The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1805-02-16 00:00:00

be sufficient opinion, the feetly agreed . of the promises piesenx Istinisbn of the country It would appear occupied with thei. e attempts to annoy t. enemy, and their catamaran expeditions ; in these, all other considerations seemed to be absorbed with Ministers. If the additional force required by this Bill was to be the test of the efficiency and talent of the present measures, never could there exist a mere complete decision against them than would appear by the.present Bill ; inasmuch as it was a complete failure, and so far a triumph for those to whom they were opposed. He was astonished at the Noble Ball's arguing as if the measure was to be persisted in ; the events had amply decided upon its Merits; the sense of this parr of the country was completely against it ; and Inch was, in the first instance, ex pressed he its representatives. The Doke of C'U'MBERLAND begged the at tention of tile House a moment ; some expressions had fallen from the Noble Lord who spoke last, which hie, consistently with the rank he had the honour to hold in the army, could not silently pass over. He must protest against the idea of any man what ever being trepanntalinto His Majesty's service; if be thought the Bill had such an effeft, he should be one of the last to support it. The Earl of WES TMOR ELAND contended. that the measure •in question could not be fairly considered merely by itself, but that the circum stances of the period in which it was framed, and those which have since accompanied its progress, should be taken into consideration. In adverting to some of those, regard must necessarily be had to the merits of some of His Majesty's present Minis ters, and the House would recolleft the exertions Inside by them in the early periods of the war, to defend the country against the threatened invasion. AIM on that occasion, he must contend, the exer tions made and the effefts produced were unparal- Wed in its annals. Their Lordships would recoi led, that in consequence of the peace, the Militia, the Fencibles, and the greater part of the Regular Army, were reduced. With tespeft to the Militia force, it may be regarded, on the breaking out of the war, as nothing ; and yet, from that period, to the expiration of the year, a Militia force of 90,000 men was procured. Added to this, was en unprecelentedly large number of seamen and marines; in fait, upon the whole, in the course of fifteen months, a force of not less than 200,n00 men was collated. As these exertions, however bee neficial in the main, were unavoidably attended aids some ineoneeniencies ; the principal of those were, the excessive high prices, is consequence of the re peated ballots. The consequences of the projal el the Army of Reserve were nest to be considered, and this proved a fruitful source of supply to the Re gular Array. And the number of men procured this mode, added to the injurious effedts which resulted from the frequent ballots, may be reckoned among the prominent causes, why all the benefi cial elites. which might reasonably be expeCted from the measaare in question, did not accrue in the fine instance ; in souse cases, those advantages which were hoped did not arite, but it was not ex that the bill would operate to its full extent • y. The injurious ccuaidenations to which S.- • . tagvetted, were not at once to be got rid of ; this, y, world be gradually obviated. It was glee meeteartthat these parts of the country should be ascertained in which the Bill was most likely to operate extensively; and, the consequent arrange- Merits necessary in suds cases take up a great deal of Oar. It was within a few weeks only that the Sill had become fully an operative measure, and, within that period, if the accounts were resorted to, an extraordinary number of recruits, it would ap pear, were obtained. Wi.hin the last fortnight, no fewer than 600 men were procured ; and, it things went at a similar rate for about a year, 15,000 men, at least, would be plumed. The measure was framed in such a way, as that its operation would not interfere with the other sources for the supply of our military force. Adverting to what fell from Noble Lords, at the other side, expressive of their present opinions of part of the existing Administra tion, he observed, it *as not very long since some of them, at least, held a very different language. With them the talents aid eloquence of a Right Honourable Gentleman, the vigour and energies of his charafter, if brought again into admini stration, would restore the tarnished honour of the country, and revive its drooping spirit.— These waited but his return to office, to effeft all this. His powers, in that respeft, seemed to be regarded by some, as not inferior to those at tributed to Jupiter in the Heathen Mythology. Did he once appear, new life and vigour would be in fused into every branch of the military service, ant; every department of the state : but by some unfor tunate and then unforeseen accident, like the ephe meral properties of a meteor, these admirable quali ties seem all eclipsed, in the eyes of those whom he alluded to. Let the Noble Lords explain the causes of these apparent akerations, if they can. The interruptions which they were Filtered oc casionally to offer, should not perplex him, or draw him from the chain of his argument. He contended that the measure in question, so far from prejudicing or lines feting with the other branches of the recruiting service, would contribute to give them additional