40 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



Mr. Fox denied that any party 

 had hesitated to give their best as- 

 sistance *o the government. The 

 people had every where shewed 

 their zeal for the defence of the 

 country; and if their ardour had 

 been damped, it A*as by ministers. 

 Persons who Avere supposed to be- 

 long to thesame political party, as he 

 did, were as zealous as others. He 

 should only instance the case of the 

 duke of Northumberland, who rais- 

 ed and clothed, at his own cxpence, 

 a body of 1500 volunteers. There 

 was every where a perfect union for 

 the country and the government, 

 but he believed there was nearly as 

 general a union of opinion against 

 his majesty's ministers. The go- 

 vernment had, by their mismanage- 

 ment, brought the country almost 

 to the brink of dostruftion, and 

 therefore they might, in some de- 

 gree, claim the merit of bringing 

 about this union ; and this was the 

 only way in which they had raised 

 the public spirit. An opinion seem- 

 ed to be suggested by an honour- 

 able general, (general Maitland,) 

 that military matters ought not to 

 be discussed in that house ; but left 

 entirely to the consideration of oifi- 

 cers of experience. This Avas an 

 opinion to which he should never 

 subscribe. As to (it experience, 

 however, no one could deny the ex- 

 perience of his honourable friend 

 (colonel Crawford) : and it could 

 never be allowed, that not only the 

 monopoly of military power, but 

 of military knowledge also, should 

 be allowed to remain exclusively with 

 the persons of the highest rank in 

 the army. He thought the honour- 

 able colonel conveyed as much pro- 

 fessional information as ever he Isad 

 heaid in any speech, and that it was 

 exprcst in the most perspicuous and 



luminous manner. If the volun.. 

 teer system was praised, as giving 

 an army of 400,000 men, he should 

 say that an armed peasantry would 

 furnish an army of two millions, that 

 would require less drilling and be 

 more effcftivc. As to the drilling 

 the volunteers received, it put him 

 in mind of the line in Pope ; 



" A little learning is a dangerous 



■tiling." 



Mr. Fox then argued with con- 

 siderable force on the superiority of 

 an armed peasantry, over such a 

 system as tl)at of the volunteers. ' 



Mr. Pitt agreed in the general 

 principle laid down by Mr. Fox, 

 that having provided against the 

 immediate danger, every effort ought 

 io be used to render our defensive 

 system permanent. He hoped, how-. 

 cver, that the danger of the coun- 

 try would cease with the present 

 Mar, and that we would not lightly 

 consent to make a peace with France 

 Avithout adequate security for the 

 future. The system of France was 

 now different from what it had ever 

 been at former jjcriods, and must 

 be met by corresponding exertions 

 on the part of this country : how- 

 ever painful those exertions might 

 be, they were inseparable from 

 those days in which it had pleased 

 Providence to cast our existence. — 

 Although he did not consider that 

 the volunteer system had arrived at 

 anj' thing like pcrfecVtion, yet he 

 approved the principles of it, and 

 supposed that, by some regulations, 

 which were not difficult to point 

 out, it might be made a foundation 

 of permanent security. The volun- 

 teer spirit had risen principally from 

 the opinion of a pressing dangers 

 if that opinion was removed, the ef- 

 fedl might also ctfasc. Although 



the 



