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ftances in which it was concluded. He was fatisfied, even now, of the propriety of this country having entered into that treaty; but it was not correct to fay, that by that treaty we had given up the continent: we had done no fuck thing; nor was it our inclination to do any thing like it. If there had been any chance of any continental co-operation with us if we had the continuance of any continental alliance, then the Peace of Amiens was a peace of which he should not approve: but as we had no continental alliance left for carrying on the war, he thought that no advantage was to have been gained by the profecution of the war; nor did he fee how any one, however fanguine, could expect any real advantage o us by that continuance, under fuch circumftances. We herefore had agreed to the peace; and in his opinion, we acted wifely by fo doing. But the right hon. Gentleman had afked, whether the laft peace was not merely an experiment? Yes, it was; and whether it had not failed? Why, yes, it had failed, as was evinced by our being now at war: but we closed a difcuffion about objects, the continuance of which would only have tormented the people of this country. At prefent the conduct of the French Government had roufed their indignation to a pitch which he conceived to have decided the character of the cause in which we are engaged, for that it has united the people of this country, and made them, as it were, one man against France; and there exifted a stedfaft determination to regard France as the oppreffor of Europe in general, and as wishing to be the oppreffor of this country. To have this fentiment thoroughly rooted in the hearts of Englishmen, was, to fpeak the language of another Gentleman, on another occafion, worth ten or twenty West India iflands: this was an opinion which he had no hesitation in delivering. But the right hon. Gentleman had faid, that the hopes of this country were gone. He did not think fo. He did not think that we were a people like to give up our hopes, He found nothing in the hiftory of this country to justify that idea; nor did he think there was any thing in the conduct of this country to warrant the expreffion that we had given up all concern in the affairs of the continent. On the contrary, the hiftory of this country proved that our object had always, fince the revolution, been to preferve the balance of power on the continent; we had made a glorious effort to do so in the last war-we had continued in the conteft for that purpofe long after every British object had been attained, and as long as it was

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poffible with any hopes of making an impreffion favourable to the general interefts of Europe; we had continued in the conteft until we were left without alliance for perfeverance in it, and then, we did what, under fuch circumstances, it was wife in us to do; but there was not, what the right hon. Gen tleman had faid, any difgraceful or thabby abandon. ment of the caufe on our part. The right hon. Gentleman, after having charged us with neglecting our true interests, by adopting a fyftem purely defenfive, which he denied, had proceeded to ftate that the force we had hitherto proposed to adopt is not applicable to our cafe, and alluded to the Militia. Now upon this fubject he must be allowed to lament a little, that the right hon. Gentleman had not brought forward his objection to that system at the time it was first brought before the Houfe, becaufe abundant opportunities had been afforded to hear the reafoning of the right hon. Gentleman upon the fubject, and indeed upon the fyftem of the militia altogether, He fhould have been happy to have heard the opinion of the right hon. Gentleman upon that as well as upon any other fubject. He was perfectly open at any time to conviction, and fo he wished to be ftill, but he only wanted to know what the fyftem of this country had always been, and whether the measure now propofed, was not an improvement upon that plan, and whether the obfervations of the right hon. Gentleman, if they had been made laft year, would have induced Parliament to vote an additional 100,000 men on the establishment of the army. He thought not; our measures last year, however, enabled us to fet a ftronger force on foot than was ever known at the commencement of a war, and we had at this moment a confiderable body of the best troops we ever had; for which reafons he thought that Government was not liable to reproach for negligence. He should not follow the right hon. Gentleman through his obfervations on the militia, as he had ftated already. He lamented that the Houfe had not been favoured with the opinion of the ight hon. Gentleman fully on this occafion formerly; but the question now was, whether the Committee would not yote the maintenance of a force, which on confideration last fellion, was thought neceffary? The right hon. Gentleman faid, that a regular army invading a country could be oppofed only by a regular army; that was true, but it admitted of certain qualifications: it was true with regard to an engagement, but not to a protracted war. America was a proof of this-the regular army indeed beat the Americans in every engagement;

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engagement; but at laft they haraffed, and finally overpowered the regular army. This was alfo the cafe of France herfelf against Pruffia--the Pruffian army was compofed of the best regular troops, and he believed that the French who were opposed to them confifted principally of National Guards, or troops of that defeription, and he must say, that whatever character the French troops had acquired, and whatever they may now be, they had gone through a great deal of hard fighting, and much beating; but they did not fuffer themselves to defpond, or to be alarmed on account of their not being regular troops, although they were to be op pofed by regulars; they exerted themfelves with a refolution. which enabled them to get the better of their difficultiesand if this country had the fame refolution, of which there could be no doubt, because we all felt the propriety of it, we should not only get over our difficulties, but we should teach this our infolent enemy we are not to be infulted with ' impunity, and if they attempt us, to ufe their own words, on our own dunghill, woe be to the affailants.

