making a total of 60,000 Regular troops of less than
three years' service.-' On the other hand there could
be set against these, six mature and three young
battalions of the King's German Legion.
Altogether the Regular force at home, British and
foreign, numbered 22,501 cavalry, and 60,241 infantry,
recruited for general service ; and 1 8,002 infantry
^ Returns in C.^. Appendix 12 to vol. Ixi. The last return
(p. 630) gives the number of men raised for unlimited service, without
specifying whether they wrere raised by ordinary recruiting or not,
but I gather from other evidence that the list there given refers to
ordinary recruiting only.
Ill WINDHAM'S REFORMS 159
recruited for service at home only ; making in all 1 806.
100,744, or, including artillery, 110,000 men. The
cavalry was 8820, and the infantry of all kinds 22,501
short of establishment. Besides these there were
75,152 effective Militia, or 8000 deficient of the estab-
lishment, and 350,000 nominally effective Volunteers.
Hence, if means could be provided for making good
the wastage of war, it may be said that England at the
beginning of 1806 possessed a striking force of from
40,000 to 50,000 men ; for by withdrawing some of
Craig's battahons from Sicily and Malta, or, better still,
by adding 40,000 men from England to them in
the Mediterranean, not far short of 50,000 men might
have been put into the field.
It was to the problem of keeping the ranks of the
Army filled by some permanent system that Windham
addressed himself. Hitherto he had been merely a
bitter critic of the methods of Addington and Pitt, and,
so far as destructive criticism went, he had a good
case, for both ballot and parochial recruiting as enforced
by his predecessors had failed with ignominy. But he
had also adumbrated the principles which should govern
his own action if he should be called upon to take
their place, and upon his accession to office he did not
shrink from putting his ideas into force. " We have
made it our first object to make an Army," he said in
the House of Commons on the 3rd of April. " Hitherto
measures have been taken to create not an Army but a
substitute for an Army. . . . An Army must be made
by force or by choice. Compulsory service on every
ballotted man would not be borne ; therefore force must
be abandoned for choice ; and choice so far has been
stimulated by bounties. But bounties mean that the pay
and condition of the soldier are not the trade-value of
his service ; and our recruiting service can never rest
on a proper basis until the necessity for bounties has
ceased. Men receive no premium for other callings ;
they pay one. The Army therefore must be made an
eligible calling or voluntary enlistment fails."
i6o WINDHAM'S REFORMS chap.
1806. After this preamble he discussed the means of
making it an eligible calling. High pay, though the
only certain method of ensuring his object, he rejected
as economically impossible ; but there remained encour-
agements, rewards, and short service. As to encourage-
ments, the dignity of the Service had been impaired by
the Volunteers, but there was still the resource of a
generous provision for aged and disabled soldiers. As
to rewards, he considered that they had been too much
neglected in favour of rigorous discipline which drove
men to desertion ; and to enforce this point he reminded
the House that of 13,000 men raised under Pitt's Addi-
tional Force Act 2800 had deserted. Apart from this,
however, looking to the unpopularity of service in the
West Indies, he advocated an additional allowance to
men serving in the Colonies. But the reform upon
which he relied above all others was short service, which
both he and Robert Craufurd had already frequently
pressed upon the Government. To this end he pro-
posed that men should be enlisted first for seven years,
such being the usual term of apprenticeship, and should
enjoy the usual privilege on discharge of exercising their
trade wherever they wished. If at the close of his first
term a man was ready to re-engage for a second period
of seven years, he was to receive extra pay of sixpence a
week and be entitled after fourteen years' service to a
pension for life. If he re-engaged for a third term his
extra pay was to be raised to one shilling a week, and at
the end of twenty-one years' service he was to be assured
of a full Chelsea pension of one shilling a day. Incident-
ally Windham proposed to increase the whole of the
Chelsea allowances, so that the first class of pension
should be worth a shilling a day, the second ninepence,
and the third sixpence. The grand difficulty, namely
that of men whose service expired abroad in time of war,
he proposed to face boldly by enacting that Commanding
Officers should be empowered to retain them for six
months beyond their term and for no longer, at the
end of which period they were to be entitled to their
Ill SHORT SERVICE i6i
discharge and to a free passage home. As to the existing 1 806.
Army, the intention was to discharge no man until he
had completed his twenty-one years, but to grant the
additional sixpence a week to all who had served more
than seven and less than fourteen years, and the
additional shilling to all who had served more than
fourteen and less than twenty-one years.
The scheme was a bold one, but it came as less of a
surprise than might have been expected, for the Duke
of York had circulated a sketch of it, with some modi-
fications, in June 1804, to fourteen General Officers,
seven of whom could be reckoned the most distin-
guished men in the Army. Their replies differed very
greatly. General Hewett, the Inspector-General of
Recruiting, strongly opposed it, alleging the difficulty
and expense of supplying foreign garrisons and prefer-
ring the system, favoured by Pitt, of establishing a Per-
manent Reserve of 70,000 men, of whom 20,000 might
be induced to volunteer annually into the Line.
General Fox, the brother of Charles James, on the other
hand, seconded the proposal, opining that desertion
would be less frequent and the service less unpopular if
men returned to their friends young and well, instead of
reappearing only as worn-out cripples at Chelsea and
Kilmainham. He did not fear any injury to discipline,
believing that the soldier, being better contented, would
be more subordinate. Incidentally he mentioned that
very cruel and severe punishments had been disused
from about 1775 ^^^^^ about 1798, when they had
reappeared and seemed likely to increase.
Lord Harrington confessed that he had been opposed
to short service, but had been converted to it by the
practice in the East India Company's Army and the
French Army. Sir David Dundas, upon the whole,
favoured short service, but would not allow men to be
discharged in time of war ; and Lord Cornwallis took
much the same view. General Whitelocke, who had
enjoyed considerable experience of recruiting, was
decidedly for the change. Sir James Pulteney, a quaint
M
1 62 SHORT SERVICE chap.
1806. but shrewd old soldier of great experience, thought that
short service would undoubtedly be better in time of
peace, but not in the field. Lord Mulgrave advocated
short service upon every account, and particularly for
the likelihood that it would attract a better class of
man ; and Lord Moira, probably the only man in the
Army who was of the calibre of Moore and Wellesley,
summed up uncompromisingly in its favour. So also did
Sir James Craig, though he did not think that it would
solve the problem of keeping the ranks full in time of
war. Lord Chatham, who, when he took the trouble,
could both think and write, reviewed the proposal
thoughtfully, and decided against it as likely to be pro-
hibitive in regard to expense and prejudicial alike to esprit
de corps and to discipline, especially in the matter of non-
commissioned officers. Sir John Moore condemned
the proposal utterly, anticipating much evil and no good
from it. " If," he said, " limited service and enormous
bounties could tempt men to enlist, would the Army of
Reserve and the Permanent Additional Force be incom-
plete now } " No change (such was his conclusion) in
terms of enlistment would obtain men who could not be
got without it. Nevertheless he admitted that compulsory
service, if enforced, should be limited as to time. Finally,
the veteran Lord Grey thought that short service might
answer as a temporary expedient, but was convinced
that it would not produce as good soldiers as service for
life.^
Windham in summing up these opinions said that
seven out of the fourteen answers were in favour of the
reform, six against it, and one doubtful. In the House
of Commons Colonel Thomas Graham, the future Lord
Lynedoch, spoke with approval of it ; but the most
striking testimony was adduced by Lord de Blaquiere,
who stated that in 1759 ^^ ^^"^ helped to raise the 17th
Light Dragoons, and, finding no law to prevent him, had
enlisted the men for three years. In 1762 he re-enlisted
^ These opinions were printed in Military Transactions, Supple-
ment to vol. i.
Ill REPEAL OF PITT'S ACT 163
the whole of them, except two, for a bounty of two 1806.
guineas, and finally re-enlisted them a third time in
1775 before they went out to America, where, as he said,
they fought like lions.^
It was, however, necessary as part of Windham's
scheme that Pitt's Additional Force Act should be
repealed, and it was over this issue that the dead states-
man's friends rallied to the fight. Castlereagh declared
that the Act was only just beginning to be understood,
that during the first ten weeks it had produced 300 men
a week, and was furnishing men at the rate of 1 6,000 a
year, though not yet enforced in more than half of the
counties.^ Generals Pulteney and Tarleton also defended
it ; but Fox declared it to be miserably bad. " Where I
live," he said, "it has never been acted on, within five miles
of the Commander-in-Chief. It was absurd and imprac-
ticable, and therefore not executed." He added, with
not unfair sarcasm, that it had taken its own framers
eighteen months to understand it and put it into opera-
tion.^ Wilberforce adverted to its total failure in the
North and West Ridings of York, where not a man had
been raised. A Mr. Hawthorne averred that the men
had only been obtained by crimps and through flagrant
breaches of the law, and that the circular to the
Lords-Lieutenant of the 31st of December to all intent
sanctioned both practices. Castlereagh tried hard to
stem the torrent by adducing the case of Leicestershire,
which, he maintained, had raised two hundred men at a
much cheaper rate than those of the Army of Reserve.
Mr. Babington, himself from Leicestershire, thereupon
explained that these two hundred men were undersized
boys who had been purchased from recruiting officers at
five guineas a head. In fact there was no good defence
1 H.D. Commons, 17th April 1806.
2 Perceval {H.D. 18th April) gave the following figures. The
Additional Force Act had produced
258 men a week, equal to 13,200 men a year, in last 15 weeks
277 „ „ „ 14,600 „ „ „ 10 „
356 « „ „ 18,000 „ „ „ 5 „
3 H.D. Commons, 3rd April 1806.
1 64 WINDHAM'S ARMY REFORMS chap.
1806. to be made out for the unfortunate Act, and its repeal,
together with that of the Army of Reserve Act, was
carried with little real difficulty.^ The fines paid or
due by parishes for men deficient of their quota were
also refunded, or remitted by the repealing of the Act ;
and this was a sensible measure, for they amounted
in all to ^1,800,000,^ a sum which could never have
been collected. Thus then Windham abjured all the
expedients hitherto tried for the recruiting of the
Army, and fell back upon voluntary enlistment alone,
backed by short service.
The discussion upon this important subject found its
place on the second reading of the Mutiny Act, but
there was little worth noting in the debate. Windham
dwelt upon three principal points only. The first was
positive, namely, the benefit to the Army of attracting,
as he trusted, a better class of recruit. The second and
third were negative. He maintained that the loss of
men discharged would not be serious ; and that, judging
by the experience of the East India Company's Army, it
would not be a formidable inconvenience. Finally, the
first term of service was fixed at seven years for the
infantry, ten years for the cavalry, and twelve for the
artillery, provided that the King should for so long
require the recruits' services ; to which Commanding
Officers on any foreign station could add six months
and no more, at their discretion, and the King could
add three years by proclamation ; the latter period,
however, to determine in any case within six months
of the signature of a definite treaty of peace. Further,
men of less than eighteen years of age were not to
begin to reckon their term of service until they were
eighteen (46 Geo. III. c. 66^ Schedules A, B).
The final regulations in amplification of the Act were
not issued until 7th October 1806, when the terms were
fixed as follows : —
Infantry could engage and re-engage for three
1 46 Geo. III. c. 51, 23rd May 1806.
2 Military Transactions, Supplement, p. 11.
Ill WINDHAM'S ARMY REFORMS 165
distinct periods, each of seven years ; cavalry for three 1 806.
distinct periods of ten years, seven years, and seven
years ; artillery for three periods of twelve years, five
years, and five years. No man could re-enlist until
within twelve months of the end of his first period
of service, or until within two years of the expiration
of his second period. No man could re-enlist into
another regiment until completely discharged from the
first. The period of service could be extended for six
months by the Commanding Officer of any colony or
station abroad, and by the King, in respect of all men
serving either at home or abroad, until six months
after the signature of a definite treaty of peace, provided
that such extension of service should in no case exceed
three years. Men concluding their last period of service
could not be called upon to serve for more than six
months after its expiration. No man could be drafted
to another regiment without his own consent. Every two
years of service in the East or West Indies were to count
as three. Every man who had earned his discharge was
entitled to a free passage home, and to marching-
money to carry him from the place of discharge to his
own dwelling. The pay of corporals and privates in
the cavalry was to be raised by one penny a day upon their
re-engagement for a second term, and again for a third
term of service. The pension to all ranks of non-com-
missioned officers and to privates after completion of
their second term was fivepence a day. At the con-
clusion of the third term sergeants could retire on is. to
IS. lod.; corporals on is. to is. 6d.; and privates on
IS. a day. If they served beyond their third period,
they were entitled to an extra halfpenny a day.
However, in case the supply of recruits thus obtain-
able should fail, or, as Windham put it, because " a
custom had grown up for Irish Militiamen to enter the
Line," an Act was passed to enable Volunteers from the
Irish Militia to enlist in the Army (46 Geo. III. c. 1 24,
2 1st July 1806). Hereby the King was empowered to
allow Volunteers from the Militia to enlist in the Line
1 66 WINDHAM'S MILITIA REFORMS chap.
1806. during twenty days in each year after the 24th of July
(sees. I, 2). The proportion was not to exceed fifteen
men for every company annually (sec. 7), and if a
greater number offered themselves, the Commanding
Officer might select among them which he would let go
and which he would retain (sec. 9). The establishment
of the Irish Militia being at the time 26,480, this source
of recruiting, if the full number of men volunteered,
would bring in close upon 4000 men annually.
Next Windham dealt with the Militia, which he
declared to be our true army for home defence, and for
that service equal to any part of our force. The one
change which he purposed to institute was to continue
the suspension of the ballot, and to rely upon a limited
bounty to produce sufficient recruits. An Act was there-
fore passed (46 Geo. III. cap. 91, i6th July 1 806) for the
return of corrected lists of persons liable to serve in the
Militia, and to suspend the ballot for two years. This
enacted simply that new lists should be made out (sees.
1-5) ; and that as the Militia still exceeded the original
quota fixed by the Act of 1802, the ballot should be
suspended for two years (sec. 6). But powers were
reserved to the King to cause deficiencies in that
original quota to be made good by the ballot at any
time (sec. 7).
VI
Finally, Windham attacked the great question of
the Volunteers ; and here he was absolutely uncom-
promising. He admitted that, when the Levy en Masse
Act was passed, the difficulty of enforcing it had made
him favour a voluntary system. But it would have been
a very different system to that which was actually
adopted. He would have scattered depots of arms and
schools of instruction all over the country, and trained
the mass of the people simply to fire and hit their
mark. This would have been far cheaper than the
existing arrangement, which was exceedingly expensive,
and moreover locked up recruits who might have been
Ill WINDHAM'S VOLUNTEER REFORMS 167
brought into the Regulars. He would have encouraged 1806.
the Volunteer Associations to arm and discipline them-
selves at their own expense ; but the mass of the people
he would have had loosely trained, so as to make
useful recruits for the Regular Army. Another matter
also needed to be set right, namely, section 26 of the
Volunteer Consolidation Act, which gave rank to
officers of Volunteers and Yeomanry next to those of
Militia or the Regular Army of the same grade. This
cheapening of military rank had caused great discontent.
Craufurd, it must be mentioned, in a previous debate
had adduced the case of a retailer of tarts and cheese-
cakes, who, being a Colonel of Volunteers, was authorised
to give orders to Lieutenant-Colonels commanding
Regular battalions. " Such a man," he said, *' might
be very superior to such officers in civil life, but not in
military ; and yet if a General of a brigade were killed
in action, the command of the brigade might devolve
upon the vendor of pastry." ^ All such nonsense as
this Windham intended to bring summarily to an end
by enacting that in no case should an officer of the
Yeomanry or Volunteers take rank above field-officers
of the Regulars or Militia. An Act of one section
(46 Geo. in. cap. 125) to this effect was accordingly
passed on the 21st of July.
There remained the problem of reducing the expense
of the Volunteers, a problem which needed to be faced
at once, for the private subscriptions were nearly ex-
hausted, and it was plain most of the corps must lean
wholly upon the Government in a little while. Windham
admitted that the reduction must be gradual ; and there-
fore proposed to begin by diminishing their allowances,
cutting off their pay and granting them privileges in
return. This would, of course, lead to a curtailment of
their numbers, but even if a Volunteer corps were dis-
banded the men remained. First, therefore, he would
reduce the eighty-five days' training in the year to
twenty-six, and lessen the pecuniary grants to the
1 H.D. Commons, 28th June 1805, Craufurd's speech.
m
i68 NATIONAL TRAINING BILL chap.
1806. Yeomanry by reducing the pay of the officers, and the
allowances both for drill sergeants and for permanent
duty. As to the Volunteers he would give them clothing
for the current year, but would not promise it for the
following year. The principle upon which he meant
to work was that Volunteers should not exist except at
their own expense. No men who accepted more than
arms and accoutrements from the Government were
worthy of the name of Volunteers ; and nothing in
future was to exempt a man from national training
unless he became such a Volunteer.
Next, as to the national training itself, it must be
enforced by compulsion, but by as light compulsion as
possible ; and he therefore proposed that men should
undergo it without leaving their homes, and that dis-
cipline should be as mild as might be. But obviously
all could not be trained at once, and there must be
selection. For this purpose he would divide the able-
bodied men into three classes, and choose from them by
ballot 200,000 men to be trained annually for twenty-
six days, receiving pay of one shilling a day. If a
certain proportion of men voluntarily offered themselves
for training, the ballot might be so far diminished ; and
if. a sufficient number came forward he would be pre-
pared to accept it in lieu of the full quota prescribed by
law. The training itself he proposed to conduct by
means of detachments of Militia and of the Regulars
nominally attached to the counties. In particular he
would take advantage of the officers appointed to the
skeleton second -battalions raised under the Army of
Reserve Act, who, at great expense to the country, had
been placed on full pay from the half- pay list or
removed from their proper duty some time before a
recruit had been levied, and had stood " waiting and
gaping for their men like oysters at ebb-tide." ^ All of
these provisions and regulations for the present, however,
would apply to England only ; for in Scotland the
people were more military and the Volunteers more
1 H.D. Commons, 3rd April 1806.
Ill NATIONAL TRAINING ACT 169
efficient, while the Militia laws also were of more 1806.
recent introduction.
It was not to be supposed that changes so drastic
would pass unchallenged in a House full of Volunteer
field-officers, and yet the opposition was very moderate.
Castlereagh protested that the new Training Act would
be a breach of the engagement given, that the Levy en
Masse Act should not be enforced if a certain quota of
Volunteers were produced by the counties ; ^ but this
contention, though perfectly just, carried little weight.
Perceval, on the 22nd of April, initiated a debate in
defence of the Volunteers, but gained little by it, and
when the Training Bill was actually introduced it was
received for the most part in no carping spirit. General
Pulteney, in his shrewd way, went to the heart of the
matter by observing that much as he admired the
Volunteers, he would no more trust to voluntary
services for the defence of a nation than to voluntary
contributions for the support of its finances.'^ In fact,
despite a few vehement protestants to the contrary, the
House appeared to favour some form of compulsory
training. The one doubtful point was, how should that
training be carried out ; and this Windham left far too
much to chance. Indeed he provoked a roar of laughter
by insisting upon the wisdom of a provision that the
parish constable should be present at all drills to enforce
the instruction given by the sergeant.^
However, on the i6th of July the Training Act
became law, being confined to England only (46 Geo.
III. cap. 90). It began by repealing the First Defence
Act and the Levy en Masse Act (sec. i), and com-
mitting the execution of the present Act to the
Lieutenancies of counties (sees. 2, 3). Upon the
return of the lists of persons liable to serve in the
Militia, the Privy Council was to apportion among the
counties 200,000 men to be trained, which portions
were to be redistributed by the Lieutenancies among
1 H.D. Commons, 3rd April 1806.
2 Ibid. 24th June 1806. ^ /^/^. 27th June 1806.
I70 NATIONAL TRAINING ACT chap.
1806. the hundreds and parishes, as in the case of the Militia
(sec. 4). Persons exempt from the Militia were not to
be exempt from the present Act, except schoolmasters
and practising doctors (sees. 5, 6). In making their
apportionment the Lieutenancies were to take account
of the number of effective Yeomen and Volunteers
who were exempted from training under the present
Act, as also of persons exempted from the Militia but
not from training under the present Act (sec. 7). The
King could order the whole or any part of the number
apportioned to be ballotted, enrolled, and trained ; but
if persons voluntarily offered themselves for training,
then only the number deficient of the quota was to be
ballotted (sec. 9). The manner of ballotting was pre-
scribed by sec. 12 ; wherein it was ordained that the
proceedings should not begin before 10 a.m., nor be
prolonged beyond 6 p.m. Appeals against the ballot
were to be heard by Deputy-Lieutenants (sec. 13).
The year of training was appointed to begin on the i st
of November, and to last till the ist of the following
November (sec. 14). Persons trained for one year
were not liable to be ballotted again for two years (sec.
15). Exemption for one year could be bought by pay-
ment of a fine of ^^lo or, in the case of persons with
incomes of less than ;^ioo a year, of £^ (sec. 16).
Permanent exemption was granted to ballotted persons
who entered Volunteer corps, so long as they remained
efficient (sec. 18). Quakers and United Brethren were
exempted by annual payment of a sum ranging from
^i to j^7 : I OS. at the discretion of the magistrate (sec.
20) ; and infirm persons could be exempted free of
charge by two Deputy-Lieutenants, or one Deputy and
one magistrate, upon a medical certificate (sec. 23).
The King could order persons to be trained, and fix the
time and place for the purpose ; but Sundays were not
to be days of exercise, and no man could be called
out for more than twenty-four days in the year, nor to
a greater distance than five miles from his home (sees.
25, 26). Men who voluntarily offered to undergo
Ill NATIONAL TRAINING ACT 171
training for any additional days might be regularly 1806.
paid for them at the King's pleasure, up to the number
of twenty-four days, with or without the addition of a
bounty of los. at the close of the training (sec. iii).
One constable in every parish was to attend exercise, on
pain of a fine of ^^i for every day's absence, and could
be rewarded with a sum not exceeding;^ 5 (sec. 28). The
custody of arms and accoutrements was left to the Lieu-
tenancy (sec. 30). The King was empowered to appoint
Generals and officers and non-commissioned officers for
the command and training of the men ; to embody the
enrolled men on threat of invasion, and to place the men
enrolled in the current or preceding year either in
existing regiments or new corps, to be led out into any
part of Great Britain ; and the men while embodied were
subjected to the Mutiny Act and Articles of War (sees.
33-35). All men so called out were to take the oath
of allegiance ; but could not be compelled to serve out
of Great Britain (sees. 36, 37). The King was further
empowered to give provisional orders for embodiment,
and the Lieutenants^to appoint signal and alarm stations.
Men not appearing pursuant to order and signal
were to be treated as deserters (sees. 38-40). Men and
officers when embodied were to receive the same pay as
the Regulars, and to be entitled to Chelsea pensions
(sec. 42). An allowance of two guineas was to be
given to each man for necessaries upon embodiment,
and a further allowance of one guinea to enable him to
return home after defeat of the enemy (sees. 43-44).
Parishes refusing to ballot men under this Act were
subject to a fine of £^ for every man deficient of their
quota (sec. 50), but the Act did not extend to the City
of London (sec. 49). Finally, all persons enrolled
under the Act were subject to the regulations (sec. 22)
laid down on the Schedule thereto, viz.: —
All persons trained under the Act were to receive
pay for twenty-four days at is. a day.
All persons were to attend drill, obey the orders of
officers and sergeants, and take due care of their arms.
172 ALLOWANCES REDUCED chap.
1806. under penalty of a fine, elaborately graduated to suit
variations of income, for non-attendance. In cases of
misconduct the offender was to be delivered by the
officer or sergeant to the parish constable, and to be
brought by the constable before a magistrate, who was
empowered to fine him to the extent of los., with two
days* imprisonment in default of fines not exceeding 5s.,
and of five days' for fines not exceeding £ i . Finally,
Deputy-Lieutenants were empowered to offer rewards
(to be defrayed out of fines) for skill in marksmanship.
Otherwise all fines under sec. 59 were to be applied to
the expense of training within the county.
Parliament rose on the 28 th of July, after a
momentous session ; but Windham had already begun
his reforms among the Volunteers. On the 9th of June
he issued a circular to the effect that the allowance of
£110 per troop of Yeomanry for contingent expenses
would be discontinued after the 24th, and that £2 per
annum for every non-commissioned officer and man
would be substituted. A month later, on the 17th of
July, he circulated, in the form of letters to the Secre-
tary at War, the revised regulations for the pay and
allowances of the Volunteers and Yeomanry at large ;
whereby in effect he swept away the June Allowances
altogether.^ To cavalry under the June Allowances he
granted ;^3 a man for clothing, and ;^2 a man for all
other expenses, and an adjutant for corps of three troops
of forty rank and file and upwards. To cavalry under the
August Allowances he gave ;^2 a man for all expenses,
an adjutant to corps over 300 strong, and a sergeant-
major to corps of over 120 and under 300 men. The
infantry he appears to have placed uniformly under the
August Allowances ; and to corps raised after the 24th
^ As usual the Clerks at the Home Office inserted no printed
copies of the enclosures which are the essence of the circular. It
is certain that Windham intended to put all the Volunteers on the
August Allowances {H.D. 22nd April 1806, vol. vi. p. 850), but
apparently he was induced to relent so far as the cavalry was con-
cerned. The new rules as to cavalry I found in I.D. Miscell.
July 1806.
Ill CHANGE OF MINISTRY 173
of July 1 806 he refused to give any allowance 1806.
whatever.
Not unnaturally there was loud and dismal outcry.
Multitudes of corps succumbed, or disbanded them-
selves in indignation, to the number altogether of over
11,000 men ; and many counties vented their wrath by
passing votes of confidence in the Volunteers, and
lamenting their unhappy destruction. Windham re-
mained unmoved, for this was no more than he expected.
The Training Act, however, proved to be a more
difficult experiment than he had looked for. His
first step, on the 15 th of September, was to send a
circular to the Lords-Lieutenant saying that he pro-
posed to station detachments of certain regiments in
every county to assist in the training of the population
and to collect recruits, and desiring to know if the
regiments which he had selected would be acceptable, or
whether any county would prefer some other or others.
This as a preliminary step was sensible, but meanwhile
all further arrangements were suspended while the new
lists of men liable to the Militia ballot were being made
out. This business took much time; and in spite of
repeated reminders,^ the lists were not ready until the
end of the year, so that it was February 1 807 before
copies of the Act were circulated to the counties, and
directions given for the apportionment of the quotas.
The royal warrant for holding the ballots under the Act
followed on the 17th of February, and Windham
declared in Parliament that, if necessary, it would be
enforced in the spring. But in the middle of March
the Ministry of all the Talents resigned ; and Castle-
reagh, Windham's ablest critic, succeeded him as
Minister for War and the Colonies.
VII
Before going further it will be well to summarise 1807,
once again the position of England and of Europe. In
1 Circulars of 2nd Aug., 19th Sept. 1806.
174 GENERAL SITUATION, 1807 chap.
1807. the first place, there had arrived in October the news
that Sir Home Popham's absurd filibustering expedition
to the River Plate had been for the moment successful,
and that Colonel Beresford with his solitary battalion
had taken possession of Buenos Ayres. The nation
thereupon went mad with delight, and insisted on
sending more troops to hold the new capture, not
knowing that upon the 12th of August the Spaniards,
remarking the weakness of Beresford's force, had
attacked him and taken him and every one of his men
prisoners. Sir David Baird, on hearing of the first
success, had at once sent 2000 men from the Cape, and
these arrived in the River Plate on the 1 2th of October,
when, finding Buenos Ayres in the enemies' power, they
ensconced themselves in a smaller town on the coast.
About 3400 men were sent from England to the same
destination under Sir Samuel Auchmuty as soon as they
could be embarked, and a second detachment of 4300
men, under Craufurd, sailed on the nth of November
for the coast of Chili, under incredibly foolish orders
from Windham, but was presently followed by new
directions that it should join the rest of the troops upon
the River Plate. In addition to this, Turkey's inclina-
tion to join with France caused the Government early
in March 1807 to detach 5000 men to occupy Egypt.
In Europe, Prussia had at last drawn the sword against
France, and had been utterly crushed at the battle of
Jena on the 14th of October 1806 ; and on the 21st of
November Napoleon had issued the Berlin Decrees,
declaring the British Isles to be in a state of blockade,
and interdicting all commerce with them. This was the
decisive step in Napoleon's new policy of endeavouring
to starve out Great Britain by closing all outlets for her
trade. Russia, however, still resisted the French arms,
and at Eylau inflicted a check, which was not far
removed from a defeat, upon the redoubtable Emperor
himself, bringing him for the moment to a stand-
still. There was therefore good hope that England
might intervene in conjunction with Sweden to some
Ill WINDHAM'S REFORMS
ns
effect by landing a force in North Germany, provided 1807.
that she would send one of respectable size. The
detachment of 7500 men to South America, and of
5000 to Egypt, was therefore a great misfortune.
The Army Estimates, when introduced into Parlia-
ment, provided for an establishment of 279,602 Regular
troops, including all veteran and garrison battalions, all
British and Colonial corps, and all foreign corps at
home and abroad ; besides 108,384 embodied Militia,
and about 360,000 Volunteers.^ The new system
initiated by Windham seemed at first sight to be a great
success. Between 20th October 1806 and 15th January
1807, 2155 recruits had been raised against 1208 in the
corresponding period of 1 805-6 ; and men engaged only
for service at home had showed decidedly greater
willingness to enlist into the Line under the new condi-
tions. In two of the Reserve battalions alone nearly
600 men had exchanged home service for general service
within six months ; the weekly average of ordinary
recruits had risen from 214 to 509, and desertions had
decreased from i in 157 to i in 268 men enlisted.^
Altogether things seemed to be extremely satisfac-
tory, and yet they by no means came up to the
requirements of the military authorities. On the 15th
of February the Commander-in-Chief submitted a
memorandum in which he declared that ordinary re-
cruiting was quite inadequate to produce an army suffi-
cient for England's various needs. Already the demands
upon the Regular Forces were so great that the defence
of the country depended chiefly upon the Militia, which
consequently required to be kept in a high state of dis-
cipline, and must be stationed on the coast, to the great
inconvenience of officers. It was therefore imperative,
first, to provide a large " disposable " force ; secondly,
to institute a defensive force from which the former
1 The Secretary at War gave the number of the Volunteers at
363,400. H.D. Commons, 12th Jan. 1807.
2 H.D. Speeches of Windham and Sir J. Doyle, 12th Jan., and
of Windham, 12th March 1807.
176 NEEDS OF THE ARMY chap.
1807. could be recruited, experience having shown that men
who had once embraced a military life were generally
willing to extend their service without limit ; and,
thirdly, to form a more extended Militia, which might
obviate all the objections to the present system and to
the Volunteers. The Commander-in-Chief therefore
recommended that the Infantry of the Line should con-
sist of its existing loi regiments, and that each of them
should consist of two battalions, 1000 strong apiece,
the first battalion enlisted for general and the second for
home service. Each of these regiments should be
allotted and attached to one of the counties of the
United Kingdom. The second battalions should be
raised and kept complete by ballot for seven years, their
service being limited to the British and Channel Islands,
but with liberty to enlist for general service in the first
battalions. The deficiencies in the second battalions only
should be filled by the ballot.
As to the Militia, it should be increased from
84,000 to 150,000, either by ballot or exemption,^
formed into battalions which should be officered by
county gentlemen, and which should not be liable to be
moved from their counties except in case of invasion or
internal commotion. The battalions should be called
out for one month's training in the year ; the companies
should be further exercised once a week or once a
fortnight in their parishes, and there should be an
inspecting field-officer to each four or five thousand men
to superintend their discipline, and to take command of
them in the event of their marching out of their counties.
The cavalry, artillery. Guards, and Sixtieth Rifles^
would be able to maintain themselves by ordinary
recruiting.
The cost of the new plan, for pay and clothing for
the Regular Infantry and Militia, would be ^9,799,000 ;
1 I use the exact words of the memorandum, but I do not know
what " by ballot or exemption " means.
* The Sixtieth, it must be repeated, was practically a foreign
corps.
Ill STATE OF THE ARMY, 1807 i77
against ;^9, 699,000, which was the cost of the Regular 1807.
Infantry, Militia, and Volunteers at the time.^
It was probably the production of this scheme which
made Windham pause before proceeding further with
the enforcement of the National Training Act ; but in
March all power passed out of his hands, as we have
seen, into those of Castlereagh. Most likely this was
a great stroke of good fortune, for Castlereagh, not-
withstanding the lamentable failure (to be presently
narrated) of Walcheren, was on the whole the ablest
Minister who has ever presided at the War Office.
Immediately upon installing himself he ascertained the
number of Regular soldiers with the colours, which was
returned to him at 93,677 rank and file serving abroad,
88,857 serving at home, and 76,433 Militia, ex-
clusive in every case of Artillery. Of the force at home
33,622 2 rank and file were fit for active service, namely,
23,596 infantry and 10,026 cavalry, leaving 131,768
rank and file for home defence. Of the 33,622 he
reckoned that 2000 must be held in readiness as
reinforcements for the East Indies, and 5000 for South
America ; and he therefore thought it imprudent to
hazard more than 10,000 or 12,000 men for Conti-
nental diversions unless the French should be driven back,
in which case the number could be extensively reinforced.
Meanwhile he proposed to provide immediately and
to keep in readiness transports for that number.
As to the Training Act, he judged its execution, as
regards actual training, to be impracticable, and recom-
mended that it should proceed no further than ballot
and enrolment. Meanwhile the zeal and discipline of
the Volunteers must be revived, in order to restore them
to their former condition of order and efficiency, which
had rapidly declined under Grenville's administration ;
and a flattering appeal must be made to them in the
^ Military Transactions, Supplementary Volume.
^ To arrive at the full strength it is necessary to add one-eighth
for officers and non-commissioned officers above the rank of corporal.
One may therefore call it 38,000 men, to which at least 2000
artillery could have been added.
N
178 THE VOLUNTEERS REVIVED chap.
J 807. King's name to rouse them to new exertions. In a
future session he hoped to replace this "fleeting and
inapplicable mass " by a Sedentary Militia ; but this for
the present was impossible, as the ballots for filling
vacancies in the Militia were already beginning.-^
It is plain that the Commander-in-Chief's memoran-
dum had sunk deeply into Castlereagh's mind, and that,
in his heart, he was as strongly opposed to the Volun-
teers as Windham himself. However, for the present he
felt constrained to humour them, and as a first step
issued a circular on the 27th of April announcing that
Windham's allowances would be granted to all Volun-
teer corps whether raised after the 24th of July or not,
and that other matters concerning the Volunteers were
under consideration. This last phrase was coupled with
an expression of sanguine hope that the measure would
encourage Commanding Officers to make their regiments
efficient and prevent the gradual decline of the move-
ment. Beyond doubt this and the employment of
Volunteer sergeants as recruiting officers, with an allow-
ance of five guineas, did infuse new life temporarily into
the " fleeting and inapplicable mass " ; though the
course of events showed more and more the fatal error
that Addington had made in neglecting the Regular
Army for the sake of the Volunteers.
But the matter of real urgency was the need for aug-
menting the Regular Army, and to this end Castlereagh
could at first sight suggest but two methods "without
involving the Government in Parliamentary difficulties";
namely to complete the Irish Militia, which was 6000
below strength, so as to draw the annual 1 5 per cent of
its men into the Line after the ist of July, and to employ
Volunteer sergeants all over the United Kingdom as
recruiting officers. A fortnight's further study, how-
ever, convinced him that some more eiFectual means
must be discovered ; and he found himself reduced to
one of two alternatives, either to draw more men from
the Militia, or to extort them if possible from the
^ Castlereagh, Desp. viii. 46-51.
Ill BAD NEWS FROM ABROAD 179
parishes by means of fines, as in the case of the Army 1807.
of Reserve Act. The latter expedient had so recently
failed that he could not hesitate to recommend the
former ; and he therefore inclined to call for 20,000
men from the Militia of Great Britain, and so to regu-
late the process of volunteering from that force as to
shorten as far as possible the period of drunkenness and
disorder v/hich invariably accompanied it. Lastly, in
order to avoid a ballot if possible, he suggested that
j^io should be given to the Colonels of Militia for every
man taken from them, to be applied by them to the
purpose of obtaining voluntary recruits.
But now bad news began to flow in from all quarters
with dismal iteration. First came that of the mutiny at
Vellore, which, though happily quelled by the amazing
gallantry and readiness of a single officer, called for the
immediate despatch to India of 4000 men. Then came
the story of the disgraceful failure in Egypt, accom-
panied by what was, in the circumstances, deplorable
waste of lives. Then Lord Hutchinson wrote from the
Russian headquarters pleading earnestly for a diversion
in the Baltic ; and the King of Sweden pressed as
earnestly for a force to co-operate with him and with
the remnant of the Prussian Army to save Stralsund.
For the French had begun to move again, always with
success in spite of Eylau. Dantzig surrendered to them
on the 24th of May ; and Stralsund was one of the few
ports left open to British merchandise on the Continent.
The case was so urgent that the Cabinet resolved to
send at once such men as could be spared; and on the 9th
of June Lord Cathcart received orders to take command
of about 28,000 British and Germans, and to proceed
with a first division of about 8000 Germans to Stralsund,
as soon as transports could be procured for them.
The despatch of this detachment caused Castlereagh
deep searchings of heart. He reckoned that it would
leave the British Isles with but 21,290 trustworthy
infantry, including the Guards, for home defence ; the
second battalions, formed from the Army of Reserve
i8o FRIEDLAND AND TILSIT chap.
1807. and nominally nearly 29,000 strong, being too poor to
be relied on for service in the field. Ordinary recruiting
could not be counted on at best to produce more than
16,000 men a year, which was about the figure of the
casualties in each of the two years last past. The Army
was therefore stationary. The second battalions were
valuable as recruiting dep6ts, but no more. There
were fifty-six of them, complete in officers but with only
200 men apiece. The cost of the recruits which they
gathered worked out altogether at ^73 a head. They
kept 16,000 men, enlisted for general service, in idle-
ness because these could only be transferred to the first
battalions of their own regiments; in fact, unless they were
at once filled up by 20,000 men from the Militia, they
could never answer their double purpose of feeding their
first battalions and furnishing an efficient force for home
defence. The deficiencies in the Militia consequent
upon so heavy a draft could only be made good by the
ballot, more especially as the five years' service of some
6000 principals would expire at the beginning of 1808.^
Such, then, was the conclusion to which Castlereagh
had been driven by the end of May, and to this he
rigidly adhered in spite of much private advice to the
contrary. For, as the summer progressed, the situation
became more and more serious. Cathcart, pursuant to
his orders, sailed for Stralsund with his German troops,
and arrived there on the i6th of July ; but mean-
while not only had the Russians been utterly defeated at
Friedlandon the 14th of June, but the Tsar had thrown
himself into the arms of Napoleon by the conclusion of
the Treaty of Tilsit on the 7 th of July. Thereby not
only was England left without a friend in Europe except
hapless Sweden, governed by a half-demented King ;
but she was threatened with the forcible closing of the
ports of Sweden, Denmark, and Portugal against her, and
with the active hostility of all three countries. Thus with
the Danish fleet at his command Napoleon might hope
to renew his plans of invasion.
1 Castlereagh's Desp. pp. 53-66.
Ill THE COPENHAGEN EXPEDITION i8i
The peril was very great. It seemed certain that »8o7.
England must be driven back once more to the defen-
sive, and must undergo yet another term of the miser-
able anxieties of 1803 and 1804. Fortunately some
inkling of the secret agreement between Napoleon and
the Tsar reached the British Cabinet, which determined
it to forestall France in her designs upon Denmark. On
the 19th of July a powerful fleet was ordered to proceed
to the Baltic, and Cathcart was directed to bring his
German troops back from Stralsund to Elsinore, where
the British part of his force would meet him. With
an army completed to 28,000 men he was then to
demand the surrender of the Danish fleet, and, if it
were refused, to besiege and capture Copenhagen.
Three days after this momentous decision, and while
the country was still quaking over a fresh alarm of
invasion, Castlereagh unfolded his plans to a newly-
elected Parliament. Having first dwelt upon the in-
sufiiciency of ordinary recruiting to fill the ranks of
the Army, he declared his intention of calling on the
British Militia to provide 2 1 ,000 men, and on the Irish
Militia to provide 7000 men, for the Line. The vacancies
made through this call and through the discharge of
Militiamen who had served their five years were to be
filled up by ballotting 36,000 men for England, and pro-
curing by ballot or voluntary enlistment 8000 men for
Ireland. It was a heavy demand, as he admitted, but it
would render further ballot unnecessary for two or three
years. He proposed also to give the men who joined the
Line the alternative of enlisting for life if they wished,
and to grant them an increased bounty if they did so.
Passing to Windham's Training Act, he declared that
he had found it impossible to carry out ; but he pro-
posed to use its machinery for classifications and ballots,
and if possible to lengthen the training to two if not
three years. From thence he hoped to evolve a Local
Militia, and so to render the Act really useful. Mean-
while he thought that the Volunteers should be upheld
until some decidedly superior substitute to them should
1 82 MILITIA TRANSFER ACT, 1807 chap.
1807. be discovered. He had therefore revived the Inspecting
Field-Officers, who had been aboHshed by Windham,
and should encourage the Volunteers to come out on
permanent duty. Therewith he introduced bills to
enable the Militia to enlist in the Line, and to provide
for refilling it upon the consequent depletion.
Castlereagh's expedients were obviously only meant
to bridge over a single year until he could devise some
permanent scheme. He wished, as he said, to disturb
existing arrangements as little as possible. There were
of course strong speeches made, condemning resort to
the ballot and recommending that if it must be employed
it should be for the purpose of re-creating the Army of
Reserve. Great objection also was taken, not without
reason, to the depletion of the Militia, Addington in
particular averring that it had led to the resignation of
a vast number of officers in 1804.^ Windham went
back to his old argument that ballot created bounty,
bounty rising to excess created new ballot, and so on in
a vicious circle until bounties became unendurable; and he
urged that he alone had tried to move out of that circle.
