cause they were "fo confiftent with the fpirit of the conftitution, fo blended with our fyftem of jurifprudence, to congenial to the practice of former times, and fo conformable to the letter of former acts, that it was impoffible to make any difcrimination. They had been pailed in a moment of turbulence and alarm, and had been found admirably calculated to meet the emergency of the time. With regard to the affertion, that endeavours for procuring peace had been made only of late; an endeavour depended on a variety of circumftances, fuch as the relative ftate of parties, the number of allies with whom we might be engaged to act, the attention we paid to their interefts, and the concert we wifhed to preferve with them and this truth, he faid, was abundantly fufficient to humble the triumph of the honourable gentleman, who had afferted, that we were at laft come to the period which he had at first pointed out, and were only now adopting those measures, which, had we listened to him, might have been adopted long ago. Might not a period of four years have produced many events to juftily a material change of policy, and to render meafures wife and expedient now, which would not have been fo at another time? As to the queftion of our refources, they furnished a fubject of well grounded confidence. They had nothing in them hollow or delufive; they were the refult of an accumulated capital, increafing capital, high and established credit; the fruits of fair exertion, laudable ingenuity, and fuccefsful industry. They had been produced under a fyftem or order and justice, whilft we had been contending

against a country in every respect the reverfe of the picture: whilft the violence of France had been over-running fo great a portion of Europe, and carrying defolation in its progrefs, we had been enabled, by our naval exertions, to counterbalance their fucceffes, by acquifitions in different parts of the globe, and to preface the way for the reftoration of peace to our allies, on terms, which even their ftrength might have been infufficient to procure.

If, indeed, we caft our eyes over the geographical fituation of the feat of the war, we should certainly be forced to admit, that the emperor had not regained, by his victories, all that he had loft; but did we count for nothing the destruction of thofe armies, by whom all previous fucceffes of the enemy had been achieved? Did we count for nothing the glorious teftimony which had been exhibited to mankind, that difciplined valour finally muft triumph over thofe principles which the war was undertaken to oppose, and which owed all their extraordinary fucceffes, to the violence in which they originated, and the exceles with which they were accompanied? A memorable warning had been afforded, by thofe foreign powers, who, in oppofition to their true interefts, had courted the alliance of that enemy, and expected to find fecurity in difgraceful tranquillity: recent events had ferved alfo to exculpate those who had been calumniated, as defirous to embrace their principles and receive their laws; and in Germany they had left behind them nothing but the memory of wrongs, and the feelings of refentment. Germany had furnished a ftriking inftance of fortitude and perfeverance. He

trufted,

trufted, that thefe were virtues which our country had not to learn. England had never fhewn itself deficient in firmnefs and magnanimity; it was unrivalled in refource, it was foremost in exertion, and it had only to maintain its accustomed vigour to effect the reftoration of general tranquillity, upon terms confiftent with the dignity of the character, and the fecurity and intereft of Europe.

Mr. Fox faid a few words in explanation, in which he complained that Mr. Pitt had mifreprefented his argument, refpecting the time for negociation. He did not argue, that, because it was right to negociate now, it was right to negociate at any former period, but, (and he had not altered his opinion from any thing he had heard) that if it were prudent and wife to fend an ambaffador to Paris now, when the French had carried their arms into the heart of Germany, it would not have been daftardly and pufillanimous to have adopted that meafure, when they had not one foot of that territory. He faid, that he ftill retained his opinion refpecting the new laws; and when he voted for the addrefs, he did not include them in his conftruction of that part of it, in which, mention is made of the wisdom and energy of the laws, against the two odious and degrading acts, he confidered himfelf bound, by every tie of interest and duty, as an Englishman, and as a reprefentative of the people, on every occafion, loudly to remonftrate: they had a direct tendency to change the genius of the nation, as well as the fpirit and even form of government. If there was caufe to be uneafy about the threatened evil, we had reafon

to tremble at the operation of the remedy. In all innovations, the remote and unforeseen confequences are, ufually, of more importance than the immediate effects. Could thofe confequences be foreseen, they would, in many cafes, be immediately refifted. By the time they are perceived, cuftom and habit have rendered them lefs odious and intolerable. Authority rifes into abfolute dominion by flow degrees : by encroachments, each of which, fingly confidered, feemed to be of little importance: the vanity of refiftance at laft breaks the fpirit of the people, and difpofes them to unreferved fubmiffion: the political importance of the people being wholly gone, they are degraded more and more, and subjected to greater and greater oppreffion and infult. But, when the tendency and bent of national opinions and manners is once formed, it is easy for government to give it impetus and direction. Tyranny of government is not to be exercifed without degradation of the people. These two principles mutually promote the growth and ftrength of each other: juft as in certain difeafes, the derangement of the body produces debility of mind, and the debility, thus induced, increases the bodily diforder from whence it fprung.

