valued the character and safety of the country, so much admired. Ministers determined at once that the volunteers should not be increased any further, but that, on the contrary, their numbers should be diminished. The notice of this determination was speedily circulated among the volunteers, accompanied by the honourable gentleman's vote of thanks. Thus the volunteers were complimented for that, which government at the same time told them they did not wish for, they would not accept. There is a word in French, remercier, which literally implies returning thanks for proffered services, which it is not intended to accept; and this word has close analogy to the conduct of ministers in the communication of the motion of thanks, which they agreed in, in company with the strange resolution which I have already mentioned.

In regard to the enrolment of volunteer corps, so far as such enrolment is connected with the provisions of the defence act, I must again repeat the complaint I have often made, of the total omission of government, to execute the powers vested in it by that act; and any difficulties that have arisen in the progress of the ballot, I do conceive to be attributable to the non-exercise of the power I have referred to. As to the refusal of adequate pecu niary, and military aid to the volunteers, I must observe, that it is amongst the most culpable and inconsistent part of the conduct of ministers. Without going minutely into the consequences of such conduct, which it would be more convenient to detail in the proposed committee, I have only at present to remark, that whatever difference of opinion may exist between my honourable friend on the lower bench and me, with respect to the volunteers, and the practicability of rendering them perfect in military discipline, there can be no difference between us as to this point, that they ought to be furnished with the best instruction that is attainable, and both he and I have a right to complain of ministers in not following up their own principle, by giving the necessary aid to promote the improvement of the volunteers. My honour

* Mr. Windham.

able friend has always maintained, that the volunteers cannot be rendered equal to, or fit to act with regular troops; but ministers have uniformly resisted this opinion. Why then have they not provided adequately for the execution of their own ideas? No; they have only allowed pay for twent ys in a year, although, in the opinion of all military men, no new raised regi. ment of the regular army, with all the advantages of subordination, martial law, &c. could be disciplined fit for service in less than six weeks or two months. Will any man say, that so short á period should be deemed sufficient for the discipline of the volunteers? But I shall be told, probably, that it was expected the volunteers would, independently of the twenty days, attend to drill on every Sunday. If they were, still should I maintain that, Sundays included, the time was not sufficient to instruct them, and should not be relied on in the existing circumstances of the country, when we are daily menaced with invasion-that invasion which ministers have been perpetually telling us was daily to be expected since the middle of last summer. Notwithstanding this apprehension, such has been the behaviour of ministers, that I much fear, if the enemy should not attack us until even the middle of next summer, he would find the volunteers very imperfectly disciplined.

I cannot help expressing my surprise that ministers could have ever seriously calculated upon the probability that the labouring classes, of whom so many of the volunteers consist, would be so prompt to devote the only day they have for recreation and repose to the study of military discipline. It certainly did not betray any policy or consideration so to calculate; but even supposing they were so to assemble, and also to attend the twenty days, how were they to attain the instruction desired from the present mode, and from that which has prevailed uniformly? I suggested to ministers a plan of instruction, which I was told should be considered; but as they have never yet acted upon it, nor appear at all to consider it, their promise of consideration upon this, as well as upon other points, reminds me of a practice in the legislative assembly of a neighbouring nation (the United States of Holland);

in which, when it was determined to get rid of a question, the resolution was ad referendum, which meant to take no more notice of it. The nature of the project I thought it my duty to recommend to ministers, related particularly to that which I have often mentioned in this house. For the advancement of the discipline of the volunteers, I urged the necessity of appointing adjutants to a certain number of men. This has been in part acceded to, but in what manner? An adjutant is appointed to such corps only as amounts to 400 men, and to them only in case they exercise eighty days in the year, although the men are allowedpay but for twenty days. Where, I would put it to the common. sense of any man, can be found a stronger instance of weakness and inconsistency, than this order furnishes? No provision is made for the pay of the adjutant, unless the corps exercise eighty days, for one-fourth of which only the men are made any allowance. Is not this alone enough to expose the mind of ministers—to shew their disacquaintance with the means of executing their own purposes? Indeed, I am perfectly convinced of their want of vigour; every circumstance serves to shew it; and I have therefore the strongest conviction upon my mind, that they are inca pable of acting upon any thing like system, of adopting or executing any well digested or energetic plan for the defence of the country. I do not of course place any hope on their exertions, and therefore concur in the propriety of the proposed committee, where every question connected with our security may be fully investigated.