efficacy. In consequence of some appearances at the other side of the House, the Noble Earl observed, that the charge of coalition proceeded with an extraordinary grace, indeed, from some Noble Lords opposite to him. Political men, without hazard of very severe censure. He coalesced, although he had differed upon one or two measures, or political subjeas, or he might have differed respeeting this or some former Bill, but it would require all their ingunui.y to give a satiefac tory and convincing reason why those should coa lesce and unite who had pointedly differed upon every topic and upon every principle which had come under consideration, ever since their poli tical existence! Recurring again to the sub jeft under consideration, he contended that the effeets of the gill, as far as it had a fair op portunity of operating, were beneficial ; that ham recent circumstances, and by what they had to look to prospeetively, there was every right to assume it would ha still more so; that, as the mili tary force at nresent stood, the troops were equally I A present Militia Afts ; the Ariny of Reserve, or to restore the former praetice of balloting ? All these import ant queries should be satisfalorily answered, before they should think of repealing the measure under consideration. There was another objeetion, name ly, that by repealing the present Bill, one part of the United Kingdom would be placed under a differ ent military system from the other; and the evils which might possibly result from suck a consider ation, were too obvious to be pointed out. On these, and other grounds, which he should not take up their Lordships' time by reciting, he was in duced to give the Noble Earl's Motion a dire& negative. Earl SPENCER began, by assuring their Lord ships, that he never since his first entrance into par liament rose with more real satisfaetion to give his support to any motion than that which had th:. night been made by his noble friend for the repeal of this aft. He felt himself particularly easy in saying this, because he was certain it must be in the recolleetion of every noble Lord who was present, when he delivered his sentiments on this bill in its passage through the house in the course of the last session, that the arguments he had used against the bill then, had since been, every one of them, found to be verified. No hill had ever been introduced in either House of Parliament with a more pompous and mag nificent display of the benefits to be derived from it, and the energies it was to put in force. it was brought forward on the spur of what was said to be a most important. occasion, when the country was al lowed to be in the most immediate and imminent danger of an invasion, and, indeed, so much, that a month, a day, or even an hour was not to be lost in adopting measures for the most speedy and effedual Means of increasing the army of the country, and that part of it in.particular, which is called the dis pmeable force. At that moment. his Lordship mid, he and other Noble Friends of his, with whom they laded, saw on the first fair and mature con sideration of its provisions, that se far from answering the important purposes for which it was intended, it would have the dire& con- , trary of e& and would be infinitely more inju rious to the military service of the country than those measures which were proposed for that end by His Majesty's then Ministers, whom it was a prin cipal and primary means of driving from their official situations. Seeing it clearly in that light. his Lordship said he felt it to be his duty to his country, as a Lord of Parliament, to give it his most decided opposition, and that too in every stage ; and, he appealed to their Lordships to say. whether the reasons he had then adduced against it, but which he would not now trespass on their Lord ships' time by repeating, had not been since prov ed to be but too true He remembered though, that one objedion which he had very pointedly urged against it was, that it went to take away the ballot, to overturn the system of the Army of Re serve, which had. *to a certain degree, been success ful, and which, therefore, their Lordships should not epee to risk losing the benefit of, unless by sonic measure, that gave at least a prospeet of proving effedual, which he then insisted this Bill did net. He was therefore the more surprised, when be heard what had fallen from a Noble Earl opposite to him (Westmorland), in support of this Bill, which alto gether overthrew the Army of Reserve, and all the other military measures, which had been the greatest favourites of that Administration, of which the Noble Earl formed a part. He had then foretold what would be the operation of the Hill, though he did, from his opinion having since been proved to he true, aspire to the title of prophet ; for he was sorry to say that, such was the flueluation of events at the present mo mentous crisis, he mug suppose himself a very wise man indeed who would venture to phnpliesy on their results. The fldl, however, had soon been found to verify all that had been said of it, and to have entirely failed in effediag an increase of the army. In the course of the first two months, with out using any particular curiosity on the subjed, there was WI, has believed, one of their Lordships who did not know its tnifottunate fate, at least in the county in which he resided ; and no one person in the whole kingdom had an opportunity of knowing it more pointedly and forcibly than the Right Hon Gentleman, who was the father of it ; and from the