The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-04-04 00:00:00

1 1 ' ~~, t • toe leave to observe, shortly, upon incongruity of the argil 9 ,--nts which ate usually APPanced in op risr•irei fir what I have row the honour to Ovine. In the first p'ac- then, I maintain. that if the term of lif e he e s tenltally necessary for the service, the con ditinos on which 'Iwo: I on,olWpi entered into it, son-t necessarily destroy their eWlwatter as soldiers, sWiich I fancy is rather moes than the gentlemen adverse to the present proposition would be dispo-ed to admit My opioion, howevor, as well as that of others, more entitled to attention, is, that the dif ference of charater between the militia and the re go ars, by no means depends upon this circum stance. flat the limitation of set vice to a term of years, would artraa great numbers to it, who are now deterred by the apprehensions of passing their lives in the unva: yin scene, stands, I think, upon prin.iples so safe, so sure, and so unanswerable, that nothing can obviate them. lam quite aware that it may be aegued, on the other side, that corps fur life are raised upon terms as cheap as those for a limited term ; but so it is through the whole of the present system ; for we all know, that there are se veral corps of one tletert,ntioit, raised upon very dif ferent terms. The argument, indeed, if good for any thimr, would, like the former ohjeaion, prove too much, And run into even an absurdity; because the inference from it would be, that there were meet in this country so strangely constituted, that they like five gineas just as well as they do ten. T.•e fact. I believe, is. that all this depends, is a guest measure, upon circumstances ; such as the ihflaence of indiridu ilss the means taken to attract the recruits ; and the situation in wl,kh they may be at the time of their enlistieg.— It is by no means fair to seppgse. Sir, that any men like five guineas so well as they do ten; but it is cer tainly a fan that we know is thoroughly and per- Sealy c,tabluhel, that one man, from the effe,*s of intoxication, uneasiness of mind, or worldly distress, will sronetirms ire induced to take five guineas, when, by better management. he might have ob tained tee. fur the same ident•cal service, whether it be for life or for limited sere:ce ; so it mry Ise said. there are some descriptions of men who would pre fer an enlistment for life, to one for a term of years, or limited service; but these are what ought to be set down as extraordinary or act iderral o:cmrences ; and I think it cannot fairly be argued, but that the general principle of mankind is otherwise, sad that the generality of men would infinitely prefer the lots r to the former; and it this be so, are must. by this meo 01, if adapted. procure a far greater props rtion of men, in point of numbers. than we do now by the MethOds We pratlise ; and. I think. there can b:: virr: little doubt, that we may be abla to recruit and fill our armies, commensurate eo the wants of the State. If I pause on the übjec si-ns that have been ( - Erred to this plan, it is not on aere o in t of the force of those objedinns, but entirely from the magnitude of the simirti. I am, Sir, naturally led to form these inferences and &due. Sons, from wh we see ia the services of all the other States of Europe. Do we see in those, that the same charoeler does not prevail as governs the men Cal' own Army and Navy ?Is there any real or essential difference more among them, than there is anal; ourselves; and, differing u use do, in our customs, our habits, and moaners, as English, Irish, 'Ad ecntch, is • it to be supposed, that under the same military prafticr, and subjeft to the same re. gala:ions, with reaped to the terns of service, we should aft materially otherwise, than we Ste other nations do. If we are to trace it by do•ery, or principle, I am. Sir, at a loss how to proceed. The discipline of an army is always the same ; and. it is absurd to suppose, that should not happen in theory. which is invariably and indisputably proved true, in profile.. I now come, Sit, to another pro minent leetUle, which will serve to put this argu ment in the strongest point of view. I mean, Sir, ear Indian Army; and, I ask Gentlemen. was not this an army in high estimation ? I have conversed with marry Gentlemen, who were very conversant with it, and whose opinions have always been al lowed its carry with them the most unquestionable authority, and they have it:l agreed in saying, that no army could possibly be in a better state of dis cipline, nor was composed of better soldiers; and )et that army was altogether raised by enlistments • for lim,tsd service. So tar, Sir, as I can trace it Irons principle, or them?. I am persuaded, from every conaiticratirin I have been able to give it, there is not the smallest apprehension to be enter tamed, its ace< unt of these obj,ltions. On the contrary, f conceive it still open a great addi tional source of rectuiting our armies, especially when ward and assisted by the addition of rewards, by way of stimulus to aft well, and by the adoption of a discipline different to that is new in use. I mean, here, Sir, to all lode to corporal punishments ; which I owe it may, perhaps, be impossible to abolish altogether ; hut which may be so modified and moderated, that in a colose of time they would be but little known; and the army would receive alm this further benefit. that this combination would elicit, of getting a dif ferent and better description of men than have hi therto been