which would refult from not having recourfe, to it. On the fubject of invafion, he had no difficulty in faying, that, looking to the population and refources of the country, he was well affured that if we availed ourselves of them, we had nothing whatever to apprehend. In adverting to the effe& of the measure, or the induftry of the country, by taking away fo many perfons from labour, he did not conceive that any inconvenience would be felt beyond what had been experienced at former periods. In the last war, there were raised for the militia 114,386 men, including Scotland. The number of men now railed for the established and fupplementary 'militia, amounted to 72,963 men, to which it was propofed by the prefent plan to add 40,000 for Great Britain: this would make the whole force for this country amount to 112,963 men, being 1,423 lefs than during the last war. With refpect to the measure itself, it was the intention of his Majefty's Minifters, that the army to be raised should confift of 40.oco men for Great Britain, and the islands of the Channel (Guernfey and Jerfey), and 10,000 for Ireland. The fervice of the troops to be reciprocal, thofe raised in England to ferve in Ireland, and thofe raifed in Ireland to ferve England. Upon the fubject of finding officers for thefe corps, he would ftate what was in contemplation of his Majefty's Minifters. It was propofed that they fhould be perfons who had held army rank, and had ferved either in the fencible corps, or in the Eaft India Company's fervice. By this there would be at once adopted an effectual means of finding officers. From what he had faid, their Lordships would understand, that it was intended the men fhould be raifed, on the principle of the militia, by ballot, and that they fhould be taken out of the counties and districts, with the addition of fuch volunteers as thought proper to offer their fervices, and enrolled for Great Britain, Ireland, and the islands in the Channel. The age of the perfons to be raised, to be from 18 to 45. Their Lordships would perceive that there was nothing in any act of Parliament under which men were railed for the militia, to prevent their entering into the regular army: they were at liberty to do fo if they pleafed. The meafure would therefore operate as a means of increafing the difpofable force of the country. It was unneceflary for him to ftate, with refpect to a difpofable force, that although the one propofed to be raised was not of that defcription, yet when it thould have been formed, which he trufted it fpeedily would be, it would be found

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available for all the purposes of internal defence and protec tion. He did not state this as a plan with regard to which he was not convinced there were many objections. He had only to fay, that after mature confideration, and after confulting with thofe beft able to give thofe opinions which might be relied on, he thought it a measure most likely to effect what their Lordships had in view. If any of their Lordfhips could fuggeft a plan more likely to be attended with beneficial refults, there would, be every difpofition on the part of his Majefty's Minifters to receive it. The one he had propofed was the only plan his Majefty's Ministers were enabled to fuggeft, and he trusted they would have the fupport of their Lordships in any bill they might think it right to bring forward. Having thus far opened the plan, he fhould move, that an humble addrefs fhould be prefented to his Majesty, to return him thanks for his moft gracious melage, and to affure him that this Houfe was impelled, by every confideration, readily to concur with his Majesty in fuch measures as were beft calcuated for the fecurity of the kingdom, and the profecution of the war.

The Duke of Clarence faid, he had littened with the greatest attention to the noble Lord. It was impoffible for him, as a Member of the House of Lords, and refiding in the metropolis, not to have heard fomething of the nature of the propofition for the defence of the country. He could not ap prove of the principle even of the general outline of what the noble Secretary of State had propofed; but he candidly owned, that the outline was lefs objectionable than what the public at large had reafon to expect. The noble Secretary of State had faid, he was defirous of collecting the different opinions of their Lordthips, with refpect to meafures of offenfive or defenfive operations, and it was, therefore, he thought it his duty to addrefs them. He conceived that when the act of Parliament relative to the militia paffed this time twelvemonth, the fituation of the country was more critical than at prefent. The country was now entering upon a war with perfect unanimity. Every one was convinced of its juftice. It was not Malta that was the cause of the war; it was the reftiefs and arrogant spirit of the tyrant that governed France, that had forced us to go to war. It behoved all who entertained a refpect and veneration for the laws and conftitution, which had been handed down by our ancestors, to meet the danger with courage and intrepi dity. His Royal Highnefs re-ftated the plan propofed by the

