Star.
London, England, 1803-07-07 00:00:00

•RMY OF RESERVE.

The Order of the Day being read for the fecond
reading of the frith Additional Force Bill.
General Gascovas role, he laid, with very great
reluaance, to trefpafs once more upon the indulgence
of the Houle, by a few obfervations upon a lubjea
which had already been fo fully difcuffed on a former
night, namely, the fituation in which thefe Countries
(land, as with refpea to the danger of the threatened
invafion, and the means for our defence. On this
fubjeU a very confiderable impreffion had been made
upon the minds of many Gentlemen in that Houk,
and had very fcrious effeas without doors upon the
funds, and the monied and commercial interells
of the Country ; nor was it matter of furprife,
that arguments of fuch defponding tendency fall-
ing from fuch high authority, as that of a Right
Honourable Gentleman near him (Mr. Windham),
and that of an Hon. Colonel near him, of high
military experience, and well known to the Powers
of Europe, and alfo from feveral other Gentlemen
of high military experience. His purpofe for rifing
this day, was to do away thofe impreffions, for which
he really felt no ferious grounds, notwithltanding all
the menaces of the enemy, and his difplay of prepa-
rations to invade this country. It muff be in the
recolleltion of every Gentleman who heard him, that
in 1798, the menaces of French invafion were to the
full as loud, and talked of with as much alarm as at
the prefent moment : that a French army was Aim-
bled upon the oppofite coatis, avowedly for the pur.
pole, and affuming to itfelf the pompous and daring
appellation of " The Army of England ;" but it muff
be alfo recollettled, that in the courfe of a few months,
this army was withdrawn, and the next thing heard of
it was from the (hones of Africa, on its way to Egypt,
where it was finally deffroyed, or taken by the real
A-my of England, whole name it had audacioufly
ufurped. Was it not therefore to the full as likely,
that the army now affembled upon the oppofite emits,
though avowedly deftgned for the invafion of this
country, was really intended for Come other defign ;
probably for the re-capture of Egypt, which Bona-
parte bad avowed to be his favourite objea, and one
of which he never would lofe fight ; or, poffibly, for
an attack againft our poffefflons in the EaR or Well
Indies ? If, therefore, we continued to retain the
whole of our force, to Rand upon a mere defenfive
fyftem at home, without any attempt to attack the
enemy in his vulnerable points, or preparing to meet
his deigns in other quarters, our finances would be
exhauffed, in endeavouring to fupport fo tardy and
inaaive a fyllem. An Hon. Gentleman, formerly a
Member of that Hoare, but now no more, had often
expreffed his furprize at the novelties produced by the
French Revolution in the courfe of the war ; but what
would he have faid at this day, had he lived to have
Peen Inch an extraordinary novelty as this country,
poffeffed as flue was of (itch a formidable Navy, flufh-
ed with vianr:.!s, and In ably manned and appointed
for our defence ; with a difciplined army of zo,ooo
troops of the line, within our country, befides 70,000
Militia, well armed and difciplined, and fo numerous
a body of Volunteers, alfo well difciplined, exclufive
of the schooo men to be railed under thole Bills,
alarmed at the menaces of invafion from an enemy
who has no Navy flue dare fend to lea, without the
moral certainty of finding their way into Britifh ports,
inftead of ever return ing to France ? For his own
pa.t, he thought the apprehenfion of invafion from
inch an enemy shutoff ridiculous ; and that inflead of
(boding upon the defildite, we ought to fill up the
regiments cf the line with the men to be railed, to
the number of asoo or ism men to a regiment, as
at once the bell mode of accelerating their difcipline,
and of king prepared to firike an effettual blow,
whenever and wherever opportunity &mild offer.—
Mu.h had been faid of the difadvantages attendant
on impettea difcipline ; he was ready to admit the
imprltance of rod difcipline, but he by no means
thought it fo difficult to be acquired, to fit troops for
aet,iin. He remembered in the IA war three regi-
ments brigaded fur continental ferrite, who, the very
day after they vere joined by a body Map recruits
in their coloured clothes, matched to attack Fiche-
gin ; and thole brave fellows fought with as much
iteadinef• and gallantry as any men in their corps.
Confide, ing the powerful manlier in which our Wry
was manned; confidering that the garrifons of Gr--
brakar and Malta bid a coafidecabls number of