used to enlist ; for when the people see. than by entering into the army they are no longer Slaves for life ; but that, in a certain number of years they may return to the bosom of their fami lies with certain rewards for their past services, and when they see that corporal punishments were not infle2 d. except for very considerable negleffs, or ill behaviour. I should not despair of seeing the most essential benefits accruing to the witty, both in the increase of its numbers, and the excellence and discipline of the men who composed its ranks. , here is another very material and important head, sir, which I may as well mention here, as in any other place. and that is the cited of desertion— (Mow I fear j It has been said, that a fifth is lost by that means ; tsar, Sir, I have been informed, from very good authority, there is more than a fifth; that out of 13,0,0 there is 2,800. This im mense loss has been, in a great measure, owing to 04 vicious system that has so long prevailed ; and I have the greatest reason to belie , e, that the altera tions I bore before alluded to. combined with other regulations. which will naturally occur, when the su Lora cumes to be more fully considered in detail, and many others which will sitiginase with, and lw improved by, the / metal and other afizers of the arn.y ; 1 say. Sir, I have the strongest reason to tudiscve. that th 2 • :altogether' will tend greatly to Umbel: Loa i Inuring due chief estseV.is ..; ~~~ ~,~ a ~ , ~, v incitements to fittettion, end thereby taking away a most enormous drain from its numbers, and sav ing an almost incredible sum in its annual erpences. Another rifle/Con has been made, Sir, on acznunt of the difficulties it wosild create with respeft to foreign and colonial service ; and there will not be persons wanting to say, that, in the adoption of a measure of this sor t , the advantages would be very distant. This, Sir, may, however, be reduced into a very narrow compass. I would give, Sir, additional allowances, and additional advantages, to colonial services ; which will so far narrow the oblation, as that the value of the measure cannot for a moment he denied ; though perhaps it may be said, that it will not operate for years to came ; yet I think I shall chew presently, that its opera. tion will be much more speedy and effetlual, than those who, at present, maintain the objalinn. have any idea el If an objation be made to the distance, then it will be fair to ground the orpi ment on the most distant of our possessions, which is India. There we shall find, that our Indian ar my has always been enlisted for a term of years, and no inconvenience has ever been found to flow from that particular mode, so different from our ge neral army of the line. It has been said, I know, that the India Company did not keep their faith with the soldiers of that army; but I know the contrary to be the fait ; and I can venture to assert, from the very best authority, that so far from be ing guilty of any breach of faith, they have been most scrupulously exaft in keeping it ; and that from the moment the soldiers of that army have re ceived their discharge, in consequence of their term of service being at an end, the Company provided then. with comfortable dwellings and provisions, till an opportunity offered of sending them home ; and then they were always sent back in the Com pany's own ships, which it was known to every man was the best conveyance, for so great a distance, that the whole world could produce. Among the remedies to some of the objections which have been raised against this measure, is that of putting the men into second battalions. What, say they, will you do with the men whose time is near expit jog? The answer is ready and obvious—put them into the woad battalions. One oblation is, the immense eapildhus the country will be put to in renewing the bounties, and this might be of some weight, if the bounties were intended to remain the same as are given at present. It will, however, be necellated, that I mentioned those bounties as forming one of the most faulty aid vicious parts of the present system. It will not he possible to get rid, all at once, of what has so long been engrafted as it were, by degrees, into the mode of raising recruits for the army ; but, Sir, according to the plan I have laid down, the utmost attention will be given, and every means devised and adopted, iii order to lessen them by degrees, and so to remove. in time, the force of that objalion. It has also been said, Sir, that if you enlist men for eight years, you lose an eighth of your army when the term of their enlistment erpires ; and so of seven years, you lose a seventh ; but those who argue thus, forget, at the same time, that men are apt to die—that the army is in a continual habit of being recruited to fill up the vacancies which have faecal-red by deaths, either in the field of battle, or from the course of nature, or casualties; sod that even, according to the nicest and most accurate calculations, seven years is the given period, beyond which, not any man, whether a soldimal or not, may be supposed to live. They forget that many men in the East and %Vest Indies, when their time of service expires, enter again for some other term, without ever dreaming of coming home for the sake of entering into any iegimant at home; for the question would be, whether they 'hould .serve there, or not serve at all? In short, Sir, I 'am convinced, that the number of men lost by the termination of the time of their service, will be leis than