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.-.;;;ions there never would he wanting numbers to
undertake any de!perate expedition. Suppofing
vit inch a convullion as that. to which he had al-
lbould °dot tunately take'place, there would
be thouf4nds ready to undertake any thing which
old have for its oh's& the deft ruetion nf thisc(ltm-
try. If our Navy was kept on a refpeetable eltablifh-
°ent, he had not, nor could any reafonable man,
entertain the lea ft a pprehenfon from ;illy fuch hof-
tile and defperate efforts. From the fituation
said:, during a year, he had held on the French
coati, to watch the motions of their fleets, he could
!late with certainty to the Houfe, that from the
ports of France itfelf there was no danger to be
apprehended of fudden invafion. In all their har-
bours, from which veffels adapted to the pnrpofe
of fudden invafion could fail, he had obferved that
there was no opporturity for veftels drawing more
than IS feet to leave them, even at high water,
without being artificially dragged beyond the pier,
and the greateft number which in one day could
leave the different ports of France could not ex-
ceed fifty, even on the largeft calculation. Sudden
invafion from thole ports was therefore not to be
dreaded. But the cafe was widely different fince
France had obtained fo many ports on the Eaftern
'bores oppofite thole parts of this country which
were molt liable to invafion ; for, from the influ-
ence which France polkaed over Holland, every
Dutch pert was to be fuppofed to afford, in every
point of view, facilities for any proje& of fudden
invafion. If, therefore, any of thole Brutufes who
had figured at the time to which he had already
alluded, fhould fucceed in patting an end to the
life of the Firft Conful of France—an event which
he for his part molt heartily deprecated, and would,
if any thing depended on him, ufe every means to
prevent, from horror at a crime in all cafes to be
abhorred And execrated--a fleet might in the courfe
of one night land forcesin this country,and proceed
to outrages the moft dreadful, before invafion
was anticipated. The Hon. and Gallant Knight
concluded with earneftly imprefling on Minilters,
in common with the Houfe, the neceflity of hold-
ing out every encouragement to thole employed
in the public fervice. He placed in a ftrong point
of view the mifchief which would refult from an
idea going abroad that the bonourable fervice of
the country in the military or naval departments
was not likely fo rapidly to condud to honours or
rewards as Cervices of a much lets refpedable kind.
He begged the Houfe to confider, that if any
thing ended to juftify fuch an idea, there would
not be wanting perfons to improve on the hint,
however fuggefted. The Honourable Member,
in illutlration of his fentiments on this part of the
fubjed, alluded to fome notices of this defcription
which had appeared on the cover of a publication
pretty generally circulated in, which the roads to
the favour of Majefty and the honour of Knight-
hood, were much more eafily to be purchafed, than
through the tedious and laborious toils of war.—
After reading this ftrange notice, he fat down,
propofing to hand it over to his Majefty's Attor-
ney General, who would, no doubt, take fuch Reps
as the nature of the cafe required.
