Star.
London, England, 1816-03-12 00:00:00

He also contended that the Committee had a right
to correct the vote of a former evening, if they con-
ceived that thephad then v..ted too mneh, and though
they could not do so directly by reducing the number
of men then agreed to, they might do it by not tasting
a sum sußicient for their support. The Committee
were no more precluded from the: cterrection of their
former vote in such a way than the House would be
from 'rejecting a Bill in its third reading, all the par-
ticulars of which they liad sanctioned in its preceding
stages—(Near, hear.) The -Honourable and Learned
Gentleman concluded, amidst loud cries of hear, by
repeating his former argument, that there existed at
present no greater a necessity for the proposed num•
ber of Guards than there did in 1792, and that the
only end which their existence to so large an amount
could asswer was the gratification of a childish and
contemptible passion for military parade ; childish it
might be called, though not altogether contemptible
when its dangerous tendency was considered.
Mr. W. WELLESLEY POLE defended the pro-
posed Establishment, which he said was nit intended
as a permanent Peace Establishment. He w.:s glad
to find that in the lengthened time to which the dis-
cussions on the Estimate; had been protracted, no,
Gentleman on the other side had charged his Ma-
jesty's Ministers with a design to overturn the Con
stitution. He also rejoiced at one effect which would
result from this protracted discussion, sand that was,
the opinion which the country would form of the op.
position which was made to those Estimates. They
• had been opposed is limine by some Gentlemen, who
afterwards, when they came to the Committee, toek
link or no part in the discussion, and of those who
did stt, no two were agreed as to the Amendments •
Proposed. The country would appreciate: such one.
sition, and would recollect that it was mark by those
men who had prognosticated, the destrection, of that
brave army which so lately conTiere.l the tyrant of
France, by those men who wished to make, peace
with Napoleon Bonaperte in l 8 4. The country
would recollect th it these Est ;matt s were proposed
by those Ministers who leel seemed to it every itn-
poi tent possession, which the merchant, or the soldier
11 could desire, in any part of the werld.
Mr. W. WYNNE observed, that the Right Hon.
Gentleman who just sat down, was anxious to turn
the attention of the public nn the Gentlemen at his
(the Opposition) side of the House, and he (Mr.
Wynne) was nut surprizcd at it, foe he believed that
the Right Honourable Gentleman and those who
acted with him, would be anxious to turn it to any
subject but themselves—( Hear, hear, nerd a laugh).—
Mr. Wynne then defended the necessity of the pro-
posed reduction in the Guards, and contented that
the saving, though small, which might thereby be
tna.le, should by no means be considered contemptible.
General LOFTUS stated the !treat services of the
Guards, from the time of the American war down
to the present. Even on the home duty at this mo-
ment, the men were in bed but one night out of
three. It was one of the most efficient and gallant
corps in the service, and had been sent every where
that active service was to he performed. He would
ask, were these men to he thrown upon the public ?
' Mr. BROUGHAM, in explanation, said, he was
not so ignorant as to und.r value their service,.. But
he would remind the Henottrable General of a feet.
Lord Nelson's ship, the Vi.ory, in which that great
commander had fought genie of his most &Ain-
eilistied battles, :and in whieh he had leilen, was now
laid up in ordinary, and the crew turned adrift.—
(Thar,hear, from the Opitcgitiop).
Mr. TIEKNEY slid, on the present Vote it was
most material thit they should bear in mind that the
description of force they were now discussing had
nothing to d' with the relief of the Colonial garrisons
—the troops they were new discussiug were kept up
only for the splendour of the Court, and the duty of
the Metropolis.--(Hear, hear.) —The Noble Lord i
could not say that the necessary duty of the Metre
polls was increased, or that any disposition on thei
part of the people rendered such an augmentation of {
the Household troops necessary. If 10,000 troops
were wanted by the Noble Lord, they would all be
necessary he had no doubt; the Ge trds of the Opera,
and the Theatres might be doubled he dared to say,
and soldiers might be stationed at the doors of houses
where there were parties; but all this was entirely
out of the question—he must see that romething had
occurred int this Metropolis which rendered the reign
of the Regent different from the reign of George. the
Third.—(Bear, hear, hear.)-London, in a military
point of view, was no greater now than it was in•
1792; for the Tower had had the good, fortune to
escape all the operations of the Ordnance, and was
not militarily greater than in 1792.—(A laagh.)—
He hoped Gentlemen Would: feel this as they should
feel it : let them bear in mind that what they were
voting was intelligible to every man in England.—
The Noble Lord had attempted something like ar
gument on the present occasion, and the amount of
this argument was the services of the Guards. Why;
no man ever doubted their services. From the first
hour of their constitution down to the present day
they had been the On:indef. of Europe; nor had they
ever been employed where they did not distinguish
themselves. But from what did they spring ? From
3000 only—they might be reduced again to that
number, and if it should afterwards be found neces•
sary they might be increased with the same elasticity.
The Horse Guards had also distinguished themselves
on all occasions. The Noble Lord said, will you turn
all these men adrift?—" I cannot (said Mr. Tierney)
turn them adrift, because they would be retiring on
pensions; but this is what 1 cannot comprehend—the,
Noble Lord tells me they are cheaper serving than
retiring." The Noble Lord had drawn another ar-
gument from the beauty of the horses; he dared to
say they were fine horses— very line horses (a laugh.)
But very fine horses generally fetcbed a very tine
price in the market. The Noble Lord, however, did
not know what they could do' with so many horses in
the market at once—the market would be ;Jutted be
them. But if this sort of argument were to be al•
lowed to prevail, he did not see where it could atop.
Supposing it, for instance,`Appiied to another part of
the army which had united the acclamations of all
parties—he meant the Scotch regiments--the Noble
Lord would say to them, what would then become
of the phelibegs and bagpipes ? (A laugh.)
The market would be quite overstocked with them—
there would be no purchasers—there would not be a
sufficient number of admirers of these commodities
to take off the whole stock. While all this jealousy
WAS entertained at the smallest reduction of an part