Star.
London, England, 1806-06-12 00:00:00

PAILITAKY OPINIONS.

On our re-admiai n to the Houle we found
Lord HAWKESBURY adthefling their Lord-
(hips on this fubjea, Velpeding which he had, on a
former evening given notice of his intention to bring
forward a motion. The opinions of the Military, and
other officers on the topics to which he alluded, were
intended for the information of Government, and
were given under the idea, that fuch an opinion I. As
to be confidered as of an official nature It had been
fo under flood by hi. Majefir*. then Minifters, and it
certainly contained a body of very valuable infnrma.
tion. This information, and the fubjee to which it
referred, was thOtOUghlt inveffigated ; and, after the
Enna confideration, it was nct deemed expedient fo
far to alter the general !late of the army, as to adcnt
the meafure. generally, of entitling for a limited ter..
of jeans. This, lie thought, was fuflicieut ground
for the produnion of thefe documents, ;inlet's forme
Arcing and decifive reafon was offered. by his Majef-
ty's Miniders ; and this ground was greatly Itreng-
tinned by the condderation that his Majelly'sprefent
Minillers bad come to a different conclution upon
the fame. or upon other information. Inthis view it
was fair with regard to the army. to the interell of
the public, and to the charaaer both of the late and
prefect Admitaiftration, that the decumeots in quef
lion fhould be laid before the Houle. The infor-
mation which he wifhed for. involved pnrely a mili
tart' difcitflion urn the advantages or difadvantages
of a particular military mature. The opinions had
been impartially AO fir, and he had no doubt had
been impartially and honourably given. To the
produftion he could not fee any well grounded ob.
jetion that could be offered. With rethed to the
idea that thefe opinions were of a divided or contra
diaor nature being an objeaion, be, on the contrary
t it as additional teaklii for laying them be.

fore the Houfe; as the divetri.y of reaftinigg and
opinions might ther. be compared, and confidimAle
light thrown on the topic under their Lordlhip': eon-
federation. He did not mean that there ophiions
fhnuld limit, (till leis decide, their Virdfhip's deter.
mination ; but to contend that they were fit fubjeets
for confideration, and that notch light may be deriv-
ed from them. To attain the objet r f his motion,
he would not ohjed to a flight mndificati n of it.
Were the firt//artee of the informaii in produced, it
would do away any objedlion on the (core of the in-
formality of the letters tranfmitted. To put the Hnnle
(übflantively in polFeffion of the information alluded
to, was his ohjeet. The point of the refpeetive admi-
niniltratinns having eoine to a different conclufion with,
refpeet to thefe documents, eras an additional reafon
for their produdtion; it was right the public fkro-ld
know upon what grounds (itch conclufions were
adopted. He concluded-by moving, in effeet, an ad-
drefs to his Majety, praying that diregions may be
given for laying before the Houfe, copiesof all official
opinions of certain General and other Officers, tranf.
mitred to his Royal Highnefstha Commander in Chief,
on the fubjeet of enliftmeats for a limited term of years,
&c. His Lordlhip then alluded to a particular docu-
ment. to the produetion of which, he thought there.
could be no objeetion, and he expreffed his hope that
their Lordflsips would accede to the motion.
The Earl of MOIRA Paid, it would not he necef-
fary to trouble their Lordlhips with many words upon
the prefent ocesifion. The documents which the Na.
ble Lord withed to have produced, would furnifh no
ground whatever upon which their Lorelfhips could
kcide in reference to the bufinefs before them. What
might have been the intentions of the late A,dminifira-
Lioni with refpeet to them, he could not fay; but of
this he was lure, that thole opinions were not called
for in the way alluded to by the Noble Lord. They
were not called fur in any way that could give the
Officers who communicated their opinions, the flight.
eft idea for fuppoling, that on any future time they
would be made the fubjeet of public or parliamentary
dircuffions. The opinions were communicated in con-
fidence—a degree of laxity and diffitienef. pervaded
!bele communications to fay the Lail, it would be
highly indelicate to lay fuch doeunrios upon the
table, or to make them the fubjeet of public difcuffion
any way—the more fa, when it was c infidered, that
the wri..o. would have no opportunity of explaining
or of jutlifying what they had advanced. Farther,
the letters in queflion related purely to nrofeffional
objefts--o the interior difcipline of regimen', &c.
important as tar as it went, but not calculated to
lot m a ground fur the dill lion of the peat, general,
and extenfive mcafurc, the Houle was about to dif-
cufs ; betides, thefe documents had no reference to
the exifting (late or circumftances of the country.—
The great change in thole, which had fibre takes
place, was alone fufficient to lupe:lt:de all the con- '
liderations, upon general grounds, therein advanced.
With refpeet to the opinions he had himfelf commu-
nicated oa the occafion, they did not even apply to
the then hate of the country, nor did the majority
of them. They were called upon to advife, not as
aatelmen, but as General Officers. With relpea to
'he dh current which the Noble Lord, in particular,
conceived there could be no objeClion to produce,
he, for one, felt himself called upon molt fit enuoufly
to refill its produdli tn. He never could agree to
the laying upon that table the opinion of a Com-
mander in Chief, as a grocnd to influence or deter-
mine the decifion of that Houfe. Were fuel a thing
attempted, he, fhould no other Peer join him, would
entet hit motel agairift the proceeding. The meafure
to which the documents called for were Paid, by the
N ,ble Lord, to refer, was one of a general and eaten-
c naLure, and embraced the moll important inte-
rells of the country, and in this view, he contended
thefe papers weir ." ~n ufe whatever; added on which,
confider.o..::, of delic,“ y he hoped wocl.: operate
with their Loroll.ips in reject;: g a propofite: ::, to
which I.e :eft hinifelt c-Iled upon w 4ive a moll tie-
citled negative.
The Duke of MONTROSE made feveral obferva-
tions in favour of his Noble Feiet d's motion ; but
w:ich, as well as the remaining pet of the dirculSou
and bufinds of the evening, our very conto.ed limits
du nut al! :w us to recite.

The E.,rl of SUFFOLK (poke 1112 againe the
motion, and expelled his opinion, that as other
means had failed, it was props to try the experiment
of recruiting the army, by means of Witting for a
term of years.
Lord MULGRAVE (poke at fume length in fup-
port of the motion. With refpeft to the idea of the
letters in quellion being confidenti.l, on which fo
much firers bad been laid by the Noble Earl (M, ira)
oppofite, he coliesived a arty different idea. At the
time when he communicated his opinion, a- well as
now, his conception of the word •• confidential,"
which the letters were defcribed to be, was, that the
refpeetive (Aegis lhnuld not themfelv es c mmunicate
to each other, or to any one, that they had delivered
fuch opinions , but by no means, that at no future
heft, or under any circumßances, it lhuuld not be
made known, that they had delivered inch opinions.
L rd GRENVILLE, in a Wort but algumenta-
titre fpeeen, oypoled the motion. He was writhe to
i., even in point of principle, as objefting to any &-
atm of that Hoot/ being made, not lapin what was
a Itatemene of lads ..r circumliances laid before them,
but upon a mere expofition of the arguments and opi-
nions of other men 1 This was a principle in
Pan ts-
me:ttary deliberation which he could not admit.—
Added to this, he agreed with his Noble Friend, that
the opinions called for were given without the leatt
reference to Inch a meafure as their Loidthips would
have to difetifs.

The quettiNn was then put, when Lord Hawker-
bury's motion was negatived without a dirilion.
The order was then read for the second reading of
the Mutiny Bill. It was accordingly read a fecond
time, and committed f .r Friday next.