astonishing deficit which took place in the very distrid over which Ise presided. He had hitherto, however, confined himself to the objedions he had to it, as a bill intended to increase the mili tary force of the country, by raising men for its ser vice. There were, however, much stronger argu menu urged again it, and the principal of these was, that, under the pretence of raising men, it went rather to the purpose of raising money upon:the country. This had been strenuously denied to be the case, by thoor who supported it I but it had ami tually turned out to be the lad, and now formed one of the strongest arguraents that could be used in favgur of the motion masse by his Noble Friend near hirm for its repeal. As a bill for raising men, no one can deny that ithas totally faded of its pin ! pox ; and if it. was a biU for raising money, nothing Ise could be more clear, than that it was deserving the highest reprehension, for it was infinitely partial and unequal, and fell, with an unexampled degree of weight and severity, onahat description of person', which it ought least to touch, viz. the landed pen prietorsof the country ; and he insisted that another Noble Friend -near him (I s m, King) was perfedly right in styling it a measure of taxation, which fell not upon proporty equally and generally, but on the ratio of population ; and the instances which that Noble Lord had produced, in support and.illustra lion of his arguments, were conclusive and man , swerable. His Lordship then adverted to the very defedive and unjust mode resorted to by .the bill of recruiting for the army, in the several parishes, through the medium, and by means of ; Parish 'Officers. Those regular Officals who were ap pointed to that service by the army, ware gene rally Gentlemen who weltuncerstood that parti cular ditty, and. by attention and experience. were enabled to form a pretty good judgment, which was a good man, and such as might be trusted, and . . . • . • icient to determine him against it ;in his fit, in poirt,e4 pOliwainstiOlhifor filillitad or illierate Whith , the measure had totally failed. He per- service; fed thakihere wateverypteiped of their opporti greed with his Noble Friend in his contrast being able,. eh teo thraug*the wledium of the bill,. tereatet sromises and performances of His Majesty's to get a very large disposable force.. The measure but the - Ministers, .the regisher and:vim-lent -tome ef •repealing!.ba..l3iU would. under .the present mi- , and mi country gained little by their' exertions. litary system, be hazardous in the extreme; the frame to retu Id appear as if their attention was wholly of the existing military establishments would be the pat id with their abortive attempts to annoy the shaken by it: weeetheyprepanid to repeal the present Noble 1' IN A.-. ....• .-.... till. Rid 1111..,e _a• • was likely to ;prove shy, and take the oppos ,:utsity to desert. He was slip personally . tererted in taki particular care in these tewpe4o, the parish o Acer was very differently situated, . might be liable, through partiality or prejudice, return those who were likely to desert, and thus 4he parishes would become doubly burdened. The Noble Earl who spoke last, had acknowledged that the Bill had not been so successful as could be wished, and yet contended that it ought to be persisted in, because, though it had been is force nearly twelve months, it was now only just be ginning to operate. In the week ending the Ist of February, no more than eighty-four men had been raised under it in Englana and Wales, and during the last fortnight there had been obtained only twenty-nine men in Lancashire and ten in Middle sex. In short. the whole number raised in England was very small, and yet the advocates in favour of the Bill had uniformly maintained, that it was a prompt and immediate measure, and °add not be delayed or deferred without the greatest danger to the welfare and security of the country. As et he had heard no arguments which could, in the smallest de gree, tend to convince him that the Bill ought to be perSisted in. " Perhaps," said his Lordship, " before we rise, we may hear from some Noble Lords, who saw this measure in a different light last year, why they have changed those opinions which they then maintained so strenuously." He confessed he could not help being curious to hear what would be their arguments in favour of the continuance of a mea sure which at once overthrew all those which they had so industriously endeavoured to promote and establish for the general service of the country, and of the military force in particular. He wished to see how the new coalition, on the other side, would conform themselves on the present occasion. He had, he said, made use of that expression, which had been so often used and misused of late years, in consequence of the Noble Eatl spoke last having applied the word Coalition to him and his Noble Friends, who aded with him. He insisted, that any man might have differed in opinion with one or more on the first and most im portant of political questions, and yet might after wards perfedly and cordially, and with the utmost degree of consistency, coincide and ad with them on a question, or questions, in which they all formed the same unanimous and decided opinion, as on any point of dispute, which might arise in a subsequent period of time. It was absurd to suppose that men thus circumstanced as he had described, should, because they had aged on contrary opi nions for any length of time, never agree or ad together when they might think