The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-08-04 00:00:00

!it *J. for the Wm* tb, cowry • litt great portion of a we , 1 1 11 bees in silt' service, and were, as far 16 it cc , a pee ible, perf:i in field evolutions, not meetly for ern 4'n , it. for they could fence well wi it the word W with could fence ell with a HI. It was his ore ien that the hi litia service was most improtant totee safety rf this country, and in this opininn he • confir med byte Militia Ads them-Ave., which ce eenen eel by saying, 1. That whereas it h ssen e at there be a large force raised for the defence or es- realm upon the shortest notice," &c. &c.— Such were the leading festures of these Bilk, and do' ale r day had shewn that the establishmeat of them had become more and more important:. If ttes country ever was to become a Militarr N Ation, i s was Tw - 3! e,senti rl that this force should er.ist in original sure, for we should have a regular army e r trAuseend ant clergy growing out of it. 1h e Re vim Army, as established upon the till was a sluggish body of men, giving Cenatclves up to a miiitery life. after being sits .: • i ,•1!h all others But where the whole pen have sum-thing of those military feelings. which ` e :r. leg teem parriotic ane zealous to defend their z ;an Iliberties. how different would be the ge t_ char a ter of the connery l It appeared be all views the most false to suppose, that senpli ce era, or one using needful in suojeds of this eel. It ire•ered to elm that the greater Cie variety o r Ince, tie greater was the security affor 'ed. One et the met important reasons which hz htd tot eirrif ,-in' 1 for the system of his Right Hon. y end teas. that it had a great tendency to increase this milt .cry disposition throughout the people. He could gee iv:lemon why any individuals would be dis contentee. whennature had placed them ins iettletlolll which cal!eJ upon them to defend thee country. /alu. h ha.. be.ii said against the priVtice of wing s Inpulsory means. but t're history of modern Eu r Fe had sheAn, :h it v.luntary eng.zements were croidered as mere dengereus to the State than coin• pale:ly eng.venkhti, and he believed that the jea. I ,tar which thenc , arises hied been as telly felt an th:- country as in A .y ; and it was not of these Jr:a le-les of our li;wi tie. that our military force a old grow. He c o ol t not help, upon this ocea e. reading a p4sstge horn the Co iimentaries the Laws of England. Here the Hon. Viernber tea.'. that in .1 laud et liberty it was .xtrernely deri veas to make a distinct order of the profession of At ri3. In hi absolute :tlim itchy 'his ntig't be ne %treaty he the safety of the P, ince ; but in tree gees , ell!' es by proFssion were justly deemed ahjels of je,busy. It was not meth the reign nt betas. VII that the king had a Standm. Army ahem ins per; m. The army should nut h;distinet fi3m the people. &c. Mr. WeIIISH ED KEEN! said, he had in his band certain suggestions, whelp he had colieded from a Colonel of Mill ia, relative to a military establishment. which he highly Approved of. The 6: sr of these suggestions was to enable Lards Lieu tteants of Counties to form themselves into a local Militia, to be regularly trained for twenty-ergot t, end not to leave their counties except in cases of imminent danger of invasion. There might thus be a force of 160,000 local Militia. The second suggestion was to enable His Majesty to accept t: c services cf tine-fourth of the embodied billing annually into the Regular Army, so that the emilier would amount to about 20,0*d0 men. the thiri suggestion wa. te enable Lords LieutenAnrs of reentres to accept of the services of the local Militia, to fill up the drafts of the regularly em= tra•! , J Mlilfii, by ballot. The Furth, t t enable Leutenants of counties to employ the Stiff of the I-al llalitia :o train the men of the einiudied V e litrAi doting the t tc.e th y are not engaged vr.th rrai^t• tto I:,esi ; and lastly to employ the it; i Seiff cf t e local Militia. when not otherwise ene loyed, in veining persons under the TrAining Act. These suggestions, he theught, were the best adapted for the purpose of preset mg the country, and making US a military nation. The SECRETARY at WA:t said, he ha I in tended to make s incl observe ti se; upon what had fa'len front the Hon. Geo:Leman who had spoken fi sr, but be rez!ly was at a loss to say what he aimed at. D:a be mete is propose :he eeopeon of etoriptil •n e asni , s toward: the increase of .on, Regular Army 'Plait was no, w!1 at w.anlJ meet with concurrence at pre:e ::. Tae Right tic. relatable Gentleman nest ptetended to mike •o.;:e severe animadversioes upon the Acts of the termer Session, yet howev-: hestle he was es them, he approved ma• h of the present ni •asure. b:e4l,,e it did' not at all interfere with any other sys'em. It entirely stood ue in its own gr :ends To di,- corer however the