Mr. STuaors, after a few obfervations on the
fubjed of the Dock Yards, the particular dircuffion
of which he avoided, as an Honourable Friend of
his (Captain Markham) would fpeak mote fatif-
fadorily than he could pretend to do on this to-
pic, remarked that he was perfealy difpofed to
give his unqualified approbation to the propofition
more immediately before the Houfe. He was rea-
dy to give his cordial vote for the number of lea-
men propofed to be employed, on the mere ground
that Minifters were the perfons moil competent to
judge what was the number which the exigencies
of the public fervice required. He could not,
however, help nbferving, that fo extraordinary a
mode of voting the fupplies for the public fervice,"
as that which Minitters had offered to the Houfe,
did not occur in the whole hiftory of Parliamen-
tary proceedings. It was, he was convinced, the
firft inftance where a peace eftablifhment, to fo
large an amount, a peace eftablifhment far exceed-
ing any former .eftablifitment in our national hill
tory, had been propofed to be voted without the
ilightell communication to the Houfe on the rub-
jed. The language held on this occafion by the
Right Honourable Gentleman at the head of his
Maittly's Councils had filled him with inexpreflible
aftonilhment. He certainly had expeded on the
part of Minifters fome generalexplanation, to prove
the neceffity of an ellabliflunent which, differing
from all preceding ones, was to be joilified on
new principles. It certainly, in his opinion, did
behove Mininers to make fuch a communica-
tion to the Houfe as might be the ground of In
!hiking a change. What, he begged leave to, afle,
was the fituation of the country, and what was the
language which the fpeech held out to the Houfe
and to the country ? The country was in a Rate of ,
profound tranquillity, and'the fpeech offered no-
thing but a profped of the continuance of ex-
ternal peace. Nothing of a dread of rupture was
hinted at; nothing was raid of the neceffity of
fupporting a large Elablithment. He was
fore that this was the impreffion which the
Speech was calculated to create ;—and he 13:4-
ged leave to rccal to the recollection of the Houfe,
that it was fo under-flood by an Honourable
Gentleman, not now prefent (Mr. Fox), who,
when he gave his approbation to the Addrefs, beg.
ged that it Might not be fuppofed, that in voting
for the Addrefs he pledged himfelf to vote for the
maintenance of a large enablifliment. That Hon.
Gentleman had indeed gone farther, and had
hated, that he referved to himfelf the full power
of canvafling any ettimates which might after-
wards he propofed for the public fervice. He did
not make thefe obfervations becaufe he thought
that the propofition was liable to cenfure, but be-
caufe the impreflion on his mind was, that fuch
%%is the fenfe in which the Winds was underftood,
When the Addrefs to his Majefty was under dif-
cutlion. He was not one of tliofe who entertained
the idea that our principal fecurity confined in the
greatnefs of France. This idea, he was forry to
perceive, on a former occafion, had been appa-
rently acquiefced in ; and there were not wanting
perfons, both in the Houle and the country, who
thought that French power contained within itfelf
Air the feeds of decay.- If Itench pews had only

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bee% derived from the efinquA of defencelefs
Rates, he was ready to allow that there would
have been fome reafon for entertaining filch an
opinion. When h_ faw, however, that every
new conqueft and every new aggrandifement was
a real and folid acceflion of flrength ; when he faw
every effort of nature combined with every ex-
ertion of art, confpiring to increafe this ftrength ;
when he faw the left bank of the Rhine under
the dominion of France ; when he contemplated
Holland not merely allied to France, but under
the domineering power of French influence ;
when he beheld the fortreffes of Piedmont and the
mountains of Switzerland feized upon by their ra•
pacious and dcfpotic hand ; when every other State
on the Continent was fubjed to their deftrudive
inroads, had he not, confidering all thefe circum-
fiances, a right to conclude that French ambition
and French hoftility were objeds of the molt watch-
ful jealoufy and the molt unremitting precaution ?
Such was the view which he entertained of French
power. But, had not the French Government, in
addlion to the reafons for precaution drawn from
this four ce, manifefted the molt obvious fpirit of
hoftility t He was unwilling to go into any detail
of the evidences of this hoftdity, nor would he fay
how far thefe ads formed a new ground of hofti-
lity. With Minifters, he molt fincerely defiled the
continuance of peace. That he believed was the.
with of every one prefent, and the only ground of
difference was refpeaing the means to be employed
for fo important an end. But to judge of thefe
means a very material point for confideration was,
the prefent fituation of the country. In fpeaking
on this part of the fubjed he confeffed that he might
be accufed of ignorance ; but he might with fair-
nets retort, that if he was premature in offering
any remarks on this topic, then Minifters fubjeded
themfelves to a fimilar objection by fubmitting a
propofition to the Houfe, when not one of the
grounds on which it was effered were explained.