The question, on the addrefs, be ing put, was carried unanimoufly.

On the eighteenth of October, the houfe of commons refolved itself into a committee, to take into their confideration, that clause of his majefty's (peech, which alluded to the intention manifefted by the enemy to attempt a defcent of thefe kingdoms, the claute being read, the chancellor of the exchequer, after fome prefatory matter, which it

could not ferve any purpofe to record, faid, that the natural defence of this kingdom, was its naval force, now more formidable than at any other period in the history of the country. Yet is was capable of confiderable increafe, could an additional increase of feamen be procured, or even of landmen: for this purpose he fuggefted a levy upon the different parishes throughout the kingdom: an expedient fimilar to that which had been practifed, with fo much fuccefs, about two years before. He therefore, propofed, in the first place, a levy of fifteen thousand men, from the different parishes, for the fea fervice, and another for recruiting the regular regiments. In digefting this plan, he faid, there were two things principally to be confidered: firft the means of calling together a land force fufficient of itself to repel an invasion, even independently of a naval force: and, fecondly, to adopt fuch measures, in raifing this force, as fhould not materially interfere with the agriculture, commerce, and general industry, of this kingdom. The primary object was to raife and gradually train, such a force as might, in a fhort time be fit for fervice. For this purpose, he propofed a fupplementary levy of militia, to be grafted on the old establishment, to the number of fixty thousand men; not to be immediately called out, but to be enrolled, officered, and gradually trained, fo as to be fit for fervice at a moment of danger. As to the manner in which the troops were to be furnished, he thought that it should be, generally, from all parts of the kingdom and that an obligation fhould be impofed on thofe who hould be allotted either to serve

in perfon, or to find a fubfiitute, He alfo propofed to provide a coniderable force of irregular cavalry; the regular cavalry, on the establishment, was by no means inconfiderable; and the yeomanry cavalry, from their number, fufficiently refpectable, had proved themfelves to be highly useful in fecuring the quiet, and the internal tranquillity of the country. The farther this fpecies of force was extended, the more good was likely to accrue from it. He eftimated the amount of the irregular cavalry, by the number of horfes kept for pleasure, throughout the kingdom; which, from the produce of the horfe-tax, in England, Scotland, and Wales, appeared to be about two hundred thoufand. He, therefore, proposed that every perfon who kept ten horfes, fhould be obliged to provide one horfe and one horfeman, man to ferve in a corps of militia : that those who kept more than ten fhould provide in the fame proportion: and that those who kept fewer than ten, fhould form themfelves into claffes, in which it should be decided by ballot, who, at the common expence, fhould provide the horse and the horfeman, Thefe troops were to be provided with an uniform and accoutrements, formed into corps, and put under proper officers. The next class of men, which the minifter regarded as proper fubjects for defending the country, in cafe of invafion, was the game-keepers. He therefore, propofed, that thofe perfons who had taken out licences to shoot game, or deputations for gamekeepers fhould, within a certain period, be at liberty to return the fame if they thought proper; but after that period, if they should con

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tinue their licences, or deputations for game-keepers, then they fhould be obliged to find fubftitutes. He obferved that gentlemen might smile at the idea of raifing a force by fuch means, but that fmile would be converted into furprize, when they heard that the number of perfons, who had taken out thofe licences, were feven thousand. The whole number of cavalry which he propofed to raise, by the means he had mentioned, was twenty thousand. Thus," faid the chancellor of the exchequer," have I pointed out the means by which I propofe to raife fifteen thousand men, to be divided between the land and the fea fervice; to raife a fupplemiental levy of fixty thousand for the militia, and twenty thousand for the cavalry." He concluded with moving, That a bill be brought in for raifing a certain number of men in the feveral counties of Great Britain, for the fervice of his majefty."