fallacy of the lUght Hon. Gen temm's ('sir. Windham) system, it wa. only ne cessary to enter into a comparative view of the re spective measures, and esti nate their virtues by their apgrAtent success. He siippreted the plait brought forward by his Noble Friend (Coat re KJ, as, in ins opinion, at would he one the: uld taise more men for *.!.e I: A r cry, to 1,4 run.,:hs, than tie ,a G-P::e , raage's had done during tee w:tule time they had been et toter. Dr LAWRENCE strenuntr.iy nripse 1 the mea sore, and dee.il: npnn the mrrots co that of his R•g ,- rt lien frivEJ, which last he thought he mig , l j tot y I..rrn a porinsvhisai one, for none hut a plidoscsphet . L . ii bare suggette.l it. He blamed igrin.ters fur forward their measure at so h a late pi-tiod the withou: giving an early nat:ce ot their - ..ntions. I lie general cry of the country's bring rn r; : ir seos what the Noble Lord and hi, cull:A.4;ft' !5* ,, , , 51 the defence of their novel Inc Asti:es upon ; but It 4 , rot necessarily follow that our dangin wa; teal. n..w tha, when tin Army of Re;arve and 1 . Dills were itarodoced, when toe tarot the cou:;try with invasion. He re.:01,0,1 , 0 , 1 the leer when the Noble Lord opplsite l".ra .fiiendi to these tempor a ry m i lit ar y esp.2.Licnts, w .the late great muter in the s of.,;ol o t expedi !ore had ississkluerd ; our army since then had beer. treCTVAWI from 101,000 to 181,000 men. deditfling ~.h . "'"3 0. c0l men w a nr. s i for our fineign settlements. ie 26.000 men proposed to be transferred Irvin the to the regu!ar army, must be replaced, and Clete V... 11 not time for filling up with effeelive men loch a chasm, to do any real service, in ease we were in danger oi immediate contest. Our internal di ftoc e was also otherwise incaeased by means of mutello Towers ; as to Military Canals, he doubted *hailer wej would be feud of any sezvicc to the cnnntry. But it was not lel, our m:litary defence which was to be depended on; we were also to reckon upon our nav4l superiority, and the ii.jary which we might do the enemy's fleet in any attempt at invasion. But although our means of safety were increased, be feared also that our danger would be increased by the enemy's keeping us in a perpetual state of fear and alarm, which would tend to wear out the public spirit. The nreasnre of the Noble Ltrd could not be available as to any early prnjettl ed invasion, whilst it would injure the Miliria,which was the constitutional ditlence of the country. The landed interest had been treated as it they were in sufficient for their coun.ry's defence, and either they would be !irsle to be disgraced in the eyes of their country, or be reposed to danger, in coming into the Eeld against the enemy with weakened bat tali ins. Ile c•rnsidered it to be essential to keep up our on its present footing, nor did he slunk that the new measure would answer the purpose proposed. The SECRETARY at WAR explained. Mr. G. JOHNSTONE declared he had never heard anv one out of that House, who denied that the measure under consideration would augment our military force. The Noble Lord's plan was such as met with his cordial sunort, and the chief ground of objeition made by Uentlernen on the other side of the House temed to be that i; inter. feted with the system of the. Right Hon. G-rst oppo sic, which %ea. evidently defeetiv • ; whil.t, by the plan of the Noble Lord, 3 , 000 mr;i wouk he added to our Regular Army In tit:: alarm of illu sion, in 1893. we h ! gr • cer nomher of a disposable Army, as VOil . l . 2,tet:s, when the &Inger was out so great as it is now, with a dimint.hed force. But the Hon. and Learned Gentleman thought that the danger from France ve.ys less now tha., in former items With such im probabilities it w is alto st impoes•nle to hold an ingsment. But can 7iy one allow himself to be lieve that there is les- danger from France now, of in six months time, when she lett Holland at com mend, and every port from the Baltic to Toulon ? But now, when she would he unah'.e to bring her regular force to the opposite co •st t eight or ten montlis to come, now was our me for i iseparing the m• ansc' defence. for ' , lie, did no' forebode any of these iojorioits efftets, which pro:trued measure wa , likely tY , produce upon the lil; ;on the contrary, he believed that the Militia wruld continue to do its duty r. he country. and :y .t most formidalsle weapon of defence ; and a belied alto that by thy. •r-risfer of our Yito the Line, our means ilefence would h i.,ach in creat-d. It was a d- , -1 virrespon • art with res. sun and common seals:, that when placd under re. gitlar Offizers, their miliyary know&edgr and capa bilities won d incr-ase. Dr. LA "b* I'.NCE eaplained. Mr WILIIERFJACE declared, if be coal! believe th• justness o' the opinion advanced by the Honourable and Leaned Gentleman, that the danger, or (as the term was softened), the ern-r. g ncy of