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him to be a violent and unjuft meafure, acting upon a clafs of perfons who contributed confiderably towards the fupport of the ftate. He concluded with obferving, that he fhould oppose some parts of the plan when it came before the houfe in detail.

The chancellor of the exchequer replied to the arguments made ufe of by Mr. Sheridan and Mr. Fox. He was fupported in his propofition by Sir William Pulteney, Mr. Elford, and by Mr. ferjeant Adair; he was oppofed by Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Fox, and by Mr. Curwen.

The first refolution was agreed to: the second refolution refpecting the augmentation of the militia was alfo agreed to, and a bill order ed to be prepared and brought in for that purpose. The third refolution for railing a provifional force of cavalry was alfo ordered to be thrown into the form of a bill and introduced into the house.

This measure came again before the commons on the 25th of October, when the bill for raifing a certain number of men in the feveral counties of the kingdom for the fervice of the army and navy, paffed a committee of the whole houfe, and was ordered to be print. ed.

The bill for encreafing the militia, &c. for the defence of the kingdom, was read a fecond time, and ordered to be committed to a committee of the whole houfe immediately. Mr. Rofe moved, that it be an instruction to the committee that they might have power to make provifion in the bill for enrolling in the militia all perfons who were game-keepers. He obferved alfo, that it was propofed, that all perfons who had deputations for keeping game fhould be enrolled in cafe of neceffity, unless they

fhould at a given day give up their deputations; but they thould not be called upon unless the militia fhould be embodied. He then brought up a claufe refpecting game-keepers. He faid it was meant to affect only game-keepers who were really and actually ferving as fuch; for that gentlemen taking out their licence to fport, fhould have power to find a fubftitute, to be approved of by the lord lieutenant. The claufe propofed by Mr. Rofe was then read, and made part of the bill, which then paffed the committee.

On the 31st of October, upon a motion for re-committing the militia bill, a debate of confiderable length took place, when Mr. Curwen oppofed it with great strength... of argument and elegance of expreffion. He regarded the measure then before the house as a scheme to perpetuate that fyftem of delufion which adminiftration had fo fuccefsfully practifed for their own purposes of innovation and oppreffion. It feemed ftrange that fuch fteps fhould be propofed at the moment a negotiation was on foot, the favourable termination of which he hoped nothing would occur on the part of this country to obstruct. He was convinced that the exertions which the country was then called upon to make, were defigned by minifters for other purposes than thofe they had avowed. The ftate of the continent was certainly not fo alarming as it had been at fome former periods, and our navy was reprefented in his majesty's fpeech as having blocked up the enemy's fleets in their own ports for a confiderable part of the year. Upon what then did our fears of invafion rest?

The chancellor of the exchequer contended, that every member of that houfe muft feel a difpofition

to act upon that pledge which they had fo folemnly given on a former night in the addrefs, to neglect no measure to repel the danger to which the country was expofed from the threatened invafion. The members had been told by thofe in a refponfible fituation, that minifters knew enough from intelligence to which they gave credit, to render it neceflary for them to apprize the country of its danger, and to call upon it to exert its means of defence.

Mr. Fox and fir James Pulteney fpoke against the bill. The former gentleman obferved, that there was room to doubt the affertions of minifters upon that occafion, becaufe there had been no ground for the original alarm which they had raifed in 1792. The chancellor of the exchequer rofe again and obferved, that if the house agreed to the measure by adopting the prefent bill, he thought not a moment fhould be loft, but that this and the other bills fhould be paffed as speedily as poffible. For this purpose he propofed to pafs them merely in the outline, with a claufe in each, empowering the houfe to amend any part or parts of them at any time during the prefent feffion. He faid a few words at the fame time on the bill for embodying gamekeepers, which had been much misunderstood. It had been fuppofed that they were to be embodied and called out to be trained as the other parts of the militia were; but the cafe was otherwife, for, as they were already very ex. pert at the ufe of the firelock, there would be no occafion to call them out till an invafion fhould actually take place, when they would be found a very useful body of men.

On the ift of November, on the report of the fupplementary militia

bill, feveral amendments were propofed and adopted. The chancellor of the exchequer, upon this occafion, introduced a claufe to exempt perfons belonging to the artillery company and the cinqueport corps from the operation of the bill, together with feveral other affociated corps.

