fingle individual in this country who would not moft heartily join in the prefent war, were fuch individuals to take the trouble to confider minutely the whole fteps of the negotiation. He was furprised to hear the leaft difference of fentiment in these particulars at this time, when the oppor tunity was afforded us to avenge our wrongs, and establish our rights among the nations of Europe. It might at prefent be reckoned the pride and glory of every Briton, that there was ftill one nation left to abate the arrogance, and humble the pride of France. He was glad when he heard a right hon. Member call that hon. Gentleman to order, on account of his having gone fo far from the fubject really before the Houfe, but he was forry that right hon Gentleman (Mr. Pitt), had not been in the Houfe at the time that certain words were uttered by the hon. Member, which in his apprehenfion were ftill more reprehenfible, he meant the fpeaking of Bonaparte as an object of terror and difmay to this country (a laugh-and cry of hear! hear!) He faid he did not rife at prefent to give his entire approbation of the bill, as he thought it deficient in many refpects, but he wifhed principally to ftate his opinion in regard to the fentiments he had heard. He thought that there could not be any defenfive force which could be reckoned fufficiently fecure for the country in its prefent fituation, in which there was not a very large proportion of volunteers, for if we had not the power to annoy the enemy, we had not the power to defend ourselves. There were many favourable circumftances which might occur to this country, during the courfe of the prefent conteft. It was not inconfiftent with reafon to fuppofe that the people of Holland should grow impatient of their yoke. In his opinion it was more than probable, that the time was not very diftant, when these people would wish to break their chains. There might even be fome provinces of France, who might foon tire of the tyranny and oppreffion of their prefent Governor. On fuch fuppofitions, he would afk any man, if it would or could be reckoned of no avail to this country, that there was a force of no less than 50,000 men, all at the difpofal of Government. He was convinced, that the Gentlemen who conducted the last war would, on many occafions, have been glad to have had an additional difpofable force of even 15,000 or 20,000 troops. If fuch had been the case, no rebellion in Ireland could have exifted: if fent to fupport the troops in Holland the British ftandard might have been flying; the battle of

Marengo

Marengo would never have been fought, or if fought it would not have ended in the manner it actually did; and he might even venture to fay, that Toulon might still have been in our poffeffion. His decided opinion was, that there never was a time in which the people of England would more readily and heartily join in offering their fervices to their King and country; and he should even venture to affirm, that the people of Ireland were never, in the memory of man, more cordially difpofed to unite with Great Britain in the fupport of the conimon caufe. There was, in his opinion, no heavier grievance which could be impofed upon the people of these united kingdoms, than for Gentlemen to imprefs their minds with any degree of difaffection at fuch a critical conjuncture as the prefent, efpecially fince it feemed fo evident to the generality of individuals that there exifted no real caufe for difaffection or. defpondency, He thought, that notwithstanding all the calumny which had, on feveral occafions, been thrown out by fome newspapers against the conduct of thofe Gentlemen at the head of affairs, that the people of the country were very much indebted to thefe Gentlemen for that very conduct which fome obfcure individuals prefumed to difapprove of. The enemy, perhaps, already thought they knew our weakness, but they did not know the full amount of our ftrength,

General Gafcoyne faid, that though he entertained fome objections to the prefent form of the bill, yet he was inclined to fupport the measure on a mature confideration of the prefent exigencies of affairs. He could not, however, refrain from rifing at prefent, principally to exprefs his entire difapprobation of the fentiments delivered on this fubject, on a former occafion, by an hon. Member near him (Colonel Craufurd). As far as he could understand that hon. Officer, the opinion which was delivered on the occafion alluded to was, that if ever the enemy landed in this country, and acquired the actual poffeffion of the capital, they might then be confidered as if in the poffeffion of the kingdom. (A cry of no! no! and to order.) If he was wrong in the manner he understood that officer, he should not now trefpafs farther on the time of the House, and therefore thould entirely drop that fubject. As for the other hon. Member who had that day opened the difcuffion by a lengthened addrefs to the Chair, which was concluded with an approbation of the very bill against which the fpeech feemed fo much directed, he could not help expreffVOL. IV. 1802-3.

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ing his surprise, to hear fuch a conclufion in direct contradiction to the train of argument with which it was commenced. He thought, that in the prefent fituation of the country, there was a greater fhare of merit attachable to those who fupported Government, than could be attributed to the Government itself.-Notwithstanding all that had been faid against the prefent bill, he, for one, was really convinced in his own mind, that it was one which was more likely to be effectual for the purposes intended, than any which could be propofed. He thought, however, that it might be rendered more palatable, were it to be left op tional on the part of the men afterwards to enrol themselves into other corps; for we were to look to their patriotism, and we fhould in the end have every benefit patriotifm could afford.

