the envy of the world, but that they would refift any attempt to deprive them of that bleffing in fuch a manner as would utterly and completely cruth the invaders of our happy land, and hold out fuch an example as would deter others, in fu ture ages, from entertaining the mad idea of making any impreffion on a country fo long pre-eminently distinguished for the bravery and freedom of its inhabitants. He objected in the strongest manner to the great preference which the right hon. Gentleman withed to give to the regular army; he thought that by too ftrict an attention to that defcription of force, we would either go beyond the juft terms of our financial policy in times of peace, or that we would find ourselves too weak at the outfet of a war. The right hon. Gentlema had delivered a juft eulogium on our militia force as a conftitutional body; but then he had expreffed fomething like a defire that they thould be limited to 30,000; that was by no means dequate to the increafed population of the country. Under the prefent circumstances of the country, and confidering that the amount of the militia we had in these iflands laft war was 114,000, he trufted the House would agree with him in faying that, by granting an addition of 50,000 to the 90,000 which had been already voted by Parliament, they would not go too far. It was the defire of many, that the militia fhould be disposable to any place within the United Kingdom; that defideratum was accomplished by the prefent bil, as far as refpected the force which it purposed to raise. Another diffi ulty, the officering of the militia, was frequently the object of difcuffion; that was in a great measure removed by the provifions of the prefent bill, as far as regarded the force raised by it; the officers for that force might poffefs either of the two qualifications, a confiderable stake in the country, or that of having ferved many years in the regular military fervice of the Crown, according to the rank which they were to hold. The right hon. Gentleman, in his eagerness to defend the fervice of the line, had feemed to have lost all tafte for the fervice or merits of any other clafs of our military forces. He thould confider, however, the great number of the militia that had been disbanded at the conclufion of our treaty of peace, and recollect that they were officered by many perfons of the greatest refpectability, both for character and military talents, and that many of them would in fact be glad of the ppportunity which the prefent meafure afforded them of re

fuming the rank which they formerly held in his Majesty's fervice, and no doubt they would be found eminently useful in the defence of their country, if ever there should be occafion to bring their talent into action; he had no doubt that they would be found as efficient as any body made up accord ing to the right hon. Gentleman's prefeription for making foldiers. It had been fuppofed that, unless the forces of the line poffeffed a monopoly of the recruiting market, they could not hope for any fuccefs in filling up their ranks. Experience had confiderably tended to weaken the force of the right hon. Gentleman's reafoning; for, at a time when we were raifing the fupplementary, and filling up the old militia, it was a fact that we recruited more for our regular army than at a time when they had the market completely at their difpofal. In every point of view he believed and tufted that the House and the country would agree with him in perceiv ing the neceffity of immediately giving effect to this plan, and that Englishmen would not fleep while an enemy had openly published their threats against our country.

Mr. Windham, in explanation, obferved, that what he faid, was, if we could not have a force completely regular, we ought to have one completely irregular.

Sir Eyre Coste fupported the measure, and observed that, when it was the intention of the enemy to annihilate his Majefty's Government and fubjugate the united kingdom, he was confident that Englishmen would not hesitate to thew the First Conful and the world what Englishmen could atchieve in fuch a glorious caufe.

Dr Laurence, in a fpeech of confiderable length, fupported the pofitions of Mr. Windham. He faid, the irregu lar force of La Vendée was fo powerful, that he could ftate from the best authority, that more republicans had been deftroyed by royalifts there than by all the combined. armies. The prefent force he confidered wholly inadequate to the end in view. The men were to be locked up in the country, nailed like bafe metal to the counter, without being able to act ufefully for the public. With refpect to men going into regiments of the line; if they did fè, it would only be a proof that they liked not the fervice they were in; and, therefore, no great dependance could be placed on that force. The learned Gentleman concluded with reading a letter, partly written and partly dictated by the late Mr. Burke in his laft moments, This letter fe

verely cenfured the fyftem of raifing a fupplementary militia for defenfive, inftead of a ftanding army for offenfive operations.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, that notwithstanding the very high authority of that name, which was fubfcribed to the letter just now read by the learned Gentleman, it was very foon afterwards proved, that from the fupplementary militia we derived thofe means of exertion, by which this country derived, in India and elsewhere, those advantages which had added fo much to its glory and its interefts. He did not by any means intend to enter at length into the fubject of the various arguments used by the right hon. Gentleman, but he wished the House to understand diftinctly the point at iffue between him and his Majefty's Minifters. This was the number of men to be obtained by this means, without prejudice to the recruiting the regular army. An hon. Gentleman, who had fpoken early in the debate, had faid, that he would have been content with 30,000, in order not to impede the raifing recruits for the regular army; but this was really a vague furmife, for it had been inconteftibly fhewn by his right hon. Friend, that the progrefs of the recruiting fervice was nearly as great during the last three months as ever it was at any former period. What, therefore, was the deduction to be drawn from the fpeech of the right hon. Gentleman? No other than this: that it called on Government to put out of their hands at fuch a critical conjuncture as this, the beft means of providing for the defence and fecurity of the country; for it was a fact well established, that when the militia was kept up at its largest amount, there never was a period in which men could be raised in greater numbers; and, on the contrary, when 25,000 mi. litia were disbanded in Ireland, it had not the effect of re cruiting to any confiderable degree the regular army; which is a very ftrong proof that they do not interfere with cach other. The Houfe had been advifed by the right hon. Gentleman, and the hon. Member who followed him, to reject the measure; and the reafon for this extraordinary proceeding was, that there was no other means of faving the country, but by reforting to compulsory means. He affured the Houfe, that no man in this country was willing, or could be willing to go further than he would for its defence and protection, but he could not agree that men, who were to be called on for the defence of this country, should be forced to ferve in any part of the hoftile globe, where

