The Sun. — London, England, 1804-04-24 00:00:00

Sovereign, and to hiniself r andhis frienJa whoaaad, with him, to resist a Motion made 4iktimeaundtt, tiretmma4ees, and, i n suc h a manners that nothi ng could justify'. ' 'The Motion, in his opinion, called . on every Member of the House to look at it care_ fully, 'and. to seethe drift of it, and-then to ask himself Ivliether* 'upon a view' of a ll c i rcumstances, it claim f ed'his assent or not, as. a matter of public duty, 'lf assented to, it would callafrom their present station many of the most considerable persons in the branches of the public service. to .he present at : the prOposed inquiry ; not that 'he alledged that as a reason why the Motion should not be adopted ; for if the *public welfare required it, the • measure.shotild be adopted at all hazards. He only stated it as one "of 'the . effeAs of assenting to the Ifldtion, the more to caution the :House against as- senting to it without a.gooddeal of refle6tion. His main objedion to it was, that the • Hon. Gentleman . had not laid,any-Parliamentary ground for the.adbpa• tion of it. 'Upon these consideration' s', he felt it in. cumbent on him, and he trusted he should find .a large majority of the House agyee with him; to tile this M ot i on a d ec i ded negative. Mr. PITT.—" I cannot . ag re with Right Hon, Gentleman who h the' as just spoken, in'the de:. seriptionfof the - Motion which - is - n6Wr hatare the House.. It t a_Moticn, in my v i ew of it,. which is neithe r caleolated to etnbrace opinions 'hostile to Ga. . vernmenc nor towny Ministers whatever, nor tcier... brace o pi n i ons that may . . have been 'entertained `on small and"mioute points,„and ahereby.pt o d uce a ge ,a, neral concurrence agains t M r's. their c on d u E t iniste to criticiz e up o n , when such-Members might have but small and minute difference s in their opinions as to the detail of a system to which they-generally as. . sent ; but it is a 'Motion to embrace all those who consider that s uch a measure ought to be adopted . and substituted for that which they consider to be (- Inadequate for our d e f ence, arid to call thB'attention of those who are disposed 'to take a grave and radical seview of our public affairs- a aa review of all the re sources which Governme nt have brought - forward,' who think that no part of our Defence is ade'quate to . what we ought to extie6--all those who are con ' vinced, by experience; that - after itwelye' months have been given to these Gentlemen to exhauSt all the resource of their minas, to amend; and whai. they have thought; to improve from thersoggetation • of others, all those who are convinced, u po n mature reflealiona that-from the'", convinced' MinisterS,:- or un , der them, not hing'is'likelY to oiiginate to gi ve to ttiis Coun try any fair' chance of aving. wh at i a '-d ue, to its own zeal h , and its own exertion, at die most important and the most critical peribd that ever existed in its :History, which he embraced by the . I present Motion ; and .1 conf;is lam one of Who look at this sulSjeti in that .point of vie•.v, and I am inclined to support thia Motio n on almost all the grounds which the,Honouraible Gentleman urged yvho moved it. I ftel it My duty ,to my Sove reign, .and to my Country,. to do so, not only on as „the reasons whiclnithai HonOurable Gen has used in support of it, bu t . also for many v. hich Gentleman he omitted to state, and ivhieli I - shall `slightly touch upon, llut the and Ffon.Gentleanao who apoki last, with all his recolleation of Parliament, 'and Wi t h ' l force of his- imagina. _ . a I the the Records a "9 0 0 Which he indulged to supply his recollection, b a s Only proved that he laneSs, of no Motion like the Present ; and also by the same authority, whioli.ia Limatlf, that when air the cometance s are extraor din ary. Measures aa ofba;(1, fOr them are ,likewise extra,. ordinary.; and. I think we may add, that _what.. tact. extraordinary - measures may .. be adopt ed, the' presen t crisis which reqUires them ' is alsO extra, ordinary i anti Oti