had not been much in the habits of enlarging on their want of ability, but this was a point on which they feemed very touchy on all occafions. This irritability put him in mind of the conduct of Grildrig at the court of the King of Brobdignag. The little gentleman felt himself rather confidered in a contemptuous light by the mighty courtiers, by whom he was furrounded. He, however, determined to get the better of them by ftratagem. He accordingly informed his Majesty, that though fmall in ftature, he was able in his own country to do as much mischief as the largest of all his mighty courtiers (a loud laugh). Mr. Fox declared that he should vote against the bill.

Mr. W. Keene explained, as did Sir John Newport, both of whom profeffed the highest respect for the individuals of whom the meeting alluded to by the hon. Member confisted. Col. Craufurd alfo explained.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer began by ftating that the hon. Gentleman on the oppofite fide had thought proper to introduce, upon this occafion, a variety of topics, but had beftowed very little of his attention upon the fubject immediately before the Houfe. The hon. Gentleman had afferted, in common with others who fupported his opinion, that Minifters had entirely devoted their confideration to the militia and volunteers, but overlooked the means of augmenting the regular troops; but what was the fact? why, that his right hon. Friend (Mr. Yorke) had, at the time that he proposed the measure now under difcuffion, accompanied the propofi tion with a statement of another part of the plan of Government, which was to make a farther increase of, 18,000 men to our regular difpofable force, which force it was peculiarly the purpose of this bill to ftrengthen. In adverting to the union with Ireland, the hon. Member had afferted, that the only benefit which feemed to refult to Ireland from that mea-` fure was the deftruction of its Legiflature; but without entéring particularly into the nature of that remark, he would take upon himself to say, that the most important advantages had arifen to that country. Upon the authority of perfons. competent to speak with respect to the fituation of Ireland, he was happy in being enabled to state, that the present improved circumstances of that country were to be ascribed to the union, and that since that event a most material and falus: tary change had taken place in the difpofition, feelings, and inclination of the Irish people. They were much better dif pofed towards this part of the united kingdom,' much more

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attached to their Sovereign and their English fellow fubjects.[Here a question was asked across the table, why enact mar. ial daw, and, fufpend the habeas corpus act?]-Upon thefe meafures the right hon. Gentleman obferved that the Houfe *had already decided; and at the time they were adopted, he added, that the fulleft acknowledgment was made of the general good difpofition of the people of Ireland, but yet that peculiar circunftances called for and juftified their adoption.. With the principle that a proceeding fuch as that to which the bill before the Houfe referred, fhould not be taken but:. under the preffure of an overruling neceflity, or from a forcible fuggestion of policy, he molt perfectly agreed, and he maintained that there exifted much fronger grounds to juftify this bill at prefent than did offer in the year 1799, when a fimilar courfe was reforted to. This he endeavoured to thew by a comparifon of the circumstances connected with both periods and followed this comparifon by an expreffion of his wish that fome candour fhould be fhewn towards this and the other acts of Minifters, by those who were the principal advifers and actors in cafes. which were so analogous. In reply to an expreflion manifested by an hon. Gentleman on the other fide with respect to the fecurity of Ireland, he begged to fay that it formed no part of the plans of Minifters, and particularly not of the po licy of this measure, to weaken in any degree the defence of Ireland. On the contrary, it was naturally calculated, upon a fair confideration of the whole of the project, to augment its fecurity, for in lieu of the militia which might be tranfferred from Ireland, no man could entertain a doubt, that, fhould the state of this country admit of it and that of Ireland require it, his Majefty would fubftijute 10,000 of the regular army. After glancing at the additional facilities which the proposed transfer of this body of the Irish militia would give to the difpofitions of our regular army in any necellary fervice out of this country, the right honourable Gentle man took notice of the fyftem purfued by the right honourable Gentleman (Mr. Windham) and his Friend.. Upon every propofition which Minifters fubmitted for the internal defence of the country, they commented with confider able feverity, principally on the alleged ground that our dif pofable force was neglected; and yet the menfure now before The House, the obvious tendency of which was to augment our difpofable force, and which fo far fell in with their own. views, experienced the fame fate-the fame objections and: VOL. II. 1803-4. 3 K Spirit

fpirit of oppofition, although from its nature it certainly was that proceeding in which, from the fentiments uniformly expreffed by the right hon. Gentleman heretofore, Minifters were encouraged to look for his fupport; but whatever the right hon. Gentleman and his friends might pronounce upon this measure, it did appear to Minifters to be the best courfe to purfue, in order to attain, with the greatest expedition and at the least expence, the means of augmenting our disposable force. In what way and to what amount it might be advifable to make use of that force hereafter, was a point that must depend upon circumstances that it would be fruitless to anticipate. The hon. Gentleman (Mr Fox) had afferted, that Minifters had as yet done nothing to bring the war to a conclufion, and he had alfo taken this opportunity of repeating that which he feldom miffed an occafion to urge, namely, to charge the war upon his Majefty's Minifters. Into that question he would not then enter. The House and the publie had already pronounced their verdict upon it, and he was convinced that the people held no opinion stronger than this, that this is a war of indifpenfable neceffity. The charge of forbearing too long to engage in it, would not, he was fure, be dwelt on by any man who confidered difpaffionately the important effects of that forbearance-who valued the advantage of that national unanimity which now prevailed. He verily believed that fuch was the fentiment of the country upon this fubject that, were the honourable Gentleman to poll the people, he would be left in the smallest minority in which a perfon of his great weight and importance had ever found himself; and he had very little apprehenfion that the diftinguished eloquence of the hon. Gentleman, or the talents or influence of the few who thought with him, would ever be fufficient to shake the well founded opinion of the public. As to the hon. Gentleman's idea, that the fyftem acted upon by Ministers had no tendency towards producing a peace, he would afk, after the undisguised avowal, and obvious defire of the enemy was known to be the overthrow of the independence of this country, whether a better caufe could be devised than one which, by effectually providing for our defence, muft affure the enemy that his object was utterly impracti cable, that ruin must be the confequence of the attempt? while it was to be confidered, that if after his oftentatious menaces, the enemy thould abandon the attempt, fhame must attend his councils; and that if after attempting this plan it should fail, as it indubitably would, his fhame would

