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London, England, 1804-04-26 00:00:00

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Tore, which', according to their own 'principles, ought
to be totally repealed. This is a propolltion which
cannot be fairly denied, and, therefore, it is the left
neceffary to enlarge on it. But, Sir, if fyflem of
the Amy of Referve, as now coining, can be modi..
fied; if a defcription of perfons not at all likely to 1
eater into the regular army can be brought into li-1
mited fervice ; if this temporary plan of recruiting can
be managed fo as to promote the great end in view
without it-lc/eating either national inconvenience or
private mifery, there will not, I am Lure, Sir, cu It a
doubt that filch a CO= ought to meet with every'
degree of fitpport and encouragement. If fuch a
fyflem can be brought forward it mull aticall, Sir, be
one which the Houle could Lot, continently with their
duty, refufe iheir mon ferious confider ition. Though
en the prefent occdfinn my nbjeft in riling was to es•
plain the outlines of loch a plan„ I do ndt at all fo
much flatter my kW as to fuppofe that it Ira be per-
fed, but it is not too much prefumptiim to imagine that I
it is a plan not altogether unworthy cf the confideration
of farliament.—Before I go on very fhonly to !Facto'
the Houfc the nature of the plan, it may not be improper ',
merely to advert to the grounds on which thefufpenfion
of the Army of Referve AEI ought to be confiderea. I
The Srft queflion that prefeists itfelf is, whether the I
Referve Aa ought to be furpended, or whether it 1
Imight not be modified in fuch a ruiner is to render
its application more advantageous? • The fecond
querlioo wAs, whether if the idea of fufpending the
Aft was entertained, this was not too little ; and
whether, if the idea of fufpention was at all enter-
tained, the *Mt ought not to be totally aboliChed t
Conceiving thee to be the two great preliminary
views of the fubjeS, Lhope I !hall meet with the in-
dulgence of the Houtz while I hate the outline* of
apron nn this fubjelt, the refult of long and careful
examination—the aka of digefled and careful corn.
parifon of the wants and circumnances of the coun-
try. Without cow, then, going into any details on
the Tubjeft which, if the Bill for which I mean to
move is introduced,. I. (hall have ample means of in-
troducing, it will be fufficicnt for me at prefent to
give an outline of the general plan. Allow me then,
Sir, to introduce the fulled generally, by laying, that
un4cr the prritnt ciecumflances of fociety, under the
regent extenfion of commerce,, under all the new
openings offered to labour in all its branches, it is
not laying too much, to fay that the encouragement
to enter on a military life mutt be very materially
ditninifked. Looking, then, to the difficulties atten-
dant en the recruiting of the army, looking to the
diffienkies of obtaining men for unlimited terrier,
compared with fervice for a ihort petiod on their
native tisil, I mutt be allowed to affunie it as a fair
fulipof tlon. that a number of men would be induced
to accept of offers of limited fervice, who would
not lillen to' any idea of military .fervice far life.—
With this view their, it will not be denied, Sir,
that the tervices of thee who are far from willing
to enter snto the -regular army &mild be encou-
raged for that limited fpeeies of fervice, to which
they are by no means difincliaid. The Houk will
not fuppofe that lam goi too far, when I affirm,
that fuch a mode of ream' . for the regular army
in a commercial coantry, t molt fully junified
it
by the whole hiflory of human affairs. Every man
knows that limited fervice moll, in the firft inflame,
he preferred to fervice knowing no limitation of place
or time. But while this was allowed, it was not left
clear, that if men once entered into the army for a
limited period, militar habits were loon contraSed,
and thole who in the fink inflance would never have
thought of indefinite military fervice, entered into
this enlarged engagement with the greatell poffible
alacrity. From libuted to permanent military fervice,
is therefore what every man, in the lean acquainted
with military affairs, could anticipate with out the final-
left difficulty. But, Sir, I would not even put the quef-
tint; on this ground. Even independent of any
Legiflative interference, independent of the amp-
tance of any offers of 'bore who originally engaging
for limited fervice, afterwards entered into the regular
attny, the iloufe, I am Cure, will agree with me in
thinking, that there may occur periods of patriotic
ardour, when all idea of limited fervice will be loft
fight of; that the native courage and hertiifm of the
Englifh charafter will difplay itfelf; that Engliflunes
will lonk not alone to the fafety, but to the honour,
to the dignity, and to the glory of their country.—
Under fuch tire= fiances as thefe, it is not prefupsing
too fat to fappofe, that voluntary offers of extenfion
of fervice will be numerous. If. Sir, we can fuppofe 1
that the national (pint of the people, even unaffill.