their fervices might be required-fuch a proceeding, he thought, could not fail to produce what the right hon. Gentleman fays the prefent meafure will moft affuredly produce-univerfal difcontent and averfion. There was at prefent in the kingdom a larger regular force than had ever been at the commencement of any war; the militia amounted to 90,000 men, to thefe he propofed to add 50,000; befides, there was a very large and most refpectable body of yeomanry, which was of feven or eight years ftanding, and to all thefe was to be added the volunteer corps. When he reflected on all these constitutional means of defence, he could not without abhorrence, think of recurring to the unheard-of means—the abominable principle in a free Government-of recurring to the measure of a confcription, and thereby putting this free country on the fame lamentable footing with that which was governed by the execrable tyrant, whofe ambitious views and continually repeated aggreffions, had compelled us to have occafion to recur to the means propofed by the prefent bill. The right hon. Gentleman had fpoken at confiderable length on the criminal remiffuefs of the prefent adminiftration: he denied the juftice of the accufation, and would never confent to liften to the charge without repelling it; and he had no hefitation in declaring that it was a weak and groundless calumny. From the period of the peace every attention had been paid by his Majefty's Minifters to keep up the moft refpectable force that could be devifed for the fafety and defence of the empire, and for that purpose not a fingle company of the regular forces had been difbanded. The fpeech of the right hon. Gentleman had accufed his Majefty's Minifters of flumbering and fleeping, but he thought he had no occafion to go further than to the votes of Parliament, and the journals of the Houfe to repel fo foul a charge. He confeffed that he had liftened to the fpeech of the right hon. Gentleman with the greateft furprife, and with feelings also which he would not then name. He difdained, he faid, to make any concealment of our circumftances: the people of this country loved truth, and from him they fhould always have it; but he equally difdained to fink or droop their fpirits, by drawing a picture of their fituation in colours of exaggeration. He difdained to alarm therm, as the right hon. Gentleman wifhcd to do, with the idea of foon feeing the enemy in the environs of the capital. With the hearts of the people in our favour, he was affured we had the means of rendering the country impreg

nable

nable, and he could confider the oppofition to this bill as tending only to deftroy the credit, fpirit, and independence of the country. He was pofitively confident of our ability to baffle the efforts of all our foes, and he would never for a moment fubmit to the idea, that we should owe our fafety to the forbearance of the First Conful, or even of all Europe combined. He was determined to take the most eafy and evideat means to fatisfy the people of this.country, that if they choote to be safe, it is in their power to be so; and to evince to all Europe, that if they are determined to attack us, they will find us prepared at all points to repel their attack, and to thew the world, that in a just cause like ours, the people of this coun ry will brave every danger, and preter an honourable death, to the alternative of fubmiting to the arbitrary mandates of the greatest tyrant that ever by his deeds dilgraced the pages of modera history.

Mr. Elliott explained.

M.. Johnstone itated, that it was his intention to offer his fentiments very fully upon this fubject on a future ftage of

the bill.

Sir W. Geary approved of the principle advanced by the right hon. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer), that the country was quite competent to its own defence against any poffible combination of powers, but ftrongly recommended that no measure thould be reforted to, inconfiftent with the principles of the constitution, or ungrateful to the feelings of the people.

The bill was read a fecond time and committed, as the Secretary at War ftated, pro forma, and, upon the report being received, it was ordered to be taken into farther cons fideration on Monday next, and to be printed.

A meffage from the Lords ftated their Lordships' affent to the twelve millions loan bill, the customs duty bill, and the bill for the better fupply of marineis.

On the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Houfe refolved into a Committee on the affefled taxes confolidation bill; and, on the propofition of the right hon. Gentleman, claufes were adopted that, upon one traveller employed by any mercantile houfe, a tax of 21. 28. thould be laid; and upon every traveller, more than one, 31. 3s. Upon every book-keeper, whofe falary fhall be under 201. a year, 11. 18. and above that, 21. 25. Upon every shopVOL. IV. 1802-3.

Ti

man,