to defend their country or perish in the attempt—that the good and the loyal will correct the vicious difpofition of the difaffected, will rectify their errors, and fet right their mifguided judgments. We may thus enlift thofe among our friends, who would otherwife, perhaps, become the auxili aries of our enemy. Under all these circumftances, he felt that the objections urged upon this score were not tenable, and that they thould not have any weight against a measure which was neceffary to the prefervation of public order and private happiness. The right hon. Gentleman concluded a very animated fpeech in calling the attention of the House to the interefts for which he had to contend, to the means by which it was in our power to render the country completely impregnable, and a ftrong exhortation to the members to attend and endeavour to facilitate the progre ́s of this and other measures neceffary to the defence of the country.

Lord Caftlereagh faid, I request the attention of the House to a few obfervations, which it is my with and defire to submit to their confideration, and it fhall be my endeavour to detain them as short a time as the nature of the fubject will allow. I truft the House will feel the course the debate has taken; and although the meafure now propofed by my right hon. Friend does not meet the approbation of the right hon. Gentleman over the way (Mr. Windham), yet I think I may fafely leave it to the Houfe and to the country, on the high authority of the judgment and fair opinion of the right hon. Gentleman under the gallery (Mr. Pitt) who has given it his unqualified approbation, though he has been pleafed to fay, that he thinks the meafure has not been brought forward with that celerity with which it might have been proceeded in. I beg the Houfe to recollect, that when his Majefty's Minifters are arraigned by honourable Gentlemen in their places, for not having generally acted in fuch a manner as to give fatisfaction to every individual member who may have occafion to defcant on the measures they have adopted, it becomes extremely difficult to give a fpecific anfwer to fuch charges; at leaft fuch a one as may be perfectly fatisfactory to the whole Houfe, fo as for them to draw a fair conclufion. If his Majefty's Ministers have done amifs; if, in the opinion of any honourable Member, they have failed in the performance of their duty; or if, by their measures, any honourable Member fhould think them inadequate to the task of performing thofe duties annexed to their ftations, the only fair and just mode of calling them to an account is, by a motion for an in

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quiry into their conduct; they will then know what they have to answer to, and may make their defence accordingly; but to fuch modes of charge as had lately been fo often reforted to, it was impoffible to anfwer, and they could be productive of no good, whilft, in the most trying and important crisis this country was ever placed in, they tended very much to embarrafs Minifters; to tie up their hands, and to cripple every effort they attempted to make for the public welfare, and intereft of the State. I affure the Houfe, I do not fay this from any perlonal feelings on the fubject. I wish the whole conduct of his Majefty's fervants to be examined, in order that measures which are neceffary fhould be carried into effect without delay; for till that point is fettled, I fear that much inconvenience, if not mifc hief, may enfue, to the forwarding and promoting the most important interefts of the country. Before I enter upon the measure now under the confideration of the Houfe, I must beg leave to fay, that I cannot help differing with my right hon. Friend under the gallery (Mr. Pitt) that it would have been politic to take up the matter otherwife than has been done, and in regular fucceffion one after another; and I am ftrengthened in this opinion, when I recollect, that at the time the measure of the army of referve was under the confideration of this Houfe, my right hon. Friend then faid, that he highly approved the measure, but should not have done fo if he did not expect that it would immediately be followed up by another meafure ftill more extenfive and efficacious; and if Minifters fuffered Parliament to feparate without adopting fome fuch meafure, it was his opinion they would be greatly wanting in their duty. I am of opinion that this measure could by no means have preceded those which have been already adopted by Government, without being productive of the greatest inconveniencies. If you had required Lieutenants of the feveral counties to make out these enrolments, when you gave them lifts for the army of reserve, they would not have had time to put what has so often this evening been called "the machinery" of the bufinefs in motion: and, Sir, it is my opinion, that even if this meafure had been perfectly ready in the very firft moments after his Majefty's meffage, yet, in point of policy, it ought to have been kept back and referved till the prefent moment. 1 beg the Houfe to recollect, that though his Majefty's Minifters have only now brought forward the prefent measure, that they have long been in poffeffion of all the voluntary fervices that have been offered, and that they