This might be true ; but it must be said in justice to
Castlereagh that he meddled as little as possible with
Windham's measures, and that if he introduced drastic
treatment of his own, he was compelled to do so by the
pressure of the military and political situation abroad.
The bills for permitting enlistment from the Militia
into the Army became law on the 1 3th of August (Ireland,
47 Geo. III. sess. 2, cap. ^^; Great Britain, cap. 57).
They provided that any number of Militiamen might be
enlisted in excess of three-fifths of the establishment of
each regiment (sec. i), a provision which set free 16,327
to enlist in England, 4160 in Scotland, and 8680 in
Ireland. If five-sixths of the allotted number came
forward at once in any regiment, no more were to be
enlisted (sec. 2). If five-sixths did not come forward
within thirty days, the Commanding Officer was to
explain the terms of enlistment, and, if the number even
1 H.D. 27th July 1807.
Ill IRISH MILITIA COMPLETION ACT 183
then fell below the quota, a book was to be opened to 1807.
receive men's names for ten days (sees. 5, 6). At the
close of those ten days all enlistment without special
leave of the Commanding Officer was forbidden for three
months, after which three days were to be allowed for
volunteering, and so again at the end of the next three
months ; no man, however, being allowed to offer him-
self at the end of twelve months after the passing of the
Act (sec. 7). No man five feet four inches in height
and under thirty-five years of age was to be rejected
(sec. 3), and men might enlist for short service or for
life (sec. 12). Finally, no man was to be drafted from
his chosen regiment against his will.
The draft from the Militia of Ireland, it must be
remembered, was to be in addition to that of 15 per
cent annually taken from that force ; and was reckoned
to deplete it to the extent of 35 per cent. The bounty
offered to enlisting Militiamen was ^^ 10; and the Duke
of York further encouraged the levy by offering an
ensigncy in the Line to every officer of the Militia who
could bring with him forty volunteers for the Army.^
For replenishing the Militia, the Irish Act (47 Geo.
III. sess. 2, cap. 56, 13th Aug. 1807) provided for
raising a number of men equal to one-half of the estab-
lished quota, either by ballot or by ordinary enlistment
at the discretion of the Lord-Lieutenant ; any men in
excess of the establishment being retained as super-
numeraries (sees. 1-3). A bounty of four guineas was
granted to the Colonels for each man, and one additional
guinea for expenses, no part of which last was to go to
the recruit (sees. 4-6). Any county deficient of its
quota after six months was to be fined ^^30 for every
man wanting ; but three-fourths, one-half, or one-third
of the fine could be remitted if the deficiency were
supplied within one month, two months, or three
months (sec. 17). Seven-tenths of the expense of find-
ing men to make good casualties was to fall upon the
counties (sec. 18).
1 Castlereagh, Desp. viii. pp. 20, 72-75.
1 84 MILITIA COMPLETION ACT chap.
1807. The corresponding Act for Great Britain (47 Geo.
III. sess. 2. cap. 71) was to the following effect. First,
the Act for suspending the ballot was repealed (sec. i).
It was then enacted that within three months of the
passing of the Act, a number equal to three-fourths
of the quota under the Militia Act of 1802 should
be raised (sec. 2). Where new or amended lists
were required the time was extended to five months
and four months (sec. 8). The fine for exemption
was raised to ;^20 ; which, or any part of it not
falling below half the average price of a substitute,
could be paid to the ballotted man who was enrolled in
place of the person paying the fine ; but the man who
accepted the ;^20, or any part of it, as aforesaid, was
not to be entitled to the allowance usually granted to men
worth less than £soo (sees. 16-18). The bounty to
be given to parochial substitutes was not to exceed ;^ i o,
and not more than ^5 was to be paid to any substitute
whatever until he joined his regiment. All fines, unless
expended as aforesaid, were to be paid into the
Imperial Exchequer (sees. 19, 20). Volunteers were
not exempted from the ballot unless they had served
the full number of days provided by the Volunteer
Consolidation Act of 1 804 ; nor were persons ballotted
under the Training Act exempted, nor officers on half-
pay, unless they had tendered their services as officers
of Militia or Volunteers (sees. 22, 23). Counties,
hundreds, or parishes not producing their full quota of
men were liable to a fine of £60 for every man deficient,
subject to a remission of three-fourths, one-half, and
one -quarter if the deficiency were made good within
one, two, or three months respectively (sees. 28, 31).
Counties that refused to ballot could be subjected to the
same fine of ^^60 (sees. 32, 23)- When the full
number of men had been supplied, the ballot was to be
suspended until the ist of January 18 10 (sec. 34).
Finally, the Act was not to apply to London (sec. 27).
Dealing first with the transfer of Militiamen to the
Line, it appears that most of the Commanding Officers
Ill UNFAIR TREATMENT OF MILITIA 185
of Militia behaved very handsomely in encouraging 1807.
their men to enlist ; though as the deficiency of officers
in the service increased from 301 on the ist of July
1807 to 449 on the ist of April 1808, it must be feared
that their subordinates were not equally patient. It
must be confessed too that the Militia was not treated
fairly in the matter. An order was sent out that, during
the thirty days set apart for the enlistment of Militia-
men, no officers of the Regular Army must appear near
the quarters of any Militia regiment ; but the Adjutant-
General sent a circular to all the Regular battalions to
inform them of the date when the thirty days would
expire, and to intimate that their recruiting parties
might then go to the Militia regiments, though they
" must be careful not to disturb their discipline." Such
a caution as was contained in these last words might
suffice to save the conscience of the Horse Guards, but
could not avert the scenes of riotous drunkenness which
inevitably accompanied the treating and other methods
of suasion employed by recruiting officers. The whole
proceeding was an infringement of the spirit of the law ;
and it is not surprising that in some quarters it was
deeply resented. The Lieutenant of Lancashire, indeed,
on receiving directions from the Adjutant-General to
admit the recruiting parties, flatly refused to obey them
until ordered by the Home Secretary.^
Again, no fewer than thirty-two counties produced
five-sixths of their quotas at once, and were con-
sequently excused from producing the remaining sixth.
None the less the Secretary of State sent a circular to
the Lieutenants asking them to use their influence with
the Commanding Officers to squeeze this little residue
of men out of them. This was ill received, as well it
might be, and in at least one county the request was
curtly refused.^ However, in spite of all drawbacks,
1 /.D. vol. ex. O.C., Dumfries Mila. to S.S. 9th Oct. 1807; vol.
cxvi. L.L. Lanes, to S.S. 28th Sept. 1807.
2 Ibid. vol. cxxvii., Circular of S.S, to thirty-two counties, 25th
March 1808 ; O.C. Derby Militia to S.S. nth April 1808.
1 86 GOOD SPIRIT OF MILITIA chap.
1807. the men for the most part came forward willingly. In
Hertfordshire the Militia furnished its quota to the
Line within a fortnight, and Buckinghamshire, Cornwall,
Salop, and Lincolnshire were little, if at all, behind her.
The other counties took rather longer to make up their
complement, but in only three was there real trouble,
namely Cumberland, Caermarthen, and the Isle of
Wight. The reluctance of the Cumbrians, which was
set down to the " particular disposition of Cumberland
men," was overcome without much difficulty ; but in
the Isle of Wight the Colonel reported that the case
was hopeless. Cambridgeshire, strangely enough, held
back for a time because the men were not allowed to
enlist in the Marines. The Line, so the Commanding
Officer reported, was not popular, excepting the Ninety-
fifth,^ but the Marines were greatly sought after. The
ultimate result was that the English Militia sent to the
Line 15,262 mea out of 16,327 qualified to enlist, the
Scottish Militia 3890 out of 4160, and the Irish 8353
out of 8680 ; making a total of 27,505 out of 29,167.^
Upon the whole, Castlereagh had every reason to be
satisfied with the behaviour of the Militia.^
1 This of course was the present Rifle Brigade, already, after
seven years of life, a distinguished corps. Evidence abounds that
the Light Division could always obtain the pick of the recruits
from the Militia.
2 Military Transactions, Supplement, p. 16. But in the Castle-
reagh Desp. (viii. 125) the figures given state the British quota at
19,832, and the Irish at 8556 ; the British enlistments at 19,118,
and the Irish at 8353 ; and the totals at 27,471 men enlisted out
of a possible 28,388 ; leaving a deficiency of 714 for Great Britain,
and 203 for Ireland.
2 I.D. vol. cxiv. L.L. Herts, to S.S. 6th Sept. ; vol. cvi. L.L.
Bucks, to S.S. 15th Sept. ; vol. cxx. O.C. Salop Mila. to S.S. 13th
Sept. ; vol. cxvi. O.C. North Lanes, Mila. to S.S. 28th Aug. ; vol.
cviii. O.C. Cornwall Mila. to S.S. 2nd Sept. ; vol. cvi. O.C.
Cambs Mila. to S.S. 20th Sept.; vol. cvii. L.L. Caermarthen, to S.S.
l6th Dec. 1807; vol. cviii. O.C. Cumberland Mila. to S.S. l6th
Sept. ; vol. cxiii. O.C. L of Wight Mila, to S.S. 20th Sept. 1807.
Return in C.J. vol. Ixiv. p. 502. The details of men deficient
are, Englana : — Cardigan, 5 ; Caermarthen, 41 ; East Devon, 163 ;
Pembroke, 23 ; Westmoreland, 9 ; West Suffolk, 27 ; 1st West
Ill DIFFICULTY OF RE-FILLING MILITIA 187
The replenishing of the Militia, however, was a very 1 807.
different story. In the first place, the levy was delayed
by the necessity of making out new lists in almost
every county, so as to include boys who had grown up
since the last ballot, and to enable Volunteers to work out
their exemption. Then there were very thorny ques-
tions raised as to the meaning of the sections which
governed exemption. The reference in the new Act
was to the Volunteer Consolidation Act of 1 804, which
required that returns of eff'ective Volunteers should be
furnished on the ist of August and ist of December.
Was it sufficient for a Volunteer's exemption that he
should have served for sixteen days during the previous
eight months or the full number of twenty-four days in
the previous twelve months ? Such was the kind of
question from county after county which flooded the
Secretary of State's office for days ; and finally it was
decided, by very strict construction of the law, that no
Volunteer should be exempted unless he had attended
drill eight times between the ist of April and the ist
of August.^ This decision probably seemed severe, but
it was lenient compared with the suggestion of the
Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, who did not love the Volun-
teers : " Will not all the Volunteers, if they attend all
their drills before the ist of December, be exempt from
any ballot after it ? If so, why not direct all ballots
to be taken before the 30th of November ^ It can be
done." The worthy nobleman did not gain his point ;
but he was not to be troubled by Volunteers much longer.
Another hideous complication arose out of the
various changes of attitude and legislation in respect of
York, 185. Scotland: — Aberdeen, 12 ; Dumfries, 61 ; Edinburgh,
13 ; Forfar, 1 09 ; Inverness, 6 ; Ross, 19 ; Stirling, 7. Ireland'. —
Fermanagh, 3 ; Kerry, 68 ; Kilkenny, i ; Leitrira, 40 ; Limerick,
I ; Longford, 90. Of the number deficient 453 men were due
from seven English counties, 227 from as many Scottish counties,
and 203 from six Irish counties.
1 I.D. vol. civ. Minutes of G.M. Aberdeen, 29th Oct. ; vol.
cvi. Minutes of G.M. Ross, 14th Oct.; vol. cxv. L.L. Kent, to S.S.
2nd Nov. 1807.
1 88 QUESTIONS OF EXEMPTION chap.
1807. the Militia since the war began. It will be remembered
that Addington at once called out the Supplementary
Militia, and that Pitt, by the Permanent Additional
Force Act, enacted that the Supplementary Militia
should be absorbed, and the Militia generally reduced
to its ordinary establishment under the Act of 1802.
It will be remembered further that, by the Volunteer
Consolidation Act of 1804, Volunteers were not
exempted actually from the ballot ; but any Volunteer
on being baUotted could show his certificate of efficiency,
and thereby obtain exemption from service in the
Militia. His name, however, was retained on the ballot-
list, so that, if he ceased to be effective, he could be
called up for service, and if his name had actually been
drawn for the Militia, he was liable, in this case, to fill
the first vacancy that occurred in the Militia. In 1 807
there were many Volunteers in this predicament, owing
partly to Windham's reforms, partly to a selfish calcula-
tion that, if there were to be no more ballot, it was not
worth while to work for exemption. Now arose the
question whether such men could be forced to fill the
vacancies caused by Castlereagh's Militia Transfer Act
and Militia Augmentation Act. The vacancies had not
been brought about in the ordinary way, but by whole-
sale sweeping of the Militiamen into the Line ; and,
moreover, Castlereagh, after thus reducing the Militia
by three-fifths of its ordinary quota, had ordered the loss
to be more than made good by calling up three-fourths of
the ordinary quota under the ballot. Was it reasonable
that Volunteers drawn under a former ballot and then
exempted but since become ineffective, should be called
upon without fresh ballot to make up deficiencies thus
artificially created .? The question, after much argu-
ment, was submitted to the Law-Officers of the Crown,
who decided that such men were not legally liable to fill
such artificial vacancies, though they were liable to fill
natural vacancies if their county's Militia, at the time
when Castlereagh's Act was passed, was short of its
ordinary establishment under the Act of 1802. On the
Ill THE QUESTION OF STANDARD 189
other hand, any men ballotted in future, and exempted 1807.
as effective Volunteers, would, on ceasing to become
effective, be liable to supply any vacancies which might
then exist, or might hereafter arise.^
Another question, which was more easily decided,
was this : — Was a man who had found a substitute in the
Army of Reserve, liable to be ballotted under Castle-
reagh's Act, since under 43 Geo. III. cap. 123, such
men were exempted from the Militia.? ^ The answer was
decisive. The Army of Reserve Act had been repealed ;
therefore the Act above quoted was no longer in force,
and such men were liable to be ballotted.'
Yet another trouble, which exercised the Deputy-
Lieutenants sorely, and not for the first time, was the
standard of height. The Militia Act of 1802 fixed the
standard at five feet four inches. The Act 43 Geo. III.
cap. 100, sec. 2, enacted that no substitute, personal or
parochial, should be rejected if he were five feet two
inches in height, provided that he were otherwise fit for
service. Some Lieutenants and their Deputies, not un-
naturally, construed this to mean that principals were to
be five feet four inches high, and substitutes five feet
two inches. Others, quite indifferent as to the physical
quality of their men so long as they could produce them
in some shape or form, took five feet two inches as the
standard for all ; while others again, being conscientious
public servants, rejected men under five feet four inches.
By all the folly of having two coexistent standards was
impartially denounced, until the question was finally set
at rest by the decision of the Secretary at War that the
standard of five feet two inches was now universal.*
Lastly, an old failing at the Home Office was brought
to light by a sarcastic letter from a Deputy-Lieutenant
1 W.O. Mi/a. E.B. 784, Sub-div. Clerk of Leominster to Sec. at
War, loth Nov. 1807.
2 W.O. Mila. E.B. War Office to J. Allen, 12th Nov. 1807.
3 See page 35.
* I.D. vol. cxviii. O.C. Northampton Mila. to S.S. 2nd Nov.
1807 ; vol. cxx. L.L. Somerset, to S.S. 4th Dec. 1807 ; fV.O.
Mila. E.B. W.O. to Major Durbin, 23rd Nov. 1807.
I90 EVILS OF CRUDE LEGISLATION chap.
1807. of Somerset. "On the 14th of August last," wrote
this indignant gentleman in October, " an Act was
passed for speedily completing the Militia. It has not
reached the Deputy-Lieutenants yet, nor have they any
reason to expect it, unless you order copies to be sent
without delay."
Under such initial difficulties was the ballot of 1 807
set on foot. Even at the risk of wearying the reader,
I have not shrunk from setting down legal difficulties
which have long been dead and can never rise again,
in order to show how infinitely the natural obstacles to
the levying of recruits may be increased by hasty and
ill-considered enactments, and even more by additional
Acts passed to amend and explain the same. The root
of the matter, of course, lay in the absence of a definite
policy, the inevitable result of which was the hurried
abandonment of one set of expedients, and the equally
precipitate adoption of another set. But though
it is too much to expect of human wisdom that
it can foresee all the ingenious tricks which a people
may discover for the evasion of an unpopular duty, yet
there are far too many signs of sheer blindness and
carelessness in all the legislation which so far has passed
under review. And it must be remembered that every
doubt as to the state of the law seriously impeded the
progress of the levy. Every legal question was hotly
discussed before it reached the Secretary of State, setting
all the authorities within each Lieutenancy at variance,
embroiling Lieutenancies with their neighbours, raising
ill-feeling between commanders of Militia regiments and
county magnates, and embittering the perennial strife
between the civil power and the military. It is a reproach
to our statesmen that such friction should still have
abounded after fourteen years of almost unbroken war.
VIII
Let us now turn to the progress of the ballot itself.
There was, of course, a rush for substitutes ; and crimps
Ill THE BALLOT OF 1807 191
and insurance companies drove a roaring trade. Crimp- 1807.
ing, indeed, reached such a height that it was carried on
not only by publicans, parish officers, and such like, but
by privates, non-commissioned officers, and even officers
of the Army, Militia, and Volunteers ; nor was there one
who failed to make from ^5 to ^ 1 5 out of every substi-
tute that he provided. In one case a man was engaged
for the Warwick Militia by a corporal for a bounty of
j^io ; the corporal sold him to a sergeant for ^{^ 18 ; the
sergeant made him over to a crimping publican for
some unrecorded price ; and the publican finally disposed
of him to a parish officer for ^27 : 6s. Indeed, parochial
officers lay generally at the mercy of the professional
crimps, who controlled the market by laying hold of the
substitutes, selling them to one another, and keeping
them in pay until the unhappy parishes, rendered
desperate by fines and repeated ballots, were driven at
last to give them their own price.
Nevertheless parishes were not without resources of
their own. Their principle was, very naturally, to
avoid above all things the burden of supporting the
Militiamen's families ; and consequently they always pre-
ferred to enlist single men. They would take any boy
who could reach the standard of height and pass a
medical examination, rather than the finest of married
men. In Warwickshire the military officers complained
loudly that the Deputy-Lieutenants were remiss in the
execution of their duty. The Lieutenant who, with all
his subordinates, plumed himself upon the methods by
which his Lieutenancy was ruled, indignantly repudiated
the charge. The General of the district retorted that
two hundred children had been furnished as substitutes,
who might grow into men, but were at present only fit
for drummers.^ And beyond all question vast numbers
of the so-called men all over England were even as these
children of Warwick. As crimps the parish officers
appear only to have mastered the elements of their
1 /.D. vol. cxlviii. L.L.Warwick, to S.S. 26th Jan.; Maj.-Gen.
Cockburn to L.L. Warwick, and to S.S. 6th February 1808.
192 INSURANCE SOCIETIES chap.
1 807. profession, for we hear of one who engaged a substitute at
Warwick for forty pounds, and offered the man as much
as fifty guineas if he would lend him the money for
five years free of interest. The crudity of this proposal
suggests ambition, indeed, but hardly financial genius.^
The insurance companies and subscription societies
were very prominent in the ballot of 1807. In all
counties near London they indemnified the holders of
their policies by producing either a fine or a substitute
who had cost them less than £10^ and who invariably
deserted with the £ 5 which the law permitted to be paid
to him. The Lord-Lieutenant of Buckingham deplored
the inefficacy of the law to check this evil, and suggested
that it might be possible to attack it by invalidating the
policies, on the ground that they were not stamped.'^ In
Gloucestershire and the Western counties there was a
very extensive insurance office which charged three
guineas for an insurance of ;^20, an extravagant
premium for which they might well have returned ;^50.
But the London societies spread their branches wide over
the country, bribing recruiting-sergeants and non-com-
missioned officers right and left, and sowing corruption
thickly wherever they went. " We shall be glad," runs
one of their circulars to the sergeant-majors of Militia,
" to receive in Middlesex growing boys five feet two
inches high, and men near fifty years of age, unless their
age is too manifest. ... I propose to allow two guineas
to the sergeant and his party engaging the recruit, and
one guinea to you for each person we may pass from
your county ; the men or boys to be obtained for us at
as low a rate as possible, and in no case to stand us in
more than ^^15 when delivered in London, I should
suppose that men refused by your regiment will be after-
wards had for j^8 or ^10 ; and the whole of their sub-
sistence till they can arrive in town must be borne out
1 The authority for the statements in the two last paragraphs
will be found in I.D. vol. cli. C.G.M. Warwick, to S.S. 23rd Jan.
1808.
2 I.D. vol. cvi. L.L. Bucks, 23rd Oct. 1807.
in INSURANCE SOCIETIES 193
of their bounty. Captain Whittaker, late of the Surrey 1807.
Militia, being one of the proprietors of this office, . . .
will receive all your county can furnish him with." ^
1 I.D. vol. cli. C.G.M. Warwick, to S.S. 23rd Jan. 1808. I
print the whole circular below : —
"63 Newman Street, London, Oct. 5, 1807.
" Sir — As this office has many subscribers in your county, many of
whom must of course be ballotted upon us, and as the peculiar cir-
cumstances of Middlesex render the C.O.'s of that Militia glad to
accept men which the county regiments will reject, I conceive that
this office and the Sergeant-Majors of the following counties
through which the recruits from Lancashire must pass, viz. Lanca-
shire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Warwick, Northamptonshire, Buck-
inghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Hertfordshire, may be of reciprocal
advantage to each other, and that too in no small degree. There-
fore I propose to you in the first place to influence those sergeants
who may be detached from the regiment you belong to into War-
wick to receive the men under the approaching ballots for that
county, to engage for the Middlesex Militia all such persons as
may be deemed unfit for your regiment and yet be fit for service.
" For instance, we shall be glad to receive in Middlesex growing
boys five feet two inches high, and men near fifty years of age
unless their age is too manifest. Those are circumstances which
must be left to the sergeants, and which every one of them are of
course acquainted with, for which {sic) I propose to allow two
guineas to the sergeant and his party engaging the recruit, and one
guinea to you for each person we may pass from your county ; the
men and boys to be obtained for us at as low a rate as possible,
and in no case to stand us in more than ^^15 when delivered in
London. I should suppose that being refused by your regiment
they will afterwards be had for ;^8 or^^io ; and the whole of
their subsistence till they can arrive in town must be borne out of
their bounty.
" Captain Whittaker, late of the Surrey Militia, being one of
the proprietors of this office, will be at Manchester for the purpose
of recruiting, and will march from thence all the way with the
recruits, and receive at Coleshill, Meriden, Coventry, and Dunchurch
all your county can furnish him with. The exact day of his being
at each of these places, you shall be made acquainted with in due
time, for the information of the sergeants, to enable you to collect
and deliver their men under your directions. But as the men so
engaged by you and received by us may desert before they are enrolled,
or by chance not be accepted, the allowance to you and the sergeants
can only be made on the return of the party, when, if any should
desert or be rejected, they shall either be restored at the place we
received them or satisfactorily accounted for. The guinea to you for
O
194 INSURANCE SOCIETIES chap.
1807. The circular proceeded to say that if any of the office's
clients in the county needed a substitute, one must be
procured as " unlikely to desert as possible, because
much of the success of our insurance depends upon our
receiving the parochial allowances, which we are only
entitled to in case of the substitute actually serving a
month."
Compared with this lordly way of doing business,
there is a pathetic helplessness in the appeal made by the
" Praeses of Delegates of twelve Militia Societies in and
about Glasgow " to the Secretary of State. This digni-
tary complained that the officers appointed to receive
substitutes for the Militia regiments gave them no sub-
sistence, and that consequently the Societies were put to
the great expense of keeping them alive until they were
sent to their battalions. Moreover, a number of ballot-
table men had been drawn away from the county as
substitutes to other counties a hundred miles away, which
was contrary to law. " The bounties," so ended the
letter, " have been very oppressive, and if the societies
are to furnish subsistence too, the burden will be very
heavy." The writers apparently had not the slightest
idea that they were themselves contravening the law, or
at any rate what had been the law, when they called upon
the Secretary of State to protect them, though they were
ready enough to invoke the Act which prohibited the
procuring of substitutes from distant counties.^
each man may possibly be better remitted from town ; you can receive
it, however, in any way you direct.
. '* Should any person be ballotted upon our insurance funds in
your county, all we have to request is, that the sergeants to whom
the person ballotted will be directed to apply, will procure, as
reasonable as he can, a substitute as likely not to desert as possible,
because much of the success of our insurance depends upon our
receiving the parochial allowances, which we are only entitled to
in case of the substitute actually serving a month, for which we
shall make the same allowance to them and to you as for the recruits
they may engage for, as for the Militia of Middlesex."
Addressed : To the Sergeant-Major of the Warwickshire (or
other) Militia.
1 I.D. vol. cxiv. Praeses of Delegates to S.S. 5th Dec. 1807.
Ill TRAFFIC IN SUBSTITUTES
195
But it need hardly be said that the law upon the one 1 807.
point as upon the other was a dead letter. In Nuneaton
notices were publicly issued offering bounties of ^30
and j^ 1 7 respectively for recruits for the Northampton
and Leicester Militia.^ From Berwick the Lieutenant
reported without concealment to the Secretary of State
in January 1808 that he could not fill the ranks of his
Militia from the county. The people were all agricul-
tural ; labour being scarce, they were not to be tempted
by bounties ; and hence he was obliged to recruit " at a
distance " with great delay and expense.^ In Birming-
ham there was a Major of Volunteers who was also
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Leicester Militia, and kept a
regular recruiting agency for his Militia in the town.
The county of Leicester, it seems, made a practice of
encouraging the payment of exemption-fines instead of
the production of substitutes. As the fines under the
Militia Act of 1802 were payable to the stock-purse of
the county's Militia regiment, the Leicester Militia
was always in funds, and was not only able but willing
to outbid any other county by ^^5 in the purchase of
recruits.^ But all legislative efforts to secure that the
Militia should be a strictly local force were obviously
futile, so long as substitution was permitted, and it is
needless to multiply examples of the fact.
For the rest the wild traffic in substitutes literally
raged during the weeks of the ballot ; and it is probable
that in England the national taste for gambling made it
a positive enjoyment. In some cases the substitutes
firmly declined to engage themselves to serve, unless the
whole of their bounty was paid into their hand instead
ofthe^5 which alone was allowed to them by law before
they reached their regiments. The Deputy-Lieutenants
in Lancashire in vain offered printed papers to their men
acknowledging the further sum due to them, and
promising to pay it at the appointed time. The Lanca-
1 I.D. vol. cxxii. C.G.M. Warwick, to S.S. 14th Dec. 1807.
2 Ibid. vol. cxxvii. L.L. Berwick, to S.S. 15th Jan. 1808.
■3 Ibid. vol. cli. C.G.M. Warwick, to S.S. 23rd Jan. 1808.
196
RESULTS OF THE BALLOT
CHAP.
1807. shire men would be content with nothing but the whole
of the bounty paid down in hard cash ; and the
Deputies were obliged for a time to adjourn the ballot.*
Nor was the caution of the recruits wholly unreason-
able, for in Nottinghamshire a subdivision clerk
absconded with £ 1 70, the property of some unfortunate
substitutes, which had been kept back from them
temporarily in fulfilment of the law.^ Elsewhere this
provision as to payment of the bounty (which was of
course designed to discourage desertion) was simply
evaded by a private arrangement between the ballotted
m_an and his substitute.^ Finally, in March 1808 the
levy was supposed to be more or less completed, when
the following results were published * : —
Quota.
Joined their
Regiments.
Enrolled but
not joined.
Deficiency to
be supplied.
Great Britain
Ireland .
37,557
9905
28,261
6119
4308
664
4988
3122
From another return it appears that of 26,085 "^^^
enrolled in England, 3129 were principals and 22,956
substitutes. Among the counties Middlesex with a
quota of 692, Rutland with a quota of 61, and Car-
narvon with a quota of 96, produced not a single prin-
cipal ; the Tower Hamlets with a quota of 320, furnished
two principals ; Leicester with a quota of 480, twelve ;
Derby with a quota of 667, fifteen ; Cumberland with
a quota of 436, twenty ; the three Ridings of York
with a joint quota of 2329, only 106 ; Stafford-
shire with a quota of 824, forty- two ; Lincolnshire
with a quota of 992, fifty-four ; and Northumberland
1 l.D. vol. cxvi. Thomas Wilson (D.L. Lanes) to S.S. 26th
Nov. 1807.
2 Ibid. vol. cxliv. L.L. Notts, to S.S. 31st May 1808.
^ Ibid. vol. cxxviii. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 21st March 1808.
* This return and the following are printed in C.y. 1808 (Ap-
pendix), vol. Ixiii. pp. 613-614.
Ill PRINCIPALS AND SUBSTITUTES 197
with a quota of 480, twenty-seven. Among counties 1807.
that gave a more creditable account of themselves,
Pembroke showed 76 principals out of a quota of 148 ;
Caermarthen 106 out of 299 ; Herefordshire 127 out
o^ 337 > Cardigan 52 out of 174 ; Sussex 127 out
of 466 ; Suffolk 159 out of 777 ; Norfolk 182 out
of 901 ; Somerset 183 out of 865 ; Essex 166 out
of 908 ; Devon 168 out of 899 ; and Berkshire 94
out of 380. The total sum paid into the Treasury
for exemption -fines was ^14,958, of which sum over
j^2ooo came from Berkshire, over ^2500 from Durham,
over j^ 2300 from Sussex, and over ^1200 from Hamp-
shire. Monmouth was the lowest contributor with
j^io, and Cornwall ran her hard with ^^12; but it is
doubtful whether any legitimate deduction can be drawn
from these figures.
The bounties, that is to say, the average prices of
substitutes, of which a return was also made, varied
from j^ I o in the Isle of Wight to ^ 1 6 in Montgomery
and Rutland, ^^30 in Devon and East Yorkshire, ^^40
in Cardigan and the North Riding of Yorkshire,
£^i : I OS. in Northumberland, ^44 in Anglesey, and
j^45 in Monmouth. Throughout Wales, with the
exception of Montgomery, bounties ran very high,
which possibly accounts for the number of principals
produced by one or two counties. But it would
be rash to repose too much confidence in these figures,
for the transactions between lotmen and substitutes
or crimps were by no means always public. It
may be mentioned as an example of what went forward
that two drummers of the Aberdeen Volunteers paid
their Colonel ^^20 towards the regimental funds,
having received ^^40 apiece to engage themselves as
substitutes in another corps.^
I pass next to the Volunteers of the United King-
.dom, first giving a comparative table in round numbers
of their eflTective strength in rank and file from the
1 6th of December 1803 to the ist of July 1807 : —
1 I.D. vol. cxxv. Lt.-Col. Finlayson to S.S. 8th Feb. 1808.
1 6th Dec.
1803
414,000
ist July
1804
330,116
jj
1805
318,173
5J
1806
3075I63
5J
1807
294,148
198 STRENGTH OF VOLUNTEERS chap,
1807. 1 6th Dec. 1803 414,000 of which in Ireland 72,000
' » » 71,895
« » 67,074
« » 64,085
» » 65,942
Thus it will be remarked that they had shown a steady
decline in numbers from the first, and that Windham's
reforms had really worked no very notable change in
their strength. Castlereagh, as we have seen, inclined
to give them temporary encouragement ; the most solid
part of which was permission for corps which had not
completed their twenty-six days of drill to go upon per-
manent duty for not less than ten or more than fourteen
days, with full pay for those periods both for officers and
men.^ It was indeed necessary to keep some of the
Volunteers in existence, for, owing to the depletion of
the Militia, those of Devon, Gloucester, Kent, Hamp-
shire, and Somerset were required to find guards for the
French prisoners at Plymouth, Portsmouth, Bristol, and
Norman Cross, receiving of course full pay for the duty.*
There, however, the encouragement ended, for the
reports concerning them were not generally very favour-
able. When the renewal of the ballot was announced,
a number of men thronged to join Volunteer corps, but
they were not well received, and rightly so. For some
time past the Lieutenants had had orders to forward no
further offers of Volunteer corps ; and this placed them
in a difficulty, for such tenders of service were often
very numerous. " The people," wrote the Lieutenant
of Northumberland, " seem to think that they have
the right to become Volunteers by such offers, and to
exempt themselves from the present and future ballots." ^
The fact seems to have been that evasion of national
duty was now become the sole object of Volunteering.
" The Volunteer plan," reported the Lieutenant of
^ Circular to L.L. 6th Aug. 1807.
^ Circular to L.L. of the five counties, 22nd Aug. 1807.
^ I.D. vol. cxviii. L.L. Northumberland, to S.S. 13th Aug.
1807.
Ill VOLUNTEERING DEBASED 199
Surrey, " was at first entered into in a right and proper 1807.
spirit, but now it has dwindled down to little else than
exemption from other services." ^ " When the Volun-
teers were first raised," wrote a gentleman from Nor-
wich, " I subscribed like other people, as it was conceived
that the subscribers were to bear all the expense ; and
numbers of people enrolled themselves. But when pay
was allowed, a new set of men joined, who found that
when work was short the Volunteer's pay, added to casual
employment, would enable them to live. Half of them
are rank revolutionists. Half of them meet in a court
at the back of my house, where I hear them damning
the King and Parliament. They command their officers
and declare openly that they will do what they please." ^
Norwich, it must be remarked, like all manufacturing
towns at that time when England's transition from an
agricultural to a manufacturing country was accomplish-
ing itself, contained a somewhat turbulent population ;
and the damning of Parliament, though a serious
symptom in those days, has become a mere common-
place in these. But that men should command their
officers is an evil thing in every generation ; and there
had always been too much of it among the Volunteers.
In the Isle of Wight in this same year the privates
of a troop of Yeomanry (which were then reckoned
Volunteer cavalry) had decHned to serve any longer if a
certain officer were admitted, maintaining in defiance of
Act of Parliament that every officer must be regularly
proposed and approved by the corps at large. The
Commanding Officer therefore resigned, whereupon the
troop elected an officer of their own choosing and tried
to put him into command.^ The old idea, that Volun-
teers could do as they pleased, never wholly perished,
and indeed actually received countenance from the
Courts of Law. In the spring of 1 807 the Richmond
Volunteers were on parade, when a sergeant took occasion
1 I.D. vol. cxxi. V.L. Surrey, to S.S. 2nd Sept. 1807.
2 Ibid. vol. cxxiv. Norfolk, Thomas Howes (undated) to S.S.
3 Ibid, cxiii. V.L. Hants, to S.S. 8th Oct., 19th Nov. 1807.
200 VOLUNTEERS' INDISCIPLINE chap.
J 807. to strike Colonel Drew, the Commanding Officer. Drew
returned the blow with the flat of his sword, and caused
the sergeant to be disarmed and turned out. The ser-
geant thereupon brought an action against the Colonel,
when Mr. Justice Heath laid it down that Drew had no
right to take the sergeant's sword, and that the sergeant
had a right to defend it. He therefore summed up
against Drew, and the jury brought in a verdict of ^^200
damages with ;^300 costs.^ This was probably the
heaviest blow struck at the subordination of the Volun-
teers throughout their existence ; and it fell just at a time
when discipline particularly needed to be strengthened.
It was now discovered also that there had been gross
abuses in connection with the allowances granted to the
Volunteer corps for the maintenance of their arms ; and
a circular was issued to intimate that in future these would
be granted only for such arms as were certified by the
Inspecting Field-Officers to be in good repair.^ In Wilt-
shire it seems that good reason existed for extraordinary
wear and tear of muskets ; for the Volunteers, weary of
waiting for the invasion of the French, had turned them
to the destruction of game and rabbits, an operation
which was probably little less perilous to the King's
subjects than invasion itself; and had certainly not been
contemplated when the weapons were issued.^ In fact
whatever the Volunteers may have been in 1804, they
stood revealed in 1 807 in their primitive condition as an
armed rabble.
With this stern fact before him, Castlereagh spent the
winter of 1807 in devising means for replacing this
rabble by something which should return better value
for the money expended upon it. Meanwhile the
year closed with a stroke of misfortune, which was
hardly redeemed by real and effective success in another
quarter. The expedition returned from Buenos Ayres
wrathful and humiliated after a desperate fight in the
1 I.D. vol. cxxi. L.L. Surrey, to S.S. 18th April 1807.
2 Circular to L.Ls. 8th Aug. 1807.
3 I.D. vol. cxxii. C.G.M. Wilts, to S.S. 12th Dec. 1807.
Ill FOREIGN EXPEDITIONS 201
streets of the city, wherein the men had covered them- 1807.
selves with glory and the General with disgrace. Rather
more than a thousand officers and men had fallen in the
course of these ill-conceived operations, so wantonly
initiated by Popham ; but the remainder to the number
of nearly 8000 were at least restored to England for
future campaigns. From Copenhagen also the force
had returned, fortunately little abridged of its original
strength. It had done its work, which was not very
arduous, by the capture of Copenhagen and of the Danish
fleet, and was quite fit for further campaigns elsewhere.
The whole affair had been well managed, especially on
the part of the Cabinet ; and the thrust, as was testified
by the wrath of Napoleon, had sped home and undone
his ambitious schemes in the Baltic. Still the outlook
was gloomy, and Ministers could hardly guess that this
was the darkest hour before the dawn, and that another
year would see Napoleon irretrievably committed to the
fatal blunder which brought about his fall.
i8o8.
CHAPTER IV
I
At the opening of the year 1808 the progress of the
Regular and Reserved Forces was shown to be as follows,
the numbers including the rank and file only : —
Establishment,
ist Feb. 1808.
Effective Strength,
ist Feb. 1808.
Effective Strength,
1st July 1807.
Cavalry .
Infantry .
Artillery .
28,792
198,327
25,662
26,520
178,295
24,781
26,315
156,561
24,071
Militia .
Volunteers
95,823
77,164
296,669
77,790
294,378
Besides this, it was reckoned that 10,000 recruits had
been enrolled for the Militia, but had not yet joined
headquarters. Upon the whole, therefore, there was a
solid increase to the Army of about 22,000 men, and to
the Militia of about 9000 men.
On the other hand, the Commander-in-Chief reported
and proved up to the hilt that the short service,
increased pensions, and other reforms introduced by
Windham had failed completely to fulfil his promise
that they would sujffice to keep the ranks of the Army
filled solely by voluntary enlistment. The number of
men raised by voluntary recruiting in 1806 and 1807
was much larger absolutely than in previous years, but
not so relatively to the number of parties employed.
Yet provision for additional pensions had already
202
CHAP. IV WINDHAM'S SCHEME FAILS 203
swelled the expenses for Chelsea and Kilmainham by 1808.
j^ 2 00,000 annually ; and this sum would be still further
augmented within a few years as the periods of service
of the various batches of men began to expire. Lastly,
constant changes of station made it impossible to apply
accurately the rules for the increase of a man's pay after
each term of seven years' service, particularly in con-
junction with the privilege that two years' service in the
East and West Indies should count as three. In those
days men had a passion for shifting from regiment to
regiment as often as they had opportunity, and it was
impossible to register their movements so closely as to
do justice either to them or to the public.
Castlereagh, on receiving this report, very mag-
nanimously urged every consideration that could be
brought forward in favour of Windham's system ; but
the Horse Guards met the statements and arguments
with facts and figures which were neither to be contro-
verted nor ignored.^ Accordingly, when the Mutiny
Bill came before Parliament, in March 1808, Castle-
reagh was obliged to represent that short service, though
it might answer for work in Europe, was impossible for
a country which had to supply so many foreign gar-
risons as England. Of 204,000 Regular troops in the
Army, 70,000 were engaged for short service ; 36,000
of them, enlisted during the past twelve months, would
all be lost in seven years, and in fact limited service
could not cover its own waste. He mentioned incident-
ally that the great increase of recruits gathered by
voluntary enlistment had been due really to an extra-
ordinary cause. Windham had threatened to disband
the whole of the fifty-four second battalions formed by
the Army of Reserve, unless they were increased to four
hundred men apiece within six months, and this menace
had led the officers of these battalions to make unusual
exertions lest they should be relegated to the half-pay
list. He therefore moved a clause, not to sweep away
short service altogether, but to allow recruits the option
1 Corresp. in Supplement to Military Transactions^ Appendix 1 8.
204 CASTLEREAGH'S REFORMS chap.
1808. of enlisting for a term or for life as they might prefer.^
He carried the House with him. The Mutiny Act of
1808 bound every recruit to serve until legally dis-
charged ; but short service none the less remained as an
alternative open to such men as preferred it.
Windham, as was natural, stood up for the system
which he had introduced, setting forth his side of the
question in a series of thirteen propositions, with a vast
array of figures all tending to show that recruits were
better, cheaper, and more numerous under his scheme
than under any other. Castlereagh, unfortunately, had
yet more facts and figures to his hand to overthrow these
in a series of counter propositions ; and it must be con-
fessed that in the duel of statistics he came off the
better.^ In fact there was no gainsaying the unpleasant
truth that, without some such heroic measure as the
quadrupling of the private soldier's daily pay, it was
impossible to keep the ranks of the Army filled without
some form of compulsion ; and Castlereagh was pro-
foundly convinced that it was imperative not only to
maintain but to increase the Army. Enforced service
abroad was out of the question ; but enforced service
at home was consecrated by constitutional usage and
confirmed by the Militia Acts. The Army of Reserve
had been an experiment in another department of com-
pulsion, but it had not been successful. Practically the
only resource, therefore, was to turn the Militia once
more into a recruiting dep6t for the Army.
To this end Castlereagh had been maturing his plans
for increasing the Militia at the expense of the Volun-
teers. His idea was to select first all that was good of
his predecessor's schemes, and to graft upon that stock
a new shoot of his own ; and he therefore put forth the
following suggestions, the figures being, with one exce{>-
tion, reckoned for England only : —
I. To keep 100,000 Volunteers only of the best de-
scription, in Great Britain y and those chiefly in large towns
and populous manufacturing districts, where men would
1 H.D. 8th March 1808. 2 /^/^, 13th Aug. 1807.
IV CASTLEREAGH'S REFORMS 205
be glad to turn to them in order to evade other service ; 1 808,
the State imposing on them such conditions as would
make them a cheap, useful, and efficient force.
2. To create 200,000 Sedentary Militia, to be
trained for twenty-eight days annually, but not to leave
their counties except in case of invasion or rebellion.
