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

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jot's, or that that plan a discipline tliould .b relin-
qUisheil. I really beg pardon of the Huse (Hear !
Hear!) for entering into such minute details, but
Without such an inspeaion, the epreme weakness
and trifling indecision of His Majesty's Mioisters,
their continual fluduation and utter incapacity, can.

not fully. be pointed out. All that is in existence of
the yolunteer System, ,owes its, birth to their prede-
cessors, and is in no degrec attributable to Ministers
they took it as they found it, and notwithstaDeiing.a
.year's experience, -have amended it in no one par-
ticular. So long ago ",as previous to the Christ.
mas'Recess, they were 'reminded of this, and asked
what they meant to-do with the Volunteer System,
in order to make that, which arose from partirular

urgency, idequatetcithe present calls of permanent
establishment. To thisinquiry they said, Wait, do,
not press us now with that question ; wait till after.
the Christmai''holidays, when we shall bring for.
waid a well-Considered and digested System of Ge-
neral National Defence. What, in Acquittance of
this promise, they have produced, I leave the House
.to decide. A plan, indeed, had been brought
forward- for the regulation of the Volunteers,
which, after being so changed from its original shape,
as scarcely to be the same, had found its way to the
other House of Parliament, where, it had undergone
such farther alterations, that when it comes_back, I

apprehend we shall find our Selves little farther ad.
,vanced on the subjea, than when we set out with
it. On this,-however, I shall now say the less,, as it
mtist necessarily fall under discussion ,at some future
opportunity. - Among the measures also recommend-
ed and adopted, though not originating- with Mini.
stets, Was, that of immediately calling out -a large.
portion of the Volunteer's on'attual service for two or
three weeks. This being proposed, tvSS adopted•by
Ministers; but how has it beeo reduced to praaice ?
If the principle had any merit; it required a .14umpt,
and immediate execution,- for it was to provide
against the possibility, and' even the probability
of a speedy Invasion of Elie Enemy,, and -enable the
Volunteers of this Country to meet them tinder all
the advantages of an improved state of
,discipline.,
.Ministers, however, true to 'their own mode.olaa-
ing, on all occasions adopting the 'principles, had yet
not put it in a' train of execution (here'some dissent
being expressed from the Treasury. Bench ); I repeat,
that though orders may have been given to some
Commanders to invite 'their Corps to put them-
selvea in a state of permanent duty, that the measure
;itself is not even yet in a trair-iof`execution.; Nay,
the thing is manifestly impossible, for the A 4 tin-
der which the men are to assemble is not yet passed ;
I mean the Volunteer Afte which we now expea
in an altered state- from the House of Peers', and
concerning 'which, it may therefore be improper
to advert, more particulaely at this time. Such
as it was, 'this weak, enfeebling; and incon-
sistent Bill, is all that Ministers have pre.
tended or attempted to do to regulate, in any
manner; or advance towards Perfeetion, that System
on which they rested the General Defence of the
Kingdom. Again, upon the same Qccasion to which
I have adverted, it was suggested; thatlotne temps.
tion should beheld out to the Volunteers, to induce
them to come
,forward and offer their Permanent
Services, and the donation of a guinea a-man was
proposed. This was immediately adopted by
Ministers,- and, in like manner, was wholly per-.
verted, or rendered of no effea by, their subsequent
regulations. In the first estace, the guinea, instead
of being.a free gift, as at first intended, was made
to come out of the three guineas already given. by
Parliament when they should be called out on actual
service. It was therefore not, under thosecircum-
stances, a gift that could operate as a motive of any
great weight. In the next place, it was not, as at
first intender', to be given to ,the then, but made
subject to the controul of the Commanding Officer, to
be laid out,in great coats or other necessaties, with-,
out which it %yas said they could not take the field,
This might be true, but then these necessaries should
. be found, as an incident to their service, and the gui-
nea should have been applied to the men persOnally,
as an inducement to come immediately forward.—
As Hii Majesty's Ministers had managed the Mat-
ter, it was wholly unproduaive of the 'end for.
which it was established. It , was intended not
to, provide necessaries, which rested altogether on
another principle, but as a motive to 'come forward,
by enabling a man, in his absence, to provide more
comfortably for histamily, or to apply it in any way
he thought most personally desirable. The guinea
was applied in different proportions,-and according
to the time.of service for to, 15, ao, or 30 days, but.
theanecessaries to enable the men to take the field, it
was,obvious, were equally essential for all those pe.
riods, which shevved the two things rested upon
wholly different principles; and shewed the absurdity
of regulating the one by the other. Considered as
a temptation to induce the men to come forward, it,
would appear as if His Majesty's Ministers had been.
actuated by a desire to make it as little operative
as possible. . There are in the same Bill many re-
gulations in which Ministers have
,shewn the same
Want of clear and adequate conception of the end
theriitofeifekrci have iri view. Indeed, every
thing they attempt to meddle wiih,evinces the same
wavering inconsistency, and is made to carry the
stamp and mark of their charatteristicfeature—weak.
ness and incapacity. The instances are too nume-
rous for me at this moment to particulaiize, and
therefore I shall trouble the House no farther on that
subject. (Hear!, Hear ! Hear ! ) There is another
subject, howeVer, respeaing which I must 'say a few
words. .1 had a large share, in recommending the
General Enrolment Clause of the Defence Mt, said
though adopted, it 'never has been "acted on. but
neither this, nor the Army of Reserve, were adopted.
early by the Ministers They; on the contrary, long
after the War had takenplace, shewed no intention
whatever of recurring to any extraordinary means.
of Defence, although it was 'obvious they were fully
aware of the peculiar charaCter of this War, and pro-
fessed to entertain apprehensions of a speedy Inva-
sion of the Enemy. When, after
,the suggestion
of others, the Defence Act, and Arniy of Reserve
Bill, were passed, the execution of one was suspend.
ed, and the other not enforced.. To Ministers who
so conducted' theinselves,. it was in vain for the
Country to look for prompitude and vigour. They
seem to relax from every resolution they take, and
more anxious to tread bacle their steps, than to go
forward,. What
epaised on the occasion of the
Army
Esti
.• ••
rnates, ellewed clearly Ministers had no

