The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-07-21
Foreign Intelligence.
IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF CoMMoMs, April esd, lso4.

MOTION ON THE DEFENCE OF THE NATION.
MIR. PITT. Before proceed to exrlain 70
the liouie the reaionS which induce the 10 give
my cordial and Jealous iuppo-t TO tie motion
OF the non. gentleman oppoiite i Carrot help
laying few words upon the mode of arg,lnent
purified by the right hon. gentleman who has
Jut iat down. The right honorable gentleman
lays that the motion of the hon. gentleman is
calculated to embrace numbers who entertain
different views and opinions refpe,sting the fyi.
TEN or public defence. The motion indeed is
undoubtedly calculated to obtain the concur
renee, not OF thoie merely who differ on minute
grounds; not OF thofe who make inlipnihcant
criticiims upon the various meafures of the ad
lniniitrauon butt is calculated to unite all
tnoie VINO have bravely and diipaGionately
weighed the dangers and difficulties of our litu
ation thoie who by careful retrofpe6t of the
conduct OF government, previous to that war
which they have declared to be 70 long inpend-
ing, and iubiequent to its commencement, have
arrived at perfect conviction of the inability OF
minliters to deviie, or to execute any meafures
adequate to the demands OF the public fafety,
ana 10 the arduouS nature OF the conniSt. The
motion is calculated to unite all thofe, who, b.
the experience of the laft twelve months, in
which mlnltters have exhaufed their minds II,
attempts to modify, to amend or to improve the
various meaiHres for the public defence that
have been iag9eted and who are fill TO far
pehihd what the circumstances OF this eventful
moment required, what the relources fthe en-
Pre- would have afforded, and the zeal and foi
rit of the country have 10 cheereully funplied TO
perfect the tyitem of public defence. In word,
motion calculated to unite all tIo{e who con-
icientlouily believe that from and under the
prrlent lnlniiters, no neaiure Of fuitable vgor
and energ! are to be expected that no fair
chance can be given TO the country that its faft-
ty viii De efficiently provided, its refources
wiley called forth, and its power fuccetSfuIjy
eXerted. It is in this view that conlider the
motion for almcf al the reaioHs urged By the
riSht non. mover, and fer Others which he did
not fate. The hon. gentleman below, howe
:er' WHO has enjoyed the opportunity ofacaui-
ing an intimate knowledge Of the PROCEEDINGS
ofthe Houfe, iiys that nevcrin his recoiIeGtion
OF the Journals has fuch motion been made
nor even in his Imagination canhe conceive that
any thing 10 extraordinary could diicrace them.
But II 1t were true that the motion is extraordi-
nary, perhaps 1t would be fuficent to urge
"hat mas often been urged on other occaiions
by the hon. gentleman himiclf, that extraorii
nary circumstances frequently cab for 'extraor-
cinary modes of proceeding. If the motion
were indeed extraordinary, it might be aniver
enough to fay that the crifis is new and extra.
Ordinary /; II would be anfwer enough 20 rate,
that after war which has now lated year,
and after al interval of peace, avowed in the
maniteifoes OF min;fers to have beena perpetu.
al icene ofaggreliion, they had brought forward
nothing but what was contradictory, feeble and
inadequate; that whatever was done was ruin
ed 10y delay, hehtation and uncertainty that if
they even ieened for 4 moment to be routed in
10 Wgour, 1t was quickly fuctee6ed bv con-
d1ct that ieemed a complete retraGtion and DIFF
avowa CT the momentary impulfe. 1t is melan
choly indeed to refled that, after time for ma
lure confederation, after repeated trials, no fyf-
TEN had been found which could afford us that
iecurIty to which the country was entitled, and
that no plans had been produced by which we
were likely to bring the war to fuccefsfnl ter
mination.
The honourable gentleman fays, that minic-
ters do not greatly differ from thofe who think
an armed peaiantry calculated to beufefny en-
ployed, but that they prefer the volunteer force.
L ne queltion, however, is not of fubRitut;ne,
but of adding. 1t is not that the volunteer fyf.
TEN ihall be abolifhed, but that an additional
force in aid Of them is to be obtained IT, then,
Inin'iterS approve of fuch mode of increaling
the meansof defence, why do they not announce
tfcTT Intention OF taxing fCrie ftrps 20 Obtain
that advantage? However gentlemen NAV diff
Ter nc to the degree ofutility, the mode of an
plIcatlon, the local circumstances in which an
armed peaiantfy would be defirabIe, i; is not
dhputed that, IL many ituations, tie efforts OF
the peaiantry would be of the grcateR advan-
tage. Why then does not the hon. gentleman
propcie TO enter upon the confederation with
out delay Have W. not been ted b. mimi, ca,
forthete fiS Tonths paa, that the inyafonmichfi
take place perhaps within 81 hours Is il time
10 procraflinate any wife mealires, any efficient
Plans of defence, at period when we fee that
the enemy have illrmountcd many ofthofe pre-
Urinary difficulties which fome months ago were
deemed inylnclble Have not the enemy fIp-
Piled thote means Of conveyance which it was
at hrit thought NUT render ali the threats of
the enemy vain and futile Have they not,
IN the face OF thatnavy which ninilters TO conf
IDENTITY boat has been carried TO it's utrnof
ftrength, and has been attributed withthe molt
perFect judgment Have they not, within lieht
OF our flores and in defiance of our obhruqi3n
ailembled i'll one port between 1 and 400 yef.
iIis, capable OF Conveying from soto 700 81 so
men each Have they not proved that all Our
rcaionug5 about the impofibility offriling from
ore port, the difficulty Of concerted attack,
the ob'tacle of winds and tides, were i'll found
cd aud unwaiTanted. With fuch facts before
u5, ought We to (uipend or delay any means
that can contribute to our Efety? We ought
not to treat with contempt, or Wi.h falfs Il
curly pronounce imPriGticable, the projects
OF a bold, enterpning, and desperate though
oten' fortunate enemy, ard one, too, that