Mr. Pitt faid, he was in a great degree fatisfied by what he had just heard from his right hon. Friend. He was happy to understand from him, that Ministers did not think that the prefent Militia was all the additional force which the public fervice, at this interefting moment, requires, and if they did not enter upon the fubject at prefent, it was only because they had meafures of augmentation in view which were not mature that they had not laid before the Committee the means of knowing the plan now for that reason, but that they are fa.isfied a confiderable augmentation must take place; being of that opinion himself, he should hardly have. occafion to make more than one remark, which was, tha in his view of the fubject, on the principle which Ministers had adopted, that of more vigorous meafures than had been hitherto ever tried, to obtain that force which was of the best fort, that of fupplemental force to the army, acting under commiffioned and non-commiffioned officers in the regular army. It did not appear that it would have been fortunate if they had rather begun by ellablishing in the opinion of Parliament and of the country, the neceflity of the thing to be done, by preparing the public mind by an adequate vote for that purpofe; because by commencing the courfe and purtu ing the means which may be now defirable to animate the public mind to the adoption of whatmay be thought effential either for the fafety of the island, o what we should couple VOL. IV. 1802-3.

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with it, the vigorous profecution of the war with France, that of carrying on war with a force which may be at once adapted either for offence or defence, the beft effects may be expected; but we are not in a state fit for war with France until we are in a fituation to avail ourselves of every opportunity which may occur for offenfive as well as defentive operations. He would go further, and fay, that as we wanted the means of offenfive, we thould have the more of defenfive war. He applauded every defire which Minifters could manifeft to labour with perfeverance to confider of the best means for the fafety of the ftate; but, faid he, do it--do it effectually! and to do it effeЯually, you must do it foon. Doing it foon will be better, though you do it with difficulty, than if you do it fome time hence, and, after much deliberation, eafily. I think it is better that the thing thould be done at once, or as foon as poffible, than that you thould delay it; that is, I think it better that it should be voted without delay, and than that you thould first consider about the means; first vote the measure, and then come forward with the vote for defraying the expence, because by bringing the matter forward immediately, you will call the fpirit of the people into action The question now is, will you fave your country? Save it in the best and most prudent way, if you can; but fave it! But if you are to take any mode for that purpose, in which you may have to encounter prejudices, or in which you may attach to yourselves a temporary odium; but the opinion I have of the people of England, will not allow me to think so, if you do but inform them rightly of your object. However, if any prejudice thould rife against you-if anv temporary odium fhould attach to your meafure-if it be for the fafety of the country, or for its honour, pursue it—pursue it, although you may have to contend with prejudice-purfue it, although you may have to encounter odium-purfue, it although you may have to fubdue refiftance! Do it! for the country mult be faved! I am ready to take my full thare of the inconvenience. If, therefore, gentlemen concur with me, as indeed believe the Houfe does, that the prefent force is infufficien', I wish them now to pledge themfelves; to pledge Parliament, to pledge the nation too (in which you will have no difficulty, if you proceed rightly), that a frong measure fhall be taken for the defence of the nation, wi hout any lofs of time. I must say too, that at a period when the statement of the finance of the country is about to be laid before us, ti is fit you thould bring this meafure for our fafety forward, together with an eftimate of the expence of it; for it is fit

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the people fhould fee the extent of their burthens; tell them their expences, and tell them at the fame time, their duty to themfelves; fhew them that their reprefentatives are deter-mined to a for their welfare, and for their glory! You cannot now go into the detail, but you can have no difficulty about the number of men, nor of the vote to cover the expences of it. My object, by all I have faid, is, that the country thould now be told at once, that it is to prepare for meafures of an unusual extent; that the people thould be impreffed with a notion that extraordinary preparations mult be made, that extraordinary means must be used. Whatever circumftances of difficulty may occur in the detail of the means for carrying the matter into effect, which I believe to be effential to the public fervice, I am anxious that at least as early a day as poffible fhould be taken for this fubject; that Ministers, instead of talking of what they will do, fhould pledge' themfelves, and that this Houfe fhould pledge itfelt, that the thing thall be done. Ley each perfon do his duty. Let Minifters bring this matter forward, and I am affured that every Member in this Houfe will affiit in it. Whatever degree of odinm may be endeavoured to be caft on us for not choofing perhaps the mildeft courfe that poffibly might be found, if we had full leifure to confider it, we thould not mind--the thing must be done-must be done immediately. Mr. Pitt then proceeded to obferve, that if he had to ftate here his objection, it would not be that the militia was too much; he thought that a militia to this extent we could bear, and he was ready to fay, that another force calculated for offenfive as well as defenfive war, was fuperior, as a force, to a militia. He could not, however, agree with the right hon Gentleman upon this fubject altogether--he thought, that with all due refpect to the militia, he thought, as they themfelves thought, that it was a great advantage to the fervice that the militia were affifted with a great proportion of regulars of the army-he fhould not go into any detail- he thought that a large portion of regular troops might be added to the 79,000 militia, and must be kept at home, or we fhould not have a tollicient force for home fecurity.

He then proceeded to make feveral obfervations on this fubject as it regarded the numbers of the militia, &c. and then faid, he hoped that the additional force to be raised was not to depend upon a fyftem of tardy and precarious recruiting, and that the forces fhould not be confined to ferve at home, as a force neceffary merely for home defence, and that

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