troops more than they required, he was confident'
that a body of 50,000 men could, with great pro-
priety, be (pared for offenfive operations, and they
ought to be kept ready embarked, to feize on the
tirlt opportunity for a ma(erly blow, inftead of con-
fining the country to a ruinous and inactive fyflem of
defenfive war, which would ablorto our refources to
no manner Of effeet. With refped to the menace of
French invafion, there was nothing new in the pro-
ject towards this country, though there was certainly
fomething extremely new in the mode now propofed
for carrying it on. Under the Rings of the Houfe
of Bourbon, it had been frequently threatened ; it
had been menaced in all their wars with England.—
But even in the zenith of their power, and when they
poffeffed powerful fleets, they never daft venture ;
much lets did they fucceed in carrying.their menaces
into effed. Even in the reign of Lours XIV. when
they might have looked for the aid of a ftrong party
in this country (the adherents of the abdicated Houfe
of the Stuarts), a force was prepared on the coaft of
France, more than once, for the purpofe of invading
this country, and at one time they would have car-
ried this purpofe into cited, had it not been for the
fignal vidory obtained by the gallant Admiral Rude!.
But if in the proudeft days of the French navy fuch a
project was impracticable, where was the probability
that it could fucceed when France has no navy that
we fflould not take nr deftroy, fo foon as they dare
venture to fea ? Nothing could excufe the unfounded
apprehenfions that had operated to atom and dif-
may any portion of the community ; but that having
familiarifed themfelves with imaginary terrors, they
had not the fortitude to difcard them on reflection.
But to fuppofe that the project, impracticable when
Fcance had a powerful Navy, would now be attempt-
erwith fuccefs, in open boats, was too ridiculous a
ground of alarm. What would our anceftors fay
of fuch apprehenfions ? or would they have fuppofed
their pofterity would in the proudeft era of their naval
ftrength, have indulged filch filly fears? He de-
fired to afk any military man, if a broad river, inftead
of a fea, divided the countries, and that the enemy
were to attempt eroding it in the face of an army
poffeffed of every ftrong hold upon the whole op-
pofite line, while he was obliged to leave behind
him all his cavalry and artillery, what would be his
chance of fuccefs ? and fuch mutt be the fituation of
the French army attempting an expedition in open
boats. Was it probable that the ambition of Bona-
parte would prompt him to fuels an attempt upon
this country, where he would meet an enemy in every
tree—for wherever there was a tree, he would be
Pure w find an Englifisman behind it (a laugh).—
But fuppofing them to have boats enough for fuch an
expedition, how could they offerable on their coafts
in a collective fleet, while our frigates were conftantly
looking even into the receffes of their harbours, and
prepared to deftroy their force wherever it was col-
lating ? And even if this were not the cafe, their
voyage to reach our (bores mutt have the con-
currence of fingularly favourable cireumilances.—
They mutt have an unruffled fea, a fair wind, a dark
night fucceeded by a fog next day, and our frigates
mutt have abandoned their Rations and returned into
harbour, to Puffer fuch an expedition to approach
our (bores unmolefted. It was, however, ridiculous
to fuppofe any open boat would venture on fuch an
attempt, while our frigates were able to keep the fee ;
fo that mad as the prefent Ruler of France may
be, and defperate and infatiable as his ambition evi-
dently. is, he cannot be fuppofed mad enough to pro-
ceed upon a projeß, where himfelf has acknowledged
the title of dank:Jinn to be as one hundred to one
spina him ; and while we can look with fuch confi-
dence to fo powerful and gallant an army and navy,
we may laugh at his menaces. It has been laid, that
we might be approached by three divilions. He did
not profefs to be a calculator, but if it was one bun.
Bred to one that one expedition could not fucceed, it
was three hundred to one that three could not foe-
teed Ca laugh). And be wifhed to afk any naval Of-
ficer, if there was the flighteft probability of fuels a
concurrence of circiimftances—now even that the
equinoctial gales [a laugh] were approaching--for
fuch an expedition to approach our litotes, without
meeting deftrudion ? Befide, as he before remarked,
without cavalry (which he never heard it was intended
they fhould bring) and artillery, on which they fo
much relied, and which they mutt leave behind, their
attempt mull be unfuccefsfal, even if they were per-
mitted to land ; In that the attempt mull be the
very acme of folly, raffinels, and frenzy. Much,
however, as he ridiculed the menace, he by no
means wiffied to throw the country off its guard,
or to flacken its exertions foe fecurity. He wifhed
that a molt formidable force might be conftantly kept
op, and one ready relbarked, prepared to ftrike a
blow, which would encourage the enflaved and out-
raged Powers of Europe to route from their humili-
ation and debalement, and to throw off the French
yoke ; and he doubted not, that the oppreffed and
intuited people of Switzerland. Batavia, and Italy,
the moment they fhould fee any chance of fine s,
would be up, to a man, for the purpofe of regaining
their liberty and independence. It there ever was a
period during the late war, at which there was real
caufe to apprehend the faccefsful invafion of thefe
i(lands, it was at the period of the rebellion in Ire-
land, which would never have occurred, but for
French promifes of ample fuccours.to the doaffeeted.
But the deluded people of that country had expe-
rience enough of Gallic faith, and its coidequences,
to trult them again. Nor could he think it prffible,
after all that was in notorious of the snflavement of
the countries of Europe, where the perfidious French
found footing, that the deluded people of Ireland
could be at this day fo befotted, as to be defirous of
exchanging the invaluable bleffings of a Britifh Con.
ffitution, to become the naves of France, who, inftead
of friends at this day. would meet in Ireland a wh”le
nation of the moil decided enemies. Though lime
defpondeney had been excited by the declarations
made within there walls on the fubjed, yet he was
glad the fpirit of die country was routed. He thanked
his Right Han. Friend near him (Mr. Windham)
for having roofed that fpirit; and he thanked his Ma-
Minifters for the vigour they had manifefted
in difpofing the refources, and arraying the ftreagth
of the country ; and convinced he was, that before
force of the country already in arms, the moment
that real danger &mild approach our. (bores, or a
foreign foe Pet foot upon this Mond, there was not a
man within or without thole walls, that would not
My to arms, limning to avail Warfel/ of any plea of
sscasption from the defence of his country.

