Star.
London, England, 1813-03-09 00:00:00

•
iistment kept pace with the demands of the country.
Adverting to the casualties, he expliined some ap-
parent *consistences oa that subject, which had been
occasioned by the returns of the effective force of last
year having been made some months before the con-
clusion of the year ; and stated that the actualcasual-
ties, including those of all the foreign troops in British
pay, amounted to 89,760 men. The Noble Lord
then concluded by moving his first resolution.
Captain BENNETT said, that the ordinary re-
cruiting in 1807 produced 19,000 ; in the quarter be-
fore Mr. Windham's plan was broke in upon, 11,000;
and in the quarter afterwards. 9000. In 1809, it
produced 11,700; in 1811, 114,000; in 1812, 14,400.
He objected to the present mode; and contended for
the great superiority of the plan of . the late Mr.
Windham, which was changed, and the army left at
the mercy of the Noble Lord. Many casualties were
yet to be reported from abroad. He then entered
into various calculations, to prove the loss of the army
must be greater than was stated,—There was a Board
for directing the clothing of the army; and he wished
to know who were its active members—who were the
military arbiters elegantiaruar ? Who were the per-
sons who devoted their time and talents to the mode
of sticking ostrich feathers into Generals' hats, and
fastening tags on their shoulders, and arranging the
other articles of dress ? He desired to know who
' were the military milliners ? He remembered to
have seen various body guards abroad; but had
known nothing like this Board, which certainly was
of no great assistance to the campaign. The unfor-
tunate Guards were ordered to be sent abroad—did
any Gentleman see them before they went ? Nothing
could he more absgrd than these military changes—
they were worthy of Grimaldi or M. D'Egville :
adorned as they were in all their pantomimic pomp
and feathers, they looked like the Rinaldos of an epic
poem. It might be said, that fine troops at home
were destroyed, and ladd troops sent abroad. The
time that had politically been called a new era was
also a new era with the army. There was a Cavalry
Clothing Board appointed, with the Duke of Cum-
berland at itchead, whose resolves were memorialized
against by General Officers as absurd, and one of
whose regulations was called 46 inflicting a cap on the
cavalry. One leading proposition was to deprive
the dragoon of his boots; but the Duke of York
afterwards cancelled the order, and dissolved the
Board. Then came another Board under Lord Har-
rington, rather more meritorious. As the former one
would take away the dragoon's boots, so the latter
would deprive him of his breeches. Laughable as
this seemed, it was the fact : the heavy dragoon was
to have white worsted pantaloons, (4 laagh,) and on
home service blue worsted web pantaloons ! (Afar.)
These changes increased the colonel of a regiment's
profits £7OO a year ; though the men would Ise worse
off by JEW. A great expence was likewise to be
incurred by the saddle!cloths, to please some idle,
trumpery, paltry, and contemptible tette ; and this
was to be provided for qut of savings, by introducing
the worsted pantaloons. Allowances were to be made
to Colonels, who were to provide arid keep up the
muffs and other articles of dress. He objected to
the enormous expence of these things. An officer's
jacket cost him 428, his pelisse se2l, and his panta-
loons £4 ; his sword, cap, belt, tic. £6O ; the horse-
furniture came to eighteen guineas. Altogether; the
expence was £l46—(hear, hear.) This system in-
volved the officers of our army in difsctaties, and
often conducted them to a prison.
A Mrismott, whose name we did not learn, raid!
that the real number added to the army was only
22,000, and the real loss 29,000. From the Gazettes,
we might see that a greater proportion of British
troops had been killed than of foreign : one third of
our addition to the army, however, was in foreigners.
During the last three months. the Noble Lord had
said the loss was 4000 ; yet our Gazettes made it
'only 1500. Why not publish fairly ?—(Hear, hear.)
The country was not afraid of looking at its dangers.
The loss was thus two or three times greater than was
supposed.—(Hear, hear.)—lt would have been more
satisfactory if the Noble Lord had proposed some
plan to diminish the expence. The numbers raised
had been raised by defacing the militia. We had a
better description both of men and horses for the co-
ven); than other nations ; yet we were only superior
on plain ground. He was not anxious for peace by
disgraCeful concessions ; but when it did come, our
army, of course, must be diminished. The war in the
Peninsula was the field for making good officers ; but
ttholigh.gteat operations were to be seen there, we had
,few who knew properly how to apply the right prin-
ciples to military ;noyements. The senior depart.
ment of our military education ought to be extended
for the forMation of more skilful officers.
Mr. HUSKISSON said, his Right Hon. Friend
the Chancellor of 'the Exchequer having given to the
House a" plan of fmanee, he should not now enter
upon that subject; but he must he allowed to say, that
it we proceeded for the next four years as we had done
during the last four, we Might reduce ourselves to a
situation from which we slifoßld find it impossible to
extricate ourselves. With respect to the estimates, he
was sorry to see any increase in them; and previous to
going into them partittilarly, he must Advcrt to the
circumstance of sending Out the Life Guards to the
Peninsula. He was not himself adequate to judge on
military subjects, biit he had been told that these,
although the best adapted of any troops in our em-
ploy for hOme sentiCe' and for assisting the Police,
were not the fittest to be sent 0 the Peninsula. He
also blamed the delay which had taken place in,
sending these troops. Lord Wellington, immediately
after the battle of Salamanca, in July, requested re-
iuforcements of cavalry ; these troops received orders
to prepare in August, but did not quit this country
till October, and he believed did not join his Lord-
ship till last month, A sufficient reason why foreign
cavalry ought to be sent abroad was, that of their
behaving on all occasions with the greatest gallantry,
and the cavalry kept for home service ought always
to be English. Ile had last year objected strongly
to the enormous sums proposed for building barracks
for these troops, and that proposition was fortunately
abandoned. He now must object to the very nume-
rous staff unnecessarily employed at this time at
home. The Generals and other staff offh:trs now in
the country were as numerous as they had been in
1809, when double the number of troops were at
home ; and he hoped the Ministers would take this
most unnecessary expence into consideration ; and
make a retrenchthent in every 'thing that was no
wauted. We were at this moment of apparent secu-