]3 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



fo their clothing, he thought it much 

 Letter that tliey should be tlrcst like 

 the regular soldiers, as the enemy, 

 atashort distance, might take them 

 for regulars. He then defended the 

 jreneral conduct of ministers in those 

 j)oints which had been arraigned by 

 Mr. Windham, and disapproved of 

 the plan, suggested by him, of 

 changing the period of service from 

 life to a term of years ; a change 

 which would, in his opinion, dis- 

 organize the whole army. 



Mr. Pitt did iiot'chusc, upon the 

 present occasion, to go into the con- 

 duct of government generally; but 

 thought it sufficient to direft his at- 

 tention prospectively to the mea- 

 sures which were now necessary, 

 in order to establish a suitable na- 

 tional force, cither for our own de- 

 fence, or theadark of our enemies ; 

 or for co-operating, if the occasion 

 should offer, Avith other powers, 

 for the purpose of securing the in- 

 dependence of Europe. lie differed 

 with his right honourable friend 

 (Mr. Windham) in many points. — 

 Althougli he entertained as high an 

 opinion as any man ol the superi- 

 oi'ity of our regular troops, yet he 

 Vvas convinced tliat it was ncccssary 

 to resort to some other subsidiary 

 force, to defend the country at the 

 present moment. The regular army 

 would always be the rallying point 

 of national defence; but, with the 

 benefit of their example, and of 

 their instru6tion, he was convinced 

 that other descriptions of force could 

 be brouglit forward with great ad- 

 vantage. He wished to see the 

 volunteer forces of the country 

 brought to tlic utmost possible pitch 

 of perfection, in order that the re- 

 giii'.r army might be used to its 

 full extent, in assailing the enemy 

 wherever they were vnUicrablc, and 



thus contribute to the deliverance 

 of Europe from the tyranny and op- 

 pression under which it now groans. 

 lie approved of the volunteer sys- 

 tem, and would have wished it to 

 be carried to a much greater extent 

 in the counties bordering upon the 

 sea coast, in order that the enemy 

 might be repulsed at the moment of 

 his landing, and not allowed to get 

 a footing in the country. lie thought 

 the volunteer system capable of be- 

 ing made a permanent, solid system 

 of defence, and a. great source of 

 national energy. Tiie improvemenLs 

 in the system, which appeared to 

 him more immediately necessary, 

 were the assembling the small com- 

 panies into battalions, and giving 

 to each battalion a field officer and 

 an adjutant. He also considered 

 the number of days appointed in the 

 year for drills, as too small ; and 

 that instead of receiving pay for 

 twenty, the volunteers should re- 

 ceive pay for forty or fifty days. 

 These alterations would certain>)" 

 cause an increase of expence, but it 

 appeared to liim, that it would be 

 money well bestowed. 



Mr. secretary Yorke objetScd to 

 these proposed alterations, princi- 

 pally on the ground of ccconomy, 

 a* they would bring on an increajj- 

 ed expence of near £. 500,000, 

 without producing, as it ajipearcd 

 to him, any equivalent advantage. 



^Ir. T. Grenvillc expressed sur- 

 prise, that his right honourable 

 friend and relation (Mr. Pitt) should 

 seem to think, that this was a time 

 only to look pro^j)e(^tively to mea- 

 sures to be adopted for the future. 

 It ap])carod to him a proper time to 

 enquire, also, what use ministers had 

 made of those powers that were en- 

 trusted to them during the last ses- 

 sion. The regular army was alarm- 

 ingly 