s the Ri g h t Hon: G.entleman ap d • Psars to besurprize V d at, :as if it were extraordi. nary to propose a CoMmittee of tliis I:louse, to consider o f the means, fo f i'prOvidi n g•f or t h e D e f ence of the Country ; as of it were extraordinary, that after twelve months of the WA,, preced rsed by a P.eace o Which, by .the'confession.of Ministe' themselves,. Was a mere notice of that Waraand a War' in which they theopelves,have lieen.eiliausted in their skill and yet have the course of the- ldst twelve mtuiths, !hey have brought forward nothing' in which there l'a i d, not been a variety of contradinions in ' the 1,17, rePtitaricies in the measures, and imbecility he exectition.• Noth . in I . fi Ing w tic , ever y step , has' not been marked - • by unnecessary delay ; and at last the measures adoived • - r . , aanotiotiog almost to a re tradion of the princtide upoil which it was, fc-nded- I should say it is extraordi n . • - " -- i- '' : Binary indeed, if after olv . i in . g such ,an d so many i a , meiancnoty pronf s that MI: 'lnters -themselves, after repeated trials, 'have - proved d what is . .. to .be enefted 'from ' the - I - w hat tats . m, they. have prOduced—if this Hon.-ie . did- . ' quire into this. !.n portant SUbjea in i tne. in i f or the be ,. in the poise not Of: being al,le t o d ev i se some bette r fence . o f the Country than arty ''• ilthey have brought wait: brough t forward' for brat '*- a- ' purpose ; a course in . he * ' • i ft. • Y are permitted to go on, there. can be no hope of safety.to this Country - Such 'has beeriihe'Mode. an which.they have .' ' charge of •nanaged the imoortant o defending' the-Coon:I •' Y• I feel that lam eon-yelled to make this strong aial ex I - ' declaration. ' • sea_ e' t of my sea ti • men.s, I tL) conside r 1 ' '' increase tae measure tor the of the- Regular Arn • . ' .I'' ' '- 'y as a measure fur w iich Minis , lets at e Coable tO provid e a 'for his only a taw night's azp we had the confession of Ministers themselves, that th • ••• ' •• . ' . c necessity was so.gaeat for the making a pro. vision for this purpoSe;that th ' .they e measure theta- aelve • s had formed f ' d t hey y brought OrWdr , would= consent to abaodon, if by any other tite:-oure thein crease of the Regular Army could he'produeed. • I do not mean to say any thing of' the. propriety of the measure proposed u it'd hi ft of a n Armed Peasantry —not of substitutes le su -e .g an ArmcdPeasa , y for the Vcquweers ; which . the Right Hon. Gen tleman_ vvho spake last, at one time was' 'about to atate, as. being the ' t' the il is idea o • onoura ' 'Gentlernan whO has brow 1 , git forward this Motion but he set- himself 'right f ' • s and admitted a le . rward , . of a r diffeien - ce, - nOt a . ver dd.. ..... y slight one, that ofa ingan Armed' reaaantry to the Volunteers, instead of Substituting, them for. the VOlttnieers.- And if there are persons who think, thoi,.. if; point of sub_ stance, the VOlUnteers. ate mo r e- essent ial for the Armed i gitta____l and efficient service of ri p e County i than ;he Armed Pe . " • • • .---' ----- - - santry, as certainly there are great num - bets that would be f. I . ' to a tering quality of our . , ILO& -tif Defence; ' but - then- they may assent 1 ...„ to laving the aid of the Peaiantry; hut not id tte Way in which 'it was stated by:the Right ---a Honour able,G-en Ore-flan ; as to Vol tee rs, • we have a right to avail ourselve-s o(olie full, benefit of that' orce ; a Force whiCh wac ' fl i t ' e * ns an d . rosily is, a lavo'nrite with this lionSe and the Poblie Force,. whateVer . it Moy have. been in its aright, has : non' , the advanta b oe 'of Mein}; f o i nit d,:a n o bei.ng in a great state of esciency cii a Itorce, toough none .