in. He had come forward as a country gentleman, when the fituation of the country called for exertion; and he trusted he thould meet the indulgence of the Houfe for obtruding himself upon its notice, when called to it by the obfervations of the right hon Gentleman. He begged to remind the right hon. Gentleman, that the prefent was a crifis when every man ought to come forward as a foldier; he begged to remind that right hon. Gentleman that the prefent measure would tend to promote his idol, the army, and that it would relieve the ftate from a burthen which it would be unequal to in the maintenance of a regular force equal to the defence of the country. Mr. Windham explained. He did not mean to make the leaft allufion to any particular corps; he only intended to flate generally that the volunteers would not, at all events, be found as ferviceable as the Houfe feemed to imagine they would. Mr. Wilberforce, in a fpeech of confiderable length, expatiated on the well-known patriotifm and bravery of Englishmen at every period of their hiftory, and thence inferred that it would be ufelefs to thank the country for doing no more than what it had always done on every occafion where the exigency of their affairs required it. He would not with to have it known that they were thanked by the Legiflature for what they had already.done, as that might be construed to imply fome previous doubt, or to convey an idea that they had exceeded our expectations. Englishmen wanted no fuch ftimulus to incite them towards the defence of their native foil. He then gave a defcription of the liberality, as well as the patriotifm, of that part of the country which he faid he had the honour to reprefent, and acquainted the House that a fubfcription had been entered into there, upon nearly a fimilar plan to that in the city of London, and that feveral thousands had been already put down. He then adverted to the difference between a regular and a volunteer force, and faid he thought that a man might be trained to wheel, to fire, &c. and yet not be able to "fnatch a grace beyond the rules of art." This drew to his mind the intrepid conduct, the collected thought, and the moft arduous enterprising fpirit of our gallant countryman, Sir Sidney Smith, on whom he paffed the highest encomiums, declaring that by land or at fea his exploits were equally manifeft and equally fplendid; that he was like that juftly celebrated hero of English hiftory, the Duke of Marlborough, who made the most difcordant principles principles of nature unite in fupport of the caufe which he efpouted. There was fomething, however, in the very nature of the prefent volunteering fy dem, however ardent, brave, or zealous its members might be, which he thought made them liable to objection. Many from their age, their ftate of health, or their connexions in life, would be found not fit to-endure the hardthips which many others in the fame corps were ready and able to bear. He would avoid treading on military grounds as much as poffible, but confeffed he hoped that it would be the means of eliciting the obfervations of Gentlemen far better qualified, and who'e ideas might, according to his opinion, be ferviceable to the Houfe (looking towards Colonel Craufurd). All that he meant to draw the attention of the Houfe to, was towards the claffification of the different volunteer corps. If that was not attended to, he thought that we might be able to ascertain the numbers by looking at the lifts, but we would never be able to afcertain the true effective force. What had been mentioned by an honourable Member (Mr. Chapman) refpecting the Eaft India force being fent to the West Indies, he was forry to have heard in that Houfe, and hoped that it would never be adopted by his Majefty's Government. On this point he dwelt for fome time, and declared that be confidered that part of the world as a devouring gulf, which fwallowed up all our force; and that it was a greater expence and lefs real advantage to us by many degrees, than what the French had gained on the Continent laft war alone. He then paid fome handfome compliments to the lawyers' corps, and faid that he thought we thould not truft so much to perfons who had no ftake in the country, as to those on whom, from their wealth and refpectability, we could rely in the hour of danger. But there was another point to which he expreffed a hope and confidence that Minifters would attend, that was, to the providing thofe of our countrymen who volunteered their fervices with proper arms, and training them accordingly; for inftance, he had heard a good deal of the difficulty of procuring firelocks for this immenfe force, and he had enquired as to the nature of the obstacle. He found that barrels could be fupplied in abundance, but that the difficulty was in getting the locks made fast enough. That had fuggefted to him the idea that a number of men fhould be difciplined in another way; our artillery might be brought into more active fervice. Several extraordinary exertions he thought might be made, in the manner of a Gen leman tleman in that part of the country where he came from, who, being asked as to what he meant to subscribe, desired them to refrain from preffing the question: he could name no particular amount, but he would veft his whole eftate and all his affets in the hands of any refpectable Commiflioners, to be used as they might think proper between him and his country; and, when the danger was over, he had no doubt that fuch honourable men would return him the furplus. This was becoming the ancient character of Englishmen, and would be found fufficient to free the nation from the imputation of a fhop-keeping spirit, which had been thrown on them by the French. He concluded with expreffing his moft hearty approbation of that part of Mr. Sheridan's speech which declares a reliance on the conduct of Minifters, that no peace thould ever be made while there remained a single Frenchman in a hoftile fituation on the English fhore. Mr. Archdale combated the arguments of Mr. W. in a few words as to his moft ftriking points. He thought that it would have been much better if the right hon. Gentleman was a little more witty, or elfe that he did not attempt to be witty at all; for by the fudden ebullition of his fancy, he was frequently wrong, and might be always fairly fuppofed to fall fhort of what