was of opinion, that a large part of the force entertained either for offen live or defenfive operations, if raised for the express purpofe, and under due precautions, might be advantageoufly drawn from our poffeffions in the eaft. That this force would be found the best adapted to the fervice. That it would prove alike capable of refifting the vertical fun of the day, and the pernicious damp of the night. That by becoming a counterpoife to the negro population, it would afford fecurity to the planters against their infurrections, and scour the mountains when they might retire to them. That were these troops encouraged to take their families with them to the iflands, aided alfo by other means that might be adopted of peopling them in part from the east, he had no hesitation in fondly expecting, that, in the procefs of time, they would produce a race of orderly, induftrious freemen, both to cultivate and to defend them; and, in the end, do away the neceflity of having farther recourfe to the odious and atrocious practice of the flave-trade. Mr. Chapman further ftated, that on the fhores of the Mediterranean eastern troops, disciplined by British officers, and having the paths of honour and glory pointed out to them by British valour, and animated by British example, would be found equal to any fervice required of them. And were it neceflary, in our own defence, to follow the example fet us by the Chief Conful, in feizing the ftations friendly or ufeful to his opponents, these troops would be found adequate to occupy and to

maintain them.

Lord Caftlereagh, in answer to his hon. Friend, who had spoken laft, faid, it was true, that the Officers in the EastIndia Company had, with that zeal which diftinguifhed them on all occafions, tendered their fervices: he was fure alfo, that whether thofe fervices were accepted or not, they would wait the refult of the confideration, and the decifion of the authority to which they had fubmitted them. The offers were tranfmitted in the only manner in which they could be tranfmitted regularly, first by the refpective Officers to the Court of Directors, and by the Court of Directors to the Commander in Chief; and he had feen letters acknowledging, in the moft handfome terms, the receipt of the offers. He was not aware of the answer that was to be given. believed that there was an impediment to the acceptance of the offers of the fuperior Officers, from the number of regiments in the army of referve being not greater than could be officered out of the line, from which it was certainly right tha

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that the Officers fhould in the first instance be taken. word he would offer, in explanation of what was nothing. more than a misunderstanding of the letter of his noble Friend (Lord Hobart). There could be no doubt that the acting volunteers were not liable to be called on to be trained and difciplined in the proportion to be raifed in the first instance of the force under the general defence act. It was evidently the intention of the noble Lord's letter, as well as of the act, that the force first called forth fhould be compofed of volunteers. The act fixed the number of volunteers, to entille any perfon to a fufpenfion of the compulfory.claufes, at threefourths of the first clafs defcribed in the general defence act, and fince that a power of fufpending the execution of thofe compulfory claufes was given in cafes when fix times the amount of the original militia came forward. The compulfory claufes may be enforced if a greater number should be deemed neceffary at any fu ure period.

Mr. Windham wifhed it were in his power to gratify the bonourable Gentleman who introduced the motion before the Houfe, in conforming to the wish he had expreffed, that no difcuffion fhould arife on this measure. The honourable Gentleman had indeed the wn more earnestness in making his. wifh than attention and fidelity in purfuing it; for while he deprecated difcuffion, he continued to throw out fo many things to provoke it, that it was impoffible his with could be complied with. If the honourable Gentleman, which would be perfectly confiftent with his former misconceptions and mifreprefentations, imagined that he was going to oppofe the vote, he was entirely mistaken. It was among the fancies of the hon. Gentleman that he had spoken with difparagement of the militia and the volunteer corps. With refpect to the volunteer corps, he had not a doubt of their zeal and spirit; and he was fatisfied that in the day of trial they would ferve their country in every way becoming Englishmen. He had faid nothing to give offence to the militia. The whole amount of what he had fad was, that with all the zeal and fpirit which he always allowed them, they did not poffefs thofe qualities of foldiers which it was impoffible to poffefs without having been in action. He had been told that what he had faid had given great diffatisfaction to the militia. If he had faid no more than this, and he believed he had not, he had only done his duty, which he would always to the beft of his opinion, whether it excited diffatisfaction or not. He hoped, however, there was no dilatis