*of its efliciency has been owing fa Ministers.. .01.0 • • ten tt has produced among us some difference of (»i niOn, as tothe precise extent to - which yan should carry it, and as to the, circumstances under which . you should render it must eft:a.ual : but it is a force . which all,of us.allo.wed to be an extremely valuable force ; and. now there . is hardly any dit. ference .between the Honourable Gentleman who made this Motion, arid His. Majesty's Government on the stibjeet of the Armed Peasantry, he says, it *may be a - proper thing if Ministers and Par, liainen.t shall' think it right. So' the Right Hon. Gentleman has gone the length of - admitting the measure may be right, if he shall hereafter think so. I say, I 'think, it' clearly ,riglit that you Should institute an Inquiry wheelier it is right or not. And the Right Hon. Gentleman tells us, he . will Consider,- some day or other, Whether it is or is not right ; and when does . he say this At a pc-. riod, six manilla after he 'told us, that we might expea an,extensive and foiritidatsle: InvaSioo twenty-fclur hotar's of 'the time. in which it ,was spoken--at a tittle when 'one` half of the difficulty of the. Enemy upon the Subjeft of the Invasion is over wl - en his Navy, in coMparison to the Na 4 of ,this great and Chantercial Country, was absolutely •mcist nothing—a .Naval Force not 'so much as wor- , thy of n otice,, except for contenipt=cd-Mpiled of nothing but a - few , light conteanotible vessels under their own shores , which we were confidently told . .could not come out in day-light ; and yet we hi6fe seen that EneMy, in sight or our own coast, without disgulSe,' and in' defiance of our Fleet,: o week' after Week,- accumulate on the point of his."coast .neares '*to oar , own shore,,froin two hundred.: to. thirteen.. or fourteen hundred vessels and -. transports, capab:e of holding each from too to 20 men, and these have'' been brought from The east: to the west' point of his- - own' coast, and not withstanding the force of this Country, he has as, seenbled 'ail this immense force in one place, when we were - tOld that he never could, and, When we were told that he must sail from 'a variety of ports,' and that he would haVe to encounter a Variety of , winds and currents, and be subjetst to the intelligence which he. must bbtain before he attempted it ; all this he has done already, which hasofrequently been stated to be ,so difficult, and this itt the teeth and in defiance of the . Navy of this Country, without .he - interception of that Navy : : We are therefore not to consider every thing irripossible for that ' Enemy to do, 'which appears 'to His Majesty's Ministers to be 'impossible to be done. To a man of adventure and desperate enterorize, but who has been often fortunate, not only by know: ink how to take advantage of good fortune when if presents itself, but by also knowing how to take care not to stand in the way, or be deterred by the pros. veft of evil fortune : and yet we are toy be tOld. by Ministers, that the Invasion of thhi Country is pre. carious, or so remote, that W.e are to regard it in a speculative view, and treat as a question, 'not of argument, what are the best means to meet it, but to, suffer Ministers to -consider, some time or-other, for the Right HAI, Gentleman . tells you it is not now that he will do ro, whether- Armed Peasantry. inOy not be useful to assist our other force to defend . the Counties of Kent, Susses, Of ' Essex ; and so, if. theEttetny should make good a"landing, prevent that Enemy mateltingo•on towards the Metropolis But What is the mode which the Right Hon. .(t> think is unconstitutional, as it is now proposed by this Motion ? It, is that .of a . Committee of the whole House ro consider of . the„proper mode foo_the National Defence, of re viewing.,what has past, to correet errors, to supply deficiencies, to add any thing that may have been omi:ted fOr. the purpose of rendering ohel)efence of the Kingdom complete. Now, 'as to a Committee of the whole House, for that is' the Committee which. I. understand to be the..:ollieft of the Motion •to ob tain, and not a Seleet Coimpittee, as . stated by the Right Hon. Gentlernn, so far is it from being an unconstitutional mode of 'proceeding, that it is strialy constitutional, and agreeable to the con stant and the best usage of Parliament ; so that I am surprised to hear rhe*Righe