Star.
London, England, 1803-11-26 00:00:00

I at leagtlt with fangliter, fainted with
plua..r, will c!e kn..; begin to be afliained, officers
and melt. of 1:14: part they have ;bled in this revolu-
tionary Tragedy of the World ; they will at length
make an art...beim:tit fro the mifehief they have done,
and strap at once the delpotic chains, which in a r:
ist and infinity, they have contri-
Onte.l to inpofe on their refpeaive Countries."
His Lord!hip lecommends force additional means
of defence, whir r at: certainly well worth ferious
attention.
‘' In the firfl place then, my Lords," rays he, " I
am of opinion, that the lint clafs of the people, adopt-
ing the divifion prefc,ibed by the late Ad of Parlia-
ment, should be called oot and taught the ufe of
arms, not merely as a temporary expedient to an-
fv.t.rr the prefent esigens,-, but annually continued
as a permanent meal ue of the- Executive Govern-
ment. and defenive is that policy, which
is occupied in di virng remedies for prefent evil.,
without extending its views to pi event the recurrence
of danger. I readily join in-the general praife fo
bully given to the Volunteers ; but this Commercial
Nation ought fo far to become a Military Nation,
as alw,:y:. to have within itfelf a fulliciency of men
r •ady cliff iplincd for its defence. This may be corn
till eiy cficef‘..l for the prefent occation in a fhort
tints ; and when the preillire of the prefent occalion
is remosed, it may be eltablifhed as a permanent
wealur in the courfe of lix years, without giving
any iemilrle iitterruption to our agriculture, our ma-
-I..if.t.ctirtes, or our commerce.
'6 The ja‘pulation of the country would annually
ripply at (call, fifty thoufand youths, who in the
preceding twelve m•gitlis had attained the feventeenth
year of their age ; in lit years we fhould have three
hundred thoufand young men, fufliciently inftrated
in tl:e ufe of arms. In the feventh year, fifty thou
find of them might be difmilred, as emeriti, from fur-
ther attendance on military duty, except when the '
country waa invaded. Thus by a flight fervice of a
few days annually for fix years, the whole Nation (for
no fibititutes Ihould in this arrangement be allow-
ed) wotild at length become a Nation, not of war-
rior:, hot of peaceful citizens, of all occupations and
denominations, ready to become warriors, whenever
the bdety of their country fhould require the exertion
of their !kill and courage. Neither France alone,
nor France with all Europe in her vaffalage, would
venture to fet a foot on this Bland, thus prepared to
receive them : Great Britain, fingle.handed, would
defy the world.
d. I own I prefer this militia Rotation, if I may fo
call it, which I have fubmitted to your Lordthips'
confidetati in, not only to the Volunteeting Syliem,
hut to every other mode of extraordinary defence.—
It .would not laprtfede the Banding army, it would
be fubficEary to it, and might greatly aflllt in recruit.
ing the ranks of the regular forces, and perhaps in
diminifhing their number. Some men are apt to
fpeak of every fpecies of militia force with contempt
—this has been always the cafe. Lord Clarendon in
one part of his binary fpeaks in a molt difparaging
ftyle of the London Tratned Bands ; but he is forced
to do them juftice in another, where he informs us,
that they couragecnfly refilled with their pikes the ca.
valryfof Prince Rupert, though led on by himfelf, and
thereby laved the army at the battle of Newbury.—
It was by a force of this kind that the Romans fitft
conquered Italy, and then the world.. And, in our
time, a force of this kind captured a molt gallant
army at Saratoga, and thereby acquired indepen-
dence for America.
" I forbear, my Lords, entering into any detail
on this fubjeet ; the very mention of which may ap-
pear to fome to be going beyond my province. But
the ne futor ultra ereisid.:m—the tra,'ent fabrilta fabri—
the, let Bifhops mind theirßibles—thefe,and farcafms
fuels as theft, from whatever mouth they may
proceed, affeet not me; nor ought they to affe,a
any boneft man, who is dcfirous to ferve his country
by his advice. The advice may be worth nothing,
but your Leo dfhips' candour will, I am perfuaded,
Puffer the ref itude of the Speaker's intention to lane-
tify the imbecility of his judgment.
I rely upon that candour, and proceed to men-
tion a fecund mean of Extricating the country from
its prefent danger, and of preiervit;g it from all fit
tore apprehenbon of danger. The mean I recom-
mend is—the payment of the National Debt, at le4ll
of that part which has been added to it by the fever.
years war, by the American IVar, by the lalt war,
and by this.

" This w.suld be an ael or magnanimity worthy
rf ancient Rome—it would exceed that which Rome
itfelf difplayed after the battle of Cannes—She ex-
paled Hannibal at her gates, but the did j not de-
fpair ; redoubled her means of defence. We
expect France on nor (hurts to attack us with her
fences, or vs barltupt us by expence: What does
Brira;n ? She prepares to refill her forces, and the
detcrn.ines to pay her debt. France will be thun-
der firuck at her own temerity, in attempting to fob-
due a nation poff,:fied of inch refources. Europe
veal ho attonillicd this nnble facrifice of private
wealth to public want—Amcrica will rejoice in the
vigour of her aged pt.retit, and no nation in the
world will dare for a century to come to dilturb the
peace of a I'voplc whidr would have Veils CI edit for
four or five huudrcd niiiiiuns on tl.e commencement
of hollilities.
" I own the iv^a of paying the National Debt
feveli, my he irt veith p ttriotic fee this truly
Great Natirat, rode id of behlg dep:,.:l::d to the earth,
itillead of foccomitng tinder the weight of its bur-
dens, crtfting itfel: with tit mneis and throwing them
tiff •; not ,t•,ju.!!y tranxterripg them to the backs of
die &ex.,: lioiefi:r; alone, making them the only fuf-
s, but teiro:ving tnem fro:n a:i. I have lime-
vales compared, in my own rniti.l, this payment of
the Debt to the ternaval of one of thole enormous
heaps of (mall done: which are not unfrequently met
veldt in tLc mountains of the North ; it would break
the hearts of a few villagers to be ordet eel co t move
them, but if every individual is the country was or.
doted to zarry at+•.:y as large. a one as he could early
the svo.rl: wool.! loon Lc finlll, d ; uo perfon cook:
jhe input...! his (hare of the Lbour, and the heap
; would diiippcar f..r ever.
U I am n.•t ignorant, my Ltires, that hr who talks
r f plying trio N.c ions! D,:ht is eonfideted a. a cilt•
use rical prije,clor of inli)C.F. 01' %, it mere •Itat,•
• titter l'or a coat its the Scn.r,c t•f Utopia 11,•••
My el.-it:ion:, quite' ditret e,,t ; and whit
jIL is rn7 opinion, 3:n no.. afraid :o eicclate it, r.••r
rat is lit tiaptJ ! Debt is at.