CHAP. V. The insatiable Ambition and insidious Policy of France.-No Alterna. tive for Britain between Resistance and Submission.-The first Attentions of the Legislature called to the State of the Army and Navy-Ordnance Estimates moved in the House of Commons, by Mr. Calcraft.-Resolutions moved thereon---agreed to.-Motions by Lord Castlereagh, for Returns of the Effective State of our Military Establishment agreed to.- Army Estimates.Number and Disposition of the Volunteers.-Result of the Altera. tion that had been made in the Recruiting System -Observations by Lord Castlereagh on the Statements that had been laid before the House by the Secretary at War.- Reply to Lord Castlereagh, by Mr. Windham.-New System for Recruiting the Army vindicated.-Strictures on that System by Mr Perceval.---Mr. Perceval answered, and the New System defended by Lord Howick-Re. marks by Sir James Pulteney.-Speech of Sir John Doyle.-Observations by Mr. Johnstone-Mr. Rose and Mr. Thornton.---The New System defended by Lod H. Petty-The Resolutious agreed to.-Navy Estimates moved by Mr. Thomas Grenville.-- New Arrangement proposed for a clear Statement of the Naval Estimates in future-Resolutions moved by Mr. Grenville agreed to.Sums for Miscellaneous Services moved by Mr. Vansittart- Imong these a Sum in Addition to what had been granted before to the Roman-Catholic College at Maynooth-Which gives rise to animated Conversations on this Subject:-The Speakers; Mr. Perceval-Mr. Banks-Lord Stanley-Sir John Newport - Mr. Grattan-Lord Mahon-Mr. Wilberforce--and Lord Howick.---All the Resolutions moved by Mr. Vansittart, agreed to. N EVER was the British parlia. ment more unanimous upon any question than that the crown was to be supported in the prosecution of the war against France, with the whole energy and resources of the nation. The insatiable ambition as well as the insidious policy of the French government, though abundantly ap. parent, had never been seen before in so clear and striking a light. Buonaparte had lately stated, that he would not conduct the present * ate any of the countries of which he might have taken possession, un, less Great Britain should relinquish her maritime conquests. We had therefore no alternative between resistance and submission. The honour of the country was at all ha. zards to be maintained and vindicated, or, having lost its honour, it must lose its power, and sink lower and lower in the scale of nations. The first regards, therefore, of the legislature, were demanded by the war as he had done those in which state of our army and navy, and of he had been before engaged. He had declared that he would not leave the shores of the Baltic, nor eyacu. our finances by which these were to be maintained and re-inforced. On the 7th of January the house of of commons having resolved itself into a committee of supply, Mr. Calcraft moved, that the estimate of the charge of the office of ordnance, for Great Britain and Ireland, for the year 1807, be referred to the said committee. He had great sa tisfaction in being enabled to inform the committee, that there was a considerable reduction in the estimates he had now to submit to them, com. pared with those of the former years: which reduction, he candidly stated, was to be imputed, not to the board of ordnance, but to the adequate supplies of former years, which, in facilitating the progress of the public works, had lessened the grants of money necessary to support them. If the board of ordnance had any claim to merit, it was for the uniform zeal with which the board had re. sisted all the expensive projects that had been submitted to them, and consulted on all occasions the utmost economy that was practicable. The principal reductions were owing to the completion of those great works in Kent, and on the coast of Sussex, which, while erecting, were pro. ductive of an expence of no inconsiderable magnitude. The sum now required would be found to be £600,000. less than that voted last year; and this, too, notwithstanding the increase of 1,400 men in one battalion of foot artillery; the increased expence of the establish ments of engineers; and the augmentation of pay granted to the artillery, by his majesty. This threefold addition to our expenditures, would amount to £150,000: so that, had there not been a reducfion of £600,000. the increase now required would be £750,000. In the ordnance estimates for Ireland, the diminution would be found to be in the same proportion, and owing to the same cause. Next year the reduction would be still greater, as the lines of Chatham, and the great works carrying on at and on the coast, would by that time be com pleted. Mr. Calcraft then moved. 1. That a sum not exceeding 2,278,1977. US. 10d. be granted to his majesty, for the charge of the office of ordnance for the land-service for Great Bri tain, for the year 1807.-2. That 479.2167. 198. 7d. be granted to his majesty, for the charge of the office of ordnance in Ireland, for the year 1807.-3. That 301,406 9s. 8d. be granted to his majesty, for defraying the expence of services performed by the office of ordnance, for land. service for Great Britain, and not provided for by parliament in the year 1805.---4. That 262,3651. 14s. 2d. be granted to his majesty, for defraying the expence of services performed by the office of ordnance for land-service, for Great Britain, and not provided for by parliament in the year 1806. These resolutions were reported next day, and agreed to. January 12.