Star.
London, England, 1804-04-24 00:00:00

nouralsle Gentleman, in common with every man
who valued the charaarr and fafety of the country,
fo much admired. Minifters determined at once,
that the Volunteers timid not be increafed any fur.
ther, but that, on the contrary, their numbers fhould
be diminifhed. The notice of this determination
was fpeedily circulated among the Volunteers, ac-
companied by the Honourable Gentleman's Vote
of Thanks. Thus the Volunteers were compliment-
ed for that, which Goverment at the fame time told
them they did not wi(h for, they would not accept.
There is a word in French recorder, which literally
implies returning thanks for proffered fervices, which
it is not intended to accept, and this word has dote
analogy to the conduit of Minifters in the communi-
cation of the motion of thanks, which they agreed in,
in company with the (range rcfolution which I have
already mentioned. In regard to the enrolment of
Volunteer Corps, fo far as fuch enrolment is connelled
with the prorrifions of the Defence AEI, I mud again
repeat the complaint I have often made, of the total
emiffion of Government to execute the powers veiled
in it by that Aa, and any difficulties that have
trifen is the progrefs of the ballot, I do conceive
to be attributable to the nonexercife of the power
I have referred to. As to the refufal of adequate
pecuniary military aid to the Volunteers, I mull ob-
ferve, that it is amongd the mod culpable and in.
confident part of the condo& of Minifters. Without
going minutely into the confequences of fuch con-
dull, which it would be more convenient to detail in
the propofed Committee, I have only at prefent to
remark, that whatever difference of opinion may
elift between my Honourable Friend on the lower
Bench (Mr. Windham) and me, with refpea to the
Volunteers, and the pralticability of rendering them
perk& in military difcipline. there can be no dif.
femme between us as to this point, that they ought
to be furnifhed with the bed indruClion that is attain-
able, and both he and I have a right to complain of
Minifters in not followimg, up their own principle, by
giving the necelTary aid to promote the improvement
of the Volunteers. My Hon. Friend has always
maintained that the Volunteers cannot be rendered
equal to, or fit to all with regular troops; but Mini-
Beta have uniformly refilled this opinion. Why them
bare they not piovided adequately for the execution
of their own ideas ? No, they have only allowed pay
for twenty days in a year, although in the opinion of
ell mditarwmen no new raifed regiment of the regular
artny,with allthe advantagesoffuhordination, martial
law, itc.: could be difeiplined fit for fervice in lefs than
lrweeks, or two months. Will any man fay that fo
Ilion a period fhould be deemed fufficient for the dila-
pline of the Volunteers ? But I fhall be told probably
that itwas expelled the volunteers would,inde pendent-
ly of the so days, attend to drill on every Sunday. If
they were. Mould I maintain, that, Sundays included,
the time was not fufficient to indrua them, and fhould
not be relied on in the exiling eircumftances of the
country, when we were daily menaced with invafion,
that invafion which Miniflers have been perpetually
telliag us was daily to he expelled fince the middle of
hit fummer. Nctwith (landing this apprehenfion, fuch
km been the behaviour of Minifters, that I much fear
• if the enemy fhould not attack us until even the
middle of next fummer, he would find the Volun•
leers very imperfe&ly difciplined. I cannot help
. expreffing my furprife that Minifters could have ever
farioufly calculated upon the probability that the la•
bouring claffes, of whom fo many of the volunteers
eonfift, would be In prompt to devote the only day
they have for recreation and repofe to the (Ludy of mi-
litary difeipline. It certainly did not betray any po.
liey of eonfideration fo to calculate ; but even fup-
poling the? were fo to Aerate, and alfo to attend
the twenty days, how were they to attain the inftruc-
tins -dewed from the prefent mode, and from that
which .has prevailed uniformly ? I fuggefted to Mi-
Lifters a plan of indruCtion, which I was told fhould
be confidered ; but as they have never yet ailed upon
it, nor appear at all to confider it, their promife of
eonfideration upon this, as well as upon other points,
reminds me of a practice in the Legiflative Affembly
of a neighbouring nation (the United States of Hol.
land), in which, when it was determined to get rid
of a queftion, the rcfolution was ad refers dune, which
meant to take no more notice of it. The nature of
the projea I thought it my duty to recommend to
Miniflers, related particularly to that which I have
often mentioned in this Houle. Fur the advance.
ment of the dilcipline of the Volunteers, I urged
the neceffity of appointing Adjutants to a certain
number of men. This has been in part acceded
to, but in what manner ? An Adjutant is appointed
to fuch corps only as amonut to 400 men, and to
them only in cafe they exercife So days in the year,
although the men are allowed pay but for 20 days.