He would remark, however, that the terms of the
treaty were non-executed on our part, and this non-
execution might either be the caufe of war on the
part of France, or the effea of a hoftile fpirit
dif-
played by that power. Whether it was the caufe
or the effea, it was equally impoilible for the
Houfe to determine, without a full communication
of circumftances, which Minifters had thought
proper to withhold. On this part of the fulsjea, he
begged leave to remind the Houle of the language
employed by a Right Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Addington) on a former occafion, when he
allured the Houfe there was no reafon what•
ever to dread a rupture, and that he law no reafon
to fuppefe that this peace tnight not be as Lifting
as any of thole which had been concluded for the
laft century. If there ever had culled any difpo-
fition to doubt the truth of this ftatement, or more
properly to have feared that fo fanguine a profped
would never be realized, certainly the propofition
of this night was not calculated to do them away.
He, for his own part, united that the Rigbt Hon.
Gentleman was not too fanguine in the expeaa-
dons he had formed, and that it never would with
truth be faid of him—
Intentus minium meta
Sono non amt.
This would be a fort of fupinenefs and fecurity,
fatal to the belt interefts of the country, and he
could not conclude what he had offered to the '
Houfe more ftrongly, than by expreffing his ar-
dent with that every precaution would be ufed to
connteraa any defign on the fafety of our foreign
potreflions, and above all to guard againft any un-
expeded invafion of our native coafts.
Captain MARKHAM fpoke at fome length, chief-
ly in reply to the obfervations on the cubic& of the
regulations of the Board of Admiralty, on their
late infpeCtion of the diffeient ports. The Houfe
had been given to underftand by an Honourable
Gentleman (Sir Sidney Smith) that a number of
perfons had been difmifted from different dock-
yards ; but efpecially from the dock-yard more
particularly. conneEted with the city which the
Hon. Gentleman had the honour to reprefent ; true
it was that a confiderable number of perfons had
been difmiffed in that dock yard, in common with
others, but he now took on himfelf to fay, that no
one perfon was ditsniffedwho was not difabled from
fervice from age, otherwife deficient in the dif-
charge of his duty, or fo grofsly negligent, that
he was a much fitter fubjeet to be brought before
a court of common law, than to be treated with
the lenient fentence of difmiffal from office. He
had alto to Rate, that in no cafe had a difmiffal
taken place in the cafe of deferring individuals
where a penfion had not been granted, and many
had received a penfion who had never formerly
been allowed one under fimilar circumftances. He
would not now fay that the total effed of thefe re-
gulations was hither experienced, becaufe on feveral
of the cafes of augmentation of penfions the confent
of his Majefty was previoufly necelfary ; but they
were now in the dired train of execution, and he
had no doubt when completed they would meet
with the full and unrefervcd approbation of the
Houfe. If the Hon. Gentleman who had taken
up this point, or any other Hon. Member iu the
Houfe, fhould at any fubfequent period require
more full and minute information,heflsould be hap,
py to meet their inquiries; and he was confident that
to the real friends of economy in the public fervice,
therefult would afford entire fatisfaftion. There was
another defcription of perfons difmilred from his
Majefty's fervice refpeding whole cafe he had only
to make one or two obfervations ; thefe were the
caulkers, who had united in a confpiracy with thofe
in the fameirade in the merchant (hips in the river.
He needed hardly to recal to the remembrance of
the Houfe that the object of this confpiracy was to
obtain the fame amount of wages during peace as
during war. The confequences of fucli a combina-
tion were ferious in the greateft degree, and in con-
fequence of the application of the Merchants and
Ship Owners, the Lords of the Admiralty had
taken the fubjea into confideration. An offer had
been made to thefe refraaory Caulkers to enter
into the fervide of the Merchants, and tech of
them as refuted were immediately difmiffed. If
this was a ground of charge, he was at all times
ready to meet it, and to there -in the cenfure,
it
cenfure lhould be judged applicable to (itch conduit
on the part of the Board of Admiralty. On the

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. augmentation of Out Peal oners, he made a Teri
few•obfervations. He cleared the Right Hon:Gen-
tleman to recollect that the place was a very late
intlitution, and that it wasdefigned only for the re.
