The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-06-06 00:00:00

7P, - ;. 77 7 - that where there h an accumulation of fines, and these fines not enforced when they took place, it would be unfair on the part of tae public to enforce them, if it be found that there is any di ffi culty in the aft for enforcing the payment of them as soon as they became due. Bet it appears, that in the practical execution of the Aft, various difficulties have oc curred in the way of enforcing the penalties. The • commanding officer has been unable to make out the necessary certificates in time to shew the Justices at their Quarter Sessions. Therefore we are not to wonder, nor be discouraged, if the Act should not hare reached its full effed. And when it is con •otidered, that since the war, we have had to raise . both the Army of Reserve, and also to make a con siderable increase to the Militia, no argument can •be brought to prove that a more successful call may ant be made upon those parts of the country that have hitherto been found deficient, and • that, by measures less oppressive, and at the same time more calculated for giving it ellen in a summary, expeditious, and effective manner. I have now farmer to propose, that the forces to he raised be subject to th.. same limitation of service as the Army of Reserve is, namely, for five years, or during the continuance of the war, and for six months after the termination of it; and that, whilst they continue in corps of such. a description, they shall not he liable to be called out for foreign service. Then, as to the manner of arranging this fora, nothing appears to me better calculated to ren der it serviceable, as a medium of recruiting for the re°atar army, than the plan of annexing the whole of it, in toe form of second battalions, to the regular army. it must be obvious, that if it be so placed. the natural effed will be, that a considerable propor tiCia-Of officers, in their gradation of rank, will pass through both battalions, as if they were but one, and that there will be a perpetual interchange of officers between the two battalions. The effeCt this will na turally produce, will he to bring into the Regular Army those who are attached to their officers, and also it will he a stimulus to the officers, to take pains in training their men, as well as a check to every pri vate, who will know that he is not only to look to the approbation of his present officer, bat that, accepuss the bounty, and enlisting in the Regular Army, and Outlet he be found negligent and inattentive to his 'duty, he may again come under the command of the same officer, who will not fail to recognise him. In short, the method row proposed will tend to fa ciliate the passage from one corps to another, and impart a sort or family feeling to the whole. And if, as matters now stand, my many from the Army ' of Resesve have enlisted into the Regulars, how much more may not this be expeded to happen, when such additional arguments are presented to enforce the bonds of discipline ? The plan, which, with the leave of the House, I wish, Sir, to sebmit to their consideration, will. I trust, appear to have this additional advantage, that whilst ie Aireigher the means of recruiting the Regular Army, it will also render your internal force more complete, re:pc/table, and capable of answering the end in viess —the Defence of the Country. Here then it stailds recommended, on the ground of its being the best economy aid national pelicy, for it will improve the quality of your internal force, and make one man equal to what two were before. This plan has the farther effeCt of rendering yonr Regular Army much more capable of being a dis poseable force than what it would oilir:rwise be, whilst we should have to depend, not only upon the numbers, but on the ouality of our troops. —Whetever aid we may justly expel to de rive front the various species of our present ex isting internal fore*, and from none more than from the numerous and highly re.peciable body of Vo %weer; t yet it is agreed, on all hands, that it would not be safe to trust the defence of the country entirely to those, who, whatever loyalty and zeal they have discovered, and even training they have had, yet have never had an opportunity of seeing aslant servic s and who agree in thinking, that some portion of experience, and prime military service, are necessary to give effca to their laudable exer tines. But adopt the plan, which, with the leave of the House, I mean to b. Lig forward, and you will not then be under the necessity of chaining down any great part of the r. pm' ir arms. The explana tion which I have now given to Me I !muse, nearly comprehends all that appears necessary for me to say at present, by way of the first develnpement of my proposed plan for the better defence of the country. My °Nett then is to rednce the Militia, which now consists of 7!,000 men, to its firmer cstablishment ; and the new force about to be created, will be a most ittiportant accession to the country, and will become a great source for the receuiting service. It will also have the effed of rendering the army complete ly disposable; nor can it obstrud any improvements which may be the-right necessary in our military es tablishment. Now as to the proposition with re. sped to the ballot, the only way in which it is to be retained, is that it ma, give us the chance of having the personal service of the individual to be balloted for ; rind who, if drawn, may consent to take the bounty and enter into the service. And if he does not enter, he will have but a moderate fine to pay. I am very confident, Sir, that this part of