preparations for a ftate of hoftility. That knowledge the right hon. Gentleman, to be fure, fludiously concealed from Parliament, and, therefore, the hon. Gentleman upon the oppofite bench was, with many others, incompetent to form any opinion of the impending danger; but not fo his Majefty's Minifters, who had yet neglected to provide against it. They who, by a manifefto fince published to the world, explained that there were grounds almost from immediately after the conclufion of the peace to complain of the conduct and to fufpect the intentions of Bonaparte, had yet omitted to devife measures to counteract his designs, and to put the country in a state fitted for the description of hoftility to be apprehended. In this ftate the country is not, in point of fact, even now placed; and this forms one of my reafons for concurring in the motion before the House, because, as they who thought the peace not likely to continue, did not prepare for war, and who, fince the war has commenced, have not preferved that course of vigorous exertion which the fituation of the empire calls for, they are not those in whom I would confide for the establishment of our fecurity. Minifters forefaw the war, and yet they did not attempt to ballot for the militia, as they fhould have done, during the peace. They fhould have availed themselves of that period, when they muft, according to their own confeffions fince fo repeatedly made, have contemplated war as fomething more than probable, to fet every means in motion of defending the country against invafion. The obfervations they were enabled to make, at the clofe of the last war, of the plans and purpose of Bonaparte, were fufficient to affure them that his first notion was an invafion of this country, which the short period that elapfed between the establishment of peace upon the Continent and the conclufion of the treaty of Amiens did not qualify him to attempt; but the progress of his then preparations ferved to fhew that his refolution was not to make defultory attacks upon us, but to do that which he has fince accomplished, viz. to collect a large force upon some part of the coaft moft convenient for the purpose of making a descent upon this country. What then are we to think of thofe Minifters who, with fuch an opportunity of obfervation, overlooked renewing the ballot for that important part of our force, the militia, during peace? And how did they act towards the volunteers, on whofe gallantry they now profefs fo much to rely? The Houfe muft have in recollection the letters which Minifters addreffed to that body of men during the peace, which letters were to much calculated rather to

damp

damp than to animate and encourage the zeal of thofe corps.. But this was not all; for, under circumftancès peculiarly aufpicious for the purpose, and with the profpects before them I have already mentioned, they refused to attend to a plan fuggefted to them for providing a certain resource for the recruiting and fupply of our regular army. This plan was founded upon the fame principle as that of the army of referve, with the addition of that which I took occafion lately to lay before the Houfe, and which, if adopted when my opinion was firft urged to Minifters, would have furnished the means of adding to our army, with all poffible expedition, not less than 40 or 50,000 men. This plan has, I admit, - been fince adopted in part; and I fhall certainly feel it my duty to urge the adoption of the whole of it again and again. The Committee propofed by the motion I conceive the most convenient place for entering into the detail of this and other measures for the public defence to no branch of which I perceive with regret have Minifters attended in due time, and to the execution of none of which do they appear to be adequate. Paffing by all the omiffions I complain of during the period of peace; drawing a veil over their conduct on that occafion altogether; and fuppofing the war recommenced as much to the surprise of Minifters as to that of many perfons in this House and the country; fuppofing that they were not at all prepared to expect it, let us only look at their proceedings fince that event, and let us examine how far their measures have been fo contrived or executed as to justify a hope, much lefs an opinion, of fafety, to be derived from their exertion. The first part of their plan of defence, and that to which they feemed principally to look, related to volunteers. This topic has, I am aware, been already very fully difcuffed, and on that account overlooked by the hon. mover of the propofition before the Houfe; but upon this point I would with to afk of Minifters whether they forefaw, or had even a remote idea, at the commencement of hoftilities, that this defcription of our force would have extended fo far; whether they contemplated that it ever fhould be fo numetous? It was known by thofe who had any knowledge of their fentiments, who had any converfation with Minifters, that they had no fuch intentions, and that, on the contrary, they expreffed their difapprobation of the policy of their predeceffors in allowing the volunteer fyftem to enlarge fo much. This fact I allude to merely to fhew that they are entitled to no praise for the multiplication of the volunteers; and to ftate that the spirit which produced the increafe of that body

