CHAP. VI. Flourishing State of the British Navy.-Army Estimates.-The Mutiny Bill.-Clause introduced for allowing an Öption of enlisting into the Army for Life.-Debates on the comparative Advantages of enlisting for limited and unlimited Service in the Army.-Other new Clauses. -Establishment of a Local Militia.-Debates thereon.-Reversion Bill passed in the House of Commons.—Rejected by the Lords.Another Reversion Bill moved by Mr. Banks in the House of Commons.-Passed in both Houses.-Bill brought into the House of Commons by sir Samuel Romilly, for amending the Criminal Law respecting private Stealing in Contradistinction to Robbery.-Passed in that House.-Act for the better Administration of Justice in Scotland.—Annuities to the Judges of the Court of Session justiciary, and Exchequer of Scotland upon the Resignation of their Offices.-Act for regulating the augmentation and modification of the stipends of the clergy in Scotland—Acts for making more effectual Provision for the Building and Re-building of Churches, Chapels, and Glebe Houses; and for the Purchase of Glebe Lands, Glebe Houses, and Impropriations in Ireland; and for enforcing the Residence of spiritual Persons in Ireland, on their Benefices.--Curates Bill--Catholic Petition.-Grant to Maynooth College.-An Act to prohibit the Distillation of Spirits from Corn or Grain for a limited Time.-Debates thereon.-Affairs of Spain.-Prorogation of Parliament. TH HE transactions of government, for whose service the supplies just stated were provided, naturally fall into two general heads, namely, the relations of government external and internal: the defence and security of the country against danger from abroad; and its internal tranquillity and general improvement. Under the head of foreign relations and the defence of the the country, our first attentions are due to the navy and the army. The flourishing state of the British navy in 1808, sufficiently appears from the immense sum voted for its support. A particular statement of the navy, according to the returns made up to the first day of the year, will be found in the first page of the Chronicle. The number of seamen, including 1400 royal marines voted for the service of 1808, was 130,000. House of commons, Feb. 16.— The house having resolved itself into a committee of the whole house to consider of the army estimates, The secretary at war stated, that there were two alterations in the form of the estimates for the present year. The one was, that more contingencies were ranged under one general head of service than had been done in former cases: and the second was, that a nun ber of heads of expence, which it had been the custom to range among among the extraordinaries of the army, were now reduced to estimates. Having premised these two observations, he was happy in being able to state to the committee, that at no former period had the army of this country been superior in spirit and discipline, and at no former time equal in numbers; the whole establishment amounting to no less than 300,000 men. The difference also between its actual numbers, and its supposed establishment, was less than it had ever been before. The regular infantry establishment of 1807, was 109,000, and that of the present year was 132,000; and the difference between the actual numbers and this establishment was now only 13,000 men, whereas last year it had been no less than 53,000. In cavalry there was a slight reduction, but it was hardly worth mentioning. The royal waggon train was reduced to 500 horses; and though last year it was intended to reduce the whole of that corps, yet when it was recollected that these horses were actually employed in the public service, in the works carrying on about the different royal palaces, and on the military canals, and that the' service which they performed was performed at a cheaper rate than could be done by hiring horses, he did not think that any reasonable objection could be made to the maintenance of this body. The militia was nearer to its establishment than it was last year, notwithstanding that 24,000 men had been drafted from it into the regular army. In the staff there was a small variation, from the increase that had taken place in the staff abroad. The volunteer corps were nearly in the same state in which they were last year. The foreign corps were somewhat increased, from an addition that had been made to the German Legion. The royal military college and the compassionate list were both somewhat augmented. After stating the different heads of service, the secretary proceeded to compare the estimate of expence of each for the present year, with the expence of the same head of service for the last year; the general result of which comparison was, that the estimates for the present year exceeded that of the last by 592,000l.; but after deducting from the estimates now before the committee the various items of expence which used formerly to be introduced among the extraordinaries of thearmy, the real difference was reduced to somiewhat less than 100,000l. He concluded with moving his resolutions conformably, to the estimates. Lord. Castlereagh stated that, of the two great military measures brought forward last session, the success had been most remarkable indeed. By the militia balloting. bill, which was to continue in operation until May, it was proposed to raise 47,000 men for Great Britain and Ireland; and of these, according to the last returns, no less than 37,000 were already raised. By the militia transfer bill, which was to continue in operation until August next, it was proposed to raise 27,620; and of this number, according to the last returns, 23,689 had actually volunteered into the line. So that a force of above 60,000 men had been raised within the last year, in that coun try, try, respecting the capacity of which to produce men, the house had heard such gloomy predictions.— He stated the whole amount of our regular military force at nearly 300,000 men, which exceeded by 40,000 any force this country had ever possessed; and this excess he alledged to have been produced through the operation of the measures so violently opposed by the right honourable gentleman, during whose stay in office only the Numbers. Land forces including various contingencies....200,831 Regiments in the East Indies ..... 80,884 Troops and companies for re- Public departments • • • Half pay..... In-pensioners of Chelsea and Kilmainham hospitals.. Out-pensioners of ditto... Widows' pensions Volunteer corps .... Foreign corps.22,125 Royal military college.... small number of 8,000 men had been added to the line; and even that addition was, he contended, owing to the legacy which his predecessors left him in the additional force act. The number of batta lions now in the service, he stated at 277, which he averaged at 700 men each. After a very lengthened conver sation among a great number of members, the following items were voted: Great Britain. £. £. 