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farther plan of Nationo.Deferee than. the Volunteer
ACI, as brow ht forward by them elves. The De'
fence Acre was not aaive, and the Army of Reserv.
was to be abandoned, and the Volunteer Bill, pc', r
and naked as it was, was to constitute the matt'
defence of the country.. That I might not, hot:
ever, be mistaken, I rose at the conclusion of r'w,
Debate, to ask if I rightly understood them,
that measure contained all the pro Vision ther
meant to Make upon the subject; and being answer'
ed by His IVlajesty's Secretary of State that it wo'
I then gave, notice that I should feel it my duty
t°
submit some
.farther tegula.tions to the Hodge'
Though niy intentiodwas thus made known to 10'
nisters, they 'had done nothing to enlarge or seeder
perfea their own plans of defence. By a strange
retrocession they were about to abandon sora
measures of. defenCe they bad adopted. 'rho:
ing
know - the charaCter of the 'War, and imp or
perils of. the Country, and yet do nothing, ei
rather worse than ,nothing;- they destroy wh3
they themselves-. leave established. The . APO' I
of Reserve Bill may be in some particulars defeaive'
but !the advantages of that measure are dOubtles:
great, as I should have pointed Out mote'particularnl°it
on Friday last, hid. the diSeussion on that Bill J
been accidentally deferred to Wedrresdav: Insieat.
of abolishing that measure, it should be rendered.Pe;
inanene and more effectualita defea des should va
remedied, and its principles pursued and renre
more effedive. This, in thediscussion of Viredni,e9,;
day, I trust [shall be able to ptove, and chew, r`lie
instead of abandoningthat measure, it should be 117°,
the model of an enlarged and permanent plan toe°
stitote a regular nursery for .the, Regular Arq;
Should lon that occasion no succeed, then, bY te,
adoption of the present Motion for a Conrrt"ui
„e,
shall I ve another and better opportunity
,o'
stating my• reasons, and enforeing my-ar4"1135
(Hear ! Hear !) On this 'ground,' therefoce)
well as others urged by the Hon. Gentles-10 ° :y„fe
brought it forward,"' I feel myself bound (a ,
for it ; I shall not therefore, insist farther -';t
this point at present. Instead of seeing any in'lr;g
in the plan for.suspending the 'Army of Reserver
measure
,strikes me as very erroneous, and the
coinpanying it with the Volunteer Bill; lately E
ed, • a great' .and farther oversight. This 15,
measure of His Majesty's 'Ministers shows ele3';
ly that. the Regular Army is not yet • adeq9r,
to the necessity of the. State; and Implies ill°
means should be taken to increase it. The Teti
•thod of so doing may be subject to some varietlhe
opinion opinion; perhapi I may not see it exactly in
same light as the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox),/ 7"e
I do not perceive any material practical diffelencf
between us-. The general principle and outline'
our national defence appears to me good, regard
as it does the Regulars, Army of Reserve, .vli4t
1-
';';
'and Volunteers. Were they . less defensible
principle than 'they are, I should consider the
as existing establishments, in the present inceieqft.
more agreeable to confirm and improve, t,ta
,aboliih and substitute by new. Thus I deCA!
my 6pin-ion on this subject, without at this' Tll.ll
