} 
‘ 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
sible in the individuals whom they 
enlisted. He next adverted to the 
expence of maintaining the army ; 
the statement of which he censur- 
ed, as not sufficiently explicit. To 
the enormous sum already mention- 
ed, were still to be added, those 
wanted for the support. of the 
ordnance, and for the extraordi- 
mafies, to say nothing of the im- 
mense subsidies to foreign powers. 
These, he observed, necessarily ab- 
sorbed a fatal proportion of the 
money that ought to be reserved 
for the various expeditions that 
employed our own people, whose 
numbers, from that cause, had 
proved inadequate to the services 
en which they were sent. Hence 
it was, that instead of ten thou. 
sand men, sir Charles Grey was 
placed at the head of only half 
that number, to reduce the French 
West Indies, that were provided 
with a larger force to defend, than 
he to attack them. He then re- 
viewed the events of the campaign 
upon the continent, where he as- 
eribed many of the disasters that 
had befallen the coalition, to the 
perfidious conduct of our allies, 
as well as to the avarice with 
which they economised, for their 
own purposes, the vast sums of 
money which they received from 
our profusion and credulity. What- 
ever successes might attend the 
_ arms of the coalition, in the next 
campaign, they would never com. 
_ pensate the misfortunes of the last. 
In answer to general Tarleton, 
and to Mr. Hussey, who seconded 
him with arguments of much the 
Same import, it was replied by 
Mr. Pitt, that, in order to ena. 
ble the navy to make a proper 
impression on our foes abroad, we 
ought to place ourselves in a state 
[169 
of complete security at home, 
which could be done only by 
keeping a formidable army on foot. 
The expences arising from this 
necessary measure were, doubtless, 
great, but the dangers thereby 
averted were much greater. True 
it was, that the confederacy had 
suffered severely ; but this country 
not only maintained its superiori- 
ty on the seas, but had, in the 
midst of every pressure oScasioned 
by the war, increased both its 
commerce and its resources; ina 
manner that opened the most pros 
mising prospect of being able to 
carry it on with the utmost. vi- 
gour, and that afforded the strong~ 
est presumption of terminating 1t 
finaily to our honour. 
To these assertions Mr. Fox 
opposed the continual failure of 
every attempt of the coalition, 
and the perpetual success attend. 
ing the arms of the French, in 
ali their undertakings, To speak 
in a style of exultation, after ex 
periencing such a series of cala- 
mities, was, he said, to insult the 
understanding of those who heard 
him. But what was now the 
object he proposed, by persisting 
in this unfortunate contest? it 
could. not susely be the reduétion 
of the French, who were now in 
4 situation that entitled them, with- 
out vanity, to assume that style 
of superiority which it so ill be- 
came the minister to affett. A 
counter-revolution was no longer 
to be expeéted; the powers of 
which the coalition consisted had 
been so completely humbled by their 
defeats, that they did not seem to 
harbour the least idea of that ten. 
dency. It would, therefore, be te. 
merity, not fortitude, on us to conti- 
nue a quarrelon our single strength, 
which 
