a refolution adopted, as he conceived that this reciprocity of fervice was effential to the completion of the legislative union. He was free to confefs that he was one of those who thought that measure highly eligible for the interefts of both counies; but in giving his vote in favour of it he looked forward to a perfect union of interefts, of objects, and of strength. In withing the two countries to be united, he was defirous to fee all divifion of interests deftroyed, and if any thing could weaken his hopes of having thefe expectations fulfilled, it would be the refolutions to which he had alluded. He was the more furprifed that confiderations of convenience, or inconvenience, thould have led to these refolutions, when he reflected that thofe Noblemen and Gentlemen by whom they were paffed poffeffed a deep and important intereft in the profperity and happiness of Ireland. He hoped that these refolutions would not be adhered to, and he was the more emboldened in entertaining this hope from the laft of the refolutions, which feemed to intimate that though those who figned the refolutions would not confent to any measure of reciprocal fervice introduced in an irregular way, they would not object to it when regularly fubmitted to the confideration of Parliament, and if Parliament thould agree to any act fanctioning fuch an arrangement. He had already stated to the Houfe the grounds of the vote of the preceding night on a another bill, and if no proportion of the Englith militia was to be exchanged for the militia who had volunteered their fervices to this country, he thould on a future ftage of the fame bill feel himself perfectly at liberty to refift its ulterior progrefs. It was admitted on all hands that Ireland was exposed to peril; and many Members admitted that this peril was imminent in the greatest degree. If any part of the force of that part of the united empire was to be withdrawn, it surely did-' not require much argument to fhew that an equal number of troops, of equal difcipline and efficiency, thould be afforded. The remnant of the army of referve could not furnish an equivalent, fuch as Ireland had a right to expect for the exchange of a confiderable body of troops acknowledged on all hands to be efficient in every part of military difcipline. But further, Members would keep in view, that while it was propofed to fupply the deficiency created by withdrawing a certain number of troops, to raise an additional number of ten thousand militia, a large proportion of new regular levies were to be procured from the fame market. He could not view this in any other light than as an attempt to trifle with

the

the feelings and temper of the people of Ireland; and, therefore, unless an adequate return was to be made, he should not only feel it his duty to oppose the prefent bill, but to revoke the vote which he had given in favour of another bill connected with this general subject, in a future stage.

General Maitland thought that an hon. Officer who began the difcuffion, and an hon. Baronet who fpoke laft but two, had entered on the confideration of many points which were totally unconnected with the real queftion before the House. He did not deny their right to allude to thefe points, but contended that the confideration of them would, confiftently with prudence, have been much better deferred to a future opportunity. A great deal had been said about the inefficiency of our regular army: for his own part he perfectly agreed with an hon. Baronet who had fpoken lately (Sir W. Erfkine), that those who were fo loud in their objections against the Minifters, for not raifing the army beyond what it now was, were bound in confiftency to point out fome plan by which these deficiencies might be fupplied. Till they did fubmit fuch a plan, he really could not fee what right they had to infer that Minifters had not made every poffible exertion for this purpofe. When Gentlemen talked fo much of the fmall number of our difpofable force, they ought to keep in view the means by which any Administration, with the most strenuous exertions, were able to increase its numbers and efficiency. It was to be confidered that the proportion of the population of the country at this moment amenable to actual service was not confiderable; that there were circumstances in our general fituation which were hoftile to the augmentation of our regular regiments; that the progrefs of wealth and the application of productive labour muft indifpofe the lower orders from entering into a military life. This was an argument which it was very fair to urge, with refpect to any fuppofed deficiencies in our regular force at the prefent moment. But it was nothing more than just to look at what had been done in former times, and under former Administrations, to increase the regular force of the country. In taking this review, he had no intention to criminate former Ministers for any improper want of vigilance and exertion. But, comparing the exertions made by the late Adminiftration, at the commencement of the late war, when the augmentation of the difpofable force was the great object in view, with what had been done by his Majesty's prefent fervants, he had no hesitation in saying, that the objections urged against the pre

