The Sun.
London, England, 1804-04-24 00:00:00

TUESDAY, APRIL 24., 1804.

War itself, or in the circumstances which led to
the War. Having stated so fully these preliMinary
observations, which it appeared to me necessary
to snake, I have now only one objeetion to clear
away, before I enter at large into the exposition of
my sentiments on the general iti'neC3/4 of the De.,
fence of the Country. His Majesty's Ministers are
sometimes pleased to 'reproach Gentlethen with feel.
ing a sort of panic of Invasion'. Vow, Sir, as far
as. I understated‘ the 'tercet, , the word panic conveys
my mind the idea of that Sort vi fear which
rather indoceSmen to run away from danger than
'to oppose it. lam sure that lam possessed by
no fear. of that:' sort ; and instead of wishing to run
aw.ay..or shrink from the dangers of Invasion, or
the., difficulty the present question involves, I; oil
the tontrary, wish to dired the attention of the
House to meet. that danger, and, take the surest
Methods of averting it trom the Country ; I will
therefore by no means allow myself to be one of
those whom His Majesty's Government are pleased,
todescribe asparr;e.strrick through fear of the threat.,
ened Invasion., Although I.' know there ate many
Gentlemen in this Hone 'who consider thn fearttlt
Invasion as a mere Whim, and who treat the danger
as truly ideal, and such as barely-exists in nossi.
bility, I cannot-hovever, after the declarations of
'His MajeSty's"klitiiiters' tn the contrary, and after
the accounts of the Enemy's ptepatotiOns Which we
have received from other chorine's, bring myself
to think so lightly of the dangers to which we are
now exposed. At another time we are told that
France must invade this Country ; that she has no.
thing else to do, and.. that she will otherwise be
covered with shame, and degraded in the estimation
of all the other Powers in Europt!* Now, Sir; I
neither feel that degree of confidence on the subject
which those Gentlemen express, who conceive the
danger of Invasion to be purely imaginary, nor
yet .do I altogether agree with those who re.
present so strongly, that it is absolutely necessary
for France immediately to put into execution the
threatened' Invasion of this Country,: it appears
to me that, if they have really well. considered
their plan, calculated their means, and resolved
upon the attempt, the time of their making their
attempt tvill be to them of very little consequence;
whether it is made in the first, second, third, fourth,
or fifth year of. the War, is to them of very .
little moment. If I conceived the danger to be
only temporary, I might acquiesce in temporary
remedies:;. but when "consider the danger perrna:.
nent,,antl•constantly increasing, I must then wish
for no. -mere tempottity -expedients, but a permanent
system -toolipose a .ptimanerit danger. I 'shall not
at 'present speak. of the difficulties under which this
Country, now labours, 'the difficulties in respet to
Finances, itor the diifictiltiet which Ireland expe-
riences, both from want'of current ;Coin; and from
that Situation of things' which-st!!'lrettliterthat the
flabeas.Cor pus .A,CI, shoitid-Ue and that,
the' Country should' stilt'be:tivveitittf `fry :Wtairtial
Law : perhaps it will be necessary for me at present'
to narrow my observations, and confine them mere.
ly to that for which I would n'ow wish to have a
Committee appointed—The Question of the Defence
of the Country. On the Motion that I shall sub.
mit tea the House, for the appointment of a Corn.
mime to examine this Question, it will certainly
be open to every other Hon. Gentleman in the
House, who approves of the appointment of such
Committee, to state fully upon what grounds he
supports the Motion ; as for myself, I,shall not go
at length intothe many different points Oa Which.
the Defence of the Nation rests. shall mil, for
instapce, .say a single word on the state of the. pre,
paratioos which have been made for the. Naval De.
-
fence of the. Country ; neither -should I wish togo
at length into.the 'consideration :of the Volunteer'
System, although I .shall he obliged to speak of it
incidentally. As to,the Volunteers, when con..
sider -the exigency of the, times when• they were
raised, and the present..circurnstances, under which
they -certainly, do . most poWerfully• contribute to,
the security of the Country, and all that has been
said and done irk the two Houies. of. Parliament
with respea. to their Institution, I should wish not
to be obliged to express my opinion 'Of 'the System
itself; whether it was good, or :bade we must now
make the beat of it; and. I" should wish at present,
without toting manyobservittioni'Ort ;the Volun.,,
steers, -direct the attention of' the 140)ase.
cipally to the other:branches of the Lana Defence.
of the. Country; ,Which I consider may be re.
solved. into two, great leading classes; Ist, the
Regular. Army ;-attd, secondly,--,the increase of the.
Army of Tradesnien,- Arrizans, and Peasants.
which would unite r what. had been well called
the physical strength of the Country, to the Regu.
lir Armies, for its defence. The first of these classes
which .naturally presents itself to our considera-
tion, is the Regular Army.--I have listened with
the utmost -attention rO.the statements-of His Ma.
jesty's Ministers, of their .number 'and-force;. but
when I have heard those statements and those asser-
tions Majesty's Ministers Often 'confuted,
and particularly by an Hon. Colonel who now sits
near me (Colonel CaAtrroaPY, I must say, that I
wish the House had some better' nfortnation upon
the subjed, than the mere asseitiOns of Ministers,
Who'one day state our Regular -Force at a certain
number, and perhaps, the, shat day state it very dif_
ferently, ..I should wish that the House were fur.
nished with documents and proper. materials upon
which their judeent might be formed. Ido not
see any material objeaion that can be urged against
the House being fUlly informed of the real numiker
and. true state of the Regular Army, burl, in Qreat
Britain and Ireland.. l- have indeed often heard it
urged, as an objection to such sort of itifourration,
that it was not proper that the Enemy should' be
formed of the exact state of our preparations, and
the,strenith of oar Artnies ;. this oNtaion, how.