The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1804-06-26 00:00:00

1 • ••••• `III • • • •rn, if. •• ' " 1 spiA • l i . z• • • L.. • _iefii • t .' i lll rEffit, ,iip r t I .!!„ 0:;1- :<;4•-4 . TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 1801. .r - _ H T R E ROYAL, HAY-MA RKET. 1 THIS EVENING will be presented Shakesp,are's C,lviedy of (PRICE SIXPENCE. AS YOU LIKE IT. Titz Duke, Mr ARCHER. Frederick, Mr. DENMA N. Amiens (with Songs', Mr. 1 AYLOR. Jaynes, Mr. PALMER. Le Enu, Mr If KELLY. Orlando, M. FILISTON. Tnochnnne, Mr. BANNISTER, Jun. Romaine,. by a Young GENTLEWOMAN, (Bating her Second Appearance on any Stage.) Stn.. GRIMANI. Mn. M ATIIFW S. Audrey, MR. clltns In Act V. a song, by Mk+ HOWELLS. After which (Sixth Time), • Splendid Dramatic Balht, THE ENCHANTED ISLAND. Siiirit of the Dance (in Act I.), and Penl•nand (son of the King of NAtal t ml, Mr. BYRNE. Prayr , ' (Duke of MiLin), Mr. DE CAMP. ♦utuuro (Prosper:is Brother), Mr. PALMER, sun. Ma.ter OSCAR BYRNE. Cahban, Mr. G. D'EGVILLF. First Mete Spirit. Mr. TAYLOR. Pet:We Spirts, Miss DANIELS, and Mi HOWELLS. Miranda (Act I.), Miss C. BRIiTOW. bliranda ( Act II.!, Miss B. MENAGE. Tbe D,Anees incliental tii the Piece, are supported by Mr BYlttii . :, Weiler OSCAR BYRNE, and Miss MENAGE. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS—MONDAY, JrDa 25. ADDITIONAI FORCE HILL. Earl CAMDEN moved the Order of the Day for the second reading of the Bill for establishiag and maintaining a permanent additional force for the defence of the realm, and for supplying His Majes ty's regular forces, and for the gradual reduaion of the Militia of England. His Lordship said, that, in making this motion, he thought it necessary to re quest their Lord-hips' attention and indulgence, till he, as briefly as possible, explained the nature and effects of the Bull. He then stated, that it must be very obvious to their Lordships, that it was extreme ly desirable to add, as speedily as possible. a consi derable body of men to the regular army; that it had been found by experience, that the mode adopted la , t yell-. for raising men foe,an Army of Reserve. had not answered the purpose for which it was intended, as it interfered greatly with the recruiting for the regu lar army, and ttmded very much to increase the bounties given for the raising of mein; that the mi litia having been increased to a very great amount, beyond what was the nnmber originally prorosed, and as this had been found to operate also very consi derably towards obstruaing the recruiting for the regular army, it was meant by this Bill to reduce the number of the militia from 60,000, at which it stood at present, to the number of 40,000, which was its original standard; and that in fourteen days after passing of this Aft, no man is to be hallotted for the militia, till, in each count', theNnilitia should be it-duct-1 below the original quota ; that the number to be raised for the year ending the first Of O.lober, 1805, shall be 9000 men annually ; that the ehnrch-wardens and overseers of the poor, who were authorised by this Aa, to raise and provide the men deficient in the respeaive parishes, shall be allowed a bounty for each man, not suceeding three fourth parts of the bounty that shall be from time to time allowed by His Majesty for recruiting the infantry for general service; such man having been resident thirty days or more, in the pari,h for which he'should he produced, or in some other parish in the same subdivision or hundred, or in some parish in the same or same adjoining county, not more than ten miles distant from the parish for which he shall be found or produced. His Lord hip then gave a ge neral de s cription of the remaining provisions of the Bill, and argued that much might be expeaed from its operation towards increasing our regular force, as it would he the means of lowering the very high prices which had been paid fur men to serve in the army of reserve, and of lessening at least, if not en tirely taking away. the competition, which existed between that army and the regular army of the country. lie understood. he said, that it had been said of this Bill th.it it was highly unconstitutional, inasmuch as it went to raise a large body of men as a permanent force Instead of the militia, which was deemed the more constittnional tUr the defence of the singdom but he by no means saw it in that point of view. It was to be tecolleded, that what we wanted above ever y thing was a large,disposcable.and well disciplined force ; and as the army of reserve had failed in producing such a force as was ex reaed in the course of last year, he thought this Bill was a measure that would be attended with very different effeas ; that it would produce an elf:dire Tee, and, as such, he could not but give it his warmest suprort. Having end:tined the general of the Bill. he said lie would not then tees further on the time of tl.eir Lordships, but :11,1 reserve his fin Cher e! , ..