The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-12-06 00:00:00

Nu. I.

MY LORDS VI GENTLVIIIKI,
Nothing appears to me to he less mailerstond is the
Goners of Parliament than the affairs of the Navy. 01111 no
: ,
tl.lllllllOlVe been taken to give en exposit 00000 of their rattier
complicate. though highly interestism tintivre, hut 011 the
contr.:l,y, retry spark which threatened to throw a clear
light on the subject has been immediately extinguished by
the breath of the Minister.
! Had it helm otherwise, lam fill clearly of opinion that the
just admiration which the Ilrtuah army has excites' in every
firitishbollolll, has lint lessened the sense of the highly an-
prrior eutisrequence of the navy hp the ferisllVl of the cut:ll-
- try in gess-rail, that its peace establishment would he How in
a very dun:rent ewe. 'lse navy tarnished, and the term re-
; (heed, 1:11,'e no adequate idea af its actual situation. We
1 are, rl i. to sae, building and repairing with mine sort of
i energy, considering the pains taken to keep the naval Mi.l
mat.' 1,11 low as passible, but the vital sod military strength
i. debilitated to a degree, which, after the lapse of a very few
year. of peace, will render its restoration to vigour and ac-
i tivity, • very difficult task indeed.
Tne Gentlemen of Hoglausl know, (hit, from our insular
situation, the navy is the natural, said from our happily
blended constitution, is not only the safest, but the only
requisite saucily for our safety, the true guardian of our
honour, anti the protector of our shores, our colonies, altd
eummetce. _ . .