ezatly alike —Every Parliamentary charader was bound in questions of a public nature to ad, and co-operate with these who, in his mind, were most forward in • support of the interests of his country ; and he should ever think himself justified in ading on this princi ple; but when he should be found to abandon mea sures which he had once supported, and to join with those who differed from him on those eery measures, then he should be contented to be charged with in consistency, and to be said to have formed a coali tion, or any other term which might Le chosen to' designate a real derelinion of principle. His Lord ship hoped the House would pardon him for having , so tar indulged in this digression from the •übjet, immediately before their Lordships, to which Le immediately reverted, and said, that he was, front every argument he had heard that night. more :irmly fixed in his, opinion, that the Motion made by his Noble Friend ought to pass, and the Aa to which it alluded be immediately repealed. One at gum:nt urged against it WAS. ' If you repeal this measure, you will re-enaß the Army 0 Reserve the ballot, and all those measures which had been formerly considered as detrimental to the public service.' Allowing that to be the case, he would still support the Motion of his Noble Friend ; but it was nut to be supposed, ice said, that the mat ter was to rest there. Other measures would be brought forward, without doubt, and his Noble Friend had delayed, for a considerable time, to give notice of his present motion, or to take any steps s.vhatever in the business, from a confidence he had in his own mind, that, as the Bill was found to be so totally inefficient as that it had not answered one single purpose for which it was enacted, hut had al together failed; that therefore His Majesty's Minis ters would be eager to seize the earliest opportunity of bringing forward either a Bill to repeal it, or a Bill to alter and amend it, in such a manner that the military defence of the country might receive every immediate support and improve ment that time and circumstances would allow. Seeing that no such measures had been brought forward, nor intimation whatever given of an inten tion so to di, his noble friend felt it to be his duty to aa as he had done, and he thought him entitled to the warmest thanks of the House and of the country. Ile knew, however, that his noble friend was willing, and be heartily concurred with hint in the sentiment, to let His Majesty's Ministers off on as easy terms as they please. It they will promise to bring forward any measure to explain and amend the Fill: or in any way to alter it so that it may be come efficacious and serviceable to the country, th:y. would be satisfied ; but he thought the argument in favour of its beiog persisted in, because it was now only beg's:to:lig to operate, was futile in the extreme, and he should, therefore, it no other more forcible one should be offered, be Ansions for its beings dropped, as it cannot be denied that it is a measure attended with a grievous expense, and with the most oppressive consequences to many parts of the coun try. Re should, therefore, after thanking their Lordships for their obliging attention to a trespass on their patience much longer than he at first in tended, conclude, by giving his vote for the motion made by his noble friend. Viscount SIDMOU CH said, he did not rise to gratify the curiosity of the Noble Earl who had just Lit dawn, but to cleat his charader from wrong ten potation or misrepresentation, which might attach to it, it he remained silent. He should therefore bt-.- gin, by using the words of the Noble Earl, " that d at any time he should be found to abandon mea sures which he had once supported, he should be content to be charged with inconsistency." He al ways aled from principle, and he knew well, that was the most certain way to merit and to obtain the praise and good opinion of his country. He.begged their Lordships to recoiled, that when this Bill was first proposed, there was one on the table of the other House for altering, amending, and improving the Army of Reserve AI,C and which had even gone so far as the third reading; and also an Act for suspending, for a time to be limited, the Army of Reserve Aft, as the ballot had been found to operate to the disadvantage of the recruiting service for the Army in general. At this parse cular period of time, a change, however, took place in His Majesty's councils, and the Adlninistration which then succeeded to office, brought forward the B;11 now alluded to, which, after the fullest and re prated discussions in both places, was at Iceeda passed by both Houses of Parliament. His opiaio n of the Bill remained still the same as it had eve:- been (a cry from the other side of Gear! hear !). `ie e. Noble Viscount said, he wished to be heard, and to be pesfeitly understood, that his opinion of the Bill remained unaltered. He had opposed it in its p ro . gress through the other House, because he did not approve its various provisions; yet, theagh he still re tamed the same opinion respecting it, hi thought, that after having received the most mature consideration and the fullest discussion in both Houses of Parlie ment, it would not be fair or politic to repeal it tie it had received a fair vial. If the Bill had bele. completely successful, he was certain, in his owl_ mind, their Lordships would have heard ef no m-- tion for repeal. Before they wieild, therefore, giv e countenance to such a measure, they shotild kilo% whether it was