the count , y was not so great, he should be one of the last to disturb the Military Syst trn of the country And he thought it was a most ex traordinary exlm:ile and of ea of party prejudice, that any G sticm in sueuld now for the 6r.t time express a fem., not etat we should feel the force of France too pest, but that oar publte spirit would be worn away itt preparation. But had not the enemy already proved superior to the two greatest monarchies ? and it so, may he nor now venture much farther than he would have done before ? That he may also have obtained greater credit with his army t , attempt achievements which he might formerly have shrunk at, more especially as lie had no enemy new left behind him. Was it not then erraordinary to hear, on tie other side of the House, all t is danger exploded.? There was, how ever, no room for dismay. He believed that this country, thre.igh the blessing of Providence, and the means wiiish she /miscued, would be found suf. fitietit not only to hale the designs ot the enemy, but also to transmit to our posterity the bl•ssings wnich sirc enj •yed. Was there no danger of our enemy attacking at least some of our toreign set tlement ? And to guard against such attempts, waa it tnt necessary to strengthen these settlements, w.thottt :no much we Aeon g our internal forc , ?? I ha Maks . ; 's Ministers were responsible fur the s.tftty a th• it country at h .ine. as well A• of their settlements abroad, and he felt disposed to hive them a considerable degree ot credit tor their vigilance. Wh •.1 lie rec 11e.Red that a few years ago some of the first naval and cr.ilitary charaacrs in the country stat..d, that see vr-re no: secure front the possibility of invasion, he would ask, ought we nut in provide against the pi,ssihildy, by all the means which Providence had put in our posits:. ? Gentle men. now in Opposition. took upon them to say that the country was not in danger ; nor did t'l^y know the am .unt t tf.e force which the enemy might oppose to us Under suck circumstances, it was no t philosophical Ve lit'S We were to trust to, or the calculation flint. s. I he emergency was great and unparalleled, and sn sh-ulsi be our means f defence. Ile would call up ,n the Gentlemen and np n i is country not In deceive themselves. .Wa . it -or true, that l'asm •parte had conquered the first mon arc its in the world ? T tat Ids armies were flushed with sive .ss, and that th y may venture on an attack which they would not have dine 'aelore ?—We know what was the conse (pence of a false security in G neral Mack and others. and saw, ourselves. may tue it in a few months time, it we cf.. not make use of every ex ertion. A disposable force was now wanted. and conaderiag this, and all the various circumstances n, • passing before us, he should consider it a de reliSion of puhli: duty. if he did not afford them the means they asked for defending the country ; not but that he felt some danger us the measure now proposed discouraging the spirit of the lustitution ; Luc at the same time he felt himsel bound by superior motives to con sent to the measure of the Noble Lord, al though with a full view of the inconveniencies that belonged to it. He also felt that there would be a considerable difficulty in fillsng up the Maitre afterwards. To remedy this evil, he should be for increasing the allowance to the NM who should &dually serve. lie also wished, that a discretionary power might be vested in His Majesty to dismiss these new Militiossen even before the limited pe- I riod of seven years, its or ler to prevent the necessity • • of discharging so large a number as 66,000 men at one peel dof time. He alt' thought they thou! lose no time in training the population of the coun try to tfe me of arms ; n but that he thourl.t alterations were necessary in the Training Act ; but he hoped Pali-men.: would not separate with out improv.ng to the utmost that priactple of ill& fusing a military spirit through the country. Ai thnu Himap4rte n. - 7,11t know the number of nor regular troops, he could not know how much rat the population of the country might be trained and inc. rporated with nor army ; and this measure of tracing he thought arGuld be much better now than at a future lime. Earl TEMPLE said, that he and those who thought with him, were not ag-onst an increased force. hut at the same time they were in favour of the conciliatory sy.tern which had b•en introduced he his Right Honourable. Friend (Mr. Windham). If this wit the moment of IM/TO:tnit danger, why, he would ask, did not Miniver' bring furward their plan lone months ago? By a paper he held in his hand, the success of the military measure of h's Right Honourable F:iend was devil, ascer tained. Comparing e two corresponding r . riods, from January to October 1405, and January in Olober Mi. it appeared that there was an increase of re:ritits in the latter periad, amounting