of the amen iment, in order that his right hon. Friend's plan might be examined, to fee whether upon so bad ftock as the army of reserve act, a.iy, thing efficient could be grafted. At all events, he was perfuaded that nothing was likely to be worse.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer-Sir, I will detain the Houfe but for a very thort time. The right hon. Gentle man wh has just fat down, has alluded to fome opinious thrown out by an hon. General on the fame fide of the Houfe, with refpect to the militia; to the extent of which, although I do not fully fubfcribe, yet I'think it in fome meafure necellary to advert to them, for the purpofe of thewing that they are not precifely of that ftamp and character de fcribed by the right hon Gentleman on the for. That hon. General, in fpeaking of the mili a, admitted that they were an excellent defcription of military force, but at the fame time afferted, that for active military operations they could bear no comparison with the regular army. The right hon. Gentleman on the many occafions that he has alluded to that part of our national defence, has defcribed it as infufficient, unmilitary, and ridiculous, (a loud cr of No! no!) a leaft fuch was my conception of what he then faid, and I am confident! am not fingular in my opinion. Now, Sir, with regard to the prefent meafure, what does that right hon. Gentleman do? why, he objects to the poftponement of it, for no other reafon that I can collect from his long fpeech, but that he withes for its repeal. Other Gentlemen, and a very confiderable number I fear, object to it upon grounds' more confiftent than that of the right hon. Gentleman, and his particular triends; but I trust that a little confideration of the fubject will remove from their minds much of the doubt they entertain with regard to it. What is the object of the fufpenfion of the army of referve act? Why, Sir, it embraces that most defirable of all objects; that object in the promotion of which men of all parties have concurred, the augmentation of our regular army. The right hon. Gentleman has frequently difapproved of the operation of that act, as affecting the regular recruiting of the army; I will not go the length of faying, that it does not interfere in fome refpects with it, but I can never admit that it impedes it to the extent that is allerted by him. The country has experienced very great advantages from the adoption of that act, and the subfequent operation of it. The right hon. Gentleman has even the candour to avow it. It has produced to the country no le s than 37,co0 men, among which is to be VOL. II. 1803-4. 4 P reck

[COMMONS, reckoned a difpofable body of 12,000. These advantages it is our wish to continue to the country, and we think we cannot better arrive at that defirable end, than by a temporary fufpenfion of what has ceafed to produce the effects that it was originally formed for. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, wrote officially to, the Lord Lieutenants to encourage the purposes of that act; and notwithstanding all the recommendation it received from them, notwithstanding the fpirit and difpofition of the magiftrates in every part of the kingdom, to give it all the aid and advancement in their power, ever fince the month of November last, the inconveniencies resulting from it have by far exceeded the advantages; although previous to that period the benefit derived to the country from its operation, out-balanced confiderably its difadvantages, which I admit were neither few nor unimportant. It was not originally a meafure of choice. with his Majesty's Government, but it was forced on them by the peculiar circumstances of the country The immense number of volunteers, amounting to no lefs than 400,000 men; the 200,000 that were drawn from our population for the recruiting of the army and navy, rendered it an act of neceffity-of urgent inevitable neceffity; and fuch a measure as never would be reforted to but under the pressure of that neceffity. I fhall not attempt to follow the right hon. Gentleman above me (Mr. Pitt), through all the details of the complicated plan he has opened to you, but I have one confiderable, and to my mind, decifive objection to offer to it, and that is, that it tends to the creation of a great and permanent military establishment. I for one will never give my confent for placing a great portion of the community under the control and infpection of officers, who, however individually refpectable, fhould not be vefted with the power and the opportunity of continually teafing and foliciting the perfons under their control, to engage for general service. There were alfo other caufes which lately impeded the recruiting fervice. The time was happily unfavourable to it; I fay happily, because the cheapnefs of provifions removed that neceffity to feek for fubfiftence, that the lower claffes of fociety always experience in time of fearcity; and the 200,000 men that were enrolled into the army and navy, left fcarcely a difpofable perfon in the country. As to that part of the plan, which proposes the connecting of regiments with particular counties, although I always fpeak with diffidence on military matters, yet I am obliged to diffent from it, because not fufficiently taking into consideration

