242 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



to which the mutiny hill was con- 

 fined. Tlie former of these nincncl- 

 ments was adopted; the latter re- 

 jected by a majority of 9/. 



Mr. Slieridati .succeeded however 

 in proposing, ilial no greater num- 

 ber of these ti oops sliould be sta- 

 tioned within the kingdom than 

 5000. 



But on the second readinsi of the 

 Ijill, it Avns most strongly opposed 

 by Mr. Baker, on account of its 

 ■wanting a specific statement of tlie 

 numbers to be enlisted, and its al- 

 lowing them to be quartered on 

 British ground. Mr. Sheridan now 

 declared himself ag.Vmst the bill, 

 and among other motives, alleged. 

 the certain death awaiti'ig tliesL- 

 men, if defeated ; asking, at the 

 same time, whethor in such eas.^ 

 we, could \euture to retaliate.^ Mr. 

 Btirke iiiimediate.ly replying in !he 

 affirmative, was vehemently re- 

 proved by Mr. Sheridan, for letiing 

 fall nn c^pnssiou that might prove 

 so fata! to our own troops, and lend 

 to scenes ot" reciprocal bloocJ-hed, 

 unprecednttd in the wars betwf n 

 Europeans. He strongly insisted 

 on the danger of committing lo 

 the disposal of the crown an aim.y 

 of 50 or 0O,(XX) men, all strangers 

 and sworn enemies to the very 

 name of liberty. — Mr. Euike'sau- 

 .swer was full of asperity lov.ards 

 the pn sent, and of praise of the 

 late govennnent of France : .nnd 

 he concluded it by asserting, tliar if 

 the property wresttd, in France, 

 from its ai.eieni owners, were iiot 

 restored to them, property would 

 not exist ten years longer in Eng- 

 land. The motion was canied by 

 a majority of ]s5. 



The commitment of tlie bill was 



carried by a majerily of 102. A\'Iieii 



■it came .to a third re.idiiig, it was 



'■«<:aiu onro-cd bv Mr. Harri*c;i3, 



who remarked that it was highly 

 imprudent, while we were under 

 the apprehension nf being invaded 

 by the French, to put arms into 

 the hands of those multitudes of 

 emigrants in England, who might 

 very probably be teinpted, by the 

 hope of pardon, to join their coun- 

 trymen. 



He was seconded by Mr. Fox, 

 ■who considered the bill as an tn- 

 gagement on the part of this coun- 

 try, to restore to the emigrants tlve 

 po.-;sessions from whicii they had 

 been ousted, and tore-establish the 

 ancient government : bat so ardu- 

 ous an attempt must not oidy pro- 

 long tlie war, but render it so 

 bloody and destructive, as to alien- 

 ate the two nations from each 

 other, in a degree that neither pru- 

 dence nor Inu^ianify could justify. 

 1 hesuccessestlvat might at-tend our 

 arms would not aller the sentiments 

 of the French: they were indif- 

 ferent about their distant settle- 

 ments, while they preserved France 

 itself. They were not lighting for 

 remote obj tcts ; thtir safety at 

 home, aiid their indeper.dence of 

 f';reign masters, occupiixl them en- 

 t rely. To conquer .^iicli a people, 

 v,c mtist attack them in their own 

 couu'ry ; it ^^as there only we 

 could bring them to subjiCtion. 

 But would any man, not bereaved 

 dif rea.son, recommend such an at- 

 tempt? AVhy, therefore, should 

 we so much forget past c:i.perhnc», 

 as to imagine that, after the most 

 resolu e as well as tlie most nuniei- 

 ous bodies of royalists had repeat- 

 edly failed in their endeavours to 

 resist the French government, wc 

 should b.° moie likely to succeed 

 thioiigh the help of an iaconsidera- 

 abie number that had fled their 

 country, and whose prowess !iad 

 not been tried i" Notwithstanding 



the 



J 