what we shall gain, in the first instance, by this alteration in the mode of raising them; and I temeraber, Sir, a remarkable ' circumstance which occurted some few years aeo, where several men, whet were discharged in the East Indies, in consequence of the term of their service being at an end, took their passage from thence, and proceeded on their way home as far as St. Helena, when, considering there the chance they ran of not getting into regiments they would like se well as their own, or not being able to live in a way of life se agreeable to them as that of the army, return ed back again to the East Indies, and joined the re giments they bad so recently left. One season, Sir, why I bring forward the present plan. at this parti cular moment is, that the recess is approaching. I propose it shall be printed, and, during that time, every Gentleman will have an opportunity of ma tutely considering it ; and, by that means, be able to suggest such improvements as he thinks it may be capable of. I shall now, Sir, proceed to take notice of another oblation to the measure of limited service, which is, that it would set up a competition between regiments. which, being near the time of their service expiring, would endeavour to get each other's men, and so create ill-blood among one ano ther. I cannot, however, agree in this mode of ar gument, nor do I suppose that the officers of differ ent regiments would think of interfering with each other in so delicate a point as that of inveigling away each other's men. But, Sir, there is an easy remedy for this supposed inconvenience, by enaßing that, if a man went out of his own regiment into another, that he should lose part of his time; that is, that, for the term of seven years, he should lose two or three years and a half; and, if the man had such a preference of one regiment to another, that he would give up such a portion of his time of service, let him have it. He obtains what he so much desires, and the public gain his service. for such a length of time. It is very well known, Sir, what a great effect severe discipline has on deser tion. Instead of adhering so strictly to that, I would propose to give rewards for good behaviour ; and the forfeiting of certain advantages in time of service, and other circumstances, for instances of oil behaviour ; t%,s will go a great way to prevent that enormous drain froin oar armies. caused by desertion. Men may desert from various reasons ; same because they are disgusted with the corporal punishments infitcled at result; others beciause they derive great advantages from deserting ; but to say that the greatest part do not desert from despair, on accour: of use severity of discipliae, is to argue contrary to nature ; and it is an absurd argu ,, meat to say. that men enter into the army only for the gratification of the moment, end therefore they may be expeCted to desert ; hut trough I think it a weak mode of reasoning, it is one of the eels() i; why I would prefer the new mode of enlisting then, because, as I before observed, I think it skill be a certain mean of obtaining a better description of persons to fill the ranks of the army ; and, as such, cannot fail of being 01 the most es.ential ad vantage to its discipline and its energy. 1 can ea sily suppose it natural and likely for young persons to speculate on the advantages they see their uncle Tom derive, from being settled at home, in a com fortable situation, after having served the period for which he enlisted, and received the rewards due for his good behaviour ; when they witnessed the general esteem - lte was held in, it would naturally create and raise in them a desire to emulate the con duet of a relative they respe6ed ; who perhaps would raise in them a sort of enthusiasm for a military life, by a recital of the battles he had fought, in which our troops were crowned with vomit st ; and the various scenes of chequered life through which he had passed. I think there cannot Sir, be a doubt of the beneficial effects of this mate rial alteration in our present military system. As to the period, Sir, it may be for a longer or shorter term, as the House shall deem ben ; for my own part, I would advise it to be fixed at seven years, as combining that sort of attraCtion to which men are generally used in the different situations they hold in life, it being the same as they hold possession under leases, and procure the advantage of trades by apprenticeships, and as compromising also be tween the shorter and the longer. With resod! to the rewards, I would propose, that after the first seven years, the man who has served it, shall possess no further advantages than the militia-man, which is the right of being discharged (except the ptivi. lege appertaining to the army, of setting up a trade in a place where he is not a freeman, and other small advantages, which all soldiers, when dis charged from the army, enjoy). In the second pe riod, I would propose a small increase of pay, not such as to injure the service, either from the increase of expence, or from making the pay too much, some ' such trifle as 6.1. a-week, and at the end of the period to be entitled to a discharge. In the third period, a further increase of pay. I mean, Sir, in what I am now proposing, to confine myself to the Infantry. For the Cavalry, I would propose the term of ten, six, and five years 9. as it is well known that Cavalry require more time than Infantry to bring them to a state of dtscipline,and those of the Artillery, perhaps, still more than all. At the eud