to 10.709, whilst Vie desertions hitt decreased in a similar proportion. As a Mt litia (Nicer, he felt cause to complain that good faith had not been kept with the Miii ia. They had a right to be told what was ex;....Cted • I them, instead of being made suSsecirient to the purposes of the moment. The plm now g ,- opo.ed was of the nature of 1 fo rc ed l e vy ofr the army, and in so un %tr.ti proportion, the add,- tional burden bearing hitriLo on the poorer classes ut the community. The N hie Lord (Castlereagh) th-n out of iilSee, had %tiled itmsrlf t e great friend of r!,e Miiitia, and was for increasing the pay of Officers; but now he proposed of the sm . :, but instead of it, he brought forward this offensive measure unexpeltedly. Sr, 10101 . SEBOAGHT Fupportei the princi ple ut the Bill, but o' jeated to the clvise, giving the men Cie cption to enlht for life r or fur a limited pe riod Colonel WOOD, in a very able speech, supported the mea,u.e, And was proceeding to animadvert urns the clause Above alluded to, when he was re minded by the SPEAKBR, that the qUestion before the House was not ups any spec.tic clause, but upon the general principle of the Mr. WINDA AM observed, that it had been saii, that he and the G -ntl:men who ad-d wth him, were not impressed with t' e present cri tical situation of the country; but he did not recollea that he had on any occasion stated that he was not affeard by the dangers of the times. How far the measure now proposed was c dculared to me t the present emergency, or whether it would answer that emergency tor a 'ono' or a definite time, was anoth6r tire.tion. If we cote:J he sere of having a meastir . .-ays ready to nice( the ;resent de ogtr. he oust confess su:11 measure would be the must desirable ()Net in the present most awfiel crisis, but how this was to bet h tained was another question : WAS it to be go •1 oy the Noble Lord's (Castlereagh) plane C • in'y, in his humble jolgroent, not. The N' 1. .rd's plan w t 14111C101.11, and had been the b o• • 't the country for years. That which wa- h.c nojea of tie late Ministry to establish, was r i.h]ea of the present to break down ; and while -n- one en leavoured to raise the country above the difficulties and em barrassments that ovawlielmed her, the other's ohjea WAS to bring things back to their former lame,,table situation The present measures were calculated to obtain immediate r. het, without any retrospea to future events ; it was like endeavour ing to support nature with drams and cordials, ant where we know these remedies are resorted to, not to speak figuratively, but praaically, the general economy of nature is underroked, and the consti tution destroyed. The measures of the late Ad ministration, whether gond or bad, had for their re jea to &stain a-,supply for the Army, adequate to its consumption, which was never known in any curer instance. All, however, agreed, that the pie s nt was a mere temporary measure, for a tem porary supply, and not by any means fit to be resorted to in cases of necessity or emergency. liy this measure the army neither paint,' nor lost, Et . as it increased the one titre', it doninished the other. As to the measnre he h.,d the honour to propose, if kV. to itc proper op-ration it would have produced in the enuise of the next year .30,000 ha, n, arid have had, upon the grounds alone et the papers before the House, as full an ef lea for raising men for the regular army, as j the two plans of the Nonle Lord, namely, the Additional Force AA, and the ordinary recruit ing. 'fire former was calculated harshly to drive poor men into the army, perverting the rune ' tioos of Constables, Bailiffs, Headborougbs, &c. Ike. and even *fleeing the Bench of Bishops and the Judges themselves. He continued, in an able speech, which we regret our limits will not permit us to detail, to draw comparative elf.as between the two measures, and contended that while the one gate a permanent force to the regular army, the other must tend t, decrease it every year. Lord CASTLF.REAGH, in a speech of consi dei able length. combated the arguments of the Right Hon. Gentlyman, and contended, that while his plan would ultimately produce a regular force of 300.000 men. exclusive of volunteers and teral forces, the measures of the Right Hon Gen tle nan would not produce, in six yea•s, as great a disposable force. calculated tor every emergency, as his Lordship's plan would produce in the space of six months. He admitted the Right Honourable Gentleman's measures vo uld effectually answer the end of feeding the army, but were not adequate to any immediate necessity. He took a comparative view of the state of the Regular Force previou. to the sanctioned system of the - Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Wadham). and since it was in operation. Whatever difference of opinion might exist upon the best means of increasing the Regular Service of the country. yet it must be urn,. rsally admired, that the plan which gave an accession of forty-four thousand man. was at least one which both provided for the energy of the moment and is ed the ultimate secs ity of the country. The Noble Lord entered fully into the merits of the measure. on cl rqnci.u,l..d with at..rtting. that experience sr uid prove itc tluotry effefts. Tile Han then divided upon the clause ; • . os . 