the plan will have the effea of procuring a great many men on moderate bounties, by making it the interest of men drawn by ballot to enter. At least there can be very little donin but that a grca: mil, more of them will enter than those who have hitherto entered. I very lately had the means of seeing an account of the number of those ballotted men who came per sonally to serve in the force I am speaking of; and I•can assure the House that the number of those in Cleat Britain is not more than between land 3000; a number so trifling, that every body must feel bow little benefit was likely to be derived from the ballot, as itahas hitherto been constituted. Besides many in convenienees arose from that mode of ballot. Score persons who were drawn, could not pay the fine ; others had subscribed soma of money to ensure therneelves against being drawn. The whole sum was sometimes given to the man on whom the lot fell, who thea either found a substitute, or served in person. Here nn such inconvenience will result, but the effeet of the ballot will be much more pro. doetive. With all the defesffs, the expen-es, and the inconveniences of the system lam speakir of ; I would still be ready to recommend it to the E. use, if "thought it was material towards raising men for the pnbli • e But when I see the effect it has per due- ad w en I know how few men, out of theme 11111111. Ly ballot. eniesed, I base no hesitation to ;• say, that I gladly avail myself of such tt plan as may relieve the individual from great hardship .; I there fore think myself justified in proposing the raiment plan. It is my intention therefore to move for hive to bring in a bill to carry it into effect. 'lf the House will permit the Bill to be brought in, I will move to have it printed for the use of the Members of the House, and fix on some convenient day, sup pose Friday next, for taking it into consideration ; and in the course of next week the House may enter into the details of the measure. I do not wish to do any thing more at present than to ;tate to the House those points in which the plan I have now stated differs from the ideas I threw out some time ago upon the same subject. !Isere are some other circumstances, conneaed with our mi litary system, on whick I will take another oppor tunity shortly to address the Houk.. I mean to bring forward some tegulatin is with resped to the state of the army in general. I will also bring the subject of the Volunteers before the consideration of the House, and call its attention to that part of the General Defence Ad which relates to the enrolment by classes. But as none of those points are connetied with the present plan I am about to offer, I will for the present confine myself to this plan alone. I therefore move, " That leave be given to bring in a &I' for more effeaually esta blishing a permanent additional military force in the country ; and for supplying His Mak. ty'S Rettular Forces by making a gradual rediretion of the Militia of Great Britain to its 010 et.thlishment." Mr. WINDHAM said. •t he was sorry to ob serve the plan he had just I- r • stated by his Right Hon. Friend was not calculeted to give better hopes as to the petftelion of our Milker/ System, than any that had hitherto bee: adopted. It certainly was nor. surprieing, that on a subjed of this nature, there should he many differences of opleion. His -Right Hon. Friend difft red now fmm the opinion he had given on a former day ; aid he nose differed in ma ny particulars from his Higot Hon. Friend; but . that difference did not go the length of opposing the whole of the plan. He was compelled to dissent from some parts, but not from eli ; for, if he did, he should dissent from himseh. The rednetion of the militia, which was now proposed, was a mea sure he would most heartily concur in, and was one he always thought should have been adopted. le also highly approved of that part of the Is; Ali which had Mr its oh eft the getting rid of hie!! boun ties; an evil wlich every person throughout the country had felt; :nd the removal of Which laid the foundatioa of the best hopes for recruiting the regu- I it army The commutation of service was ano ther measure which he approved of so much, that he should lease proposed it himself, were it not now offered to the consideration of the House. After having said thus much of the parts of the measure to which he agreed, he would next come to the less pleati , g task of string the p:iocipal points to which he disagreed And first, he would allude to the pian, so far as it related to voluntary and compul sory service ; between these two there was a very knee line of distinction to be drawn. One great evil that had prevailed in our military system was, that of providing for the exigency of the moment', with out looking forward tnfutureconsequences. It was in this manner the Army of Reserve had been raised; a tnea ore which, though had in its principle and consequences, did produce some temporary benefit. The House was, however, now freed from the con sideration that had been continually pressing upon it ; namely, that of providing for the present emer gency only, and shutting their eyes to aietant con sequence'. Whatever he might think of the danger which still pressed upon the House, yet he could not be blind to this, that the country was now in a far better state of security than it was in at the time when the danger first threatened us ; but, at the same time, we were not so secure at could be wished. The House' ought to consider that it was not tied down to bare plans of the moment, and then' examine the present plan on that principie. Now, in a general provision