-rvations till he should he it a hat might he Avail; e.l in argument, by way ur utjvtaion to the Bill ; thoiv,h he could not but Hatter himself, that the Bill would be found, in gene. satisf t %Ay to their Lordships, who must all be %: 44 1 , e(1 how very necessary it was to have a large, and disposeable force, w general service, rat sect as speedily as possible. His Lordship con. ended, by saying, that he shou:d be glad to give explanation on ally parts of the Bill, winch N ible Lords might require. The Duke of CLARENCE said, before he pro ceeded to make any observations on the Bill, he should heg leave to return his ..hanks to t:te Nubl: hectetary of State. who had J ust sat dt:‘, n, t' or ;he very np..n and ear-.did mamcr in which he had h: aught forward the present Nil Fie di.: . eted, "ever, in opit.ion from tiro Noble Seeretat y. with nsvetct to the Frnvi.inr.s tif the Bill, 471..1 the cif:N .t • uld L e ::k e t v to pra . luce. In speak .1.; of th;, ' l . or of any brougit: t...ird by t! , majesty's he would tit if L ., „,,pp„.o they would deliberately adopt any .; l that scat not itt..tGational. lie wa, a war ni ,Jsiirer of the. eartst4trition, and oat that body of - - -- - armed men in this country, called the Militia, which was always held to be the constitutional force for the defence of the country ; hut what had the Mi litia to do with the Regular Army, or the Regular Army with the Militia ? Both were necessary to the country, in time of ..ear, and perhaps rever more so than at the present moment. The Bill he held in his hand, was entitled, .4 A Bill for establishing and maintaining a permanent additional f rce, for the defence of the realm, and hit- supplying I lis Majes ty's Regular Forces ; and for the gradual redudion of the Militia of England." He had looked over the Bill, with every possible care and attention, and had reason to appiehend that it would by no means be so efficient as the Ntible Secretary, and the rest of His Majesty's Ministers, seemed to think it would. It seemed to him to partake very much of the nature of the Army of Rei.erve, and, he was afraid, would not prove much more effedual towards raising men for the Regular Army than that bad done His Royal Highness then said there were some of the clauses which he thought were objedionable. He thought the appointment of the Inspettor General to attend the Courts of Lientenncy, and to ass se the Deem) , Lieutenants, would not answer any y good purpose. The Deputy Lieutenants were Ao gestrates and gen.i. men, residing in the re<peetiet counties, who had hitherto transacted the hu siness of the counties, both with resped to the Militia, and every other service very much to the pueire sai ,s -fatlion; and the s nii•og the Inspedor Geee al among them seemed ts, infer that those persons were not so good as they ought to be, or th it ,hey had failed in exerting tiseresilves in the diseh.,•ee of those duties of levying men 1% ith which they had been intrusted. He was aft 'id at lea.. they m ay he hurt at such an introdi.dien of ar. Inspector over their proceedings, and that a effecl, contrary to that expeCted or wished for from the a, ,eniat.nete. would be the consequence. By eitnfle r chute; iii the Bill, Church Wardens and Overseers • f Poor are instruded, not how to raise men, but how n_t to raise them. They are told heee to raise them within a month after the expirari..n o: fourteen days from the passiiig of the Aft, and for every such man so Froclaced, not ballot. hut by enlisting, they are to be entitled to receive such proportion of the bounty as shall not exceed three fourths of the regular bomoy for recruiting the infantry for general se-- vice, and the man most have been resident 30 days or more within the parish for which he shall be pro duced, or in some other parish in the same sub division or hundred, or in some parish in the same or some adjoining county, not more than 10 miles distant horn the parish for which he shall be pro duced. These were difficulties which be thought could not tail to retard the recruiting: and they were still more increased in the following clause, in which the Overseers and Churchwardens are liable to a penalty 01201. in case they exceed such proportion of the bounty. The men were to be enlisted fors years, or to the end of the war, to serve in Great ibita Inland, aril the Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. I le saw there was no mention of Sark, or the Isle of Man, and Was at a loss to guess for what purpose they were left ont. By another clause, he said it was enafted, that they were not to remain embodied for more than six months, after the signing a defi nitive treaty of pear except by virtue of any ACI which may be passed for that pui pose. Ile thought by these words, if any other AR should he passed,: notwithstanding the oath they had taken, and which expressly confines them to five years, or the end of the war, &e. they may be made to serve for such further and longer term as such future Ads may dired of appoint. Upon the whole, he thought the Al was a had one ; that it was, to say the least of it, novel to the constitution. If the money of the country were properly employed, there could not I e the smallest doubt, that the Army might be recruited, without resortieg to methods like the present. There were, in his opinion, sta tions other modes of calling forth the force of the country, which were far bct'er and far pre ferable to this; and, as such. - ,the Bill should have his decided opposition. Earl SPENCER said, he had waited tb seewhetber some Noble Lord, on the opposite side of the House, would not speak in support of the Bill; but as that was not the case, it was with considerable reludance he was obliged to deliver his sentiments on the sub jai. He thought the principle of th e Bill was so bigh:y objenctionable, that. though he was firmly of opinion there was nothing more desirable than to augment the regular military force of the kingdom, yet the present measute, professing to have that ob jeet in view, fell so far short of a hat it ought to do, and was, he was convinced, likely to prove so totally inadequate to the pure ores for which it is intended, that he could nor, in duty to himself, and tat' the country, refrain from giving it a decided iiegltive. He thought and hoped they world hat: had the means before them of accom olishieg .tr;ireable a purpose. The principle of the 8.11, are nesting to it• title, was to attain its oh. fret, be raising an additional force, and reducing the Militia. His Lordship said, he was, and had always been, a steady friend to the Militia Establish ment, on its true and of iginal principle, and to a certain extent. He was always of opittien, that, to beiproete ly disciplined and officered as it ought to be, the Militia should be confined as nearly as possible to its first establishment. As far, therefore, as the Bill went towards reducing the Militia to that stan dard, he thought it a desireablc object, and it ehotild .have his approbation and concurrence. But the principal objea of the Bill was, or ought to he, to ob teln as far -e a general firee as possible. It did not, howevor,cen asr. piovisions that were likely to effec• teate that. It seemed to he the opinion of Minis ' tors, that the he t nind.2 of reefuiting was from an a - :nv of nisi , ' ve. In that pint, however, he dif fered horn them, and he thought they ought to be convinced, by the arguments of experience, withwhat difficulties and expense that kieil of force was Obt Ai :led. The y , eatest diflii.tilties had beer thrown in the way of recruiting for general service by means of the ballot and high boun ties. Those were now to he done away, and would operate in favour of recruiting. He under stood, however, that persons entering into the New Army of Reserve, were to be allowed to enter af wards for general service. It would, therefore, be necessary for them to know the amount of the boun ties, in order to form an opinion, whether it will nut be more for their interest to enter into the Army of Reserve Grst, by which they will secure to them selves a double bounty, and thereby put the public, or rather the parishes, to a double expence. One very great objection to the Bill is, that it is a large and complicated machinery, put in motion wida great difficulty, to do but little service. lie thought no considerable number of men would be raised by this Al, which professed to hold out inducements to parish officers, and to tempt them to overlook difficulties ; but instead of an Ad fo raising a great number of men, it will be to raise such a sum of money. If this be the case, his Lordship said, it must fin. prove inefficient, forth • objeel is expressly said to be the raising an additional force, not of money, but of men. If it prove inefficient, then, he said, a ne cessary consequence must result from it, that it will be oppressive. As a tax, it would operate with great weight, and very uneqvally. It will fall on houses and land only, when, in point of fairness, it ought to be raised from the genet al revenues of the country. The Legislature ought, on the contrary, to lay on all burdens with as fair and equal a hand as possible. He insisted that it would be impossible for the over seers to find the men ; from which circum tance the measure could not tail to prove inefficient, and to became grievously oppressive. He objeded to en thing such a complicated mass of machinery, and to put it in motion for the purpose of harrissing Churchwardens, Overseers, Deputy Lieutenants, their Clerks, and all who arc concerned in the busi ness. And, after all, ;t must come at last into the hands of Recruiting Officers, which had much bet ter be done in the first instance. It was, he believed, but this day eight weeks that a Noble Marquis, whom he did not then see in his place, had been in duced to postpone his motion on the Defence of the Country; had net that motion been somehow or other got rid off, for what reason he did not know, their Lordships wou!el have no occasion to be then debating the present Bill. He was sorry