The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-06-16 00:00:00

ration and envy of the world. Is went to bring few- I
ward a strung measure, which was now required at
;he hands ot the present administration. To the
bill brought forward last session by the late Mi-
nisters, he gave a decided preference ; because the
provisions of it were far less odious than those of
the present, which went to throw down the whole
fabric of the constitution. He said that, in the
year 1784, a strong measure had been introduced,
which was then violently opposed; he meant the
India Bill : a measure, of which. if the principle had
been adopted, he believed it would be much better
for the interests of India. But it was said to be a
strong measure; and that it woula overthrow the
Administration. But it was notliiiig like the pre-
sent measure, on which the question was, whether
the constitnnon of the country should stand or tall ?
It was a strong measure, only futile in its opera-
tion, compared to this. As to the Army of Re-
serve, that was but a temporary measure,
which had been called for in the emergen-
cy ef the moment : anti, therefore, the defects it
might have were excusable : but this was a perpe-
tual measure ; it tended to subvert the Constitution
of the country, and should impose a tax of three
minims on the landed interest. It must operate as
a drain upon parishes, by imposing fines upon them.
Now, as in stae.ding at raiee some Gentlemen might
contend that they were necessary in the country. Ile
would desire them to look to the situation of France,
and say, whet her t ie standing armies there were not the
cause of the slavery under which the people groan-
ed ? Let them, then, look to Great Britain, and
• they must find, that the very reverse was the cause
of that freedom which we enjoyed. Our ancestors
serer jealous of standing armies ; they always op-
posed them, and the country continued five. But
now, a Minister, fond of a little military display,
and perhaps vain of military glory, was about to
eteate a military power in the country, which ought
never to be suffered in the hands of any man. It was
a remarkable circumstance that this was the first
measure of the Right Hon. Gentleman, from whom
a great deal ayes expelled Bet it was necessary to
teal that Right Hon. Gentleman, that tie House
looked for something very different. They looked
for the p rformance of that promise, which he had
held out to Ireland ; and the inability to perform
which, at one time, was the alleged cause of his re-
tir-ment from office. His first objeill now, therefore,
aught to be to do away the necessity of keeping a
rge military force in Ireland ; to convert to more
useful purposes the 25,000 men who were now sta-
tioned as sentinels over the people of Ireland. Let
him conciliate and reclaim the aff..ftions of those
people, and then there would be nn occasion for a
great army to keep them in subjection. The affec-
tions ot a people were the surtst means to support
and strengthen a Government, and not a standing
army. He thought it necessary to mention to the
House, that there would be a considerable difficulty
in filling up the standing army, from the limited
force, by the mode in which the men belonging to
that force were enlisted. Ile would mention one
circumstance which came to his own knowledge.
In the Tower Hamlets Militia, there were hardly
ten men who served personally. They were almost
all substitutes, who had engaged to serve for five
years, cr during the war. hey had already served
five years; but as the war was not over, they could
not obtain their discharge. 'they applied for it, and
it would rot be granted. They considered them-
selves as serving, not for Ira Mejesty, but as sub-
etitutes for the parochial inhabitants: and they
thought themselves entitled either to their discharges
or to a renewal of the hotioty. Several constituents
of his (being freemen of Coventry), who were pri-
vates in that regiment,. had applied lately for their
discharge, with a view of getting into -a mare ex-
tended s:: vice ; and if that could not be obtained,
they required a renewal of the bounties. The first
:seen who made the application was taken up, tried
by a court martial, and sentenced to reeves eOO
lashes. By his intercession, however, and that of
some of his friends, the man's punishment was re-
mitted, by taking away 295 from the s(tO lashes.
He mentioned this circumstance, to sbew how diffi-
cult it was to get men even for the Regular Army.
He con luded with giving his decided opposition to
the Bill.
Mr. DENNIS BROWNE said, he could not
listen to an assertion made by the Hon. Gentleman
who spoke last, without rising to give it a positive
denial He denied that there were 23,000 troops
in Ireland placed as sentinels over the people there:
nor were the affections of the people alienated
from the Government. He knew the very con-
trary to be the fact. Fle had lived in Ireland
from his infancy; he was acquainted with the
sentiments of the people; and, whatever disaffec-
tion might at one time have prevailed among
them, he could now say that their disposition
was totally changed. He thou ht it unneees,ery
at that time to trouble the House with ying
his reasons for what he said ; but the House
might depend on it the fait was so. He would far- '
ther assert, that if the French were to safe& a land-
ing in Ireland, they would find themselves in an
enemy's country, whatever part of it they came to.
They would not find the minds of any one of the
people favourable to their views. The insurrection
• which took place on the '23tl of July, did not put
him out of conceit with this opinion. He was cer-
rein that the extreme parts of Ireland had no more
to do with that rebellion than they had to do with
the rebellion of Colonel Despard.
The Honse then proceeded to divide upon the
question, when there appeared--Ayes, 63; Noes,
VA Majority against the motion, fi.
Strangers were, for some time after this, ezcluded
from the Gallery ; and the House continued debat-
ing (as we understood) on an objeation which Mr. ,
Pitt made to the votes of all those members who had
not been in the House, when the question was put
fiom the chair; but who came in before the divi-
sion took place. Among these were Mr. Fox, Mr.
Grey, and several others, who had been dining up
stiles. It was at last decided that these votes were
good ones.
A motion was then made (we understood by Mr.
Gave), that the amendments be read a second time
onthis day three nu,nths. And when the Gallery
was opened for the re-admission of strangers, we
hound
Sir JOHN WRIOTTESLEY, speaking ha sup-
port of the Bill. He contended. that it hart in it
every advantage that couie be desired at Usia ute-