If this axiom had been the ground.work of our calcula.
lions, had our ohm. bees constructed uo that 11:11114, the
struggle would not bare beeu to find excuses to reduce the mito-
ticr of shipa 1111 each station to the smallest possible scale,
and to display the British flag 011 boatel the smallest possi-
ble ships, but tate policy would have endeavoured to have
framed every possible excuse for keeping the largest nimble
of ships employed, which could he at all consistent with a
peace establishment, and to slim the British flag at the
mast-heads of the must reapectahle ships. The incalculable
advantages of hiving officers mid seamen visiting every
part of the globe, of keeping up, or rather restoring that
elastic propensity to a naval life which formerly impelled
the British youths, are too glariug to need exposition.
I trust that a Finance Committee will procure, and lay
before the present Parliament, more correct naval informa-
tion ghats the last, and offer a more decided opinion on the
objects of their research. What could have induced the 'sub-
missiou to the continuance of the civil eytahlishmeitt of the
navy in nearly the full numbers of weir, when the military
and active part ha■ been so reiluresP Why are all the
Commissioners of the Navy and Victualling Boards, who
woe deemed requisite to manage the affairs of 900 sail of
vessels of war, to be retabied when that number is so infi-
nitely reduced? Se ■re told that the Admiralty is a good
school to take in piling Noblemen as apprentices to learn
the art of government ; and I conclude the two Secretaries
are retained in consequence of this new branch of duty allot.
eel to th it COIIIIIIiSE6OII. fur no other reason can be assigned,
as far as lam able to judge. But, my Lords and Gentle-
men, Vouch a number of Commissioners are really requisite
its time of peace, would it nut be just to bestow those situ-
ations on naval officers—and would it not be wise to do
so, as they surely best understand naval concerns, and know
beat how to meet the wants soil improve the system? If
three Sea- Lf)rdll and one Secretary, Maisie' the first Lord,
are not enough to manage the duties of the Admiralty,
should not the additional !mother be also selected from the
navy list, if even youngnaval met: were taken in as theappren.
life?! The claim of the navy to these situations will appear
mitre powerful, if you will examine how completely its
officers are excluded from all government at home and
abroad, Newfoundland being the only office of that nature
which is still retained as exclusively naval.
Look at the Court Calendar for information as to the
ads outage,. possessed by the army over the navy, in the dis-
posal of places of profit or of trust; and while examiaing
records, I will also beg you to truant the number of regi-
ments, with the addition of ettriteeers, artillery, Staff corps,
Commissariat, Ste. ate. kept 'u commission, and com-
pare them with the nu seamen, and marines
now employed.
To the late reduction of the crews of the guard-ships
have uo very great objection, as all ships in commission
should, in b.y opinion, be kept wholly efficient to all ser-
vices, and the present reduced state of those ships does
equally well for the purpose of keeping a certain number of
Mil officers in commission at each port, to execute the laws
of the naval service. But I most strongly deprecate (I had
nearly said reprobate) the system of employing our officers,
petty officers, and seamen oti sbore,on the set vice of suppress-
log smuggling. Whether such a force, so employed, be strictly
constitutional I will out relent. to determine; but I will
venture to predict, that the system will prove the grave of
the professional merits of most of those employed under it.
You wilt doubtless calculate the expense oftge present mode
of auppreasing 'snuggling with a fate view so misfit and loss;
but surely that mischievous branch of the contraband trade
which introduces foreign spirits might he instantly crushed,
and I humbly presume, to the great benefit of the commerce
and revenue of the country, by taking off the duties, wholly
or heady, from the spirits of our own colonies. But I am
digressiog, and will return to my proper subject, and a very
important part of it.
Had von, my Lords and Gentlemen, been clearly in pos.
session of the knowledge of the means requisite to have a
navy promptly and efficiently ready on an emergency, the
corps would nut have been reduced either in manner or
degree, as it has been, without serious inquiry. That corps
justly merited the honour of being called !loyal, and to its
immortal glory be it recorded, they also merit the title of
loyal, which, in our triple constitution, iucludes their cha-
racter of duly to all the branches of that constitution. I
hardly ever knew more impolitic injustice than the great
reduction of this valuable corps, which is kept at a much
smaller expense than the troops of the lice, and upon all
occasions, when opportunity haa offered, have proved fully
equal to all purposes un shore, while their being ready to
embark at an hour's notice, is of the highest couacquence to-
wards the speedy cquipmcat and strength of a fleet. Surely
there should be no regiments of the line on duly at our M.
ports in peace, and on the breaking out of a war, ear ebb.
stitutioual protecting laud force, the militia, would SUN
relieve the marines in their duties in those places.
I have, with deep and minute attention, reflected on the
sudden soil great reduction which took place in the marine
corps, and it does appear to me so clearly impolitic, that
nothing ha• ever made me lean so much to the melancholy
suggestions very common at present, that there is a syste-
matic plau to Imm, our loyal consequence, and to rely on
our at my as nor national support ; but deeply shall we have
cause to regret the system which considers the uavy as only
aecoudary in the acute of national security. The very cause
which rendered the continuance of the Property Tax im-
practicable (fur its resources were exhausted), would render it
impossible fur many years to come, if the year of possibility
ever came at all, again to support an army on the Con-

" Britain's best bulwarks are her wooden walls,"
is as immutable a truism as ever proceeded frum a tongue
or pen, and should be the Patriot's rallyiug sentence.
To our noble and gallant soldiery, let your admiration
and gratitude expand ; but let your hopes repose us that
Sect, without which your armies would be of nu avail.
remain, my Lords and Geutletneu,
Yuar faithful Servant, C.
PS.—Since this letter was *fillet), the marine cntps ham
bceu increased, and I hope on the principle above expressed.

011 i londay MOrlllllg hot, between five and six
o'clock, the brig Ocean, ANTIM, off Cita; from
Demerina for London, through the thickness of the
weather, went on shore urar Beachy Head, mid was
tptickly dashed to pieces. .The crew consisted of
ten persons, two of whom, au aged Titan sad the
mote, we regret to say, perished. A buy, who was
supposed to be drowned, was hound in the cliff, to
which he clung until the Aide retreated. The cargo,
which consisted of sugar. runs, tesston, wok coffee,
was all lost, except a l'evo puncheons of tutu.