it had so happened ; but, as a measure of defence, this was fraught with so many imperfedions, and carried such broad blemishes in its very face, that he must express his disapprobation, and give it of course his decided opposition. The Duke of MONTROSE said, the nature of this Bill was such, as to convince him that it would raise a great number of men, who would, in all like lihood, be much alarmed at entering, in the first in stance, for general service in the Regular Army. It had been objetted to on the ground that it would ul timately prove inefficient. Whether it would have the effed of raising as many men as is to be wished for, he would not attempt to say; hut he had, however, no doubt in his own mind, that it we.)411 raise a great many. He did hope to h lye seen see 'Feral of the Noble Lords who oppose this sill, unit ed in their endeavours to encourage, by every pos sible means, the raising of men ; not only to defend their own country, but to carry the wat--iesto the heart of that of the enemy. He was sure the men, when once raised for the Army of Reserve, would easily be induced to enter for general service, and he made no doubt but that a great many of the Yolismeett would do the same. The in spedors; against whom so many objedions had been made, are persons who are appointed to assist the Deputy Lieutenants, and not to controul them. It had, on all hands, been allowed, that it was abso lutely necessary to encrease our regular army, and it was only to be done by those means. If they were led on step by step, there would be mote likelihood of getting a great number, than if it was proposed to them to enter for general service at once. He could not see bow any Noble Lord could have any specific strong objedion to the Bin. He supposed rather that it was to the persons who brought it forward, than to the Bill itself. If so, he would be desirous to meet that question, and would wish the House to re ject the Bill at once, if they have no longer a confi dence in His Majesty's Ministers. He would rather th.:ir Lordships would address His Majesty to remove them, and should be much better pleased thus to see the opposition made in a more direct manner, than through the medium of this Bill. For his own part, he thought it well calculated to answer all the purposes for which it is intended; and as such it should have his cordial support. The Earl of CA RNA RVON said, the whole principle of the Bill was of the most pernicious kind ; while every part of it was charaderised by its share of evil. He was willing to pass hr that amphibious animal, created by the Bill, the P irish Reereitit:g ()xi, tr. Ti's enormities of hi; situ:rim were great, and would deserve to be noticed with particular severity, if they had been tOund in a Bill of less atrocity than this. 'I he Bill pretended to be a Bill for raisins men. He should have great objeftion to it, if it could raise men in the way proposed. But it was a 1301 for no such purpose ; intended for no such purpose. It was a Bill to raise money by the worst of means, and tinder the most fallacious pretences. The fine on the parishes was the objeEi of the Bill ; and while Parliament was discussing the hope: or fears of raising, or not raising the men, the Bill held en to its purpose, and in passin7 would become a parochial tax. But the Bill professed to do almost every thing, cscept what it really did Its friends, not much otherwise celebrated as the friends of a liberal system towards the people, vaunt of the abolishing the ballot by this Bill. The ballot, however, is only in another shape to all but some persons privileged by this Bill. These privileged persons were those who, perhaps, ought to be leaq so. They were all place men and pensioners. He would appeal to the No bh - Lord on the wt-01-sack ; he would pay nett.ter for his hOriours aad emoluments, whatever he dii for his patrimohlal estates. By this Bill be would be relieved from the chance, at least, of paying 3bl. for a substitute ; and if he paid any thing. it stolid be for his lands. Thi s wa s a f un d ament al objeitiou to the Bill ; it levied a tax under false pretences, and levied that tax most partially, exempting perilous most capable of bearing the burden, and, above all, those persons who fattened on the emoluments of the State. The Bill, in every point of view, was uncen• stitutional. ft was so, among others, in reducing the Militia below its comparative weight with the Regular force. For the Militia, be had almost lost his first love : that force was of a nature he no longtr cared for, in the degree he formerly did. By. late alas. the landed qualincations of certain officers were no longer necessary. He conceived the constitution of the Militia to be destroyed. Thus mace he said of the Militia in a constitutional paint of view. But, as an existing force, of great and most important value, he objeted to the - Bill for reducing it. Ibis was, in his mind, a serious evil in she Br *Nis was bad policy ; but the principal objeaion wow the atrocious