Hon. Gentle;rll4n with his great knowledge of the usages of ratlia-i. merit, knowledge_Whielt . he most have possessed in that Chair, where .he long sat much for the benefit of the Public and to hiS own credit, doubt that the course proposed is unconstitutional. It is''so re . eular, that not only no objekion can be urged against' ',t on that account, but it is, the cinly'course that.could be so for the, purpose intended to be answered by: it ; namely, a consider.; tiOtt of this House of the . ' best means for the Defence 'Of: the Kingdoin--=-* - . You have a Grand, Committee on' Trade Granel ;Committee. Re•ligiOn-- . --4: Grand Com mittee on COurts of Justice,' and,' a Grand Com mittee on the Defence or State of the Nation ; so . that it either of these obje . ds wete'attempted to be obtained, yoU,. Sir;` sitting in* that'd - lair, know full well it would be your duty to prevent the question being .put on'either of these 4 teattopici without re. ferring it, to oneof these Grand comMittees.--, The Alitestion then is,. Whetlier, 'We 'are sittisfid that our Defence, such Si, has been the care of Ministers, is what :it ought to he, and if. not, what is, now proposed is the Course we ought to. adopt ? •Socondly, whether our -experience of the ExecutiveGovernment,in the.coUtst'of the last as well as present year, doe's not satisfy uS;Th'itt from the pre. sent Ministers nothing of enemy, vigour, prompt, ness, or decision; is to be expected.,? For this We o are only to•loo * k at. theirmeasiarei of the last Session,,; and of:this ; and• most par"ticularly their dered anti fully digested -Volunteor Bill, 'which has received2,Many, amendinenis; for the eotisic4.raltipn of which a Committee is alreadY, appointed ; and also the Manner in which they Prci ) ose. ,to ,suspend, without . a substitute, (he,* Army . of *ReserVe, whiCh Was some withoutmeasure of y o i r s a t o r y e : lgth' other i a n ti d d uce b m ); e t n h e bounty of Bts, . I prevail on men to e nter, after they , at a bounty of 30 guineas. have costifessed they were un able to pi ocute men ,Thus they proeose o to 'take aw ay en,* ', titely a measure Which) has been of great use; ,and • 1 its roost', to solistittlte nothing. I own I ate not to ioin . with the Right .Hon. Gentleman in the idea of :tieferringsSt consideration of Such a sdujed `as this---I' cannot eidapt • that rang fr 2 4, -of.office concerning the welt'are, or rather • the safety' of my 'Count! o , T, as a' Member of Parliament, think . I.ambrouel to go •intiSthe Committee .now propoSed, it, is not my intention at this time'to enter Minutely into the particulars of those measnres in which - a most paiplible negled of . duty and want of fore_ sight epos's!. in the coaadUCl of Nlinisiers ;.'but I may state ...that I should have thought would have been the objets: , wilich obviously ought to -claitit, their at tention. The R:,goiar Army, ais toe grand • bid wark-- of the Nation, was first to be•reeruited, and the other kisseieS s cif - foece raised such man ner as hot 'to interfere, or tointerfere as little es p 05.... the primary ;ohje El. But the roper me thods havenot been taken to .recrUit our RegUlar Army ; and *even the Volunteeri, as•T coneendohave by'no means been managed in a way that:Might rens der theM of such esseoted advantage as Might have been expe'aed. With respeCt to - the Volunteers, they are. neither so adequate to the pUrpoSfiS of their institneion e 'so well trained, - set well . distrihated, as to their numbers in the several Coontiek, nor so' useful in every Point of view, as they ought and might easilyhave been made. The Army of Reserve ought not 'to be suspended in its recruiting; bu't it ought to beimproved,, as forming, next'to the Regular Army, - the most efficient part of our Troops. Another branch of defence may. also come to.bc considered in ethe Committee, in case it shall be appointed, to . which , the Hon: Gentleman (Mr.' - Voic), has at . . luded in his Speech, and which has been often men. tiotied in the course of discussions in this Elouse, dur ing this and thelast Session of PArlianient:: I Mean the eretakort of ortifieations thosepoints of the (,done try,twhielearentOS't ..ieposed route Enetny, Most. like ly to retard his.progiesS,. or 'vulnerable ite:any point: -of viesij.. No expedient :can be better caienlated to save your nieu, .to SAI:, your time,. to .save your troops, and ro save' your triUney, than this plan of ereding.Forts - in the most proper: places.. In this respettoalso,-theae Gentlernen•(Ministers) have been dePlorablyedeficient. But, Sir, it is needless to take a retrospettive vie.v of, What might have been done, with proper management.