Star.
London, England, 1816-02-14 00:00:00

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might expect to be ranked with the military despots,
of the Continent, the free Constitution or the military
grandeur would in time disappear ; and if tech was
the case, he considered that it required very little
penetration into futurity to perceive how short and
feeble would be the struggle of .the Constitution ere
itakcireil, He hoped that nu Member of the House
who felt that the, Supply was onesehich ought 'mkt()
be granted, would retrain fronseoming forward and
--rmissfsflly resist the oppression that was threatened.
It was a•mere delusion to talk of keeping up the este-
• blishment for a year, or any stipulated time. Mini-
sters should retrench and economize; then we might
hope:for relief. Without those expedients were 1-e•
sorted destruction and despotism would inevitably
overtake us.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
felt• himwit called upon to say a very few words, by
what. had fallen from the Honourable Gentleman.—
'He had been desired toenter into it kind of general
explanation of the state of the Country, the Ways.
and Means, and the Supply that Might be required,
for public information. He was happy that they
should be able to meet the arguments which had
been brought, without hesitation. He . was glad to
hear from the Hon Gentleman what was also his
idea upon the subject--than it was upon the propriety
• of the establishment that they should stand or fall ;
and if Government should not be able.to shew the
necessity of such an establishment, the whole of their
financial arrangements would necessarily be mailed.
The Honourable Gentleman's arguments would be
fully answered when Ministers came to due House in
the regular course of business to eater into every de-
tail. He cquld not, for his own part, believe that
the liberty of England could be endangered by twen-
ty.five thousand soldiers.
Mr. TIERNEY should not say that the difference
between 25,000 men and 50,000 and 150,000, was
likely to produce the injury that was dreaded. 'lt
was the influence to the Crown from the establish--
snent that was feared ; and was it too much to be
afraid of a force which, when the appearance of re-
sistance was more alarming, might make all resist-
ance vain, by immediately preventing its spirit from
spreadiug? Was it too much to fear such an estab.
lishment when it was to be systematically supported?
In such a situation, he should sound the alarm from
one end of the country to the other; And at such a
crisis he would ask, whether it was not proper that
there should be a call of the House, that every man
should stand forth who considered himself a Itepre.
tentative, to say aye or no on such .an important
question ? The Noble Lord (Castlereagh) might
smile, and he had reason to smile, r within that
House he was rather too Strongly supported ; nor
slid he hope much from the House till the matter
was taken up out of doors ; till petition after petition
had shewn that there still existed a people in England.
He thought it his duty to warn the country of the
danger which overhung, not only their pockets but
their lik•erties. What, he would ask, were the grounds
on which such a supply or such an establishment
uld be proved to be necessary ? If it was not that
they might seek means of deceiving the people, what
other information had Ministers of the necessity of
the establishment than what was before the whole
kingdom besides ? In time of war, much might be
'known to the Minister which was kept secret from
the subject ; but in a time of peace, what circum-
stances in favour of the establishment could be
stated which were not already known to them scion ?
At a time, he s!auuid have added, when the N .ble
Lord had been the saviour of Europe, and wl en he
wore a blue ribbons!, because he had consolidated the
? Why bad we a war establishment, he would
ask the Noble Lord ? for the ribbaud and the esta-
blishment were inconsistent. We had been told of
the immense sums that had been expended since
1782, and we had been told that they had been ex-
pended that we might procure•security for the future
and indemnity for the past. We had at length pro-
cured security and indemnity for the past, and yet
shore sums, for some reason or other, were to be
voted. The country was to be a military country.
The navy was to be reduced so as only to exceed the
peace establishment of 1782; but the army was
scarcely to be meddled with. He did not mean to
accuse Government of having a direct intention to
make the country military, but the system was mili-
tary, and so in the end would be Government. It
was not in the power of • Ministers to disembody the
Army with the same facility as the Navy ; it was as
easy to dispose of the whole of the navy as one regi-
ment of hussars; and when any thing could be done
that might tend to make us more military, Ministers
seemed never to have hesitated in its execution. It
• was much easier to cast off a rough honest sailor than
a well-dressed gentleman in a red coat and whiskers.
The Noble Lord might sneer, but be knew it as well
as any one could know it. Travellers in Africa were
sometimes accustomed to dwell with complacency
upon the wonders they had beheld in their perilous
expeditions, and he did not believe that any thing
was better received, or listened to with greater atten-
tion, than a detail of the number of splendid reviews
which the Noble Lord had attended. How well
this jacket or this cap fitted, hew grand those hel-
loes were, he .knew were topics that might be
dwelt ;Too with pleasure. But when it was consi:
tiered how were all these things to be paid for, then
would come the trial ; and though.it might lead us
to a military despotism, it might first bring the nation
to a bankruptcy. The Right Honourable Gentleman
opposite bad made a speech last night, in which be
endeavoured to shew the House in what a nourishing
condition was the country. No man could turnover
millions with a firmer countenance than the Right
Hon. Gentleman :••••44 Oh 1. I said one hundred
pounds, I meant one hundred million." But his
speech had not, he believed, had the desired effect ;1
iiiietA he considered it a most alarming speech.—
' The Right Hon. Gentleman had talked of fourteen
millions being distributed amongst the country banks,
-and of the benefit that would arise from his refrain-
ing irons taking a Loan. He believed, however,
that there war a Lean for the present year. There
vas, 'he believed, twelve milliOns in the hands of the
Bonk, from the Loan of the former year. which
could not be touched by the Public. And it thew
Bank had not interposed, he believed before the 10th'
of last May, till which day the last payments upon
that Loan were deterred, there would have beets a
very considerable depression qf the Funds. The
of the ii.xclseqaer by this examicatiezt of