ception of thofe who had been fo feverely wounded
as to be totally unqualifiedforlabour,and thofe who
were wounded, but not to the fame extent, in his
Majetly's fervice. For the relief of the other de-
fcription of feamen, Rated to be in a fituation of
deplorable diflrefs, there was provided the chef at
Chatham ; and if thefe ditireffed objetis were not
provided with fmart tickets from their refpeeive
Captains, which, he was forry to fay, was too
often the cafe, Government was not to be taxed
with this omiffion. On the lubje6t of the infuffi-
ciency of the allowance to out-penfioners, he de-
clined entering, but contented h;mfelf with remark-
ing that it was equal at this moment to what it
was at any former period. With refpeet to the
Hon. Gentleman's allufions about the French
theatre (a laugh), he had nothing to fay to them,
he knew nothing of the matter, and certainly thou ld
give himfelf very little trouble about it: he ha.i
faid on the fnbjea to which he was particularly
called to fpeak,' what, he hoped, had given fatisi.
faCtion to the Houle, and ihould be happy to dif-
cufs the whole of the late regulations of the Board
of Admiralty at length, whenever Gentlemen de-
fired it. .

Sir SIDNEY SMITH, in explanation, difclaimed
any intention to attack the Admiralty, and regret:
ted that he had the misfortune to know any thing
about the political theatre of France (laugh).
Lord PROSY took notice of the cafe of a man
who was difmiffed from Dock at Plymouth, who
had been employed there for thirty years and up-
wards, and had always fupported an unimpeached
charadter. At a moment like the prefent, when
preparations, conducted with extraordinary rapi-
dity, might be required, it was, in his opinion% el.
fential to avoid every thing like injullice or unne•
necetTary feve: ity. He had mentioned the cafe now
alluded to, as one in which no reafons were affigned
for the difmiffal, and when reafons were asked by
the perfon difmiffed, the only anfwer given was,
that the Admiral►y had no further occafion for his
Cervices.
Capt. MARKHAM raid, in explanation, that the
Board of Admiralty were not in the habit of af-
figning reafons for any difmiffal which they might
think it expedient to order, for the benefit of his
Majefly's fervice. As to the particular cafe refer-
red to, a good deal might be raid, if that were the
proper opportunity of entering on the fubjedt at
length. The fad, however, was, refpeaing Ply-
mouth Dock, that amongfl other grofs abufes dif-
covered, one radical one was, that the timber was
of a very bad quality. It was received into the
Dock with the full knowledge that it was bad
timber; and on this and other grounds equally
flrong, the builder was difmiffed from his Majef-
ty's fervice. The Board, fo far from deferving
blame, might, perhaps, be liable to cenfure, in
not bringing an individual guilty of fuch abufe to
a much more fevere punifhment than mere difmifFal
from his employment.—Lord PROBY explained.
Sir ROBERT LAURIE entertained warm hopes of
receiving from his Majefly's Minifters fome expla-
nation, that might ferve as a clue, leading to fome
jufl conclufion as to the real profpeets of this COUR-
try with refpeet to war or peace. The Right Hon.
Gentleman who, with fo much ability, opened this
debate, had made two demands of explanation
from his Maje fly's Miniflers, which were certainly
upon fubjeas of the firft importance, but neither
of which had been anfwered by the Right Hun. the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. The one was, with
refpe6t to Malta ; the decifion refpedling which was
Rill a myfteryl for although the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman had allured the Houfe that we had a Prong
fleet in the Mediterranean-, he had not afferted that
we had there a Cafe or friendly port for its recep-
tion. The other queftion refpeeted Switzerland ;
regarding which it was underfood that a remon-
ftrance had been made to the French Government,
on the part of his Majefty's Government ; but as
to the refult of that remonftrance, this Houfe was
utterly in the dark. It was, therefore, important
for the Houle to be informed, what had been the
ifftte of that remonftrance ; whether it had been
made and fupported with that degree of firmnefs
and vigour. on the part of his Majefty's Minifters,
befitting the dignity, honour, and charaCter of the
Britifh nation; which would deferve the confidence
of Parliament, and of the country, and that fup-
port which thofe Minifters called for this night, in
a force of so,ooo feamen ? Or, whether, with that
languid and wavering fpirit which fhould difqualify
them for the confidence of the country, and render
them unfit to be trufted with power; which,inftead
of enabling them to enfure peace, would be more apt
to provoke war ? To thole queftions he deemed it
highly neceffary that an explicit anfwer fhould be
given.