he himself had intended. He thought that it was a confideration of no intrinfic worth, whether a force was to be denominated mafculine, feminine, or neuter. The idea of fatisfying the lieutenants of the militia, and the other officers, the country gentlemen in general, the ftockholders, and the monied intereft, might be burlefqued, but he wished that every gentleman when in office would endeavour to reconcile the minds of all defcriptions of people in the fame manner as he had described. With all the novelty of invafion and rebellion, with all the novelty of the particular circumftances of the times, he hoped that the Seffion would not be fuffered to clofe without every man being reconciled and united in the general idea of doing what they could for the benefit of the country. He hoped that no Gentleman in that Houfe or in the country would ever experience or fee troubles in any degree fimilar to those which he had feen and felt. For that reafon, as well as his general reliance on the conduct of the prefent Minifters, and for the reafons fo powerfully urged by the honourable mover, he thould feel himself bound to fupport the motion. Mr. Francis faid, Mr. Speaker, the hon. Gentleman who has juft fat down, concluded his fpeech with a comparison which does not feem to me to refemble the cafe: He fays that if the owner of a house and the father of a family were to inform his children that the house was on fire and in great danger of being confumed, it would be abfurd and unnatural for them in return to fay that they must take four and twenty hours to confider whether or no they should help to extinguith the fire. Now, Sir, if it were evident that an addrefs to the throne was very like a water engine, and if an act of Parliament were equivalent to a great fupply of water, I should agree with him in thinking that any part of the family who refufed to work the engine, or to provide the water, would not only be very undutiful, but very great fools into the bargain. Until that propofition is made out, the honourable Gentleman's allufion will not go far in fupport of his argument. On the prefent, occafion I can affure my hon. Friend near me (Mr. Sheridan) that I have no thought of abusing the right and privilege which belong to me as a Member of Parliament, to enter, if I think fit, into the dif cuffion of any fubject that comes regularly and properly under my confideration in that character; but much lefs am I difpofed to furrender such a right and privilege to the admonition we have received from him to refrain from arguments and debates on military fubjects. In a parliamentary fenfe, right and duty are relative ideas. The duty gives the right, and the, right indicates the duty. According to the occafion I fhall at all times exercife iny right to the best of my judgment, even on military queftions coming in a parlia mentary way before me. And I am perfectly fure my hon. Friend will act in the fame manner when the cafe requires it, notwithstanding his prefent exhortation to the contrary. I do not mean to oppo'e the motion, though I think it liable to many confiderations which ought to have been previously weighed. The motion being once made, they come too late. The purpofe for which I have rifen is to express to my hon. Friend the very great pleasure with which I heard the conclufion of his fpeech, not for the value, the wisdom, or the neceffity of the advice contained in it, though I do not mean to affirm that fuch advice may not be valuable, wife, or necellary, or that, coming from him, it has not the advantage of novelty; but for another reafon. He fays, "On this day at leaft, let us be united; on this occafion let cordiality prevail among us; and when we quit the Houfe let us agree to leave all party fpirit behind us, all animofities, all factious oppofition to Government, &c. as we do our hats оп on the benches; and the rather, as we may be fure that these articles will be kept very fafe, and delivered to us undiminished whenever we meet again within these walls;" with many other fentiments of the fame fort, to which I am not able to do juftice. I must tell my honourable Friend, however, that with refpect to me at least, his good advice is fuperfluous. I have no animofity to his Majefty's Ministers collectively, or perfonally to any of them; and with respect to fome of them, very much the contrary. Confequently I have no feeling of that kind to depofit here, or to carry with me into the country. I thall go out of this House with my hat on my head, and no animofity to any man in my heart. When I heard my hon. Friend, in the conclufion of his fpeech, engage himfelf and exhort others with fo much. warmth to fupport the prefent Government by all poffible exertions in the country, the inference that immediately occurred to me, and which gave me very great pleasure was, that fince the laft debate on military fubjects, my hon. Friend must have received fome fatisfaction from his Majesty's Minifters on two points of very great importance and intereft in his judgment and feeling, as well as mine, on which at that time, certainly all fatisfaction was withheld. For otherwife I cannot bring myfelf to think it poffible that Minifters would have had all that cordial fupport and approbation which he has given them this night, and promised them hereafter. The first of the objects I allude to is the appointiment of a military council, in favour of which he divided and spoke with great force. Undoubtedly he would not have done fo, if he had not thought it what I do, a measure of confiderable importance to the country. The other related to a fubject of perfonal attachment and affection to the illuftrious perfon concerned, as well as of judgment and opinion for the public fervice. I fhall not now enter into the merits of a queftion on which it is impoffible we should differ. He did not take part in it that night, but I have no doubt of his fentiments. If on thefe two points I had the same affurance, which I conclude my hon. Friend has had, that a fatisfactory courfe would be taken, he would find me ready, not perhaps to go all the lengths that he does, but as far as I can in confcience and with honour, and without the fmalleft mixture of any oppofite difpofition, to give credit and support to Minifters wherever I have an opportunity as well as in this Houfe. VOL. IV. 1802-3 5 AL Colonel |