3. To train, under Windham's Training Act,
200,000 men, and make them liable to serve in the
Line in case of invasion.
Though he set down these three descriptions of
force in the order thus given, he intended originally
that the two first should be based upon the last, that is
to say, upon the Training Act. He found fault with
Windham's measure upon three principal grounds — viz.
that Windham had offered to pay the men called out
for exercise an equivalent for the loss of their time
and labour, which the country could not afford ; that
it was impossible to provide adequate training for
men within the space of twelve months ; and that,
though it was obviously useless and dangerous to bring
large bodies of men together unless previously organised
and provided with officers, it was impossible con-
veniently to find officers for so large a number as
200,000.
He proposed, therefore, to establish the following
principles as the basis for a new system of training : —
1. That instruction in the use of arms should be
imposed upon all able-bodied men between eighteen
and thirty as a positive duty, to be enforced by fine ;
and that every parish should keep a list of men between
those ages.
2. That the State should provide the means and dis-
charge the expenses of instruction, but allow no pay for
attendance at drill. Every effort, however, should be
made to train in their own parishes men who lived at a
long distance from the places of assembly.
To facilitate the teaching, the Government was to
distribute and employ drill-sergeants in all the counties,
taking them from the permanent staff of the Sedentary
2o6 CASTLEREAGH'S REFORMS chap.
1808. Militia (whose organisation will presently be explained),
give them charge of a certain number of firearms, and
pay them five shillings apiece for every man certified
by proper inspectors to be perfected in the use of the
firelock. Men so passed were to be exempt from
further drill for three years, after which they would be
required to renew their certificate to prove that they
were still completely trained. Men not certified as
efficient were to be mustered once every six months in
their parishes, and, if found not to be trained, were to be
fined ten shillings, with an increase of ten shillings at
every half-year until their certificate had been gained.
If (so he argued) men found that they must train them-
selves under penalties, they would soon organise
themselves into squads and companies for their own
convenience.
From the men thus trained, he proposed to form
the Sedentary Militia by annual ballot ; for after their
previous instruction they would find twenty-eight days'
drill in the year sufficient to make them fairly expert in
the higher branches of exercise. They were to serve
for three years, and then be exempt from further
service until their turn came round in rotation ; but they
were to complete their three years' service even if they
passed the military age during the course of it. Ex-
emptions were to stand as under the Additional Force
Act. Ballotted men were to be allowed to find a substi-
tute upon paying a fine, but such substitute was to be
also a trained man of military age ; and if he were
ballotted during his term of service as a substitute, he
was to serve first his three years as a substitute, and
then proceed with his three years as a principal. The
Sedentary Militia was to be organised in battalions of
1000 rank and file, with a permanent staff of an adjutant,
a sergeant-major, a quartermaster -sergeant, twenty
sergeants, twenty corporals, and twelve drummers. At
every ballot there was to be drawn not only the full
number required from the ranks, but a supplementary
number of one-third or fourth of the establishment,
IV CASTLEREAGH'S REFORMS 207
who were to be liable to fill vacancies in the order in 1808.
which they were drawn. The Sedentary Militia were
to be at liberty to enter the Army, Navy, Marines, or
Regular Militia, the places of men who enlisted being at
once filled out of the supplementary quota. Its number
would be 200,000 men for England, and a propor-
tionate number for Scotland ; the full strength to be
arrived at gradually, and the Volunteers to be reduced
as the Sedentary Militia increased.
The Regular Militia was to be ballotted for as under
the existing Acts, neither the trained men nor the
Sedentary Militia being exempt, but the men being still
chosen between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, so
as not to throw too heavy a burden upon a limited
class. " Necessity," he wrote, " may lead hereafter
and consequently justify us in applying the principle of
conscription more directly, but in the first instance our
object should be to make the service of the Sedentary
Militia as little onerous as possible, and to try what
resources can be drawn by proper encouragement and
voluntary enlistment from a body so constituted." ^ But
the Regular Militia, through the additional facility
of procuring men by enlistment, would be much
strengthened ; and, as Castlereagh observed, " a corps
of this description seems an indispensable ingredient in
the Army of a state which must reduce its military
force suddenly in time of peace, and call it forth as
suddenly upon the recurrence of war."
Finally, the Regular Army, when the system was
perfected, would be kept up partly by ordinary recruiting,
partly by Volunteers from the Sedentary Militia, and in
the third place by a school to be established on a large
scale for the reception of boys, who should pass two or
three years there in education before being attached to
regiments. He conceived that both parents and parishes
would be glad to send children to such an institution if
1 This sentence is faithfully transcribed, so the faults in it must
not be ascribed to the author. Castlereagh's English was always
detestable.
2o8
CASTLEREAGH'S REFORMS
CHAP.
1808. they were assured that they would be educated first,
and not compelled to bear arms too soon. The term
of service for such boys would be seven years, reckon-
ing from their attainment of the age of eighteen.
All the recruits were to have the option of enlist-
ing for short service or for life, without limitation
as to place. Men engaged for life would be thrown
principally into first battalions ; men engaged for a
limited term into second battalions. Thus the difficulty
of relief for foreign garrisons would be overcome,
and any advantages derivable from short service would
be retained. All alike would be liable to foreign
service ; and if it were necessary to levy a large number
of men by ballot, they would be received into the second
battalions, from whence they could be tempted to re-
engage for longer service.
In round numbers Castlereagh reckoned that the
complete armed force of England would ultimately
attain to the following strength : —
Navy, Marines, and Sea Fenc
Army and Regular Militia
Volunteers (Great Britain)
Volunteers (Ireland)
Sedentary Militia (England)
Sedentary Militia (Scotland)
Trained Men
bles
1 50,000 men
350,000 men
100,000 men
80,000 men
200,000 men
100,000 men
400,000 men
1,380,000 meni
or more than half of the 2,000,000 men liable to
service under the Levy en Masse Act.
Here at last was a plan for effecting that which was
^ Castlereagh, Desp. viii. pp. 113-124. I suspect some of these
figures to have been mistranscribed. In the earlier part of the
memorandum Castlereagh gives the Army and Regular Militia at
300,000 jointly, which would reduce the above total to 1,330,000.
Moreover, the calculation of 100,000 Sedentary Militia for Scot-
land against 200,000 for England is excessive, the Scottish Militia
being to the English Militia as i to 5f. The true estimate for
Scotland would therefore be about 35,000 men. The total would
then stand at 1,295,000 men.
IV THE LOCAL MILITIA 209
really needed — national training in arms ; the ideal 1808.
which had been foreshadowed in the elder Pitt's original
Militia Act of 1757. It is very evident too, from one
of the sentences which have been quoted, that Castle-
reagh designed it to be permanent, and to be valid in
peace as in war. Endless embarrassments, difficulties,
and disasters would have been averted if it could have
been erected and maintained in the form which he
suggested ; but this was not to be ; and when he laid his
Local Militia Bill before Parliament it was shorn of
very much of its usefulness. None the less his speech
in introducing it was so statesmanlike that it is worth
while very briefly to abstract it here.
He began by saying, most rightly, that the Regular
Army must be his first care, and took credit to himself
for having by his measures added 40,000 men to it.
Omitting the Artillery, the Regular Army and the Militia
in the British Isles numbered 200,000 men. If every
company in the Regular Infantry were raised to 100
men, 50,000 more soldiers could be admitted ; and it
would be of great advantage to have these men ready
trained without occasion for a ballot. This could be
done by establishing a Local Militia (it will be observed
that the phrase Sedentary Militia had been discarded), with
forty-eight days' drill near their homes, and twenty-one
days of embodiment in their own counties. The Volun-
teers would suffice if they were always as efficient as at
present, but it was necessary to organise a permanent
force of the same strength. Then in the First Line
there would be the Army and Established Militia ; in
the Second the Volunteers ; and in the Third a Local
Militia which need not exceed six times the Established
Militia, that is to say, 320,000^ men in Great Britain.
Add to this 70,000 effective Volunteers in Ireland ; and
there would be 400,000 trained men, ready to fall into
the Line and Militia if required. The effective Volun-
teers in Great Britain numbered 290,000, of which
240,000 were under arms at the last inspections. To
1 The number should be 309,000.
P
2IO THE LOCAL MILITIA chap.
1808. bring these 290,000 to 320,000, only 30,000 men were
wanted ; but the deficiency was so unequal in different
districts that not fewer than 60,000 would answer the
purpose. He proposed therefore to create a Local
Militia of 60,000 men, to be gradually increased as the
Volunteers diminished, and to supersede them in time
of peace. The force would be raised by ballot, but
only in districts where sufficient Volunteers, or men
between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five, did not
spontaneously come forward. To encourage such volun-
tary offers, he would give a small bounty to those who
entered the new force of their own will ; and he hoped
also to tempt gentlemen of rank to join as officers.
The qualifications of the Regular Militia would be
required of captains but not of subalterns. Service
would be for four years, and always within the county
except in case of invasion. When a ballot was held, no
substitutes would be allowed, the case of the Provisional
Cavalry having given warning against such a course.
The fine for exemption would be so great as to dis-
courage men from paying it ; and finally all insurance
against personal service would be made penal. The
force would be cheaper, man for man, than Windham's
levies, and would finally reach the number of 400,000
men. With such a force, and 200,000 regular troops,
the Empire would be secure.^
It will be observed that though Castlereagh hinted
that he looked forward to the disappearance of the
Volunteers, he adroitly dissembled his true feelings
concerning them ; so much so that he brought down
the usual denunciation of them from Windham. But
Windham's chief quarrel with the measure was that
Castlereagh had practically adopted his Training Act,
only altering the number of days' training, and incor-
porating the men into battalions, whereas he himself
wished to keep them as a great reserve to be passed
straight into the Line. He also declared that Castle-
reagh had other designs than merely making good the
1 H.D. 12th April 1808.
IV LOCAL MILITIA ACT 211
deficient number of Volunteers, because a circular had 1808.
been issued to stop all further increase of that force.
To all this Castlereagh responded with much tact that
he had borrowed a great deal from Windham's Train-
ing Act, and was not the least ashamed of it. Upon
the whole, the opposition to the Bill seems to have been
half-hearted, though more than one member urged
consideration of an alternative plan suggested by Lord
Selkirk. This was to call up all young men from
eighteen to twenty-five years of age, train them for
three months in their first year and for smaller periods
in subsequent years, until at twenty-five they became
exempt. Castlereagh disposed of this by saying that it
would destroy the whole system of quotas, and bear
very unequally upon the counties unless the Volunteers
were at once abolished. And it must be remembered
always in connection with Castlereagh's scheme, that he
had inherited the *' fleeting and inapplicable mass " from
his predecessors, and that its existence was a perpetual
bar to any but a very gradual reorganisation of the
people for military purposes.
The Local Militia Bills became law on the 30th of
June (48 Geo. III. cap. 1 1 1, Scotland, cap. 150). They
enacted that a Permanent Local Militia should be
enrolled in Great Britain, not to exceed, together with
the Volunteers, six times the quota of the Militia under
the Militia Act of 1802, that is to say, not to exceed
308,934 men ; and that deficiencies among effective
Volunteers should be supplied by Local Militiamen
(sees. 1-3). Only men between the ages of eighteen and
thirty were to be ballotted ; and no substitution nor
bounty to ballotted men was to be allowed (sec. 8).
Sick or infirm persons could be exempted by two
Deputy-Lieutenants under medical certificate (sec. 11).
Ministers of religion, schoolmasters, and practising
doctors were likewise exempted ; also men who were
serving, or had served, in the Army of Reserve or had
found a substitute or paid the fine for exemption from
service therein. Men who were in the like case in
212 LOCAL MILITIA ACT chap.
1 808. respect of the Regular Militia were exempt for four
years after the expiration of their term of service, or
for six years from the date of the enrolment of their
substitute (sec. 13). Articled clerks and apprentices,
poor men with fewer than three children born in lawfiil
wedlock, and persons under five feet four inches in
height but not under five feet two inches, though
exempted from the Regular Militia, were liable to serve
in the Local Militia (sec. 14) ; but ballotted apprentices
might not enlist in the Army without their master's
consent (sec. 15). Ballotted men were to be sworn to
serve for five years unless sooner discharged (sec. 16).
Any ballotted man not presenting himself to be enrolled
was to be fined ;C30 » or ^20 if his annual income were
less than £100 ; or ^^ 10 if his income were under ;^ 100 ;
which fines were to be paid to the Paymaster-General
of the Forces, and were to give exemption for two
years only (sec. 17). Persons imprisoned for not
paying these fines were liable to serve for their full
term of four years after expiration of their period of
imprisonment (sec. 18). Ballotted men engaging to
serve in Volunteer corps at their own expense were
entitled to remission of half the fine, but if they failed
to continue to serve for four years, they were liable to
forfeit treble the sum remitted, and to serve in the
Local Militia (sec. 20). Persons paying the fine were
required to declare that they had not insured themselves
against such payment ; and on refusing so to declare,
or on making a false declaration, were to forfeit thrice
the amount of the fine, with alternative of three months'"
imprisonment. The penalty for insuring persons against
fines was a fine of ^^50 (sees. 22, 23). When men
between the ages of eighteen and forty voluntarily
enrolled themselves in any parish, the ballot was to be
held only for the number deficient of the quota ; and such
voluntary recruits were to receive a bounty of £2 : 2s.,.
which, however, they were to forfeit if they enlisted in
the Regular Army within two years (sees. 24, 26, 27)..
Members of Friendly Societies were not to be prejudiced
IV LOCAL MILITIA ACT 213
by entering the Local Militia, whatever the rules of the 1808.
Societies (sec. 25). Corps of Volunteer Infantry, irrespec-
tive of age, might transfer themselves bodily to the Local
Militia, with the King's approval ; also Artillery Volun-
teers and Yeomen; but any vacancies remaining after such
transference were to be supplied by ballot if not filled
voluntarily within three months. All transferred Volun-
teers were required to declare that they had received no
bounty exceeding two guineas (sees. 29, 30). On
assembling for exercise Local Militiamen were entitled in
the first year to one guinea, and in subsequent years to
half-a-guinea for necessaries ; also to a further guinea on
being called out or embodied under any Order in Council
or proclamation under the Act (sec. 31). Persons
serving in the Local Militia were entitled to the same
exemptions from the Regular Militia as the Volunteers
had received under the Training Act, also to two years
exemption after the end of their four years' service, unless
their turn to be ballotted came round earlier (sec. 32).
The Local Militia could be formed into battalions and
regiments, and a proportion of the regimental staff kept
on permanent pay. Officers were to rank after those of
their grade in the Regular Militia ; but no higher title
than Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant was to be held,
except by Lords-Lieutenant and officers who had held the
rank of Colonel in the Regular Army or Militia (sees.
34, 35). Officers of Volunteers transferred with their
corps to the Local Militia retained their rank, but were
forbidden in any case to take rank above a Lieutenant-
colonel in the Regular Army (sec. 36). The Local
Militia could be put under the command of General
Officers, and called out for annual training for not
more than twenty-eight days, and to no greater distance
than an adjoining county (sec. 38). Men could remove
from the Militia of one county to that of another on
giving notice to their Commanding Officers (sec. 39).
In case of invasion or rebellion the Local Militia could
be embodied and marched to any part of Great Britain
(sec. 40). It could also be called out by the Lord-
' 214 LOCAL MILITIA ACT chap.
1808. Lieutenant to suppress riots, when its assembly was
limited to fourteen days only and was to be counted as
part of its training (sec. 42). In both of the above cases
it was to be entitled to the same pay as the Regular
Militia, and the wives and families of the men were
likewise entitled to parish relief (sees. 43, 44). Local
Militiamen might enlist in the Army, Navy, Marines,
and Regular Militia except during the period of annual
training ; and the vacancies thus created were to be
filled up like all other vacancies for the Militia, any
suspension of the ballot for the Regular Militia notwith-
standing (sees. 45, 46). Counties were liable to a fine
of ;^I5 for every man deficient of their quota on every
14th of February, subject to remissions of two-thirds
and one-third of such fines if the deficiency were made
good before the 14th of March and 14th of April
respectively (sees. 47, 48). Finally, there was inserted
at the instance of Whitbread ^ a section for the relief of
men who had paid fines or found substitutes for the
Army of Reserve, and had since been compelled to
serve as principals under Castlereagh's Act of 1 807 for
completing the Militia (sec. 47).
It will be observed that the Act in its final form
varied somewhat from the original plan sketched by
Castlereagh, most notably in the omission to provide a
body of supplementary men for the immediate filling of
vacancies. The invitation to entire Volunteer corps to
enrol themselves as Local Militia was also a concession,
though possibly a wise concession, which marred the
original idea of composing the new force wholly of
young men, who should have received their elementary
instruction under the Training Act. There was, more-
over, as shall be seen, another weak point in the loose
wording of the sections concerning the " marching-
guinea." But, on the other hand, it converted at a
stroke a large number of uncontrollable men into corps
which could be disciplined and compelled to obey
orders ; and this was a great step in advance. More-
1 H.D. 2nd May 1808.
IV PRESSURE ON VOLUNTEERS 215
over, it will be noticed that the experience of the past 1808.
was wisely turned to account in the drafting of the
Act. There were to be no more doubts as to the worth
of exemptions purchased for the Militia, the Army of
Reserve, or any other Additional Force ; no more
questions whether men could be ballotted to fill vacancies
or recruits could be enlisted into the Army ; no more
trouble with the tricks of Friendly Societies. Moreover,
the total abolition of substitution was an incalculable
gain, though in reality the reform only carried out
the original intention of the elder Pitt's Militia Act of
1757. This deserves to be lifted into prominence as
perhaps the most notable point in the whole of our
administrative military history.
It will be convenient, before touching upon other
topics, to follow up the construction of the Local
Militia during the summer of 1808, intimately con-
nected as it is with the history of the Volunteers. At
the opening of the year the Government seemed inclined
to continue its favours to the latter force, for it issued
a circular on the 2nd of April to say that the Volun-
teers might come out again on permanent duty during
1808 for not more than fourteen, or fewer than ten,
days, with the same allowances as in 1807. But within
five days there came out another circular to say that
in many Volunteer corps the difference between the
effective numbers and the establishment was so great
that a new establishment must be made, and that mean-
while all corps were provisionally limited to the number
of men actually enrolled on the ist of April. This, no
doubt, was [the circular to which Windham alluded in
his speech ; and it intimated pretty clearly that Volun-
teer corps below a certain strength would be swept out
of existence without a chance of completing themselves
so as to avert the evil day. Two days before the
Local Militia Act received the Royal assent, another
circular of the 28 th of June warned all commandants of
Volunteers that unless they sent in their muster-rolls
within fourteen days of the ist of August, their corps
2i6 CONVERSION OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1808. would lose the privileges of effective Volunteers and be-
come subject to the ballot for the Local Militia. There
was to be no delay, no evasion, no parleying. The ** fleet-
ing inapplicable mass" must become stable and applicable,
or it would find itself turned into Local MiHtia.
Then came the question whether the Volunteer
corps would or would not as a rule transfer themselves
bodily to the Local Militia. Speaking generally, they
seem to have been somewhat backward in doing so.
In some cases the officers were willing enough, but their
men would not follow them. In Suffolk the Helming-
ton battalion was ready to furnish ten officers but only
three men. In the same county the transfer of the
Risbridge battalion was wrecked by the conduct of two
captains, who were incensed because their Commanding
Officer refused to recommend one of them for pro-
motion to major. It is satisfactory to know that in
accordance with the recommendation of the Colonel
this corps was at once disbanded. In Sussex the
Volunteers as a body declined to have anything to do
with the Local Militia ; and in Nottinghamshire
some revolted from the very name and could not
be won over. In Ross likewise they stood haughtily
aloof until they discovered that their parishes would be
liable to heavy fines, when, like true Scots, they begged
hastily to be transferred, and offered even to sacrifice
their bounty if permitted to do so. In Kent the
Volunteers dissolved themselves in dudgeon in all
directions ; and for a quota of 7776 no fewer than
5074 needed to be ballotted. In Lancashire over 5000
Volunteers accepted service in the Local Militia, but even
so compulsion was necessary to force nearly 7000 more
into the ranks ; and a certain number, until brought to
their senses, positively refused to be ballotted. In Lincoln-
shire again it was necessary to invoke the ballot for
nearly half of the quota. On the other hand, there
were many counties in which the spirit was very much
better. Caermarthenshire, Denbigh, and Wiltshire pro-
duced the whole of their men without a ballot ; Hamp-
IV CONVERSION OF VOLUNTEERS 217
shire did very nearly as well ; and in Devon, whose full 1808.
quota was 9000, over 8000 Volunteers converted them-
selves into Local Militia. In all it seems that in seventy-
six counties of Great Britain it was necessary to raise
only 32,810 men by ballot.^ Upon the whole, there-
fore, the Volunteers, though poor of spirit in some
counties, came forward as well as could be expected ;
and they were encouraged by the latitude which the
Act gave them to enrol voluntary recruits in the Local
Militia, and so to draw in stragglers from corps which,
as complete bodies, had no relish for the new service.^
In W^ales it seems probable that the readiness of the
Volunteers to accept transfer to the Local Militia was
due to the poverty of the officers ; for in Pembroke the
Lieutenant pleaded hard for a corps to be continued in
the status of Fusiliers, since the officers were chiefly
1 Return in C.J. vol. Ixv. p. 620. Unfortunately eleven counties
furnished no return.
2 I.D. vol. cxxxviii. S.S. to L.L. Herts, 30th Dec. 1808 ; vol.
cxlvii. L.L. Suffolk, to S.S. 1st, 23rd Aug.; O.C. Risbridge Vols,
to S.S. 3rd Aug. 1808 ; vol. cxlviii. L.L. Sussex, to S.S. 17th Nov.
1808 ; vol. cxliv. O.C. Notts Loyal Vols, to S.S. i6th July 1808 ;
vol. clxvi. L.L. Kent, to S.S. 20th Nov. 1808 ; vol. clxviii. Minutes
of G.M. Lanes, i8th Jan.; Tviro D.Ls. of Ormskirk to S.S. 20th
Feb. 1809 ; vol. clxix. Lines, Return of loth Jan, 1809 ; vol. clvi.
L.L. Caermarthen, to S.S. 22nd Feb. 1809 ; vol. clix. L.L. Denbigh,
to S.S. 3rd Jan. 1809; vol. clxxvi. L.L. Wilts, to S.S. 21st Jan.
1809; vol. clxiv. L.L. Hants, to S.S. 28th Feb. 1809; vol. clx.
L.L. Devon, to S.S. 5th Feb. 1809 ; Entry Book, vol. xliii. S.S. to
Lord Rolle, 25th Jan. 1809.
I append a return of the county of Devon of 19th July 1809,
which is interesting as showing the part played by a single county.
Men liable to Militia service (exclusive of men serving) 14,692
Yeomanry and Volunteers exempt . . . 11,454!
Enlisted in Army, Marines, and Sea Fencibles 2258 J-14,682
Clergy, etc., exempt ..... 97°]
Infirm men ........ 9*9°
There is thus a deficiency of ten men unaccounted for.
It must of course be remembered that Devon, with the sea on
both sides, and with a large naval arsenal, furnished a large number of
seamen and marines. Unfortunately I cannot furnish the like returns
for other counties, which would probably be equally creditable.
21 8 WEEDING OF VOLUNTEER CORPS chap.
1808. farmers' sons, and subalterns were not to be obtained
unless all (as was the rule in Fusilier regiments) enjoyed
the same rank and pay. The wealth of Lancashire, on
the other hand, may account for the fact that the
county considered the change to the status of Militia
as a degradation. In this case no defect more damning
to the whole principle of the Volunteers as founded by
Pitt and Addington could possibly be instanced.
Meanwhile the process of weeding out inefficient
Volunteer corps proceeded steadily, with the result that
some curious specimens were discovered. One of the
Inspecting Field -Officers held a review of the South
Elmbridge Company, which possessed arms for seventy-
two men. Five men only appeared on parade ; and the
inspector approached the Commanding Officers of the
Kew and Ham Volunteers in order to obtain returns of
their numbers. One of them returned no answer what-
ever ; and the other replied that he had resigned, and
that his corps had not attended the last inspection.^ It
was for such useless and absurd bodies as these that the
Office of Ordnance had been plagued to find arms.
Another rather pathetic but very ridiculous case was
that of the Somerset House Volunteers, formed for the
defence of that building only, and commanded, for its
sins, by Colonel Richard Brinsley Sheridan. Somehow
Sheridan could never remember to issue orders for his
corps to be inspected, with the result that it forfeited
its exemptions from the Militia ballot. The officers in
despair appealed to LordTitchfield, the Lord-Lieutenant,
who, with a dry humour that was characteristic of him,
reported as follows on the loth of September. " I have
written two letters to Colonel Sheridan (in July), one a
private letter to Carlton House, where I believe he
resides ; the other a public one directed to him in
London. I cannot tell whether either has reached
him, for I have received no answer. I shall be much
surprised if I ever do receive any answer." No such
surprise was in store for Titchfield ; but in February 1 809
1 I.D. vol. cxlviii. I.F.O. Surrey and Kent, to S.S. 7th June 1 808.
IV FOREIGN EXPEDITIONS, 1808 219
Sheridan wrote to him, pleading hard for indulgence to 1808.
the Somerset House Volunteers, quite as if no one but
himself had ever given thought to the subject, and without
a word in acknowledgment of the Lieutenant's Jetters.^
Turning now to more serious matters, it must be
noted that Castlereagh's boast that he had added 40,000
men to the Army was no idle one. Altogether in 1 807
and the first three months of 1808 there were raised
some 19,000 men by ordinary recruiting, and 26,000
from the Militia, making in all 45,000 men against a
casualty list for 1807 of 14,570 men. This meant a
solid gain of about 30,000 men ; and though many of
them had engaged themselves for seven years only, they
were under no restraint as to foreign service. There
was therefore a respectable force to hand for offensive
operations over sea ; and as fate willed it, there was an
excellent opportunity for such a force to act in 1808.
The first expedition despatched by the Government
in that year was a body of about 10,000 men under the
command of Sir John Moore, which was sent to Sweden
with some vague idea of defending that unlucky king-
dom. Its real mission seems to have been to make a
show of adherence to a faithful but half-witted ally ; for
it was too weak to be of any service, and, in view of the
fact that it had been consigned to a lunatic, was hampered,
not unreasonably, by restrictions which made it utterly
useless. Accordingly it sailed to Sweden in May, and
sailed back in July ; and meanwhile new work had
appeared for it in another quarter. Napoleon in the
winter of 1807-8 had invaded Portugal and Spain, and
in May 1 808 the Spanish nation had risen in insurrection
and sent emissaries to beg for help from England.
General Spencer was already at or about Gibraltar, afloat
with some 4000 troops ; and though Moore had not yet
returned from Sweden, there were men enough to spare
for a little campaign in Portugal.
1 I.D. vol. cxHi. Officers of Somerset House Volunteers to S.S.
13th July; L.L. Middlesex, to S.S. loth Sept. 1808 ; vol. clxix.
Sheridan to L.L. Middlesex, 12th Feb. 1809.
220 STRENGTH OF THE ARMY chap.
1808. The effective strength of the Army on the ist of
June was, exclusive of artillery, as follows : —
In the British and Channel Islands
107,022
rank
and file
In Heligoland ....
In Madeira ....
302
1612
Gibraltar, Malta, and Sicily
West Indies .....
24,282
20,308
North America .....
7818
East Indies and Ceylon
Goree, 224 ; New South Wales, 536 .
19,776
760
On passage .....
With Moore, 10,871 ; with Spencer, 3704
4454
i4»575
»»
Of the troops at home the greater number were
second battalions, there being in fact but two first
battalions in England, four in Scotland, and nine in
Ireland. It is not surprising, therefore, that when in July
Sir Arthur Wellesley was despatched to Portugal with
some 9000 troops, the whole of his infantry (nine and a
half battalions) was, with the exception of half a battalion
of Rifles, drawn from Ireland. He was reinforced in
August by seven more battalions, three of them second,
and four of them first, amounting to about 4000 men
in all, and with these added to Spencer's force was fought
the campaign of Roli^a and Vimeiro.
The Convention of Cintra brought the operations to
an unfortunate end ; and the recall of all the generals
who were concerned in it threw the command into the
hands of Sir John Moore. In the course of the autumn
and winter Castlereagh increased his force to some
42,000 men, British and German ; and with 33,000
of these Moore moved north-eastward from Portugal to
join the Spanish armies, but, finding that they had been
hopelessly beaten, finally decided to make the dash upon
Napoleon's communications which has made his name
famous. On the i6th of January 1809 he fought the
action of Coruna, and on the following day the wreck, of
his army embarked for England, where it disembarked
a little over 26,000 strong.^
^ I am indebted for these figures concerning Moore's army to
Oman's History of the Peninsular War, i. 646.
IV MILITIA ENLISTMENT BILL, 1809 221
II
On the 25 th of January 1809 Castlereagh, after a * °^"
very handsome tribute to Moore, introduced a new Bill
to enable the Militia to enlist into the Army. He was
not without good justification. The casualties for the
year 1808 had been 17,183, and against these figures
ordinary recruiting had produced only 10,477 ^^^ ^^^
2486 boys. On the other hand, the Spanish insurrection
against Napoleon, kindled by the spontaneous impulse
of a proud and gallant people, had roused the greatest
enthusiasm in England. Nine battalions of Militia, the
Bucks, the Durham, the Hants, the Hereford, the Leicester,
the Pembroke, Flintshire, Merioneth, and Carnarvon,
had volunteered for active service in Spain within a few
weeks after the insurrection became known in England.'
Moreover, the diversion of Napoleon's troops to Spain
had drawn great numbers of his men from Germany ;
while the capture of one of his corps at Baylen had
heartened all the armies that he had ever defeated.
Austria was arming with feverish haste to take her
revenge ; and even in Prussia, crushed and humbled to
the dust, free corps were organising themselves to strike
at the first favourable moment. The time, therefore,
seemed propitious for a great effort to overthrow the
conqueror who for so long had dominated Europe.
Castlereagh said nothing of all this in introducing
his Bill, but remarked simply that it was now ascertained
that the easiest and swiftest way of increasing the Army
was to draw men from the Militia. The Act of 1807
had encouraged the transfer of 29,000 men from the
Militia to the Line, and in twelve months over 27,000
had been transferred. He had asked the country for
45,000 to fill the gaps in the Militia, and in six months
1 C.C.L.B. 8th Aug. 1808 ; I.D. vol. cxxxvii. L.L. Hants, to S.S.
26th Sept. ; L.L. Hereford, to S.S. 14th Oct. ; vol. cxxxix. L.L.
Leicester, to S.S. 14th Aug. 1808 ; ff^.O. Mila. E.B. 21st July, ist,
3rd, loth Aug. 1808.
222 MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT, 1809 chap.
1809. 41,500 had joined their regiments. He proposed, there-
fore, once again to encourage Militiamen to enlist in the
Army to such an extent as to leave, as in 1807, three-
fifths of the establishment untouched. But whereas in
1807 it was necessary not only to complete the establish-
ment but to raise men in excess, in this year it would be
necessary only to cover deficiencies, so that for England
only 24,000 would be called for instead of 36,000.
He purposed if possible to dispense with the ballot, and
to throw the expense of raising these men not upon the
counties but upon the public. He would therefore in
the first place try to gather the necessary Militia recruits
by voluntary enlistment, offering a bounty often guineas
from the Imperial Treasury. If a ballot were found
necessary, he would give this sum to the ballotted man,
either as a bounty if he served himself, or as a subsidy
towards the price of a substitute. He hoped that the
county gentlemen and Colonels of Militia would forward
the levy, since the expense was to fall upon the Imperial
Treasury and not on the counties ; and upon the whole
he was sanguine that the ballot would be unnecessary
and that general recruiting for the Army would not be
injured.
These proposals, of course, met with some opposition.
Tierney saw no occasion to increase the Army until the
House knew on what service it was to be employed, and
Lord Milton declared that to make the Militia fill the
. ranks of the Regulars was nothing less than conscription
for the Army.^ On the other hand, Colonel Wood of
the Middlesex Militia declared that he and his fellow-
commanders had overcome their prejudices against the
system, inasmuch as by furthering it they could best
serve their country. Bounties, observed the Colonel,
were not high ; for he had lately got thirty men for
eight guineas apiece — a statement of delightful effrontery,
since as a matter of fact he was employing an agent in
Norwich to gather recruits from the Local Militiamen,
to the exasperation of that county and to the infraction
1 H.D. 25th Jan. 1809.
IV MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT 223
of a whole volume of Militia Acts.^ Against this Mr. 1809.
Giles declared that the Militiamen drafted into the Line
had cost the country in bounties ^^28 a head, or
;{[726,ooo in all, one-third from general taxation, one-
third from private individuals, and one-third from the
landed interest ; and that some cheaper way ought to
be found. ^
The Bills for transferring Militiamen to the Line
became law on the 1 3th of March (49 Geo. III. cap. 4 ;
Ireland, cap. 5). The men to be enlisted were not to
exceed such number as should leave three-fifths of the
establishment intact; but when the number of men in any
regiment in excess of three-fifths of the present estab-
lishment should be less than two-fifths of the establish-
ment in 1807, such two-fifths might enlist (sees, i, 2).
If five-sixths of this number were willing to enlist
at once, no more were to be engaged without the
Commanding Officer's consent (sec. 3). If the five-
sixths did not enlist within thirty days, the Command-
ing Officer was to explain the terms of enrolment and
allow enlistment for a further seven days, after which
there was to be no more enlistment, excepting with
his consent, for one month. Then three more days
were to be given ; then after another month's
interval three more days ; and after that three more
periods of three days at intervals of three months (sees.
6-9). The remainder of the provisions were the same
as in the Act of 1807 ; but an amendment was added in
an Act for Completing the Militia (49 Geo. III. cap.
53, sec. 32) empowering the King to appoint two
more periods of three days each at any time after
the ist of August for the enlistment of Militiamen
into the Line from any regiments that had not
supplied their full numbers. The quotas of men thus
permitted to enlist amounted to 18,130 for England,
3654 for Scotland, and 6708 for Ireland, or 28,492
men in all.
1 H.D. 2nd Feb. 1809 ; I.D. vol. cxliii. L.L. Norfolk, to S.S.
24th Dec. 1808. ' f^-D. 24th March 1809.
224 SUGGESTED ARMY REFORMS chap.
1809. Meanwhile, at the Horse Guards there had been
thought out a further plan for the improvement of the
military force of the country, to which the enlistment
of men from the Militia was but auxiliary.
The proposal was to increase every regiment of the
Line to two battalions ; the first battalions to be for
unlimited service as to time and place, and of the strength
of 800, 1000, or 1200; the second battalions to be
uniformly 1000 strong, composed of men obtained by
ballot, but officered by officers of the Regular Army
only, who would pass to the first battalion according
to their rank. This would give a " disposable " force
of about 100,000 men, and a force for home defence
of the same strength, but having the advantage over the
Militia, that the officers would be thoroughly trained.
The rest of the armed strength of the country was to
be distributed into Local Militia, Yeomanry, and Volun-
teers only, the Regular Militia passing out of existence.
The Volunteers should be in corps not less than
600 strong, and entirely self-supporting, so as to be of
no expense to the public except for their arms and for
their pay when called out on permanent duty, at which
time they ought to be subject to martial law.
The Local Militia should be formed on the same
principle as the rest of the Army, the establishments
being equalised so far as the populations of the counties
permitted. The arrangements for calling them out for
training should be such as to make the service as little
burdensome as possible, so that the country gentlemen
might be encouraged to hold commissions. The Local
Militia should in every case assume the uniform, colours
and equipment of the regiment of the Line belonging
to its county, and in fact become a part of it. The
men of the second battalions should be encouraged by
bounties to extend their services to their first battalions,
and those of the Local Militia in like manner to the
second battalions. Probably enough men would come
forward voluntarily to fill the gaps in the second bat-
talions, but if not the ballot must be resorted to ; for
IV CALVERT'S MEMORANDUM 225
the essence of the plan was that the second battalions 1809,
should be kept complete. Thus a real and useful
connection would be established between the different
branches of the milit^r^ force ; the regiments of the
Line would be closely connected with the counties whose
names they bore ; and the Militia would become what
it ought to be constitutionally — the basis of the national
force. Only thus could the recruiting for the Army
be placed on an assured and permanent footing. The
amount of the force thus produced would be —
Infantry of the Line for general service, exclusive of
Guards, Veteran battalions, and Sixtieth . . 100,000
Second battalions, limited to service in the British
Isles ....... . 100,000
Local Militia, at least ...... 200,000
Yeomanry ........ 32,000
Volunteers ........ 100,000
Total (all foreign corps excluded) . . 532,000^
This memorandum, which bears the signature of Sir
Henry Calvert, the Adjutant-General, expanded the
scheme proposed by the Commander-in-Chief in 1 807.
It anticipated, as will be at once remarked, the terri-
torial system which at present obtains in the Army ; and
there can be no doubt of its soundness in many respects.
It was an absurdity to have two descriptions of Militia,
one of which in practice only duplicated the
second battalions of the Line, and competed with them
for recruits ; and the division of the forces into the
Regular and Movable Army recruited by voluntary
enlistment, and the Sedentary Army recruited by ballot
without power of substitution, would have been more
intelligible, more business-like, and more efficient.
Castlereagh, however, seems to have shrunk from the
change, and though, as shall in due time be seen, the
Local Militia practically displaced the Volunteers, yet
no steps were taken wholly to abolish the Regular
Militia.
1 Castlereagh's Desp. viii. 194- 1 97.
226 MILITIA COMPLETION ACT chap.
1809. The levy of Militiamen for the Line opened well,
though, as in 1808, some few counties hung back,
Inverness in particular declining at first to produce a
man, while others came forward readily with their
quota. By the ist of June 16,429 of the 28,492 had
enlisted; namely, 13,002 from England, 1050 from
Scotland, and 2377 from Ireland, England contributing
a far larger proportion of her quota than the sister
Kingdoms. On the 25th of May 1809 the effective
strength of the Regular Army was returned as 219,874
rank and file, including 31,077 foreign troops, of which
107,857 were at home, and 112,017 abroad; the
largest detachment abroad being a force of 22,000 men
in Portugal, of which more shall presently be said.
Besides these there were in the three Kingdoms 65,524
Militia, making a total force of 285,398 rank and
file, or, including sergeants, trumpeters, and drummers,
but not including officers, 301,598 non-commissioned
officers and men.
It remained, therefore, to fill up the gaps in the
Militia, for which purpose were passed two Acts (49
Geo. III. cap. ^2 for England ; cap. 56 for Ireland).
The former provided for raising Militiamen equal to
one-half of the quota of 1802 (25,245 men) before the
I st of October 1 8 1 o (sec. i ). Until the i st of June 1 8 1 o
voluntary recruits might be enlisted for the Militia by
beat of drum for a bounty not exceeding twelve
guineas, such recruits to have not more than one child
born in wedlock, and to be placed in respect of the
support of their families on the same footing as substi-
tutes (sees. 2, 3, 5). After the ist of June all defi-
ciencies were to be filled by ballot ; and preparations
for this ballot were to be made if any deficiencies existed
on the ist of April 18 10 (sees. 7, 8). The fine for
exemption was fixed at ^^20. The bounty to ballotted
persons or to substitutes from the ist of June to the ist of
September 1 8 10 was to be ten guineas, but parish officers
were empowered to raise volunteers for the same bounty
until the ist of September 1810 (sees. 14, 15). Counties
IV MILITIA RECRUITING 227
not providing their quota by the i st of October 1 8 1 o were 1 809.
to be fined ^^40 for each man deficient (sec. 24), which
fines, together with the £10 exemption-fines, were to be
paid over to the Imperial Exchequer (sec. 34). Power
was reserved to the King to order a ballot at any
time before the ist of June and after the ist of October
1 8 10 to complete the Militia (sec. 36) ; but, after the
men had been raised, the ballot was to be suspended
until the ist of January 18 12 (sec. 29).
The process of raising Militiamen by beat of drum
seems to have gone on fairly quietly, though occasion-
ally there was trouble. London, as usual, was forward
in attempting to steal men from other counties. Thus
the Tower Hamlets Militia sent a recruiting party,
without any beating order, to Stroud in Gloucestershire,
where they offered a reward of a guinea to any man who
would bring them recruits for their regiment. Recruits
having been brought in, received five guineas on the
spot, were sent up to the regiment, and from thence
were at once sent back on furlough to their homes, with
the intimation that they too would receive a guinea
for every recruit that they in their turn should produce.
By this ingenious method the Tower Hamlets enlisted
numbers of men at a cheap rate, leaving the people
of Gloucestershire enraged but impotent.^ Another
difficulty was that under voluntary enlistment a parish
often provided more than its quota, and thus as a
reward for its patriotism incurred an undue burden for
the support of the Militiamen's families.^ But on the
whole the complaints were few, and matters seem to
have proceeded with great smoothness.
In Ireland (49 Geo. III. cap. ^6, 3rd June 1809) the
men for completion of the Militia were to be voluntarily
enlisted, at a bounty not exceeding eight guineas (sec.
i). Counties not producing their quota within twelve
months were to be fined ^30 for every man deficient.
But over and above this an Irish Militia Consolidation
1 I.D. vol. clxiv. L.L. Glos. to S.S. 4th Aug. 1809.
2 Ibid. vol. clxiv. L.L. Glos. to S.S. 8th Dec. 1809.
228 IRISH MILITIA ACTS chap.
1809. Act was introduced on the 6th of February by the Chief
Secretary, Sir Arthur Wellesley, though in great measure
prepared by Castlereagh in 1805.^ Hereby the Irish
Militia was appointed to consist of thirteen battalions of
six companies each, two of seven companies, ten bat-
talions of eight companies, one of nine companies, and
six often companies, or 24,100 men. No regiment was
to have more than 100 rank and file in a company
(sees. 2, 9). Militiamen enlisting into the Regulars,
except under a special Act, were liable to six months' im-
prisonment (sec. 63). Full machinery for the ballot
was authorised, but the Lord-Lieutenant was empowered
to allow the Militia, or any vacancies therein, to be
supplied by voluntary enlistment (sec. 130) ; or to
authorise parochial assessments for money to raise men
in lieu of the ballot (sec. 124). This last was the most
important provision in the Bill for Ireland, for, whereas
it had been a temporary expedient before, it was now
made a perpetual possible substitute for the ballot, which
had always been a source of trouble in that country.
