HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



39 



who were equal to any French sol- 

 diers, and that our volunteers were 

 animated with a spirit far superior 

 to what could be expected from 

 French or Italian conscripts, lie 

 tliought it was impossible for the 

 injemiity of the French to contrive 

 any tiling which would be so effec- 

 tual to animate the spirit of their 

 troops, as the publication of many 

 of the speeches that were made ia 

 that house. As to the charge so 

 olten urged of the exemptions hurt- 

 ing the recruiting service, he thought 

 it a more assertion, which was con- 

 tradicted by the fact. The value 

 of the exemption was no more than 

 the price paid to insure against serv- 

 ing, and the expencc of becoming a 

 volunteer was far more than this in- 

 surance price. As to the objection 

 of their being clothed and disciplin- 

 ed like regulars, he should answer, 

 that the system of a " smock-frock 

 army" had been tried in America, 

 which appeared to be peculiarly a- 

 dapled to it, but the Americans 

 were soon tired of it, and found it 

 was better to make use of regular 

 troops. 



Admiral Berkeley could not per- 

 ceive how the administration of the 

 adu)iralty could fairly be introduced 

 in a discussion on the volunteer sys- 

 ttm. He felt a great degree of 

 friendship for the noble lord (earl 

 St. Vincent) at the head of that de- 

 j)artuicnt, but he was convinced, 

 that, during his sickness, he had 

 trusted the business to very unskil- 

 ful and inexperienced hands. The 



naval preparations of defence werfi 

 not adequate to the object. The 

 enemy had now ships of the line 

 equal ii not superior in number to 

 those that were blockading thcaj^ 

 and they had at least 500 gun-boats, 

 while we had not more than twenty 

 to oppose them. If proper atten- 

 tion had been paid, we might by 

 this time have had as many gun-boat i 

 as the enemy.* 



Captain Alarkham (a lord of the 

 admiralty (said he should not boast 

 of his e\i)ericiice, but the experi- 

 ence of his colleague, sir Thomas 

 Trowbridge, was well known. He 

 should be glad to know where the 

 honourableadmirars(admiralBerke- 

 ley) foreign service had been ? He 

 thought the idea most ridiculous of 

 attacking the enemy's flotilla with 

 small craft. The whole coast from 

 Boulogne to Cape Grisnez was pro- 

 tected by formidable batteries ; and 

 where our frigates could not go in 

 safety ; he could not see that small 

 craft would have better luck. 



Colonel Eyre defended, with great 

 warmth, the system that government 

 had adopted. He thought it owing 

 to the vigor of his majesty's coun- 

 cils and the energy of the volunteers, 

 that the enemy had not ventured to 

 carry into execution his menaced 

 invasion. 



Mr. Fuller approved of the vo- 

 lunteer system ; but, as he thought 

 it very well as it was, he should 

 oppose this bill, which did not ap- 

 pear to him as likely to make it ap^ 

 better. 



* On the morning after this debate, there appeared, in a print entirely devoted 

 to administration, a most senndalous and defamatory libel upon admiral Berkeley, 

 tor which he prosecuted the editor and publishers, and gained a verdict for 

 IClOOi. tlania<if:s, and costs of suit. For a more particular account of which, vide 

 Chronicle, p. 396. 



D 4 b»d 