of the second period. I would propose to give a pension for life to the =an, however young he may be, and however strong and undiminished the powers he may posses, he will Ise more valuable in going back to the community, whether he should have the pension, or serve in a • , or an old regiment. In the third period, I would propose an increase in his pay of Is. per week; and, at tee end of the twenty-one years, he shall be a free man altogether, going off with the highest Allowance of Chelsea, that to be raised much higher than it is at present, and shall be liable to no further call of service,bet live comfortably and quietly among his friends and telatives, without tieing liable to any call for garrison duty, or any other w hatsoever ; and if in that case he carries off with him a sound and hide constitution, so much the better for the commu nity to which he is to return as a member. 'I here is, I Sir, one observation I have forgot to mak e , respel -1 ing the Colonial Service, which is, that I propose to put it in the power of the Commanding Officers of Regiments to prolong the period of service for months only, and at the end of that time to send him home in th4tame manner as the India Company send home their troops, at the es pence of the Government. —.These, S?r, are the principal changes I shall propose in the conditions of the soldiers ; there are unquestionably many others which do nest admit of a legislative provision, but only of military reo.,u lation, and which cannot be enteusted to better or abler hands than those of the illustrious personage at present at the head of the army ; and many more which I forbear to touch upon at present, oil they can be stated in detail, as settled by the Go vernment. There is one circumstance more, Sir, I wish particularly to press on the attention and consideration of the House, as truly important, and in my opinion highly necessary far the benefit and advancement of the service—l mean. Sir, an increase of the allowance to Otfi.re.s' vi ; a small addition has already been mad , , hut the whole is so small, that h is in fadt a heart-breaking pittance, and absolutely requiring a further in crease. These, and other advantages, I think may be added, sa as to create a stimulus that cannot fail to be highly useful to the interests of the army. Having stated thus much, Sir, merely as an out line of the plan, wtiiilh may he filled up, .d I , l,tuon, according to the varions ingestions of every Hon. Member who may have any thing to offer by way of addition or improvement, I shall here leave this part of the subjeCt. An Hon. Friend of mine. Sir, has just reminded me, that the question might he asked--. What vem.ll.l you do with the army now in being t To which I mid, anew, Noshing. I will leave it just as it is. Men entering into a future service, on different terms to what have been custom ary, or to what have been entered into by those who compose the present army, can have no effect on those who have previously entered upon other terms. The same thing has beets done in former periods, in various 'instances, for which it is only necessary to cite the cases of the Army of Reserve, and those men who entered for bounties, and for a limited service, during the American war ; this made no sort of difference with resra to the bulk of the army that was enlisted tor life.— The Chelsea increase of pay, I would propose to take place instantly, at 6d. 9d. and Is. per week, as the service cannot fail to derive great advantage from men seeing they are immediately to receive an in- crease of pay ; and I propose that it shall be given immediately, in the same proportion, to those of the present army who have already served seven years, as those who are yet to enter shall receive at the end of the first seven years of their service; the same in crease to those who have served 14 years, and so on to et, as is proposed to be given to those who shall hereafter enter for the new and limited service of seven years; and in so doing you extend all the same advantages to the present army, without the smallest alteration in any of its military re gulations, or the term for which it is enlisted.— I shall now, Sir, go on to the second great branch of the army; and here the grand t , answered is, What *.an you do with that p arr 0 thepppal ttion of a country, which is ❑„t in ran• of an army The example of Amerii.a, of any ntb„ extensive conntrv, in which the inhabitants have ► e ,.,. attacked, and have from their client alone bceu ea. abled to make themselves soldiers by praftice, fore the enemy cottid obtain achy decisive advona l e over them, cannot hold good, when compared wit' a country comprieing so n.tr.nw a space• a s t bi, does. It will certainly be right in us to get fi na , the population All the strength we can by p o s it , • bait); derive front it ; lest unfortunately we hare adopted a system the very reverse of this, and now it only remains for us to make the most we can the situation in which we at pregiet rand. Th e fi rst point we have to consider is, how we cos advantageously employ this population in defence of the country, without injuring the regular army% In attempting to ,hew how I conceive thii may he dune, I do not know that I can better state it, than by declaring my sentiments as they stand now en the subjeet, contrasted with what they were cnie time ago. In the year 1803 I conceived the crier try to be in a state of great and teal claiieer, which we might be said to be itrpii, ;,tit not I was of opinion we might have done then, fear we cannot tin now, though I think notni more they'd he done. I have been represented an enemy to the Volunteer system ; hut Bose w:., called me so, or thfiught ate so. have either• taken or rai•►epresented my sentiments ; for the force I would recommend, is the most voluntary that can well be conceived. It ts, and has alwitys been my wish and desiie, that all the men in tl,is country, capable of bearing arms, should he taught by the shortest and simplest methods possible to defend themselves. by Offi.