GENERAL HISTORY. 



[205 



able prospect of lasting repose to 

 this country and to Europe. He 

 coincided in the spirit of the em- 

 peror of Austria's manifesto, who 

 thought it better to incur all the 

 danger of immediate war, than to 

 live in daily fear of the attacks 

 which might be prepared during a 

 state of things to which the name 

 of peace might be given. It would 

 be necessary always to bear in 

 mind the enemy with whom we 

 were contending, and with whom 

 we should have to negociate. j 



The amendment was seconded 

 by Mr. W. Smith, and was ob- 

 jected to by Mr. Wynne; and 

 being put, was negatived. The 

 bill was afterwards read a third 

 time, and passed. 



The second reading of the bill 

 was moved in the House of Lords 

 on Nov. 22nd by Lord Bathurst, in 

 a speech similar to that of lord 

 Castlereagh ; and undergoing no 

 opposition, it was passed on the 

 following day. 



As a kind of sequel to this mea- 

 sure. Lord Castlereagh, on Nov. 

 23rd, rose to call the attention of 

 the House of Commons to some 

 further military regulations which 

 circumstances might render it ad- 

 visable to adopt. The first branch 

 of our military establishment to 

 which they might be applied was 

 the local militia. This was at pre- 

 sent liable to two descriptions of 

 service, one, merely for training ; 

 the other, for service for a limited 

 time in their own counties. They 

 could not now by law be called 

 out of their own counties, except 

 in cases of actual invasion or in- 

 surrection. Of these events, his 

 lordship observed, there was hap- 

 pily never less danger ; but there 

 were other services to which a 



great part of our military force 

 was not at present applicable. One 

 of these was the guard of the pro- 

 digious mass of French prisoners 

 in the country. Troops were also 

 wanting to do duty at our arsenals, 

 and for our internal police and 

 security. It might therefore be 

 proper to allow the local militia to 

 offer their services to an extent 

 something greater than could at 

 present be admitted, but depart- 

 ing as little as possible from the 

 spirit of that institution. They 

 were now restricted in time as 

 well as in distance ; the first being 

 fixed at twenty-eight days, the 

 second to their own counties, ex- 

 cept in cases of riots or tumults. 

 As to time, he did not wish a 

 further extension than such as it 

 might take to go out to the places 

 where their services might be more 

 useful, and to return ; and for this, 

 three weeks might be reckoned 

 sufficient. He concluded with 

 moving for leave to bring in a bill 

 to enable his Majesty to accept of 

 the voluntary services of the local 

 militia out of their own counties. 



Mr. Whitbread made a speech 

 chiefly turning upon the peculiar 

 circumstance in the present state of 

 the war, that the people every 

 where seemed heartily to concur 

 in it, to which its great successes 

 might be attributed. He approved 

 of the plan proposed by the noble 

 lord ; as he did not believe 

 that ministers had any intention to 

 use the great power now given 

 to the crown in any attempt 

 against the liberties of the people. 

 He wished, however, to add this 

 admonition, that while we were 

 exerting ourselves so much for the 

 liberties of others, we should not 

 be forgetful of our own. 