Colonel Craufurd rofe, and expreffed the feelings with which he was then impreffed, on hearing fentiments delivered with fuch freedom relative to the opinion he had given on the occafion alluded to by fome hon. Members. He stated that he had never, on any former occafion, prefumed to offer his fentiments to the Houfe on matters of fuch material importance, nor even, he might fay, to addrefs the Chair on any fubject whatever. He appealed to the Houfe, whether or not it was proper to permit fuch ob fervations to be made on the opinion which the urgent fituation of the country called upon him to exprefs; and if found irregular, he felt himself called on to crave the indulgence of the Houfe. He fhould not pretend to fay, that he was entitled to that indulgence from anv degree of regard which ought to be paid to the opinion which he had expreffed, nor to the arguments which he might have ufed on that occafion, but from the liberty which he conceived every Member of the House enjoyed, of delivering his real fentiments with every degree of freedom. He was entitled to fay, let the fallacy of fuch opinion-let the weakness of fuch arguments be proved. Let them be proved to be the effect of a defponding imagination, before any Member fhould offer his fentiments with fuch freedom relative to the opinion delivered by another. Were his opinion really found to proceed from defpondency, he protefted it would give him the moft heartfelt fatisfaction. Colonel Craufurd was proceeding ftill farther to exprefs his real feelings with regard to the fituation of the country, when

The Secretary at War rose to speak to order. He faid, he. obferved

obferved that the hon. Member was about to enter into certain military details; on which account he fhould beg leave to move the enforcement of the ftanding order of the House, for the exclusion of strangers.

Strangers were accordingly excluded for the remainder of the evening, and the Houfe continued debating upon the bill, which was read a third time.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

FRIDAY, JULY 1.

Two returned bills were brought up from the Houfe of Commons by Sir John Frederick, and were prefented by the Secretary at War, Mr. Graham, General Gafcoyne, Lord Folkstone, and others, and read a first time.

The bills on the table paffed a stage each.

Lord Pelham laid an order of council on the table.

ARMY OF RESERVE BILL.

Lord Hobart moved, that this bill be read a first time ; it was read accordingly; after which his Lordship moved that it be read a fecond time the next day.

Lord Rawdon (Earl of Moira) fuggefted, that it would add much to the convenience of the Houfe, if it were understood generally, that the debate upon the principle of the bill was not to take place the next day, but that the principle was to be difcuffed on the report, and that the noble Lords in the Committee would merely move fuch amendments, as the detail of the bill and its various ramifications might fuggeft to them as neceffary, without touching at all upon the principle of the bill.

Lord Mulgrave thought, that in paffing a bill of fo much importance, not a moment was to be wafted unneceffarily, and therefore, perhaps, it would be better to take the debate on the principle the next day, and by that means avoid the having the double debate, that in the Committee, and that on the report, in one and the same day. If the latter course were felt more convenient, it would be neceffary for fome noble Lord to move, what had been often moved in cafes of emergency, that the ftanding order, forbidding that the noble, Lord on the woolfack, for the time being, thould put more than one question on any stage of a bill in one day, fhould' be fufpended. He wished to hear from the authority of the noble and learned Lord on the woolfack, what would be the most advisable mode of proceeding.

Lord Hobart rofe to explain that it was the wish of

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his Majefty's Minifters to read the bill a fecond time the next day, to go into the Committee upon it on Monday, report it the fame day, and read it a third time on Tuef day.

The Lord Chancellor left the woolfack to remind their Lordfhips, that they ought not to make themselves quite fure, that they thould be able to read the bill a third time on Tuesday. If, as had been done in a late inftance (the clergy refidence bill) noble Lords fhould chufe to stay away from the Committee, and afterwards, on the report, come down, and debate the amendments, which might (as was the cafe there) have undergone a moft elaborate and minute difcuffion, give the Houfe the trouble to debate them over again, one by one, no man knew when the bill might reach a third reading. There were two obvious courses to purfue, in the present inftance-the ftanding order, that no bills fhould pass two ftages on one day, was imperative upon him, or the person, whoever he might be, who fat on the woolfack. He could not difobey it without an abfolute dereliction of his duty. To remove this difficulty, any noble Lord might move the fufpenfion of the ftanding order, but there must be two days' potice given, before the fufpenfion could be moved. The other courfe of proceeding was what would be most disgraceful to the House, viz. to order him to put a question, on a fecond stage of the bill, in defiance of their own standing order, the fame being fuffered to remain on the page of their order-book.

Lord Rawdon (Earl of Moira) faid, what he had fuggested arofe from a fenfe of general convenience to the Houfe. As Saturday was not a day on which the House generally fat, many noble ords might not be prefent, and, if the debate on the principle took place the next day, might afterwards think they were flighted, or complain of being taken by furprife.

Lord Pelham faid a few words in fupport of the noble Lord's argument, fhewing that it would be extremely conve nient to wave the difcuffion of the principle of the bill till the report.

Lord Mulgrave, after a little explanation, gave notice, that he thould on Monday move, that the two ftanding orders, which refer to the progrefs of bills through the House, be fufpended,

HOUSE

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