102] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



ject now was, to maintain such a 

 force on the continent, as should 

 enable the allies to make greater 

 efforts than they had done in any- 

 other campaign, even should the 

 Russians not co-operate to the same 

 extent as last year. He stated also, 

 that five hundred thousand pounds 

 was proposed to be voted on Mon- 

 day, in a committee of supply, to 

 which it was proposed that his ma- 

 jesty's message should be referred. 

 This sum was for the purpose of 

 enabling his majesty to make such 

 advances as might be necessary in 

 the first instance, and until the whole 

 subject to which the message refer- 

 red should come regularly before the 

 house ; for the purpose of ensuring 

 the benefit and advantage of the 

 co-operation of the powers there 

 mentioned, in the common cause, in 

 the course of the campaign. On Mon- 

 day, accordingly, the seventeenth 

 of February, the house having re- 

 solved itself into a committee of sup- 

 ply, and that part of the king's 

 speech which refers to a provisional 

 supply, being read, Mr. Pitt said, 

 that the motion which he should 

 submit to the committee that day, 

 proceeded on a principle which had 

 been often, and had recently been 

 recognized in that House, that we 

 ■were to proceed in a vigorous pro- 

 secution of the war, which they all 

 felt to be necessary, for the safety, 

 honour, and happiness of this coun- 

 try. The majority of that house, 

 and the great majority of the people 

 of this country, he was confident, 

 would agree, that, if the war was 

 to be carried on at all, it should be 

 carried on on that scale which was 

 most likely to bring it to an honour- 

 able, a speedy, but at all events, 

 a secure conclusion. There was no 

 reason to believe that his imperial 



majesty, the emperor of Russia, 

 would withdraw from the most cor- 

 dial co-operation with this country, 

 or cease to shew his resolution, not 

 to acquiesce with France, whilst it 

 pursued a system dangerous to the 

 tranquillity of Europe, and all its 

 establishments. But, if there were 

 any grounds for apprehension that 

 his imperial majesty would with- 

 draw all co-operation, he would 

 state that circumstance as an addi- 

 tional reason for the measure which 

 his majesty had taken. The com- 

 mittee would learn with satisfaction, 

 til at the force from the power of 

 Germany would be greater in the 

 ensuing campaign than it was in 

 the last, great and brilliant as its 

 victories were. From the circum- 

 stances of the continent, the nego- 

 ciations between us and our allies 

 were not fully concluded. It was 

 therefore impossible for him to state 

 the whole of the force to be era- 

 ployed, or the total amount of the 

 pecuniaiyassistancewhich this coun- 

 try was to afford to his imperial ma- 

 jesty. It wasproposed, in themean 

 time, as he had already said, that 

 fivehundred thousand pounds should 

 be advanced, by way of commence- 

 ment. The object of it was, to se- 

 cure the co-operation of such a force 

 as his majesty's ministers had reason 

 to believe was likely to be superior 

 to any force the French could bring 

 to the frontier. The total amount 

 of the advance upon that subject, 

 would probably be about two mil-, 

 lions and a half, the sum now pro- 

 posed to be voted was only five hun- 

 dred thousand pounds. He there- 

 fore moved, " that it was the opi- 

 nion of that committee, that a sum, 

 not exceeding five hundred thou- 

 sand pounds, be granted to his ma- 

 jesty, to enable his majesty to make 