faction

faction on this point, for he would be forry that afeeling, fo
little refpectable as to be offended without a caufe, thould
belong to the militia. But he diffented entirely from the
propriety of laying it down as a rule of con uct to fay or do
nothing without first confidering whether it is likely to give
fatisfaction. If he was to call to the recollection of the
Houfe an Administration, but the word recollection could not
with propriety be applied to what was prefent (a laugh); if
he was to defcribe an Administration which had acted on
this fyftem, the Houfe would eafily difcern the confequences
of it. The Administration which he alluded to, confidered
always not what ought to be done, but what could be done
with fatisfaction; what would give fatisfaction to the
country gentlemen; what would give fatisfaction to the
militia Officers; what would give fatisfa&ion to the fub-
fcribers at Lloyd's, and the holders of omnium--(a laugh).
To this fpirit the country was indebted, first, for the boon of
peace, and the many other bleflings of the fame kind that fol-
lowed in its train; and if we looked for the confequences of
it, we should find them in our prefent fituation, to which
they led.
With refpect to the matter before, the Houfe, it
was like many others, to which one was induced to join his
affent, because he could not diffent without difapproving. He
had no objection to a vote of thanks. It was here in fome
inftances, as in public places, where one joined in the ap-
plaufe, becaufe he could make no other noife which would
not have the effect of cenfure-(a laugh). But if he were to
fpeak as a volunteer, he thould fay, for God's fake, keep
your thanks till we have done fomething to deferve them."
It should be confidered, that the volunteer corps were but
just formed, and that many had chofen volunteer fervice to
avoid compulfory fervice. It should be recollected, that at
other times we had had volunteers, who had come forward
without any influence or compulfion, and hat no thought
was entertained of bestowing on them in the first inftat.ce
a vote like that now propofed. All that the floufe of Coin-
mons had to give to the moft diftinguished fervices by fea and
land was its thanks; and when volunteer corps were to
receive thofe thanks for coming forward at fuch a crifis,
with a fervice which they would otherwife be compelled to
render, he feared that this, which was hitherto justly confi-
dered as the higheft and most valuable teftimony of the moft
tranfcendent merit, and the moft eminent fervice, would
become lefs valuable. He fhould think it the proper time to

1

rote the thanks of the Houfe when they had expelled Bonaparte, or even now he should think it right to thank the Irith volunteers, for fuppreffing the rebellion; and when the Houfe was called upon for fuch a vote, he thought there fhould at least have been fome direction from his Majefty. Here he thould leave this fubject; but there was another on which he thould fay a few words, and here he should lay the ground for this privilege under the prohibition of the hon. Gentleman who introduced the motion before the House, The hon. Gentleman's with went to deprive the House of its most valuable functions when no one was allowed to fpeak, no one could hear; and when no one was allowed to illumine, no one could be enlightened. This doctrine was rather new, and in his opinion was not very wife. He wifhed the hon. Gentleman had been in the Houfe when his hon. Friend (Mr. Fox) had fo properly exerted his abilities on a fubject fomewhat related to this on a former night. In a cabinet compofed of military men, military difcuffions were yet neceffary to be gone into: what was the cafe in the cabi net was alfo the cafe here; and though he was not a military man, he would not furrender the right which he had as a Member of Parliament, to offer his fentiments, which, while they were urged with modefty, would, he hoped, always contain fomething useful; but leaft of all would he confent to deprive the Houfe of the advantage of hearing the obfervations and arguments of thofe experienced military Gentlemen who were best able to give Parliament an accurate view of the danger of the country, and at the fame time to point the measures beft calculated for its defence and fecurity. He thought that great difcretionary powers, when properly managed, may be of fervice; but, when the ufe made of the power that already exifted was erroneous, he could not think it right to lodge ftill greater powers in the fame hands. He condemned the principle of having recourse to volunteer corps inftead of calling forth volunteer fervice in other modes. From the fort of training which thefe corps received, there was an opportunity of judging of the manner in which they would be brought into action. The companies would be collected into regiments, and the regiments formed into brigades. He did not think they would be good for any thing in that way; neither did he think, that any judicious officer would accept of them. It was not true that numbers always made ftrength, neither could that other comfortable faying, that if they did no good they could do no harm, be applied in

this inftance. They would incumber the movements, obftruct the roads, and confume the provifions (a laugh), and which fhould alfo be a main confideration, they would be a great depofitory of panic, if, as was not unlikely, they once caught it. Under all thefe difadvantages, any fkilful and judicious officer, inftead of accepting their fervices, would rather fay, place them at a distance. Such an officer would confider them as a wrestler would regard heavy garments, and fay, let me have clear ground, free from any incumbrance: an armed population, when it was once trained, would furnish out of it corps more generally ufeful, and whofe fervices and co-operation the beft officers would think defirable. He regarded as the moft effential inftrument of defence a force like this, poffeffed of all the characteristics of a loose light infantry; quick in loading and firing. When the population of the country was thus trained, every where that the enemy moved, an hoft would hang on him, and follow him like a fwarm of infects, for ever buzzing in his ears, for ever teafing, haraffing, and annoying him. If, combined with this force, we had the advantage of fortifications, the utility of which had been fo ftrongly enforced by the hon. Gentleman behind him (Colonel Craufurd), and large armies, for large armies we fhould have, the fate of the country would not depend on one or two pitched battles; but it would be one continued warfare, in which every inch of ground would be difputed both in advance and in retreat. This was his opinion as to the proper mode of executing the measure of general armament. If the idea had been taken up which he fuggefted, a large force would by this time have been half trained, and nearly ready to be applied to the fervices for which it may be thought adviseable. There were fome measures in which a great progrefs may be made at the very commencement, and others in which no progrefs could be made for a long time. This measure of general armament was one of the latter defcription, in which, though much had been done in Parliament, no progress was yet made in fact. It was like a July brewing, which, with the delay of fermenting, drawing off, and battling, would not be fit to drink till Chriftmas. His Majefty's Ministers were fond of clatter, and they thought that the machinery he recommended would do nothing, because it was filent. He confidered it a very great abfurdity to fuppofe, that what was known to every man in England was unknown to the Government of France, he meant the actual ftate of preparation