-ers of Cie regular army, who sbotsld be appointed for that ;14. pose, and who should be conveyed through the medium of the mails, and other simd.o ctn.. veyances, to every part of the kingdom, near% adjoining to s' here they are respeftwely quar tered, Wu) should attend the several muster of Close who ,'could in each distria, or parish, se lunzarily meet for the purpose of learning the meet arms, and enabling themselves t defend their lives, property, families, and liberties, ia short, every thing that can he sacred and d tar ti man, from the met cilevs rapacity :and sate destruftion of an invading and inveterate foe. In was always my wish, that this immense mass and description of persons, forming the great bulk of the pop elation of the country, should, by associations Arun% themselves, and by holding out rewards to the beet shot, and varitait ether incentives to emulation, stimulate th•esr neigh. boors to arm them-elvet at their own esp-nce ; and being provided with officers by the Cover:me:4 for the purpose, make themselves tech a force, u though not able to_stand against a regular well-cis ciplined army a moment, in a regular engagement, might be able to act in such a manner, as to COlVl nuAlly harrass and distress an invading army, by constantly and unremittingly attacking them ; and by taking advarnage of their superior knowledge of the country, rendering it impossible for such as invader to make a progress with any degree rf speed and celerity ; which would, on all ncca►inta enable oar own regular army to attack or opeose them with the greaten advantage ; this would hare been a good tor Ce. as far all it went., and oosid have been raised wit',out throwing any considerable check or interruption to the speedy recruiting of the Regular Army. Another course had, however, been pursued, and the whole country was thrown into different corps. Volunteers had been horned on a mistaken principle by e Government, bat were in no respell to blame themselves, I base not the smallest doubt hut they were aftuated by the purest, most honourable, and most patriotic motives. They sail, we are ready to defend our country; here we are, do with us as yon please ; we Mil de vote all the time we can possibly spare to learn the use of arms, and submit in your superior judgment to decide on toe mode in which we can best Us instrafted. I think, then re, Government misled them. Whether the idea led to the institution. a the institution to the. sunrequent idea, I know not; bat it was certainly very erroneous, to suNaose they could be brought to att as a resular army, an.l to take the field with an army ailing in a rertlar way; was ceriainly truly chimerical, and a plan by which the country might have been wined ; !ut by which it was certain, at all eyries, of be.. .g much more injured than it could ever he benefited. It would have been Impossible they could es er Ease at9ed with a regular arn.y. because, being nth :led in the manner they are, the regular A-my elver could place that implicit confidence in them, *hies is absnlutely necessary to make one spy. is s of trni•Pl all efreflually with others eif a diferent ne Volunteers might be well trainrcl : they 171;n:g good soldiers; they might positively know ;3-n:- selves to he so, but then it was also necessars - t! , at the Commanders of the regular runty shoull equally sensible of this also : tiro the I am() r plesi kv,2 expe is ne knor ripe the : behc lions Thui Vnlu lent I thin{ !WM of Li of a iudio pasta' 0 a less wher _ Sure mum nihi/ ern, :`hi b rrire *ye seal If ever we attempt to d.► thi►, and put t*- - 7" to aft with tLe Regular Army, I fear the fan of the country must he decided and i l, e evctl would not with any thing more favourable to their •iews and purposes, the conqu-st of the conwrl It would operate in the same way as the defence" long lines, which only serve in weaken )au.ivns want of sufficient force to defend these•. It 'I:: enemy were going into affirm, and knew that rue Ranks were covered by old regiment►, such as 1:i" 118th, the Vdd, dcc. they %entail] be extiernely sinus how they sated ; but if they knew thee " 11/ covered by Volunteers, they would iaru;edia ell exert themselvei, without fear or dread. to 14111 our Ranks, and to throw the whole army iato fticion. The quesuon crimes then to this—Aie the Volunteers fir to he used in that way 1 1 nail fu! opinitin is. tl.at they are nor. I do ant mean by this, to say they are useless ; on the ariotrarl• I ttiir it they are a useful, a respaable, and a r at . hndy , 11 men, it they acre properly trained rya disciplined, which 1 contend tt.ey never yet s a b-en ; they might, under an exfsmicnced eyenerat b.: of esset,tial svvice , c.n particular occasions; they were tense put on permanent duty, the toll once they would have in locking up t he ►t" ing for the Regular Army. would mire than c • ter'Lltanee the advantages that might is c" respefks result tern employing them. The °Fe- pedit plica wan• flan come sepail and c hirelij again but w If = a ti Jis .rc tok a ne L111.,,e