The National Register. — London, England, 1808-03-13 00:00:00

sAt • " • • • r 1•; ck. •$' I t lifet ... • ,ft. 411 THE No. li. POLITICAL DIz,QL NUMBUR ELL EN. THE MILITA.RY PLANS Or MR. WINDHAM AND LORD cAsTLERLAGii. Oa a V ariety of accounts is this a subject of the highest importance. Our military establishment is one of the rreAt drains of the resources of the country, one of the mighty gulphs into which the earnir:2;s of the people arc thro:y a. The s , curity of the nation depends upon it, in i,mjut.ction with oar navy. As it has been managed lately is has proYed the siourge of the population, while the ut most efforts of the Government, and the most prodigal ex- Fuditure have hardly sufficed to provide the army with its icarnisite numbers. The constitution of' our army engages the serious regret of all thinking men in the country, and excites the ridicule of the other nations of Europe. When personal bravery suffices fur the accomplishment of any object, our supe riority is nut doubtful, as both officers and men unite in a nobler manner the virtues of enterprize and firmness, than those of any other nation in the wOrld. hit on occasions hen them., virtues are not sufficient, and unfortunately for us these are by far the most numerous occasions in War, we have deep reason to lament, that the enterprize and courage of our troops are Twist frequently of little avail. We may all remember that the cry for a reform of Ow army was loud and vehement at the time when the late Ministers obtained the reins of Government. The experi ments which had been made on the Militia, and the Army of Reserve Act, had exhausted the patience of the country, and Mr. Pitt's Parish Bill served to cover the military 44 twines of the Government with ridicule. The Admini stration which was formed under the auspices of Mr. fox, and of Lord Grenville, took up the subject with alacrity, but we believe we shall be supported by the experience of All our Readers, when we say, that they disappointed the e \pectations, first of the thinking men of the nati;m, and next of the great proportion of the men of every description. It ought to have been matter of much more astonish ment than it really was, that whereas every part of the military system stood in the utmost need of reform, the only part which was included in what was pompously. and somewhat ludicrously Oiled, the military plans of Mr. IVindham, was the business of recruiting. A reform in fire mode of recruitin'4 was the sole alteration which he proposed to introduce into the corrupted system of our Ltilitary establishment. This was the subject of so much ii..bating which we had in both lions' of Parliament dur irr; the administration of him and his colleagues. This was the mighty schem-, which, according to the one party, v.as to produce so much good. and. according to the other party. was to produce so much evil ; and by this trilling, i:.etlicient alteration, and the noise wlach was raked about it, was the credulous itatiou led away f orn the: thought of ay... xi. . pj!•4itioi ; .•.,, NATIONAL REGISTER. Our fling, Congitution, aub lialsg. SUNDAY, MA RC 11 13, 1 S,OB. PRICE Bd. the radical improvements which it appeared to demand ; and the subject has henceforth been sank oblis The change which Mr. Windham proposed to introduce, respected chiefly two particulars—First, he abolished en tirely the ballot, and proposed to recruit solely by voluns tart' enlistment. Secondly, he adopted the plan of enlist, ing for a limited number of years, relinquishing. the re• ceived mode of enlistment for life. The present Ministry have departed from his plan, in both these respects. They had hardly ascended into office, when they reverted to the ballot, as an instrument so entirely to their heart's desire; that they could not feel I hems,:lves comfortable without it. By a clause which has been just now introduced into the Mutiny Bill, they has e resumed the plan of enlistment for life, only haying reserved the option of enlistment for a limited period with an inferior bounty. Laying aside, for a moment, all regard of the superi ority or interiority of the one of these modes to the other, there arc a few reflections of a very im:iortant nature, which force themselses upon every considerate mind. Upon such men as compose the mass of armies of alb countries, frequent changes have the noer.. pertious feels. They unhinge and distia:t their minds. They de; stroy that idea of the II:veil and unalterable obligation of , military rules, on which military obedience rests. They destroy that magic of opinioa, ithout which corporal pu nishment exasperates rather than reformats. In the course of two short years; not to speak of our Army of Reserve I Act, of our Additional Force Act, and other ephemeral ar rangements, our soldiers have seen the ballot in full ope ration, and all enlistment for life; after this, they saw the ballot abolished and enlistment for a term of years esta blished ; they next behold the ballot resumed, and enlist ment for life chosen as the system of Goiertiment. \\ a deluge was once introduced, there was, front its ery introduction, a most important political reason for adher ing to it ; and a wanton subversion could proceed from nothing hut great weakness, or great knavery. A change, it is clear, might be so decidedly and so exorbitantly per • vicious, that it ought to be got rid of at all events. But were i; a doubtful point between the plan adopted, and' any other, either old or new, in military atrairs, at least, the existing institution should be preferred. ignorant must they be of human nature on whom these views make not the deepest impression. The character of Parliament is deeply involved in these transactions. Since the rupture of the Treaty of Amiens, Parliament has appeared to he seriously engaged in stud lug the amendment of our military system. The im portance of the subfect is uncpeakable. What has been the result of the mature deliberations of ocr National Council for years, during the mast momentous period of our history, on the improyemeat of our army ? Cader the Administrations of Mr. Addington and Mr. Pitt, they sanctioned, without a seruple, the oldi t systetn of the ballot, and of enlistment ler life When the Administration of Mr rJA: and Lord Greta% propesei the abolition of the t