for a permanent establishment, he would ask whether any thing like a compulsory measure should be resorted to ? I' compulsor y measures could be rendered complete, nothing would be found more effeCtual than they were. But here tt was necet.sary to take into consideration su h rne.rsures as were fit to lie adopted in differe it Lo.tto ries. That which was proper to be adopteJ in o .e of the monarchies on the Continent, would oe cr y unfit for Great Britain. Eso.ry country had stud übtedly a supreme power of eitharcing by law any measure which it should think proper to carry into effect The power possessed by the King of Prussia was ME greater in his domi nions than that of the King, Lords, and Commons of Great Britain; neither was the power of the Em peror of Germany, or even of the new Emperor of France ; although the latter would do many things which the British Parliament would not attempt. - We had, however, the power of imitating some of the Monarchs of Europe, if we chose ; but, in such a country as this, compulsory Measures in our hands were not like the same measures in the hands of other States. We must go by the constitution of the Itealm. We could not take short cuts to attain a' certain objet. The King of Prussia might, indeed, exercise his compulsory power,by sending his recruit ing serjcants thro'his dominions,tocartipel such men as they chose to fix upon, to join his armies. In this country, however, it was very different. We must here at in the spirit of the law and the constitution of the country. Ours was such a complicated machine, that half the force of it was lost, in endeavouring to overcome the fridion of the different parts. Dif ficulties were to be got over in an indirect manner. Compulsion could not be used all at once. Men could not be forced all at once to enter into the military service, except in the veil lest extremity. Nor could we do as was done in Russia, where those peasants, who were attached to the soil, were obliged to follow the owners of the land, whose vassals they were. We must usecompulsion in a circuitous manner. And in this mixed system, great care ought to be taken that the compulsory should not interfere with the voluntary system. All that was got by com pulsory measures was not clear gain. For we got only for a limited service, that which we might and ought to have had for general service. But it was said, that if men had once entered into a li mited service, they would afterwards be induced to engage for general service. This was not strictly the fad. Some might be disposed to change the con , dit ions of their service in that manner. But against these, an equal number might be art off; an equal number of persons might be found, who, thinking that they had already " sown their wild oats," would not enter into a more extended service than that which they were in already. • !ley would speak in this way, " If I am to be a soldier, I will be a soldier at home, and not subjescl myself to he sent to a 1 - 0- reign country all my life." It was well known that numbers entered and re-entered into the Militia; and that they preferred to be in that service to being in the army. After thus observing how fallacious the hope was of obtaining those melt for general service, he next stated his objedion to any plan that went to divide the army into two parts; which must be the case, if some of the men were liable to serve for life; and others only bound for a limited time; namely, the time for which they had undertaken to serve in the Army of Reserve, before they entered bun the regular troops. The plan now propofed by his Right Hon. Friend might be described as a plan of recruiting, by means of parish-officers, when it was compared to what had been before praftised, and which had so much impeded the recruiting for the l i army. The overseers of parishes certainly were not the best recruiting officers. They were now to be limited as to the amount of the bounty they u ere to rive. But if they could not get men for that bounty, thy must either be subject to a fine, or give a larger bounty. What security had*Parlia ment, that they would not do the latter? arid if so, all the evils arising out of large bounties would be revived. Parliament was now to be called on to establish a nsiiiimum : it could never be preserved,. and the attempt would produce bad consequences. As to the individuals who happened to be drawn by ballot, having ever exerted themselves to procure substitutes, he did not think h hid produced any other effe& except that of raising the price of substitutes. When a countryinan happened to be dr 4WII for any service by ballot, he looked upon the event with as much terror and surprise, as if he had been seized with a fit of apoplexy. So far from be ing able to get a substitute, he went from parish to , parish, lamenting over his hard fate, and making his moans to every body he met. lie went about to look for a true friend ; one person would tell him that a man in the next parish could instruel him what to do. After going to various places, he was at last sent to a crimp, who undertook, fir a certain spe cified suin of money, to get a man to serve for him. He therefore contended, that parish officers know nothing of the mode by which men could be raised ; and that, if they did, it would be improper to entrust them with the raising of men. It was probable they might exercise tyranny and oppres s:on over many people. A man might refuse to enter, on being applied to by them ; and it , might fairly he asked whether that :non stool any chance, of obtaining parish relief, when he happened to ap ply for it ? Parish officers would be