On the claufe propofing that the operation of the bill fhould continue during the war, and three months after, Mr. Sheridan obferved, that it was probable that the war might fill be protracted long after any alarm of invafion had ceafed. This bill was only intended to fecure the country from the dangers of invafion. He therefore proposed, that the bill fhould continue only two months in force after the meeting of the next feffion of parliament. To this Mr. Pitt replied, that when once the men had been trained for twenty days, the hardships with refpect to them ceafed; it could therefore be no inconvenience to retain them on the footing propofed by the bills. To keep them, when once balloted, in readiness to be called out in case of emergency during the war, might be a fource of additional ftrength and confidence to the country. The amendment of one month after the war was adopted.

Mr. Sheridan proposed an amendment in the bill, for the purpose of doing away a diftinction in confequence of a difference of religion. In the oath taken by those who ferved in the militia, they were required to fear that they were proteftants. This was an exclufion of Roman catholics, inconfiftent with the liberality of the age. We ought to recollect how many of that description were in Ireland, whom it was policy in minifters to conciliate. He then moved an amend

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it purpose; but he was by the speaker that it was teto introduce an amendhat that he would have an ity on the third reading. as ordered to be read a me the next day, if engroffed, dingly, on the 2d of NovemIt was brought up; and the ellor of the exchequer moved aufe to allow a provifion to be rd, at the discretion of the matrates, for the families of thofe no ferved under this bill, for the wenty days during which they were called out to be difciplined. After fome difcuffion upon an amendment propofed by Sir William Young, which was nege ived, that of Mr. Pitt was adopted, which, together with one or two more al terations, were included in a rider, which was annexed to the bill, and the bill, in its amended state, fent to the lords for their concurrence.

As the bill, however, after it had led, was found not capable of beng understood, fo as to be carried into execution, on the 13th of December Mr Pitt gain moved, "That leave be given to explain and amend the fermentary militia bill." Mr. Fox faid, that inftead of " exphin and antend," he should move to have inferted the word "repeal." He conceived the bill to be fo objectionable, that he had no difficulty in faying, that it would be wafting the time of the house to enter into a detail upon the fubject. He appealed to the houfe, whether, after what they had heard of what took place in Northamptonshire, and various other places, they were not convinced it was a meature which had excited a general difcontent in the country. He concluded with moving the repeal, and was feconded by Mr. M. A. Taylor. General Tarleton faid, that the fituation of

the country was then very different from what it had been fome months before; that the defeats which the French had received had deranged every plan of invafion. The real mode of fecuring the country was to render the people contented, happy and free, inftead of haraffing them with unneceffary burdens. Sir William Pulteney and fir William Geary spoke in favour of Mr. Pitt's motion; and that of Mr. Fox was negatived without a divifion. On the 22d of December the report of the amended bill was taken into further confideration by the house, and the different amendments agreed to. Mr. Wilberforce brought up a fimilar claufe to that which Mr. Sheridan had propofed in the original bill, namely, that the words "[ fwear that I am a proteftant," should be erafed from the form of oaths administered to those who should be balloted to ferve in the fupplementary militia. This claufe was then read and made part of the bill, which was read a third time the following day.

On the ft of November the chancellor of the exchequer rofe, for the purpofe of fuggefting, be fore the order of the day for going into a committee on the cavalry bill was read, that it might be convenient to difcufs feparately the two queftions that arofe on this bill, namely, on the raifing of the cavalry in general, and on the claufe for embodying the game-keepers. Though he had by no means relinquifhed either of those objects, yet, as they might be oppofed, and as they were not in their effence necellarily connected, it might poffibly anfwer the purpofe of conve nience to divide them. Therefore, after the order of the day for the recommitment had been read, he moved, "That it be an inftruction

to the committee to divide the confideration of the bill into two feparate parts, if they fhould think proper." The cavalry bill then patled through the committee. The chancellor of the exchequer faid, that it having been the fenfe of the committee, that that part of the bill relating to game-keepers fhould be formed into a feparate bill, he fhould then move for leave to bring it in, and he hoped there would be no objection to its being read a first and fecond time, and committed the next day. Leave was given to prepare and bring in the fame.