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noble Secretary of State, after which he referred to the ftate of the country with regard to its internal ftrength in the reign of Elizabeth, when an invafion was threatened by means of the Spanish Armada, and the different periods when there existed a danger of invafion, particularly after the expulfion of the Suarts, at the different periods of 1713, 1742, and 1745. He entered into a warm panegyric of the fyftem of the militia, a fyftem to the operation of which, he said, his family owed the throne-he stated the great increase that had been made to the militia in the courfe of the war, which commenced in the year 1783; it was no lefs an addition than from 32,000 to 114,000. He expreffed his fatisfaction at the increased strength of the country. He faid, he should always be attached to the militia fyftem, and he trusted, that in recruiting the militia, reference would be had to that portion of the ftrength of the country which was to be found in the Highlands of Scotland. It was a part of the country in which the men were particularly qualified for foldiers. Thinking, as he did, the prefent meafure could not obtain his fupport. He had no wifh or defire to oppofe his Majefty's Minifters, for he was of opinion, that had his Majesty's Minifters broke off the negotiation fooner, they would have done an improper act: but having at length broken it off, and commenced war, it was their duty to have advised offenfive and not defenfive measures. He believed no country ever went to war with fo much unanimity, and it was therefore the duty of his Majefty's Minifters to recommend trong measures. He fhould with to propofe to raise 40,000 men for England, and 8,000 men for Scotland: if the population of that country would admit of more, he would have more raifed: 18,000 men were as much as Ireland could afford. Confidering the prefent fituation of Europe; confidering the conduct of that madly ambitious tyrant, the Corfican harlequin of mischief, he faw nothing that ought to excite alarm. He was not afraid of him, or any attempt he had it in his power to make; he would find thofe who were ready to meet him, if he ventured to come here. He wished to raise 40,000 men throughout the United Kingdom for general fervice, to go north, fouth, eaft, and weft, and to be officere by his Majelly's officers only; he would have them raised under the promise that they should be discharged at the end of the war. He alfo propofed that they fhould have his Majefty's bounty the fame as other foldiers; that they should be occafionally replaced, and be liable to ferve in America, the

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Eaft or Weft Indies, or any part of Europe, where their fervice might be neceffary. The force now to be raised, it was true, amounted to 50,000 men; but thefe, he contended, would not be fo efficient as 40,000 to go all over the world. He was defirous of having an offenfive force, and not merely a defenfive one. His Royal Highness faid, he was at no time difpofed to support motions for the production of papers, but he could with to move for an account, fhewing the amount of the exifting naval force of France and Spain. He should rejoice to fee the whole force of France and Spain venture out. Sure he was it would never find its way back, but would be brought into the ports of Great Britain. He obferved, that while France was governed by an ambitious man, the plan of an invasion of this country might be attempted; it therefore became us to be fully prepared; and thinking the measure propofed inadequate, he felt it his duty to oppose it.

Earl Grosvenor obferved, that it was defirable every degree of exertion poffible thould be made. He was happy to find there was that vigour in the measures of his Majefty's Minif ters which he always expected from them. The only doubt feemed to him to be with regard to the application of the force to be raised. The noble Secretary of State had given merely the outline of his plan. He hoped care would be taken, when the bill was brought forward, that there should be no impediments with refpect to recruiting for the line. The mode of raising thefe 50,000 men was by the fyftem which had been adopted for the last fifty years. Their Lord-· fhips would obferve, that the perfons ballotted for the militia were reprefented by others. This ftruck him as a defect in the militia fyftem If it was a defect, it was necessary to confider what other mode could be adopted. The other that prefented itself was, that those ballotted for fhould be obliged to ferve perfonally. To this there were objections; it approached too much to the fyftem adopted in France, and befides was not according to the general principles of the militia fyftem. Another was, that they thould ferve unless they could find fubftitutes for a given fum, fuch as would not interfere with railing troops of the line. This he threw out, that his Majefty's Minifters might turn the fubject in their minds. He undoubtedly rejoiced that this propofition had been made, because, conducted as he had no doubt the force to be raised would be, it must be more efficient than if VOL. IV. 1802-3. G g

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the defence of the country was intrusted to volunteers. No one was more disposed than himself to do justice to the zeal and bravery evinced by the volunteers in the course of the last war, but it must be evident to every one, it was impoffible, with regard to them, that such a fyftem of difcipline could be carried into effect, as would render their fervices efficient to meet the exigencies of the country.

The Earl of Carnarvon faid, It is difficult, without a fuller detail of the plan opened by the noble Secretary, to enter at large into the projected system of defence, though I certainly have ftrong objections. The outline, however, has been fufficiently masked to render it impoffible to let it pass without fome obfervation, left filence fhould be interpreted into acquiefcence, whilft I feel it my duty to refift the principles from whence it flows, and any plan derived from fuch a fource in every flage in which it thall prefent itself. The illuftrious perfon in the feat below me has truly observed, that this fyftem of defence is objectionable, for the very reafon that it is a fyftem of defence fimply, and on that account not calculated, according to the King's me ffage, to profecute the war with vigour the objection is moft forcible, and of the utmost importance; for a greater folly cannot be committed than to prefs into a war for any reason, and prepare only for defence; in this objection I entirely concur with the illuftrious perfon; nor is the objection leffened by the intended refervation to the men raifed by the propofed ballot, that they may at their pleafure enlift from the ftipulated defen five, into the regular unlimited fervice. This refervation in the very act that creates the limited fervice is an acknowledgment of its efficacy, admits the want of what is called a difpofeable force without providing for it; leaving it to chance, and to a double enlistment, which is a gross waste of the public refources, firft by the plunder of the ballotted man who individually pays for his home defence and is deprived of it, and by the fecond purchase of the fame recruit from one public fervice to another. The illuftrious person also said, that we are not at war fpecifically for Malta, but for the infupportable infults and ambitious encroachments of France: I mult in this take the liberty to differ in opinion, though indeed, by the fingular management of his Majesty's Miniters, every man avoids the minifterial reafon for the war, and adopts fome caufe in his own opinion more adequate and justifiable; but no man who has read the negotiations