counties on the coaft, fuch as Kent, Suffex, Effex, Suffolk, Devonshire, part of Yorkshire, and other places, which might be confidered in the propofed Committee, he thought it would be unnecessary to refort to it in the inland counties. It was remarkable, he observed, that no orders had yet been fent to the Lords Lieutenants of the different counties, to make out the claffification or enrolment of the feveral males capable of bearing arms in their respective districts. This furnished another inftance of the neglect of Minifters.-After recapitulating the different grounds of his objections to Minifters, the right hon. Gentleman took notice of the state of the navy, and obferved that the very gun-brigs which he recommended on a former occafion were now building with all poffible difpatch, although when he recommended them he was condemned to fuffer fome obloquy and even ridicule, which officers were brought from distant commands to affist in promoting. He proceeded to comment on the neglect of the fortifications fo often pointed out as neceflary on particular parts of the coaft, when the expenditure of a few thousand pounds might prevent the employment and fave the lives of many thousand men. In alluding to this neglect, he did not with to be understood as at all faying any thing of the Commander in Chief or the Mafter General of the Ordnance. He defired to speak only of the Cabinet. With them refted the refponfibility to them attached the duty of providing for every part of the public defence. In conclufion, the right hon. Gentleman stated that, judging of Minifters from what they had done and what they had omitted to do-from their flowness to adopt and their incapacity to act upon any vigorous plan for the public defence-from the very long confideration they required upon even the most trifling topics, and the very erude and ill-digefted measures they, notwithstanding, uniformly brought forward; from all thofe confiderations he felt himself urged by a strong sense of duty to the House, to his country, and to his Sovereign, to vote for the appointment of a Committee to confider of deviling fome effectual means for our protection, and for the fecurity of all that a great nation could hold to be valuable. The opinion which he gave on this occafion he wished to be quite undisguised, and trufted that it was not likely to be confidered as lightly taken up, but rather that the reafons he had ftated were amply fufficient to fuftain and justify it. Mr. Secretary Yorke, after having paid the utmost attention to the able and brilliant fpeech of the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. (Mr. Fox), did not think it neceffary to follow him through all the variety of topics he thought proper to introduce, though he confeffed them to be applicable to the fubject, on the fuppofition that the Ministers were guilty of any culpable neglect: they came at prefent in the fhape of imputations, and it would be time enough to answer them when they were alleged as direct charges. Neither would he now enter into an enlarged defence of the feveral bills adverted to incidentally, and which the House had approved, as it was in the power of any Gentleman to renew the difcuffion of them, by moving for their repeal. He was prepared to give his negative to the motion now propofed, for it was impoffible for him to agree to it, without confenting to give up all the reports of engineers, all the information, and all the reports made to the different departments, and thereby affording the enemy all the information we are in poffeffion of ourfelves. That would be a strange step indeed at such a crifis as we are in at present. What was there to warrant fuch a proceeding as was now called for? Was there any fufpicion or want of confidence in the Minifters at prefent rankling in the public mind? Was there any deficiency of execution on our parts, or any advantage obtained on the fide of the enemy? Was there any difcontent or dillatisfaction in the country? (a violent cry of hear! hear! from the other fide of the House.) He knew, he said, that there was great diffatisfaction in fome Gentlemen of that House, but he had heard none that had manifefted itself in the nation. There was indeed fome diffatisfaction expreffed, laft autumn, from the fuppofition in fome parts of the country that their coafts were not fufficiently protected; but he could now fay, with confidence, that there was not a district of the country which was not now better defended than Ireland was at the time when Hoche and his fleet lay off that coaft for a fortnight, and that our volunteers were now in a higher ftate of difcipline than the militia were, when the combined fleet, under d'Cavilliers, rode triumphant in the English Channel. The motion appeared to him a mere pretence. Why did not Gentlemen in a manly manner bring forward a motion for the difmiffal of his Majefty's Minifters? The right hon. Gentleman under the gallery (Mr. Pitt) had indeed spoken out more openly, and explained in a more direct and candid manner what his intentions were. That Gentleman had peinted out what appeared to him to be the incongruities and defects of measures haftily brought brought forward; but he did not think it neceffary to follow him minutely on every particular point. As to the volunteers, he had repeated on that fubject, already fo much difcuffed, the fame opinions he had favoured the Houfe with at different times before. All the criticifm and indeed hypercriticism fo often employed in judging of the conduct of his Majesty's Minifters, had that night been renewed. In answer to all thofe accufations, he would only afk the Houfe to confider what had been done. At this moment the volunteer force was in a state of improvement which astonished not only all Europe, but the people of this country, who were surprised to find that fyftem fo rapidly and extensively established. According to the returns now made, most of the volunteer corps were armed, for it appeared that only about 18,000 were still without firelocks. In England and Scotland that force. amounted at present to 330,000 men, and if to that number the volunteers in Ireland were added, the total would be more than 400,000 men in arms, independent of the regular army and the militia; but if the regulars and militia were added, the whole military force of the country would be found to exceed 500,000 men. One great point of cenfure urged against his Majefty's Minifters was, that they had not taken