Lord HARKESBURY raid, that after the full and
able explanation given by his Right Hon. Friend,
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) it would be
unneceffary for him to detain the Houfe long, in
what he felt it neceffary to fay on the fubjed in
debate. The Hon. Gentleman had argued, that
before his Majelly's Minifters had called for the
maintenance of fo formidable a force for the en-
Cuing year, they ought to have fully explained the
reafons which, in their apprehenfions, rendered
fuch a force neceffir•y. He would deny that fuch
an explanation was previoufly neceffary, as of
courfe, or as called for by any uniform ufage in
Parliamentary Proceedings ; but more efpecially,
as his Majefty, in his Speech from the Throne, on
the opening of Parliament, had fated the necef-
City of keeping a vigilant eye on the Continent,
and maintaining an adequate force, as the beft
means of fecurity in the prefent critical pofture of
Europe, and the afped of Continental affairs; and
it was very well underftood by Gentlemen, that
this was to prepare them for the propofition of
keeping up a formidable Army and Navy. Such
'ea explanation, therefore, as that required of Mini-
aers, as to the fate of the country, was not called
for by the praCtice of the Houle; nor did it feem
to have been expeCted by thofe Gentlemen who au
ally oppofe his Majefty's Minifters. Even laft year,
at the time of the armament of the Northern Con-
federacy, a large force was moved for;. founded

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out the2neceffity of auftiteiidfts explanation being
infillea upon, and' the meafure was warmly ap-
proved by a Right Hon. Gentleman not now in
his place ( Mr. Foxy) who was not much in the
habit of approving the meafures of Admini Ilration.
That Hon. Gentleman, or thole with whom he
was in the habit of acing, did not think it meet.-
fary to attend in their places on this occation,either
to approve the meafure, or arraign its precipitancy
without previous explanation. But, above all men,
how fuch oppofition and cenfure fhould come from
thole who were loudeft in founding the alarm of
public danger, and thought no expedition could be
too rapid, and no force too formidable, for the
public fafety : how they fhould be the foremoft to
oppofe the confidence which the Houfe had ben in
the habit of giving to the Executive Government,
in the difpofal of the Army and Navy, without a
minute explanation and expofure of the !late of the
country, he was wholly at a lofs to account. In
fact, he could not Rate any particular circumilance,
in the fituatiun of the country, upon which the ne-
ceffity of maintaining a greatpublic force was found-
ed ; nor could it be expeded that he fhould make
any explanation which might be detrimental to
the public fervice. The neceffity 'was founded
upon exifting circumilances, known to all Europe;
and which, therefore, required no explanation. No

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man was more ready to canfult economy in a
peace eftabliflunent than he thould be, hut at the
fame time he would appeal to recent experience,
as well as to former wars, that a parfimonious lav-
ing, by the reduction of the public force in our
ufual peace eftabliflnent, was not proved ulti-
mately to be true ceconomy. Becaufe, when dri-
ven to the neceffity of commencing a new war,
confiderable time has elapfed before the Country
has been able to put forth that degree of her
ftrength, which ultimately fecured her fucceffes,
and enabled her to regain peace. That ftrength
has ufually been recruited under the operation
of war, by which great loffes have been fuftain-
ed without any good effeds ;—and war pro-
longed confiderably beyond the time at which it
might have been concluded, had the whole of
the National Strength and refources been brought
to action at &ft. Therefore the Peace Ella-
blifhment of the Country fhould be always fuch
as to enable the Executive Government, at all
times, to affume a refpedtable attitude, and com-
mence the operations of war with effect, whenever