operation of the Bill, its unconstitutional principle, and its monstrous effeas. Lord MULGRAVE said. if any thiag was want. ing to convince him, that the opposition to this Bill was not given to the princip'e of the Dill, its opera tion, or its real chara3er, but to the person who brought it in, it was the arguments he had heard that night, and especially those which had been urged by the Noble Lord who spoke last. The Noble Earl had not argued to the House, he bad not used any of that reasoning which was proper for their Lordships' understandings and feelings. He had addressed a low and vulgar argument to those out of doors. He had given a name. susje3 to Popular hatred, to situations of the greatest eminence. lie bad used the Vulgar terms of placemen and Lensioners, speaking of the most exalted stations. The Noble Lord had not spoken with bis usual good sense la t':is. He had forgotten that the persons he alluded to had marred their high staioos by their merit; that they did not deserve those vulgar plat aces of ease tempt the Noble Lord had applied to them. The Earl of CA NNARVON rose to , speak MI lrder. lie said. he had not Asserted that the Noble Persons alluded to had not won their honours and emouments by their services. He =Mt merely to state Earl CA RN A avo:4 Was here interrupted by till? LORD CHANCELLOR, who said, the Noble Eat! proposes to speak to order. He must thew in what the N 11 Lord is dislr.fe• ly. The Earl of CAA NA I! VON and Lord Meteasve rose together. There was a loud cry of the names of the two Noble Lords (rum the opposite sides of the House, with which was mingled a cry or ejder I Order! The Earl of C.:MOW RYON; at length r.ole, a said he spoke to order ; but he wt.uld speak to s thiog m re than order. lie meant to deny sip! ,Lc Noble Lord had ascribed to him. He h.tl • rr asserted that the Houle Lord en the vrool•iick ;tad not earned his honours and emoluments. He had maintained this argument, that the Bill favoured hirn and,others in }ugh offices of great etnolumei.. • in exempting them from the burden imposed by tio Bill ; and ibis was speaking to order in despight of cries from the• opposite side, in shewing that tits Ntthlo Lord had attributed to him what was utterly without four.dation. Lord MULG RAVE said, the Noble Lord had ! not expressed himself with tha good sense which usually beloogs to him. The argument was not in. ended to apply to the real effeds of the Bill, the, principle of the Bill, but to produce an influence on the vulgar mind. His Lordship then defended the Bill, in a speech of c , insiderable length ; but must of his arguments were those which had already. been urged in the House. of Commons. He parti cularly, however, reprobated the idea that thb Kt& micy between the Ist and 2d battalion would prevent volunteering frim the 2d to the Ist. It bad beets argued, he said, that the soldiers of the home batta lion, hearing that the commanding officer of the ae tite battalion was disliked, would not enter it. He' believed those who urged this knew nothing of the service. He would relate an aneedote which would chew hew the disposition of soldiers was mistaken. On the expedition to Holland, one of the volunteers from a militia regiment was rejeded by his own of-. titers, because he had been oft en punished, and was . notthought a properniari lobe mingled with the rest. 'Phis man anually deserted from his regiment, con• cealed himself in the transport in which hi fellows were, and never showed himself till he was in baffle with his comrades, This mail I • had been often flogged; and he meant to shew,;i 2 i that the miiit a . y ar d our was not governed by • such motives as had been argued. He believed. as little would i r second hat: slim be ileterrldi from volunteering by disaster, in the first. He.- believed, they wou'al be fired by the glory andt success of the first, even when the ranks had begat, le.,ened, and would fill the battalions in the Indies, as soon as at home. He had the highest opinion of the" honour of an English soldier, and should not be in-' fluenced by the a r guments of those who degraded",' them. The Bill, he thought the hest adapted to its purposes of any that could be devised. Ho • he might lam en t th at h e must separate from w r e n r e e e r st with Arm he had been accustomed to ad, he felt'; himself tailed upon to support this Bill. He La mented sincerely, that an administration had not been', formed on that broad basis which many wished. But; he could not help looking to the present measure' with great satl9fa:Von. He took this very Bill to bso , the sure presage of good. If he was deceived in his hopes of the good etre.Fis of the Bill, either as a mi Mary man, or as a friend of the constitution, bed would acknowledge the present administration to bet incompetent to the duties of their situation. He. hoped that he, the lowest in stati.n, and the poorest; in talent, might he allowed to speak with at , free-. don; than those a m ong Ili s M a j esty ' s Mi n i sters who •