The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-06-07 00:00:00

as proceeded as of their own special sill and .tntho•
rity. By submitting the measure to the cci3idera
titan of Parliament, they had given an nopnrttinits
of heating every thing that could he said against
it ; and, therefore, a great advantage would be de-
rived from the impvessten mat& on the public snirid
by the various discuuions which had taken place ;
which impression WAS. in his opinion, of the highest
imptwtance, and which could not have been ma&e.
by the ►ilent operation of the will of the Executive
Power. Whatever benefits we derive from Military
Service, when we iecolleel the means by which men
are too often induced to enlist into :az. army—that it

seas sometimes in the ntonient of Litt, : disappointment,
often caused by severe distress, and not unfrequently
in a state of intolication, that the allurements of the
army are held out tothem, and it was at the same time
recollected, that heretofore all enlistments had bi:en
for life, be though: the House could not bat feel a
great consolation in the idea, that this will hence-
forward be done away, and humanity and policy
would from this time be united, in rendering the
rate of the soldier so much less like that of the slave.
He was convinced this measure will improve the qua-
lity of the soldier, and by introihcing into the army
a better description of persons, would refine the tone
and character of the military profession. It was
universally allowed, by all who had either spoken
or written on the salsket, that the military men
of free enn •tries had always been better and
more effeflive, than those who lived under the
dominian of aibirrary sway. If von begin from the
earliest periods of Greece, and trace them down to
the English, you will find that liberty was the main-
sprihg of all their glorious military exploits—and
that, particularly is respect to the English. you will
find, that after they beesme possessed of Marra
Cheri'', they never failed to skew the trench, that
they could not enly effedually defend their own
country, and the lihertie= artaehrd to it, hut they
were also able to make the most gallant and formi-
stable attacks on then enemies, which made it most

•
gratifying to relied, that the Almiglity, when he
gave lib. rty, gave aiso the most ample means ot sup-
porting it. As it cannot be doubted that service
to, life tends to damp the memo s of freedom, de-
prives men of the Ardour, and takes from the
digni y and elevation of charaCler, which the in-
habit:sat' of a free country are naturally imbued
with, when they know they are only to be en.
lived for a term, they will become animated with
new spirit. It has been well observed, that the
French never fought with such enthasialm, as
when they supposed they were fighting in the
cause of freedom ; no matter whether the period
was a good or a bad one ; bat believe me, Sir,
said he, if they live long under their present
mode of Government. they will not is tutor,: have
those same energies as we have in this country of
freedom, and which, so long as we preserve our
libeitiee. we shall ever continue to possess. He
•zressert hit surprise, that his Honourable Friend,
who spoke last. should objeft to the blending or
uniting the characlers of the soldier and the citi-
zen. He differed with him extremely on that
head, and thought they could net be too closely
conneeted. It would prove highly advantageous
to the interests of the army, • because it wi.l
make every man desirous of acquiring and
maintaining a good charaChir, while ataing as
a wohlier. that, when the term of his dLchatge
should arrive, he might carry that character
along with him, to show that he was entitled to
respea, and that he was likely to do as much credit
to the name of citizen, as he had done to that of sol-
dier ; and it would prove a sure way of introducing
him to the favourable opinion of the people with
whom he was to pass the remainder of his kite. He
was equally surprised at the s'Jpposition made by
his Hon. Friend who spoke last, that the best soldiers
would always bequirtiag the army. That was begging
the question, and always assuming that every man en.
titled to his discharge, would, in all cases, demand it.
—Tris, however, could not be the case ; and where
it was not, he thought it clear, that the man of the
most hale and robust c• rotirtitioa, who found him-
self able to hear the faiigoes of a camp, and encoun-
ter the elfeets of a foreign climate, would be the
most likely to continue in it; and only the weak,
the dissipated; or the indolent soldier. would insist
en his discharge, and if this were the case, which
he thought it was fair to argue it would be, the
army w onld lose few, but such as it could very
well spare, and without whom it would he m"re
effective What made the measure rill more :as-
portrust in his mind was, that it would tend to pre-
"lnt deseqinn. and also be the cause of a mitigation
sad dimiaution cat punishment ;—oh.jects, highly
worthy the attention of the House, and important to
tbe vital interest. if the army; for men would be more
likely to behave well, and more centious how they
degraded th-rnselves, whet) they knew they were
to return into the bosom et• their fellow-citizens at
a certain time ; and that in proportion to the good
or bad charter they carried along with them from
their regiment, would be the future prospect of
their SIOCCC4I in the trade or profusion to which they
must return, and by which they would be able to
**wort themseiers dwring the remainder of their
jives. He was thoroughly convioced of this from
the very ingenious pubiicatians of Sir Robert Wil-
son, and Brigadier-General Stewart, on this sub-
jeft ; and thought the revention of desertion, and
the mitigation of punts:meat. matters well worthy
the attention of the House. As to the objeftion,
that if the plan be once resorted to, it cannot
be receded from, he thought it nothing at all,
and could by no means agree to it. This mea•
sure was unquestionably a ma:ter of experiment,
and he would allow, that ten or twelve years
should at least be given to it; and if in the course of
that time it did not succeed, he saw no reason why
we should not try another. It was only, in part. a
new expel-ins:mt. not entirely in; it had been resort-
ed to in the American War. eta fitly on the same
principle. and none of those woeful Jets which
are now prediaed of it had taken place. No man
of the old army, whine enlistment was for :ife, was
then known to repine that he was not entitled to his
discharge at the end of the war, nor thought his
tate at all retrd in performing a contra. 2 wr ich
had entered into in his 04% behalf. He differed,
however, with all on this particular point, and c.
have wiehed a certain proportion might have
been entitled, at the expiration of a certein
number of ysirs, to b•:• discharged, either by
lot, or s.:use other aaotlt, which Austad be thought