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be still more, and our glory would be augmented. He would put it to the candour of the Houfe, whether that plan of policy was not the most eligible, which, by convincing the enemy that his efforts must prove abortive, that the ends he had in view were unattainable, would urge him at length to feel that the profecution of the war was abfurd. The system of Minifters the right hon. Gentleman therefore thought the most effectual towards accelerating its conclufion; but the provision of means for our home defence, and to defeat any attack of the enemy upon us, was not the only object which occupied the attention of Government in the conduct of the war, for he could fay, with the most perfect confidence, that in no former war had there been, in the first year of its com mencement, fuch victories obtained, and fuch important acquifitions made, as had diftinguished the period which had elapfed fince the declaration of hoftilities. The conquests we had made in the West Indies would not, he hoped, be underrated, because they were not accompanied by bloodshed. It could not be pretended that those captures were not enti❤ tled to praife, because the refiftance of the enemy was not ma→ terial, the fact was, that that refiftance was prevented by a measure of precaution taken in due time. He had no he fitation to ftate, that in the courfe of our negociation with the French Government, orders were fent out to our com manders in the Weft Indies to intercept any fupplies of troops which might be dispatched to any of the enemy's fettlements, and that in the event of the renewal of the war, St. Lucia, Tobago, &c. fhould be immediately attacked. The right hon. Gentleman took notice of the gallant artack upon St. Lucia, and dwelt upon the late fplendid achievements in the East Indies. The merit belonging to the conduct of the latter, however, he was far from infinuating that Ministers had any right to arrogate; it belonged to that illuftrious perfonage Lord Wellesley, and the officers under his command. He alluded to it to thew that the statement was unfounded, that the prefent was a war not diftinguished by any military exploit, by any action that could do honour to the British arms, that could animate the heart or gratify the pride of a British foldier. Thofe achievements, he was confident, would be found to operate powerfully upon the minds of Englishmen, and that they contained the elements of future glory Thefe confiderations, combined with a knowledge of the character and number of our public force, left him no room to doubt as to the iffue of the conteft in which we are

Engaged. This force, he contended, was as numerous as it would be confiftent with the feelings, habits, and various purfuits of our population fo to employ. We had, in fact, at prefent more foldiers than any power in Europe, far indeed out-numbering the whole force of France. Gentlemen were not to fuppofe that he meant to compare our volunteers with veteran troops who had seen fervice. He only alluded to the number of our armed defenders, and he entertained no doubt of their efficiency. From the papers on the table, it appeared that we had in Great Britain and Ireland 184,000 regulars and militia, and alfo 400,000 volunteers, all of whom, with the exception of about from 15 to 20,000 men, were armed with firelocks. Our force therefore all together amounted to 584,000 men for the united kingdom. He would appeal to any candid man, whether it could be faid, that at the commencement of the war it would have been thought poffible to collect, in fo fhort a period as has fince elapfed, fuch a numerous and efficient force. The hon. Gentleman on the oppofite bench had faid, that Minifters were inadequate to preferve peace or to profecute the war. Had they indeed followed the advice which that hon. Gentleman he given previous to the commencement of hoftilities, to reduce our regular force, &c. the country would have been really put in a state very unfit to meet the renewal of the war; but he rejoiced to think that Parliament and Minifters had difregarded the advice of the hon. Gentleman, and in fo doing he had the happiness of being fupported by the prefent right hon. Friend (Mr. Windham) of the hon. Gentleman. The force was thus kept up in eppofition to the opinion of the hon. Gentleman, not with a view to prepare for war, but in order to maintain a peace establishment, which, although treble more than had exifted at any former period, was yet fuch as the circumstances of the times called for. It was conceived the beft mode to purfue for preferving peace, to hold the country in a state ready to meet the exigency of war, and the event had juftified that policy. Referring to fome statements made in the courfe of the debate, by the opponents of the bill, the right hon. Gentleman ftated that there were at prefent 44,896 regular infantry in Great Britain, although it was faid that there were only 20,000, and that there were 17,000 regular cavalry in Great Britain and Ireland, (in this number he could not fay whether officers were included,) although gentlemen feemed to argue as if the cavalry did not exceed 10,000. He adverted to the conduct of the late Adminiftration