1806.] 



as a Means of national Dtfcnce. 



Ill 



mull direct our attention to tlie revolu- 

 tions that have taken place in the fcience 

 iii war, and to the prel'ent Itate of actu- 

 ally e\irtin^ \viu-ture. 



It is a [jolitive fact, that for a long 

 fcries of years after tlie introduction of 

 tiie niulket, precifion of aim was very 

 iinpcifectly umlerfiood ; even to a late 

 period tlic practice oi directing the niul- 

 ket liis;h in the air was univerfal : this di- 

 iiiini(hed the weight that might feeni to 

 attach to the realbnin;^s of ?.Iarihal Saxe, 

 dt-diiii(l from tlKMneilcclual lire of thole 

 two battalions who wore cut to pieces by 

 a body of Tnrkifli horfc at the b.'ittle of 

 Ijelgiade. 



Since that event, the fcience of fire- 

 arms has hceji prosrelfive, and the direc- 

 tion of the markfman's aim is now re- 

 duced to cotnparative certainty. Since 

 tiic period of MarOial Saxe the rifle has 

 been adopted, and by its deliiruttive el- 

 feCts has contributed to the fuccefs of 

 nianv au eveiituJ battle. It is well 

 known, Sir, tiiat a cloud of riflemen ever 

 precedes the Trench main army, forming, 

 as it were, an army of itfelf, fcatlering 

 the bolts of death with tlie Aviftnefs of 

 lightninir, and with a precilion of aim 

 nearly infallible. It is in vain that the 

 heavy battalions precipitate their cliarge, 

 with determination of clofe and vengeful 

 tncounfer : they find the enemy which 

 fhinned their ranks evaporated from be- 

 fore them ; ready to rc-collect tiicir float- 

 iiig numbers with co-operative agility of 

 movement, and prepared to re-advance 

 as if under the lliadow of invifibility. 

 Againl't fuch opponents how can the pike 

 be thought to avail? 



But, Sir, let it be confidered to what 

 fpecies of men the Count de Saxe recom- 

 niejids tJ'c adoption of the pike. 



That the pike, more than any other 

 weapon, requires the coinpaclnefs of well- 

 difci|)liiied array, muft be evident to 

 every man who has perfonally witnefled 

 »he evolutions and vicilljtudes of bsttle. 

 The fpecies of men whom that General 

 pro|)ofed to arm with the pike were regu- 

 lar loldicrs : men capable of travcriiiig 

 the field of action with firm and iuftanta- 

 Jieous concurrence of movement, and 

 lifted calmly to execute the necelVarv 

 formations, e\en in the prefence of death. 

 With fucL men, tlie piice, in particular 

 <ircum(laiice«, would doubtlefsly be for- 

 juidable, perhaps relifllefs : but "the mov- 

 'jng iu mafs with the precilion of a llngle 

 liody, and efpecia.lly the line-movement — 

 the ad\ancing in long extended order 

 «*ilh unconfuled and unbroken arnuijie- 



ment, nay, with any degree of flcadj 

 co-operation, is au object of patient and 

 laborious attainment ; and exacts the 

 tried mechanical habitude of the formal 

 foldier. Yet it is propoi'ed to conSde the 

 pike to the hands of men, who, whatever 

 be their individual cxpertnefs in the fnn- 

 ple management of the weapon entrufied 

 to tliem, can ha\e but a faint and incom- 

 plete idea of widely combined move- 

 ment, and can never be brought to act 

 toge;lier in a body vith any tolerable 

 uniformity or Iteadinefs. They would 

 blindly rufli on invilible deftruction, and 

 (m their impetuous and broken retreat 

 moulder away like fnovv in the fun. 



Iiut in every iituation, and with every 

 (IcfcriiJtion of foldiers, the bayonet fixed- 

 011 the mulket polielles tliis iticonteftible 

 advantage over the pike — the foldier is 

 riouhly armed ;. and if compelk-d to re- 

 treat, he molefts and deters bis enemy by 

 a Parthian lire : the pikenian, ^^hile re- 

 treating, is difenctlel'i. 



Both the bayonet and the pike ^are, 

 however, equally objectionable with re- 

 lation to raw levies : thcv both require a 

 tirmnefs of connected movement which 

 dilciplined bodies can alone poilefs, and 

 without which a charge induces confufiou, 

 and ends in rout. ' 



The bold theory of grappling with the 

 foe, the calculations on mufcular c.xeA 

 tion, and on 



" The might that flambers in a peafant's 

 arm," 



when applied to men in this ftate of rc- 

 medilefs indifcipline, are chivalrous and 

 romantic delufions : that ftrength is wi- 

 thered, and that manly daring confound- 

 ed, when matched againil tlie cunning 

 and coulnefs of veteran difcipline. Have 

 we not a proof of this in the Irifh rebel- 

 lion.'' Did ever more daring fortitude in 

 a bad caufe animate a bofoin, or did ever 

 more powerful vigour nerve a human 

 arm, than what nerved the llrength and 

 fired the heart of the Irilh rebel .' But his 

 weapon was the pike : and with the 

 vaunted advantage of numbers, to a 

 point of dreadful fupeiiority, the IriUi 

 pikemen fled in difcomfiture before the 

 difciplined mulketeers of England. Ilovr 

 then ihall our phylical force be made elVect- 

 ive ? I anfwer, let every Briton become 

 a markfman : tJie pike is ehea[',er than 

 the firelock ; but j\lr. Arthur Young him- 

 felf has jullly obfervcd, " what are mil- 

 lions when the fecuriiy of the kingdom is 

 the (|uelt:on i" 



If the cncHiy fend before their face 

 limt 



