that it would be abfurd to fpeculate upon a fuccessful invafion of this country. Perhaps it is happy for the future interefts of this empire that the occafion now offers, of which we fhould decifively avail ourselves, to fhew that any projects of attack upon our finances and independence, fuch as the French Government feems to entertain, must be vain and futile. The right honourable Gentleman again exhorted the Committee to look at the plan before them, to fuggeft any improvements that might occur to them, or a complete fubftitute, if they could devife it. Without enquiring into the general fyftems alluded to by the right hon. Gentleman, which it was not now neceffary to difcufs, he begged the Committee to confider whether the plan fubmitted to their judgment was or was not fit to be adopted in the prefent pofture of affairs, and calculated duly to fecond the other arrangements made to meet the fituation of the country. If it was fo thought, he begged of Gentlemen to turn in their minds, and to recommend the best means which might occur to them of rendering it more effectual, and carrying it into complete execution.

Mr. Pitt expreffed his fincere concurrence in the last fentiment of his right hon. Friend (the Chancellor of the Exchequer),, and his entire approbation of the principle of the plan before the Committee, but that he difapproved of fome of its provifions. He wished, however, to referve all difcuffion of the detail for a future opportunity.

Colonel Baflard rose to vindicate the militia, which he could not fubmit to hear vilified, traduced, and degraded, as it had been by the right hon. Gentleman on the floor. He did not wonder at the language now used by the right hon. Gentleman, for he remembered a circular letter, which had idued from the War Office on a former occafion, in which not only militia officers, but the officers of the army had been vilified. The letter had iffued on the fubject of fome abuses, and the answer which he had himself, as a militia officer, returned to the commandant of the district, and which he hoped had been returned to the War office, was, that if any officers were guilty, they ought to be punished, without infulting the whole body indifcriminately. He found the hon. Gentleman had brought the fame fentiments with him out of office, which he had entertained while in office. The right hon. Gentleman had faid, that militia officers were not as capable of establishing and maintaining fubordination, as officers of the line; but, he would ask what was more likely M m 2

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to promote a due fubordination, than foldiers of the militia; what more capable of animating them to confidence in each other, in the hour of danger? This was the chief excellence of the militia fyftem, and 'one of the greatest beauties of the English conftitution. He recollected to have heard that right hon. Gentleman talk much of ftanding armies as dangerous to the conftitution, and of the militia as the conftitutional force of the kingdom. He had known an inftance of riots, where the peafantry had joined the militia, and had been the inftrument of fuppreffing the disturbances, on which occafion the thanks of Government had been returned to the people. There was one part of his fpeech in which every man must agree, that if a French force landed in the country, every man should bear arms.

Colonel Wood ftrongly recommended the appointment of a permanent military council, in order to direct the conduc of the war. It was to a fimilar fyftem of management, he believed, the fuperior plans of the French army, and their fignal fuccefs during the laft war, were to be attributed. He thought it would be wifer to have a large body of marines raifed than any other difpofeable force that had been fuggefted.

Mr. Windham faid, he could not agree with his right hon. Friend (Mr. Pitt) that the prefent was an unfit day to enter into difcuffions on the fubject now brought forward. On the contrary, he thought it highly proper, even at the outfet, for every Gentleman to give his opinion; becaufe Government would by that means receive the benefit of their fuggeftions. He could affure the hon. Gentleman who had entered into a defence of the militia officers, that he did not in the leaft degree speak flightingly of that refpectable and useful body of men. As to the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he seemed furprised that no plan had been recommended in the room of the prefent. He (Mr. Windham) thought he had spent a confiderable deal of time in recommending another plan, which was, that at present men might be raised by ballot, but there fhould be no fubftitution; or if there were fubftitutes, that Government fhould raise them. With refpect to the plan for the improvement of the army, he wished to fee it acted upon at this very moment; and he thought it could be done without interfering with any other one that might be immediately neceffary.

Mr. Pitt difclaimed any intention of conveying an idea that this was not a proper time for the difcuffion of the meafure before the Committee with thofe who might difapprove

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of its principle; and as his right hon. Friend (Mr. Wind-` ham) ftood in that fituation, his ideas were of courfe quite correct in point of time. With almoft the whole of those ideas, however, he completely differed, though he concurred in the code upon which his right hon. Friend profeffed to found them, but to which, in his judgment, they did not apply. He had ftated before, that as he agreed in the princ ple of the plan before the Committee, he did not think it would be juftifiable in him to obtrude himself on the time of the Committee; for as his only defire was to render this plan effectual for its object, it would aufwer of courfe to ftate his opinions in a future ftage; but as he was on his legs he took occafion to say that his objections applied to fome of the exemptions, and particularly to the propofal of allowing a pecuniary commutation for fervices, for he had very ferious doubts whether it would be right in any cafe that a pecuniary fine should be accepted. His opinion was, that unless the individual balloted thould have his fubftitute forthcoming, perfonal service fhould be required. He declared that he felt great fatisfaction at the outline of the plan under confideration, and he was therefore difpofed to give a filent vote (if his right hon. Friend had not mifconceived him), unwilling to throw out any expreffion of difference that might tend to interrupt that unanimity which, for general reafons, was fo much to be wished for at this conjuncture, and which, he hoped, would prevail..