Where, I would put it to the common fenfe of any
man, can be found a lironger intlance of weaknefs
and incoufidency than this order furnieues ? No pro.
vifion is made for the pay of the Adjutant unlcfs the
corps exercife 8u days, for one fourth of which on-
ly the men are made any allowance. Is not this
alone enough to expofe the mind of Miniflers ; to ,
thew their unaquaintance with the means of ex- I
ecnting their own purpofes ? Indeed, I am per-
fatly convinced oftheir want of vigour ; every cir-
coma:ince ferves to Phew it, and I have therefore
the droned erinv:etion upon my mind that they
are incapable of lilting upon any thing like fyftem,
of adopting or executing any well•digeft:d or eller.
getic plan lot the thlence cf the country. I do not
of courfe place any bore on their e7.eitions, and,
therefore, concur in the or pi go.y of the propofed
Committee, where every pie tin conneeled with our
fecuiity may he fully iov.atigated. One reafon, I
'recollect, for In cerd.lv adopting the plan for the ap•
pnintment of Aejotaias was, the difficulty of pro.
curing Officers from the line to fill thofe Rations. I
reconimended that se, 'rant Majors fhould be cholla);
but to chit. I was told that Seijeant Majors could
not be perfuadcd to give up their fituations for
filch Adjui.o.c•es, wilds they Were allowed half pay.
I law nu go. d reafnit (or declining to make this
allowance, and I, therefore, addled it in December
left. I w•s prornifed that the fubjea would be taken
into confiderati .n. I afterwards applied in March
to ktow the rehili of the minder/trots, but I a as

Knitter. with regard to the eonfufion 'which pre-
veiled among the Volunteers, the Gentlemen who
applied were defired to wait until after the Chria•
mar reeds, when a digefted plan would be brought
forward by Minifters which fhould remove and pre-
vent the recurrence of the evils complained of, and
communicate to the Volunteer fyflem all the perfec-
tion of which it was fufceptihle. This digefted plan
has been laid before the Houfe, and at length made
its way, after various alterations, through it. Thole
alterations were added in the Houfe of Lords ; and
now it is returned to us, there is fcarcely one feature
remaining of the original meafure—of the well
digefted plan of Minders. The fuggeflions made to
them by others they reluelantly adopted, and the ob-
jeft of thole fuggeftions they in tome inflances have
almolt defeated, as in the cafe of inviting the Volun-
teers to permanent duty, and applying the guinea
propofed to be given them as bounty, which is to be
difiributed in fuch a way as to hold out no induce-
stunt to the men or benefit to their families. Mini.
(kers have been equally injudicious in every other pro-
jet of defence, from the Army of Referee to the
enrolment of claffes under the General Defence An
—an Al which I had the honour of a large (hare in
'fuggefling, and I lament much that Minifters did not
adopt it at a more early period; but the (aft is, that
fo far from Minifters having fpnntaneoufly taken any
vigorous proceeding for the defence of the country
fence the commencement of the war, I (tare broadly
that no part of the meafures for the increafe of our
military ellablifliment has originated with them (a
ery of boar ! bear ! is which the Chancellor of the Extoe•
pier joined.)—Mr. Pitt proceeded. it; Paid he,
the Right Hon. Gentleman means to deny my
affertion, I (hall appeal to the recolleftion of the
Houle, whether, in June lea, when the Army Efti-
mates werkunder dilcutlion, I did not alit the Right
Hon. Secretary at War (Mr. Bragge), after he had
finilbed his ftatement—l did not all if what he had
mentioned comprehended all the provifion that Mi-
nitters meant to make for the defence of the country ?
—To this I was anfwered in the affirmative ; and I
accordingly gave notice of my intention to fubmit a
meafure -founded en the fame principle with that of
the Army of Referee. Any benefit that may have
relished from that meafure, is not, I affert, attribu.
table to Minders, who were quite at a lofs what
courfe to take—who knew not, in &Et, what urea.
fares were applicable to the dangers of the country.
