- 
128] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1797. 
The estimates on the tab’e con- 
tained details of the most material 
arrangements of the current year, 
and would be found, every way, ex- 
plicit on the subject of the expen- 
diture. 
The whole force of this coun- 
try, consisting of the common dis- 
tribution of guards and garri- 
sons, and colonies ‘and plantations, 
amounted to one hundred and 
ninety-five thousand six hundred 
and séventy-four men, the ex- 
pence of which would amount to 
5,190,000/.. The home army con- 
tained all the troops which might 
be considered as serving for the 
defence of the country: guards, 
regulars of every description, and 
fencibles. ‘The army, at home, 
amounted to sixty thousand seven 
hundred and sixty-five men. The 
army, abroad, comprehending the 
troops in the West Indies, Corsica, 
Gibraltar, Canada, Nova Scotia, 
and every foreign service, except 
those in the East Indies, which 
fell under ‘a separate description, 
amounted tosixty-fourthoysandtwo 
hundred and seventy-six men. The 
army, abroad, was composed en- 
tirely of regulars; the army, at 
home, of regulars, invalids, militia, 
and fencibles. Mr. Wyndham con- 
cluded his statements with moving 
for the Jand-service of this year, one 
hundred and ninety five thousand 
men: 
General Tarleton expec'ed that 
the honourable secretary wouldhave 
gone more into detail. The general, 
after animadverting on sundry ex- 
pences, which he held to be un- 
necessary, adverted to a fact which 
was of the utmost importance, and 
well deserving’ the consideration of 
the house of commons, especially of 
anew parliament. Last year the 
expence of the army amounted to 
the full revenue of this country, the 
year previous to the war. His ma- 
jesty's speech, however, had directed 
their attention to the atehievements 
that had been performed by our 
troopsin different parts of the world. 
He did not think, however, that 
there was much room for boasting, 
The armament, which had been 
equipped for expeditions to the’ 
West Indies, had been attended 
with enormous expence, What was 
the reason that the full advantage, 
which it might have been expected 
to produce, had not been’ obtained ? 
Had the fleet sailed too late in the 
season, or did the fault lie at the 
door of the ministers? Whether 
we looked at the general state of 
the West Indies, or at. particular 
islands, there was not much room 
for satisfaction or exultation. The 
Caribs, in St. Vincent's, were still 
in a state of insurrection, The 
troubles in Guadaloupe, and vari- 
ous other islands, still interrupted, 
and destroyed. the industry of the 
inhabitants. Victor Hughes had not 
been dislodged, nor his operations 
disconcerted. In St. Domingo the 
melancholy ravages which had been 
made, by disease, afforded no satis- 
faction in the review. Was the 
atternpt to reduce this island to be. 
prosecuted at the expence of the. 
lives of so many gallant and brave 
men? Almost every person in that 
house, and in the country, had to 
lament the loss of their friends, 
brought toan untimely end by the 
mortality which swept every thing 
before it. If we considered the 
extent of the armament, there was 
something surely faultyin the plan, 
or why was there so little obtained 
for so much expence, and so many 
sacrifices 2 
