fection,
that such an important branch of our provincial constitution requires.
The last year two Inspecting Officers were appointed to inspect the two
great divisions of the Province.

There are abundant materials to form a good effective Militia in this
Province. The youth are in general docile and orderly, and have a great
aptitude to attain the requisite discipline; there are also a number of
disbanded soldiers and other persons acquainted with discipline,
scattered through the country; so that there are few districts, but
where there are persons qualified to act as drills. The want of arms is
indeed a great check to the military spirit, as nothing is more taking
to boys when first put to drill, than to have arms; and although many
requisites of discipline, such as marching, wheeling, &c. can be
acquired full as well without them; yet nothing makes a young lad so
alert as to have a musket put into his hands.

To get persons to excel in any thing, it is requisite first of all if
possible to create an attachment and liking to it; and to get the youth
fully engaged in acquiring martial discipline, it is a primary object
to make it pleasing to them. If therefore the different corps were at
their musters to be supplied with arms and a few rounds of cartridges,
and taught to skirmish, it would act as the greatest stimulous to the
youth, and would soon make an alteration for the better at the
trainings; by making them a recreation and time of amusement: while it
would make the Militia familiar with the use of arms--which is at
present altogether lost sight of.

The writer is well aware that many arms formerly issued to the Militia
have been destroyed, and that this might again happen; but surely some
method might be adopted to prevent such abuses, and still to furnish
the different corps with arms while at drill, by forming depots for
lodging the arms, and appropriating some of the fines to keep them in
order. In scattered districts, one, two or more companies arms might be
kept together; and in towns Arsenals might be erected where two or
three thousand stand might be deposited. Such buildings would not only
be highly useful, but ornamental to the different places: and as there
are but few serviceable arms in the Province at present, some steps
should be taken to procure a sufficient number, and not to let the
country remain in its present naked condition. It certainly appears
like an anomaly in our preparations for de