arofe

arofe out of the difcuffions of this Houfe; a fpitit which, as Minifters themselves admitted, far outvied their calculation or hopes; and alfo, as it feemed, exceeded their power of direction, for they afterwards thought proper to check and restrain it. So much as to the origin of the volunteer fyftem. But how did Minifters proceed to carry that fyftem into execution? Why, without going much at length into this part of the fubject, which I do not mean to do at present I will merely remark on the cafe of exemptions, which have been much and very justly objected to. The propriety of granting these exemptions I never could fee; certain it is that they were never neceffary; for the volunteers for the most part required no fuch thing in the fhape of encouragement to offer their fervices, and many of them were not at all aware when they did engage that any exemptions were to be granted; on the contrary, it is notorious that they were in feveral diftricts actually fubfcribing a certain fum each to purchase substitutes for any of their body which might be ballotted for the militia. Such was the ftate of the volunteers when the act of Parliament was paffed, with the ftrong recommendation of Minifters, for allowing exemptions, clogged however with fuch conditions that the meafure was not to be well understood. In another part of this act of Minifters, there was fomething ftill lefs intelligible with refpect to a volunteer's right of refignation, upon which Minifters had evinced the most complete want of penetration and forefight. Had they judged wifely, they never would have attempted to difpute this right; for, paradoxical as it may feem, nothing tends more to preferve difcipline among thofe corps than the undifputed exercise of this right; and the reafon is this, that, while a volunteer has the right of leaving a corps, he cannot object to any regulation that may be deemed neceffary by a commanding officer for the promotion of order and difcipline in fuch corps, the private having his choice to fubmit or refign: but as to the act of Minifters, the Attorney Ge neral, for whofe judgment and learning I entertain the moft unfeigned refpect, interpreted the law upon refignations in one way, and the Court of King's Bench in another. Minifters, in this contradiction, thought proper to circulate the opinion of the former as that to be acted upon by the volunteers, although they have fince avowed that they did not agree with that opinion, and that they intended to introduce a declaratory law upon the fubject. This I muft clafs among the moft unaccountable proceedings of

Ministers.

Minifters. As to the volunteer fyftem generally, according to its prefent conftitution, it appears to me to have several radical errors, and principally as to the mode in which the volunteers are diftributed over the face of the country. When they were forming, and particularly when it was determined to limit their numbers, regard fhould have been had to the proportion proper to be affigned to each district. With that view, it would have been right to confider the difference between the inland and maritime counties, which were the more probable points of attack, and which was the most important to preferve. Our great naval arfenals, and thofe places which are most contiguous to our principal manu→ factories, ought of courfe to be the firft objects of Government, in fettling the relative proportion of volunteers which the feveral diftricts fhould be allowed to furnish: allowed I call it, for it was at the difcretion of Government to accept the fervices of many corps which they rejected, and generally without any reference to the confideration of local defence which I have mentioned. When they thought proper to limit the volunteers to fix times the number of the militia, and for what reafon I cannot divine, they put Staffordshire and Derbyshire quite on a par with the maritime counties. No diftinction was made in favour of those diftricts which lie most convenient to the enemy's coaft, and which are most likely to be the first points of attack. Can any man fay that there was any thing like policy in fuch an arrangement, or that indeed there is to be found in any part of the structure or execution of the volunteer fyftem,. fo far as Minifters are concerned, that which can deferve the character of discretion, or the approval of a statefman? There was, in fact, no part of the conduct purfued by Government towards the volunteers which did not form fome ground for complaint, which did not offer fome evidence of wavering and inconfiftency. The House has witneffed the part they took at the close of the laft feffions, when an hon. Gentleman on the other fide (Mr. Sheridan) undertook to panegyrife the zeal and gallantry of the volunteers. When that hon. Gentleman, two days before the feffions clofed, thought proper, and, in the opinion of many intelligent refpectable Members, very prematurely, to move a vote of thanks to the volunteers, he ftated that fuch vote was not only a juft acknowledgment for the patriotism they who were then embodied had ma-' nifefted, but that it would operate to encourage further voluntary offers of fervice. Minifters applauded warmly the motion of the hon. Gentleman, but how did they after

wards

wards act? The hon. Gentleman moved at the fame time, that there fhould be laid before the Houfe, at its meeting after the recess, a lift of fuch new corps as fhould volunteer; but there was another lift which the hon. Gentleman neglected to move for, namely, of all the corps which should be reduced or rejected in the fame interval (a laugh). Had the hon. Gentleman done fo, he would have seen what ufe had been made of his motion, for the first step taken by Minifters almoft immediately after its adoption was, to fufpend the progrefs of that voluntary zeal which the hon. Gentleman, in common with every man who valued the character and fafety of the country, fo much admired. Ministers determined at once, that the volunteers fhould not be increased any further, but that, on the contrary, their numbers fhould be diminished. The notice of this determination was fpeedily circulated among the volunteers, accompanied by the hon. Gentleman's vote of thanks. Thus the volunteers were complimented for that, which Government at the fame time told them they did not with for, they would not accept. There is a word in French, remercier, which literally implies returning thanks for proffered fervices that it is not intended to accept, and this word has clofe analogy to the conduct of Ministers in the communication of the motion of thanks, which they agreed in, in company with the ftrange refolution which I have already mentioned. In regard to the enrolment of volunteer corps, fo far as fuch enrolment is connected with the provifions of the defence act, I must again repeat the complaint I have often made, of the total omiffion of Government to execute the powers vefted in them by that act, and any difficulties that have arifen in the progrefs of the ballot, I do conceive to be attributable to the non-exercise of the power I have referred to. As to the refufal of adequate pecuniary and military aid to the volunteers, I muft obferve that it is amongft the most culpable and inconfiftent part of the conduct of Minifters. Without going minutely into the confequences of fuch conduct, which it would be more convenient to detail in the propofed Committee, I have only at prefent to remark, that whatever difference of opinion may exift hetween my hon. Friend on the lower bench (Mr. Windham) and me with respect to the volunteers, and the practicability of rendering them perfect in military difcipline, there can be no difference between us as to this point, that they ought to be fur