likely to be finally croweed Wi t h success, and proceed to so hasty a step as that of repeal, because of a partial or temporary failure. For his own part, he was flee to con fess, that he was by no means so sanguine in his ,expectations of its ultimate success as mane of he Noble Friends (A err' of hear! hear! from flu oppo site side). He hid given the Bill every oppesisi en in his power till he could do it no longer; and he was sorry that Parliament had placed him in the situation ; still he could not avoid asking, can it he argued that the experience of the ACI hes been mob as to say that it has completely failed? and there fore the material question for the cnnsidtn at i en . o l their Lordships at present would be, whether the At has so much failed in its provisions and epee don as to justify Parliament in abandoning the measure altogether ? It now became necessny for him to take notice of the most pa'nful part of the bill,, and that was the levying of penalties; these were not to be countenanced, and indeed they had beea forborne to be levied in such comities, as they wear found to bear most heavily in their °permit... His• Noble Friend, however (Lord %Vestmorelend e was right in what he stated, and was hr no mesn answered by the Noble Earl (Spencer) ; for, is fact, they were not the framers of the measure. The Bill on the Table of the other House did nee go the length of repealing, it wens only to tie sespea itoll of the Army of Reserve Aft. There was :lien he said, another consideration, which was, the Sim plementary Militia. That qeestiein was equelre twee for discussion now as it was 'belie; eie last Session. He was one of those that lamented tie proposed reduction of the Militia, and en coratini mwl grounds ; he thought the Militia, should beau fair proportion to that of the Regnle; Army. Cis. cumstances were, however, greetly- altered at The present moment. At the commencement of site war, a very large addition, and be might say, me • heard of before, Was made to our -Videntect emcee; a reason, of course existed now, - 'whieii woolkwar rant a reduclioa of the Militia, that ilia we exist at any former period. But there was a still further and stronger one, that vaei e bee with more force than all the , others, and the was the absolute want of 50? officers to tat I y on the discipline of the Militia cesvice. It was; deem fore, in a great measure, necessary to reduce them se far, and, bey ;n1 that, he would certainly have en objenion. It gave him the greatest setisfetitun, end he felt a pride he was unable to express, in •stittiee that we had, at the present moment, not less that 10 1,000 Volunteers in arms, 200 000 of which were tit for actual service, and only 40,r)00 that weer not inspeded y a farce which was mei:lent to kit defiance to all our enemies, and ref reed an lon= and lustre on the country, which it had never enjoy ed [dire. The praftice of keeping rep the Militia bad been adopted long before the V alunteer;Systime He thought as highly of the Militia as any mire could do, hut the Volunteers having corneforteme with so much zeal and ardour, made it praelicableze reduce the Militia, for the purpose of increasing out regular and disposable forces. We paid a very high c -ampliment to the Volunteer System, as entirely coo stitudonel, zed praised the alacrity and enthiisians with which they had stood forth in defence of thee country. Who could not but took on their services a the voluntary tribute of a tree people, in support and deleuce of a free Government, and would eveiat main a lasting record of the honour and patine , r; of the people ? His Lordship then, reverting immediate question, said, their Lordslf ps co.t . agree to the 'Motion for a repeal of this • Act they had suffered it to receive a fair tr'el. however, it should meet with success., le owt.t.o it might he desirable to alter and amend it (Hes: ! bear! bear!); and be had no doubt but what: such a measure was deemed proper, so as not to io terfere with its immediate operation, it would beta re fatly attended to by His -Majesty's Mini-stirs; but at the present moment, he thought there WAS the same objeetion to any alteration and amendment, as then was to a repeal. He has stated, he said, the groune on which Parliament ought to set in support of its own honour and dignity, and must, therefore, object to its being induced to act with any degree of pre cipitancy. It had been said by the noble Earl (Spencer), that if this motion was carried and the aft repealed, some other measure would be pro posed. He !should be glad to know what that mew sure is-ivitis it intended by the noble Earl to restos the ballot, or would he resort to the Army of Be - serve on airy other principle ? He had the satirise' Lion to know that all the measures he had from tire to time brought forward, had been ailed upon withis the last eight months ; the German Legion had bees increavd ; some regiments had been raised he rank; and this mode of increasing our regular vie disposable force, he insisted, was by no means liner to the objeftions that had been raised against-it. He had beard, he said, this night, for the first time since he hest had the honour end privilege of addreue ing their Lordships, what he had frequeatly heard' another place, but which had never inside say ire pression that WAS greatly hurtful to his feeling:s something said as to want of capec4 and talents ie . s . His Majesty's Ministers. For his owe pert , be c say, that ever since His Nl., ) , :sty bad done bis I his t Jow itigi Jelii tht 1 2 . 1 s th% tern t.