4a • • • 30 1%;•! B;11 WAS then ordered t' be real a third time this d.ty. 'll4j,;ty :MIIJ HA COMPLETION BILL. The re , nr , of the Co.npletion taken in:o lus;:ier c And s .• - f r a l n•rt cia.isrs were proposed by Lord CastlereAg:i. a:d - • •i.. Mr. YOIIKE expresieu a wish. that those bat ktted for slioui .1 liable to serve either in Eng land or (r-ho L', as •.ccaßioi. might, require. Sir CFI IRLES POLE pulposed to exempt llit M4jevy's Servants employed in the Vianalling Office, in the same mvni.er as t rose servini in Dock-yards and the Ordnance Department aee v.:v.-opted by .let from the Ballot, and submitted a c'suse (or ilia, ,liirpose, which was negatived with (Alt a division. The Bill was then ordered to be read a third time this day. The Report of the Irish Militia Transfer Bill was nest ral.zo into tuithra consider:trim), and sons fling Amentlmr!as provased and agreed to, au! the Bill or,:vreJ to he read a third time this d .y. The comini...ll of the Irish Arms Bill was post pone] to this day, and the K' port of the Irish Nis• 'nix Completion Bill was ordered to 'se taken eat* further consi&r.ition truouo-row. ..The Foreign Grinds rell was reported. and or dered to he read a third time tn-morrow. The I(i.h Spirt Dr I 'lack 131:1 was committed, and order:d to be rc r i..rt,..l this day l'hr ()Vier rders were then pons Toned. and at HILF PAST THREE &CLOCK the H me* -tij toned. THE BRITISH PRESS. U;ND()N, TthiSDAY. AVOCA' 4. A Gentleman, in the cons fence of Lewd fluit c HINSON, arrived yesterday morning. at two o'cloi.l4 at the I- crsign Office, with dispatches from l•ra Lordship. They were forwardei to tlr. C6(4.. ai no, at his house in May Fair. The Gentleman returned to the Office at ni o'clock. and • had a conference with the Under Sectltary ••t State. who sent copies of the dispatches to all the Cdhiset Ministers. He had afterwards a consul , 4 1 Jui s wL Mr. CANNING. Considerable importance was ato (ached, in the Ministerial circles, yesterd ry. to •' ese frequent communications hon. :.ord Hcreatseos. The embarkation of troo,,s, At !!trwich. being cortvleted, between forty and fifty , ' is «averts got under weigh on Saturday mornii. about Vn o'clock, with a fair wind t Yarmouth, nler cos-. voy of the Cams, the Corse hiring previa:a! ,ly —ailed with Lord Ito:Lisa and suite. In gett•og out of the harbour, three of the transports got oe shore, bu! A , ated off with the following tide. Tb• troops embarked were— The 4th and 23d Regiments et* Foot. Part of in 9,13, or K.fle Regiment. The 11th Regiment of Font. 7lth and ltd Regiments (Highlanders.) In 411 shout 5639 men. Sir DAVID BAIRD is Comm Ind:MD-Chief. Cc. :arras Gaosvemoa and WA to accompany him. The second division of the Fleet, under com• trued of Admiral Essi NOT me, sailed on Sunday from Ystznouth. The master of a vessel Arrived at Hull from Ton. ningen, which place he left on Sunday last, states, that at his departure it was reported the French, 9000 strong, had set off for Holland ; and that the Emperor AL tiANDaa had returned in great baste to St. Petershiogh, in consequence of great dime°. teat in his C3sinet, at his late conduct with Bona. .it hei• ' g a prevailing opinion in tbat capital, that the Cor.ican has completely duped him. A Gottenburg Mail arrived yesterday. It has brought two Bulle,ins Irmo Stral.und, the lat ter dated the 17th list. containing an accnnnt of the military operations between the Frencri and Swedes up to that day. The King of Sw..o pro. posed an Armistice on the 14th ; but the French General did not condescend to return as answer. None of tl.e troops from this country appear to have b-en engaged. The Pc:oast is included in the Treaty copcluded at Tilsit. between France and Russia, and a French Officer has been sent to communizate to the GRAND V,ztsa the conditions in the Treaty, which affeß the OTTOMAN Poem and the liberty given 'o her to take part in it. This important env-hip-ice is announced in the Eighty.seventii Balletin, con. tained in the Paris Papers to the 25th. and the Dutch to the 29th, which we have received, am is official. We may. therefore. presume, tate of Turkey has beta decided at nisi, it is a hard fate fe..e will doubt. when it is that France and Russia were the arbiters, did not even deign to consult her when fitting her doom, and have thought her honoarid by sending 4 Froac4 Adjutant w • J the Out& Ind as such e, that the it, and that considered •. that they n they were seSciredy 601111110.