Sir W. Young warmly approved of the resolution expreffed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to adopt ftill farther meafures of defence, and hoped that if the French army should be rash enough to vifit our country, they would find a people every where ready to fly to their bayonets, and to refift them, not lefs with courage than with fkill.

The Secretary at War, in reply, remarked that the right honourable Gentleman (Mr. Windham) had complained, among other things, that the measure was tardy and ill-confidered. That it was tardy he could not allow, for it could not have been brought forward earlier after the declaration of war than it had been, which was only a few weeks; and whether it was ill-confidered remained for the Houfe to determine. It was open to the criticism of all. The fameright hon Gentleman had faid that Minifters had fcandaloufly neglected their duty in regard to all military operations. To this charge he pleaded not guilty. Minifters had not been inattentive, either finçe the war or previous to it, to the means

of

of calling forth and rendering efficient the force of the country. He ventured to affert that, whether with respect to the force which Parliament left in the hands of Ministers, or the force which the war found in their hands, the military fituation of this country would bear a comparifon with our fituation at the commencement of any war in which we ever were engged. It would be found that every effort had been employed to keep up a force adequate to our fecurity, and capable of being called forth with energy on any emergency. With many of Mr. Windham's opinions he agreed, though he looked upon fome of them as ill placed. What he had

faid on the fubject of the militia would have come with better grace, or with better chance of attaining the object, had it been offered when the subject of the militia was under confideration last year. With refpect to commuting the penalty for not ferving perfonally, the Secretary at War contended that the object, which was to raise men fpeedily, would not be answered. High bounties alone would not do, and had that been confidered a fit and efficient mode of raising men, Governinent would have propofed to Parliament to grant funds for that purpofe, without waiting to levy them in the shape of penalties on individuals. But it was found that another fyftem must be reforted to. It was men and not money that were wanted, and it was no objection to this measure to say, that it was not stronger than the neceffity in which it was founded. He denied that the meafure propofed would give give us nothing but a militia. The right hon. Gentleman, however, had shown one property of regular troops by returning fo often to the charge, and so often repeating his arguments as to the inferiority of the militia to a regular army. As to what had been faid on the fubject of young officers being allowed to raife men for rank, he denied that any fuch thing was now done or intended. He fuppofed that the right hon, Gentleman had alluded to the circumftance which had taken place fince the abolition of the field officers company, by which three more captains had become neceffary in a regiment. He explained the nature of the change, and fhewed, that allowing the first lieutenant to raise 30 men, was in no respect allowing officers to raife men for rank. When these men were railed, it was at the regulated bounty, and one half of the money was paid back to the officer. If more bounty-money was given than the regulated fum, it was a contravention of the orders of his Royal Highnefs the commander in chief, which would be feverely punished, if found

out.

out. The railing the men in this way was not the price of rank, but it promoted the recruiting fervice by inducing men to pay attention to the recruiting, which was not eagerly performed when the officer had no particular object to stimulate his exertions.

Sir IV. Young faid a few words in explanation.

The question was then put and agreed to nem. con. The report was brought up and agreed to, the addrefs ordered to be prefented, and bills to be brought in.

IRISH BUDGET.

The House refolved itself into a Committee of ways and

means.

Mr. Corry faid, he trufted that he should meet with the concurrence of the Committee when he stated that the bufinefs of Ireland had not fince the Parliaments of the two countries were united, occupied any undue portion of the time of the Houfe; at the fame time he thould be wanting in juftice on his part, if he did not acknowledge the willing attention and impartial favour which every fubject concerning Ireland met with in that House. He hoped that if upon fuch an occafion as the prefent he took up more of their time than he was accuftomed, he fhould be excufed. He had the fatisfaction of adding, that it should be not for any long space that he should be under the neceflity of occupying their attention. He should confine himself ftrictly to the refolutions, to which he wifhed particularly to call the attention. of the Committee. After all that had been faid with regard to the state of Europe at large, and the present situation and circumftances of the British empire, it would be unneceffary for him to enter into any difcuffion upon the general subject. It was the more unnecellary for him to do fo, because, though the line of conduct which had been adopted by Great Britain must meet with the admiration of every man of wisdom, good fenfe, and patriotifm in Ireland; yet as the war begun To thort a time, was fo young, it was obviously impoflible that Ireland could adopt, upon this occafion, that fpecies of noble exertion of which Great Britain had fet the example. That part of the fubject must neceffarily form the confideration of a future day. This being the cafe, he had now to propofe to the confideration of the Committee nothing new, being under the neceffity, from the distance of that part of the United Kingdom, from the latenefs of the fellion, and from the recent commencement of the war, to pursue the old track in railing the fupplies. He thould now proceed to