70 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1804. 



disdain of the services which Ire- 

 land could render to the empire. 



The question was then put, for 

 the speaker leaving the chair, in or- 

 der that the house might resolve 

 itself into a committee. It was car- 

 ried by a majority of 70. The 

 ayes being 124, and the noes 54. 



On the 11th, the order of the 

 day having been moved for the 

 house to resolve itself into a com- 

 mittee on " the Irish militia aug- 

 mentation bill," 



Colonel Crawford delivered his 

 sentiments at considerable length on 

 the whole of the measure, of which 

 he considered the present bill to be 

 but a part. Although he entertain- 

 ed great doubts about the policy of 

 accepting the offer of the Irish mi- 

 Jitia, yethef'elt no hesitation in giv- 

 ing his decided negative to the pre- 

 sent bill. He disapproved generally 

 of increasing the local force of ei- 

 ther country ; but, from particular 

 circumstances, he had a still strong- 

 er objection to a large Irish militia 

 acting in Ireland. Indeed, such 

 ■was his opinion of the militia forces 

 in general, that he was sorry they 

 made a part of the tmboclfcd force of 

 the country ; and although the 

 Irish militia had evinced equal loy- 

 alty and spirit in (he year 1798, yet 

 he could never approve of many 

 regiments being kept. up in Ireland, 

 that were composed exclusively of 

 Irishmen, for the most obvious rea- 

 sons. It was inconsistent with 

 prudence, common sense, or huma- 

 nity, wantonly and unnecessuriiy to 

 expose Irihh regiments to the dread- 

 ful trial, of being obliged to. fight 

 against their nearest relations, when 

 the feelings of nature might come 

 in competition with ihc duties of a 

 soldier. • lie saw no reason for 

 not raising fencibJc regiments, in- 



stead of militia, which would bo as 

 easily dane, if the same provisiori 

 were made for their families, as is 

 made for those of the militia. He then 

 made several observations on the 

 statements, that had been made by 

 Mr. secretary Yorke, of the situation 

 of the army; and concluded, by 

 expressing a wish that the actual re- 

 turns of the state of the army 

 should be laid before the house, in 

 order to give them some real, offi- 

 cial information on the state of the 

 defence of the country. 



Mr. secretary Yorke spoke iu 

 high' terms of the formidable situa- 

 tion of our defensive preparations. 

 When he saw 20,000 cavalry, of the 

 same description as that of which a 

 handful in India had destroyed the 

 army of Scindiah ; when he saw 

 700 pieces of artillery, manned by 

 7,000 well-trained Britons ; and 

 when he considered the zeal and spi- 

 rit with which the country prest 

 forward, in the formation of vo- 

 lunteer corps, he felt none of that 

 alarm which appeared to have taken 

 possession of the honourable colo- 

 Hcl. 



Sir John Vv'rottesley opposed the 

 bill, on the same "principles as colo- 

 nel Crawford had done. He did 

 not think the nation had much rea- 

 son to be proud of tliose Indian vic- 

 tories which had been spoken of by 

 the honourable secretary (Mr. 

 Yorke), nor that our triumphs iu, 

 that part of the world contributed 

 any thing to the security of the em- 

 pire. He found fault with the de- 

 fcHsive system of Marfare which mi- 

 nisters had adopted, and tliought it 

 was absolutely necessary to recur to 

 some active operations, in order to 

 give activity to the native gallantry 

 of our troops and seamen. Upon the 

 whole, he considered, that the nation 



had 



