HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



25 



Twhen he was supposed to have said 

 that 400,000 men, armed and disci- 

 plined like the volunteers, •would 

 be of no service. He only had con- 

 tended for the superior advantages 

 of regular disciplined troops, For 

 his part, although he had great reli- 

 ance on the native spirit and gallan- 

 try of the people, he would wish 

 to see them as well disciplined as 

 possible. 



Sir William Young again advert- 

 ed to the two different classes of 

 volunteers, those who were volun- 

 teers before the 43d of the king, 

 and those whobecame so afterwards. 

 He observed, that as most of the 

 young unmarried men, who were of 

 the first class, under the levy eu 

 masse aft, had gone into the volun- 

 teers, the ballot would fall princi- 

 pally on married men who had fa- 

 milies, and who would be obliged, 

 at an enormous expence, to lind 

 substitutes. 



Colonel Calcraft, by no means 

 thought that the opinions delivered 

 by Mr. Windham, were of that dis- 

 couraging nature, or so disparaging 

 to the volunteers, as they were 

 usually conceived to be. That gea- 

 tlemaa's opinion, appeared to him 

 entirely just, fn saying, that it was 

 never to be e^pei^ted, that the vo- 

 lunteers would be equal in disci- 

 pline, either to the regulars or the 

 militia. 



Dr. Lawrence warmly defended 

 his right honourable friend (Mr. 

 Windham) from the misrepresenta- 

 tions which had gone abroad, of his 

 opinions upon the subject of the vo- 

 lunteers. An honourable gentle- 

 man (Mr. Hiley Addington) had 

 expressed surprise at his rendering 

 himself so unpopular. Popularity 

 was certainly a thing which every 

 man would -wish for, but it was not 



a thing for which an enlightened or 

 dignihed statesman would abandon 

 the course which his judgment 

 pointed out to him. He rather dis- 

 approved of the conduft of ministers 

 in following the popular sentiment, 

 however wrong, instead of endeavour- 

 ing to lead t\\(i people to what was for 

 their psrmanent interest. He knevr 

 his friend (Mr. Windham) was not 

 unpopular among intelligent men, 

 for the part that he had taken in 

 this business ; on the contrary, he 

 was highly respected for it. 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 denied, that ministers had ever 

 courted popularity in the manner it 

 had been insinuated ; but, on the 

 contrary, had kept up large esta- 

 blishments, and imposed all those 

 taxes which were necessary to sup- 

 port the interest, or the honour of 

 tiie country. 



The bill was then read a third 

 time and passed. 



On the 16th, it was introduced 

 into i)\c house of lords, and read a 

 first time ; on the question for the 

 second reading, 



Lord Suffolk spoke, at considera- 

 ble length, in praise of the spirit 

 of tlie volunte-rs ; who, as he 

 thought, without being perfe6lly 

 disciplined, would be a match for 

 their enemies. His lordship threw 

 out a variety of ideas for the better 

 defence of the country. He recom- 

 mended Martello towers on the 

 coast, and central depots. 



Lord Grenville said, that, upon 

 the present occasion, he should not 

 enter at large into the volunter sys- 

 tem, or the general defence of the 

 country, but confine himself mere- 

 ly to the bill before the house. At 

 present, there were three adls in 

 force, all somewhat contradictory. 

 He should have thought it better to 



hare 



