The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-08 00:00:00

On the report of the Army Estimates having Man brought up,
Mr. HOISHOITSE said that in consequence of a ',mice he hall
given on a fouler night, he rose to propose two resolutions relaiive
to the estimates of his Majesty's land forces for ti:t preset!! year.
He thought the pr,sert a most inausrvious norm nt tor emeriti;
into the subject ; r:otthL butwith.,nvidmg. tone it the a•teni:
rt
and indulgerce of tkr. I hase to the observations he ha to make.
He confessed he could nut discover any reason for the increase-
which had taken place in &use intimates.' Ile thought the present
time the most unfit that could be imsgbied for 31ini*ters to as!; for
such an immense sum for the army estimates, The Noble laud
had said that it was very C:04), hit tientlemen on this side of
House to declaim on constittitio:,al principles and privileges,
but he could assure the Noble Lunt that much depended 011
the audience. It was for those Gentlemen who were on
his side of the House to entloavuur that the privileges of
the Constitution should not hr encroached upon. It is for
thoseon the side of the Noble Lord to prove that our fears are
chimerical. The Noble Lord Sit. the speech in which he intro-

dueed the army estimates) brought forward no reason to account
for the increase which had taken place in those estimates. It was
not sufficient to be informed that those estimates had simply in-
creased. It was the duty of the Nate Lord to conic down to the
Hebee with such an explanaumi of that increase as shoald justify
the representatives of the people in voting fur this Inane . now in
the eleventh year of peace: before the Noble Lord came down to
the Rouge to ask them to vote such immense suppler. he thought
that the Chancellor of the Etchequer should have come forward
with his statement, to enable them to form some idea of the state of
the country. Prospects oft+ cheering description had opened upon the
country, bnt by some unfortunate circumstances they became
clouded and obscured ; the expenses in 1822 were much less than
at present. Ile would refer them to the vote of the House of Corn.
mom; of that year. Since that period nothing hail occurred to
warrant this increase. The countey was weighed down by the
national debt, and by meet which were imposed to pay the interest
of that debt. Ee was not one of those who said that the country
could not pay the taxes, but he said that it ought not to pay them.
The Ministers snould not imagine that they could draw upon
the purse of the people perpetually, until they reduced the
comforts of the people to the lowest possible modicum upon
which they could subsist. Ile could not account for this in-
crease. The taxes in the year 1817 were less by one mil-
lion, than In the year 1825, and notwithstanding in that year
the expenses of the country were thodght too great, and
complete:a 1. Lee heard on all sides. A resolution was proposed
in that House to reduce those expenses; it was voted that
the army expenses were too great, and though it was said that no
reduction could be made,' he recollected Seeing the Noble Lord
come down to the House for the purpose of effecting those redue.
fions. The Noble Lord on that occasion not only reduced the
Army Estimates, but infante! the House that a still greater re.
ductiun would het e taken place but for the disturbed state of Ire-
land. Why, now, would the Noble Lord, when Ireland was corn.
paratively (Inlet, and in a time of peace, call far this increase ?
Why not look to the estimates of the years 1815 and 1816. Lord
Grenville said that it was
,useless to discuss any ether subject
when those expenses were so enormous. lie would ask the
Noble Lord why he Old not come down last Session to ask for
an augmentation ? and what he now sees in the state of the country
to warrant this immense increase. The Knight of Kerry on that
occasion assigned, as a justilication of his vote, the disturbed state
of Ireland. The Noble Lord now stated the condition of
the colonies and the necessity of relief, as a resean for the pre-
sent increase; and so it is to go on. When, he would ask, were
we to cons to an end of this ? He thought there should be no
Increase, but that they should revert to the state they were in in the
year 1112 t. In the Sneech from the Throne of that year the prospects
held out to the country acre most cheering; but in that which was
delivered this year we were told it was a season of distress:
and yet there was an Increase this year. He tonight they
ought to retrace their steps. It was a fact worth notice
that there were now required 13.0011 men for the recruiting service,
and in the year 1702, the whole amount of troops for the service of
the country did not exceed 17,000. He thought no reason had been
given for the increase, and be would conclude by moving the fol-
lowing Resolutions :
let. That it appears to this House that the regular force of the
year 11122, was tally Competent to answer the exigencies of the
counter.
2d. That it appears to this House, that no change hes taken
place in the foreign relations of the country to warrant an increase
in the Army Eetimatee, and that the forces be reduced to 77,0e0
men.
Lord PALMERSTON said that he did not at all agree with
the Hon. Member; it was very excusable in the Hon. Member
to take that opportunity of recording according to annual custom
the opinions which he entertained ; lie was not accountable for the
reasons which guided gentletnen's votes in that llonse, but he never
gave as a reason for not reducing the army, the domestit state of
the country ; he did not ask a vote on those grounds they had
tried in compliance with public opinion the experiment of eco-
nomy in this instance, and it had failed, and they were obliged to
call on the Parliament for an increase, There were 85 regiments
of the line, nine of which *ere in Great Britain, twenty-five
' in Ireland, and fifty-one on foreign service ; the depots of
. those regiments in this country, estimating each at 224 men,
would make a total of 11,324 ; there were besides six battalions of
foot guards. Taking into consideration those forces, those in
. transitu and those employed in the recruiting service, and the in-
valids, the amount of men in this country was no more than 22,708-
This statement he hoped would satisfy the House. After some
: other observations from the Noble Lord,
The gallery was then cleared for a division, when there appeared,
For the Amendment - 84 Against it - 106
Majority against the Amendment 72.
The Report was then agreed to.
Lord PALMERSTON obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the
punishment of mutiny and desertion, and for the regulating tine
payment of soldiers in quarters. It war afterwards brought in,
read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time to-morrow.
BANK OF ENGLAND.
Mr. HUSK'S-SON gave notice thet to-morrow he should move
for leave to bring in a Bill to enable the Bank to apply the Law of
Merchant and }actor to any goods in their postession.
On the motion of Mr. BERRIES, .he second reading o: the
Bank Charter Bill was deferred to Thursday next.
The other Oriters of the Day were then disposed of, end the
1 Ileum adjourned at a Quarter to Twelve o'clock till tomorrow.

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