The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-05-01 00:00:00

ait
dbeeseignned already fot
etontina volonteered into the regular servire
America. I again repeat, that Ido not other
make trial of the expeliment ; but I strongly no
precate the forcing of it, as a principle, upon ail le.
tore Parliaments, who might find a great difficulty
in getting rid of though it should pi ove ever soh:.
ism. I have somewhere read on heat thot it is a
good military maxim, not to mareeovre too much is
the presence of an.enemy ; and 1 would recommend
that maxim to the [light Han. Gentleman, while
the country continues surrounded by so many and
such imminent dangers. For I will ask him, :there
is the man now in arms in this country, who has;
been disturbed by the agitation of this measure? Is
there a Corps in which the present Bill has not
turned the thoughts of its Members from ton
perils. which impend over its, to thcir own noon
ado., and the consideration whether they Obght
to—submito t
tothlelleafft is now
many Corps of Voltinteers deliberating On the
question, whether they abght not to resign? had
cry of h:ar! trom tar+ Ministerial bench, which
was echoed from that of the Opposition !) Are
not the Milit a now looking to a gratleal <Janina
tion of their numbers, which may prolizffily
be de-
signed to finriiitete -their ex:bottm? -And, alto
all. Sir, where is nine necessity, ter hell this, n n to,
is the authority wider which the Ministers anizc:-
ing ? There has ceitainiy b **thing in tt,e ;.r.-
ceedings of Par liattsCro to lirscootag.e them. its it ;and
do they ad from, any ea thee ittof lot it not of
doors ? The Right Honourablte 94utittuaa tells us,
though he keeps back their mimes; that Bien
rides of the Officers for and against the measure Sit
equally balanced. With respettteitheto Sir. I on-
niftily have heard the names of some Officers of
high character and distindioin whom I shall forbear
to mention, who were much averse from the plan ef
recruiting• for limited service; and I never heod
the names of more than two who weie of a differed
opinion. I will, however, venture to ask hOns,
whether he can produce the opinion of try Office,
from the Commander-in•Cliief to the youngest lin
bwl, who approves of the experiment-being male
in our present citcurnstances ? I believe he world
be unable to•fiud one, except the Hon. Muir (Col.
Cranford), who I am now happy to ate in It:,
place, as a report lately prevailed, that' he had
accepted an official sintation, which would oblige
bins to vacate I.is seat in Vaili.nenr:st-ieast, 114
the (resent. From the proceedings of tine
Geutletnan Initrion help supposing his prin-
ciple to be this, " I have teen for m soy years con-
stantly offering you my new proposals and plans,
and you, during all that time.have been in the pow-
tine of rejeding 'them ; but the case is now altered;
I am now Minister; 56, to the right about, and
undo every thing that you before have been doing."
' I am, indeed, of opinion, that with so little ineita-
tion as the Right Hon. Gentleman has had from
Parliament, he znight, at least, have paused a hole
before he ventured oa so radical a change. My
wits„ as 1 said be'ore, is not alteneen.et to m-
ead, limited sr vise. I tun extremely' solici-
tous to postpone, a: least..its subAi:ution to sopply
the whole ternis of all military services, for Gentle-
men will allow pie to doubt of its sufficiency.—
It is also to be observed. that the Right Honourable
Gentleman, in order so receeeiie the 'Hotta, to•bn
own plan, finds it uecessary to overcharge the pre-
sent condition of ansoldier; and to rentesenusetv:ce
for life, as if it were one. which was to mime un-
' til the extinetion ( f the vital particle. But the
Hituse must recollect, that notch hid of late years
been done to outfits, ate the Condition of the snider,
and. 1 frame* the metitinious exertions and atten-
tion of the present Commander in Chief has done
Much more for that purpose, than will be effeelesi
by ary thing proposed by the Right I ion. Gent.
He also thcught proper to draw andriavouralsk
contrast between the situation of soldiers, and
tbat_of :the other foieer orders of the community;
bunsurely, it mustre evidiiiCthat the state ref thy
soldier has now great attradione for young people,
and that 'be has man' adestntoges in physical life,
*Okii the other fowtor classes of society. he cer•
. tatkatieantages •of food, taitnent, lodging, care is
aink:nesi, Soc. at all' times are not potword Li(
the peasantry, or thou in inferior stations, and
must afford a very strong induce:mid to enter lei
to the 49Ni-tory service. The Right
•Hotiouralle
0114*tiOnn'also'soisi„ that'when the men were
ehargea,afterhaiving completed their time of soon,.
they would be circulated through the country, 21. J
sitting at horn, comfortably, under the shade,.! the'
looters, woulo recount their adventures, and oArve
the youth of their families and neighbonshoods, %soh
an ardourfor a military life. I own, Sir, that I are
wrongly inclined to think that a military spina
might be communicated in this way, which may
have a very beneficial effect upon the military ate-
vice. But, Sir, it you mark the sequel of his plan,
Tou will find that Isis design of limiting the service,
is not to promote the circulation of a military spirt,
but that he is actuated by a •hope of being able to
retain and re-enlist the men after their term of ser-
vice shall expire. Tb obviate one strong objection
to his measure, he tells you, that it the term offer.
vice of the majority of the men, shall he nearly out
in a regiment when ordered abroad, his renlo2,
will be to draught these men into other ref"
ments.—Upon this I shall only add, that the pro•
lice of draughting has hitherto been considered
at
ewe of the greAt...it hardships is the service and
this is certainly the first rime that ever I heard
it spoken of in any terms of approha:ion.
lc
would be useless to refer to all the authorises
which tmioht quote in favour of the adv./is:otos tat
permanent oyes limited service ; but there 1• ore
which lies bean published in the course of lad
yearothich I make no doubt will be thought worthy
of particular attention; 1 mean that of the late
Conetal Washington. In almost all his letters to
the Congress, that General comylains of the great
evils brought on liv enlistments tor short periods. to
tie-. He lamented, that in consequence of too:
which he ascribes nearly the whole of their calat7ii:
syst:m, his ATMS was mooldering aro_r disum.
ing away, sometimes on the eve cl r hattls
and adds, had we at first a peril-odor itrv'
one enlisted during the war. it wonld
have disposed the enemy to ha'-' ?"- •
contest, (a suggesti as was here t•
to" that the American army was •
a few months) ; the general time ti r
./"..:::e:icans then recruited was the pes: • •