Next, some amendment was needed for the Local
Militia Act, for which purpose Castlereagh introduced
a Local Militia Act Amendment Bill on the 27th of
March. His speech showed how rapidly this new force
had been developed. In all there were now 250 regi-
ments of Local Militia in Great Britain ; 1 84 with
149,440 men in England, 66 with 45,721 men in Scot-
land, making together 195,161 men, or an average of
nearly 800 men to each battalion. Of these 125,000
had passed into the Local Militia from the Volunteers,
and 50,000 or 60,000 had been voluntarily enlisted.
But the bounty of two guineas to every such voluntary
recruit had been found too heavy ; and Castlereagh
proposed to leave it to the parishes to assess themselves
spontaneously and give what bounty they might choose,
not exceeding one guinea a man, which sum was
ultimately increased in the Act to two guineas. There was
another trouble, though it is not mentioned in the report
^ Castlereagh's Desp. viii. 40-43.
IV LOCAL MILITIA AMENDMENT 229
of Castlereagh's speech, namely, that the recruiting 1809.
sergeants of the Army had been unable to resist the
temptation to enlist Local Militiamen during the period
of training ; ^ an evil which also required to be checked.
Accordingly the Act, when passed on the 12th of May,
contained the following provisions (49 Geo. III. cap.
40). Voluntary enlistment for supplying deficiencies
was permitted at any time (sec. 2), and vacancies in the
Local Militia were to be filled at once without orders
from headquarters, irrespective of the suspension of the
ballot for the Regular Militia, or of the fact that the
Local Militia and Volunteers in any county might, taken
together, exceed six times the quota of the Regular
Militia (sec. 3). Local Militiamen were allowed to
enlist in the Regular Militia (but of their own counties
only, 49 Geo. III. cap. 129, 21st June 1808). The
enlistment of Local Militiamen, during the period of
training, into the Army or Regular Militia was for-
bidden under penalty of a fine of £20 (sec. 6). Powers
were given to the Deputy-Lieutenants to make new
apportionments of quotas among parishes and districts,
and to regulate the inequalities of numbers in the
divisions of the counties (sees. 8-10). The section (26)
of the original Act as to the bounty of two guineas to
voluntary recruits was repealed ; and powers were given
to the parochial authorities to offer any bounty up to that
sum ; but the bounty to Volunteers transferring them-
selves to the Local Militia was done away, unless such
Volunteers were actually serving before the present Act
was passed (sees. 11-14). Volunteers transferred to
the Local Militia were exempted from service in the
Regular Militia (sec. 15). Non-commissioned officers,
drummers, and bandsmen of the Local Militia were
forbidden to enlist in the Regulars without consent of
their Commanding Officer (sec. 28).^
1 I.D. vol. cliii. Col. Whitbread (Beds.) to S.S. 26th April
1809.
2 A second amending Act (49 Geo. III. c. 82) was also passed
later in the session, but contains nothing essential to our purpose.
230 DECAY OF VOLUNTEERS chap.
1809. It will have been gathered from Castlereagh's speech
quoted above that the Volunteers had declined as the
Local Militia increased ; and in June those that were not
genuinely self-supporting received their death-blow in
an intimation that no further allowance for clothing
would be granted to Volunteer Infantry.^ Little more
therefore will remain to be said of this force, though,
curiously enough, the services of the Volunteers were
really needed in Cornwall in February 1809. A trans-
port containing 240 soldiers of Junot's army, which
was bound to France in pursuance of the Convention of
Cintra, came into Penzance in a sinking state. The
men on board her were out of all discipline and
control, and threatened to break out of the ship and land.
The Volunteers in the district were therefore hastily
called out to overawe the Frenchmen and to patrol the
countryside ; so that on this occasion it may be said that
they were of real value.^ But from this time forward
they were wholly eclipsed by the Local Militia, which
now demands a slight review.
Windham's criticism of the new force was that it
contained, no doubt, a fine body of men ; but were they
soldiers ? To this it can only be answered that, if they
were not in some measure soldiers, the Volunteers, from
which two-thirds of them were sprung, must have been
incurably inefficient. Out of the 195 battalions, 116
came out for a month's or a fortnight's training during
1809, which was a creditable number considering that
the Local Militia was only called into being on the 30th
of June 1808. In any case they furnished a useful
number of recruits to the Army and Regular Militia.
In June 1 809 a circular was issued empowering Lords-
Lieutenant to offer a bounty of eight guineas to all men
who would join the Regular Militia ; and from the
Bucks regiments alone nineteen men were collected in
a few days. The Lord-Lieutenant of that county also
suggested and obtained approval of a useful and
^ Circular to the L.Ls. 30th June 1809.
2 J D vol. clviii. L.L. Cornwall, to S.S. 23rd Feb. 1809.
IV LOCAL MILITIA RIOTS 231
economical reform, namely, that the recruits should be 1 809.
called out for a period of training half as long again as
that of the rest of the battalion.^ But indeed it may
be said that Buckinghamshire, under the guidance of the
Grenvilles, was always one of the foremost counties for
any patriotic work. From Denbigh the Lieutenant
reported that his Local Militiamen were ready to enter
the Army without any bounty or solicitation.^ In fact,
though no sufficient evidence exists absolutely to prove
the fact, it should seem that a number of young
fellows no sooner found themselves obliged to serve,
without option of finding a substitute, than they became
ready to make the Army their profession in earnest.
Nevertheless there was, as it happened, a great deal of
trouble with the Local Militia during 1 809. In Aberdeen
the people of Garioch rose tumultuously to prevent the
enrolment of their quota ; and the Deputy-Lieutenants
only accomplished their duty at great personal risk and
under the protection of a military force.' But this
isolated outbreak was of small importance compared
with a turbulent spirit which appeared in all parts of the
Kingdom. It seems that certain women, by whom
inspired it is impossible to say, made it their business to
tramp from regiment to regiment of the Local Militia,
trying to excite riots. The pretext for disturbance was
a pretended right of the men to the guinea allowed
under sec. 31 of the Act to provide them with
necessaries — " that fatal clause," as the Lord-Lieutenant
of Carnarvon termed it — and certainly as a pretext it
proved very successful. There were petty mutinies in
various quarters, of which many were hushed up ; though
some record of the more serious remains. At Ely a Cam-
bridgeshire regiment, after perfectly orderly behaviour
for twenty-seven days, turned against their Commanding
1 I.D. vol. civ. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 27th June ; 21st Dec.
1809. I have been unable to discover the circular alluded to, but
its existence and purport are proved by the former of these letters.
2 Ibid. vol. clix. L.L. Merioneth, to S.S. loth June 1809.
' Ibid. vol. ccxxxvi. L.L. Aberdeen, to S.S. 2nd Jan. 1813.
232 LOCAL MILITIA RIOTS chap.
1809. Officer upon the twenty-eighth, threatening him with
their bayonets and with cries of " no knapsacks " ; the
grievance being that some of the captains, following the
custom of the Volunteers, had given the men their
guinea, while others had spent it upon knapsacks and so
forth. It was necessary for the Lord-Lieutenant to go
down in person to explain matters to the men, after
which five ringleaders were tried by regimental court-
martial and flogged. In Merioneth again the men were
discontented because the money was spent on knapsacks
instead of being placed in their hands. In Hertford-
shire the Archenfield Local Militia, at the instance of
a sergeant, rose against their officers for no apparent
reason, but doubtless owing to trouble over the wretched
guinea ; and all the townspeople joined the mutineers
in a disorderly riot. Once again it was imperative to
flog four men, though the Commander-in-Chief left it
to the Colonel to remit any excess over one hundred
lashes. In Taunton a far more serious affray arose from
the attempt of a corporal and several men to rescue a
prisoner from the guard-room. The townspeople
joined in the riot ; one of the officers was wounded by
the bayonet of one of the ringleaders, and order was not
restored until the Thirteenth Light Dragoons, the
Taunton Rifle Corps, and the recruiting parties in the
town had turned out in arms. The cause of the trouble
could not be traced. There was no complaint about
the marching-guinea ; and on the morning of the day
the battalion had done no more work than a march of
five miles to the Commandant's country house, where
he treated them to bread and cheese and beer. In fact
the riot seems to have been due to a kind of infection
of disorder which ran all through the Local Militia —
most of them, it must be remembered, converted
Volunteers — during the lastfortnight of June. However,
the Commandant at Taunton was equal to the occasion.
He assembled the regiment, disarmed it, summoned a
drum-head court-martial which sentenced the leader to
500 lashes and four more men to 100 apiece ; tied up the
IV FOREIGN AFFAIRS
233
leader on the spot to receive 175 lashes, remitted ail the 1809.
remainder of the punishments, and within twelve hours
was able to report that discipline had been restored.^
So much for the strength of the forces in 1809 ; it
is now time to look to the employment of them abroad.
First, it must be noted that in the spring of 1809
Austria declared war upon France, and the Archduke
Charles advanced against the French Army while it
was not yet concentrated. This diversion compelled
Napoleon to recall troops from Spain ; and Sir Arthur
Wellesley, who had been sent back to Portugal in
command of a force of some 2 1 ,000 rank and file, which
was presently raised to some 33,000, was able for a time to
take the offensive and fight the compaigns of the Douro
and Talavera. The latter of these, chiefly owing to the
sickly state of his army in the valley of the Guadiana,
was somewhat costly in the matter of casualties.'^
Moreover, Minsters, unable from dearth of specie to send
more troops to the Peninsula, despatched in July an
expedition of 40,000 men to the Scheldt, where the
incompetence of the Commander assured failure to an
enterprise whose success was, at best, extremely doubtful.
The climate played havoc among the rank and file and
made the campaign extremely costly. Add to this the
facts that General Beckwith, having been reinforced by
four battalions in November 1 808, attacked and captured
Martinique with 10,000 men in February 1809 ; and
that General Stuart was able to embark 1 1 ,000 men for
1 I.D. vol. clxxiii. O.C. East Staffs, L.M. to L.L. 30th June
1809 ; vol. clvi. L.L. Cambs, to S.S. 25th June 1809 ; vol. clix. L.L.
Merioneth, to S.S. 1st July 1809 ; vol. clxv. Sir H. Hoskyns to L.L.
Hertford, 20th June 1809 ; vol. clxxiii. O.C. West Somerset L.M.
to S.S. 27th June 1809.
3 The return of casualties in the Peninsula, 31st March to 25th
December 1809, was : —
Dead 493'
Deserted .... 349
Discharged . . . • 4'
Total 5321
C.J. vol. Ixv.
234 CASTLEREAGH'S RESIGNATION chap.
1 809. raids upon the French in Naples and Calabria ; and it will
be seen that in all some 84,000 rank and file, or say
95,000 of all ranks, were employed in offensive operations
during this year, though with lamentably small results.
Meanwhile, apart from Walcheren, the country had
encountered a series of misfortunes. First, the Duke
of York had been forced by the scandals concerning
Mrs. Clarke to resign the post of Commander-in-Chief ;
and the weight of this blow to the military administration
can only be appreciated by students who know what
the Army was before the Duke took it in hand. Again,
the Ministry had been broken up, and Castlereagh, the
ablest man that ever controlled the War Office, had
been driven from it. Spencer Perceval had become
Prime Minister ; Castlereagh's place had been taken by
Lord Liverpool, a sound, sensible man, whose reputation
is far below his desert ; and Palmerston had been
appointed Secretary at War. Moreover, the Austrian
attempt to break down the power of Napoleon had
proved a failure. Wagram had forced her to a
humiliating peace ; and the Emperor of the French
was free once more to turn all his force against Spain.
The only comforting feature in the situation, known
only to a few in England, and hardly apprehended by
them, was that Russia had not thrown in her lot
against Austria with a whole heart, as her alliance with
France required of her. In England, therefore, all was
grumbling and discontent ; and the denunciations in
Parliament of the fiasco of Walcheren were hardly more
bitter than the criticisms concerning Wellington and his
campaign of Talavera.
Ill
In such a temper of the nation the tone of all
opponents whether to the new or to the old Govern-
ment in Parliament was, not wholly without excuse, to
the last degree captious. When, therefore, the Army
Estimates were brought forward there were loud cries
IV STRENGTH OF FORCES, 1810 235
for petty economies. However, Palmerston carried his 18 10.
estimates, and, since the Government was bent on
prosecuting the war in the Peninsula and had taken
30,000 of the Portuguese Army into pay, it remained to
be seen how the ranks of the forces were to be filled.
The casualties in the Regular Army for 1809
numbered 21,630, one of the highest figures attained in
the course of the war. The chief source of recruits lay
in the Militiamen who had been called upon to enlist in
the Line by the Act of 13th March 1809. The number
allowed to enlist from the Militia of Great Britain
had been 21,784; and of these by the same day of
1 8 10 there had been raised 15,331, leaving a deficiency
of over 6000. There was, however, still the quota of
the Irish Militia to be added, over and above Ireland's
usual contribution of 3000 to 4000 men annually ;
besides which there had been raised by ordinary recruit-
ing 9675 men and 2045 boys. Thus there were men
enough to carry the Army through another year of war.
With the Militia matters were not quite so
prosperous. The number required to fill the vacancies
caused by enlistments into the Regular Army was, it
will be remembered, 25,245 men in Great Britain ; and
these according to the Act were to be raised by
voluntary recruiting until the ist of June 18 10, and
after that date by the ballot. This lenient, though
perhaps politic, method of dealing with the Militia was
not wholly successful, for on the 24th of January 18 10
the deficiency was still 18,512, showing that only 6733
men had been obtained in eight months. This, of
course, could be made good by the ballot ; but one
troublesome drawback to the system was that patriotic
parishes which showed zeal in providing recruits gained
thereby no advantage against the time when the ballot
should come. An Act was therefore passed (50 Geo.
iii. c. 24) to enable the Justices and Deputy-Lieutenants
to make a just apportionment of the recruits among the
parishes, so that no hardship should ensue either from
this cause, or in respect of the support of the enlisted
236 TROUBLES WITH BALLOT chap.
1810. men's families. It was further enacted, for the pre-
vention of abuses, that the provisions of the Mutiny
Act as regards the enlistment of apprentices should
apply to the Militia.
The Government, from leniency towards the counties
and to give them time to prepare their lists, prolonged
the time for voluntary enlistment to the 30th of June ;
but the ballot was duly applied to complete the Militia
after the ist of July ; and the usual crop of troubles at
once sprang up. In many counties it seems that there
was something like a revolt of the Deputy-Lieutenants
and Justices, " whose conduct and language checked the
operation of the law." From others there were pathetic
appeals that the bounty of £10 to parochial substitutes,
which was ordered to cease on the ist of September,
might be prolonged to the ist of October, owing to the
time consumed in making out new ballot -lists.^ But
the Act reserved no power to the Crown to do this ;
and the aggrieved counties were fain to submit to the
inevitable. Where new ballot-lists had not been made
out, there were still more formidable obstacles. In
Inverness twenty-eight indignant tradesmen complained
that they had all of them been drawn for the Militia, to
the omission of many others who had not been included in
the ballot because the lists were two years old. They
alleged further that the number of constables had been
doubled from forty to eighty within the past eighteen
months to secure exemption for a certain number of
young men ; and they appealed frantically for new lists,
because trade, since they had been ballotted, was at a
standstill.'^ In another subdivision of the same county
the ballot failed completely. Several of the lotmen
disappeared or deserted ; others raised legal objections
which procured them bill after bill of suspension from
1 I.D. vol. clxxx. L.L. Linlithgow, to S.S. 2nd August 1810.
Eight more counties made the same request.
* liU. vol. clxxix. Enclosure in David Macpherson to S.S. 24th
Aug. 1 8 10. Memorial of a subdivision of Inverness to S.S. Dec.
1810.
IV TROUBLES WITH BALLOT 237
the Supreme Court until the last day of the ballot had 1810^
expired. Their suits were all of them dismissed with
costs ; but meanwhile they had gained their point and
were safe until the next ballot.
This, however, was but one manifestation of the
general hatred of the Militia in Scotland. The Vice-
Lieutenant of Bute reported at the end of October that
the Arran division could not possibly produce its quota
owing to the invincible aversion of the people from
personal service ; and he requested that the Militia
might be completed by ballot and that the exemption-
fines might be applied, as in former cases, to the pur-
chase of substitutes. He added that the people had
begun to claim exemption as seafaring men, and that
if this claim were allowed it would be preferred by the
entire population, whereas, if his recommendation were
accepted, the fines would certainly be forthcoming, for
there was an insurance company ready to oblige its
clients with the money for a premium of four guineas a
year.* Nairn, again, one of the counties that had
pleaded for extension of the time wherein the ten-guinea
bounty might be granted, declared that without this
privilege she could not raise her quota of men. " The
business," added the unfortunate Lieutenant, " is so
intricate, owing to the number of Acts of Parliament, that
scarcely two counties have acted upon them under the
same construction." Perth begged likewise for postpone-
ment of the ballot.^ In Lanark matters were so far
behind-hand that even a fortnight after the time for the
ballot had expired, the new lists had not been distributed
to the Deputy-Lieutenants. This was due in part ta
certain legislation of 1804 which deprived the Lieu-
tenancies of Scotland of the power to remunerate their
own servants, and made it in consequence exceedingly
difficult to get the work done. But, unlike the other
counties, Lanark lamented the prolongation of the
1 I.D. vol. clxxix. V.L. Bute, to S.S. 30th Oct., 27th Nov. 18 10.
2 Ibid.vol. clxxix. L.L. Nairn, to S.S. 2nd Sept. 1810; vol.
cxcii. L.L. Perth, to S.S. 20th June 18 10.
238 TROUBLES WITH BALLOT chap.
iSio. enlistment by beat of drum for one month, and the
consequent loss of power during that month to raise
parochial substitutes for ten guineas.^ Edinburgh made
a like complaint of the suspension of the ballot during
June. In Midlothian only seven men had been raised
by beat of drum, and most of the ballotted men had
paid fines instead of finding substitutes, which did
not deliver the parishes from the fine of ^^40 for every
man deficient. Private bounties for substitutes, added
the Vice-Lieutenant, had in some counties reached the
height of£^o ; and this was confirmed by the Lieutenant
of Fife, who reported that he had raised the quota for
his county, but that bounties had indeed exceeded the
above figure, the £^0 paid being in addition to the
ten guineas allowed by the Act, so that the total
amounted to ;^6o : los. In consideration of the
circumstances the Vice-Lieutenant of Edinburgh begged
that the fines of ^20 paid for exemption might be
accepted as part of the penalty of £^0 levied on the
county for every man deficient. He pleaded in vain.
To one and all of these requests that the law might be
wrested to one side or another in their favour, there
could be but one reply — that the Secretary of State
could grant no dispensations from Act of Parliament.^
In England there were difficulties of much the same
kind as in Scotland. In Buckinghamshire the Lieutenant
urged that a short Bill should be passed to extend the
time for the ballot until March 1 8 1 1 , so that recalci-
trant counties might be brought to their senses by
heavy fines. His own quota was nearly complete, but
in his virtuous indignation he omitted to mention that
some of his men had been raised at Leicester, where the
crier had been sent round to offer forty guineas apiece
for three or four men for the Buckinghamshire Militia.
In Berkshire the Lieutenancy took upon itself to ballot
men after the ist of October, and would not set them
1 I.D. vol. clxxxvii. L.L, Lanark, to S.S. 19th Oct. 1810.
2 Il>id. vol. clxxxiv. L.L. Edinburgh, to S.S. 3rd Oct, ; vol.
clxxxv. V.L. Fife, to S.S. 25th Aug. 18 10.
IV TROUBLES WITH BALLOT
■39
free without the Secretary of State's order/ In Cardigan 1 8io.
a new and unexpected complication came to light. The
county had duly supplied its quota of men under the Act
of 1809, but the Militia was still short of its strength by
eighty-four men ; the Government having calculated its
last contributions to the Line upon the assumption that
its regiment was up to its establishment, whereas 102
men were wanting to complete it.^ In Lancashire there
was as much trouble with the Deputy- Lieutenants as
with the people. The mercantile community at large
had come to an amicable agreement that apprentices
should enlist when trade was slack, and be claimed by
their masters when trade was brisk. The rest of the
population, stricken with envy of so happy a solution
of a difficult problem, bound their sons, brothers, and
cousins apprentices pro forma^ so as to be able to claim
them likewise whenever they were wanted. Thus in
Lancashire military service was converted into a kind
of out door relief, which could be repudiated as soon
as suited the convenience of the recipient. The case of
the Deputy-Lieutenants was different. Always highly
critical in the North as to the interpretation of Acts of
Parliament, possibly because they were unwilling to
execute them, the Deputies were divided in opinion as to
the construction of the last Act for completing the Militia.
The enactment, so argued one party, was designed to
procure men by the ist of October : after that date
there could be no fresh ballot ; and therefore the
payment of the fine of ^40 would exonerate any parish
from further operation thereof On the contrary,
contended the opposite party, the intention was that
the ballot should be continued until the men were
supplied, and then suspended until the ist of January
18 12. The question was carried to the Secretary of
1 I.D. vol. clxxx. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 14th Oct.; vol. clxxxix.
Subdiv. Clerk, Leicester, to S.S. 24th Aug.; vol. clxxx. L.L. Berks,
to S.S. 22nd Oct. 18 10.
2 lbid.\o\. clxxxi. O.C. Cardigan Mila. to S.S. nth March
j8io.
240 OBSCURITY OF THE ACTS chap.
1810. State, who laid it down that both sides were wrong.
No ballot, he wrote, can be held after the ist of
October until the ist of January 18 12 without the
King's special directions ; but if such directions be
given, payment of the fine will not exonerate the
parishes in default.^
Once again I must apologise for quoting at length the
difficulties raised by the construction of the enactments
that so rapidly succeeded each other in these times.
The judgment of the Secretary of State, quoted
immediately above, shows how drastic this particular
Act really was. Practically it said to the counties :
" You shall produce so many men for the Militia by a
certain day, or you shall pay a fine of £^0 for every
man deficient, and still be liable to produce them later
on.** But the Act did not say so in so many words,
and possibly Ministers refrained from inserting any
phrase which should exactly convey such a meaning, in
the hope that they might not be compelled to enforce
this particular interpretation of it. If this were the
case, they were greatly disappointed. So many Acts
dealing with the Militia, some in full force, some
obsolete, were before the Lieutenants and their Deputies,
to say nothing of the complications produced by the
establishment of the Local Militia, that they became
very pardonably confused. They therefore either
construed the Acts according to the precedents known
to themselves, or wrangled over their true meaning, or
in the last resort unanimously lost their tempers, and
shrank from putting the measures into force. The
exaction of a fine for men not raised was, according to
the Militia Act of 1802, in the nature of a composition
which balanced the two sides of the account ; and it
would have been better in the first instance to have
made it perfectly clear that what held good in 1802
was not intended to apply to 1809. The natural
^ I.D. vol. clxxxvii. L.L. Lanes, to S.S. 20th Feb.; Lord
Stanley to S.S. 25th Sept. 1810; H.O. Mila. E.B. S.S. to L.L.
Lanes, 28th Sept. 18 10.
IV LOCAL MILITIA AMENDMENT 241
consequence of these doubts, and of the bad blood 1810.
engendered thereby, was that in 18 10 there were levied,
instead of the 18,512 men still required to complete
the number laid down by the Act, no more than
14,934. Of these 6055 had been raised by beat of
drum and 8879 by ballot, and of the latter 797 only
were principals against 8082 substitutes.^
The Local Militia appears to have stopped short
somewhat in the progress made at the beginning of
1809. Whitbread stated in the House of Commons
that half of that in his own county, Bedford, had never
been out on permanent duty nor received their clothing,
while in other counties none whatever had been called
out for training. The Government seems to have been
uneasy about its expense, which was set down at ;^i6 a
man annually ; and it was further alleged that military
duty was unsettling the men for their ordinary pursuits.'
Accordingly an Act to amend the Local Militia Act
was passed on the i8th of April (50 Geo. III. cap. 25),
which contained the following provisions.
In case of reduction of the permanent staff, com-
mandants were empowered to engage other non-com-
missioned officers at a reduced rate of pay (sec. i).
The days of exercise to qualify Volunteers for exemp-
tion from service in the Regular and Local Militia were
reduced from twenty-four to eighteen annually (sec. 2).
The fine of ^^ 1 5 upon counties for every man deficient
of the quota on the 14th of February was suspended,
though it was to be enforced for every man not present
at the annual training (sec. 5). Constables were required
to make returns of deficiencies on the 14th of November,
and the counties were obliged to make them good
before the 14th of February on pain of a fine of ^^i 5 (sec.
6). Local Militiamen who enlisted in the Line and made
no declaration of the bounty that they had received,
in order that the same might be refunded, were subject
to a fine of twice the amount of the bounty, to be
1 C.J. vol. Ixvi. p. 561.
2 H.D. Whi thread's Speech, ist March 1810.
242 LOCAL MILITIA EVADED chap.
1810. stopped from their pay (sec. 7). Local Militiamen
who were members of Friendly Societies were not to
be subject to fines imposed by such societies for non-
attendance during their period of service (sec. 13).
Apprentices were forbidden to transfer themselves from
the Volunteers to the Local Militia without their masters*
consent (sec. 14). It was further ordained that military
oiFences of Local Militiamen should be triable by court-
martial, whether their regiment was embodied or not
(sec. 3).
It will have been noticed that the Government
resolved to save money in the first instance by reducing
the number of days' training for the Volunteers rather
than for the Local Militia ; but early in 1 8 1 o an order
was issued for the reduction of the permanent staff of
the Local Militia, as an initial economy, and the first
section of the Act above quoted was intended to comfort
commandants under the bereavement of their favourite
non-commissioned officers.^ But unfortunately there
were other matters besides economy to be attended to,
for which no provision was made in the Act. The
original measure, binding men, as it practically did, to
personal service by ballot, bred in those liable to serve
not only considerable stubbornness, but an amazing
talent for evasive trickery, while at the same time
developing deplorable weakness in some of the Lieu-
tenancies. In Kent over seventy ballotted men refused
either to pay the fine or to serve ; and the Lord-Lieu-
tenant wrote to ask the Secretary of State what was to
be done, though the Act distinctly said that such men
could be imprisoned and were liable to serve after their
imprisonment. Again, several wealthy tradesmen of
Maidstone, on being drawn for the Local Militia, con-
sented to be enrolled, but, on the day before the training
began, took the bounty to enter the Regular Militia,
and so excused themselves for not attending. They
^ I have been unable to find this order or circular, but its issue
is proved by I.D. vol. cxcii. O.C. 4th Oxford L.M. to S.S. 5th
Jan. 1810.
IV LOCAL MILITIA EVADED 243
were astute enough, however, to agree with the recruit- 1810.
ing officer of the Regular Militia that they should be
allowed to find a substitute ; and when the transaction
was completed they declared that it was cheaper to take
the bounty and find a substitute for the Regular, than
to pay a fine for two years' exemption from the Local,
Militia. It must be acknowledged that the ingenuity
of these men did them considerable credit, and lent
great force to Sir Harry Calvert's contention that there
should be only one description of Militia. But Kent
was remarkable for providing knotty questions for the
Secretary of State. In this same year it possessed a
parish in which every man liable to ballot was serving
or had paid the fine for exemption, but which none the
less had not produced its quota of men for the Local
Militia ; and there arose the point whether or not it
was liable to a fine for every man deficient.^ In
Lancashire again the Lieutenancy, writhing under the
ballot, submitted to the Secretary of State so many
suggestions for dispensing with it, that in despair he
expressed himself as unable to interfere with the local
details of enforcing the Militia Acts.^
Another great difficulty arose from desertion. The
Commandant of the ist Devon Local Militia forwarded
to the Home Office a handbill advertising for no fewer
than seventy-seven deserters from his regiment. There
were some doubts, he said, as to whether they could
legally be convicted of desertion, not having appeared
at the last training ; and, if they could not, he expected
not to muster half of his men at the next. The
Secretary of State was able to assure him that under
the Militia Act or 1 802 these men were liable to a fine
of ^20, or six months' imprisonment ;" but it was one
of the curses of the Local Militia Acts that instead of
1 I.D. vol. clxxxvii. L.L. Kent, to S.S. 8th Feb., 6th June 18 10.
2 Ibid. vol. clxxxvii. L.L. Lanes, to S.S. 22nd March; H.O.
Mila. E.B. S.S. to L.L. Lanes, 7th May 18 10.
8 Ibid. vol. clxxxiii. O.C. ist Devon L.M. to S.S. 14th Oct.;
H.O. Mila. E.B. S.S. to O.C. i6th Oct. 18 10.
244 TRICKS OF LOCAL MILITIA chap.
1810. giving commandants, who at best were only amateurs,
a plain code for the government of their regiments, it
was constantly referring them to Militia Acts and
Volunteer Acts of which they had no knowledge.
Yet another besetting sin of the Local Militiamen,
a sin begotten of cupidity, was to enlist as Volunteers or
as substitutes in the Regular Militia of other counties
than their own, contrary to the law. Such men of
course received good bounty ; but the only penalty was
imprisonment for " neglecting to appear at the place of
exercise " as Local Militiamen. In at least one case
such an offender gave information against himself in
order to keep his bounty at the cost of imprisonment,
thus exemplifying once more the error of keeping
two different descriptions of Militia simultaneously.^
In Scotland there was occasionally unpleasantness
because some corps of Local Militia had carried with
them the habits acquired when they were Volunteers,
particularly in cases where independent companies, each
under its own petty magnate, had been united into
battalions. In one battalion of this kind some of the
captains were Deputy-Lieutenants, and as such assumed
the right to control the Commandant. On one occasion
when their Commanding Officer's views did not coincide
with their own, they formed a meeting of the Lieu-
tenancy and delivered to the men their arms, accoutre-
ments, and camp equipage, contrary to his orders and
indeed contrary both to Act of Parliament and the
King's regulations ; and the unhappy Commandant,
submitting at the moment " to avoid the appearance of
dissension," carried his sad story to the General of the
District, who forwarded it to the Secretary of State.^
But the greatest obstacle of all with which com-
mandants of Local Militia had to contend was the
undisguised hostility of the population in many quarters
towards the force, and the efforts of violent men to
^ l.D. vol. clxxx. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 3rd June 18 10.
2 Ibid. vol. clxxxvii. O.C. Kirkcudbright L.M. to G.O.C.,
Scotland, 7th May i8io.
IV RIOTS IN LOCAL MILITIA 245
prevent the Act from being executed. In the Cinque 1810.
Ports the magistrates faithfully and courageously did
their duty in collecting their Local Militiamen amid
daily insults and menaces. In the Romney division
not a man would serve nor pay the fine ; but the magis-
trates at once issued warrants against the recalcitrants,
and in Hastings, Pevensey, and Tenterden they suc-
ceeded in enforcing the Act. They ordered the recruits
to Dover ; and the men were peaceably and contentedly
approaching the town when the people of Dover
waylaid them, and either persuaded or intimidated
them into returning home. Some of them were
retrieved and taken to Deal barracks, as the only
chance of training them, and the rest were warned
that they were deserters and that unless they presented
themselves within a fortnight they would be treated as
such.^ In other quarters the old supposed grievance
about the " marching-guinea " or allowance for neces-
saries, reduced after the first training to half a guinea,
was again made the pretext for mutinous outbreaks.
More than one commandant was nervous lest the men
should claim the whole of it in cash, though the Secre-
tary of State had directed it to be spent, as the law
intended, upon necessaries. The question was compli-
cated by the fact that in many of the regiments
of Regular Militia, which from long standing and
good management possessed a heavy stock-purse, it
had been the custom to pay the men the half-guinea
without any deductions.^ It seems, moreover, to have
been the fact that, at any rate in some quarters, the men
could purchase necessaries for themselves more cheaply
than their officers could purchase for them.^ However
that may be, it is certain that the rank and file, in spite
of Acts of Parliament, regulations, and the punishment
1 I.D. vol. clxxxii. Clerk to Magistrates of Cinque Ports to
Lord Warden, i8th Sept. 1810.
2 Ibid. vol. clxxxv. O.C. Glamorgan L.M. to S.S. 22nd March
1810.
3 Ibid. vol. clxxxvii. L.L. Kirkcudbright, to S.S. 1 8th June 18 10.
246 RIOTS IN LOCAL MILITIA chap.
1 8 10. of rioters in 1809, still harboured a vague notion that
they had the right to this allowance in cash without
deductions, and that, if it were withheld, they were being
defrauded. No man likes to be cheated, and no men
enjoy it less than those who spend their lives in en-
deavouring to get the better of their neighbours. No
class is so suspicious as the waged class, and thus its
feelings are easily worked upon by unscrupulous men.
The first mischief occurred at Bath, where the
regiment of West Mendip Local Militia, usually a
loyal and orderly corps, was assembled for training.
On the morning of the i6th of May the men on
receiving the order to march refused to move, but
presently obeyed, and went without further ado through
a field-day, at the close of which the Commandant
addressed them on the subject of the marching money,
read out the words of the Act of Parliament concern-
ing it, and apparently satisfied them thoroughly. On
returning to the town the Commandant ordered the
leading sections to be marched as prisoners to his
lodgings, where he intended to read them a lecture.
The regiment thereupon broke its ranks as if to
rescue them, but was checked by its officers ; and the
prisoners were then marched to gaol. In the evening
the men paraded, perfectly sober and orderly, expressed
regret at their behaviour of the morning, and begged
for release of the prisoners, to which the Colonel
replied he would make no conditions, but that their
treatment would depend on the behaviour of the regi-
ment. There would have been no more trouble but
that the rabble of Bath came up,^ led away a few of the
worst characters, and, going with them to the gaol,
forced the doors and released the prisoners. Then all
order was lost. The Colonel, attempting to re-arrest
one of the prisoners, was threatened by the bayonets
of his own men. His officers were attacked by the
1 The letter says that they had " Burdett " upon their hats ;
that very absurd person being the popular champion of liberty at
the moment.
IV RIOTS IN LOCAL MILITIA 247
mob ; and the whole town was in uproar, until the '^'°-
Lancashire Regular Militia arrived from Bristol to
restore order. Then the Local Militia came to their
senses and, though the populace was still raging, escorted
the prisoners back to gaol. Two of them were then
tried by court-martial, sentenced to fifty lashes, tied up
before the whole regiment, without the slightest sign
of indiscipline, and pardoned at the last moment. The
riot lasted for three days ; and the sympathies of the
lower class were so entirely with the mob, both at Bath
and at Bristol, that the Lancashire men were hardly
allowed by their landlords to leave the houses in which
they were billeted, and indeed in some cases were obliged
to force the doors.^
Within a few days this was followed by another
mutiny of the Upper Tivy Local Militia of the county
of Cardigan, which had been assembled for twenty days'
training at Aberystwith on the loth of May. The
men were quite orderly and contented until a news-
paper arrived with an account of the riot at Bath. The
Commanding Officer at once published in regimental and
company orders the King's Regulations as to the
expenditure of the half-guinea for necessaries ; but on
parade that day there were signs of insubordination,
though after the reading of the Regulations to the men
once more in the Colonel's presence, these disappeared.
The parade was then dismissed, and the leaders in
disobedience, on expressing contrition, were pardoned,
with the exception of one man who was tried by court-
martial and sentenced to three hundred lashes. Upon
this the Colonel received warning from several indi-
viduals that he and his officers would be murdered if
the sentence were carried out ; and this was no vain
threat, for Aberystwith was a kind of Alsatia, a home
of the lawless, fiill of men who could serve their
country but would not, nor might be constrained to do
so but by an armed force.
^ I.D. vol. cxciii. O.C. West Mcndip (Somerset) L.M. to S.S.
17th, 1 8th May ; G.O.C. Western District, to S.S. loth May 1810.
248 RIOTS IN LOCAL MILITIA chap.
1 810. Ori the 30th of May, the last day of the training,
the Colonel formed a guard of twenty-seven trust-
worthy men to take charge of the prisoner, and dis-
missed the rest to their homes. They cheered the
Colonel, and many of them left the town that evening.
In the course of the night the Colonel was warned that
an attempt would be made to rescue the prisoner,
whereupon he repaired to the guard-room himself with
his pistols, and ordered in ball-cartridge. Nothing,
however, happened until next morning, when the
prisoner was tied up for punishment in a courtyard
at the back of the guard-room, the Colonel intending
only to inflict a few lashes to bring the man to his
senses. One of the mob thereupon jumped on to the
wall of the courtyard, and at this signal the rabble
without discharged a shower of stones upon the small
party within. Several men of the guard were badly
hurt, and the remainder, losing their tempers, fired at
every man who appeared on the wall until their
ammunition was exhausted. The prisoner was hastily
unbound lest he should be killed by stones, and the
Colonel withdrew his party into the House of Correc-
tion hard by, which the rioters, among whom were a
few Local Militiamen, at once assailed with every
missile that they could find, swearing that they would
murder the Colonel and officers. At last the Colonel
went out alone, when the populace incontinently took
to its heels, and the little party marched out triumphant
with its prisoner to the Colonel's quarters. None of the
mob were injured, but many of the officers were badly
hurt, one of them indeed dangerously ; and the Com-
manding Officer could only write that "after thirty years*
service he had always found that these marching-guineas
led to mutiny." "But," he added, "it was not the
guineas but the punishment of a mutineer which led
to the riot, in which there were engaged all the scum
of Aberystwith, but only about thirty Militiamen." ^
1 I.D. vol. clxxxi. O.C. Upper Tivy L.M. to L.L. Cardigan,
ist June, 23rd July 1810.
IV RIOTS IN LOCAL MILITIA 249
There were other mutinies in the Local Militia in »8io.
Wiltshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire in the
course of the summer and winter, all nominally due
to the miserable marching-guinea, but ail obviously
excited and stimulated by the townspeople. In Wor-
cestershire, indeed, the Commanding Officer had spent
only one shilling of the half-guinea in necessaries, and
was prepared to give the balance to the men ; but even
so there ensued a riot, to suppress which it was
necessary to call in a battalion of Regular troops.^
It will be seen that an effort was presently made to
end the trouble about the marching-guinea once for
all ; but this did not go to the root of the matter.
The heart of the mischief lay in the general aversion
of a large section of the population from all obedience
and subordination whatever. Such aversion still exists,
and is encouraged by the ignorant and foolish, who
would gladly place arms in the hands of all Volunteers
that ask for them, forgetting that undisciplined men in
numbers are neither more nor less than a mob, and
that an armed mob is the most dangerous of all. Yet
these same men, if they chance to suffer from the
insubordination of Regular troops, are always the first
to cry out against the indiscipline that they themselves
have encouraged.
It remains now to summarise briefly the offensive
operations of England in the course of 18 10. These
consisted in the West Indies of the attack and capture
of Guadeloupe early in the year ; in the Mediterranean,
of some petty work in the Ionian Islands ; in the East,
of the capture of Banda, Amboyna, and Bourbon ; and
in the Peninsula, to which Napoleon was now again
able to devote the greater part of his force, of the
defensive campaign which is identified with the names of
Bussaco and Torres Vedras. By reason of the number of
troops, over 20,000, engaged in operations within the
1 I.D. vol. cxcvi. L.L. Warwick, to S.S. 22nd Nov.; O.C.
Wilts L.M. to S.S. loth June ; vol. cxcvii. O.C. Worcestershire
L.M. to S.S. 28th May 1810.
250 CASUALTIES AND RECRUITS chap.
1 8 10. tropics, the losses from sickness were considerable, and
the casualties for the year amounted to 19,498. The
effective strength of the Army for 18 10 had been
returned at 199,062 British, and 38,390 foreign and
colonial, cavalry and infantry.^ The artillery, British
and foreign, numbered 25,245 ; making a total of
262,697 rank and file of the three arms. Apart from
men enlisted from the Militia, there had been recruited
by ordinary means 7367 men and 1728 boys. In all
4092 men and 3773 boys joined the Regular Army
(exclusive of foreign troops) during 1809 and 18 10,
making, together with the Militiamen, 44,700 recruits
in all; while the casualties in those two years amounted
to 41,128. Thus the net balance showed 3572 men
to credit, so to speak ; but if the 3773 boys were not
counted as men, then the net loss on the two years
was 201.
IV
181 1. Upon the introduction of the Army Estimates
Palmerston stated the Regular force of the Empire at
roughly 235,000 men,^ of which 211,000 were fully
effective. The casualties he reckoned, including those
of the foreign corps, at 22,000 to 23,000 annually. He
dared not reckon the proceeds of ordinary recruiting
at more than 1 1 ,000 a year for British troops, and
4000 a year for foreign troops ; leaving a deficiency of
7000 to 8000 men. How was that deficiency to be
supplied ? The establishment of the Militia for Great
Britain and Ireland was 92,000 men, and the effective
strength 84,000, besides which 5000 to 6000 more
were due from the ballot. He proposed, therefore, to
reduce the Militia of the United Kingdom to its old
establishment of 1802, namely 70,000; and for this
purpose to allow a number not exceeding 10,000 men
^ Not including 30,000 Portuguese in British pay.
2 The return for 25th Jan. 181 1 gave the figure at 234,594,
foreign and Colonial corps (excepting the Portuguese Army)
included.
IV PALMERSTON'S MEASURES 251
to enlist voluntarily into the Line. Hereby no new 181 1.
ballot would be needed until the end of 18 12. In the
matter of expense he pointed to over ^^ 300,000 saved
in the past year by curtailing the annual term of
exercise for the Volunteers, and added that he now
proposed also to reduce the training of the Local
Militia to fourteen days annually.
Palmerston's plan for raising men was entirely ap-
proved by Castlereagh, who, however, wished in the first
place to encourage volunteers from the Militia by con-
tinuing the support of the families of the enlisting Militia-
men, which hitherto had ceased from the moment that
they entered the Line ; and in the second to recruit the
Militia as far as possible for a fixed bounty, lower than
that given to the Regulars. For the English at large
he adhered to the existing system of a Regular Army
for offensive operations over sea ; a Regular Militia to
occupy the principal garrisons and advanced positions
against invasion ; and a Local Militia to assemble
under their protection for the repulse of the enemy.
