HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



235 



cess, unles? we were duly prepared 

 to counieraci them. 



To this Mr. Grey made answer, 

 that these momentary exertions had 

 latited nnititerruptedly from the 

 b- ginning to the end of the'-cani- 

 paign ; ar.d that, from the extreme 

 anxiety of niii.isters, it appeared, 

 notwithstanding the advantages 

 gained by the armies of the coa- 

 lition, that the situation of this 

 countrj', instead of better, was 

 worse ; and that we were now in 

 more danger than at the beginning 

 of- hostilities. The motion, after 

 some more observations on both 

 iides, was now carried. 



On the 17th of March a warm 

 debate took place in the House of 

 Commons. The ministry had issued 

 {I requisition, under the name of a 

 recommendation, for the raising of 

 volunteer cs^mpanies of horse and 

 foot, in Older to preserve internal 

 peace, and suppress domestic in- 

 surrections ; and to aid the military, 

 if necessary, to repel an invading 

 enemy. The measure was con- 

 demned by the opposition as un- 

 constitutional ; and the voluntary 

 subscriptions proposed to suppoit 

 it, were in particular declared un- 

 lawful, without the specific con- 

 sent of the legislature. In a sub- 

 sequent discussion on the 21st of 

 March, Mr. Sheridan demanded, 

 whether that recommendation pro- 

 ceeded from the secretary of state? 

 3nd in case it did, that it should 

 be communicated to the House, 

 which mu^t of course be sppriz'^-d 

 of it, as it related to tlic levying of 

 troops and mpney. The minister's 

 reply w^s, that the recommenda- 

 tion was no more than a method 

 a«iopted by ministry to direct it in 

 tlie formation of a plan to be pre- 

 e<»nted lo the House as soon as 



proper estimates of the cxpencc 

 had been regularly made out. Let- 

 ters having been written by go- 

 vernment to the lieutenants of the 

 several counties on this subject, Mr. 

 Sheridan required they should be 

 produced : but this being refused, 

 he gave notice that he would move 

 the House to declare its disappro- 

 bation of the measure. The mini- 

 st(^r, in answer to this, asserted that 

 it was founded on precedent J and 

 that money thus raised, had in vari- 

 ous instances been expended in 

 the support of troops, as it was pro- 

 posed in the case before tliem. 

 Pursunnt to the noticehe bad given, 

 Mr. Sheridan resumed this business 

 on the 24th of March. Being in- 

 formed, he said, that a principal 

 member of the coalition was about 

 to leave it ; he wotild of conse- 

 quence gladly see the kingdom put 

 into such a posture of defence as 

 might secure it from the danger ac- 

 cruing trom this unexpected dere- 

 liction : but this did not autho- 

 rize any description of men to con- 

 sult together how to raise and pay 

 a military force without the con- 

 sent of Parliament. This was the 

 more censurable, as they did not 

 act from their own motion, but 

 by the direction of a secretary of 

 state. But w hat aggravated it still 

 more, was the notice publicly given 

 in the papers, that those who re- 

 fused compliance with this direc- 

 tion, would be considered as ene- 

 mies to government. Ministers in 

 tl'.is matter had grievously offended. 

 —Why did they not consult Par- 

 liament, without applying to lieu- 

 tenants and magistratrs of coun- 

 ties, who certainly could claim no 

 right to levy rnomyon the subject ? 

 He moved, in conclusion, an ad- 

 dress to the King for a ccmir,!:ni- 



caticii 