-Lord Castlereagh moved for returns of the present effective state of our military esta blishment. The first point on which he thought it necessary to call for information, was, the actual state of the army, regulars and militia. His first motion, therefore, would be, for a return of the present effective strength of the regular army, the militia, and the artillery, up to the latest period when returns had been made, and at the end of every month from the 1st of March 1806, inclusive. By this return, the house would be enabled to judge how far the army had undergone any in. crease, or diminution of its effective strength strength within that period. The next point on which he proposed to move for information, respected the sources from which the supply for keeping up the strength of the army was derived. The two motions which he meant to bring forward on these heads, would put the house in possession of full information re. specting the general state of the army, and the means at present existing, for keeping it up to its proper establishment. His further motions related to branches of our military force, that were collateral with the regular army, and calculated to support it and keep it up: he meant the volunteers; and that other branch which had engaged so much of the attention of the house during last session, when the General Training bill was under discussion...And, if the papers should not prove, that the state of the army was more satisfactory, than, from the information he had been enabled to receive, he was disposed to believe it, he should never consent to a renewal of that fundamental change in the Mutiny act, which the right honourable se cretary at war had introduced into it last session. Lord Castlereagh then moved, 1. That there be laid before the house, monthly returns of the amount of the effective strength of his majesty's regular troops and militia, from the 1st of March 1806, to the 1st of Ja nuary 1807; distinguishing cavalry, foot guards, infantry of the line, garrison and veteran battalions, foreign and local corps, German legion, West-India corps, British and Irish militia; and distinguishing those serving abroad, from those serving at home. 2. A similar return of the effective strength of the artillery for the same period; distin. guishing those serving abroad, from those serving at home. 3. A return of the men raised monthly for the regular army, from the month of January 1805, to the first of January 1807, exclusive of foreign or colonial levies, and distinguishing those raised by the Additional Force act, by the regular recruiting, and those that were enlisted from the militia. 4. Copies of all orders or regulations that had been issued since the last session of parliament, respecting the recruiting of the regular army. 5. An abstract of the effective strength of the volunteers on the 1st of January 1806, distinguish. ing infantry and cavalry: also a like return at the latest period when any return had been, specifying within what period such return had been made. 6. An abstract of such instructions as had been issued, by his majesty's command, to the lieutenants of counties; and of such proceedings as had been taken there. on in execution of the act of last session of parliament, for the general training of the population of the country. Mr. Windham confessed a diffi. culty in stating the amount of black troops employed in the West Indies. But, as they were not the only corps employed, the objection did not appear to him to be very material, and therefore he should not press it, Lord Castlereagh con. sented to have the black West-India regiments thrown into the gross amount of the foreign local troops. The motions were then agreed to. January 14. The secretary at war presented to the house of commons the army estimates for the present year, and a copy of the warrant for fixing certain allowances and pensions in pursuance of the act, 46 of Mr. Windham said, that the difference between these and the estimates of last year, was on the whole but small; being in number of men, only 5284, and in point of charge, £9,176.---On the whole view of the estimate, after an examination of it in detail, Mr. Windham congratu. lated the country, on an augmenta. tion of the number of forces, and a decrease of the expence of the esta blishment, of £150,000. In 1806, when the present ministers had first come into office, if they had proceeded on the system before acted upon, without any reformation, the total charge of the number of forces thus augmented, would have amount. ed to no less than 14,800,000l.---On the subject of the general training of the population of the country, Mr. Windham stated, that the returns had been made, and that every thing was ready for carrying it into execution whenever his majesty's ministers should think fit. As to the volunteers, the gloomy apprehensions that had been formed of the entire dissolution of that respectable body, in consequence of the reductions made, in the last session, in its expenditure, had been completely falsified in the event. During the agitations of the public mind, and of the volunteers, which had been produced by misrepre. sentation and studious irritation, while the subject was under discus sion, some symptoms of disinclina. tion to farther service might have appeared. But on better information, and better consideration, those ill-advised and inconsiderate discontents had subsided; and the same order of men, formed for the defence of the country, remained, in point of numbers, without any material de falcation. At the present moment, the apprehensions of invasion, that had called forth and stimulated the volunteers, had subsided; and some relaxation of activity might have been the consequence. But there was not a doubt, that this highly estima. ble class of the public force would again display their characteristic spirit and zeal, if a renewal of the enemy's menaces should call for a similar energy and ardour...On this tes timony to the merit of the volunteers from Mr. Windham, there was a great cry from the opposition side of the house, of hear! hear! which was as much as to say, that this testimony was not to have been expected from him. Mr. Windham therefore, in reply to this insinuation, said, that the present ministers had never found fault with the volunteers themselves, but only with the manner in which the honourable gentlemen opposite, had organized them. Never had the present ministers been guilty of uttering any charge against the volunteers so disrespectful as that which had been brought, and most pertinaciously maintained, by the honourable gentleman opposite; that the volunteers would disband them. selves, if any reduction should be made of their pay or allowances. The whole number that had retired from this cause, was only 11,486. The number that still remained on service, was 363,400. Another point on which Mr. W. thought it necessary on the present occasion, to make a few observa. tions, a point which had undergone more discussion than any other, was the alteration in the system of re. cruiting....It would be remembered by many gentlemen, that so long as twelve years ago, he had urged the propriety of adopting a measure of this kind for the amelioration of the army; |