induced to commit this injustice, because a fine was to he levied on them if they did not provide their quota of men in 3 given time. These ,circunacences, in his mind, operated as a great obj-idion against suffering paristi officers to be recruiting SC7* jeanis. The whole and the only advantage of this plan appeared' to be, there was a chance of an adalidonal inducement for men to enter into the Regular Army, if they were first got into an army WhoSe service was limited; but after men teem once got into those reservoirs, thei e must be another machinery to get them out again, thore must be fresh expenee. The first service was to be in some man ' rer compulsory, and the rest voluntary. But would men voluntarily enter into the army ; and, if they did, would a n'tmber of Li:ern go together into any 'battalion they should be direfted to eater? Arronit -soldiers there was an infinite vae;ety of . whim; and caprices as to he regiments they might wish to be in. One man would prefer a particular leginient, be cause someofficer belonged rot, whom he might wish to serve under. Anotherman would dislike A regiment on account of an officer bein:. ; in it, whom be op posed to be his enemy. A soldier would say, I prefer going , to this or that regiment, because Bat cult a one is in it," (a loud laugh). Some of the men would wish to go to a regiment that was in a hot climate ; and others to a cold climate. ln short, it was impossible to reckon any thing on the voluntary seal which might aatice persons to change from a limited to on unlimited service, in such a manner as should be attended wits beneficial effeas. These were a thousand earsiderati ns operating against the probable binetic of this p.an. Parliament was at this moment ab nit to ma .e a great force, which Was to become ratinnary, and not to serve out of the country • and, with all the precauti ons an d li mitations ab out to be adopted, the bounty would be as high, if not higher, than what h id been first hit upon; this was Vie great evil which produced all the inconveniences, now complained of, in our military system. Within his own memory, the bounty given to soldiers, on enlisting, was a mere trifle, in general it did not exceed one guinea. This was the state of recruiting previous to that fatal system of procuring substitities which had since prevailed. Thea there was a competi tion between the compulsory and voluntary force, which produced great public inconvenience. An other important view in which this subjeet ought to be considered, was the eflen produced by the vo lunteer system now existing in this country. It was now understood, that from the great extent to which this system was carried, there was a general military spirit in the country. For his own p.m, lie did not luck on this system as likely to produce any benefit ; he could not help thinking that the plan oi making every man a soldier, was to put the e' .utry in that situation in whirl; she was no, to have any great military forte at all. The gieatei,t mili tary countries in the world, where these were the must powerful standing armies, so far from having volunteers, had not even a militia. And those countries that had militias or volunteers, were not military countries. The very existence of such a half military force served to deaden, instead of enlivening an army, and the military spirit that should aduate that army. The :military spirit was kept up, enlivened, and direlled to great objets by those who were not in military habits ; and not by those who affeeted to imitate the soldiers of an army. It was like players performing on the stage. The dramatic spirit which alieweci itself in fine aeting, was not kept up by the bad players, but by those who were not players at all-- by the plaudits and encouragement of the audience. Just so the men belonging to an army were spirited up to great acts by the approbation of the people, who, without being io the - chandler of rivals, a I • 1 11, mired their military glory. Had woe* no ...Item in looping rip A military spirit? T hey qetainly had in a very great degree they paretra not of the military character. , Nowise ,would ask what was the case with us at present? We had an immense hem army, wilhout the discipline of a real army. which was a dead weight upon the country. ft had all the insignia and tine trappings, the lace, belts, ace, which were the appendages of, and (eight to beim% to a real army ; as the honourable marks of dis finOlion due to military services. Then thi s great orce, with all its appointments, in imitttiiio troops of the line, with Colonels, Majors, Captain; &c. tended to depreciate military rank, a pd make military distineltions cantemptible. The e the standing army, a great part of which' had perhaps been distinguished by hoilliaat service s . was surrounded and lost v. ithin this immense force, which performed ao service kt all. While such' a system as this prevailed, we never could exped to have ti beat U: puwerfel army. N oe .. he would ask wit/ some simple mode niUght. not be adopted for the better recruiting our reemlar farces?! In doing es, there wir: no occasion for any competi tion of plans. His idea of a plan seas to bare no plan at all. There was only one thing to he done, and that was to let men be eralistod fax the army f..E. a term of years, as was the case in the armies on the Continent; and not for life. as was now the caie with the British armies. What c oca _ sion had the members of that House to he racking their brains to rind out the sea? to do a thing which. if let alone, would do for itself?? The object would be attained, if those things that obstrtiFted it wer e once