have only held back from the immediate acceptance of thofe patriotic offers, from a fear of crippling and obftructing the raifing of the army of referve. Far be it from me to fay any thing that may in the flighteft degree feem to undervalue the voluntary Services of thofe who wish to flep forward in the defence of their country; yet, fituated as thefe corps are, and ever have been, from the moment of their being railed, they are certainly inferior in point of real and effential fervice to the army of referve; which, therefore, I contend, ought, on every account, to have preceded the force which is meant to be raised by the prefent measure. With respect to the volunteer force, no man can have a higher opinion than I have of its efficient ftrength in both countries; I fpeak more particularly of that part of the United Empire to which I am particularly attached-I mean Ireland; in which, from the best information that I can collect, there are not lefs than 60,000 men of this defcription; and I will venture to fay, that there cannot be produced a more efficient force, fhort, I mean, of the regular army, than the yeomanry force in the province of Ulfter. I fpeak on this head particularly, only fo far as relates to Ireland; but I understand that in Scotland alfo, the forces of that defcription are both numerous and greatly to be depended upon. The great object of this measure is, to fecure the benefit of thofe which have been antecedently adopted. Parliament has already given Government a power of raising the greateft poffible difpofable force, and efpecially of that of volunteers. But what is the ground of policy on which this meafure refts? Volunteer forces have been found extremely expenfive; and in the prefent fituation of the country, it is very neceffary, and will be highly beneficial to its interefts, to have an aid that will not coft fo much. One great advantage attendant on the prefent measure is, that it introduces nothing new into the military fyftem of the country. The prerogative of the Crown on this head is univerfally known, and undeniable; but at the fame time, is not, as it at prefent ftands, effectual. Coercion, in certain cafes of extreme danger, may be neceffary; and if coercion can be wife, it must be by making thofe meafures to which it is applied, effectual. How is this to be done in the prefent cafe? It cannot be by indictment; for that mode of proceeding would be infinitely too flow and tedious to anfwer any of the ends proposed to be obtained by it, towards carrying into effect the prefent, measure. Unlefs, therefore, a fpecial power of previous inftruction

inftruction and arrangement should be given to the Crown, with a fummary mode of punishment fuitable to the exigency of the cafe, it will be impoffible that the power of the prerogative could be of any avail in the present inftance. I beg the Houfe to look forward to the practical utility of the measure, and not run away with the idea that it is to arm the mafs of the people, for the fole purpose of making it an army to act in one concerted body, fimilar to that of the regular army or the army of referve. It was merely intended to enable Government to cover fuch parts of the country as fhould ftand in particular need of affiftance, by calling on thofe whofe fituation placed them nearest to the points of attack, to which it might be peculiarly neceffary to difpatch immediate aid and affiftance. There is another idea, alfo, which I fhould be forry fhould go abroad into the country, which is, that every individual who is enrolled is to be armed: it is no fuch thing. All the prefent meafure profeffes is, inftruction. The whole is a mere fyftem of inftruction; to be armed on emergency, in order to call on perfons most conveniently fituated to defend thofe parts which may moft ftand in need of it; and the great utility that is to be expected from it is, that it furnithes the Crown with additional means of waking men to a due fenfe of their duty. There is one point, Sir, on which I beg leave to make a fingle obfervation, and that is, with regard to the election of officers. I believe this has been, in fome meafure, mifunderstood by the right hon. Gentleman over the way (Mr. Windham); the recommendation by the companies of the officers they would wish to choose, is nearly upon the fame footing as that contained in the act for the defence of the realm, which was paffed during the late war. But thofe officers fo chofen, must have the approbation of the Crown, and therefore are by no means calculated to introduce any new fyftem into the fervice, which may endanger its fubordination. I beg pardon for having detained the Houfe fo long; but I thought it neceffary to fhew my own impreffions, and the feelings I have upon this fubjed. They certainly differ very widely from thofe of the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham), and though I am convinced, that no honourable Member can have a stronger attachment than that right hon. Gentleman, to every thing which affects the honour, welfare, and intereft of his country, yet there feems on the fubject to be no other feeling in his mind, than an unqualified attach

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ment to regular troops, which makes him behold all others with a jaundiced eye. I am convinced, however, that Iris mode would not be fo effentially ferviceable to the interests of the country; and for this reafon I have been a strenuous advocate for raifing the army of referve, and am equally fo for the adoption of the prefent meafure, as that which will be most likely to ferve most effentially the fafety of the kingdom.

Mr. Fox faid, Sir, I fhall not trouble the House at any great length; more especially as the prefent measure will have my hearty concurrence. This is the first time that I have made my appearance in the Houfe for fome weeks paft; and I am by no means afhamed to ftate my reasons for having fo long abfented my felf. Having already affigned my reafons for not approving of the prefent war, I did not wish to oppose those measures which muft of course be necellary for carrying it on with effect. Every one knows the obloquy which was attached to measures of that nature; and I was defirous of avoiding the imputation of intending to obftruct the measures of Government, or to embarrass his Majefty's Minifters. This is the first measure which I could, confiftently with my own opinion, come down to fupport, being a measure for the defence of the country. I could not have voted for the taxes, nor for many of the other measures which have been already adopted; but, Sir, I came to vote for this measure, on the ground that it was a measure directly oppofite to that which the noble Lord fays it is. The noble Lord fays, that the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Windham) looks with a jaundiced eye on every other than a regular force. I think quite the reverfe. The honourable Gentleman fays, there are two kinds of force (and I agree with him) which ought to be kept up, and particularly attended to, in a country which is invaded. We ought to have a regular and difciplined army; that is, as great an army, and as well difciplined, as the nature of circumstances will allow; but I never understood him to fay, indeed I am fure he could not fay it, because he has ftudied the subject too minutely to fay-that in cafe of an invafion, he would trust entirely to the efforts of a regular army. I hope that we fhall have an army in difcipline, and alfo fuperior in officers; but are we then sure of victory? Has any man read in the moft extenfive refearches into hiftory, ancient and modern, that in war there was any certainty? I believe at this time

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