Finally, he urged the advantages of making it possible
to transfer British Militia to Ireland and Irish Militia
to England in rotation, so that all the regiments might
in succession take a turn of service in the sister
islands.
Accordingly a Bill for permitting a certain number
of Militiamen to enlist was introduced, and passed with
no great difficulty. Windham was dead, but a few of
his followers still advocated his plans for voluntary
enlistment only, coupled with short service ; to which
Mr. Ryder replied that short service was still optional
with recruits, but that not one-fourth of them cared to
avail themselves of it, though the difl^erence in bounty
for limited and unlimited service amounted only to the
difference between five guineas and six. The Bill
therefore became law on the nth of April (51 Geo.
III. Great Britain, cap. 20; Ireland, cap. 30). It
provided that 5714 men from the English, and 1142
from the Scottish Militia should be allowed to enlist in
252 MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT, 1811 chap.
1811. the Line; and in Ireland fifteen men from every company
(cap. 20, sec. I ; cap. 30, sec. 4). In Great Britain the
Secretary of State was to ascertain annually the number of
men (not exceeding the above total in all) to be enlisted
from each regiment of Militia, which number was not in
any case to rise above one-seventh of the quota of 1 802 ;
and he was to signify it before the ist of February to the
Commanding Officer of every regiment (sec. 3). A
greater number might be enlisted by the King's order
in cases where counties had not contributed to the Line
the full quota allowed to them under former Acts, and
had therefore an excess of men over the establishment
laid down by the present Act (sec. 4). In Ireland, if
the full quota were not enlisted in any one year, the
deficiencies might be added to the quota of the next
year, and enlisted together with it (cap. 30, sec. 5).
Commandants of Militia were to explain the terms of
enlistment into the Line to the men within two days
of receiving the order, and men were to be allowed to
enlist for the seven days immediately following ; after
which, at intervals of not less than a fortnight, periods
of three more days apiece were to be appointed for
enlistment (sees. 6, 8).
The remainder of the provisions dealt with the
reduction of the Militia ; so it will be well first to state
that, by an Order in Council of the nth of March, the
ballot had been continued in such counties as had not
completed their quota of Militia to the establishment laid
down by the Act of 1 809 ; and that on the 4th of April
there had been passed an Act (51 Geo. III. cap. 17)
validating all enrolments under ballots held, without
such order, after the ist of October 18 10. The
deficiency under the Act of 1809 was therefore in
process of being made good ; and it was now enacted
under 51 Geo. III. cap. 20, that fines incurred by
parishes for men deficient on the ist of October 18 10
should be remitted to the extent of three-fourths, one
half, and one-third, if the men were produced by the
ist of June, ist of July, and ist of September 181 1
IV MILITIA COMPLETION 253
respectively (sec. 21). When the men required under 181 1.
the Act of 1809 had been raised, the ballot was to be
suspended until ist July 18 13 (sec. 23) ; and Militia-
men might thenceforth be raised by beat of drum for
a bounty of twelve guineas, of which part was to go
towards the expense of obtaining the recruit, and part
to be paid into his hand (sees. 23, 25). Boys of
fourteen and upward could, by the King's order, be
enlisted to a proportion not exceeding one-fourth of
the whole number of men required for the year ; their
standard of height to be fixed by regulation (sec. 26).
The Militia of Great Britain after the passing of this
Act was to be gradually reduced to the quota of 1802 ;
but the King was empowered to order supernumeraries
to be raised by beat of drum in numbers equal to that of
the men enlisted into the Line in each year under the
present Act ; which supernumeraries were to be taken
to fill no vacancies except those of the men so enlisted
into the Line (sees. 29-31). Officers and non-com-
missioned officers, who would become supernumerary
upon this reduction, could be ordered to remain with
their regiments ; and special arrangements were made
for supernumerary field-officers (sees. 32-3$)- The King,
after the reduction of the Militia as aforesaid, was em-
powered to order a number of men, equal to that which
had been allowed to enlist into the Line, to be raised
by ballot in each county, whether such number should
have enlisted or not ; and if a ballot were so ordered,
all vacancies from death, discharge, etc., were to be
filled according to the provisions of the Militia Act of
1802 (sec. 36). A bounty of ten guineas was to be
paid to every ballotted man, whether principal or
substitute, and no further allowance whatever (sees.
37, 38). Deputy-Lieutenants were to apportion the
voluntary and ballotted recruits among the various
parishes (sees. 39, 40) ; and Local Militiamen were
permitted to enlist into the Militia of their own
counties (sec. 41). Lastly, support to the families of
Militiamen raised after the passing of this Act was to
254 MILITIA INTERCHANGED chap.
1811. be discontinued, except in the case of ballotted men
who were enrolled as principals (sec. 20).
These enactments for England and Ireland, as will
have been remarked, were a new departure, inasmuch as
they provided for a fixed annual draft of, roughly
speaking, 10,000 men from the Militia into the Line,
which draft, if not complete in one year, could be made
good in the next ; and it was obviously intended that,
if possible, the equivalent for this draft should be
voluntarily enlisted every year into the Militia so as to
silence all invidious statements that men were being
ballotted or conscribed for the troops of the Line.
Thus at length effect was in part given to Sir Harry
Calvert's recommendations of 1809 ; and though the
two descriptions of Militia, the Regular and the Local,
were still preserved, the first was reduced to its peace
establishment, and the ballot was reserved, except in
cases of emergency, for the latter only.
A further important step in respect of the Militia
was an Act to permit the interchange of the British and
Irish Militias, pursuant to Castlereagh's advice (51 Geo.
III. cap 118). Hereby it was enacted that in future all
Militiamen should be engaged to serve in any part of
the British Isles — that in fact there should no longer be
a Militia of Great Britain and a Militia of Ireland, but
one Militia of the United Kingdom (sees. 1-6). No
British corps was to continue in Ireland, nor Irish corps
in England, for more than two years successively ; and
at no time was more than half of the British Militia to
be in Ireland, or more than one-third of the Irish Militia
in England, except in case of rebellion or invasion.
Moreover, British or Irish Militia who had once served in
the sister Kingdom were not to be liable to serve there
again except in rotation after an interval of four years
or six years respectively (sees. 8, 9). No corps was to
be called upon to serve in a sister Kingdom without the
King's orders. The King was empowered to accept
voluntary offers of the present Militia so to serve ; and
existent Militiamen voluntarily engaging for service in
IV BALLOT DIFFICULTIES 255
any part of the United Kingdom were to receive a 1811.
bounty of two guineas. It was specially provided that
Commanding Officers should explain to their men that
there was no compulsion (sees. 10-14),
Meanwhile the ballot, prolonged by royal order for
the completion of the Militia under the Act of 1 809,
continued during the opening months of 18 11, and was
not furthered by the fact that no bounty to ballotted
men was now granted by Government. In Scotland the
proceedings were still delayed by petty actions brought
against the Lieutenancies by lotmen, by endless
ingenious pleas for exemption, by the absconding of
ballottable men until the ballot was over, and by the old
dispute with the Barons of the Exchequer over the
payment of the Lieutenancies' clerks and other servants.
The price of substitutes, also, had risen to an appalling
height. In Forfar it was reported to range from ^^50
to j^8o; and the county declared itself unable, even by
rigid enforcement of the law, to produce its quota.
Nevertheless there were signs that, either from better
feeling or from hard necessity, there was rather less
reluctance in Scotland to serve in the Militia, for
Sutherland among her quota furnished sixty-six prin-
cipals as against four substitutes. On the other hand, in
Skye and other parts of the west coast men prepared to
emigrate to Carolina rather than serve their country ;
and one gentleman in Haddington had formed so low
an opinion of the zeal of his compatriots that he recom-
mended the Secretary of State to discharge the whole ot
the Scottish Militia. " You have 1 1 ,000 men in Scotland,"
he wrote, "doing nothing, and unwilling to volunteer for
the Line as they will lose support for their families, which
is the great inducement to them to serve. If you were
to discharge the 11,000 you would get 9000 recruits,
for most of them are weavers who cannot get work." ^
In England matters were little different. In Man-
1 I.D. vol. cc. L.L. Inverness, to S.S. May, 12th June; Angus
Mackintosh to S.S, 5th July 181 1 ; vol. cci. O.C. Berwick Mila.
to S.S. 1 2th March. Return of men raised in Sutherland under
256 BALLOT DIFFICULTIES chap.
181 1. Chester the fines paid for deficiencies in the number of
men amounted to £']ioo. In Brecon the price of
substitutes rose above £60 ; and in Staffordshire it
became so prohibitive that the Lieutenancy suspended
enrolment for a time in the hope, which was fulfilled, of
lowering it. In Yorkshire a Deputy-Lieutenant sug-
gested a general commutation of service for money, to
be paid by hundreds and even larger districts within the
county, as a certain means of raising men at less cost and
with less oppression, and of diminishing the abuse of in-
surance. The method had, he said, been practised, though
prohibited by law, and when exercised by honourable
Colonels had been found beneficent both to the regiment
and the county. Thus, even in the ninth year of the
war, the one idea of filling the Regular Militia was still
to find substitutes, or in other words to compete with the
Regiments of the Line for recruits at enormous expense
to individuals and local bodies. Yet the Government
continued to prefer this system to that advocated by
Calvert ; and though at this distance of time it seems
utterly to be condemned, we should perhaps be rash to
infer that it was wrong in practice. I can only account
for Ministers' adherence to it upon the hypothesis which
I have already suggested, that the strong element of
gambling which it contained was palatable to the people.^
It must be added, however, that when the ballot was
ended and enlistment by beat of drum restored, the
Government did its best to ease matters by allowing
every Militia regiment to recruit its full proportion of
boys, and left the standard of their height to the un-
trammelled judgment of Commanding Officers.^
Act of 1809, 9th Jan. 181 1 ; vol. ccvii. L.L. Forfar, to S.S. 23rd
Feb. 181 1 ; vol. ccxx. Mr. J. Brown, Haddington, to S.S. 15th April
1811.
^ I.D. vol. ccxi. T. Stanley to Attorney-General, 12th March
(enclosing memorial from Manchester) ; vol. ccxvi. L.L. Staffs, to
S.S. 4th Jan. ; vol. cci. L.L. Brecon, to S.S. 27th April ; vol. ccxx.
Sir J. Duckett (Yorks) to S.S. 20th March 181 1.
2 Circular to O.C. Militia Regts. 15th July ; to O.C. 1st Somer-
set Militia, 4th Sept. 181 1.
IV GOOD SPIRIT OF MILITIA 257
In the matter of volunteering for the Line the 181 1.
Militia seems to have shown laudable alacrity, supplying
11,453 recruits, or 1143 in excess of the number
required of them, in the course of the year 181 1. In
the West Middlesex Regiment so many above the full
quota offered themselves on the first day that it was
possible to select the best from among them ; ^ and this
is the more remarkable, for the operations in the
Peninsula had not yet assumed the brilliancy to which
they were later to attain. Other corps were equally
forward ; ^ though some of course held back ; but
the policy of asking for a small number of men only
was in this year successful. Nor were the regiments,
as a body, less ready to volunteer for duty in Ireland.
Some hesitation was shown at first, for there was
nervousness among principals lest they should commit
themselves to service beyond their covenanted term ;
but they were speedily reassured when they learned
that strict faith would be kept with them. The Home
Office, however, when inviting offers from the various
corps made one very foolish mistake by omitting to
mention that the men serving in Ireland would be paid
in Irish currency, which was below the British currency
in value. No doubt the purchasing value of the Irish
currency in Ireland was equal to that of the British in
England ; but Commanding Officers, after representing
to their men in good faith that they would receive the
same pay and allowances, felt greatly the awkwardness
and humiliation of having to explain to them, after they
had volunteered their services, that their pay would be
reduced. The War Office, which also sent a circular
upon the subject to the Militia regiments, was careful
to make the matter clear ; and the Home Office was
quite inexcusable for neglecting to do so. It was just
such folly as this that shook the faith of the forces in
1 l.D. vol. ccxii. O.C. West Middlesex Mila. to S.S. 3rd May
1811.
■-' Ibid. vol. ccviii. O.C. N. Hants Mila. to S.S, 2nd May ; voL
ccxiii. O.C. Montgomery Mila. to S.S. 1st May 181 1.
S
258 LOCAL MILITIA IMPROVES chap.
1 81 1. the Government, led them to regard every offer with
suspicion, and brought about mutinies and riots.^
Turning next to the Local Militia, it must first be
observed that it was greatly increased by further dissolu-
tion or transference of Volunteer corps during 1 8 1 1 .
Indeed the surviving Volunteer and Yeomanry corps
were none of them called out upon permanent duty
during this year, and therefore disappeared in great
measure from the public view. What increase the Local
Militia may have gained hereby, there are unfortunately
no returns to show ; but it is evident that it was now
settling down, and was accepted as the backbone of the
national forces. There was one faint echo of the trouble
over the marching-guinea in the course of the summer ; ^
and there was one very bad case of an officer who sold
his uniform at the end of the training in 18 10, but
retained his commission, in order to escape the ballot
for the Regular Militia, until the outset of the training
in 1811.^ There was also some trouble still with Local
Militiamen who enlisted illegally, for the sake of the
bounty, into Regular Militia regiments of other counties,
and then appealed to their Commanding Officers to
reclaim them for the Local Militia ; but the Govern-
ment seems to have abstained deliberately from taking
measures to check this evil.* Still, generally speaking,
^ I.D. vol. cci. L.L. Bucks, to S.S. 9th July; vol. ccix. O.C.
Hereford Mila. to S.S. 181 1.
2 Ibid. vol. cciii. O.C. Stirling L.M. to S.S. 4th June 181 1.
3 Ibid. vol. ccxvii. L.L. Somerset, to S.S. 14th June 181 1.
* The following letter from the O.C. Notts Mila. to S.S. loth
April 181 1 {I.D. vol. ccxiv.) will show the extent of this practice.
" Several men of my regiment enlisted into the Regular Militia of
other counties, I believe with fraudulent intentions. Last year a
sergeant of the Derbyshire Militia enlisted four of my men, knowing
that they belonged to my regiment ; and my Adjutant tells me that
fifty have enlisted into other Militia regiments, and that ten of them
have written to him to be claimed. What am I to do ? These
men have clearly acted illegally ; but if I seize them I shall injure
the recruiting service, probably protect men who have been guilty of
perjury and fraud, and encourage others to do the like." To this
the Secretary of State answered that the Regular Militia must,
under 49 Geo. IIL cap. 1 29, be discharged if claimed. " If you
IV LOCAL MILITIA IMPROVES 259
the conduct of the force seems to have improved 181 1.
greatly, while the Lieutenancies shrank less than before
from executing the Act for keeping it up to strength.
In Buckinghamshire the Deputy-Lieutenants did not
hesitate to draw a young gentleman, past eighteen years
of age, upon the foundation of Eton College, for the
Local Militia, a proceeding which called forth a noble
and dignified protest from the Provost. To this the
Secretary of State replied that, though there was no
legal provision to exempt the lad, who must therefore
pay his fine or be enrolled for four years, yet he would
take care that no hardship should come of it, and, in
case a new Militia Act were required, would consider the
propriety of giving exemption to students upon
eleemosynary foundations.^ But this was by no means
all. The Local Militia began to display a fine and
enterprising spirit. When the Cornish Regular Militia
volunteered for service in Ireland, the 4th Cornwall
Local Militia offered to do duty for it in England
during its absence ; and in the course of the summer
the Banff Local Militia, 1074 strong, tendered itself
for service in any part of the world, and the Berkshire
for service in the Peninsula.^
The operations of the year were confined to the
capture of Mauritius and Java in the Far East, and to the
campaigns in the Peninsula which are remembered by
the names of Barrosa, Fuentes d'Onoro, and Albuera.
The casualties for the year numbered 19,019. The
recruits raised by voluntary enlistment amounted to
9532 men and 1940 boys, or 11,472 altogether, which,
added to 1 1,453 men transferred from the MiHtia, made
deem it necessary to claim them [note this evasion of responsibility
on the part of the Secretary of State] you will transmit to the
Home Office such particulars as are necessary to bring the men to *
condign punishment."
1 I.D. vol. cci. Provost of Eton to S.S. 8th May 1811 ;
H.O.M.E.B. vol. xlvii. S.S. to Provost, nth May 181 1.
2 I.D. vol. cciii. L.L. Cornwall, to S.S. 13th June 181 1 ; vol.
cc. V.L. BanfF, to S.S. 23rd July ; O.C. Berks L.M. to S.S. 30th
June 181 1.
26o CASUALTIES AND RECRUITS, 1811 chap.
1811. a total of 22,925, or, deducting boys, 20,985 soldiers
added to the Army in the course of the year. The net
gain, therefore, was 1966 for the year 181 1. The
casualties among the foreign troops raised the total by
2000, but against this was to be set an aggregate of
4795 foreign recruits enlisted.^ The Army, therefore,
at the outset of 1 8 1 2 was in a strong position, and all
the stronger since it had regained in 181 1 an excellent
Commander-in-Chief in the Duke of York.
V
1812. The estimates for 1812 provided for an establish-
ment of 245,446 Regular British infantry and cavalry
of all ranks, and nearly 27,000 artillery ; of which
number about 68,000 only, including 15,000 of Veteran
and Garrison battalions, were to be employed at home.
Roughly speaking, therefore, there were about 145,000
effective British and Colonial troops employed beyond
sea, over and above some 30,000 foreigners — half of
them of the King's German Legion — and the Portuguese
army of 30,000 men. Besides these again the establish-
ment of embodied Regular Militia was set down at
103,000, and of Local Militia at 240,000 ; but these
figures are certainly far in excess of the actual numbers.
Reducing them, however, to 250,000 jointly, there still
remained a force of at least 300,000 well and fairly well
trained troops, besides Volunteers, for home defence.
In all, therefore, the armed forces of Britain must have
amounted to nearly 500,000 really effective men.'^
The strain upon the resources of recruiting was,
however, beginning to be felt so strongly that on the
20th of April a short Act was passed to enable a propor-
tion not exceeding one-fourth of the Militia of Ireland,
1 H.D. vol. xxi. p. 898.
2 The effective strength of the Army (including foreign and
Colonial Corps) and Regular Militia for 25th January 1812 is
returned at 320,940. Allowing 180,000 for Local Militia, Yeo-
manry, and Volunteers (a very moderate estimate), we get the full
500,000.
IV NEW LOCAL MILITIA ACT 261
as of England, to be raised from boys of fourteen years 1812.
of age and upwards (52 Geo. III. cap. 29). In addition
to this the ordinary recruiting service was reconstituted,
according to a plan long desired by the Duke of
York, and more zealous officers were appointed to
carry on the work.
A more important measure was an Act passed on the
same day to consolidate and amend the Local Militia
Acts (52 Geo. III. cap. 38, England ; cap. 68, Scotland).
Hereby it was enacted that the quota for England
should be 163,188, and for Scotland 30,724, or 193,912
men in all (sees. 14, 162, 166, and 169), which, added to
the really efficient Volunteers of London and other great
towns, would make, roughly speaking, 250,000 men.
In counties where the present quota was smaller than
the number of men serving, the men in excess were to
continue to serve, but no vacancies were to be filled up
until the number had been reduced to the level of the
quota (sec. 15). When, however, the quota was greater
than the number of men at present serving, no further
enrolment was to take place so long as the Local Militia
and effective Volunteers together were equal to six
times the quota of the Militia as fixed in 1 802 (sec. 16).
When the number serving was less than the quota,
Volunteers between the ages of eighteen and thirty, and
having not more than two children under fourteen years
of age, were allowed to transfer themselves to the Local
Militia, receiving two guineas bounty if they had been
effective on the 12th of May 1809, and had continued
so ever since ; and such transferred Volunteers were
exempted from service in the Regular Militia (sees. 17,
18). Artillery Volunteers and Yeomanry might also
transfer themselves to the Local Militia ; but vacancies
in the Yeomanry were not to be filled by ballot unless
they remained for six months unfilled by voluntary
engagement (sec. 20). The men were, as before, to be
ballotted from those between eighteen and thirty years
of age on the Militia lists (sec. 23) ; and no man under
thirty was to be made a special constable (sec. 25).
262 NEW LOCAL MILITIA ACT chap.
i8iz. Parishes might be grouped together for convenience of
ballotting (sec. 28), The clauses forbidding insurance
and substitution were re-enacted ; but voluntary recruits
might be accepted, and parishes could levy a rate to pay
them a bounty of not more than two guineas (sees. 34-
36). Persons voluntarily enlisting themselves, if
between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five, with not
more than two children, and five feet two inches in
height, could avert the ballot to the extent of their
numbers (sec. 37). Exemption was granted, over and
above the persons in the former Acts, to poor men with
more than two children and to students on an eleemosyn-
ary foundation. Men who had served by substitute
in the Regular Militia or in any additional force were
exempted for four years after the expiration of their
period of service, and men who had served in person for
six years (sec. 38). Men already enrolled in the Local
Militia were exempted from the ballot for the Regular
Militia for two years after the expiration of the period
of service, unless they neglected to attend training ; but
men enrolled after the passing of this Act were to be
exempt for one year only (sees. 39, 40). The fine for
exemption was, as before, ;^30, reduced to ^^20 for men
with annual incomes of less than ^200, and to ;^io for
those whose income fell below ;^ioo. Payment of the
fine or personal service ensured certain exemption for two
years (sec. 44, and cap. 116, sec. i). Men imprisoned
for not paying their fine could be compelled to serve
their four years after the term of imprisonment had
expired (sec. 45). Deputy-Lieutenants might re-appor-
tion quotas in cases where they seemed inequitable
(sec. 48). Vacancies were to be filled up by fresh
ballot, the parish to supply the vacancy of a man pro-
moted to be non-commissioned officer being chosen by
lot, unless the promotion were due to the reduction of
another non-commissioned officer to the ranks (sec. 60).
Special directions were given as to the timely ballotting
of men to fill the place of those whose term of service
was expired (sec. 61). The enrolment of servants was
IV NEW LOCAL MILITIA ACT 263
not to vacate contracts with masters, unless the servant 181 2.
did not return to the same master as soon as possible
after the end of the training. Any dispute concerning
wages under the value of ^^20 might be settled by a
Justice of the Peace, who had power to levy distress if
the money were not paid as he decided (sec. 62). Local
Militiamen were allowed to enlist into the Line, with the
exception of non-commissioned officers and musicians,
who could only do so with their Commanding Officer's
consent, and of apprentices, who needed to obtain their
master's consent (sec. 65). All vacancies were to be
filled up as appointed in sec. 60, even though the ballot
for the Regular Militia might be suspended ; but volun-
tary recruits, as in sec. 37, were allowed to enter until the
quotas fixed by the present Act were complete (sec. 66).
The Local Militia was to be formed into companies of not
less than sixty, or more than one hundred and twenty
privates, with three officers ; and these, where the num-
bers in the county sufficed, were to be organised into
one or more regiments of not more than twelve or less
than ten companies ; or, failing this, into battalions of
not more than seven or less than four companies. Regi-
ments of eight hundred men and upwards were to have
four field-officers ; corps of 480 to 800 men, three field-
officers ; battalions of less than 480 men, two field-
officers ; and corps of three companies, one field-officer.
Corps of five companies and upwards were allowed to
have a Light, or a Grenadier company ; to regiments of
eight companies and upwards, both Light and Grenadier
companies were permitted, each with two lieutenants
instead of lieutenant and ensign. Every company over
ninety strong might have three subalterns (sec. 68).
Officers in excess of the establishment at the time of the
passing of the Act could be retained (sec. 69). Counties
could be divided into districts for the supply of different
corps within them (sec. 62). Local Militia upon embodi-
ment were entitled to the same pay and allowances as the
Regular Militia; with a grant of los. 6d. a man in the first
year, and 5s. 3d. a man in subsequent years, for necessaries
264 NEW LOCAL MILITIA ACT chap.
J 8 12. (sec. 86). The annual training was to be for not more
than twenty-eight days, and the men could not be
ordered to march outside their own counties (sec. 88)
unless the Lieutenant recommended for convenience of
training that the regiment should be assembled in an
adjoining county (sec. 90), and except in case of invasion
or insurrection (sec. 123). Offences committed during
the training could be tried afterwards (sec. 95). Local
Militiamen, when embodied, could be subjected to
stoppages for linen and necessaries, not exceeding four-
pence a day (sec. 102). Men absenting themselves
from training were to be treated as deserters and liable
to a fine of ^20 or six months' imprisonment (sec. 105) ;
but their vacancy was to be filled up by ballot if they
were absent for three months, though they were none
the less liable to serve if they returned (sec. 106). A
proportion of non-commissioned officers could be kept
on permanent pay by the King's order (sec. 116); and
these could be called upon to raise voluntary recruits for
the Regular Army or Militia (sec. 119). Commanding
Officers were required to make out a list of men, of the
age and standing prescribed by sec. 17, who were willing
to prolong their service for a bounty not exceeding
^2 : 2s. ; and such men were to be enrolled as volun-
teers for the place or parish for which they originally
served (sec. 135). The King was empowered to
increase the Local Militia to six times the quota of the
Regular Militia, on summoning Parliament within four-
teen days (sec. 156). Counties were to be fined £1 ^ for
every man deficient of their quota on the 14th of February
every year (sees. 176, 177) ; and the payment of this
fine was to be accepted in discharge of its duty in raising
and training men (sec. 185). Local Militiamen actually
serving were exempted from payment of rates towards
these fines.
The most important novelties in this Act were, first,
the reduction of the strength of the Local Militia, and,
secondly, the power given to Local Militiamen to pro-
long their service, which was justly criticised in Parliament
IV LOCAL MILITIA RE-ENGAGED 265
as an abandonment of the original principle of putting iSri.
the whole population through the ranks. It was
defended on the ground that it would produce a more
effective force, avert the need for calling men from
their ordinary avocations, and save ^100,000 a year.
No doubt at so critical a time these were important
considerations ; and yet it was a great misfortune that
Ministers should have yielded to them. For the first
time Castlereagh had compelled the country to recognise
that it was the duty of every able-bodied citizen in the
prime of life to be trained to arms, and had introduced
legislation, none too drastic, to enforce that duty. Yet
the Act vitiated this good service, first by admitting
Volunteer corps without regard to the age of the Volun-
teers, and, secondly, by allowing men who were ready to
do their duty to take the place of men who were not.
In both cases they admitted the very principle which
they professed to repudiate — that of substitution — and
this was a most objectionable compromise. It was
unstatesmanlike since it took no thought for the future,
whereas Castlereagh had designed the Local Militia to
be a permanent force ; and it was unnecessary, because
the country was still conscious that its fate was uncertain
and could only be assured by a great effort.
The truth seems to have been that Government had
not foreseen an embarrassment which was bound inevit-
ably to show itself when, as was the case in 1 8 1 2, the
four years' service of the first batch of Local Militia-
men should expire. As the entire force was created
practically at the same moment, it followed necessarily
that the entire force became entitled to its discharge at
the same moment, and that consequently, unless a
certain number of men were allowed to re-engage, no
old soldiers would be left to leaven the raw recruits.
An officer in the Edinburgh Local Militia pointed out
a remedy for this by suggesting that every man on
reaching the age of eighteen should, as a matter of
course, be enrolled in the Local Militia, and that some
machinery should be devised for the automatic enlist-
266 LOCAL MILITIA RE-ENGAGED chap.
1812. ment and discharge every year of a certain fraction of
the men liable to service.^ In the absence of such
machinery the Lieutenancies were at a loss to know
what to do. Many of them recognised the importance
of making the Local Militia a means of national
training ; but on the other hand the officers naturally
clamoured for a few old soldiers to be left to them.
Here, however, a further difficulty arose. A bounty was
to be allowed under the Act to every Local Militiaman
who extended his service, but the bounty was to be paid
not by the counties but by the parishes. Now when
the Volunteers transferred their services to the Local
Militia, it had frequently happened that through the zeal
and good example of the gentry one parish had contributed
every able-bodied man to the service, while its neighbour,
from want of natural leaders, had contributed none. The
Local Militiamen of the zealous parish were ready and
eager to re-engage for a further period of service ; but
the parochial ratepayers felt it to be a poor return for
their patriotism that they should be subjected to an extra
tax for bounties because they had provided more men
than their neighbours for defence of the country ; and
complaints upon this account were very common.^
However, in spite of these drawbacks and of some
perilous reforms wrought by the new Act, the Local
Militia appears to have passed through the year 1812
very quietly. Some Commanding Officers dreaded the
abolition of the marching-guinea and the change which
gave Local Militiamen exemption for only one instead
of two years from the Regular Militia ballot ; but on
the other hand the grant of relief to their wives and
families in all circumstances, the exemption from the
duty of acting as peace-officers, and the promise, if
^ I.D. vol. ccxxvi. Sir A. Muir Mackenzie to the Lord Chief
Baron, 24th Dec. 1812.
2 Ibid. vol. ccxxvii. C.G.M. Glamorgan, to S.S. i6th Sept. 18 12,
one specimen which must serve for many. The Sec. of State
expressly disclaimed the provision of the bounty from the Imperial
Exchequer in a letter to L.L. Caithness, 14th Aug. 18 12, H.O.L.M.
E.B. vol. liv.
IV FRICTION BETWEEN MILITIAS 267
they were called out on active service, of freedom to 18 1».
carry on their trades in every town in the Kingdom,
seem to have reconciled the men to these unpopular
conditions.^ The Local Militia was frequently employed
in suppressing riots in Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire,
and Derbyshire during the course of the year, but there
was no trouble in the force itself. It is true, however,
that the Lieutenancy of Cheshire recommended that the
Stockport and Macclesfield Local Militia should not be
assembled, owing to the disturbed state of the district
and the probability that every private in the corps was
more or less concerned with the causes of the unrest.^
The force had, in fact, definitely settled down to its
work; and there seemed to be good prospect that, if
permitted to remain in existence, it might yet serve its
purpose of giving military training to the whole nation.
The continued separation of the Local Militia from
the Regular Militia, nevertheless, remained a source of
weakness and of friction. The restriction of the Local
Militia to men between eighteen and thirty years of age,
and the exemption of these men, even for one year
after their term had expired, from the ballot for the
Regular Militia, naturally tended to throw service in
the Regular Militia chiefly upon men over thirty years
old, who were for the most part married, husbands and
fathers. The only possible remedy would have been
to blend the two Militias into a single Militia of two
classes, to make all the younger men pass through the
Local Militia as a matter of course, and to give them
no exemption from the ballot for the Regular Militia.
Moreover, personal service only, and not service by
substitute, in the Regular Militia, should have availed
to earn exemption from service in the Local Militia.
Had the war been prolonged it is possible that the
1 I.D. vol. ccxxviii. O.C. 4th Lanark L.M. to S.S. 8th Sept.
1812. ^ . •, ,
2 Ibid.voX. ccxxiii. Minutes of G.M. Cheshire, 25th April ; vol.
ccxxix. Printed Minutes of Lieutenancy of Lanes, ist May ; vol.
ccxxxv., O.C. Sheffield L.M. to S.S. i8th April 181 2.
268 FOREIGN AFFAIRS chap.
j8i2. organisation might have been perfected ; but, as things
were, the initial blunders of Addington and Pitt had
consumed in foolish experiments the years which might
have been devoted to the building up of a sound and
permanent system.
For the rest, this year 1812 was the great year of
the war, which saw most of the armies of Europe march
into Russia under the banners of Napoleon, to return
not again except as a scanty remnant. In Spain the
operations had been marked by a series of brilliant
British successes at Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, and
Salamanca. The Army in the Peninsula had been
reinforced in the course of the year by over 20,000
men, exclusive of nearly 1 1 ,000 drafts sent out to make
good the waste of war ; ^ and though the greater part
of these had not joined the Army until after the battle
of Salamanca, they were nevertheless upon the spot
ready for the next campaign. Moreover, for the first
time a detachment from the enormous garrison which
was kept idle in Sicily had been withdrawn for service
upon the east coast of Spain. The time was come for
a great effort ; and the country was fully alive to the
importance of making that effort. One cloud only
obscured the general brightness of the outlook. Long
disputes with America over the British maritime code
had at length culminated in war.
The casualties among the British troops for the year
1 8 12 amounted to 20,313 ; and among all the troops
in British pay, to 29,562.^ In the course of the year
there had been obtained by ordinary recruiting in the
United Kingdom 12,563 men and 1869 boys, making
a total of 14,432 ; and as many of the boys enlisted in
former years must by this time have grown to men's
^ H.D. Lords, Lord Wellesley's speech, 12th March 18 13.
2 Another return in C.J. gives the figure as 26,687. Palmerston
in his speech {H.D. 8th March 181 3) explains the discrepancy as
due to the fact that disabled men sent home from the seat of war
were struck off the effective list, and not immediately accounted for
upon their arrival in England.
IV CASUALTIES AND RECRUITS, 1813 269
estate, it may be assumed that the actual gain was not 181 2.
far short of 14,000 men. Besides these the Militia had
contributed its full quota of 9927 men, making in all
little short of 24,000 men gained in the course of the
year. Additional battalions had been furnished to the
amount of 5300 men ; two new Fencible battalions had
been raised for defence of Canada ; additional Veteran
Battalions, British and foreign, had been formed for
the employment of men who, though unfitted by
wounds or injury for service in the field, were equal to
work in garrison. Moreover, the establishment of
foreign corps had been raised by 2000 men. Altogether
Palmerston was able to state in the Commons that
against the 29,562 casualties suffered during 18 12, he
could set 39,762 men, British and foreign, added to the
Army ; making a net gain of 10,200 effective men,
four-fifths of them indeed foreign, but 2000 British.
VI
The full establishment of Regular troops of all arms, 18 13.
British and foreign, voted for the year 18 13 was
314,531; of which the foreigners numbered 33,203.^
Their effective strength was, on the 25 th of January
1813, 255,876; of which 203,000 were British, and
the remainder foreign and Colonial. The establishment
of the Regular Militia was 93,210 men, and its actual
strength 71,000 ; that of the Local Militia, as fixed by
the Act, was 193,912. The Volunteers had continued
to dwindle during 18 12, until Huskisson in debate
described them as a merely nominal force, except in
Ireland. The infantry,'' with the exception of a few
corps in Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Devon, Gloucester,
Hants, and Northumberland, was finally dissolved by
a circular of 17th March 18 13, their weapons being
1 In 181Z the figures had been 304,896 and 32,525.
2 Its strength is given in a return of 6th March 18 12 as 49,436
effective rank and file ; or 30,000 below its establishment.
270 MILITARY MEASURES, 1813 chap.
181 3. required to arm the insurgent Prussians against
Napoleon/ The Yeomanry, on the other hand, was
left untouched ; indeed later in the year Ministers
announced that they desired to increase its efficiency,
and to that end encouraged the incorporation of all
isolated troops into regiments, offering also the pay of
Regular cavalry to all which would come out for twelve
days' permanent duty annually.^ The Government was
evidently awaking to the fact that the Yeomanry was a
far more valuable force than the Volunteers, of which
it had formerly been reckoned a part.
The military measures brought before Parliament
in the spring were comparatively unimportant. The
Militia of the Stannaries had complained that they were
not allowed to enlist into the Line,^ having volunteered
in vain for service as a complete regiment in the Penin-
sula ; and an Act was accordingly passed to enable them
to enlist, to the proportion of one-seventh of the quota
of 1802 (53 Geo. III. cap. 20; 23rd March 18 13). A
short amending Act was also passed to alter slightly the
dates for holding the ballots for the Local Militia, -to
allow battalions of the force to consist of no more than
six companies, and to regulate the appointment of the
quotas in counties where there were effective Yeomanry
and Volunteers (53 Geo. III. cap. 28, England ; cap.
29, Scotland). A short Act to amend the Militia laws
was also passed (53 Geo. III. cap. 81 ; 2nd July 18 13),
which enacted that a Volunteer, whose corps had been
discontinued by Royal order, should not be liable to
serve in the Militia if drawn for the ballot while he was
an effective Volunteer (sec. 4). The King was further
empowered to order supernumerary Militiamen to be
raised by beat of drum to the proportion of one-half of
the quota fixed by 51 Geo. III. cap. 20 ; and Com-
manding Officers of Militia were authorised to raise men
1 Circular to L.Ls. of England, 17th March 181 3.
2 Circular to L.Ls. 29th Oct. 1813.
' I.D. vol. ccxxxiii. Warden of the Stannaries to Col. Lemon,
18th Nov. 1812.
IV ORDINARY RECRUITING IMPROVES 271
by beat of drum at the headquarters of their regiments, 181 3.
or within ten miles thereof, even though such head-
quarters should be remote from their own county (sees.
6, 7). The number of men enlisting into the Line in
counties having more than one regiment of Militia was
restricted to one-seventh of the establishment of the
Militia, irrespective of the number actually serving ; but
if, on the 24th of January in any year, the actual number
of men serving, after deduction of the quota allowed to
enlist into the Line, exceeded the establishment, such
excess of men was to be allowed to enlist also (sees. 8,
9). For the first time since the war began no special
provision was necessary for raising recruits ; and the
existing machinery worked smoothly and well. Never-
theless, one or two regiments of Militia began to show
signs of exhaustion, or at any rate of unwillingness to
furnish their quotas of men to the Line ; for between
the ist of April and the 25th of November 18 13 the
Militia furnished no more than 9095 recruits, out of its
appointed 10,000, for the Regular Army.^ Ordinary
recruiting, however, flourished astonishingly under the
new regulations, producing in the course of the year
12,824 men and 1874 boys, or an average of a full
thousand men a month.
It must, however, be noted that some of these recruits
were obtained by exceptional methods. In order to
increase the force in America the Militia of thirteen
Scottish counties, and of Wicklow, South Lincolnshire,
West Suffolk, South Hants, and West Norfolk, received
permission to enlist men for the Forty-Ninth Foot for
service in North America only, with an assurance of
discharge within six months of a general peace ; of a
grant of fifty acres of land to privates, sixty acres to
corporals, and seventy-five to sergeants ; and of a free
passage for their wives and families to Quebec within
twelve months of the husbands' departure.*
1 Return in C.J. vol. Ixix. p. 638.
2 The English and Irish regiments above named, together with
the Fife, Perth, Berwick, Kirkcudbright, and Ross regiments, were
272 MILITIA RECRUITING TROUBLES chap.
1813. There was some little trouble with the Scottish
Militia in some quarters, owing to the claim of a great
many substitutes to be discharged on the completion of
ten years' service. It seems that this was the result of
a regular agitation set on foot by some pettifogging
lawyers in various parts of Scotland ; but the wording
of the Act was so plainly adverse to any such claim, that
the men were easily persuaded of their folly, and the
mischief was stamped out with little trouble.^
Another and more serious difficulty was that the
system of maintaining the Regular Militia by voluntary
enlistment began to show signs of breaking down,
even though the bounty offered to both boys and men
was ten guineas.^ The provision in the Act of 18 13
which allowed Commanding Officers to recruit men at
their regimental headquarters, wherever they might be
stationed, was intended to remedy this failing, but it is
extremely doubtful whether it did so. Commanding
Officers were loth to destroy the local character of their
regiments by taking in aliens from other counties ; and
in cases where their numbers were fallen very low, they
asked rather to be sent back for a time to their county
town than for power to enlist recruits in a strange
land.^ On the other hand it appears that Highlanders
would follow a Highland Militia regiment to any
quarter, and refuse to enlist in any other.* But the
concession granted by the Act of 1 8 1 3 was vitiated for
informed at the same time that on the istof June they might offer
the following bounties to men who would enlist in the Regular
infantry : — viz. to men who were serving before the 1st of April,
14 guineas for life service and 10 guineas for limited service ; to
men who had served only since 31st March, 10 guineas for life
service and 6 guineas for short service. I.D. vol. ccl. Circ. of S.S.
14th May 1813.
^ I.D. vol. ccxxxvi. O.C. Banff and Inverness Mila. to S.S. 29th
Jan., nth, 26th Feb., 23rd March ; vol. ccxxxvii. Lieut.-General
Wynyard to A.G. 2nd Jan. 181 3.
2 liiJ. vol. ccxli. Commdt. Edinburgh Mila. Depot to S.S. 7th
Oct.; S.S. to Commdt. nth Oct. 18 13.
3 Hid. vol. ccliii. O.C. Beds. Mila. to S.S. 7th Jan. 18 14.
* Ibid. vol. ccxxxviii. O.C. Ross Mila. to S.S. 17th Feb. 1813.
IV FRICTION BETWEEN MILITIAS 273
purposes of recruiting by the standing order which 1813.
forbade Local Militiamen to be enlisted in any Regular
Militia but that of their own county.^ It was useless to
give commanders power to invite recruits outside their
counties when all the finest young men, being absorbed
by the Local Militia, were withheld from them. In
truth, the competition between the Local and the Regular
Militia had become acute, and the Commanding Officers
of the latter began to complain bitterly. ♦* The Local
Militia has become a source of patronage to its com-
manders," wrote the Colonel of the Cardigan Militia.
" Lately sixty young men offered themselves to one
of our County Local Militia regiments. The Com-
manding Officer took forty of them, and discharged
that number of undesirable men. Hence the ballot for
the Regular Militia falls on old and married men, in
fact, on the rejected of the Local Militia. If they serve
in person, they are fit for nothing ; and their substitutes
from the manufacturing districts desert." From Lanca-
shire came a similar remonstrance owing to the difficulty
of raising Regular Militiamen by beat of drum. "Exemp-
tion from the Militia ballot draws the finest young men
to the Local Militia, because if they wish to enlist from
thence into the Line, they can do so when they please.
These men if ballotted [for the Regular Militia] would
serve ; or they would enlist in the Line or Regular
Militia rather than risk losing the bounty. As it is,
service in the Regular Militia is forced upon men to
whom it is almost ruin, or they must give enormous
bounties to substitutes." "
These were serious symptoms ; and not less formid-
able was the depleted condition of some of the
Militia regiments in consequence of the heavy drafts
required from them by the Line, and the discharge of
1 I.D. vol. ccxl. O.C. Devon Mila. to S.S. nth July ; S.S. to
O.C. Devon Mila, 12th July 1813.
