HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



241 



no such qualifications were requ'red 

 in the officers; and the men were 

 liable to the utmost severity of 

 martial law. on the least appearance 

 of a riot : the fqrmer raised no 

 supplies, ihe ir.ient of the latttr 

 was to raise them indepeiideut'.y of 

 parliament- 

 Ill reply to Lord Wycomb, Mr. 

 Pitt contended, that what ;vcr could 

 be alleged for the justification of 

 the former of these measures, 

 equally justified the latter : tht; for- 

 mer, far from prefluding subscrip- 

 tions, was so nmch uti'lerstood to 

 recommend them, that the county 

 oF Si:rrey,whichalre.;dy maintained 

 a considerable body of mf-n by sub- 

 scription, on receivii.g that letter, 

 construed it into a recommendation 

 of that tendency, and actually added 

 three companies by means of new 

 subscriptions : no exceptions how- 

 ever were taken at this proceeding. 

 When several regiments had been 

 Taised by noblemen in their private 

 capacity, for the service of govern- 

 ment, in 1/45, Lord Hardwi.ke, a 

 name of the first authority, decided 

 the lawfulness of the tran-actlo.i. 

 If a doxjn noblemen were autho- 

 rized to employ their fund* in this 

 manner, why should not soinelatn- 

 dreds of loyal subjects be allowed 

 to do the samei' Subscriptions for 

 tlii public service carried nothing 

 dangerous in them ; and subjects 

 cugbt, in reason, to be at liberty 

 to iipply their jiropcrty to so laud- 

 able a use. Tiie statutes formerly 

 enacted ngainst tiia'^ nwihod of le- 

 vying money, called a Bejitvolenie, 

 were in fact a real relief lo the 

 propi'j, by shielding them froir. jir- 

 bitrary csacticns. liut were iVee 

 ana voluntary donations to beciins- 

 r.J witis tyrannic il c:;lortion>? 

 TLe siihscrip'.ion? iu)W propoSvd 

 \0L. XX.Wl. 



would, besides their general ulilitv, 

 produce an etfect of particular con- 

 sequence at this critical time : they 

 would convince the French that 

 the English went heart and hand 

 with government. 



Mr. Fox animadverted severely 

 on this latter argument. Far, said 

 he, from operating to that end, the 

 subscriptions would probably tend 

 to confirm the French in their idea, 

 that the majority of the nation dis- 

 approved of the war, from the in- 

 considerable number of subscribers 

 when compared to the multitudes 

 that would not subscribe. Two 

 descriptions of men might reason- 

 ably be expected to refuse : those 

 who looked on the measure as un- 

 constitutional, and those who de- 

 nied the good policy of the war. 

 They were both extremely numer- 

 ous, and yet as firmly inclined and 

 ready to oppose the aggres-ion of a 

 (breign enemy, as the warmest ad- 

 herents to ministry. 



In addition to the plftn of raising 

 aa internal force by voluntary sub- 

 scriptions, Mr. Pitt brought a pro- 

 posal before the House on the 7t!i 

 of April, to enable the subjects of 

 France to enlist in the King's ser- 

 vice on the continent of Europe, 

 and to employ French officers as 

 engineers, under certain restrictions. 

 Many advantages, lie was of opi- 

 nion, might result from such a mea- 

 sure, considering how deeply they 

 v.eie interested in our success, and 

 how zt*alcusly they were attached 

 to the catise for which we were 

 contending. Two amendments to 

 tliis proposal were moved: the t'lr^t 

 by the Attuniey-Gcncral, to obligij 

 these who enlisted, to take the oaih 

 of ailfgivnce} the secojid* by Mr. 

 Sheridrit:, to limit the oyerittion of 

 tiie h;ll to twelve aoitafesj th<fterm 

 i? to 



