These regulations, being found ex pensive, at length ceased to be observed, and the trainings of the militia were dis continued in every part of the realm ex cept the city of London. In 1756, under an apprehension that the country was about to be invaded by a French army, considerable bodies of Hanoverian and Hessian troops were brought over for its defence ; the spirit of the nation revolted however at the disgrace of being indebted to foreign mercenaries for protection ; and these troops being sent back to the Continent, a national militia was again raised and organised under an act of par liament in the 30th year of George The measure was generally popular, though it did not meet with universal ap probation; and there were many persons who maintained the opinion that, for want of military knowledge and habits, this species of force could not be relied on in the event of its being called into active service. Experience has however shown that such an opinion is destitute of foundation ; and it was soon afterwards admitted that, when well disciplined, these constitutional battalions rivalled those of the regular troops in the per formance of all military evolutions. It may be observed here, that the greater part of the 16,000 British troops who gained the battle of Talavera were men drafted from the militia regiments at home ; and so recently had they joined the army in Spain, that in the action many of them bore on their accoutrements the numbers of their fbrmer corps. (Na pier, vol. ii.) The militia laws were repealed in the 2nd year of George III., when a new act regulating the service of this force was passed ; and in the 26th George III. all the previously existing statutes relating to the force were formed into one law. New regulations however were made by acts passed in the 42nd, 51st, and 52nd years of the same reign. The militia of the kingdom when embodied and in active service is subject to the provisions of the Mutiny Act, or Articles of War; but when merely called out for annua training they are not subject to auy punishment which affects life or limb. The king is empowered to employ the mi litia in any part of the United Kingdom, but not out of it. The militia of Great Britain may serve in Ireland, and that of Ireland in Great Britain : the period of service for each out of the island to which it belongs, being at most two years. When called into active service the of ficers rank with those of an equal grade in the regular army, but as the juniors of each grade, and they may receive promo tion for meritorious services during a re bellion or an invasion ; but no officer of militia can serve on a court-martial at the trial of an officer or soldier of the regular troops.
All persons not labouring under bodily infirmity and not specially excepted, are liable to be chosen for private militia men and to serve either personally or by substitute. The persons excepted are— peers of the realm ; commissioned and non-commissioned officers and privates serving in the regular forces ; half-pay officers of the navy, army and marines, and commissioned officers who have served four years in the militia ; members of corps of yeomanry and volunteers, and privates serving in the local militia ; sea men and persons doing duty in the royal docks, at the gun-wharfs, and powder magazines ; also persons employed under the direction of the Board of Ordnance ; resident members of the two universities ; clergymen of the Established Church ; also Protestant dissenting preachers, pro vided they take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy, and exercise no other oc cupation, or only that of schoolmasters ; constables or other peace-officers ; articled clerks ; apprentices ; free watermen on the Thames ; poor men having more than three legitimate children, and persons above of age. To alleviate the
distress of a poor man, when drawn for the militia, and who has provided a sub stitute, the churchwardens of the parish are bound to return to him a sum not ex ceeding 51., or half the current price of a substitute. No one having served per sonally, or by substitute, during three years in the militia, can be obliged to serve again till it comes to his turn by mation ; but if a man has served as a substitute for another, this does not ex onerate him from serving again if chosen by the ballot.
The militia when embodied is trained and exercised by battalions or regiments twice in a year, and during fourteen days each time, or once in a year for twenty eight days, at the discretion of the lords lieutenants or their deputies.
The balloting of the militia has been suspended by successive acts of parlia ment since 1829. Since this period the commandants and staff only of the dis embodied militia have been kept up. The expenditure for this purpose amounts to about 100,0001. a year. The number of militia regiments is 76 for England and, Wales, 15 for Scotland, and 38 for Ire land. In December, 1845, a circular was addressed by the War Office to the colo nels of the different regiments of militia of Great Britain, requiring them to com plete the permanent staff of their respec tive regiments to the full number limited by 5 & 6 Wm. IV. c. 37, namely, one adjutant, one serjean•major, and seven serjeants. The staff of each regiment has been recently inspected ; and the cir cular recommends that notwithstanding some of the aerjeants were unfit for active duty, they should nevertheless be re tained, as they were capable of dis charging duties incidental to the ballot, enrolment, as well as the exercise of the militia, and would be able to afford as sistance on the first training. It was expected from these preliminaries a bal loting would ensue in the next year, but up to 1849 none had taken place.
The supplementary militia is an addi tional body of men which was first raised in 1793, for the defence of the country at that juncture. It may still be raised when the necessities of the state require it, and it is subject to the same regula tions as the ordinary militia. The local militia was a body raised in 1809, for the purpose of replacing, in certain districts, the corps of volunteers. By the 52nd George III., this force may be marched to any part of Great Britain in the event of a rebellion or an invasion, and it may be kept embodied till six months after the former is terminated or the latter re pelled. Persons enrolled in the local mi litia cannot be compelled to serve in the regular militia till one year after their period of service in the former has ex pired.
The whole amount of the several militia forces in England alone exceeded 200,000 men ; and during the late war, when an invasion of the country was ap prehended, the force which might have been assembled in arms amounted to more than twice that number of men.