2 Ibid. vol. ccxli. O.C. Glamorgan Mila. to S.S. 20th Jan.; vol.
ccxxxviii. O.C. Cardigan Mila. to S.S. 26th Feb. ; vol. ccxliii.
O.C. 1st Lanes Mila. to S.S. Feb. 18 13.
T
274 REGULAR MILITIA DEPLETED chap.
1813. principals upon the expiration of their term of service.
The Adjutant of the Notts Militia reported that he had
five hundred men who had never handled a firelock,
and fourteen sergeants out of thirty-one who were new
to their work. He therefore begged that he might
be allowed to give his non-commissioned officers seven
days of preliminary instruction before the training ; ^
but his letter was not even answered. Many other
regiments must have been in much the same condition,
but no heed appears to have been taken of them.
Events were moving fast in Europe, and Ministers
appear to have left all minor details to chance. Mem-
bers of disbanded Volunteer Corps complained loudly,
and not unreasonably, that after all their years of service
they had lost their exemption from the Local Militia
ballot through no fault of their own. Ministers
expressed regret. They had hoped that the ballots
would have been over before the time appointed for the
dissolution of the Volunteer Corps ; but as it was not
so, the Volunteers must take the consequences,^ More-
over, as the Regular Militia ballot recommenced on the
I St of July 1 8 13, the Volunteers became subject to that
also, with the alternative of paying from ^^30 to ^^40
for a substitute.^ Emphatically the last state of the
Volunteers was worse than the first.
But there was much excuse for ignoring such small
matters as these, for as the year waned disaster upon
disaster befell the hated Bonaparte. Prussia had turned
upon him early in the year ; Sweden had followed her
later ; and in August Austria at last threw in her lot
against him. Two long and chequered campaigns were
ended in October by the decisive overthrow of Napoleon
at Leipsic ; and in November the wreck of his army
^ I.D. vol. ccxlvi. Adjt. Notts Mila. to S.S. 20th March
1813.
2 Ibid. vol. ccxlviii. Geo. Jackson (Surrey) to S.S. 23rd April ;
S.S. to Geo. Jackson, 26th April 1813.
3 IbU. vol. ccl. L.L. York West Riding, to S.S. 25th April
1813.
IV STRENGTH OF FORCES, 1813 275
retired across the Rhine. A few weeks earlier Welling- 1813,
ton, having utterly defeated Joseph at Vittoria in June,
had crossed the Spanish frontier into France ; and on
the loth of November he drove Soult from the lines of
the Nivelle with heavy loss. A week before, on the
4th of November, Parliament met and Casdereagh
announced that the time was come for a supreme effort.
First he intimated that, in spite of all the country's
exertions, the Army and Militia were as strong numeric-
ally as ever ; for improved attention to the health and
discipline of the troops had so greatly reduced casualties,
including desertion, that they amounted to little more
than 12 or 14 per cent in time of war, whereas they
had formerly amounted to 10 per cent even in the
profoundest peace. As a matter of fact, the returns
show that in spite of heavy casualties in the Peninsula,
the effective strength of the Regular troops, British and
foreign, was 260,797 on the 25th of September 18 13,
against 255,876 on the 25 th of January 1813 ; while
the strength of the Militia during the same period
had been reduced only from 71,055 to 69,886. The
casualties for the year, according to Castlereagh's
estimate, would not exceed 30,000 ; but while he
thought that ordinary recruiting would continue to be
successful under the new system, he doubted the
adequacy of the supply that would be derived from the
Militia. Since 1 805 that force had furnished close upon
100,000 men to the Army, and the 70,000 men, of which
it was at the highest computation composed, were for the
most part ready to enter the Line. But some of them
were unfit for foreign service, and he did not therefore
wish to send the regiments bodily out of the country,
but to allow them to give men enough to the Line
to enable England to maintain her present attitude. He
would therefore leave at least one-fourth of each regiment
at home ; but would offer a small additional bounty to
tempt the rest to enlist, and if a certain number accepted
service, would permit their officers to go with them. In
addition to this, he proposed to allow a certain number
276 FOREIGN SERVICE FOR MILITIA chap.
1813. to serve abroad as Militiamen in Provisional Battalions,
so that their wives and families could enjoy parochial
support during their absence, their service abroad being
limited to Europe, and their Commanding Officers to
be Colonels of Militia. As to numbers, he proposed to
take from the Regular Militia the 10,000 men allowed
every year by law, a further quota of 1 0,000 in advance,
and 6000 to 8000 men due from certain counties which
had not produced their full quota in former years.
These, added to the numbers obtained by ordinary
recruiting, would, he hoped, bring the year's supply to
40,000 men. For the rest he intended to allow
Militiamen to count previous service in the Militia
towards their pensions, and to give pensions also to
Militia sergeants, in order to encourage men to enlist.
The Bill was unopposed upon any ground even by
the most hardened sticklers for constitutional nicety,
and it duly became law on the 24th of November (54
Geo. III. cap. i ; for the City of London,^ cap. 1 7 ; for
the Stannaries, cap. 20). Hereby the King was
empowered to accept voluntary offers from three-
quarters of the actual number of men in any Regular
Militia regiment of the United Kingdom, to serve in
any part of Europe (sec. i). A bounty of eight
guineas was to be given to all non-commissioned officers
and men who made such offer, and they were to be
sworn to serve in any part of Europe during the
remainder of the war and until six months after the
ratification of a definitive treaty of peace (sec. 2).
The proportion of officers to be accepted was as.
follows : —
From any regiment providing 900 men . 3 field-officers
From any regiment providing 600 men . 2 „ „
From any regiment providing 300 men or
three-quarters of its actual strength . i „ „
A proportion of other officers might also be accepted
(sec. 4). The men volunteering on these terms might
^ Another Act (54 Geo. III. cap. 38) was passed to allow a pro-
portion of the London Militia to enlist in the Line.
IV MILITIA ENLISTMENT ACT, 1813 277
be formed into provisional battalions (sec. 5). No 181 3.
officer of Militia was to rank with the Regulars higher
than as a Lieutenant-Colonel of Militia ; and if sufficient
Militia officers did not offer themselves, the King might
appoint others (sees. 6, 7). The Militia officers accepting
service under the Act were entitled to half-pay, and
their widows to pensions (sec. 8). All ranks of Militia-
men were to be subject to the Mutiny Act (sec. o) ;
but in other respects they were to retain their immunities
and privileges, provision for wives and families, etc. (sec.
10). In the case of men enlisting into the Line, the
King could grant commissions in the Regular Army to
Militia officers in the proportions of a captain, lieutenant,
and ensign for every hundred men; and five sergeants and
six corporals could likewise be enlisted for every hundred
privates. Officers could be allowed also to smaller
numbers of men enlisted. Such companies could be
attached to existing battalions of the Line, or massed
together into additional battalions (sec. 12). Their
officers were to be entitled to half-pay (sec. 18). Com-
manding Officers of Militia were empowered to refuse,
on sufficient cause shown, to discharge Militiamen
anxious to enlist in the Line ; and no clerk or bands-
man could be enlisted without the consent of the Com-
manding Officer (sees. 14, 15). No man was to be
drafted from the regiment in which he had enlisted
without his own consent (sec. 16). The number of
men to be enlisted for service in any part of Europe
was not to exceed 30,000 men, nor three-fourths of the
actual strength of any regiment (sec. 19).
Another Act (54 Geo. III. cap. 10, 6th Dec. 18 13)
enabled the Regular Militia to be employed in any part
of the United Kingdom without reference to the re-
strictions in 51 Geo. III. cap. 118. Yet another (54
Geo. III. cap. 12) empowered the King to augment his
foreign force by the addition of eighth, ninth, and
tenth battalions to the Sixtieth Rifles ; and a third (54
Geo. III. cap. 19) authorised the King to accept offers
of Local Militia to serve out of their counties until the
278 PROVISIONAL BATTALIONS chap.
1813. ^ 25th of March 1 8 1 5, for not more than forty-two days in
the year, such service to be treated as part of the annual
training, and, if it exceeded twenty-eight days, to be
accepted in lieu of it.
These measures were, of course, one and all of them
revolutionary and adapted for an exceptional and extra-
ordinary crisis only ; but they do not seem to have
been very successful. The Local Militia, on the whole,
though there were a few exceptions, offered to extend
its services all over the United Kingdom in accordance
with the Act ; but the Regular Militia by no means
displayed any great alacrity to extend its service to
Europe. In the first place, the Government seems to
have made a mistake in offering two different kinds of
service to the Militia, for the officers did not know to
which to encourage their men. They assumed that the
Government would prefer recruits for the Line pure and
simple, and used their influence accordingly, with the
more readiness since a smaller^number of men, according
to former regulations, entitled Militia officers to a
commission in the Regular Army. It was therefore a
shock and a surprise to them when they were informed
that Ministers preferred men to engage for the Pro-
visional Militia Battalions, and would accept no offer from
ofScers unless they brought eighty privates with them.^
But apart from this, the men were generally unwilling to
serve in the Provisional Militia battalions except on
various conditions, such as being left with their own
company-officers or field-officers, and the like. Thus
in the Cornish Militia at one moment 107 men were
ready to serve abroad as Militiamen on one day, but
only 80 a fortnight later, though 154 willingly enlisted
in the Line. In Westmoreland, on the other hand,
nearly 200 men came forward to serve abroad as
Militia ; whereas in Cumberland there were only 17
men ready to accompany 14 officers. In Denbigh the
^ S.S. to O.Cs. of 27 Militia regiments, 6th, 9th, nth, 13th,
14th, 15th, 1 8th, 20th, 23rd, 30th Dec. I.D. vol. ccxli. Staff
officers of Glamorgan Mila. to S.S. 9th Dec. 18 13.
IV FAILURE TO RAISE THEM 279
officers and men tendered their service in large numbers ; i8n.
but they withdrew their offer unanimously as soon as
they learned that their Colonel, Sir Watkin Wynn,
would not be allowed to accompany them ; and instead
sent 67 recruits to the Line.^ In the South Devon
Militia every officer and most of the non-commissioned
officers volunteered to go abroad if they could do so
with three-fourths of their men ; but the privates, who
were mostly substitutes of ten years' service, were dis-
inclined to move unless they received some reward for
all the work that they had done. The East Devon
Militia, which had long shown prejudice against enlist-
ment into the Army, sent one man to the Line only ;
and in the North Devon, though 1 1 officers came forward
to form a Provisional Battalion on condition that 300
men would join them, only 21 men were forthcoming.
In Dumfries 14 officers and 6 men volunteered for
Militia service abroad and one man for the Line.^ In
Forfar the officers presented themselves in a body, but
only two men would consent to serve abroad either as
Militiamen or in the Line.^ In Lancashire the men
would have nothing to do with extended service in the
Militia, and declined to enter the Line unless they
could choose their own regiments.* But it is useless to
multiply instances. Suffice it that, with a few notable
exceptions, the Militiamen were disinclined for service,
as such, abroad ; and that ultimately after much
difficulty and confusion, owing to the withdrawal of
many men upon second thoughts from their engage-
ments, there were formed by the end of February only
1 I.D. vol. ccxxxix. Return of Cornish Mila. 2nd Dec, O.C.
Cornish Mila. to S.S. 12th Dec. ; O.C. Cumberland Mila. to S.S.
3rd Dec. ; O.C. Westmoreland Mila. to S.S. 28th Nov. ; L.L.
Denbigh, to S.S. nth Dec. 18 13.
2 Ibid. vol. ccxl. O.C. S. Devon Mila. to S.S. 27th Nov. ; Re-
turns of East and North Devon Mila. 27th Nov., 1st Dec. ; Returns
of Dumfries Mila. Nov. 18 1 3.
3 Ibid. vol. ccxli. O.C. Forfar Mila. to S.S. 9th Dec. 1 81 3.
4 Ibid. vol. ccxliii. O.C. ist and 2nd Lanes Mila. to S.S. 2nd,
3rd Dec. ; Return of Lanes Mila. 7th Dec. 18 13.
28o IPROVISIONAL BATTALIONS FAIL chap.
1 813. three Provisional Battalions, the First under Lord
Buckingham, 979 of all ranks ; the Second under
Colonel Bayley, 925 of all ranks ; and the Third under
Colonel Sir WatkinWynn, 881 of all ranks. This last,
it must be noted, could not have been completed unless
Sir Watkin had been placed in command, for, as has
been seen, not a man of the Denbigh Militia would go
abroad without him.^
Altogether the Provisional Battalions were a failure,
partly because the Militia officers obtained better terms
by taking their men to the Line ; partly because
neither officers nor men were disposed to serve abroad
except as complete battalions ; and partly because,
between drafts for the Army and the competition
of the Local Militia, the patience of the old
constitutional and most long-suffering force was
fairly exhausted. The men formed into Provisional
Battalions numbered, without deducting officers, little
more than 2700. The Militiamen enlisted into the
Line from the 25 th of December 18 13 to the end of
the war in June did not exceed 3243. Thus the total
contribution of the Militia to the Regular Army during
the first six months of 18 14 may be set down at 6000.
^ The three battalions were formed as follows : —
First. Buckingham's.
Second. Bayley's.
Third, Wynn's.
Bucks Mila. 415 all ranks,
. Leicester 284 all ranks
. Denbigh 1 3 5 all ranks.
Wilts 93 „
W. Middlesex 417 „
Derby 125 „
Northampton 1 80 „
E. Suffolk 35 „
Hereford no „
1st Surrey 32 „
Sussex 94 „
Westmoreland 162 „
2nd Surrey xi8 „
Wilts 95 „
2nd W. York 349 „
Worcester 141 „
925 881
979
^.O. Mila. E.B, S.S. to Buckingham and Bayley, 14th, 29th Jan. ;
to Sir W. Wynn, 31st Jan. ; to Buckingham, 24th Feb. 1 8 14. It
must be remarked upon these figures that Cambridgeshire had
offered 94 men and failed to produce any, and that Derby had at
first ofi^ered 328 N.C.Os. and men. I.D. vol. ccxxxviii. Return of
Cambs Mila. ist Dec. 181 3 ; Return of Derby Mila. 28th Nov.,
13th Dec. 1813. On the other hand, Lord Buckingham wrote to
the Sec. of State on i8th Jan. 18 14 that he made up his contingent
of the Bucks from 415 to 470 {I.D. vol. ccliii.), which would raise
the strength of his battalion to 1034.
IV STRENGTH OF ARMY, 1813-14 281
Ordinary recruiting in the first six months of the year 18 14.
produced 5375 men and 754 boys. The casualties for
the same period cannot be ascertained, being made out
for the whole year, and including vast numbers of
discharges made after the signature of peace ; but as
the deaths alone for the year amounted to over 12,000,
it is reasonable to suppose that the casualties for six
months from death, discharge, and desertion reached at
least that total. The effective strength of the Army,
in rank and file, had been, exclusive of foreign and
colonial troops.
On 25th June 1813 . . . 2Ji,397
On 25th Dec. 1813 . . . 219,35'
It was on 25th June 1814 . . . 209,158
With the prospects of peace near at hand fi*om the
moment of Napoleon's abdication in April, it is not fair
to draw too strict deductions from any of these figures,
though it must be remembered that we were still at war
with America. It must also be recollected that Castle-
reagh's measures at the end of 18 13 were by admission
desperate, and not designed to meet more than a
temporary emergency. Nevertheless it must, I think,
be admitted that the war was brought to a close before
the problem of recruiting the British Army had been
finally solved.
CHAPTER V
1 8 14. Upon a review of the whole matter it may seem at
first sight that a variety of opposing conclusions may
be drawn from the facts set forth in the foregoing
pages. Opponents of compulsory service, for instance,
can point to the constant break-down of the ballot, to
the unfairness and oppression which it caused, and to
the success of voluntary enlistment even for the Militia.
Advocates of Volunteers, again, may adduce the readi-
ness of that force to go upon permanent duty, and its
alacrity in turning out upon the few occasions when a
real or false alarm demanded its service. But the whole
question of the recruiting of our military forces must
be judged not by isolated occurrences, but by the whole
mass of events and the general trend of legislation
from the beginning to the end of the war.
The initial mistake of Addington and his colleagues
was that they did not make the increase and mainten-
ance of the Regular Army their first object — did not
perceive, in feet, that all military measures which are not
framed with the ultimate purpose of benefiting the
Regular Army are not only useless but positively pre-
judicial. Thus they allowed substitution in the Militia
Act of 1 801, though the exclusion of the principle, in
the case of men enlisted for home defence only, would
have been perfectly legitimate, and the number of
Militiamen called for — 70,000 or, including the Supple-
mentary Militia, 94,000 for a population of fifteen
millions in the United Kingdom — certainly cannot be
considered oppressive. By the express words of the
282
CHAP.v SUMMARY— ADDINGTON 283
Act these 94,000 were forbidden to enlist in the Regular 1814.
Army, and as they consisted chiefly of substitutes, they
simply deprived the Army of that number of recruits.
Having thus drained the recruiting market heavily to
produce a defensive force, Addington in the second
place bethought him of the Regular Army, and tried to
call the Army of Reserve into existence to supply it ;
the said Army of Reserve being simply additional to the
Militia, formed once again by ballot, with the principle
of substitution again admitted, and differing from
the ordinary Militia only in that the men were allowed to
enlist in the Regulars. This done, he allowed the Volun-
teers to take the bit between their teeth and to mass
themselves in extravagant numbers ; and then proceeded
to reduce the ballot-lists to skeletons by exempting all
Volunteers both from Militia and Army of Reserve.
As he was unprepared with rules to govern this mob
of men, which had sprung into existence against his wish,
his Home Secretary was obliged to introduce, by side-
winds and sly devices, regulations which gave rise to
endless friction and discontent, and yet were powerless
to enforce discipline. It is not too much to say that to
the end of the war our military system never recovered
from the mischief wrought by Addington and his
Secretary for War, Hobart, during the year 1803. It
was no fault of theirs that England was not ruined both
in a financial and a military sense, so unspeakable were
their blindness, their weakness, and their folly.
The ballot having been discredited, and the recruit-
ing market thrown wholly into the hands of the crimps
by these two unhappy men, Pitt took over the military
administration in a state of utter chaos. His remedy
was to turn parish officers into recruiting sergeants, give
them a reward for every recruit that they produced fi-om
Imperial funds, and to fine them for every man deficient
of their quota, such fines being payable of course out of
local funds. Such a system might possibly have suc-
ceeded had it been tried at first in time of peace, and
become familiar to the parish officers ; for, financially.
284 SUMMARY— PITT, WINDHAM chap.
1814. it was decidedly ingenious. But foisted suddenly upon
a nation demoralised by more than twelve months
of incessant ballotting for over 100,000 men, it was a
complete and dismal failure. Nevertheless, as has been
told, it brought the Army into closer touch with the
body of the people ; and though, upon the whole,
Pitt's military administration is a blot upon his fame,
yet at the end he did admirable work by his staunch
adherence to the Duke of York's principle that every
battalion abroad must have a second battalion at home
to maintain it at proper strength.
Then came Windham, the great reformer, who held
firmly by three sound principles : first, that the Regular
Army was the ultimate end for which all our military
organisation existed ; secondly, that the whole nation
ought to be trained to arms ; thirdly, that a Volunteer
who received anything from the State besides his arms
was no Volunteer. His practice, however, fell short of
his theory. He was for training the whole nation to
arms with practically no organisation ; and this was
almost a contradiction in terms. He was for using
compulsion and yet mild compulsion, ballotting men in
turn for a short period of training, yet granting them
pay for the few days on which they were to be exercised,
thereby ensuring enormous expense with a very doubtful
return. In short, his Training Act broke down pre-
cisely in the most important province of all, the training,
the problem of which was still puzzling him when he
resigned office. His idea was that this huge mass of
men, to be trained no man knew how, would turn out
like the hosts of La Vendue in case of invasion ; and
that incidentally, through the kindling of its martial
ardour, it would furnish an endless supply of recruits to
the Regular Army. To tempt such recruits he intro-
duced short service, in which he had profound faith, with
increased pay for men who re-engaged for fresh terms
beyond the first, and with an increased scale of pensions.
His ideal, in fact, would have been a trained nation for
defensive, and a Regular Army for offensive service ;
V SUMMARY— CASTLEREAGH 285
with not even Militia intervening between them, and 18 14.
with no man wearing uniform except the Regular Army.
His plan failed. Short service proved to be a dis-
appointment as a temptation to recruits. The national
training, as he projected it, was impossible ; and the
one great service which he rendered was the suppression
of such Volunteers as were not self-supporting. Never-
theless, his brief administration marked a real turning-
point in the history of the war, for he had at least
upheld principles that were sound.
Then came Castlereagh, better known for his work
at the Foreign Office than at the War Office, and better
remembered, unfortunately, for the Six Acts than for his
part either in war or diplomacy. Grasping at once all
that was good in Windham's teaching, he started from
the postulate that " learning the use of arms should be
imposed as a positive duty upon all individuals within
certain ages, to be enforced by fine." For the moment
circumstances compelled him to maintain the Volunteers
for a year ; but in his own mind he had sealed their fate.
To make national training a genuine institution he
established a Sedentary or Local Militia, to be chosen
by ballot, without liberty of substitution, from the
entire male population between the ages of eighteen and
thirty, for four years' service, during which period the
men were to be exercised from time to time as companies
near their own homes, and assembled once annually as
battalions for not more than twenty-eight days. Into
this force he swept as many of the false Volunteers as
cared to take service, retaining as Volunteers only such as
were self-supporting. At the same time, after making an
enormous draft upon the Regular Militia to bring the
Army to respectable strength, and reinforcing the
Militia through the ballot, by an even greater number
than the draft, he laid down the principle that a
regular supply of 10,000 men should be drawn from it
annually and made good as far as possible by voluntary
enlistment. He thus returned in some measure to
Addington's system, using the Local Militia as Adding-
286 SUMMARY— CALVERT chap.
1814. ton had used the Regular Militia, and the Regular
Militia as Addington had used the Army of Reserve,
but with this difference — that the Local Militiamen
were ballotted without option of substitution and could
enlist at any time into the Regular Army, while the
Regular Militia could enlist only at stated periods and
in large batches.
By these expedients the necessary supply of men for
the Regular Army was kept up until the end of the
war. That they would have sufficed if the war had
lasted for two or three years longer I cannot believe.
The Militia, by Castlereagh's own admission, was be-
ginning to fail under the strain ; and since 1 8 1 3 it had
been forced to enlist a certain number of boys in lieu
of men. Morover, though Ministers asserted that the
expense of recruiting soldiers into the Army through
the Militia was little more costly than direct enlistment,
there was small object in keeping up so expensive a
force as the Regular Militia merely as a great recruit-
ing dep6t, more especially since the Local Militia had
consented to do service outside their own counties.
Beyond question some new system must have been
found, whether borrowed from Calvert or from some
other authority.
Calvert's plan, it will be remembered, was to have
one hundred regiments of Infantry of the Line — the first
battalions, containing 100,000 men, to be enlisted without
limit as to time or place ; the second battalions, also
100,000 strong, to consist of ballotted men engaged for
home service only, but officered by Regular officers ; the
third and fourth battalions (for such they were to be,
though he did not call them so) to be Local Militia at
least 200,000 strong ; and the whole to be on a
strictly territorial basis. The first battalions would
form the " disposable force " for service in any part of
the world ; the second battalions would be for home
defence and would maintain the first at their due
strength by means of voluntary enlistment encouraged
by bounty ; and the third and fourth battalions would
V SUMMARY— CALVERT 287
maintain the second in the same fashion. Practically 1814.
this would have turned the Regular Militia into second
battalions of the Regular Army ; and, as things were
then carried on, the reform would probably have furthered
both efficiency and economy. But it would not have over-
come the prime difficulty, namely, the fact that only the
refuse of the Local Militia ballot would have remained
to be gathered in by the ballot for the second battalions.
Moreover, the open employment of the ballot to recruit
the Regular Army was precisely the thing which had
made the Army of Reserve unpopular ; and in such a
ballot it would not have been possible to forbid sub-
stitution, which was the curse of the service.
The question was immensely difficult. Time might
have brought the answer if, in accordance with Castle-
reagh's ideal, every able-bodied man had been compelled
to serve his time with the Local Militia upon entering
his eighteenth year. But this is no more than to say
that things might have been carried on very efficiently
if a proper system had been evolved and practised in
time of peace, which, of course, is the indubitable fact,
though the British nation, in spite of a thousand proofs,
steadily refuses to believe it. Improvisations in time of
war can never be thoroughly efficient, and must always
be unduly expensive. The wit of man can hardly
devise a scheme of military organisation for so complex
an Empire as the British Empire, which shall be devoid
of faults ; and it is far better and cheaper to discover
and to correct these faults in time of peace.
Incidentally it may be remarked that one special
detail of the War Office's plans, which was particularly
urged both by the Duke of York and by Calvert, was
never wholly fulfilled. To the last there were a few
regiments which consisted of a single battalion apiece
only, and these regiments were for the most part
quartered in the East and West Indies. Nevertheless,
there was some method in this omission ; the Twelfth
Foot, for instance, being supplied with a second battalion
when it came home from India. But, on the other
288 SUMMARY— BOYS— CONVICTS chap.
1814. hand, the ideal arrangement that there should be one
hundred first battalions abroad, and as many second
battalions at home, broke down completely. The
second battalions for the most part may hardly be said
to have existed, except on paper, until Windham became
Minister for War ; although there were two of them
in Cathcart's force which sailed to North Germany in
1805. Later, there were, of course, many both in the
Peninsula and at Walcheren. The territorial attach-
ment of regiments to counties also, though greatly
improved, was not perfected ; and recruits from the
Militia, in not a few instances, preferred another
regiment to that which was assigned to them. The
favourite corps, as has been told, were those of the
Light Division ; and it is no more than natural that
young soldiers should have preferred to enter regiments
which were daily adding to their fame.^
Two small points, upon which there is often much
loose talk, may be briefly touched upon before I bring
this sketch to an end. The first is the enlistment of
boys. This was begun in 1805 by sanction of the Duke
of York, and he was doubtless wise to permit it early
in order that the boys might have time to grow up.
The Army of Reserve was in great measure composed
of raw lads who drew pay as men. Boys, on the other
hand, enlisted as such, received only ninepence instead
of one shilling a day.^ The total number of boys,
recruited as such into the Army during the war, did
not exceed 20,000, or, roughly, one-twelfth of the whole.
Again, it is often said that the ranks of the Army
were filled with the sweepings of the gaols. Undoubtedly
convicts sentenced to transportation were discharged
wholesale from the hulks on condition of their enlisting,
occasionally in batches of five hundred together, but they
were all sent to battalions, which were practically penal,
1 During the late South African war young men flocked from all
parts of England to the dep6ts of counties whose regiments had
distinguished themselves.
2 H.D. Palmerston's speech, 26th Feb. 18 10.
V RECRUITING OF CONVICTS 289
in the West Indies or the West Coast of Africa, as 1814.
also were such few soldiers as chose to commute five
hundred or a thousand lashes for service in the same
much-dreaded quarters. Nor was the principal penal
battalion, the Royal York Rangers, a bad one. At
first, under an unintelligent commander, it seems to have
been a hell upon earth, where the cat was in daily use ;
but presently it passed into good hands, when flogging
became unknown and the men were perfectly docile and
well-behaved, earning praise from the Commander-in-
Chief. Certainly convicts did not make up one per
cent of the recruits. No doubt Deputy-Lieutenants
passed a good many doubtful or simply wild characters
into the Militia, who were gladly transferred by their
Colonels to the Line ; but to suppose that the ranks
were filled by the criminal class is to assume that we
were a nation of criminals.
Two more fallacies may likewise be briefly dismissed.
It is often said that the aristocracy, which governed
England at the beginning of the nineteenth century,
did indeed, by its high spirit and stubborn resolution to
continue the war, fairly wear Napoleon down and bring
about his fall, but that it did not bear its fair share of
the burden of expense. This is conclusively disproved
by the fact, abundantly evident in these pages, that the
expense of the ballot, and of thefines and bounties incident
to it, except in rare instances, was thrown wholly upon
the parochial rates, or, in other words, upon the landed
interest. So severe indeed was the pressure upon the
landowners, that many of the less wealthy among them
were obliged to close their country-houses and retire
into the towns.
Again it is averred and believed by many good
Irishmen that England's battles against Napoleon,
especially in the Peninsula, were fought and won by
their compatriots ; and not a few Scots are imbued with
precisely the same notion with regard to their country-
men. This, of course, is simple nonsense. England
produced, as indeed she ought, far more recruits than
u
290 LESSONS OF THE WAR chap.v
1 8 14. Scotland and Ireland put together ; and, as a matter of
fact, there were English regiments, as well as the
Highlanders and Irish, engaged in all of Wellington's
actions, though they do not talk so much about it.
Each of the three kingdoms, indeed, did its duty ; and
impartial observers at the time were of opinion that the
best regiments of all were those which, like old Ninety-
five, contained a mixture of English, Scots, and Irish.
For the rest the broad lessons to be deduced from
the foregoing pages seem to be the following : —
England cannot, any more than any other nation,
fill the ranks of her Army in a great war without com-
pulsion.
Compulsion cannot be applied for service outside
the British Isles.
The admission of the principle of substitution in
any scheme of compulsory service leads to ruinous
expense, demoralisation, and inefficiency.
Compulsory personal service for home-defence has
been tried and not found wanting.
The ultimate end for which all our military organisa-
tion must exist is the maintenance of the Regular
Army, our only offensive land force. (Windham.)
The true basis of such an organisation is National
training. (Windham, Castlereagh.)
" Learning the use of arms should be imposed as a
positive duty upon all individuals within certain ages,
to be enforced by fine." (Castlereagh.)
A Volunteer who asks more from the State than his
arms, except on active service, is no Volunteer.
(Windham.) False Volunteers are alike troublesome,
expensive, and useless.
England felt the false measures of Pitt from 1793
to 1798, and of Addington in 1803-4, until the very
end of the war in 18 14. All measures of National
Defence and military organisation must be thought out
and tested as far as possible in time of peace. Im-
provisation doubles the cost of war, while imperilling
its success.
APPENDIX I
291
APPENDIX I
Return of the Number of Casualties which occurred in
the British Army during the undermentioned years :
distinguishing British from Foreign and Colonial Corps.
— Adjutant-General's Office, 13th November 1813.
Period,
Casualties, British.
Casualties, Foreign.
ToUl.
1803
13,396
2,674
16,070
1804
13,347
2,838
16,185
1805
15,800
2,443
18,243
1806
13,856
3,075
16,931
1807
14,570
2,968
17,538
1808
17,183
3,703
20,886
1809
21,630
2,937
24,567
1810
19,498
3,455
22,953
1811
19,019
3,441
22,460
l8l2
20,313
5,»85
25,498
1813
19,653
4,802
24,455
292
APPENDIX I
Return of the Number of Men raised for the Regular Army, ex-
clusive of Foreign and Colonial Corps, by ordinary Recruiting,
and by transfers from the Militia, etc. — Adjutant -General's
Office, 13th November 181 3.
By Ordinary Recruiting. |
Raised
Volun-
1
under the
teers
Total.
Additional
from the
Men.
Boys.
Total.
Force Act.
Militia.
In
1803
11,253
11,253
...
11,253
1804
9»43o
9,430
1,658
11,088
1805
10,180
1,497
11,677
8,288
13,580
33,545
1806
10,337
1,538
11,875
5,834
2,968
20,677
1807
1808
15,308
10,477
3,806
2,486
I9,ii4"l
12,963/
29,108
61,185
1809
1810
9,675
7,367
2,045
1,728
11,720!
9,095 J
23,885
44,700
1811
9,532
1,940
11,472
11,453
22,925
1812
12,563
1,869
14,432
9,927
24,359
Dec. 25, 1 81 2 to \
Sept. 25, 181 3 J
9,845
1,440
11,285
8,834
20,119
Total .
115,967
18,349
134,316
15,780
99,755
249,851
Return of the Number of Recruits (distinguishing Men and
Boys) raised for the Militia, by Beat of Drum, betv^^een
27th May 1809 and 24th October 18 13. — Adjutant-
General's Office, 15th November 18 13.
Men.
Boys.
Total.
For the English Militia
For the Scotch Militia
For the Irish Militia .
23,053
2,591
17,967
1,464
252
703
24,517
2,843
18,670
General Total .
43,6n
2,419
46,030
[Commons' Journals, Ixix. p. 635.]
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ONNO NO M f* •-
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t^ r^ t^oo On
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t— , Ui
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293
294
APPENDIX III
APPENDIX III
Effective Strength of the Volunteers
Effective Strength of the Volunteers of Great Britain only ;
of all Ranks for years 1803- 1808 ; Rank and File only,
1812
Great Britain only.
Total.
Ireland.
Year. i
Cavalry.
Infantry.
Artillery.
Dec. 16.
1803
...
380,193
80,000
Jan.
1804
28,943
341,011
10,304
380,258
70,000
Jan. 1,
1805
32,728
316,079
12,007
360,814
♦»
1806
30,927
308,465
12,116
35».5o8
tt
1807
30,032
293,381
11,297
334.710
»>
1808
29,605
295,768
11,031
336,404
»
1809
»
1810
'»
1811
Rank and
file
19,207
n
»»
1812
1813
49,436
68,643
or 30,000 rank
and file below
establishment
APPENDIX IV j^^
APPENDIX IV
Memoranda on the Recruiting of the Army
^^"^^'•^"d^- Horse Guards
dth Feb. 1807.
Army of Reserve
Passed. 6th July 1803.
To be raised by ballot within the year :
[England . . . 33,880
(Quotas . -^Ireland . . 10,000
[Scotland . . 6,000
Total . 49,880
Number of men raised within the year {vide Return (A),
pp. 296-8) :—
England .... 31,758
Ireland .... 8,197
Scotland .... 5j537
Total . 45,492
Deserters : from August 1803 to May 1804 . 5.651
Of this number . (Balloued men . . 2,873
(^Substitutes . . 41,198
Extended their Services, and were incorporated in
the Line 17.307
The remainder are now serving in the Nine Garrison Battalions,
or have fallen casualties.
[Military Transactions of the British Empire, i. pp. 60-61.]
296
APPENDIX IV
RETURN (A)
Accounts of Men raised for the Royal Army of Reserve,
IN EACH month TO THE 1ST MaY 1804, SINCE THE
Commencement of the Act passed for that Purpose
England and Wales
An Account of the Men raised in England and Wales for the Royal
Army of Reserve, in each Month since the Commencement
of the Act passed for that Purpose ; of the Number of the
same who have engaged for General Service ; and of the
Number of Ballotted Men and Substitutes who have been
enrolled for the said Army ; as far as the same can be
ascertained. — Inspector - General's Office, London, ist May
1804.
[Military Transactions of the British Empire, i. p. 65.]
APPENDIX IV
297
RETURN {K)—<ontinued
Scotland
An Account of the Number of Men raised in North Britain for
the Royal Army of Reserve, in each month since the Com-
mencement of the Act passed for that Purpose ; of the
Number of the same who have engaged for General Service ;
and of the Number of Ballotted Men and Substitutes who
have been enrolled for the said Army, as far as the same can
be ascertained. — Inspector-General's Office, ist May 1804.
Periods.
Number
of Men
raised.
Number
rejected,
discharged,
claimed by
Civil Law,
etc., etc.
-a
Q
Number
deserted,
claimed as
Deserters
from other
Corps,
etc., etc.
Num-
ber of
Effec-
tive
Men.
Num-
ber due,
includ-
ing
Casual-
ties.
Number vol-
unteered for
General
Service, in-
cluded in the
Effectives.
Aug. I, 1803
Sept. 1, „
Oct. I, „
Nov. I, „
Dec. I, „
Jan. I, 1804
Total
Feb. I, 1804
Mar. I, „
April I, „
May I, „
Total
Number \
Ballotted i
Number \
Substitutes/
2,984
999
359
227
252
8
4
3
52
12
2
lOI
77
53
32
20
2,874
917
302
142
218
3,126
2,209
1,907
1.765
1.547
...
4,821
79
6
283
4.453
...
215
234
193
74
7
53
8
2
3
21
25
25
10
187
«93
IIZ
56
1,360
1,167
^055
999
48*
371
56
«3
5.537
161
II
364
5.001
972
294
5.243
8
528
286
4.7 » 5
[Military Transactions of the British Empire, i. p. 66.]
298
APPENDIX IV
RETURN {A)— continued
Ireland
An Account of the Number of Men raised in Ireland for the Royal
Army of Reserve, in each month since the Commencement
of the Act passed for that Purpose ; of the Number of the
same who have engaged for General Service ; and of the
Number of Ballotted Men, Substitutes, and Recruits enlisted
for and serving in the said Army ; as far as the same can be
ascertained. — Inspector - General's Office, London, ist May
1804.
Periods.
Number
of Men
raised.
Number
rejected,
discharged,
claimed by
Civil Power,
etc., etc.
Number
deserted,
claimed as
Deserters
from other
Corps,
etc., etc.
Num-
ber of
Effec-
tive
Men.
Number
due, in-
cluding
the
Casuals,
to be made
good.
Number vol-
unteered for
General Ser-
vice, included
in the num-
ber of Effec-
tive Men.
Aug. I, 1803
Sept. 1, „
Oct. I, „
Nov. I, „
Dec. 1, „
Jan. I, 1804
Total
Feb. I, 1804
Mar, 1, „
April I, „
May I, „
Total
1,508
2,241
1,367
1,099
658
25
32
37
19
X
22
153
200
140
.,6
1,486
2,063
1,135
922
462
8,514
6,451
5»3i6
4,394
3,932
;
6,873
113
I 691
6,068
497
330
282
215
20
18
25
27
34
3
10
117
201
109
360
77
202
69
3,572
3,495
3,293
3,224
1,444
24
191
140
8,»97
203
48
1,170
6,776
1,799
i\r.fi.-Numberoff?^"°«'^^ '
17 a ^- -K/f ■{ Substitutes .
Effective Men Ij^^^^^j^^j
48
6,528
200
[Military Transactions of the British Empire, i. p. 6'j.'\
APPENDIX V
299
APPENDIX V
Additional Force Act
Passed. 29th June 1804.
Provided to establish and maintain a Permanent Force : —
Quotas
[ England
I Ireland
( Scotland
58,285
10,000
10,666
78»95>
Composed by adding the Quotas of the Army of Reserve to the
Sup. Militia ; viz. : —
Quota of Reserve ..... 49,880
Sup. Militia of England and Scotland . 29,071
78,9s »
N.B. — Ireland had no Sup. Militia. Supposing that the Quota
of the Army of Reserve had been complete, and the Supplementary
Militia also complete, the Additional Force Act would not have
commenced its Operation until Casualties had taken place in cither
of the above.
To be forthwith raised on the passing of the Act : —
„ , J f Reserve Deficiencies
England . • | Militia do.
Reserve Deficiencies
Ireland . . \ Reserve do.
Militia do.
Total
8,302
6,476
2,930
829
19,782
300
APPENDIX V
Brought forward
The period allowed for raising that force was one
month from the settlement of the Deficiencies by the
Lieutenancy, but was prolonged to the loth of Nov-
ember 1804.
On the loth November 1804-
England had raised
Ireland „
Scotland „
Deficiency .
Men.
Deserted
367
37
69
55
3
778
95
1 9,004.
And the consequent Penalties to be levied
on the Parishes at ;^20 per man is . j^ 3 80,080
To be raised by the 1st October 1805 : —
To replace men who had volunteered [ England .
into the Line, not exceeding 9000 < Ireland
annually, for England . . . ( Scotland .
Total to be raised by ist October .
The excess above that number being lost, no pro-
vision being made by the Act for replacing them.
19,782
9,000
200
1,800
30,782
Men raised by 1st October
England
Ireland
Scotland
3,723
3.132
828
7,683
Here again an additional penalty pre- / , , qoo - 7 68^ + 778 Men
sents itself for the deficiencies of I ' /» J //
£So,9SO
380,000
= 4,095, which at ;^20 per man is
which, added to the former Assessment
is . . ^^460,950
Had the penalties been assessed under the
Reserve, the amount would be . .j^i,843,8oo
APPENDIX V 301
Progress of the Additional Force
The Act undertook to replace the Deficiencies and the Casual-
ties of the Reserve and Sup. Militia by a Return to the Privy
Council annually, and a new Apportionment.
These Returns were made, but no Apportionment took place.
The Fines were only partially levied.
The Act continued in force till June 1806, when it had pro-
duced : —
England . 8,547 By Parish Officers . 10,907
Ireland . 5,570 By Recruiting Officers . 4,871
Scotland . 1,661
Total Produce of the
Additional Force . 1 5,778
15.778
Total Desertion . . 3,041
Volunteers to the Army 8,562
The remainder placed in Garrison Battalions.
Bounty of Men raised for Additional Force
First Bounty . . . • . . . j^i 2 1 2 o
Additional Bounty on volunteering into the Line . 10 10 o
For a General Service man thus acquired . . . ;^23 2
For a man raised at once for General Service at that
period . . . . . . . . 16 16
Thus a competition was established, detrimental to the
ordinary Recruiting of the Array, giving sum of , £660
to those going circuitously into a Regiment.
{Military Transactions, i. pp. 61-63.]
302 APPENDIX VI
APPENDIX VI
Windham's Measures
The Additional Force Act repealed in June 1806, and followed
by Mr. Windham's Measure, 24th June 1806.
The Mutiny Act limited the period of Service in the Army.
Men raised by the ordinary means of Recruiting,
from 24th June 1806 to 23rd January 1807 . 5,208
Desertions ........ 363
From 28th November \ n ^ r n/r • j 4:
, T > Bounty, AI2 : I2S. Men raised 1,026
to 23rd January . J ■" '^ '^
At this period it wras thought advisable to employ Officers on
half-pay, or who had quitted service, as extra Recruiting Officers.
Recruiting by extra Officers commenced 28th November
1806:—
Men raised prior to extra Recruiting . . . 3,282
Men raised by extra Officers . . . . 163
Men raised since extra Recruiting . . . 1,763
5,208
Number of Extra Officers ..... 278
[Military Transactions, i. pp. 63-64.]