circumftances rendered them unavoidable. The
Hon. Gentleman,who infilled fo ftrenuoufly on the
neceffity of previous explanation, feemed to forget
that it was avowed by his Majelty's Minitters, that,
configering the circumftances under which the
Peace was concluded, it would be neceffary to
keep up a much more extenfive Peace Ellablifh-
ment than had ever been ufual on former occafions;
and he would even appeal to the ftatements made
this night by Hon. Gentlemen themfelves, of the
inordinate acquifitions of territory and influence
made by France, over fo many other countries of
Europe—whether the ufual peace eflablifhment of
this Country, would be fufficient to warrant us in
a reliance upon our fecurity ? With refped to the
war, which Gentlemen feemed fo reluctant for con-
cluding—if nothing more was to be got by it, was
not the Country likely to be much better circurrk-
(lanced in a Peace which enabled her to recruit
her ftrength and finances, in cafe it fhould be
neceffary to renew the conteft, than to go on
in the expenditure of her refources, without ob-
jell, or good purpofe to expea? That fo great
a force as that now propofed, was not advifable
for a permanent Peace Eftablifhment, he would
readily allow; but in the prefent profped of
Europe, it was one not only neceffary to be
kept up, but increafed, if appearances required.
It was the duty of his Majefty's Miniflers to look
with the molt jealous vigilance at the condo& of
France ; and to watch every ftep of defperate
encroachment, or ambitious aggrandifement on
the part of that Power, which could in the re.
motet degree lead to hoftility; and at the com-
mencement of next feffion it would be competent
for the Houfe to reconficLl the effect of the mea-
lure of this night, and to retain or increafe the
force, if neceffary. In fhort, his Majefty's Mini-
tiers, keeping as they had done, the conduit of
France in view, and looking at the exiting Rate
of Europe, felt it their duty to be prepared for
either alternative; preferring molt certainly peace
if maintainable, but evincing a fpirit to !hew that
we are prepared for war, fhould it be ultimately
unavoidable. At the fame time he wifbed by all
means to avoid, and to deprecate, that fpirit and.
tone of irritation, which could do no poffible good,
but might lead to much mifehief. One point
more he had only to Rate, as his firm convktion,
namely, that differing entirely from Gentlemen
who argued that an armed peace was as bad as
war ; he would maintain that a peace eftablifh-
ment, at its largelt extent, was preferable to.yar,
and made a difference in the public expences of
near 25 millions per ann. Upon the whole, how.
ever, he was content to put the vote of the night
upon the notoriety of the exiting (late of Europe
Mr. CANNING heard, with the fincereft pleafure•
the able and candid explanation of his noble friend'
for whom he profeffed the higheft perfonal etteem
and had the explanation preceded the fpeech of his
Right Hon. Friend over the way (Mr. Grenville)
who opened the debate, it would have obviated
the neceffity of the difcuffion which had taken
place ; and have produced as much unanimity, in
the vote for the Supply, as he could have with.
ed. But at a time when Parliament was called
together, under the utmoft anxiety and folici-
tude for the fafety of this Country, it would have
been but decorous in his Majefty's Minitters, to
have preceded their demand for fa great a fiip-
ply, by fome explanation, on the ground of its ne-
ceffity. There were fome other points which ren-
dered explanation peculiarly neceffary. There
feemed to be fame material alteration, both in the
form and fitbflance of the mealure, even during
the fhort time fine it was firti propofed. Then it
was mentioned as only neceffary for three months,
but afterwards the demand, without any reafon
affigued, was extended to a whole year. The firt
demand, in common Parliamentary rccept akin,
implied that fotn,r,itiegociatioia was on foot, which
was taiidy in'its prpgrphogito bring which to a