ed, will produce theft effefts, how much more may
its influence be expeited to be, when it is fupported,
direted. and encouraged, by judicious regulations ?
On theft principles then I obje6 to the acceptance
of the offers of the Is ill Militia to extend their offers
of fervice to this country, becanfe the, fame Mica
may be obtained without any violation of confirm-
tional principles. That the extenfion of the Cervices
of the militia of both countries may be definable under
an emergency of peculiar danger, no man can reit-
fonably deny. But however the zeal and the alacri-
ty of thole making the offer may be commended, the
policy of accepting inlet (till be a ground of grave
deliberation with thofe who pretend to guide their
public condua by any principle of wifdom or of po-
licy. 13sf,re the firs ices of the Militia of Ireland
can with pr.,priety be accepted, we have to afcertain
whether by this meaitire the general lecurity of the
whole empire is confulted. But reverting particu.
fatly to the augmentation of the bah Militia as an
addition to the military force of the empire, I mull be
permitted to make a few obfercations. The idea of
difparaging the Cervices or importance of the militia
eflabliffiment is certainly the fartheft from my con-
templation. At the fame time. Sir, it has been al.
Inwed by its molt stAIOUS ft iced., that in many in-
flames it ha.. hes n CAI I ,:c1 to an extent inconfillent
with the general fir cumnances of the country. With
this idea do 1 mon cordially agree, and beg leave at
the fame time to add, that in my judgment the Mili-
tia cf Englaad ought not to exceed Awes. U the

[PRICE SILPONCE.

number is carried beyond that, then there is dunes • ,
that the number of °dicers he to alluvium the did e•
tent corps will not be fufficient for that purpofe.—
The importance of regular refpedlable officers no man
will deny, and if the augmentation goes beyond the
proportionot °Seers which can be afforded them,
' unquelliooably that augmentation is impolitic. My
Rift view, then', Si-, is, that the militia of England _
lhou:d as loon as poffible be reduced to 48,00. If
we are to keep up a' confideralilc limited force, all
the defcriptions of which it is composed ought to
bear Tome proportion." The militia ellablifhment of
the'country now amounts to about feventy-two thou-
rand; and we ought to have had forty thoufand of
the Army of Referve in Great Britain. What I
would in the firft inflance propofe would be, that the
Ihould not exceed forty-eight thoufand, and
that from forty the Army of Refcrve fhould be ex-
tended to fixty-four thoufand men. In this arrange-
, ment' I (Wald propofe that there fhoeld be an sag-
mutation to theArrny of Refei v... in England of a+
thoufand, and that four thoufand fhould be the atm-
; inenttatiso for Scotland. In propofing this arrange-
anent, the Houfe will underhand that I do not at all
allude to any fudden and abrupt rtirmantling of the
militia. It is equally far from my with tointerfere with
their progrers in dilcipline. All that I propote is, that
the vacancies in the militia, as they foFceffively occur.
Sall not be filled up for that (pecks of the public
force ; and one important advantage of this arrange-
ment would be, that competition to a material de-
• gree would be deftroyed. By this arrangement.
the number of perfons liable to the Army of Referve
would be enlarged, and it would not require much
labour to (hew that, by this enlargement. a material
advantage would be gained. I may merely call the
attention of the Houfe to the esperience of heft year.
