The National Register.
London, England, 1808-05-01 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGIITER

MAY 1.

WAsuINoTON, Fr:ts. V6.—The Aresidetn this day etonsouni-
cited an important Message to Coupes'. Tbe object of which
nos an augmentation of the Military. Force, as well Regulars
a 4 of Volunteer Militia; and requesfsthelAitialature tp sulks-
r the the immediate commencement of this preeautiooary treasure.
President accompanied his Message with somiApewatiou,
and a letter which he had received from the Secretarebt War,
of which the following is a Copy
64 War Department, Feb.2l, 1808.
4 TO TISE PitEstor.tsT, rte.
take the liberty of suggesting w•hethec, antler exist-
ing circumstance:, it would not bendvisatlero prOpoSe to Con-
gress' an augmentation o( our %regular troops, as soon as prac-
ticable; anti also the engaging and organizing of twenty-four
thousand Volunteers, on the principles 1 have had the honour
of proposing for your consider:l,o°n, the general outlines of
which are contained in the Paper marked No. I.
The number of regular troops I would propose being raised
immediately is six thousand, to be composed of suitable pro-
portions of infantry, artillery, cavalry, and riflemen, and orga-
nized, as stated in the inclosed Paper, No.'
" It may be presumed that previous to the citric of the iiTeftetts
Ite(,ion. Congress will be possessed of -tub further informatine
in regard to our foreign relations, as o ill be necessary fur form-
ing an ultimate opinion on the expediency of a greater anginnen-
Colon of our army than is now pro;ofsed; and in thu. mean time.
measures may be taken for the recruiting service in ditferent parts,
of the United State.
In the eveut of war, it will, i presume, be considered ott.l
ce.s.tr. to arrange our military force iglu separate departments,
and to have a Commanier to each departmoot, and of course to
have HO such officer as a Commander in Chief; and until a larger
army shall be raised than is now proposed, it may not be ad-
i-aide to have any &beer above the ratikof Brigadier-General ;
of that rank it may be proper to havei four or the, as soon as
suitable proportion of the troops is raised. With sentitnents,
&c. " H. DEARLWitii.

279

of this, his Joadabip exceedingly regretted the necet,ity of post'
parting his motion upon this subject, which he had given notice
of for Tuesday Dertz but then those Returas he before alluded
to were before the House, and printed, he should give notice
of some propositions which he should then otter for the consi-
deration of their Lordships. Both his Lordships motions were
put and agreed to.
Mr. Wharton, and a Deputation from the Commons, brought
up the Irish Recognizance Bill, the Irish Title Bill, and three
private Bilk, which were so% erally read a first time.
After tome further routine business, the house atijourned un-
til Monday.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.

TIT ESIIA if, APRIL 26.
Mr. Jekyll presented a Petition from the Debtors confined in
,the king's -Bench Prison, aria Col. laingfield•from those in Cork
'Gaol, praying for relief, which were ordered to be laid on the
table.
The Trone Harbour Bill was read a thi?'d time and passed.
On the Motion of Mr, Roc, the Pilot's Bill was..ordered to
be taken into consideration on, Monday next.
On the Motion of Mr..lltraty the further hearing of evidence,
respecting the Orders ideonncirwas deferred till Mimdav next.
MIL GRANT presented-a Petition from .the East India Com-
pany, praying for a certain pum of money. a hich thw Company
deemed It their duty to claim, conceiving It to he due. A fter the
Petition was read, Mr. Grant moved that it should he referred
to the Committee now sitting for investigating the Company's
!arks.
*rt. M. A. l'arton said the • Petition was of great impart..
once, and in so thin a House the question ought not ti, be agi-
tated. He conceived that previous notice should httve been
given ; he, however, deemed it his duty to oppogc it en the
ground that the Company hall no claim on the emirtrY.:• Their
monopoly was an evil which he deprecated as iejtiriuus to the
spirit of enterprise, and though it had been held out for 14y ears,
that their affairs acre in a prosperous state, yet it was now
found they were fatally the reverse;s he, therefore, could not
consent to have a single shilling taken from his constituent,. to
relieve them, as other countries profited more by the trade than
this.
Ma. Carierr thought it nicks!, to grant them a loan. as they
could never repay it. They had bormwed three millions
year on Bonds, this year they eitime to Parliament praying for
the aid of 2000,0001. and if the situatiln or Europe continued
•
in its present state, they must 'conic again next year for a larger
sum. He thought it would be mdoe benefit ial to the country at
large, to have the trade lnid open, than to allow the American.:
to run away with the profit of it. With the CP-1;•R"V it has
long been a losing cuneern, as they had nn surplus capital to
I carry it on as they should: The system of borrowing money in
India, and the large dividends on their stock, aas the source of
iill their evils.
MR. Porvsosne conceived thi' sum as a gift to be levied on
the Public, to enable the Company to mak a dividend of 10
per cent. 1 t was a serious matter, and ought to have a mature
investigation, which he hoped would destroy for ever the dg
lu-
%ion which had existed for several vears. The qiie.-tion now
wag, that the country must support them, as they were not ;110e,
to du it themselves. The Report of the Committee, a id the whGle
evidence, should he printed before he suffered 1,400,1)0W. tai go
out of the pockets of the people, who ought to he con inced that
it was the interest of the nation to continue them as a Comp ny.
Ma. PsacsrAt said, there could be no objection to hose the
Petition referred to the Committee. for as the Company had a
claim on the public of several hundred thousand pounds, they
had a right to be heard.
Ma. llow,eara remarked, that there seemed to he a total
suppreqion of public documents from the Company. The lakt
Budget was that of 180$-4, and from that time, had there been
no information of any kind given, either to the House or the
Public, in relation to the situation of the Company's affairs.
What he respired was. a full, fair, and candid statement of the
Company's debts, credits, and assets.
The question ix as then put and carried.---Adjourned.
IFCEDNESDA T. ?Rig. £7.
Lord Perrotrd presented a Petition from the Debtors confused
is Cork gaol, praying relief.---Laid on the table.
Colonei Stanley brought tip a UM making certain alterations
in the Poor Laws, in regard to Settlement:-.•—Read a firA, and
g:tdered to be read a second time, on the lfah of May next.