removed. Why, he would ask, could not Crenaz Britain have a powerful stansling army, as well as ether countries? Her populatioa was <increased. so were her wealth y trade, and maneflieltmes„ and there were great sconces for aupptyine merinos. There was no such extraordinary CAD for labourou pre vent men from enlisting, when it appeared by towns • ,on dutiable, that it cost Englard and Walesui wards of five millions a year for so oporting the poor ! How could there he a want of recruits nods a proper system, when vast sums of money were laid as every year to prevent emigration from Scotland? Could not this be better prevented , by !vanities the armies ? Let the experiment of a proper system of recruiting be but once tried; veil he saw nothing that could render it hopeless. —lt never had been fairly done ; hut let it be done belote compulsory means were resortni to. All the means hitherto adopted had done se. thing more than fill the country with a half milkety force, which dispirited and slipped the army of Its honours. And all this was done with no other pro 'o.ll than the chance, that, by a &Lillie kite d dt dilation, some set this men, cemposing this for. would be Inducad to go iliou the army; that, far smaller bounty, they would ti st go rate n'tfirnireci„ and, afterwards, fOr an ad litionil bounty, into an set-vice. Tiii, sv as a sy s tem of difficulties, 'created without any kiud r necessity. Simi; was the fashio n f or legishition os sling is Parliament, that Cie plain. cesanban h....a, upon every subjea, must necessarily heehawed. It was like the apprentice woo was golly • r run away with his niloress ; and when a person • sine to tee hint there was no obstruit'tias in the way, as the street door was open, he replied; K Would yoi hawense go .out at the street door, when I eon stile lady and myself down from the window? What should I do with toy rope-ladders, if I went away by the com mon passarte!" 'ilia was exettly the case wits those who had bees attempting to iraproee our mi lit t: y system ; they were trying (Meek experi retests, when the plain, ea . . ; way, lay before them; and this produced the trio' of evil consequences. that had been so long felt. Feeling as he did 'quo this sublet?, lie most oppose the present motion. Mr. J OI INSTONE said, be could not avoid et pressing his astonishment, that after the repeated charges which had been made against the late Ministers for incapacity, the p, s in MI ister. who had been now several we: in office, skoeld bring forward nothing but tho plans of those inefficient Ministers, whom he hail assisted in removing. This plan would not only be ineffeaua l, but it would operate as an oppression on p officers. who should be oblig ed either to pay a fine, or give larger bounties 'than they were allowed. It was astonishing the talents of the Right Hon. Gentlemen had suggested nothing better than this; and these was reason to conclude he had been outvoted in do Cabinet, and contrnuled by those about him, some of whom formed part of the late Ministry. Mr. A DIMNGTON said he difered front the Hight Hon. Gentleman by whom the motion was made in many mated al parts of it. He was against the reduilion of the m fide nece, which had bees raised to a pitch of tmetampled perfection. As so the volunteer force, the effect of it was to give great mirehers of substitu - es for the mil tea. there was no necessity whatever for the measule now proposed. The exeei ience of last year coui I not justify it. Nor was there any immediate pressure which required the adoptim of such a plan. lVe now had the residue of the Array of R serve, rut of which I :*.lOO mesas had already entered into the regular:. t tha t were 17 or 10,000 now remaining, out of m 0 •- artny would still he argrnented. Under these - cumst times, he hoped the bight Hon. Gent!. would not urge the l louse to ash p ,-is m n. . Her would not ohjeact to the Bill beiu,o brotieio ' but it that was .lone, he hoped the second would be put off to a period ehkh should p: •-• all fatther discussion on it till next Session i'ar !lament. I Lis apprehension was, that the measure was vexatious or nugatory. It would subjea non improperly to fines, and the operation of it would not answer any purpose. This measure was like one adopted in die last war for raising a quanta of mina in the diferent parishes, towards supplying the army and n ivy. The efett of tire measure WAS an exccss in the bounty. lher.urnher of men raised at that time was not above one-tenth of the whole proposed ; and these men consisted of the very re fuse and scum of the ccuntry. The same Oleo may be done again, if the present measure should be adopted. Lord C tSILF.REAGH said, this country w .$ not in such a situation of military streagh at the present moment, as to make it r !.tent to try ea experiment recommended by tte Light Hun. G tleman (Mr. Windham). So far from the pr plan being attenJed with any severity, he th.ru it remarkable for its mildness ; to when pissiwcs UMW did rot ft to rar a were pail 3 matter of Resers which sel the Regu the Bill, him to officers je.mts. c heerful, nien for t every ma pose. would be not do a, Sir II thought i duce to t deemed i burden a men, nit was not, sent circa It had be in the va this suby mod of Bill was that 13,C inn• the whatevei bad not more in gular A as an Al tarce, pride its smallest every ri insolent', to us, I proper. a great inevitab as every caw b dent tAI we bad pre%..nt went would season pose it Mr. Con to Hon. ( should Right but he by eye apply a &obi prej ad subjeel Gentle others, resson tow Arc jority as pc prelir busin Mil;ti the p to th: ♦ante whicl evpe4 coup VLici