APPENDIX VII
303
APPENDIX VII
June i 804-1 809, State of the Army
(a) State of the Army, June
Mediterranean
1804
West Indies .
North America
East Indies .
On passage .
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Militia
/ Gibraltar
■ \ Malta .
{Leeward Islands
Jamaica.
Bahamas
f Canada .
■ \ Nova Scotia, etc.
/ East Indies .
\ Ceylon .
/ Great Britain
\ Ireland .
/ Great Britain
\ Ireland .
2,836
S»329
11,068
3,857
560
1.534
1,867
i3»Soo
5,447
1,301
59,785
30,030
70,918
19,049
West Indies
North America
East Indies .
(i) State of the Army, ist of June
Mediterranean . | S^*''" '
\. Malta .
Leeward Islands
Jamaica.
Bahamas, etc.
/ Nova Scotia .
* \ Canada .
/ East Indies .
* \ Ceylon .
United Kingdom ex-1 ^ d • •
elusive of 76,7241?''"^/"''""
Militia : 'V^ J Ireland. .
On passage .....
1805
3,318
6,680
11,904
3,591
589
2,367
',5»9
11,998
6,870
64,614
29,236
12,442
304
APPENDIX VII
(f) State of the Army, ist June 1806
r Gibraltar
.. Malta .
Sicily .
4,666
Mediterranean
4,119
6,647
' Leeward Islands
11,093
West Indies .
. - Jamaica.
3,645
Bahamas, etc.
574
( Nova Scotia .
■ \ Canada .
3,002
North America
1,696
East Indies .
f East Indies .
■ \ Ceylon .
15,043
8,739
United Kingdom ex-^ Great Britain
73,857
elusive of 77,429 hreland. . .
Militia . . )
21,883
Cape of Good
Hope ....
5,058
On passage .
13,427
((/) State of the Army, ist June 1807
Mediterranean
West Indies .
North America
South America
With Brig.-Gen.
East Indies .
Gibraltar
Malta .
Sicily .
Egypt .
Leeward Islands
Jamaica, etc. .
Bahamas, etc.
Nova Scotia .
Canada .
R.
Goree .
New South Wales .
Cape of Good Hope
On passage .
United Kingdom ex-
clusive of 77,872
Militia
Craufurd .
f East Indies
\ Ceylon .
Great Britain
Ireland .
5,281
5,288
1 1,099
5,074
12,575
4,680
673
2,831
1,539
5,956
4,026
14,499
4,736
226
490
4,193
9,366
62,569
25,089
APPENDIX VII
305
(e) State of the Army, ist June
1808
Mediterranean
[ Gibraltar
^ Malta .
[ Sicily .
i Leeward Islands
1 Jamaica, etc. .
[ Bahamas, etc.
/ Nova Scotia
\. Canada .
f East Indies
I Ceylon .
West Indies .
North America
East Indies .
Cape of Good Hope
Goree .
Madeira . .
New South Wales .
With M.-General Spenser
With Lieut.-Gen. Sir John Moore
Heligoland . , . _
On passage .
United Kingdom ex-1 „
elusive of 86,788 I ^""^^^ Britain
Militia Ireland .
5»328
4*047
'4.947
12,556
5.499
2.253
4,566
3.252
15.13'
4.645
7.042
224
1,612
536
3.704
10,871
302
4.454
63.355
33.667
if) State of the Army, 2 5th May 1809
Mediterranean
1 Gibraltar
Malta .
Sicily .
Leeward Island
Jamaica, etc.
Bahamas, etc
f Nova Scotia
* \ Canada
/ East Indies
1 Ceylon .
West Indies .
North America
East Indies .
Cape of Good Hope
Goree .
Madeira
New South Wales .
Heligoland .
Detachments on passage
Portugal ....
United Kingdom ex-l ^ t> - •
elusive of 65,524 I PT*^^"^'*'"
Militia . 7 1 Ireland.
3.842
3,594
14,716
15,011
4.937
1.470
4,501
3.559
'9.843
5,"5
5,800
283
913
'.3'7
270
4.223
22,623
9 '.999
'5.858
3o6
APPENDIX VII
{g) " The Extent of the Armed Force of all Descriptions,
Military and Naval, as borne upon the Establishment of
THE United Kingdom, and of its several Possessions, in-
cluding also the Local Force in India, on 2 5th May 1809,"
Last Returns of Population : —
England .... 9»3+3,S78
Scotland .... 1,599,068
Ireland .... 4,000,000
Amounting to 14,942,64.6
The force actually maintained by that Population is 786,521,
exclusive of Colonial Corps and the East India Company's troops.
The whole number of men paid by the Empire amounts to : —
Volunteers
Regulars and Militia
Local Militia .
Great Britain
Ireland
Marines
Seamen ....
Artillery and Engineers .
East India Company's f Europeans
Militarv Force
:{
Natives 128,418
285,398 rank and file.
198,534
1 14,066
75,340
31,400
98,600
14,261
4,051
Total
950,068
APPENDIX VIII
25th May 1809. — Foreign and Provincial Corps in
British Pay
N.B. — In the numbers returned in England are included 7,034 Rank and
File, who were left in Spain and Portugal by the Army recently
returned from thence; viz. 260 Cavalry; 134 Foot Guards; and
6,640 Infantry.
Prisoners of War in'
France and Holland
since the year 1805,
not included in
above Abstract.
9 Foot .
59 " •
I Line Bn. K.G.L.
Total
236 R, and F.
103
5 /"Account! have been received
' 99-! of the»e Men having entered
- ( the Westphalian Service.
603
[Military Transactions, Suppl. to vol. i. p. 148.]
307
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3IO
APPENDIX XI
APPENDIX XI
Table of Dates of the Addition of 2nd Battalions
TO Regiments of the Line
Act of
Act of
Regiment.
Date of 2nd
Battalion.
Pari, by
which
added.
Regiment.
Date of 2nd
Battalion.
Pari, by
which
added.
+ ist (4)
Dec. 15, 1804
A. of R.
28th (2)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
2nd (i)
None
♦29th (i)
None
3rd (2)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
30th (2)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
4th („)
April 24, 1 804
A. F. A.
31st („)
Oct. 1, 1804
A. F. A.
5th („)
1804
32nd („)
»
„
6th („)
»
33rd (i)
None
7th („)
5>
*34th (2)
May II, 1805
8th („)
April 24, 1804
35th („)
»
9th (,,)
Oct. I, 1804
36th („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F.A.
10th („)
»
rjune II, 1813,
nth („)
July 15, 1808
*37th („)
I possibly never
1 2th („)
Jan. 6, 18x2
( formed
*i3th (I)
None
38th („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
14th (2)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
39th („)
July 21, 1803
A. ofR.
15th („)
»
>j
40th („)
Oct. 1, 1804
A. F. A.
*i6th (i)
None
*4ist (i)
Sept. 2, 1 81 2
17th („)
None
42nd (2)
July 14, 1803
A. of R.
1 8th (2)
April 24, 1804
43rd („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
19th (i)
None
44th („)
1803
A. of R.
20th („)
None
45th („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
2ISt (2)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
*46th (i)
None
22nd („)
Feb. 12, 1814
47th (2)
July 7, 1803
A. of R.
23rd („)
April 24, 1 804
A. F. A.
*48th („)
July 21, 1803
»>
*24th („)
Oct. I, 1804
j>
*49th (i)
None
25th („)
„
>»
50th (2)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
26th („)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
51st (i)
None
r 2nd Battn.,
52nd (2)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
27th (3)
J Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
53rd („)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
j 3rd Battn.,
*54th (1)
None
I Sept. 2, 1805
SSth („)
None
1
* A recruiting company was ordered to be added to these regiments, whether of one or
of two battalions, on 12th June 1809. — S.C.L.B.
f This regiment had always two battalions ; 3rd and 4th raised 1 5th Dec. 1 804.
APPENDIX XI
311
Regiment.
Date of 2nd
Battalion.
Act of
Pari, by
which
added.
Regiment.
Date of 2nd
Battalion.
Act of
Pari, by
which
added.
56th (2)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
81st (2)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
S7th („)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
82nd („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
*S8th („)
1803
»
83rd („)
59th („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
84th („)
May 6, 1808
»9
rjuly 1806,
85th (i)
None
60th (6)
■| 7th Battalion,
86th (2)
Feb. 12, 18 14
\ 3rd not formed
87th („)
Oct. 1, 1804
A. F. A.
6 1 St (2)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
*88th („)
62nd („)
Oct. I, 1804
A. F. A.
89th („)
n
63rd („)
64th (1)
None
n
90th („)
9 ISt („)
"
>»
65th („)
None
92nd („)
July 21, 1803
A. of R.
66th (2)
July 21, 1803
A. ofR.
93rd (1)
None
67th („)
1803
„
9+th („)
None
68th (i)
None
r 2nd Battn.,
69th (2)
70th (i)
July 21, 1803
None
A. ofR.
95th (3)
J May 14, 1805
j 3rd Battn.,
71st (2)
Oct. I, i8c4
A. F. A.
I 1809
72nd („)
»
»
96th (2)
1804
73rd („)
Dec. 29, t8o8
A. ofR.
*97th (i)
None
74th (i)
None
98th („)
„
75th („)
»»
99th („)
y
76th („)
>»
1 00th („)
J
77th („)
»
10 ISt („)
78th (2)
Apr. 19, 1804
A. F. A.
102nd („)
,
79th („)
„
>»
103rd („)
,
80th (i)
None
104th („)
>
* A recruiting company was ordered to be added to these regiments, whether of one or
of two battalions, on I2th June 1809. — S.C.L.B.
A. of R. signifies Army of Reserve. A. F. A. signifies Pitt's Additional Force Act.
APPENDIX XII
Strength of Forces at Disposal of District Commanders
IN Great Britain, January to March 1804
Regulars :
Volunteers
Militia
and
District.
Contents.
G.O.C.
included.
Effective
Rank and
File.
Yeomanry.
Effective
Rank and
File.
Southern
Kent, Surrey, Sussex (ex-
clusive of London)
General Sir D.
Dundas
32,406
11,77s
Eastern .
Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambs,
Hunts, Essex
Lt.-Gen. Sir J.
Craig
28,720
21,561
London .
(Including Surrey within
the bills of mortality)
Lt.-Gen. Gwyn
S,o68
28,383
South-West .
Hants, Wilts, Dorset
Lieut. - General
Gardiner
10,935
11,771
Western .
Devon, Cornwall, Somer-
set (exclusive of Bristol,
Bath, Troubridge, Ux-
bridge, or other places
garrisoned from Bristol)
Lieut. - General
Simcoe
9,518
26,043
North-Westem
Cheshire, Salop, Lanes,
N. Wales
Lt.-Gen. Prince
William
805
9,806
Northern
Northumberland, Cumber-
land, Westmoreland,
Durham
Lt.-Gen. Sir H.
Dalrymple
5,466
14,126
Yorkshire
Yorkshire, Lines
Lt.-Gen. Lord
Mulgrave
5,628
16,788
Isle of Wight .
...
Major-General
Hewett
4,171
1,870
Severn
Glos., Worcester, Hereford,
Monmouth, S. Wales
Lt. - Gen. the
Duke of Cum-
berland
i.S4i
7,945
Home
Middlesex, Herts, Berks
Lt.-Gen. Lord
Cathcart
4,942
...
North Inland .
Derby, Notts, Staffs, Leic,
Warwick, Rutland
Lieut. - General
Gardiner
414
...
South Inland .
Beds., Oxon, Bucks, North-
ants
Lieut. -General
Gwynn
Nil.
...
RESERVES OF VOLUNTEERS, ADDITIONAL TO THE ABOVE
Wakefield . i4»303 Chester 2,200 Reading . 6,566
Salisbury . . 5*042 Liverpool 3,287 Aylesbury. . 9,683
Bristol . . 8,495 Lichfield . . 29,140 Brentwood 10,738
Gloucester . . 12,451 Northampton . 8,247 Dorking . 7,299
London . . 28,283
Stations for carrying troops by post : Guildford, Andover, Marlborough, Bedford,
Banbury, Daventry, Northampton, Kettering, Stilton, Cambridge.
[Record Office^ W.O. Divn. 30, vol. Ixxvi. ist Jan. to 27th March 1804.]
312
INDEX
Abercromby, Sir Ralph, opinion of re-
cruits from Militia, 6, 49 «.*
Aberdeen, dislike of Militia in, 48 j
Volunteers in, 60 «.^, 90 ; price of
substitutes in, 70, 197 j Volunteer
exemption difficulties in, 187 n. ;
Local Militia riot in, 231
Aberystwith, Local Militia riot at, 247-8
Acn of Parliament —
1757. Militia Act, explained, 3 ;
mentioned, 209, 215
1794. Levying men for Army and
Navy, 4
1798. Enlistment of Militiamen into
Line, 5
1802. 42 Geo. IIL c. 66, Great
Britain ; c. 68, Ireland. Enabling
Volunteers to continue their service,
summarised, 12-13 ; mentioned, 81,
93, 282 ; repealed, 134
1 802. 42 Geo. III. c. 72. To regulate
Militia of the Stannaries, 72
1 802. 42 Geo. III. c. 90. Militia
Act, summarised, 14-21 ; mentioned,
68, 132, 243, 250, 253
1802. 42 Geo. III. c. 91. Scotch
Militia Act, referred to, 21-2, 70
n?
1802. 43 Geo, III. c. 2. Irish Militia
Act, summarised, 22
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 19. Prolonga-
tion of Militia Training, 23
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 33. Doubling
bounty for Irish Militiamen, 23
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 38. Comple-
tion of establishment of officers in
the Militia, 23
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 89, Scotland ;
c. 47, England. Parochial relief for
families of Militiamen, 23
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 50. More
speedy completion of Militia, sum-
marised, 23-4 ; mentioned, 41, 55
Acti of Parliament —
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 55. First
Defence Act, summarised, 24 - 5 ;
mentioned, 58, 62, 75 ; repealed, 169
1803. 43Geo.III. c. 62. Transferor
seafaring men from Militia to
Navy, 25-6
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 76. Transfer to
Royal Navy of seamen in Irish
Militia, 25 n.
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 71. Augment-
ing Number of Field -Officers in
the Militia, 26
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 82, England ;
c. 83, Scotland j c. 85, Ireland.
Additional Force Acts, or Army of
Reserve Acts, summarised, 27-30 ;
mentioned, 56, 65, 126, 128, 132,
168, 189, 206 ; repeal of, 164
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 96. Levy en
Masse Act, summarised, 30 - 3 }
Government explanation of, 63-4;
mentioned, 67, 76, 78, 81,93,99,
118, 124; repeal of, 169
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 100. More
speedy completion of Militia, pro-
visions of, 33 ; mentioned, 57, 77,
189
1803. 43 Geo. III. c, loi. City of
London Army of Reserve, 27 n}
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 120. Levy en
Masse Amendment, 33-4, 76
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 121. Billet-
ing Act, summarised, 34 \ blunder
in, 65, 68-9 ; mentioned, 76 ; re-
peal, 134
1803. 43 Geo. III. c. 123, England ;
c. 124, Scotland. Army of Reserve
Amendment, explained, 35 ; men-
tioned, 189
1803. 44 Geo. III. c. 18. Volun-
teer Exemption Bill, mention of
121 J repeal of, 134
3»3
3H
INDEX
Acts of Parliament —
1804. 44 Geo. III. c. 32. Irish
Militia in Great Britain, 126
1804. 44 Geo. III. c. 33. Augmen-
tation of Irish Militia, 126 ; Army
of Reserve Suspension, 126-7
1804. 44 Geo. III. c. 54. Volun-
teer Consolidation, discussion of,
1 21-3 ; summarised, 134-8 ; men-
tioned, 167, 188
1834. 44 Geo. III. c. 56, England ;
c. 66, Scotland ; c. 74, Ireland.
Permanent Additional Force Act,
summarised, 1 30 - 4 ; failure of,
142-4 J 152-6; repeal of, 163-4
1805. 45 Geo. III. c. 31. Supple-
mentary Militia to enlist in Line j
summary of, 145-7
1S06. 46 Geo. III. c. 51. Repeal of
Army of Reserve and Permanent
Force Acts, 164 n}
1806. 46 Geo. III. c. 66. Act for
punishing Mutiny and Desertion,
164
1806. 46 Geo. III. c. 90. Training
Act, discussion in Parliament, 167-
9 ; summary of, 169-73 j found im-
practicable, 177, 181 ; utilised by
Castlereagh, 204-5, 210
1806. 46 Geo. III. c. 91. Return
of Militia Lists, 166
1806. 46 Geo. III. c. 124. Irish
Militia permitted to volunteer for
the Line, summarised, 165-6
1806. 46 Geo. III. c. 125. Regulat-
ing rank of Volunteer officers,
167
1837. 47 Geo. III. sess. 2, c. 55,
Ireland ; c. 57, England. Militia
Transfer Act, summarised, 182-3
1807. 47 Geo. III. sess. 2, c. 56.
Militia Augmentation (Irish), sum-
marised, 183
1807. 47 Geo. III. sess. 2, c. 71.
Augmentation of Militia of Great
Britain, summarised, 184
1808. 48 Geo. III. c. Ill, England ;
c. 150, Scotland. Local Militia,
discussion in Parliament, 209-11 ;
summary of, 21 1-5
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 4, Great
Britain ; c. 5, Ireland. Transfer of
Militia to Line, summarised, 223
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 40. Local
Militia Amendment, summarised,
229
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 53. Com-
pletion of Militia, mentioned, 223,
252 ; summarised, 226 ; bears hard
upon counties, 240
Acts of Parliament —
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 56. Irish
Militia Completion, 226 \ Irish
Militia Consolidation, summarised,
228
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 82. Local
Militia Amendment, 229 n.^
1809. 49 Geo. III. c. 129. To
limit enlistment of Local Militiamen
into the Regular Militia, 229, 258
«.*
1810. 50 Geo. III. c. 24. Amend-
ment of Act for completing Militia,
etc., 235-6
1 8 10. 50 Geo. III. c. 25. Local
Militia Amendment, summarised,
241-2
1811. 51 Geo. III. c. 17. Militia
ballot made valid, 252
1811. 51 Geo. III. c. 20, Great
Britain ; c. 30, Ireland. To allow
a certain proportion of Militia annu-
ally to enlist in the Line, summarised,
251-4; mentioned, 270
1811. 51 Geo. in, c. 118. To
allow the interchange of British and
Irish Militia, summarised, 254, 277
1 8 12. 52 Geo. III. c. 29. Militia
Amendment, permitting enlistment
of boys, 260-1
1812. 52 Geo. III. c. 38, England;
c. 68, Scotland. Local Militia Con-
solidation, summarised, 261-265
1813. 53 Geo. III. c. 20, To allow
Militia of Stannaries to enlist in
Line, 270
1813. 53 Geo. III. c. 28, England ;
c. 29, Scotland. Local Militia
-Amendment, 270
1813. 53 Geo. III. c. 81. Amend-
ment of Militia Laws, 270
181 3. 54 Geo. III. c. 1, Great
Britain; c. 17, City of London;
c. 20, Stanneries. To permit the
Militia to serve abroad, or enlist in
the Line, summarised, 276-7
1 813. 54 Geo. III. c. 10. To per-
mit the Regular Militia to serve in
any part of United Kingdom, 277
1813. 54 Geo. III. c. 12. Augmen-
tation of Sixtieth Rifles, 277
1813. 54 Geo. III. c. 19. Local
Militia to serve outside their
counties, 277-8
1814. 54 Geo. III. c. 38. London
Militia to enlist in Line, 276 n.
Addington, Henry (later. Viscount Sid-
mouth), military policy of, 6, 8, 10,.
II, 12, 74, 120, 123, 282-3 j ""^'g-
nation of, 128; speech on Militia
INDEX
Z^S
depletion, 182; mentioned, 57,72,
Additional Force Acts, see Acts of Parlia-
ment
Africa, West, garrison in, 157; penal
battalions in, 289
Albuera, battle of, 259
Alexander, Tsar of Russia, mentioned,
152 J after Austerlitz, 156-7; con-
cludes Treaty of Tilsit, 180 (and see
under Russia)
Alexandria, expedition to, 148
Allen, letter of J., 189 n.
Allowances, the June, see under Volun-
teers
Allowances, the August, see under Volun-
teers
Amboyna, capture of, 249
America, British troops in North, 220,
271 ; war with United States, 268,
281 ; special recruiting for service
in North, 271
Amherst, Major-General JefFery,a8 Major
of Volunteers, 104-5 5 letter to, 113
Amiens, Treaty of, uncertainty of, 6 ;
broken, 23
Anglesey, price of substitutes in, 55, 155 ;
Volunteer spirit in, 92
Apulia, unrest in, 8
Archenfield, Local Militia riot at, 232
Argyll, price of substitutes in, 70 ; Volun-
teer grievance, 84 «.*j Volunteer
quota, 91
Army, the Regular, effective strength in
1803,9-10, 120; in 1804, 144; in
1805, 147; in 1806, 157-8; in
1807, 175, 177; in 1808, 202,
220 ; in 1809, 226 ; in 1810, 250 ;
in 181 1, 250; in 1812, 260; in
1813, 275 ; in 1814, 281
Casualties in, 1809, 235 ; in 18 10,
250 ; in 181 1, 259 ; in i8i2, 268 ;
in 1813, 275 ; 1814, 281
Distribution in, 1803, 10 ; in 1806,
Enlistment of militiamen forbidden,
14, 228 ; of Army of Reserve men
permitted, 29, 71, 74, 127-9; Acts
permitting enlistment of Militia-
men, in 1805, 145-7; '" 1806,
165-6; in 1807, 179, 181-3 ; in
1809, 221-3, 226, 235; in 1811,
250-4, 257; in 1813, 276-7;
Yorke's measures for increasing,
126-7; Pitt's proposals for Per-
manent Reserve for, 127-133;
Craufurd's proposed reforms, 131;
Windham's reforms, 159-161, 164-6 ;
military opinions on short service,
161-2 ; reforms advocated by Com-
Army —
mandcr - in - Chief, 175-6; CaUle-
reagh't reforms, 207-8 ; Calvert'*
scheme, 224-5, 286-7
Formation of second battalioat, 71,
130, 156, 284; scheme incomplete,
176, 287-8; their weakness, i8o,
204 ; short service men in, 208 ;
new proposals as to, 176, 224, z86
National training by Regular detach-
ments, 168, 173; territorial atUch-
ment of regiments to counties, 22;,
288 ; convicts as recruits, 288-9
Formation of German Legion, 151,
157-8
See Appendices U H.. IV., VL, VIL-
IX., XI. ; see also under Recruiting
Army of Reserve Act ; see under Acts of
Parliament
Army of Reserve, creation of, 27-8 ; how
differs from Militia, 30, 56-7, 283 ;
disliked by nation, 70 ; strength in
1803, 120; in 1804,73, 129 ; made
use of, 1 10 ; Pitt's scheme for, 127;
contributes to Line, 71, 147, 157 b.,
158; formed into 2nd battalions,
71, 158, 168,204; substitute diffi-
culty, 189; gives exemption from
Local Militia, 211, 214; and see
Appendix IV.
Arran, hatred of Militia service in, 237
Artillery, the Royal, strength in 1803,
10; in 1806, 157; enlistment
into, 147 ; terms of short service
for, 165 ; recruiting for, 176
Associations, Volunteer ; i«ttff</^r Volun-
teers
AthoU, the Duke of, letter from, quoted,
80-1
Auchmuty, Sir Samuel, expedition to
South America, 174
Austerlitt, battle of, 150, 152. 156
Austria, struggle against France, 145,
150, 152, 156, 221, 233-4, 274
Ayr, disputes of Lieutenancy, 711.; lack
of arms for Volunteers, 84 ; Volun-
teer spirit, 91
Babington, Mr. Henry, M.P., speech on
recruiting in Leicestershire, 163
Badajoz, storm of, 268
Baird, Sir Davi<l, commands expedition to
the Cape, 149, 174
Baker, letter of W., 88 «.'
Ballot. For Regular Militia. Under
Militia Act, 1757, not enforced, 3.
Under Militia Act, 1802, machinery
and method for, 14-15, 39-4 • > ex-
emptions, 16-18, 35, 51-3, 5S. 5 ' »
example of a return, 55 t. ; evasion
3i6
INDEX
of, 19, 56 ; illegally held, 78 ; hated
by middle class, 50
Under Volunteer Act, 1802, Volun-
teers exempt, 12, 24, 81, 88, 134
Under Act for More Speedy Comple-
tion of Militia, 1803, exemption
fines raised, 24, 55
Under Levy en Masse Act, no exemp-
tion from, 33
Under Volunteer Consolidation Act,
conditions of exemption, 134, 188
Under Permanent Additional Force
Act, regulations for, 132
Under 46 Geo. III. c. 9, suspension for
2 years, fresh lists to be made, i66
Under Completion of Militia, 1807,
re-introduction of, 181-4; exemp-
tions, 184; difficulties of, 188-9,
195-6
Under Completion of Militia, 1809, to
supplement voluntary enlistment,
226, 235-6 ; difficulties of, 236-40,
252, 255-6
Under 51 Geo. III. c 17, validating
enrolments, 252
Under Militia Enlistment Act, 1811,
regulations for, 253
Under Local Militia Consolidation Act,
exemptions, 262, 273
For Irish Militia. Under Militia Act,
1802, replaced by voluntary enlist-
ment, 22
Under Completion of Irish Militia
Act, 1807, not compulsory, 183
Irish Militia Consolidation Act, ex-
pedient instead of, 228
For Army of Reser-ve. Under Addi-
tional Force Acts, men raised by,
27 ; exemptions, 27-8, 35 ; not
compulsory in Ireland, 30 ; differs
from Militia ballot, 56-7 ; Pitt's
scheme for, 127.
Under Levy en Masse Act, no exemp-
tion from, 33
Under Billeting Act, exemptions from,
34, 58, 65-6 ; used as punishment
for insubordination, 99
Under Permanent Additional Force
Act, suspended, 130, 133
Under Volunteer Consolidation Act,
conditions of exemption, 134
For Local Militia. Under Local
Militia Act, men raised by, 210-14,
285; exemptions, 210-14; no sub-
stitution, 211, 215
Under Local Militia Amendment Act,
1809, regulations for, 229
Under Local Militia Consolidation,
1 8 12, regulations and exemptions,
261-3, 273
Ballot-
Under Windham's Training Act, for
national training, 168-173 > exemp-
tions, 170
Landed interest bears cost of all, 289.
Banda, capture of, 249
Banff, dislike of Militia in, 48 ; letter of
L.L., 63 n. ; Volunteer spirit in,
91 ; Volunteer officers to receive
pay, 114; Local Militia voluntee
for service abroad, 259 ; trouble with
Militia, 272
Barrosa, battle of, 259
Bath, Volunteer insubordination in,
105-6 ; Local Militia riot at, 246-7
Battersea, Volunteer Association at, 97
Baylen, capture of French corps at, 221
Bayley, Colonel, commander of Second
Provisional Battalion, 280
Beaufort, Duke of, commander of Mon-
mouth Volunteer Cavalry, 96-7
Beckwith, General, action in W. Indies,
233
Bedford, Duke of, his Volunteer corps, 95
Bedfordshire, letters of L.L., 58 «., 68 n. j
complaint of L.L., 77 ; Volunteer
spirit in, 92 ; Whitbread as Volun-
teer officer, 122; inefficient Local
Militia, 241 ; troubles in Militia,
272 n. 3
Berbice, capture of, 10
Beresford, Colonel (afterwards Lord),
commands first expedition to Buenos
Ayres, 174
Berkshire, inefficient L.L., 36 n. ; price of
substitutes, 55 ; lack of arms for
Volunteers, 84, 87 ; objection to
pikes, 89 ; 'dislike of Permanent
Additional Force Act, 155 ; Militia
quota for, 197 ; Militia fines from,
197 ; ballot of 1 8 10 in, 238 ; Local
Militia volunteer to serve in Spain,
259
Berwick, price of substitutes in, 70, 195 ;
Volunteer quota, 90 ; ballot diffi-
culties in, 255 n. ; special recruiting
by Militia, 271 «.
Billeting Act, see under Acts of Parlia-
ment
Birmingham, Militia recruiting in, 47,
'95
Blackburn, insurance society at, 42-3
Blaquiere, Lord de, opinion of short
service, 162
Bosanquet, Mr., letter of, 56 n.
Bouilll, Marquis de, his plan of invasion,
149
Boulogne, the camp at, 7, 1 50
Bounties. To Regulars, in 1803, 74;
under Permanent Additional Force
INDEX
3n
Bounties —
Act, 1 30, 133; for short tervice,
To Militia. Under Militia Act, 1802,
to parochial substitutes, 17 ; to poor
men, 18 ; to privates prolonging
service, and to substitutes, 20 ; to
voluntary enlisters, 20, 26
Under Irish Militia Augmentation,
1804, to voluntary recruits, 126
Under Militia Enlistment Act, 1805,
to recruits for Line, 147
Under Militia Amendment, 1806, to
voluntary recruits, 166
Under Militia Enlistment, 1807, to
recruits for Line, 183 ; and from
Irish Militia, 183
Under Militia Completion, 1807, to
ballotted men, and substitutes, 183-4
Under Militia Transfer, 1809, to re-
cruits for Line, 223
Under Militia Completion, 1809, to
voluntary enlisters, 226 ; to ballotted
men and substitutes, 226, Z36 j to
Irish Militiamen, 227
Under Militia Completion, 181 1, to
voluntary enlisters, 253, 272 j to
ballotted men, 253
Under Militia Enlistment, 1813, to
volunteers for Provisional Battalions,
276
For the Army of Reserve. Under Ad-
ditional Force Acts, to parochial
substitutes, 28 ; to poor men, 29 ;
to principals, 29 ; to men enlisting
in Line, 71, 74
Under Permanent Additional Force Act.
By Pitt's proposals, 127 ; to Army
of Reservists, 1 30 ; on enlisting in
Line, 130-1 j to come from Imperial
Treasury, 133; raised, 152; scale
of, 153 n. J to parish officers, 133-
144, 152
For the Local Militia. Under Local
Militia Act, forbidden to ballotted
men, 211 ; to voluntary enlisters,
210, 212
Under Local Militia Amendment,
1 809, altered for voluntary recruits,
228-9
Under Local Militia Amendment,
1 8 10, refunded by Local Militia
enlisting in Line, 241
Under Local Militia Consolidation, to
transferred Volunteers, 261 ; to
voluntary enlisters, 262 ; to men
prolonging service, 264, 266
Coit of substitutes, 3, 5, 18, 39-40, 43,
55, 58, 70. 74i "6, 191, 19s, 197.
227, 236-8, *SS-6
Bourbon, capture of, 249
Brackenbury, M., letter of, 108 «.'
Bragge, Mr., Secretary at War, opinion 00
ballot methods, 40 n. ; scoffs at
danger of invasion, 149
Brecon, Billeting Act in, 68 ». ; Volun-
teer spirit in, 92 ; cost of substitutes,
256
Bricknell, Captain, letter of, 8 1 n.
Brindisi, occupied by Napoleon, 7
Bristol, Volunteers as guards for French
prisoners in, 86, 198
Brooke, Mr. de C, letter of, 52 n.
Brown, J., letter of, 256 n.
Buckingham, Marquis of, commander of
First Provisional Battalion, 280
Buckinghamshire, insurance in, 44 «. ;
cost of substitutes, 70 ; lack of arms
for Volunteers, 85 ; Volunteer ex-
emption difficulties, 89 n.' ; Volun-
teer quota deficient, 92-3 ; mistrust
of Volunteer oath, 93 ; labourers as
Volunteers, no; enlistment of
Militia in Line, 186 ; L.L.'s scheme
against insurance, 192 ; Militia vol-
unteer to serve in Spain, 221 ; Local
Militia enlist in Regular Militia,
230-1 ; ballot troubles, 238 ; evasion
of Local Militia service, 244 n. ;
Eton boy drawn by ballot, 259 ;
Militia and service in Ireland, 258 n.
Buenos Ayres, expedition to, 149, 174,
200-1
Bugby, J., letter of, 45
Burdett, Sir Francis, as popular champion,
246 n.
Burnaby, Mr., letter of, 53 ».
Bussaco, campaign of, 249
Bute, dislike of Militia in, 48, 237 ; cost
of substitutes, 70 ; hatred of Army
of Reserve, 71-2 ; Volunteer quota
in, 90
Caermarthenshirc, Volunteer mutiny in.
109 ; failure of Permanent Addi-
tional Force Act in, 1 54 ; Militia
reluctant to enlist in Line, 186 ;
Militia quota in, 197 ; Volunteer*
for Local Militia, 216
Caithness, Volunteer spirit in, 9 1 j failure
of Permanent Additional Force Act,
152; Local Militia bounties, 266 *. '
Calabria, unrest in, 8; British raid on, 233
Calvert, Sir H. (Adjutant-General), his
memorandum, 224-5 i mentioned,
243, 254, 286-7
Camberwell Volunteers, insubordination
of, 10+
Cambridgeshire, deficient Volunteerquota,
9 2-3 ; Volunteer insubordination.
3^8
INDEX
107-9 5 labourers as Volunteers, 1 10 ;
Militia reluctant to enlist in Line,
186 J Local Militia disturbance, 232 ;
produces no men for Provisional
Battalions, 280 «.
Camden, Lord, Secretary for War, 128
Campbell's Li-ves of the Chancellors quoted,
102 n.
Campbell, David, letter of, 85 m.^
Canada, garrisons in, 157, 269 ; troops
in, 158, 220, 271
Canning, George, defence of Permanent
Additional Force Act, 144
Canterbury, animus against Volunteers at,
92
Cardiganshire, Militia quota in, 197 ; cost
of substitutes, 197 ; difficulties with
Militia,239; Local Militia riot,247-8;
friction belvk^een two Militias, 273
Caribbean Sea, French fleet in the, 145
Carlton House, as residence of Sheridan,
218
Carnarvonshire, ballot method in, 40-1 ;
cost of substitutes, 1555 Militia
quota, 196 ; Militia volunteer to
serve in Spain, 221
Carr, W., letter of, 43 n.
Castlereagh, Lord, defends Permanent
Additional Force Act, 144, 163 ;
supports proposal for enlistment of
Irish Militia, 126 ; protests against
Training Act, 1 69 ; becomes Secre-
tary for War, 173, 177 ; his recruit-
ing schemes, 181-4, 203-8, 285-6;
his Local Militia and National
Training, 205-7 ; ^'* speech on
introducing Local Militia bill,
209-11 ; on introducing Militia
enlistment bills, 221-2; his Irish
Militia Consolidation Act, 228 ; his
Local Militia Amendment, 228-9 >
resigns office, 234 ; approval of
Palmerston's policy, 252 ; advises
interchange of British and Irish
Militias, 251, 254; his special
measures for 1813-14, 275-8
Cathcart, Lt.-Gen. Lord, mentioned, 76
n. ; commands expedition to Ger-
many, 152, 179, 180, 288; to
Denmark, 181
Cavalry, Provisional Cavalry a failure, 5 ;
mentioned, 210
Fencible Cavalry disbanded, 6
Volunteer Cavalry. See under Yeo-
manry
Regular Cavalry, no difficulty in re-
cruiting, 176 {and see under Army,
the Regular)
Ceylon, native troops in, 9 ; war in,
145 ; British troops in, 220
Charles, the Archduke, of Austria, 233
Chatham, John, Second Earl of, opinion
of short service, 162
Chelsea pensions, increase of, under Wind-
ham's scheme, 160; mentioned, 171,
203
Cheshire, Volunteer insubordination in,
108 ; Local Militia used to suppress
riots, 267
Cinque Ports, Volunteer quota, 92 ;
Local Militia riots, 245
Cintra, Convention of, mentioned, 220,
230
Clackmannan, Volunteer spirit in, 91
Clapham, Volunteer Association at, 97
Clarke, Mrs. Mary Anne, scandal con-
cerning, 127 «. ; 234
Clerk of General Meeting (C.G.M.). See
under Lieutenancy
Clode, criticism of Military Act, 19
Cockburn, Maj.-Gen., letter of, 191 n.
Committees, Volunteer Military. See
under Volunteers
Copenhagen, siege of, 181, 201
Cornwall, complaint of L.L., 77 ; lack
of arms for Volunteers, 85 ; labour-
ers as Volunteers, no; failure of
Perm. Add. Force Act, 155 ; en-
listment of Militia into Line, 186,
278 ; Militia fines, 197 ; Volun-
teers as patrol, 230 ; good spirit of
Local Militia, 259 ; Militia dislike
service abroad, 278
Cornwallis, Charles, Marquis, opinion of
short service, 161
Coruiia, action of, 220
Craig, Gen. Sir James, mentioned, 75 n. ;
letter of, 140 ; service in Mediter-
ranean, 148, 157, 159; opinion of
short service, 162
Craufurd, Colonel Robert, opinion of
Volunteers, 117-8, 125; criticism
of Perm. Add. Force Act, 131, 155;
speech on danger of invasion, 149 ;
on rank of Volunteer officers, 167 ;
advocates short service, 131, 160;
service in S. America, 174
Crimps and Crimping, for raising new
regiments, 2 ; evils of, in 1794-5, 3 ;
all classes engage in, 72, 191 ; pro-
duces men under Perm. Add. Force
Act, 143, 155, 163 ; under Cast!e-
reagh's Militia Augmentation Act,
191
Cromarty, Volunteer spirit in, 91
Crosby, Colonel, as Volunteer officer, 112
Cuidad Rodrigo, storm of, 268
Cumberland, Ernest, Duke of, mentioned
76 n.
Cumberland Militia refuse to enlist in
INDEX
319
Line, 186 j Militia quota, 196 ;
Militia unwilling to serve abroad, 27 5
Dalkeith, Lord, letter of, 82
Dalrymple, Lt.-Gen, Sir Hew, 75 n. ;
letter of, 86 «.»
Dantzig, capture of, 179
Davies, F., letter of, 5 1 ».
Davison, Lt.-Col. Alex., letter of, 103 n.
Deal, 245
Defence Act, The First. See under Acts
of Parliament
Demerara, capture of, 10
Denbigh, price of substitutes in, 55 }
lack of arms for Volunteers, 85 ;
labouring class as Volunteers, no,
III, n.^ J clergy as Volunteers, 113;
Volunteers and Local Militia, 216 j
enlistment of Local Militia in Line,
231 j Militia offer for foreign ser-
vice, 278-80
Denmark, expedition to, 181,201
Derbyshire, lack of arms for Volunteers,
85 ; Volunteer spirit, 92 ; false
alarm of invasion in, 150 j Militia
enlist in Line, 185 n. j Militia quota,
196 ; Local Militia suppress riots,
267 ; Militia and the Provisional
Battalions, 280 n.
Derwent Dale, insubordination of Volun-
teers, 106
Desertion, of Militia substitutes, 44, 46-7,
1 92-4 ; from Army of Reserve, 72 ;
under Perm. Add. Force Act, i6o;
from Local Militia, 243 ; decrease
of, under Windham's reforms, 175
" Devil's Own " Volunteers, loi
Devonshire, work of L.L., 37 ; perplex-
ities of L.L., 77 ; Volunteer patriot-
ism, 90, 92 ; Volunteer quota, 92 ;
Volunteer insubordination, 99, 10 1,
109 ; Militia quota, 197 ; cost of
substitutes, 197 ; Volunteer guards,
198 ; Volunteers and Local Militia,
217 and note i desertion from Local
Militia, 243 ; retention of Volun-
teers, 269 J Militia recruiting, 273
n.i J Militia unwilling for foreign
service, 279
Districts for Volunteers, scheme of Mili-
tary, 75-6 n.
Domingo, St., operations in, 7
Don, General, commands expedition to
Germany, 152
Dorset, price of substitutes, 70; Volunteer
insubordination at Dorchester, 109
Douro, Wellesley's campaign of the, 233
Dover, Local Militia riot at, 245
Doyle, Sir J., letter of, 175
Drew, Colonel, case of, 200
Duckenfield, Sir A., letter to, 58 ».
Ducketh, Sir J., letter of, 256 «.>
Dumbarton, Volunteer spirit in, 91
Dumfries, Volunteers in, 82 «. ; lack of
arms for Volunteers, 85 ; Volunteer
spirit, 90; Militia entiitment, 185
n. ; Militia unwilling to serve abroad,
279
Dundas, General Sir David, mentioned,
75 «. ; the eighteen manauvre*,
117 ; opinion of short service, 161
Dundee, Volunteers in, 60 n.
Durbin, Major, letter of, 189 n*
Durham, lack of arms for Volunteers,
85 ; Volunteers and marching-
guinea, 138; Militia fines, 197;
Militia volunteer for service in
Spain, 221
Dutch, prisoners in W.Indies, 10; the
Cape taken from, 149
East India Company, short service in
army of, 161, 164
Edinburgh, inefficient L.L., 36 «.; Volun-
teer regiments in, 60 n., 90 ; failure
of Perm. Add. Force Act, 152} ballot
difficulties, 238 ; proposals of a
Local Militia officer, 265 ; voluntary
enlistment of Militia, 272 «.'
Eglinton, Lord, as L.L,, 35
Egypt, Militia serve in, 6 ; expedition to,
174 J disaster in, 179
Elford, Jonathan, letter of, 88 «.'«
Elgin, Volunteers in, 84, 91
EUenborough, Lord, as Volunteer, 102 it.
Elliot, M.P., Mr., criticism of Perm.
Add. Force Act, 131
Elmbridge, South, Volunteer inefficiency
at, 218
Elsinore and the Copenhagen expedition,
181
Ely, Volunteer Association in the Isle off
97 ; Local Militia riot, 231-2
Erskine, Henry, defends Volunteer right
to resign, 100 2, i2i ; as Volunteer,
102 n., 115
Essequibo, capture of, 10
Essex, Lord, opposed to Volunteer
system, 78
Essex, ballotting in, 40 h. ; evasion of
ballot, 55-6 ; Militia quota, 197
Eton College, ballotting of a scholar of, 259
Evesham, Volunteer insubordination,
104-5
Exemptions. See unJer Ballot
Eylau, battle of, 179
Falkirk, Volunteer insubordination, 108
Fencibles, not ballotted, 4 j disbtnded, 6 ;
Canadian batulions, 269
320
INDEX
Fife, Volunteer spirit in, 91 j high boun-
ties, 238 ; Militia recruiting, 271 n.