—I will not dwell on the execution of the Army
of Referee Aft, as I (hall go into that fubjeft very
fully on Wednefday next, and if I thould not then
have the good fortune of perfuading the Houfe to
accede to the propofition which I would with to
have ingrafted on the Army of Referee Bill, in or-
der to provide a conaant and regular fupply of re-
cruits for our regular army, I (hall feel an advantage
in the exifience of fuch a Committee as the motion
before the Houfe propofes to eflablith, as I may thus
have an opportunity of again prating theprojed upon
the confederation of the Hctufe—a projeft which, if I
am able to demonftrate its prafticability for great ob-
jeas in view, I am lure that every man will feel it to
be defirable, and all will be ready to give it their con-
currence. If I can (hew that even a final! increafe can
be derived from this projea to our regular army, it is
impoffible to doubt, that any Member will refufe it
his fupport. The mode propofed by Minifters to
raife any addition to the regular army, to fupply
the fulirention of the Army of Referee, I confers I
cannot underfland. They have not flared any in.
dueement to men to enlift beyond eight guineas
bounty, and how they can procure them for inch
a Cum, while thirty guineas and more are giving ltir
Militia fubflitutes, it is difficult to imagine ; milers
the intention be, that which no one has yet avowed,
becaufe all have been unanimous in condemning the
praftice, viz. that of railing men for rank. It may
be laid that this praftice has prevailed when I was in
power, but then the experience of tl.at proCtice afford-
ed a complete warning againfl it. lam quite ready
to declare, that I am forty for the (hare I had in that
meafure, and experience convinces me, that it ought
never again to be rclot ted to. Other Gentlemen have
appeared, and profcffed to be equally advelfe to that
meafure, and their minds mull be of a ftrange
charafter, if what they have obferved is not fufficieot
to diffuade them from it. Nothing can be more ab-
furd than to fuppofe, that if they perldted in the old
and fcandalous praftice of crimping, all its attendant
frauds and impofitions will not return ; and it is
equally abfurd to fancy, that only eight guineas boun-
ty will be given. Why not let the Army cf Referee
go on along with this new plan, whatever it may be ?
If Officers ate to run a rare together for rank, as
under Rand they are, for although the intention is nct
avowed in this Houfe by Miniaers, applications are
known to be made to and by feveral officers ;.
why take away the competition of the Army of
Referee ? I cannot conceive any thins more irrt.
tional. When a new mode of railing recruits for
the regular army is propofed, it naturally brings to
my mind an opinion which is much difputed, and
upon which, becatile it is to ditputed by fome great
military authorities, I cannot prclume to pronounce
a decided fentimenr, I mean the propriety of ra,rng
men for limited fervice in poinr, although I certainly
fhould think it the more eligible policy, and heft cal-
culated to render the army relpeCtable and efficient.
Huwever, military objtaions as to the difficulty, if
filch a fyflem exiii,:d, of fhpplying our foreign Na.
tions, mutt be overcome before the fyficrn be at-
tempted. As to the plan for bringing the Irifh
Militia over here, I do not approve of it under
esiaing circumflance,. No a•:-:irnent can be drawn
in la viait- of filth a plan sit p.,.ltnt, from a precedent
which recurred infinite a slierent fituation of things.
With rtiptet 11,.. in iirriiianze r f the militias cf the
two couwtic,, their are many objatini.., to
it that would render u a meafure se • y iiifogretAble to
the officers connected with brill ; end here
I mull notice a rumour se: .rl. !:as gone ahr,...d, th•t
applications have been lately made to thin privates of
the Wcll Kent rnlitia, without the Lnowlcdge of
their officers, to vilunteer their fer...re, for It ;
this praeticc deltrvcs to be repriJottsd.
What, to trr to prevail nn men to .;•iit their ono
coa3

differs from mine. I do not man to dircufs this
fubjed at prefent ; but I mull obferve, that nothing
thea clearerppesatrastehasaright to
m to
thanthiscAtallon
thperoppeoofiptlieont,oddi that
fend it, and that in the Crown, being the depofstary
e
of the power of the State, is yelled the right of fo
calling out the people upon a great emergency. This
right, I think, I could thew from a feries of pi ece-
dents, to be recognized by the conflitution and cut:
torn of this country ; that it is a right inherent in
the Crown to exercife this power according to the
neceffity of loch cafe as may aria, and to be limited
by that neeellity. The Crown, it mull be admitted,
poffelles the power of putting any difirift of the king-
dom under martial law, in t.ufe of invalion ; fubjed,
however, to that refponlibility to which Minilters
would be liable for the abufe of any fuels power.
The Right Honourable Gentleman took a view of
the propolition of the Honourable mover, refpeling
an armed peafantry. Of this meafure he approved,
but not univerfatly. If it were adopted in Time coun-
ties on the coaß, fuch as Kent, Suffix, Efrez, Suffolk,
Devonfliire, part of Yorkfhire, and other places,
which might be confidered in the propofed Commit-
tee, he thought it would be unneceffary to rtfort to it
in the inland counties. It was remarkable, he ob-
ferved, that no orders had yet been fent to the Lords
Lieutenants of the different counties, to make out the
claffification or enrolment of the kveral males capa-
ble of bearing arms in their refpeflive diftrids. This
furnifhed another inßance of the negled of Minilters.