—lt is not neces-• sary, nor even of A vantage s to consider what Mi. sisters might have 'done in dine of Peace, consider; ing the kow.vledge Which they possessed, and so carefully kept tie themselves; respecting' the.bostile dispositions of our Enemies; . enough will remain for. the Comaiittet, to esoo,i/ler,.,from All that . has paised since the Declaration of War respe6ting tither suljeAs, and as far .as regards the state of imr s .NavalDefence('and to that toe, I mean, on another' occasion, . to -adseitt and in spite or the magnificent catalogue ed ,!sips, notwkthatanding the, splendid descriptidns of vessel's, I may ; perhaps esta, bit ti fads, stifile tunehence, at which. the House will not, be a l irle astoriished); enough, I say, will . retnain from the plansoelopted by Minishers subse-. queot to the Declaration of War, for She Commit-. tee to take into serious consideration, and - apply the remedy. But as to tliat . point, 'of the Right Hon. Gentleman's ( Also IsotoN) Speech, Which went tteObjed to the Moriois . because the condition of the Navy is not included in it, I must say, that it was stiggested, and Might have been readi- . ,lv eslecti for . gr:stited, 'that the state of our Naval . Defence would form, a'matrer; and an important mat to of. discussion,;, ilbtit the Elon. Gentleman, (Mr, Foi4).had not' dwelt at, so much length on that particular part of the subjed, for this plain and ob i vi t als season, - which he himself' had suggested;, that he would.. not enter upon die dismission of, that . point, but lett it to others,- who,''as' he knew, bad turned their attention to it more than be hastbeep able . to do : to such. he'had left it ti introduce - lhat subjeft into ,discussion and' propose it to the con_ ,sideration of the Committee.—Now, Sir, as to the next objedion,.. - which is to the general form of the Motion, and here we are told what we haVesbeen told before—we are, as usual, amused with a grand arid magnificent account of the total number of our Forces. This, hoWever, often as it may be re-' peased, - is a topic to which I a-lways listen with pe culiar satisfaditin ; and I, as s well as many others in this House, have the strongest reasons to rejoice :at as a proof of the. ardour 40a - zeal . of the Country its own defence,' and a pleasing mono. -ment of the exertions of Parliament'. The afforts of theCountrr have, indeect, beengreat and nobles-- (a eiyof " 'fear." Hear!") but these are owing to the Country itself,' to the es:ertions of this House, to the zeal of all inetnbers , :in theetimintinity in the; defence of evetf . - thing.'that they hold dear, and 1-ast of all, to any plan. of operation of His Ma jesty's 'Ministers (lard .ad reiterated • cr;es ?f Hear I Hear I" frO7a emery part of the House.) -No share is, to be' attributed to them in the forma ' tionof any branch of our Defence; no proper plan has- ever been devised by them, and eyed when, by the ardent - patriotism of the Country, and t liy the.. dikussions in this House, plans Were, in sortie o measure, fOrced upon them, they eale , ays took_ care to' mismanage - tlteM execution; and . while they .av_oided doing any thing to sarriforward the meaaures, they_ did much to impede them But after all, Sir, I will'grant, that - if tne Force which the , patriotism of thepeople,' and :he exertions of this_ liotise, have forced upon Wih:,:stses, he efrsdual to , a nswer the purposes s of the Defence of the .Courery, We, -may rest s e satisfie:k (mit - aftoge s eher, however, with the . same, satisfa,ftion . as. if the GoveroMent s were adequate to iti'doty in these times of alarm and danger) ; cce ,may rest sari,fied that the safety of the Country is; one - wa y or another, in seine mtasure, provided for e BUt here, Sir, I must state what I mean, by providing for the safety of the Country. I:do nor mean by this, Merely the pre- . sesvation of the Kingdoils from being ultimately conquered ; I; mean by it, :the put t leg the Csui- s try in that State 'of Defence in whicht the Eoemy may be subdued and driven beck with disgrace ieto the l ea, ,in the . least passible ,time,_ with the least,. posSible. disturbance Sed confusion . , with the, least po ss ible loss of men, with the least possibte'i?rogress., allowed them, with ',the least possible oppOrtuoity, doing mischief e in short, with that given ra pid, total, and utter defeat, that may serve as warning to them for agei to come to shit?: that fatal, shore I . l"dcries of . " heat .f bear!") an'ai set 'the' question of v asitin at rest . for,',evet. Ids) not no Map can with any' appearance of reason Afro, dolt witlryoor Regulars,'your Ivltlitia, your. Army :I of Reserve, and such'-a• multitude of Volunteers, howe.er they May be distributed, the Enemy will not be defeated at last. . They certainly will be de. featede but the question is, how are they to be ae eateci, with the least possible injury to ourselves ? Arid here, Sir, with regard to ;the question of the 3tri hoiiciti of our force, I must say, since the sub jeCt has, been started, that this forms a mater of `much mote - weighty -consideration than these Gentle:. 'men (Mitaisters) seem to he aware of. The Right • Hoti. Gentletnan. has ; said, that he has no obj7Ction . `to 'the 'oroclueliota of Accoun ts statinoithe.number of the,Troops,hhut he cannot consent t 5 tnent ion the mode in - Which theY. are distributed.. But is it not imp;t)rtant that the House should'be in possession of Caacument'S respeding that distribution, fur the purr: pose of 4.hoWing,how", and in what time they can be assembled at_ any ghvert point, and in what coodi„ , thin - they May he. ? It is surely, a point of the most material importance. ; hut it is-one to Which Ido not tiitnk : it prOper to direa. the attentith; of the • House for tie present.. ' But every' one must feel that the aCcoont f the numbers alone of the Troops . is .not ; in faet,. it is in • the manner of their dittrilmitiog the 'Forces, that the cod of the 'Mioisters lota been most 'deplorably tletreCtive ; and it is such ; a cleao mark of their inability . ; and inefficiency" that . : prevails. in the distribution . • of that. ,Fo r roi;:that, potvvithaf,anding the exertions of. ihe. People," notwithstandiog" all that has been done, the Troops appear inadequate to the in- tended purpose, of .securing the safety of the Court-. try.. Bat a , shall . not at 'present, occupy the these of the f l ic;ise, at, atiy a length,. with a retro. spe al . t v 'vi ew - of what has‘heen the con t lua of.Mi, nistera_with reapea . to.: the Defence othtlit Country. I'dO,:howeVer, remember the- star of language held by,the Right - Hon. Gent: (Mr. NouthtioToal) in the. year lBo.zo on the debate upon the Areny Estimates. I was" not indeed in the Houae, and I.cannOt quote • here - any' thihg that I heard with respa..d" to' that !an gulge, but the. tendeocy. Of_itcoulti a not be mistaken, and might well be calleCted - froari the a general tone of Ministers at_ that time. ',He then certainly reasoned cm .the Peace EStablialnent; as if that-Peace was to haVe been permanent;, and I cannot: help being son - teat/hat amazed at the language Which he now Wolds'with regard to the opinhatis Of those who, upoh'the .authbriti of h'is! assertion, that the Peace was'likelY. to be perManent„ affirmed, that the Peace' Establishment', ought to be considerably reduced. h - lad Ilbeertin the ionic when he argued upon the supposition of the Peace being permanent, I should , .liatte. certainly . beeri inclined to differ with him in opinion op that .subjed ; but much more would I have differed from -Mtn had I known What, by his own ccinfessicirt,• he 'then knew of the., hostile disposition 'of the Enemy—(a cry of " Hear.") ThisJlowever, Sit,is certain, that it is impossible, in tittle of War, suddenly to raise a considerable Force, without keeping_itupon a large scale even in time of Peace. :If our Force had been kept at.that point, which; considering our circumstances at that time, it ought to have been -kept, it would then 'have been comparatively easy to have called out and recruited. them when the War commenced. Ministers, by their own confession, knew these circumstance; they had 'full proof of the hostile disposition of the Enemy, who looked upoh our prosperity with jealousy, who. treated our Wends with indignity, and ourselves with insult--('A loud cry ,of Hear Hear !" ) What cOncluaion then -do I draw from this fat ? My conclusion, Sir, is not so much against those with not knowing the faas of the case; and hearing Mi'nisiers set up the constant cry of Peace I Peace 1 'as against thOse men, who, with a full knowledge of our toe, did not as upon that knowledge, and lay tt foundatioo intime of Peace'for resisting danger whico *every hour was threatened—(entasiastie applause, 'and loud cries of " fail upon our heads,, by turning their attention to the, angmentation of our*Regular Force, Militia, anti Volunteers. I have narned these three, and confess that it was not with out design, as the most shameful neglect appears to hive existed, as a far as respeds the whole of them. 'Why was not anew Militia ballotted for,•and com pletely formed, in time of Peace, and the competition With the recruiting Of the Regulars thereby removed, these 'Gentlemen knew that the Peace was .likely to he of such short duration ? What were we to , ;look for from the appearances during the last Peace, as 'they aare, now stated ? We might look with 'certainty to such a War as the preaent; from the .. hostile disposition of our Enemy, from the extent of his coasts, from, the 'subjeaion in which lid'held so large aportion . of the Continent, and from his own . desperate, and enterptizing spirit; and (tam all these the conclusion was obvious to the most common ,capacity, that BONAPARTE Weald threaten Intasion, o that he would attempt it on the same extended scale that he now does in ,frta a and.that he would embark., in the attempt a . prodigious . numbet of troops, so .that if a third or one-half of them should perish be.: :fore they landed, he might expect to make some im., pressioriWith the rest. .Why o then, he would again ask, were not the Militia embodied, and formed 50... - as to meet this formidable Invasion, in case the Enemy should have cffeeted a landing at ter the Militia, the proper mode he should have thought would have beets, to have encouraged the Volunteers that were formed doting the Jag Watr, to - have still. continuea embodied; an:cl. to o pay'attention to their discipline., Circular Letters Were indeed written by . dovernment to,thia effaa, during tLe. Peace, but .i!1 a atileso cold ant iodiffetent, that it was, urn'. e rsaily believed that it was the intention of Ministers to have; abandoned that apecies of aod accordingly the 'letters'ope.rated.as a disCouragetnent. But' this is not 'all; I should have thought, that from .the itekoow.. letigel uncertainty of the perrnataence of the last . Peach:, it would have been proper to have laid a loon_ . dation for the increase orthe Army. I . myself cock. occasion to sugge.t something .of this sort, though. nut .altogether. aware of, the unfaitourable a sp e ft, of affairs and I :should, have thooglit that, with proper management, means might have been fhund to have kept the Army in such a, state dUring the Peace,, thatao or 60,0d0 might have been add_ ed ro it in the space ofpoe month from the commence.- , ment of the War. I had it in nay intention to haite proposed something to, this effeCt t o the House, sand s perhaps I have' o apologize to them fo . haigg suffer." cal any considetatiohs to,pre_vent .meafreadfulfilling.