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Mr. Sheridan expected that the minifter would have accompanied his ftatement of defenfive operations with fome explanation of the reafons, why it was neceflary to take any fuch measures at all? There was fomething extremely peculiar, he obferved, in the mode of announcing the attempt apprehended in his majefty's, that is, the minifters, fpeech, on which this gentleman himself had beftowed fuch abundant praife. The words, "manifefted the intention," were vague and indefinite. I am afraid, faid Mr. Sheridan, that the refolutions, now propofed, are calculated rather to invite than to prevent an invafion; that they tend to frighten this country, but not to frighten France. They proclaim to the enemy, that,

till the new force, which it is propofed to collect and to train, is brought into action, we are not in a proper ftate of defence, and thus point out the intermediate time, as the proper period for making a fuccefsful attempt. Mr. Sheridan did not mean to oppose the refolutions ; he wifhed only to have fome farther explanation, and to be informed, whether the real object of all our military preparations was not the extenfion of our colonial poffeffions in the Weft Indies?

Mr. Dundas faid, whether the preparations that have been made will end in a defcent on this country, or no, it is impoffible to decide. There are appearances of a difpofition to make an attempt, which is fufficient to juftify minifters for withing to put the ftate in a pofture of defence. In his opinion, it depended upon the conduct of his majesty's minifters, in regulating or adopting the precautions propofed, whether the projected invafion fhould, or fhould not, be carried into execu tion. If, Mr. Dundas added, the prefent negociation fhould be unfuccefsful, this country fhould not be tied up from offentive operation: for, in the event of profecuting the war, our defence at home may depend upon the ability we poffefs to attack the enemy abroad. I think it, therefore, of effential importance to augment our regular force, for the defence of these kingdoms, and, if neceffary, to carry on the military operations, as circumftances may dictate, against an enemy that has evinced a difpofition to deftroy our commerce, and difturb our internal tranquillity.

Mr. Fox, though he did not confider it to be the duty of any min to make any oppofition to the mea

po

fare now propofed, in the prefent frage of the bufinefs, took the prefent. 'occasion to make various animadverfions on different parts of the plan, as well as on its general fpirit and tendency, and the conduct of the minifter in this and other points of the laft importance, in which he had flagrantly deviated from the principles of our conftitutional licy. Concerning the obfervation, that, if we fhould be under the neceffity of going on with the war, our military preparations might be very beneficial to us in many refpects, he faid, "I object to the generality of this mode of fpeaking, because it conveys to us no fpecific information, and is likely, from being juft in the abftract, to entrap fome into an approbation of measures of dangerous confequence. It is not, faid he, by the authority of minifters, but by the ftriking exigency of a particular moment, that parliament are juftified in adopting particular and extraordinary meafures. The honourable fecretary of ftate fays, it is good to be prepared;' fo it is. But when he comes to us, and makes this requifition, it is incumbent on him to fhew us the reason why he fhould be thus prepared. He fhould lay before us the ground on which he calls for that requifition. How flood the cafe in former periods of this war? In 1794, there was as much reafon for fuch a measure as there is now ; there was then as much of a rumour of an invafion as there is now; and fo the minifters, told us at that time. The house, upon the minifters affertions, agreed to meafures of an unconftitutional nature, to avert, as it was fuppofed, the impending dan ger. Such measures, although unconftitutional, were then thought to

be neceffary; and they were thought alfo to be fufficient to keep the French from attempting the defperate meafure of an invafion. Are the French now more likely to make that defperate attempt than they were then? or, are we not now in a better fituation than we were then? I conceive that minifters themfelves would anfwer these questions in a manner very confolatory to the people of this country. Such was our ftate in 1794. What is it now, and what the difference between the two fituations? Minifters now tell us, that an intention has been manifested, on the part of the enemy, to invade these kingdoms. I am too much accustomed to the artifice of minifters to receive any very deep impreffion from what they fay. Did they not fay formerly, what they fay now, that the enemy had fome intentions of invading this country? Certainly they did, and they were intrufted with force fufficient to prevent that calamity. It may be true, that greater danger actually exifts at prefent than at any former period, yet additional arguments are neceflary to prove this. But, fays the right honourable gentleman who fpoke laft, I am of opinion, that, as it may be neceffary for this country to carry on an offenfive war, this measure may be of great advantage, inafmuch as we may thereby be the better able to avail ourfelves of our forces.' To this, as a general propofition, I do not object: it is true. But then, I fay to minifters,

bring before us the facts on which you fay this measure is neceffary. What I object to, is your duplicity. If you really want this force, and to the extent you fay you do, fhew me the reafon for it, and I will grant it chearfully.

All