Gent:ral LOrrtis raid, upon the follqll confides-
tion, he law no caufe for alarm ; for though certainly
the enemy had many able Generals, ani veteran
troops ufed to fervice in open countries, yet (hoold
they be able to land a force in this inclofed country,
the whole nature of military operations would be
changed, as every lane, ditch, hedge, and wall, would
prefent a ftrong poil for their annoyance and deflruc.
tion. Suppofe even that an army of forty thoufand
men (hould land--Here
Sir Ropers. Bu x row role, and moved the [landing
order of the Houfe, for clearing the gallery of [lran,
gers, which was immediately done.
We bays beard, that after the Gallery wan doled, a eery
lote-
refting debate took place —After General Loftus, Colonel Craw.
ford entered into a general detail of the means of attack, and the
means of &knee on the part of the country—He was anfwe-ed
by Sir Wm. Erlkine, who sombated many of his opinions; (poke
in the higheft terms of the militia regiments • and declared that he
thould. prefer any ten battalions ofe force of ;hat defcriptido to any
ten regiments of Auftrians (however highly he valued than), far
the defence of the country. This (peach was, we underftand, very
animated, and made a ftrong impregion on the Hoofs. it wan Sir
William's Srft fecech.—.Mr. Windham followed, and went over
the old grounds of preference to the regular fame.
The other Gentlemen who (poke were—the Chancellor ashy
Exchequer, Sir Robert Buxton, who faftified the Magifbates for
the meafure that bad been taken in apprehending vagrants, and
giving them the option of a prifen, or raving his Maid:lye—Sir
William Pulteney, General Tarleton, General Maitland, and Cap.
talc Harvey, who reprobated the opinion that our naval means of
defence were not to be properly cunfidered....The Hook then went
into a Committee, when Cane new eiaufes were propofed by tho
Secretary at War.—The Hoofs adjourned Coon after ten o'clock...

LONDON.

THURSDAY, JULY 7.

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