After recapitulating the different grounds of his ob.
jedions to Minillers, the Right Honourable Gentle-
' man took notice of the Rate of the navy, in which
he obferved, the very gundarigs which he recom-
mended on a former occafion were now building
with all poffible difpatch, although when he recom-
mended them he was condemned to fuller fome ob
hiquy and even ridicule, which officers were brought
from diflant commands to AR in promoting. (.1 try
of heat ! hear ! from the Omfition Botcher.) He pro;
ceeded to comment on the negled of the fortiF.ca-
tions fo often pointed out as necerfary on particular
parts of the Coall, when the expenditure of a few
thoufand pounds might prevent the employment
and Cave the lives of many thoufand men. In allud-
ing to this negled he did not with to be underßood
as at all Paying any thing of the Commander in
Chief or the Matter-General of the Ordnance.—
He defired to (peak only of the Cabinet. With
them relied the refponfsbility—to them attached
the duty of providing for every part of the pub-
lic defence. In conclufion, the Right Honourable
Gentleman Rated that, judging of Minifters from
what they had done and what they had omitted to
do—from their flownefs to adopt and their incapacity
to aft upon any vigorous plan for the public defence
—from the very long copfsderation they required
upon even the moll trifling topic's, and the very crude
and ill-digefied meafures they, notwithflanding, uni-
formly brought forward—from all thofe conlidera-
tions he felt himfelf urged by a firong fenfe of duty
Ito the Houfe, his country, and his Sovereign, to vote
for the appointment of a Committee to confider of
deviling tome effedital means for our proteftion, and
for the fecurity of all that a great nation could hold to
he valuable. The opinion he gave on this occafion he
walled to be quit:: undifguifed, and trolled that it
was not likely to be confidered as lightly taken up,
but rather that reafons he had Rated were amply
fulticient to fullain and '
unify it.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
explained, and fisted, that he had not laid, AS im•
puted to him by the Right Honourable Gentleman
who had jolt fat down, that it was not within the
power of Parliament to inflitute fuch a Committee
as was propofed. It mull be in the recolleftion of
the Hcute, that he admitted the competence of Par-
liament, although he doubted' its inclination to ap-
point fuch a Committee.
Mr. Secretary YO'RKE laid, that it was not his
intention to follow the Right Hon. Gent. through
his eztremely long, brilliant, and powerful fpeech.—
Though many arguments and fads had been urged
by the Right Hon. Gent. which went to infer a cul-
pable conduft on the part of Minitters, of which, if
guilty, he was ready to admit the Right Hon. Gent.
would have abundant reafon for making them the
fubjed of a criminal charge againa them, he could
not allow that they fell properly' to be dircuffed under
the prefent motion. The motion of the Hon. Gent.
was for a Committee of the Houfe of a two-fold
nature. Fiat, it embraced the conlideration of the
ads already In force for the defence of the Country ;
and, in the fecond place,. it called on the Houk
to adopt fuels other means as it might judge proper,
with a view to render the fyflem of defence corn
plete. How is it partible to go into the confideration
of the latter objet:, without calling before the Houk
All the military and naval officers in the fervice—
without calling for all the plans of operation, and
for all the discuffions which had taken place rela-
tive to the modes of defence to be adopted, fo
as to enable them to form a real-canal:de judgment
on the fuhjcd ? lie did fay that they might not
have reafon to go into the Committee, but he was
convinced that at prefent fuch a Committee would
be eitremcly irennvenient, and ()zooid not be gone
into unlefs on llrong grounds. Now, what were
the grounds ? There was nothing in our fituation fo
melancholy—nothing in the want of defence of the
country which could war: ant Inch a Rep. The need=
fity of the meafure mutt therefore originate in lonic
great negled of .lklinitters—rome diteuntent in the
country—fomethmg in the meafures of Goveisanent
fo incongruous, as to require invelligation. Had
any Irlisi.ll:l!it, however, occurred ? Had any
vaotAge !seen gained by the enemy in confequence of
our w..nt c t defence ? Certainly not. That part of
the fub:.td, therefore, lie should dirndls. Did then an)
ddeont cut cut in any part of the country ? If fo, he
fhould be glad to hear is Hated. He knew that Come
' elircontem did esid in th.•t I joule, but he was core
dcia it operated no farther. He was aware that beim.:
the meatures for the defence of the country- which Go-
vernment had adopted were retorted to, at the firll
alarm of an invafion, while the means of deknce
were rot explained, for.:e diffatis'A.`t.on had mar its.t •