1,385,057 Ireland. 8. d. 11 6 691,525 8 9 27,281 129 2,236,462 0 4 363,902 6 5 32,213 2 8 188,680 19 6 209,750 ... 40,960 13 10 329,619 9 2 40,495 10 6 652,000 611,437 Royal military asylum.. Allowances to retired and of 2,852 5 3 10,980,864 13 8 3,743,704 5 10 Resolutions for making good these sums, moved and agreed to. House of Commons, March 8. On the motion of the secretary at war, the house went into a committee on the mutiny bill. Lord Castlereagh said, that to many parts of the military system introduced a short time since by Mr. Wiham, he had no objection. The inducement held forth to certain descriptions of men, by the liberty to engage for limited service, and by the creation of limited service, he highly approved of. He had no objection to limited service; and he had formerly promoted, to a certain extent, engagements limited in space as well as in time. But why should limited service be in a manner enforced, to the total exclusion of unlimited service, even when the men were perfectly satisfied and desirous to enter without limitation? On former occasions, the men for limited service were kept in separate battalions. Mr. Windham had mixed them. It was not intended to interfere with this or any other part of the right honourable gentleman's arrangement. That gentleman had complained much of the change about to be introduced in the exclusive form of his measure. But no military system, no measure could claim an exclusive and unalterable sanction. It was matter of very serious consideration, that the 36,000 enlisted this year, would all be entitled to their discharge at the same period seven years hence. It was also very material to consider, how this principle, if exclusively acted upon, would affect our peace and establishment, supposing a peace establishment of 100,000 men, and 36,000 of these to be discharged in one year, and a war to follow in that year or the next, what would be the state of the country? He maintained that the enlistment for life of those who, on having the option, should prefer engaging for life, would not discourage others from engaging for years. He contended, also, that Mr. Windban's plan would not cover its own waste and that of the army in general. The ordinary recruiting under this plan, was made more productive than it had been by multiplying the number of recruiting parties beyond measure, and also by the threat of reduction held out to the 54 additional battalions, unless they should complete their establishment to 400 men each before six months. One part only of the right honourable gentleman's plan was not speculative, and that was the permanent burthen of 450,000l. a year, which it imposed on the country in the shape of additional pensions, an incumbrance which must increase continually. These reasons, he was convinced, would be fully sufficient to satisfy the house of the propriety of not depriving such men as were inclined, of a fair option to enlist for life. He therefore moved, that a clause should be introduced for allowing that option. Mr. Windhain admired the candour and fairness with which the noble lord had introduced into the mutiny bill, a clause subversive of the system which had been already decided upon after long and serious parliamentary investigation! It was certainly very candid in the noble lord to give him (Mr. W.) now, for the first time, intimation of a clause hostile to the existing military system; and that too, in such a way, that this clause was in a manner surrepticiously introduced, and proposed to be made part of a bill which must, within a very few days, be necessarily past into a law. The noble lord, however, thought it but decent to affect some kind of opposition to the measure in argument. And what was the object of the noble lord's reasoning? To prove that the system, though sure, was slow in its operation. The noble lord was contented with simply stating this; and perhaps it was well judged, not even to try to prove it. For, what were the facts? The progressive increase of the number of men raised, in four periods, had been in the following proportion: 11,000 in the first period; 13,000 in the next; 21,000 in the third; and 24,000 in the fourth. The noble lord would find it difficult to counteract these statements; and, admitting their verily, still more difficult to satisfy the house, that they were not proofs of the efficacy of the measure resorted to. -To say that if a certain system will purchase within a very limited period a certain number of men, the same will, in a regular progression, be productive in a proportionable period of time, was to say, that because a certain system was effective at first, (no matter how or by what means) therefore it would continue to be so, and that too in an increased proportion, was not just reasoning. But it had been said, that the number of recruiting parties was extraordinary. Mr. W. could only state, that the increased number of such was not at all to be attributed to his system, and that they could not be considered, in fact, as in any great degree pro ductive. No number of recruiting parties, however great, could raise beyond what was required. General Tarleton said, that in any other country he would think the principle of limited service a good one; but he thought that it would be dangerous in this country, on account of the extent of its colonies. There was a necessity too, of having at all times a large army in readiness to oppose those schemes of invasion which Buonaparte never for a moment lost sight of, in the prosecution of the present war. The secretary at war contended, that the house had not been taken by surprize by his noble friend, as nine days notice had been given of his intention to propose the clause which was now under discussion. The secretary likewise insisted on the bad effects which would result from the discharge of a large proportion of our military force at regular stated periods. Lord Petty observed, that Mr. Windham's measure had been approved of by a majority of the existing members of that house; that it had been tried, and met with the universal approbation of the country.-After some conversation between Mr. Windham and lord Castlereagh, the committee divided on the clause-Ayes, 169-Noes, 100. The secretary at war then brought upseveral new clauses, among which was one for enacting that no master in Scotland should be entitled to claim his apprentice from the army, unless he should produce a certificate, and conform to other regulations therein specified. Another clause enacted, that no general court-martial should consist of less than fourteen members, except in Africa or the West Indies; and another, that treble costs should be awarded in cases of action, where the party complaining of a military officer |