On the 3d of November, when the report of the cavalry bill was brought up and the first part of it read, general Tarleton faid, that he was decidedly against the meafure. He enter d into an historical detail of the conduct of our ancestors upon fimilar occafions, and compared their measures with thofe which were now intended. He noticed the preparations which were made when the nation was menaced in the years 1688, 1715, 1718, 1743, 1756, and 1759. He defired the houfe to look to the fituation of the country in 1796. At the prefent moment there were 100,000 men in arms well affected to their country, and a navy equal to our utmost naval ftrength at any period in the annals of England. He gave his opinion refpecting the danger of invafion; there were three points on the coaft of France from whence a defcent might be made; from Dunkirk to Breft there was no opportunity of collecting troops, and the coaft was unfavourable. From Breit to the western coafts, the fituation was advantageous for a defcent upon Ireland, or an expedition against our poffeffions in the Weft Indies, but was not calculated for an invasion of England. From Dunkirk to the Texel there were

great conveniences for the collect→ ing and embarkation of troops, e= fpecially fince Holland had become the ally of France; but, inftead of pouring troops into this quarter, the troops in Holland, formerly under Bournonville, had been detached to re-inforce their different armies, fo that any apprehenfion of invafion, from a proper confideration of the circumftances, would be in a great measure done away.

Mr. Fox urged the fame arguments against the cavalry bill as he had done against the supplementary militia bill. He contended, that minifters might expend millions after millions in preparing against threats, which were never intended to be executed; and should the enemy difcover this to be their difpofition, they might complete our ruin without much danger or expence to themselves. Mr. Sheridan joined with Mr. Fox in the fame train of argument which had been made ufe of before. They were opposed on the minifterial fide by Mr. Ryder and Mr. Wilberforce, who contended for the neceffity of the meafure.

The houfe divided on the queftion, Ayes (for receiving the report) 104 Noes (againft it)

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The report and amendments being agreed to, the bill was ordered to be read a third time the next day. On the 4th of November Mr. Biddulph proposed a rider to be added to the bill; but his claufe was negatived, and one propofed by the chancellor of the exchequer was adopted. The bill was then paffed.

The game-keepers' bill, which at firft was a part of the cavalry bill, was brought into the commons by Mr. Pitt on the 2d of November, and went, in substance, to enable his majefty to require the perfonal fervice of 15,000 men, of

the

the defcription therein mentioned. Mr. Sheridan objected wholly to the principle of the bill, as being one totally unknown to the conftitution of the country, and of the most dangerous tendency. It was ordered to be printed and read a fecond time the next day. But on the 2d of December, the chancellor of the exchequer faid he did not mean to trouble the houfe further with this bill at prefent; and it was therefore poftponed for fix months. The army and navy augmentation bill, another branch of the minifter's plan, was taken into confideration by a committee of the whole houfe on the 3d of November, and was afterwards divided into two bills. It was propofed in them, among other things, that the number of men to be raifed fhould be for the navy 6,000, for the army 9,000. On the next day, when the report was brought up, fome claufes were propofed by the lord advocate of Scotland. Mr. Frafer faid, he wished that fome principle of proportion fhould be adopted, that the burden might fall fairly upon the refpective counties. The quotas bore no proportion to the land-tax and the population of the counties. Sir John Sinclair had made statistical accounts of nine-tenths of the parishes of Scotland; and from thofe it appeared, that the general population of that kingdom had increased 300,000. He wifhed a claufe to be introduced relative to the Highlanders, a brave, hardy, and ferviceable race, who were much attached to their chiefs, and would therefore be much hurt in being forced to ferve under other commanders; hence he wished a provifion might be made for permitting them to ferve under their particular chieftains. The lord advocate of Scotland thought it would be almoft

impoffible to make a legiflative provifion to that purpose, but was affured that his majefty's fervants would grant every poffible indulgence.

The bill was then read a third time and paffed, and then ordered to be carried to the lords by the fecretary at war.

On the 13th of December, the chancellor of the exchequer moved for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the cavalry a&; leave was given, and the bill brought in accordingly.

Thefe bills for augmenting the internal force of the kingdom were refpectively carried up to the house of lords, where the difcuffions upon them were neither long nor interefting.

On the 2d of November the fupplementary militia bill was brought from the commons and read a first time; and on the 8th of the fame month it was read a third time and paffed, and a meffage was fent to the commons to acquaint them therewith. On the fame day the cavalry bill was read a fecond time, and the bill for raifing a certain number of men for the fervice of the army and navy of England, and the bill for raifing men for the like fervice in Scotland, went through a committee of the whole houfe, lord Walfingham in the chair.

The upper houfe made fome amendments in the fupplementary militia bill, which were agreed to by the commons on the 29th of December.

On the 30th of December the royal affent was given by commiffion to the county quota, provifional cavalry, and militia augmentation explanatory bills. Near the end of the feffion a bill was introduced for allowing Roman catholics, and proteftant diffenters, to

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