One reason, I recollect, for so tardily adopting the plan for the appointment of adjutants, was the difficulty of procuring officers from the line to fill those stations. I recommended that serjeantmajors should be chosen ; but to this I was told, that serjeantmajors could not be persuaded to give up their situations for such adjutancies, unless they were allowed half-pay. I saw no good reason for declining to make this allowance, and I therefore advised it in December last. I was promised that the subject would be taken into consideration. I afterwards applied, in March, to know the result of the consideration, but I was told that no de

cision was made; and I understand it is undecided still, while the discipline of the volunteers does and has for months back so imperatively called for an immediate decision respecting it, although this was one of the defects in the volunteer system, which government promised to cure.

When, before last Christmas, an application was made to ministers with regard to the confusion which prevailed among the volunteers, the gentlemen who applied were desired to wait until, after the Christmas recess, when a digested plan would be brought forward by ministers, which should remove and prevent the recurrence of the evils complained of, and communicate to the volunteer system all the perfection of which it was susceptible. This digested plan has been laid before the house, and at length made its way, after various alterations, through it. Those alter ations were added in the house of lords; and now that it is returned to us, there is scarcely one feature remaining of the original measure, of the well-digested plan of ministers. The suggestions made to them by others they reluctantly adopted, and the object of those suggestions they in some instances have almost defeated, as in the case of inviting the volunteers to permanent duty, and applying the guinea proposed to be given them as bounty, which is to be distributed in such a way as to hold out no inducement to the men, or benefit to their families.

Ministers have been equally injudicious in every other project of defence, from the army of reserve, to the enrolment of classes under the general defence act ;-an act which I had the honour of a large share in suggesting, and I lament much that ministers did not adopt it at a more early period; but the fact is, that so far from ministers having spontaneously taken any vigorous proceeding for the defence of the country since the commencement of the war, I state broadly, that no part of the measures for the increase of our military establishment has originated with them. the right honourable gentleman means to deny my assertion, I shall appeal to the recollection of the house, whether in June last, when the army estimates were under discussion, I did not

If

ask the right honourable secretary at war*, after he had finished his statement—I did not ask if what he had mentioned comprehended all the provision that ministers meant to make for the defence of the country? To this I was answered in the affirmative, and I accordingly gave notice of my intention to submit a measure founded on the same principle with that of the army of reserve. Any benefit that may have resulted from that measure is not, I assert, attributable to ministers, who were quite at a loss what course to take-who knew not, in fact, what measures were ap➡ plicable to the dangers of the country.

I will not dwell on the execution of the army of reserve act, as I shall go into that subject very fully on Wednesday next, and if I should not then have the good fortune of persuading the house to accede to the proposition which I would wish to have ingrafted on the army of reserve bill, in order to provide a constant and regu lar supply of recruits for our regular army, I shall feel an advantage in the existence of such a committee as the motion before the house proposes to establish, as I may thus have an opportus nity of again pressing the project upon the consideration of the house;―a project which, if I am able to demonstrate its practicability for great objects in view, I am sure that every man will feels to be desirable, and all will be ready to give it their concurrence. If I can shew that even a small increase can be derived from this project to our regular army, it is impossible to doubt! that any member will refuse it his support. The mode proposed' by ministers to raise any addition to the regular army, to supply the suspension of the army of reserve, I confess I cannot under stand. They have not stated any inducement to men to enlist beyond eight guineas bounty, and how they can procure them for such a sum, while thirty guineas and more are given for militia 'substitutes, it is difficult to imagine, unless the intention be that which no one has yet avowed, because all have been unanimous in condemning the practice, viz. that of raising men for rank. It may be said that this practice has prevailed when I was in