Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1815-03-22


with an immense number of troops and vast
equipments, destined expressly for the sub.
Jugation OF New>Orcans. Before the issue
OF that expedition was known. from which
complete success must have been anticipa
tco, the same ministry concluded peace.
w hen the result of that expedition is known
In England, the ministry, he said, must be
disSraced, and probably driven from their
seats. Who will succeed them The Can.
mugs, as the gentleman from Georgia sup
poses! No; Mr.. Canning himself is now a
minister appointed by the present ministry
to represent that government in Portugal.
Their successors will be those very Mem.
oers OF Opposition in both houses of Parlia,
ment who have clamored for a peace with
America. Bat, the gentleman from South
carolina says. Great Britain has a great
army IN Canada, and may attack us if we
aisarn ourselves. What motive can she
nave 10 DO 500 1T they make peace when
"ey were IN possession OF very important
pos,s ON our frontier, and expected New
Orleans to fall. how can we expect thew
WIN ATTACK us for the purpose of conquests
lMr. calhoun explained, that he had not
asserted that such would be the case. but
ohiy put case to shew the policy of keep
ing up respectable military force. The
1858 OF Detroit at the commencement of the
WIT just closed. for the want of adequate
o'hcers and force, had nccasiOned more than
nan u, 'he Whole expense of the war; Mr..
rckerng resumed. Instead If maintaining
sds1 Hiiilary force, at an expence which
""i require continuance Of the present
oppressive taxation on the people, he said,
we ought to reduce the army and relieve the
peopie iron a load of taxes by which they
were almost crushed We ought to hus-
oanu our means. instead of exhauSsing them
because 1t is possible . war may take place.
Noo knows when. Great Brit lin may main
tam comfortable force in Canada, but, if
Sne does, 1t ought to give no umbrage to the
ohred States. Why will she probably keep
up large force IN Canada? From the APP
prehension of such a sudden incursion from
me United States as took place three years
ago so tar from expecting invasion, Mr..
+. said he would be willing 10 raze to The
foundation all our posts on the frontier.
Britain was smartins, he remarked, under
the effects of more than twenty years war:
the nation sighed tor repose and assurcdly
would not suffer the Ministry to engage in
new war with the United States. One gen
ueTnan, Mr.. p said, had referred to the
ocaniardS, and intimatei that, as we had
some differences with them, we therefore
ought not TO disband our army. We very
wei know, and certainly DO aot fear, the
military strength Of Spain. The feebIcness
OF that government, especially with its pre-.
sent head, leaves us nothing 90 fear in that
quarter After the Signal defest Of a very
large British force at New.Orieans, what
motive can Spain have TO enter into war
with us3 The effect Of that defeat will be
felt not only in Great Britain but in Spain
she Is weak--.in her provinces bordering on
the United States peculiarly weak. Her in
rernal distraction forbad the possibility al
most, certainly the probability of her think.
ing OF war with the United States. These
were briefly the reasons, Mr.. p. said, which
satisfied him that the force of our Military
Establishment ought to be reduced at least
as low as had been voted in committee of
the whole. lie should for lila own part be
satisfied with that number. Running along
the whole frontier, he believed six thousand
men would be abundantly sufficient for all
the purposes OF defence aud security. Very
small garrisons would be sufficient i'm most
of our seaDorts to keep the Notifications in
repair. Except New. York, he did not
know one that would require more than
two hundred men, many not more than fifty,
and some not more than twenty-five.
Mr.. TROUP rose for the purpose OF cor.
rccting some erroneous statements W hich
had been made, greatly exaggerating the
amount OF expenditure necessary for Mil.
itary Peace establishments. If the army
was to be destroyed, he added, let it be by
fair argument, and not by erroneous calcu-
latioGs of the cost.
Mr.. GROSVENOR rose to assign the
reasons, why he should, in his vote on the
present occasion, d fer from most of mis-
friends. He considered this a totally dis
tiuct question from fixing and voting
Peace Establishment He did not believe
this was the time, or that the House had
the necessary information on which to Hx
the Military Peace Establishment and this
was the real question presented to the
House. 1t had been said, and truly, that
the British nation have on our soil posts of
the utmost importance yet unrelinoni. he'd.
1t IS fact that many tribes Of the Indian
nations are yet in state Of disturbance, with
whom we nave no treaty, no peace or Sc
curity Tor peace. This house did not vet
Know the manner and spirit in which the
treaty OF peace had been concluded He
regretted that the President had not laid
before Congress the correspondence in lie.
Sard 10 this very treaty. To have done so
would have been no violation of principle,
because the President had on former oc
casion adopted that course. L o this treaty
W. u said, was opposed in England, per-
maps the strongest party in that country !;
ahd' Whatever gentlemen might think. this
treaty was not very cordially received in