The Sun.
London, England, 1806-06-12 00:00:00

MILITARY

Lord H. 4 WKES 13' was found Upon his legs;
supporting the Motion of which he gave notice a day
or two ago, 'for laying` before the House a Copy of
the Opinions which"had been delivered to the cg'ain,
wander in Chief, respeaing meditated alterations in
our Military SyStem; and best mode of 'orgaif:zing
the National Defence. On a subjed similar to that
which was about to engage their Lordships' attention;
nothing could be more desirable than information
colleated on that head 'from the• most experienced
Military Officers in the Kingdom, as without 'such
authorities 'to guide them it was not likely their
Lordships could form so corred an opinion as they
must wish. upon a point of so much intricacy and
importance. There might, perhaps, be among the
"Papers for which he called, some that might pot be
equally necessary as others ; but lie could not ima,
gine therecould be any possible objection to the pro-
duaion of the summary or extrael from those
nions which had been laid before the late Acnitristra-
tion by his Royal Hi mess the Commander in. Chief.
Their Lordships must be sensible that military in
, formation was necessary to direst their proceedings
on points of a purely military nature.
• Lord MO IRA was as desirous as the Noble Lord
could be that every possible light might be thrown
upon the important question, bUt lie did not at all
conceive that any useful light could be derived from
the Documents moved for by the Noble Lord ;- nor
could he Well understand with what view they had
. been called for and laid before the late Administra
tion: These Papers were composed of Letters front
several General Officers, of whom he himself was
one, in answer to Letters marked " ConAlentiai,"
addressed to them by order of the dontmander
in' Chief. Those who wrote these. Letters, espe-
cially under the circumstance of their bein.
marked " Confidential," could never have imagined,
that whatever opinion they might have .delivered .in
these Letters should afterwards be made matter of
discussion in a deliberate Assembly : he at leant never
conceived. that such use would ever be made,of
them, otherwise, those who had so delivered their
opinions, would, no doubt, have been more de-
tailed in then observations, and more explicit as to
the reasons upon whiCh they grounded them: Be.
sides, such observations, coming from such a Body,
could never be intended, an-d
ought never to
be employed, :to guide the adoption or rejee-
don of.such a measure as that which was now in the
contemplation of his Majesty's Government. That
measure necessarily embraced many princiisles and
views 'which were never, perhaps, contemplated by
the minds of military men, and which was rather ad-
dressed to the prudence and wisdom of Statesmen en-
tering upon a'large and comprehensive view oldie ge,.
nera'l result of measures. T,n'the answer he had made
to the Letter addressed' to him; it happened that
he had expressed the same opinion which he still
entertained upon these points ; but so widely- chi,.
ferent were the views With Which the measure now
proposed was brought forward by Ministers, that
even had. his former opinion been wholly the reverse
,of what it aaually was, lie should, not think him-
self bound to adhere to it; but on. the contrary
would feel himself called upon to alter it in conse-
quence of the superior utility with which, on 'ri wide
survey of the etteas the present measure promised
to produce, he was confident It must. be attended ;
it is to the other Paper, that was laid
.beforethe late
Ministers, by the Commander in Chief, and which
the Noble I,ord supposed could not at all be.objeaed
to, he would more strongly objed than to any other:
Not surely from, any disrepea for that illustrious
Personage, for whom no man could
thanp hosseib(l-,i'dc;n.tbierl-t
tain more attachment and respe
from a conviction that no opinion from such a quar-
ter, however well informed and respeaable, should
be called for and introduced to dire& or influence
the deliberations of that-House. So deep was that
convidion upon. his mind, that even though he
should Stand alone, he should oppose and enter hls
protest against such a proceeding 'to the last period
and brdath'of his life. •

The Duke of MONTROSE contended, that th
Papers moved for would add considerably to the
stock of knowledge necessary for theit Lordships in
the discussion of such matters, and would 'naturally
furnish them with just grounds upon which to frame
their decision.

Lord SUFFOLK observed, that althonoli two
years ago it might" not be-thought expedient-to adopt
the measure of limited service, yet there was' much
in the injure of the -present situation of this
"try and of Europe • which niight suggest 'the pro-
'Fiery of. resorting to it at present.
Lord MULGRAFE thought the obje&ions urged
against the produCtion of the Fader; wholly destitute.
of foundation. They contained, it
~was said, the
opinions of military men only, they were confined
to military matters; they offered' nothing to guide
the deliberationS of Statesmen, and therefore should
n, tbe produced.. These, however, were the very.