the

the varieties of character of the different manufacturing, agricultural, and commercial counties, I think it is likely to produce extreme inconvenience, and fcarcely one practical advantage. Upon the whole, I can discover nothing in the plan induce me to give my confent to defer the present measure. Now, Sir, much has been faid by the right hon. Gentleman on the floor, and by thofe who co-operate with him, refpe&ting the fpontaneous zeal which has been manifested by the country, fo much to its honour, and I trust as much to its advantage. My noble Friend has well explained what our fentiments on that fubject are.. He has faid, and truly faid, that the zeal of the country was a voluntary aid afforded to the Government at a critical period; and that the only merit that Government claimed, was that of having given a beneficial direction to a great public principle: The zeal of the country, I confefs, has amply conferred on Minifters the means of providing for our domeftic defence. But was it that fpontaneous zeal, which enabled Government to hold in blockade every one of the enemy's ports, from the Texel to the Adriatic? Was it that fpontaneous zeal, which enabled the Executive Government to effect greater conquefts within the first fix months of the war, than have been achiev ed in almoft the fame number of campaigns in former wars? That zeal I will acknowledge, and acknowledge with grati tude, has given us that defcription of torce which that right hon. Gentleman holds cheap, the hearts and hands of 400,000 volunteers; but at the fame time I will take the liberty to fay, that zeal has not given us all the means that have been fo fuccefsfully applied in maintaining the honour and the interefts of the empire. The right hon. Gentleman has often dwelt on the neceffity of promoting the recruiting service. But does he, can he fuppofe, that is to be accomplished by one mode only? Would he have been satisfied with the refult of the means fuggefted by that? I am perfuaded he would not. The hon. Gentleman well knows that it requires various meatures to draw out the population of the country, and to induce a change in its habits, that the means which have been fuccefsful at one time, may cease to operate in the fame way; and, therefore, that of neceffity different means must be reforted to. At prefent this country poifelfes a greater military force than any in the world, and much greater, I am happy to fay, than the enemy we have moft to apprehend from can oppose to us.. That force would never have existed to the extent that it does, if it was not diverfi4P 2

fied.

fied. The army of referve at has operated a fufficient length of time; no prefent advantages refult from it; and I therefore think it would be judicious to try what the temporary fufpention of i may do, towards increafing the disposable force of the country.

Mr. Ganning declared that the fpeech of the right hon. Gentleman who fpoke laft, appeared to him to have totally altered the grounds on which the Houfe was called to vote; or that his colleagues had unintentionally difclofed what their real motives were, for refifting the plan of his right hon. Friend. Others have treated it with fome degree of refpect, with fome fhew of decorum, and have admitted, that at another time it may be proper to extend to it fome little confideration; but the right hon. Gentleman confiders it as mifchievous in its nature, and has endeavoured to hold it up to Parliament, and to the country, as a measure the most odious and tyrannical, and as one bearing the fhew of providing for the public defence, by means contrary to the conftitution. That right hon. Gentleman has endeavoured to reprefent, or mifieprefent it, as a complete fubverfion of the principle, and deviation from the practice, by which ballots for limited fervice have been hitherto made The right hon. Gentleman, in oppofing the plan of his right hon. Friend. has taid, that he will not expofe a great part of the community to be tortured and folicited to enlift for foreign tervice; he who, not a fortnight ago, in the very teeth and face of the principle he had juft laid down, fupported a bill for enabling his Majesty to accept the voluntary offers of fervice of the Irish militia, and to procure which there must have been fome teafing and folicitation, for the returns would fhew that there was far from unanimity in the different regiments, as to the prudence or expediency of fuch offers. The principle of volunteering was fully acquiefced in by him, when a favourite. meature depending on it was to be carried; but when a plan is brought in by his right hon. Friend, which is to be canvaffed and examined, and new moulded by Parliament, then it is to be refifted in limine, because, forfooth, it would fubject a great portion of his Majefty's fubjects to be teased and folicited to volunteer for unlimited fervice. Could there be a more grofs, monftrous and unblufhing violation of every principle of confiftency or parliamentary decorum? His noble Friend on the bench below him, had excufed himself for not confenting to the introduction of the plan at this moment, by faying, that the confideration of it

might be advisable at another period, and that as he wished to have two ftrings to his bow, he probably would not be averfe from entertaining it then. He wilhed the noble Lord to preferve the two ftrings to his bow; and he hoped the time would come, and come fhortly, when he would fupport the plan of his right hon, Friend in all its details, with all the zeal that he now oppofed it. The plan of his right hon. Friend was but the foundation whereon he propofed to erect a folid and permanent fyftem of defence; and that foundation the right hon. Gentleman and his colleagues were anxious, not barely to undermine, but totally to raze and fweep away. As to the army of referve act, that was but a little part of the queftion, and he would not advert to it then, as many other occafions would arife for difcuffing the merits of it. It had been in an early part of the debate compared, with much felicity of humour and illuftration, both to a pump and an animal There was one animal it put him in mind of, the animal in the fable of the Boy and the goofe," which they had all read. The goofe daily produced a number of golden eggs, but the fimpleton who owned it, withed to get poffeffion of all the gold at once, and fo he killed it. He would leave it to the House to make the application.

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Mr. Baftard contended that the plan propofed by Mr. Pitt would be the moft arbitrary and unconftitutional that could be conceived, and inftead of its expofing men to be importuned, would, he feared, expofe them to be dragooned into general fervice. He contended that the militia was a conftitutional force which ought to be carefully cherished, and without meaning any difrefpe&t to the army, he was of opinion that the militia was a confti utional check on the army. As to the army of referve bill. he withed it was wholly repealed. It had been productive of much hardfhip and milery, as he had witneffed, and he hoped it would never be renewed. The plan of the right hon. Gentleman feemed calculated to produce all the evils of the army of referve act without the plea of the neceffity. He contended that the country was in fuch a state of preparation and defence, that to far from being afraid of invąfion, they longed to meet the enemy.

Mr. Hawkins Browne was anxious that the Houfe fhould go into a Committee on the bill.

The Attorney General faid, that the pain he felt in obtruding himfelt on an unwilling audience (there was a great cry for the question), could only be equalled by the pain he

fhould