Finlayson, Lt.-Col., letter of, 197
Fitzwilliam, Earl, as L.L., 37, 119
Flint, lack of arms for Volunteers, 85 ;
Volunteers refuse pikes, 89 ; Militia
volunteer for service in Spain, 221
Forfar, dislike of Militia, 49 ; ballot
return, 55 n. ; Volunteer spirit in,
91 ; price of substitutes, 255 j
Militia refuse foreign service, 279
Fox, Charles James, speech on Volun-
teers, 12 1-2; on subscription
societies, 128 j against Perm. Add.
Force Act, 163
Fox, General Henry, opinion of short
service, 161
Frederick William II., King of Prussia,
mentioned, 150, 152
French, Colonel, 127 n.
Friedland, battle of, 180
Friendly Societies, rules against enlist-
ment, 94-S, 212-13, 242
Fuentes d'Onoro, battle of, 259
Fusilier regiments, status of officers, 2 17-8
Gage, Lord, letter of, 38 n. ; mentioned,
112
Galloway, Lord, letter of, 44 n.
Gardiner, Lt.-Gen., 75-6 «.
Garioch, Local Militia riot at, 231
Gascoigne, Maj.-Gen., letter of, 109 n.^
Geddes, J., letter of, ill «.
German Legion, the King's, formation of,
151 ; mentioned, 157-8, 260
Germany (the Weser and Stralsund), ex-
peditions to, 148, 151-2, 157, 175.
288
Gibraltar, troops at, 219-20
Giles, M.P., Mr., on the discipline of
Volunteers, 123 ; speech on cost of
recruits from Militia, 223
Glamorgan, Volunteer clothing, ii6j
the marching-guinea, 138, 245 n.^ ;
Volunteers and Local Militia, 266
«.2 J friction between Militias, 273
n.^ ; Provisional Battalions, 278 n.
Glasgow, Volunteer regiment in, 60 «. ;
insurance society in, 194
Gloucestershire, Volunteers in, 80, 99,
107, 1 10 ; insurance society in, 192 ;
Volunteers as guards, 198; London
Militia recruited from, 227 ; reten-
tion of Volunteers, 269
Good Hope, expedition to Cape of, 149
Gorec, independent corps at, 9 ; Welsh
battalion at, 152 ; troops in, 220
Gower, Lord G. Leveson, speech on
Volunteer arms, 86
Graham, Colonel Thomas (afterwards
Lord Lynedoch), opinion of short
service, 162
Grasse, Count de, plan of invasion, 149
Gravesend, Volunteer Rifle Corps, 97
Gray, Owen, letter of, 97 n.^
Gregor, F., letter of, ii i n.
Grenville, Lord, influence in Bucks, 93 ;
Prime Minister, 156
Grey, General Charles, First Earl, opinion
of short service, 162
Guadaloupe, capture of, 249
Guadiana, campaign in the valley of the, 233
Guards. See under Regiments
Gwyn, Lt.-Gen., 75 n.
Gwynn, Lt.-Gen., 76 «.
Haddington, dislike of Militia, 48, 255 ;
Volunteer quota, 90 ; marching-
guinea, 138
Hampshire, work of L.L., 36 ; ballot in,
54 ; lack of arms for Volunteers, 86 ;
Volunteer insubordination, 99, 199 j
failure of Perm. Add. Force Act,
155 ; Militia fines, 197 ; Volunteers
as guards, 198 ; Volunteers and
Local Militia, 217; Militia offer for
service in Spain, 221 ; to enlist in
Line, 257, n? ; retention of Vol-
unteers, 269 ; special recruiting by
Militia, 271
Hanover, French occupation of, 151
Hardwicke, Capt., letter to, 51 «.
Harrington, Lord, opinion of short service,
161
Harvey, Lt.-Col, R., letter of, 114 n?
Hastings, dislike of Local Militia in, 245
Hawkesbury, Lord (afterwards Earl of
Liverpool), defends Perm. Add.
Force Act, 143
Hawthorne, Mr., criticises Perm. Add.
Force Act, 163
Heath, Mr. Justice, decision in Volunteer
case, 200
Heligoland, troops in, 220
Helmington, Volunteers and Local Militia
at, 216
Herefordshire, opposition to Volunteers,
77 ; Volunteer spirit, 92 ; and in-
subordination, 99-100; Militia
quota, 197 ; and service in Spain,
221 ; Local Militia riots, 232 ;
Militia service in Ireland, 258 ».
Hertfordshire, unequal distribution of
Volunteer Arms, 87-8 ; Militia en-
listment in Line, 186 ; Volunteers
and Local Militia, 217 n.^
Hessian mercenaries, 151
Hewatt, Maj.-Gen., mentioned, 76 n. j
opinion of short service, 161
Highlanders, their hatred of Militia, 48
INDEX
321
Hobart, Lord, Secretary for War, 67 ;
his folly, 283
Holland, operations planned in, 151
Home Office, carelessness of clerks, 60
«• > n-, 84, 189-90, 257 J controls
the Volunteers, 67, 141
Hope, C, letter of, 36 ».
Hoskyns, Sir H., letter of, 233 n.
Howes, Thomas, letter of, 199
Huskisson, William, speech on Volun-
teers, 269
Hutchinson, Lord, letter of, 179
India, Mahratta War, 145 ; troops in,
158, 220 J mutiny at Vellore, 179
Indies, West, service in, loathed, 4, 160,
289 ; French operations in, 7, 145,
149; W. I. regiments, 9 «., 157;
successes in, 10 5 troops in, 158,
220 J operations of 1810 in, 249;
penal battalions in, 289 j short
service terms in, 165, 203
Infantry. See under ^rmy, the Regular
Insurance, against the ballot, forbidden to
officials by law, 24 ; origin and
methods, 42 - 5 j Pitt's scheme
against, 127-8; growth of, 192-5;
circular of a society, 193-4 n. ; com-
plaint of another society, 194 ; for-
bidden by Local Militia Act, 212,
215
Inverness, Volunteers refuse pikes, 89 n?;
Volunteer quota, 91 ; recruiting diffi-
culties, 142 ; ballot troubles, 236,
255 ; trouble with Militia, 272
Ionian Isles, operations in, 249
Ireland. See under Militia, Ballot and
Bounty
Italy, feeling against France, 7, 8 ; ex-
pedition to, 148, 157 ; Austrian
troops withdrawn from, 156
Jackson, George, letter of, 274 n?
Java, capture of, 259
Jebb, Lt.-Col., letter of, 150 n.
Jena, battle of, 174
Joseph, King of Spain, defeat of, 275
Junot, Marshal, prisoners of his army at
Penzance, 230
Kent, Volunteer difficulties, 82 n. ; and
quota, 92; and insubordination, 100;
Militia backward to enter Line, 147;
Volunteer exemption troubles, 187 ;
Volunteers as guards, 198 ; dislike
of Local Militia, 216; evasion of
Local Militia service, 242-3 ; reten-
tion of Volunteers, 269
Kenyon, Lord, letter of, 88 n?
Kerrison, T., letter of, 47 n.
Kew, Voluntecri in, 218
Kincardine, Volunteer spirit in, 91
King, Mr., letter to, 140 n.
Kinross, Volunteers refuse pikef, 89 n? ;
Volunteer quota, 90
Kirkcudbright, dislike of Militia, 49 ;
Local Militia troubles, 244 <».', 245
n? J special recruiting by Militia,
271 n.
La Vendee, national rising in, 284
Lake, Gen. (afterwards Lord), success in
India, 145
Lambeth, Volunteer corps insubordinate,
104
Lanark, Volunteers in, 91, no; ballot
troubles in, 237 ; Local Militia in,
267 n}
Lancashire, work of L.L., 36-7 ; insur-
ance societies, 43 ; lack of arms for
Volunteers, 86, 94; Volunteer quota,
92, 94 ; Militia enlistment into
Line, 185, 279 ; ballot troubles, 195,
2 39> 243 ; Volunteers in Local
Militia, 216-18; Local Militia
suppress riots, 267 ; friction between
Militias, 273 ; Provisional Batta-
lions, 279
Lascelles, Rowley, letter of, 1 16 n.; 1 38 n.
Law Association Volunteers, 10 1
Leake (a Volunteer Officer), case of, 103
Legion, the King's German, formed, 151;
mentioned, 157-8, 260
Leicestershire, Volunteers armed, 87 ;
Perm. Add. Force Act in, 163 ;
cost of substitutes, 195 ; Militia
quota, 196 ; Militia volunteers for
service in Spain, 221 ; Bucks. Militia
recruited from, 238
Leipsic, battle of, 274
Leominster, Letter of Subdivision clerk,
189
Levy en Masse Act. See under Acts of
Parliament
Lewis, Mr., letter of, 5 1 n.
Lichfield, insurance society in, 41-3 ;
Volunteers from labouring clau, 1 1 in.
Lieutenancies, organisation and officials
of, 14-15 ; duties under Militia Act
of 1802, 15-21, 35; under more
speedy completion of Militia, 1802,
23 ; under First Defence Act, 24-5 j
under Army of Reserve Act, 27-8 ;
under Levy en Masse Act, 30-2 }
under Levy en Masse Amendment,
33 ; under Perm. Add. Force Act,
132-3, 152-5; under Training Act,
169; under Local Militia Act, 211-
12; disputes with Military authorities,
70-2 ; pyment of clerks, 237, 255 ;
Y
322
INDEX
discharge of Local Militiamen, 266 ;
confusion owing to multifarious legis-
lation, 240
Lord- Lieutenant. General character,
duties, difficulties, 35-7 ; L.Ls. and
the Billeting Act, 34, 68-9 ; careless-
ness of Government officials, 77 ;
opposition to Volunteer system, 78
Deputy-Lieutenants. Property qualifica-
tions, 14 ; general character, 38 ;
postal extortion from, 37-8 ; D.Ls.
and the ballot, 39-40, 189 ; and
insurance, 43-5 ; not exempt from
ballot, 52 ; insubordination in Scot-
land, 244 ; critical spirit, 239 ; [and
see under names of counties and
Parochial Officers).
Lincolnshire, enlistment of Militia into
Line, 186 ; Militia quota, 196 j Vol-
unteers and the Local Militia, 216 ;
special recruiting by the Militia, 27 1
Linlithgow, Volunteer spirit in, 91 5 ballot
troubles, 236 n.^
Little Swaffham, case of Volunteer in-
subordination, 109
Liverpool, Earl of (formerly Lord Hawkes-
bury). Secretary for War, 234
Local Militia Act. See under Acts of
Parliament
Local Militia. See under Militia, Local
Lotmen, terms explained, 16
Macaulay, Zachary, as Volunteer, 97
Macclesfield, Local Militia untrust-
worthy, 267
Mackenzie, Sir A. Muir, letter of, 266 «,
Mackenzie, Sir J., letter of, 1 1 1 n.
Mackintosh, Angus, letter of, 255 n.
M'Leod, D., letter of, 70 «., 1 14 n.
Macpherson, David, letter of, 236 n?
Madeira, troops in, 220
Maida, battle of, 149
Maidstone, evasion of Local Militia ser-
vice in, 242-3
Malta, Craig's expedition at, 148 ; troops
in, 220
Man, Isle of, mistrust of Volunteer oath
in, 94
Manners-Button, Law-Officer of Crown,
100
Marching-guinea, explained, 138, 213-14;
causes riots in Local Militia, 231-2,
245-9, ^5^ i abolished, 266
Marines, Militia enlist into, 147, 186 j
Local Militia permitted to enlist in,
214
Marlborough, John, ist Duke of, recruit-
ing under, 2
Martinique, capture of, 233
Matthew, CoL, letter of, 51 «.
Matthews, Col. J., letter of, 100 ».
Mauritius, capture of, 259
Merioneth Militia volunteer service in
Spain, 221 ; Local Militia troubles,
232
Merthyr Tydvil, lawlessness in, 1 54
Middlesex, ballot difficulties in, 46-7, 55 ;
price of substitutes, 70 ; Volunteer
difficulties, 82 n. ; Volunteer spirit,
92 ; Volunteer insubordination, 102-
3 ; Volunteers drawn from labouring
class, no; Militia refuse to enter
Line, 147 ; failure of Perm. Add.
Force Act, 155 ; insurance societies
in, 192-4; Militia quota, 196 ; eager-
ness to enlist, 257 ; retention of
Volunteers, 269
Midlothian, Sir W. Scott as yeoman, 118;
ballot troubles, 238
Militia, the Regular (for legislation relat-
ing to, see under Acts of Parliament,
and see also under Ballot, Bounties,
Substitutes, Insurances, and App. X.
Effective strength in 1803, 54 ; in
1806, 159; in 1807, 177; in 1808,
202 ; in 1811, 250 ; in 1813, 269 ;
Establishment in 1803, 120; in
1807, 175 ; in 1808, 202 ; in i8n,
250 ; in 1812, 260 ; in 1813, 269 ;
and reduced by Pitt, 127-8, 132,
188; and by Palmerston, 250-4;
difficulties of replenishing, 187-90,
235-40, 255-6 ; terms of service, 16,
23 ; raised by ballot, in 1802, 14-15,
20, 39-41, 55 n. ; in 1807, 181-4,
188-9, '95"6> '" 1809-10, 226,
235-6, 237-40, 252, 255-6; (for
exemptions from, see under Ballot,
and Volunteers) ; ballot suspended,
166, 173; voluntary enlistment for,
222, 226-7, 235-6, 241, 253, 256,
270-3, 282 ; substitution permitted,
7 1, 282 {see under Substitutes) ; enlist-
ment into Line from, forbidden, 14;
permitted by special legislation, 5-6,
145-7, 158, 181-3, 186, 221-3, 226,
235, 270-1 ; in fixed annual draft,
250-4, 257, 285; interchange of
British and Irish regiments, 254-5,
257 ; volunteers for foreign service,
221, 270; extension of service to
Europe, 275-6, 278-80; Provisional
Battalions of, 276, 278-80 ; local
character destroyed, 38-9,42-8, 194-
5 ; standard of height in, 16, 18, 33,
189; position of N.C.O. in, 19;
disliked by nation, 49-53 ; evasion
of service, 19, 56, 237, 239, 255
{and see under Insurance) ; flogging
in, 50 ; differs from Army of Re-
INDEX
323
serve, 30, 56-7 ; friction with Local
Militia, 225, 267, 273, 280 ; de-
pleted condition, 1813, 273-4, 286 }
parochial relief for families of Militia-
men, 23, 191, 251, 277
The Supplementary, in 1796, 5 ; as aug-
mentation of Old Militia, 14 ; en-
rolled, 23, 54, 188 J officers for, 26 ;
difficulty in raising, 46, 129 ; a pre-
tence in London and Scotland, 55 j
the Volunteers and, 63 ; merged in
Army of Reserve, 128-9, ^^^ > P^"""
mitted to enlist in Line, 145-7, 158
The Scottish, increase of, 2t ; old and
new organisations, 21-2 n. ; detested
by people, 48-9, 236-8, 255 ; a recent
introduction, 169 ; enlistment into
Line from, 182, 186, 251 ; ballot
troubles, 236-8, 255 ; trouble with
substitutes, 272 j special recruiting
by, 271
The Irish, ballot not used, 22, 183, 228 ;
no Supplementary Militia, 22 ; defi-
ciencies in 1804, 73-4, in 1807, 178 ;
service in England, 126, 254 j per-
mitted to enlist into Line, 165-6,
181-3, 186, 235, 252; replenishing
of, 183, 226-7 ; Castlereagh's re-
forms, 228
The Local, Castlereagh's proposals for,
181, 205-7, 209-10, 285 ; creation
of, 211-15; substitution forbidden,
211, 215 ; regulation for enlistment
into Line, 212, 214, 253, 258,273 ;
Calvert's conception of, 224-5;
development of, 228, 241, 258 ;
riots in, 231-3, 244-9; evasion of
service in, 242-3 ; desertion from,
243'; hostility of population to,
244-9; reductions in, 241-2, 264;
difficulty as to discharge, 265-6 ;
reforms in, 229, 241, 264-5, ^7° >
extended service, 259, 277 - 8 ;
establishment in 1812, 260; in
1813, 269; friction with Regular
Militia, 225, 267, 273, 280; as
means of national training, 266-7
Milton, Lord, speech on Militia Enlist-
ment bill, 222
Minorca, proposed expedition to, 148
Moira, Gen., Earl of (C. in C. Scotland),
praises Scottish Volunteers, 118 ;
opinion of short service, 162
Money, Gen., opinion of Volunteer train-
ing, 117 ; difficulty with Volunteers,
139-40 . . .
Monmouthshire, Volunteer spirit m, 92 ;
Yeomanry regulations, 96 ; Militia
fines, 197 ; cost of substitutes, 197
Montgomery, crimping in, 72 n. ; Volun-
teers in, 78, 113 ; cost of (ubttitnto,
197 ; Mililia enlist into Line, 257 m?
Moore, Lieut.-Gencral Sir John, men-
tioned, 1 36 ; opinion of short ser-
vice, 162 ; expedition to Sweden,
219-20 ; and to Portugal, 220
Moravia, fighting in, 1 50-2
Morgan, C, letter of, 6S »., 82 n.
Morritt, Lt.-Col., letter of, 117 n.
Mulgrave, Lt.-Gcn. Lord, mentioned, 75
n. ; opinion of short service, 162
Murray, Sir John, letter on Volunteer
allowances, 83
Mutiny Act, Army of Reserve subject to,
29 ; embodied Levy en Masse sub-
ject to, 32 ; Volunteers subject to in
case of invasion, 34 ; mentioned, 204 ;
Militia abroad subject to, 277
Mytton, Mr., letter of, 78 «.
Nairn, dislike of Army of Reserve, 70
n?^ lack of arms for Volunteers,
84 ; Volunteer spirit, 9 1 ; ballot
troubles, 237
Nantwich, Volunteer insubordination in,
io8
Naples, French invasion, 7 ; expedition
to, 148, 157 ; raids in, 233
Napoleon, position in 1803,7 ; backward,
preparations in 1803-4, 98, 150;
opinion of British policy 1805, 148 ;
plans of invasion, 149-50, 180;
successes at U Im and Austerliti, 1 50-2,
156; at Jena, 174; at Friedland,
180; at Wagram, 234; Berlin
decrees, 174 ; Treaty of Tilsit, 180 ;
miscarriage of Baltic schemes, 201 ;
invasion of Spain and Portugal, 219 ;
of Russia, 268; defeat oi; 274;
abdication, 281
Navy, levying men for, 4 ; seafaring men
transferred from Militia to, 25-6 ;
naval men exempt from ballot for
Militia, 16, 26 ; and for Army of
Reserve, 29 ; Local Militiamen per-
mitted to enlist in, 214
Nelmes, Richard, letter of, 107
Nelson, Horatio, Viscount, pursuit of
Villeneuve, 149
New South Wales, corps in, 9, 157}
troops in, 220
Newcastle, defence of, 98
Newton, Col., as Volunteer, ii»
Nivelle, Battle of the, 275
Norfolk, Volunteers in, 92, 94, no, 139-
40; Volunteer insubordination, loi ;
pay of Volunteer officers, 114} fail-
ure of Perm. Add. Force Act, 14* J
Militia quota, 197 ; special recruiting
by the Militia, 271.
324
INDEX
Norman Cross, Volunteers as guards at,
198
North Britons, insubordinate Volunteer
corps, 103
Northamptonshire, hard case of ballot in,
52 ; Volunteer spirit in, 92 ; stand-
ard of height for Militia, 189 n.* ;
cost of substitutes, 195
Northumberland, cost of substitutes, 70,
197 ; lack of arms for Volunteers,
86; Militia quota, 196-7 ; evasion
of ballot, 198 ; retention of Vol-
unteers, 269
Northumberland, Duke of, as L.L., 35,
^.^' 95 . .
Norwich, recruiting for Middlesex Militia
in, 46, 222-3 j Volunteer insubordina-
tion in, 199
Nottinghamshire, Volunteer spirit in,
92 ; Subdiv. clerk absconds, 196 ;
Volunteers dislike Local Militia, 216;
Local Militia enlist in Reg. Militia,
258 n.* ; weakness of Militia, 274
Nuneaton, cost of substitutes, 195
Oman's Hist, of Peninsular War, ref.
to, 220 n.
Ormskirk, ballot troubles at, 216, 217 n?
Otranto, French occupation of, 7
Palmerston, Viscount, Secretary at War,
234 ; his Militia bills, 250-54
Pancras, St., Volunteer insubordination
in, 102-3
Parochial officers, ballot duties, 15, 41 ;
under Permanent Additional Force
Act, 130-3, 142-4, 152-3, 283 j
lack of zeal, 155 ; share in insur-
ance, 42-4 ; as crimps, 191 ; raise
Militia recruits, 226
Pearce, insurance agent, 45
Peebles, dislike of Militia, 48 ; Volun-
teers in, 91
Pembrokeshire, lack of arms for Volun-
teers, 86 ; Militia quota, 197 ;
Volunteers and Local Militia, 217;
Militia volunteer for service in
Spain, 221
Penzance, French transport at, 230
Perceval, Spencer, decision as to Volun-
teer right of resignation, 100, 121 ;
as to fines, 123 ; defends Permanent
Additional Force Act, 163 «.; defends
Volunteers, 169 ; Prime Minister,
234
Permanent Additional Force Act. See
under Acts of Parliament
Perthshire, dislike of Militia, 49 ; Volun-
teers in, 60 «., 80, 83, 91 ; failure
of Permanent Additional Force Act,
152; ballot troubles, 237; special
recruiting by Militia, 271 n.
Pevensey, dislike of Local Militia, 245
Pitt, William, ist Earl of Chatham. His
Militia Act, 48, 209, 215
Pitt, William, weakness of military ad-
ministration, 3, 284 ; West Indian
policy, 10 J Volunteer system under,
12, 49, 119, 124 ; as Volunteer, 92,
115, 122 J original plan for Army of
Reserve, 120 ; opinion on Volunteer
fines, 123 ; censure of Addington's
Government, 127 ; takes office, 128 j
his Army scheme, 127, 161, 283 j
Permanent Additional Force Act,
130-4, 144 ; speech on Volunteers,
139; his Militia Enlistment Bill,
145-7 ; schemes of offensive opera-
tions, 147-52 j death, 156
Plate, River, expedition to, 174
Plumer, Thomas, letter of, 1 1 1 n} and ^
Plymouth, weak Militia at, 72 n. ;
Volunteer exemption difficulty, 88 ;
Volunteers as guards, 198
Pocock, Sir J., letter of, 89 n.®
Pomerania, Swedish troops in, 151
Popham, Sir Home, expedition to Buenos
Ayres, 149, 174, 201
Pole-Carew, R., letter to, 103 n.
Portland, Duke of, as L.L., 37
Portugal, action against England, 180 ;
expeditions to, 219, 233 ; army in
British pay, 235, 260
Portsmouth, Volunteers as guards at, 198
Powell, Kynaston, letter of, 87 «.* ; 94 n?
Powell, P. L., letter of, 10 1 n.^
Powis, Captain, letter of, 82 n.
Pressburg, Treaty of, 156
Principals (in Militia), term explained,
16; their rarity, 40, 47; 196-75
in Army of Reserve, 73. {See also
under Militia, Insurance.)
Provisional Battalions, explained, 276,
278 ; failure of, 280 ; numbers of,
280
Prussia, policy in Europe, 145, 150, 152,
157, 179, 221, 274; defeat at Jena,
1 74 ; armed with British Volun-
teers' weapons, 270
Pulteney, General Sir James, opinion of
short service, 161 j of the Volun-
teers, 169 ; defends Permanent
Additional Force Act, 163
Quakers, Militia fine for, 18 ; fine under
Training Act, 170
Radnor, Volunteers in, 92, 1 10
Recruiting, for Regular Army. Ordinary,
numbers obtained by, in 1803-5, '5^ j
INDEX
3^5
1805-7, 175; 1807-8, 219, 2215
1810,250; 1811,259; 1812,268
From Militia, forbidden by Act of
1802, 14 ; permitted by 8pccial
legislation, 5-6; 145-7, 158, i79»
182-3, 185, 226, 235, 251-4 ; 257 ;
271 ; 275-6
From Irish Militia, forbidden, 228 ;
special legislation for, 126, 165-6,
183, 226
From Local Militia, permitted, 214,
230 ; forbidden during training,
214, 229
From Army of Reserve, permitted, 30,
.71, 147. "57, "•'^j 158
Pitt's reforms for, 127-9 i ^34> '42-3,
152-3 ; Windham's reforms (^see
under Recruiting, short service) ;
their temporary success, 175 ; further
changes, 261, 264, 271 ; inade-
quacy of, 145, 175, 180; summary
of methods, 282-7 ; competition of
Regulars and home defence forces,
74, 127-8, 155, 166; recruiting of
boys, 145, 164, 288 ; and for Militia
also, 191, 253, 256, 260-1, 286 ;
from gaols, 288-9 ; system of raising
men for rank, 1-3, 126-7 5 ^nd
battalions as recruiting depots, 180 ;
203
Short service, under Queen Anne, 2 ;
Craufurd advocates, 131, 160 ;
Windham's reforms, 143, 159-61,
284; military opinions of, 161-2;
terms of, 164-5 > failure of> 202-3,
285 ; temporary success, 175 >
optional, 204, 208, 251
Regiments : Life Guards, strength in
1803, 10 ; easily recruited, 176
13th Light Dragoons, 232
17th Light Dragoons, enlistment of,
162-3
First Royals, 9
12th Foot, 2nd battalion of, 287
49th Foot, service in North America,
Sixtieth, 9, 176, augmentation of, 277
78th Highlanders, 2nd battalion, 126 ;
recruits for, 154
79th Highlanders, 2nd battalion, 126;
recruits for, 154
87th Foot, 127 n.
95 th Foot, 290
Royal York Rangers, penal battalion,
289
De Roll's, 9
De Watteville's, 9
King's German Legion, 151, iS7-8>
260
Renewal money, term explained, 20
Renfrew, Volunteers in, 9 1
Reserve Act, Army of. See under AcU of
Parliament
Reserve, Permanent, Pitt's scheme for,
129, 152-3; failure of, 154-65
weakness of, 158
Reynolds, Lawrence, letter of, 99 ».'
Richmond, Duke of, work as L.L., 3$,
57. 89. 93. »>8, 136, 155; as
Volunteer, 112
Richmond, Volunteer insubordination at,
199-200
Ripon, Volunteer insubordination at,
108
Risbridge, Volunteer insubordination at,
216
Roli9a, action of, 220
Rolle, Lord, letter of, 10 1 ; letter to,
217 n?
Romney, Local Militia riot at, 245
Ross, dislike of Militia, 4S ; of Army of
Reserve, 70 ; Volunteers in, 91,
110, 114, 187; Volunteers and
Local Militia, 216 ; special recruit-
ing by Militia, 271 ; Highlander
Militia, 272 n*
Rotherham, Volunteers called out on
false alarm, 150
Rous, Lord, letter of, 1 39-40
Roxburgh, Billeting Act in, 69 ; Volun-
teers in, 91
Russia, policy in Europe, 145, 150, 152,
156-7, 180, 234; co-operation with
England, 148, 152, 157 ; Napoleon's
invasion of, 268
Rutland, clerical Volunteers, 113; Militia
quota, 196
Ryder, Mr., speech on short service,
St. Lucia, capture of, 10
Saints, battle of the, 149
Salamanca, battle of, 268
Sardinia, defence of, 148
Scheldt, expedition to the, 233
Scotland, jealousy of L.Ls., 36 ; insur-
ance societies in, 42, 194 ; hatred of
Militia, 48-9, 90-1, 236-8, 255 »
Supplementary Militia in, 55 j
Volunteers in, 60, 82, 89, 108, 114,
168 ; hatred of Army of Reserve,
70 ; untouched by Windham's re-
forms, 168-9 ; Local MilitU in,
216, 244. {See alto undtr name*
of counties, and Militia, Scottish.)
Scott, Sir Walter, as Yeoman, 118
Sedentary Militia. Ste under Militu, The
Local .
Selkirk, Lord, his plan for NaUooai
Training, 211
326
INDEX
Selkirk, dislike of Militia in, 49 ; Volun-
teers in, 91, 118
Seven Years' War, recruiting during, 2-3
Sheridan, R. B., speech on Volunteers,
122 ; moves repeal of Permanent
Additional Force Act, 144 5 as
Colonel of Volunteers, 218-19
Shipley, W. D., letter of, 86 n}
Shrewsbury, arms for Volunteers at, 87
Shropshire, lack of arms for Volunteers,
86-7 ; Volunteer exemption troubles,
88 ; Volunteer spirit in, 92 j checked
by Friendly Society, 94 ; enlistment
of Militia into Line, 186
Sicily, expedition to, 148, 159; troops
in, 220 ; troops taken from, 268
Sidmouth, Volunteer insubordination at,
109-10
Simcoe, General, his work with Volun-
teers, 72 n.*, 75, loi, no, 118
Skye, hatred of Militia in, 255
Somerset House Volunteers, 218-19
Somersetshire, the Volunteers in, 89-90,
94, 105-6, 198 ; Militia trouble,
189 «.^ 5 quota, 197 J Local Militia
riot in, 232-3 ; case of Local Militia
officer, 258 n?
Soult, Marshal, defeated at the Nivelle,
275
Southwark, Volunteer insubordination in,
Spain, asks British help, 219, 221 ;
campaigns in, 233, 249, 259, 268,
275
Spencer, General Brent, 219-20
Spitalfields, price of substitutes, 70 ;
Volunteers in, in n.
Staff corps. The Royal, 9
Staffordshire, dislike of Army of Reserve in,
70 ; Volunteers in, 86-7, 94, 92, 1 10;
Militia quota, 196 ; cost of substi-
tutes, 256 ; local Militia riot, 233 n.
Stanhope's Life of Pitt, ref. to, 148
Stanley, Lord, letter of, 240 n.
Stanley, T., letter of, 256
Stannaries, The, Militia of, 14, 22, 270 ;
Volunteers of, 72 n.
Stirling, dislike of Militia in, 48 \ Volun-
teers in, 91, 108 ; trouble over
marching-guinea, 258 n.^
Stockport, Local Militia untrustworthy,
267
Stralsund, expedition to, 179-80
Stroud, Tower Hamlets Militia recruited
from, 227
Strutt, Joshua, letter of, 85 n.^
Stuart, General Sir John, 233
Subscription societies. See Insurance
Substitutes and Substitution, in the
Militia, permitted by Pitt, 4 ; and
by Act of 1802, 17, 282 ; terms
of service, 17-18 ; personal and
parochial substitutes, 17 j desertion
of, 20, 46-7 ; cost of, 3, 5, 54-5,
58, 126, 195, 197, 238, 255-6 }
question of standard of height, 33,
189 ; outnumber principals, 40, 47,
197 j troubles with, 195, 272 j
enlistment of Local Militia as, 244
In the Army of Reser-ve, permitted by
Act, 28, 283 ; terms of service,
28-9, 133 ; parochial substitutes,
28 ; cost of, 70 ; outnumber
principals, 73 ; Pitt's scheme, 127
In the Local Militia, substitutes for-
bidden, 211, 215, 262, 285; com-
promise, 1812, 265. {See alio under
Insurance, Ballot, Bounties, and
Militia)
Suffolk, Volunteers in, 139-40, 216}
Militia quota, 197 ; special recruit-
ing by Militia, 271
Sun newspaper, 77
Surinam, capture of, 10
Surrey, Militia recruiting in, 46-7 ;
Volunteer exemption difficulty, 81 ;
lack of arms for Volunteers, 87 ;
Volunteer insubordination, 104, 199-
200; and inefficiency, 218; reten-
tion of corps, 269 j Militia refuse to
enter Line, 147 ; officer as insurance
agent, 193
Sussex, D.L. and postage rates, 38-9 j
dislike of Army of Reserve, 57 ;
cost of substitutes, 70 ; Volunteers
in, 89, 93, no, 112, 118 ; failure of
Permanent Additional Force Act,
155-6; Militia quota, 197; and
fines, 197 ; Volunteer dislike of
Local Militia, 216
Sutherland, lack of arms for Volunteers,
85 ; Volunteer spirit, 91 ; principals
in the Militia, 255
Sweden, king's hatred of Napoleon, 151;
policy in Europe, 174, 179, 180,
274 ; expedition to, 219
Talavera, campaign of, 233-4
Talents, Ministry of all the, 156, 173
Tarento, occupied by the French, 7
Tarleton, General, defends Permanent
Additional Force Act, 163
Taunton, Local Militia riot at, 232-3
Tenterden, dislike of Local Militia at, 245
Tierney, George, as Volunteer, 103 ;
speech against Militia Enlistment
Bill, 222
Tilsit, Treaty of, 180
Titchfield, Lord, correspondence with
Sheridan, 218-19
INDEX
327
Tobago, capture of, 10
Torres Vedras, campaign or, 249
Tower Hamlets, recruiting of Militia,
45, 227 ; Militia quota, 196 ;
Volunteer quota, 92
Townsend, George, Marquis, as L.L., 35
Trafalgar, battle of, 156
Training Act. S««Wer Acts of Parliament
Training, National, Windham's scheme,
168-73, '^lli 284; Castlercagh's
scheme, 205-6, 208, 210, 265-6,
287 } Lord Selkirk's scheme, 211
Transport, under First Defence Act, 25 ;
regulations of 1803, 136-7
Treaty of Amiens, 6
Treaty of Tilsit, 180
Tredegar, C. Morgan of, letter from, 82 ».
"Twenty Pound Act" (Permanent
Additional Force Act), 142
Ulm, capitulation of, 150, 156
United Brethren, their exemption under
Training Act, 170
Vellore, mutiny at, 179
Vienna, capture of, 150
Villeneuve, Admiral, 149
Vimeiro, campaign of, 220
Vincent, John, Earl St., his economies, 7
Vittoria, battle of, 275
Volunteers (for legislation concerning,
ue under Acts of Parliament ; ite
alio under Yeomanry and Appendix
III.)
Slualificatiom of effective, 12, 24, 34,
59, 121, 134, 216, 241
Exemptions of, under Militia Act,
1802, 12, 16, 59, 81, 88, 121, 134,
274; under first Defence Act, 25,
75 } under Army of Reserve Act,
27, 57, 76 ; under Billeting Act,
34. 58, 65-6, 76, 134, 283 ; Volun-
teer Exemption Act, 121, 134;
Volunteer Consolidation Act, 121,
134, 188; Permanent Additional
Force Act, 130, 133 ; under Train-
ing Act, 170 ; Completion of Militia
Act, 1807, 184, 187-8 ; under
Local Militia Act, 212, 274; corps
refusing exemptions, 90, 134, 136
Allowances of, in 1802, 13, 59, 75 ;
by regulations of March 1803, 59,
62; the June allowances, 61-2, 75,
79, 138, 172} August allowances,
64-5, 76,79, 114, 138, 172; by the
Consolidation Act, 135 j regulations
of 1803-4, 137-85 reduction of, by
Windham, 167-8, 172 ; increase of,
by Castlereagh, 178 j abuse of, 200 ;
stoppage of, 230
Volunteer*—
Discipline ot, 13, 34, 122, 124, ijj,
141 } fine*, 97, 99-IOO, 123, 1355
insubordination of, 99-110, 141,
199-200
Training of, 113, 117, 125, 166 {
clothmg, 62, 1 15-16, 125; arms,
lack of, 85-90, 121 i arms recalled
by Government, 269-70 ; composi-
tion of, Associations and Committees,
12, 60, 95-8; spirit of, 66-7, 78, 90-4,
141, 198-9 ; Officers of, elected, 96,
102-4, '22 ; Regular officer* among,
112, 140-1 ; weakness oC, 118,
140-1 ; dearth of, 113-14; rank
defined, 135, 167
Numbers of, increase in 1803, 14, 61 ;
limited, 63-4, 67-8 ; effective
strength, 1803,69; in 1806, 159;
1803-1807, 197-8; in 1808, 209;
reduction under Windham, 173 ;
gradual decrease, 258, 269 ; transfer
to Local Militia, 210, 213-14, xi6-
17, 228, 261
Various reforms of, by regulations of
1803-4, 136-9 ; permanent duty, 9S,
118, 137-9, 141, 182, 282; by
Windham, 166-9, 172-3, 198 ; 1^
Castlereagh, 177-8, 182, 198,204-5,
208,215-16; proposed by Calvert's
memo, 224
Miscellaneous mention. Volunteer*
before 1800, 4; Col. Vy»e's recom-
mendations, 59-61; anomalous
system, 68, 79-82 ; quotas, 79 ;
controlled by Home Office, 67, 141 ;
question of right to resign, 100- x,
121, 135 ; use of lash in, 110 ; cost
to nation, 117, 251 ; called out on
false alarm, 1 50 ; used as guards,
198, 230; sergeants as recruiting
officers, 178 ; specimens of ineffi-
ciency, 218-19 ; enlistment of Local
Militiamen, 244
Other uses of the word : in Militia
Act of 1802, 17 ; in Naval Transfer
Act, 26 n. ; in Army of Reserve Act,
28
Vyse, Colonel, recommendations of, 59-
61, 83-4
Wagram, battle of, 234
Wakefield, Volunteer insubordination at,
108
Walcheren, expedition to, 177, 233, 288
Walcott, W., letter to, 58 «.
Wales, high bounties in, 197 ; Volun-
teers enlist in Local Militia, 217;
and ue under names of counties
Warwickshire, insurance society in, 45,
328
INDEX
193-4 n. ; arms for Volunteers, 87 ;
Volunteer quota, 92 ; generosity of
L.L., 94; crimping in Militia,i9i-2;
enlistment of boys, 191 ; cost of sub-
stitutes, 195; Local Militia riot, 249
Welles ley, Marquess, 268 «.
Wellington, Arthur, ist Duke of, success
in India, 145 ; expeditions to Portu-
gal, 220, 233 ; fighting in Spain,
249, 259, 275 J introduces Irish
Militia Consolidation Bill, 228
Weser, the Lower, expedition to, 152
West Wrathing, Volunteer insubordina-
tion in, 109
Westminster, Militia recruiting in, 46-7 ;
Volunteers in, 90, 92
Westmoreland, Militia in Provisional
Battalions, 278, 280
Weyland, J., letter of, 84 ».3
Whitbread, Samuel, speech on election of
Volunteer officers, 122; on fines,
123 ; on Volunteer system, 124-5 >
on Permanent Additional Force Act,
144 ; his amendment to Local
Militia Act, 214 ; on Local Militia,
229 n.^, 241
Whitelocke, Lieut.-General John, opinion
of short service, i6i
Whittaker, Captain, an insurance agent,
193
Whyte, Lieut.-General, as Volunteer, 112
Wicklow, special recruiting by the
Militia, 271
Wight, Isle of. Militia refuse to enter
Line, 186 ; cost of substitutes, 197 ;
Volunteer insubordination in, 199
Wilbcrforce, WilUam, speech on failure
of Permanent Additional Force Act,
163
Winding, Richard, letter of, i n n} and tt.^
William, Duke of Clarence, 75 n,
Wilson, Thomas, letter of, 1 96 ».
Wiltshire, Volunteers in, 92, 94, 200,
216 ; Local Militia riot, 249
Windham, W., speech on ballot, 3 ; on
Provisional Cavalry, 5 } on defensive
policy, iij on Volunteers, ii6, 124;
on Permanent Additional Force Act,
130-1, 143 ; Secretary at War, 156;
his reforms, 159-61, 164-6, 175,
202-3, ^^4» 2^^ j resignation of,
173 J speech on Castlereagh's pro-
posals, 182 J his thirteen proposi-
tions, 204 ; speech against Local
Militia Act, 2 10- 11 ; criticism of
Local Militia, 230 ; death, 251
Windsor Castle, return of Volunteers at,
79 "; 91
Windsor, unfair distribution of arms to
Volunteers, 87
Windward Isles (West Indies), raid of
French upon, 149
Wood, Colonel, illegal recruiting, 47,
222-3
Wood, P., insubordinate Volunteers, 103
Worcestershire, inefficient L.L., 36 n. j
Volunteers in, 92, 104-5 j Local
Militia riot, 249
Wotton-under-Edge, Volunteer insub-
ordination at, 107
Wynn, Sir Watkin W., influence with
Denbigh Militia, 279-80
Wynyard, Lieut.-Gen., letter of, 272 ».'
Yeomanry, for Exemptions, Allowances,
Discipline, Qualification, etc., see
under Volunteers,
considered as Volunteer cavalry, 59,
74 ; quota in Bucks, 93 ; rank
of officers, 135, 167 j brigaded,
139-40 } Windham's reductions,
167-8, 172 ; case of insubordination,
199 5 transfer to Local Militia, 213,
261 ; retention and reform of, 270
York, Frederick, Duke of, as Commander-
in-Chief, 161,234,260; encourages
Militia enlistment into Line, 183 ;
recruiting reforms, 261 j plans for
second battalions, 284, 287-8 ;
enlistment of boys, 288
Yorke, Charles, Secretary for War,
estimates in 1803, 11 ; controls
Volunteers, 67-8 ; speech on Army
of Reserve, 72 ; and on Pitt's pro-
posals, 128 ; foolish policy, 93 j
introduces Volunteer Consolidation
Bill, 121-2; mentioned, 78
Yorkshire (E. R.), Militia recruiting,
54; cost of substitutes in, 197 j
Volunteers in, 92, 106
(N. R.), failure of Permanent Addi-
tional Force Act, 163 ; cost of sub-
stitutes, 197
(W. R.), work of L.L., 36-7 ; method
of ballot, 39 «. j Billeting Act in,
69 ; complaint of Home Office care-
lessness, 77 ; Volunteers in, 92, loi,
108, 110, 274 ».^; dislike of Levy
en Masse Act, 118-19; farmers
refuse to muster waggons, 137;
alarm of invasion, 1 50 ; failure of
Permanent Additional Force Act,
163; Militia quotas, 196; Local
Militia suppress riots, 267
Young, Sir W., speech on Billeting Act,
6s».3
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