202] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



per is agreed for as above ; and the 

 British navy is to co-operate, when 

 practicable, in the defence of the 

 Prussian states and commerce, and 

 in military expeditions for the com- 

 mon cause. 



An additional convention with 

 Russia, signed July 5th, relates to 

 the transfer to the king of Great 

 Britain of his Imperial Majesty's 

 German legion, to be augmented 

 to 10,000 men, for the sum of 

 10/. 155. per man yearly, exclu- 

 sive of providing arms, ammuni- 

 tion, clothing, and other charges. 



If the preceding treaties indi- 

 cated a determination in the go- 

 vernment to spare no money in fol- 

 lowing up the prospects of a success- 

 ful prosecution of the war, the mea- 

 sure introduced in Parliament for 

 augmenting the disposable military 

 force of the country was equally a 

 proof of the resolution as freely to 

 supply the demand of men for the 

 same purpose. On Nov. 11th 

 Lord Casllereagh rose in the House 

 of Commons to make a motion on 

 that subject. He began with ex- 

 pressing his conviction that there 

 existed but one feeling in all 

 parties relative to the necessitj' at 

 this crisis of making great exer- 

 tions for the honour and interest 

 of this country and the world in 

 general ; the only consideration 

 therefore would be, the nature and 

 extent of such exertions. After 

 adverting to the successes of lord 

 Wellington, and his present posi- 

 tion on the frontier of France, he 

 intimated that supporting him, 

 and enabling him to maintain and 

 extend his advantages, was the 

 proper task for this nation to take 

 upon itself, without attempting to 

 equal the share taken in the war 

 by the other powers. . We ought 



not, therefore, to leave ourselves 

 in a situation of disability to send a 

 disposable force to particular parts 

 of the continent, where 10 or 

 20,000 men might make all the 

 difference. His lordship pro- 

 ceeded to state what our military 

 force was at present. The amount 

 of the whole army of the country, 

 on an average of the last four 

 years, was about 233,000 men, 

 and that of the annual waste, tak- 

 ing in all casualties, was about 

 25,000 ; and, notwithstanding the 

 late severe actions, he believed that 

 of the current year would not ex- 

 ceed 30,000. The supply to the 

 army had been about equal to the 

 waste, a great source of which had 

 been volunteering from the militia ; 

 but there was reason to suppose 

 that upon the present plan a dimi- 

 nution of the ordinary supply from 

 that quarter would occur in the 

 ensuing year ; still less could an 

 augmentation of force be ex- 

 pected from it. The advantages 

 hitherto gained by this volunteer- 

 ing had been very great. Not 

 fewer than 100,000 men had 

 passed from the militia to the 

 line, and yet the former was at 

 this time more numerous and bet- 

 ter disciplined than eight years 

 ago, when the system was begun. 

 He trusted, therefore, that the 

 House would concur with the 

 executive government in endea- 

 vouring to procure further aid 

 from the militia, provided no at- 

 tempt were made to encroach on 

 the choice of officers or men. He 

 knew there was a strong disposi- 

 tion in the body of 70,000 militia 

 to extend their services. The pro- 

 position which he should submit to 

 the House was meant to act fairly 

 on the feelings of the officers and 



