The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1805-03-07 00:00:00

But it may be Considered u a load argument, that
the man who has
.proved himself but ill capable of
conducting operations by land, is ergo incapable of
cendncting operations at sea. This brings to my
remembrance an anecdote of the Lite Mr. Garrick
—He had a Scotch friend, named Moncrieff, an
eccentric, but friendly character, and, who gene-
rally went by the appellation of Honest Johnny
Sloncrieff." Ile attempted to bring out a tragedy
of four acts, which Mr. Garrick, to whom it was
sheen, advises! him not to complete, but to ley
it by. Next year, however, he brought a come-
dy of fire ails, which Mr, Garrick pronounced
execrable, and plainly told him that his Abi-
lity neither lay in tragedy nor comedy. " Where
dot the der! then," said Johnny a it tier. (A
gemerni laughin throoyh the Misc.) Mr. Sheridan
then proceeded to declare himself to be a great
friend to the whole system of the Militia. The high
bounties given to the Militia did not arise from the
system itself, but from the abuse of it. Ile con-
demned the modern praftice of removing the men
far from their own homes, which tended to lessen their
attachment to the service, and, of course, to increase
desertion ; and, when once faith was broken, and
they were put in a situatiod different from what they
exeeilled when they first entered, it was not likely
that a Militia could ever be so soon raised again;
and, when parents found that their sons were in
danger, when they entered the Militia, of being af-
terwards entrapped for foreign service, this, of
itself created the cause of an increased bounty. o As
to raising men for r ink," Mr. Sheridan continu-
ed, " I admit that, if the army could otherwise
be recruited, this method is objeCtionable ; but,
I do not think that the army, as a body, has
suffered in this respeet, for. I am sure, that
the more property and rank that arc introduced into
the army, the greater will he the security. Why
not attempt enlisting men for limited service ? But
I will not dwell on arguments which press upon
the humanity of the House. I say that it is un-
constitutionsl to take lads, and put them for life
from the enjpyment of the privileges of our free con-
stitution. Enlisting for life, no doubt, stands in the
way of recruiting for the army. If a boy he taken
from his parents to serve for life, is it not farcical to
tell him that he is to fight for the best constitution
upon earth? It you were to take children in a foreign
clime, form them into a corps, tell them to fight for
a tree country and the best constitution. would they
not naturally say, Delightful ! When are we to see
that country r The answer that they ate never to see
that country, nor to enjoy its bleesiegs, but that they
ate to fight t r it, how much would this tend to
lower their zeal and weaken their attachment ! So
I say, let our eoldi,rs, after a certisii, 'mother of
years of service, return an let that friendly shade
which proteCted them in cattiest life; let them
taste of the fruits of that delightful ,tree. and
this will prove the best subst;tute for any such
wretched system as is comemed in the present Bill.
I B eine I conchide this suirjea, I wish to mike a se-
rious app-at to a description of Members in this
House, wee are peculiarly imercsted in the repeal
of this wretched Bin ; I mean the country geode-
men, who shmaticonsijer the measure, in the present
insult% as proceeding de HO:V. I ask them. will
they give their sanetioe to this additional tax on the
lankiest property of Great Britain, after it has been
proved to be a StIeASUN that eels never be attended
with any of the good effeEts t: at were promised by
it, and has been sheen to be fraught with the most
atrocious injustice ? Nett to • t :em, and certainly.
only in the secnuil class..l mesa call epos those who'
were the sup/setters, and nutty of them Members
of the laie Administretinn ; I call upon the col-
leagues of the deposed Minister, on his colleagues
and his friends, among.: whom I am entitled to class
a number of the country gentlemen, to preserve their
coosistency, and to be mindful of the arguments
they themselves used last year, in opposition to the
at of which lam now moving the repeal. It in
common with .them, gave that Minister my feeble
support as far, as it went. I did so in an inde-
pendent, and, 1 trust, an honourable manner, with-
out detaching me in the least from my honourable
friend near me (Mr. Fox), nor from any of those
other friends with whom I am proud to have uni-
formly acted. and whose principles I shall never
abandon. I supported him, because I considered
him to have aged generally with a view to what
he considered to he the good of the cousury, with
an honest disposition, and with a proper resped for
the sound principles of the Constitution; hut most
of all did I support him because I considered him
as a bar to the return of the Right Hon. Gentleman
opposite me to power. I now appeal to all those
who acted then merely upon similar views with my-
self, to concur with me now in voting for the repeal
of a measure which has already totally failed. and
which they themselves have previoudy Condemned.
I surely cannot exped them, after :di the reprobation
expressed of this execrable law, before it had a trial,
now having been proved an ineaftive, cruel, ails
oppressive measure, to turn round upon ins sit !-
dents'. and, without assigning any new reason, say,
This is a good, a just, aad.a very humane law !'
I implore of them not to an in such a manner as to
make us ashamed of having opposed the measure
on its first proposal. It would not be regular ua me
to allude to any thing which might have passed in
debate in another place, where I em told a Noble
Lord (Sidmiith) did not speak of this measure in
such a manner as I might have expected from him ;
but, perhaps, Noble Lords, when transferred to the
other House, may not think themselves so much
pledged to what has passed here, as we do who re-
main. Let all these descriptions of Gentlemen to
whom I have alluded, put their hands on their hearts,
:Ord say, as men of honour, whether, it the laterecou-
ciliation had not taken place between the Noble Lord
alluded to, and the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite
me, they would not vote with me on the present
question ? If so, how can they reconcile any oppo-
sition to my motion, with the opinions they before
so loudly proclaimed, and which. after the trial, has
justified the condemnation they before pronounced
upon it? Let every Gentleman reflea, that the
taxation of this country,from the nature of the warm
which we are engaged, is drawing towards a crisis,
and. that. unfortunately, cite mums:ince of hosti-
lities will impose upon us thaatnavoidable necessity
of levying many additional bunions on our fellow
subjeas I that, in, line. these can be no cessation of
these unavailing taxes. 1100 the arcival of the aow
seemingly distant.period ofpeace; and with these im-
pressions on their minder, let than be careful of she