If out of thirty•reven thoufand railed by the Army of
Referve At, upwards of nine thoufar,d, according
to the returns on the table, and within confiderably
lets than twelve month', volunteered into the regular
army, I am tartly not prefonsing too much in fop.
poling that a fassilar caufe would be accompanied
with a fimilar retch. In propofing to the Houle the per-
manent eltabliOrment of the Army of Referve, though
certainly on a very modified fyflem. I ant fenfible that
objellions may be readily Ranted agaioß the propofi-
lion. But, Sir, let it be remembered. that the times
in which we live are not ordinary times. When we
are called to encounter extraordinary and unprece-
dented dangers, we mull lay our account with bib.
mining to extraordinary and unprecedented dangers.
If we are called on to undergo great facrtfices, ere'
mull bear in mind the interefling objets which thefe
objets may enable as to defend and to (team. I need
sot remind the Hook that we are come to a new era
in the hiftory of cations ; that we
,are called tra ffruft•
gle foy the deßiny. ant •of this country slow, but of
the civilised world. We mull remember that it is not
for ottriclves alone that we fubmit to tmexampled
privations. We have for ourfelves the great duty of
Pelf-prefervation to perform, but the duty of the peo-
ple of England now is of a nobler and higher order.
We are in the fire place to provide for our fecurity
againft an enemy whore malignity to this countq
knows no bounds. But this is not to clots the views
or the efforts of our exertion in fo facred a eaufe.—
Amid the wreck and the misery of nations our great
objet was that which we could look to with jug exal-
tation, that we bad continued fisperior to all that
ambition or that defpotifm could effett • and our Rill
higher exultation ought to be, that we (hould provide
not only for our own fafety, but hold out a profpedt
to nations now balding under the iron yoke of tyran-
ny, what the exertion of a free people could effedt ;
and that at leaft in this corner of the world the name
of Liberty was fill revered, cherifhed, and fandified.
Viewing, then, the preffure to which the meafure I
propofe may give rife, I contend there are fair confi-
derations. What is to be eonfidered then is, that what
is unneceffary &all be removed—what is oppreffive
(tall he mitigated. On thefe prisciples my whole
plan proceeds. Mitigated as it may (*.Rill the pref.
lure mull be revere. Bat let it be remembered, that
the objet is not only to repel from our chores a den.
ger that threatens our esiflence as an independent
nation, but to reflore tc Europe the chance of regain-
ing all that is MO ft dignified in the condition and in
the relations of eiviliced nations. To any queflion
of prefure, I conceive then that is a moll fatisfac-
tory answer to every refleding mind. Bat having
laid fo much on the fobjeft of the preffure attendant
on the plan I mean to propofe, 1 (hall now m-otion
generally the number which appears to me to be nc-
eeffary to complete the eltahlifltment, as the founda-
tion of a regular, pertnaneut, military eftabliftsmerst.
—I (hall go on the fuppofition that fixty or feventy
thoufand men fhould be kept up every year, accord.
ing to the proportion of the different counties. regu-
lated on the principles of the Ballot for the Must
Ellabliffiment. In the detail of the fyftem there
molt of courfe be a great deal of modification; but
I would beg leave to Rate generally, that, in my
opinion, the regular army would receive an addition
of fourteen or fifteen thoefand men annually by vo-
luntary offers. In the firli inttance you would be
lure to procure a large number of men who could
not be otherwife obtained, and the fame men would
be induced to enter the army on the general princi-
ples of human nature, founded on I,ahit and reperi-
ence. The ordinary recruiting of the army would
not be impeded or interrupted. All the means of a
defenfive and offenfive fyitem would be united. By
following the fyllem we fhould not or.ly be fccure at
home, but be provided with the means of holding et: t
hopes for the reftoration of States now linking under
the molt odious tyranny. It has often occurred to
me, Sir, that the indiferiminare manner in which
Volunteering from the Army of kef,rve has hither-
to been allowed, is highly ruinoui to the belt ihterefts
of the Army. By the plan which I with to pi,,p,:te,
a certain degree of (h)pe and confidency would be
given even to the V.Adr.teering from the Army of
Referve into the Regclar At my. What I would in
the tuft inftance fuggeß would b:, that the quits,