fent

fent deficiency of our difpofable force were altogether unfa tisfactory and inconclufive. In making this observation, he begged to say that he alluded not merely to the number of additional men procured, but to the quality and component parts of our regular army. It would not be denied that, in many of the regiments compofing the army of referve, the quality of the men was not so good as could be defired; but at the fame time he could not by any means coincide in the general cenfure paffed on the army of referve by his hon. Friend who opened the difcuffion. If he had inquired a little. more accurately into the subject, he would have found that the inferiority of the prefent regiments of the army of referve arofe out of arrangements which did his Royal Highness the Commander in Chief the highest honour and credit. The fact was, that his Royal Highnefs had felected out of the general aggregate of the men raised for the army of referve about twenty-two thoufand men, to be incorporated with fecond hattalions of old regiments. Of the men fo selected, he wifhed the hon. Officer and the Houfe at large to understand, that a finer body of men never was incorporated with the regular army either of this or any country in modern Europe. It was true there were 16 regiments of the army of reserve, the troops of which were of an inferior quality. But the whole number of fuch troops, according to the latest returns, was not much above fix thousand men. It was to be confidered alfo, that fuch inconveniencies could not be avoided by any poffible arrangement for the management of the recruiting fervice. He could ftate feveral inftances of a fimilar deficiency under former Administrations; and while he adverted to them, he meant no charge of criminal negligence. His only view in referring to them was, to fhew that the existence of deficiencies was no proof of want of vigilance or activity : during the late war the nominal amount of regiments of the line was a hundred and fixty, but the pofitive amount of our regular force did not exceed ninety-four thoufand. In confequence of the existence of this deficiency, his Royal Highnefs the Commander in Chief determined on a confolidation of the regiments particularly deficient in their complement of numbers. The mode in which this arrangement was to be carried into effect, confifted in the confolidation of no less than fifty-three regiments, fo that the whole number of regiments was reduced to one hundred and fix. What was the consequence of this confolidation? Out of the fifty three regiments confolidated, which ought to have amounted to thirty

three

three thousand men, the whole efficient numbers were not greater than feven thoufand five hundred. In ftating these facts, he did not blame the Government, but only to fhew that if, out of fo great a proportion of regiments, the trash and drofs bore fo large à proportion, it was neither fair nor juft to attach blame to Ministers for their conduct of the military fupplies of the country. It would not be denied, that the augmentation of our difpofable force was an object highly defirable; but the only plan which at all feemed to him to come up to the idea of many of thofe Gentlemen, who were moft decided in their oppofition to Minifters, would be a plan founded in the utter annihilation of the trade, of the wealth, of the industry of the empire. Thefe obfervations he had thought it his duty to adduce generally, as to the objections. advanced againft the prefent military fyftem. Adverting more particularly to the meafure immediately before the House, he had to state, that many of the objections against the acceptance of the offers of the Irish militia regiments, and the augmentation of that fpecies of national force, pro ceeded on a complete mifapprehenfion. It was urged against the acceptance of thefe offers, that deliberative powers were inconfiftent with the establishment of a regular army. The general truth of the pofition he did not mean to deny, but he certainly felt it his duty to controvert the application which had been attached to it. It was true in the theory of an army, that deliberative powers were excluded. The officers and men were theoretically excluded from the right either of acting or thinking in their military capacity, beyond what the Commander in Chief thought proper to allow. In particular circumstances of practice, this theory was never attempted to be carried into effect. He might inftance. many a cafe where this was the practice of the army, but one or two ftriking examples would be amply fufficient for his argument. It was in the moment of the most imminent danger, that the theoretical part of the conftitution of a regular army was neceffarily fufpended. When it was determined that a particular place thould be carried by storm, it was theoretically above all things neceffary, that all deliberaiive powers in an army thould ceafe. But this was the very crifis when, according to the practice of all regular armies, the power of voluntary determination was allowed. The fame thing took place as to the body of the army to be employed in the works at a fiege. The hon. General proceeded VOL. II. 1803-4.

31

10

to allude next to fome arguments calculated to fhew the deficiency of our military eftablishment in the Eaft and Weft Indies. As to the prefent fituation of St. Domingo, he took on himself to affert, that the number of British troops to bekept up in the Weft Indies, ought to be less than at any former period. He could hardly conceive it poffible to argue, that with relation to other objects in the West Indies, our force was at all inadequate to the accomplishment of every British purpose. The Houfe were aware of the advantage gained in that quarter of the world fince the commencement of the war, and he would put it fairly to the candour of any hon. Member, whether advantages of fo important a nature had ever been gained within the fame period. An hon. Baronet (Sir J. Wrottefley) had taken notice of the capture of a small fettlement on the coaft of Africa. He was willing to admit, on the authority of the hon. Baronet, for he knew nothing of the matter from any other quarter, that fuck an advantage had been gained by the enemy, but what did this at all prove as to the general means of our defence both with refped to this country and our foreign poffeffions? Nothing was more eafy than to account for this partial advantage of the enemy. It arofe folely from this plain circumstance, which was common in every war, that our fettlements on the coast of Africa were the leaft valuable of our poffeffions, and occupying the smallest degree of attention, were the moft likely to fall into the hands of the enemy, however inconfiderable the force by which they were attacked. The hon. Gentleman next referred to the fituation of our affairs in India. He was utterly at a loss to conceive on what poffible ground a charge of the infufficiency of our force in India could be brought forward. He needed not to enlarge on the brilliant and important victories obtained by the gallantry of our forces in that quarter of the world. When, however, he ftated what a fmall proportion of European troops were engaged in these fervices, the Houfe muft fee that the noble Lord at the head of our Eaftern dominions had taken no ftep which could at all endanger their fecurity. He had to ftate then, according to the most recent accounts which had reached him, that in all the brilliant engagements which had taken place on the continent of India, not more than five thousand out of twentytwo thousand European troops in our pay had, in any instance, been engaged. He appealed to the Houfe whether there could be a more conclufive proof that any objection

against