entering into a more particular defence of it.:
q'
respe to the power of. the Crown to call on e,,,respect
Subjectunder-its dominion, in case of absolute
•
this I take, under some form or other, to he lady
'dent'to the very establishment of civil societYt
in fact, whenever occasion required, has been e"ita.
cised. 'rhe.principle is, however, limited by tho
necessity, whigh scarcely can arise but when;
state of things would authorize the Crown
self to proclaim Martial Law ; and if the 'oof
stirution should survive that urgent, stAte
things, the Consellors of His Majesty Wciul
doubtless, be as amenable to Coristttutioaal
sponsibility for that, as any other ad of th
Administration. As such isthe undoubted rig,
and_prerogative of the Crown, I should
with 'a view to possible emergencies, that Legis/a
tive Provision should, in the present jundtirell
'little anticipate the jOatifiable necessity to whie
leave referred, at least so tar as to pm every r'•. the
the Maritime Counties, likely to be the seat of
Enemy's attempt, under the immediate power of
Crown, in case of adual Or imminent danger of
100
vision. On this occasion shall say no °co,-
relative to that part of our Defence that ail'
certis the Naval Department, than to r`'': n 7,
that, notwithstanding Officers from distant st'',,Viek
(Hear ! hear ! hear!) were called to cotr„ the
'my opinions, and, expose them to ridicule, 'll/.o",aecl•
very suggestions I made have since been f°,4 think
The immediate means' of Naval Defence 1 s°-; i•r, tile
inadequate, and the means of future SupplY,„- both
articles of Naval Stores, more defeetive• i 5
these points I have no doubt whatever. •,""fences
another point concerning our National venro
much
uch cried down, and endeavoured to be made "
pular, on which I'also retain my opinion • filbeaeo
relative to Fortifications, not as they haye
and
represented, General Fortifications, but locairoat
particular additions to natural strength of itul'°e of,
places, so as to augment the natural advanlicoar
situations, and render particular posts and staoti,
more easily defensible.—Such, Sir, are the sd
car
ments which a sense of duty to His MajestYr
obligations to the Country, oblige me to deelar .0t
Mr. Secretary YoRKE spoke at considerable length ag3tlvo
the Motion, which he considered in point of fad as 3 !li_li°o3l
for 'the removal of His Majesty's 'Ministers, and co,ii.trrt
cOOO
that it would have been tri,,re manly to have at on c
°V'
fo rival Irt. Acd.drves:
NtsOlHTtisAMß.;jaeltdy
stOu. e
posed the Motion. -
Sir HOME POPHAM supported' the Motion. •
Captain MAitmiANt. replied to him. lenr-
The AT Tt4R N y-G ENER.AL spoke at conside,a—
r%irx.Vrnez
against the Motion, and was answered by mr. wir:P".„ntl4
Mr. Fox, in his reply, commented with great alr an
upon the obiervations of the ATT ORN EY Ghat,jit
denied that he had formed any Coalition but 101 v
published at_Charing-,Cross. yo 4
The House then divided —For Mr. Fox's Motion -
~056
Against it -- - -- - 5
Majority in favour of Ministers -•- - - out:e...ed•
At Four o'Clock the' Morning the House adj_____....•
c 0,07
cilY, • for alai
illation was sig
for the
,htiarnlfo-ps
janscteonieli,sHintdsisMpoAgoSriTY;
much other business, a Procla
NERAL FAST, to be observed on t riPy :Oe 2-5
next. .
heldn aflool?,

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