measures for arming the peafantry; and it feemed to be fupposed that, from an inaccuracy in framing the defence bill, it became impoffible for his Majefty, after its suspension, to enforce the compulfory claufes. He, however, did not admit that there was any fuch obftacle; but contended, that in the particular fituation of this country it was inexpedient. He could easily perceive the utility of an armed peafantry in the Black Foreft, on the banks of the Neckar, in the defiles of the Tyrol, or other parts of the Continent, where not only the face of the territory, but the habits of the people were extremely different from thofe of this nation. In those countries the peafantry were inured to arms from their infancy; but in this, there were any who did not know the butt end of a mufket from its muzzle. The hon. Gentleman (Mr. Fox) had argued much against the declaration of the prerogative contained in the general defence bill; but it was astonishing that, entertaining fuch opinions, he fhould have remained filent when the bill was introduced. The hon. Gentleman then heard him ftate the grounds of that claufe to which he now objected; heard him quote precedents in fupport of the exercife of the prerogative, and yet fuffered the bill to pafs pafs through the Houfe without making the fmalleft obfervation on the clause in question. He could not avoid alfo expreffing his aftonishment to learn the opinion which had been given on this fubje&t by another high authority, especially when he recollected the perfon to whom he alluded had, in his official situation, once intended to enforce a fimilar principle with regard to his own county. With refpect to the blame imputed to Minifters, for not preparing general rules for the volunteer corps, he reminded the Houfe that it feemed, laft feffion, to be a general opinion, that no rules ought to be, in the first inftance, laid down for the volunteers, and that it was, by almost every one who spoke on the fubject, thought to be more advisable to wait and fee how the fyftem would work, before any attempt was made to form permanent regulations. But inftead of loofe and indifcriminate cenfure, why did not Gentlemen before now fubmit to the House the plans they confidered preferable to thofe brought forward by his Majefty's Minifters? At fo late a period of the feffion, after the bill for confolidating and amending the various acts relative to the volunteer force had paffed through both Houfes of Parliament, and would probably foon receive the royal affent, it was very remarkable that fo extraordinary a meafure as going into a Committee of the whole House, to examine that and the other acts paffed for the defence of the country, thould be propofed. Gentlemen were fully justified in calling for accounts of the military force of the country, when they doubted the statements made by his Majesty's Minifters; but he did not fuppofe that any Gentleman would think it proper to call for the diftribution of that force, the publication of which might prove pernicious to the general interefts of the country. To the production, however, of an account, ftating the general amount of our military force, there was no objection. The statement he had given of that force on a former occafion, would, he was convinced, be found, on comparison, to be correct.-Another ground of cenfure which the hon. Gentleman had stated was, that his Majefty's Minifters had deceived the country with respect to the continuance of peace, and reduced the military force to too low an establishment. This charge was no lefs unfounded than the others which had been brought forward. He could not now repeat the prec fe words he had ufed in moving the army estimates after the peace: but it must be recollected, he then ftated, that in order to afford any chance of rendering the peace lafting, it would be neceffary to maintain a very VOL. II. 1803-4. 4 F large large peace establishment. The diminution of the infantry which then took place, was in the finalleft poffible proportion; it confifted only of two regiments, which had been enlifted for a limited fervice, and the fame principle for discharging as few as poffible, was adhered to in reducing the militia. It was next added, why did not his Majesty's Minifters take measures to keep up the volunteer force during he peace? Surely it could not be forgotten that he had brought in a bill for that purpofe after the peace. In point of fact, in confequence of that bill, nearly the whole of the yeomanry cavalry, amounting to about 10,000, and fome of the best volunteer corps in towns, were maintained entire. With regard to the ifficulty of recruiting the army at the recommencement of hoftilities, that was not at all furprifing, when it was confidered how much the men who were difbanded at the end of the peace must have been fatigued by the continuance of the laft war. The fame difficulty was felt in recruiting for the marines. The right honourable Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) had defcribed himself as the parent of the army of referve, and other measures taken for the defence of the country. If that was the fact, he was ready to admit that these measures had come from a very illuftrious fource. Doubtlefs fome ideas in the measures aliuded to had been fuggefted by the hon. Gentleman; but with regard to the army of referve act, he must ftate, that the plan of it came from a different quarter: it was firft fubmitted to his Majefty's Minifters by a highly refpectable general officer. The right hon. Gentleman had contended, that the fufpenfion of the army of reserve act was an impolitic measure, and that was a queftion which the House would have other opportunities of difcuffing. All the reafoning of the right hon. Gentleman, however, tended to fhew the neceffity of rendering the army of referve a permanent measure, but the queftion on Wednesday would not be, whether it fhould be permanent or not, but merely whether it fhould not experience a temporary fufpenfion, in order to facilitate the raifing a new levy of regular troops? When the fubject came to be regularly difcuffed, he hoped he should be able to fhew, that by fufpending the operation of this a for twelve months, it would be easy to raise 18 or 20 battalions of regular infantry. But it was afked, how could any one expect to raise men at a bounty of 10l. for the army, when at prefent they got 30 and 50l. for the militia? All he could fay on this point was, that the beft informed mili tary |