HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



89 



vr'ho recruit for general service. 

 The enormous bounties which grew 

 out of this competition, were among 

 the greatest obstacles to the increase 

 of the regular army. Besides the 

 removing those obstacles, he intend- 

 ed to propose, that an additional 

 force should be created, for the per- 

 manent increase of our regular ar- 

 my; he also wished, that this addi- 

 tional force should be of snch a na- 

 ture and quality, as would render 

 the troops of the line more disDOsa- 

 ble. There was. at })resent, a defi- 

 ciency of y.OOO in t!ie number ap- 

 pointed to be raised under the army 

 of reserve bill. It sliould be his 

 first object to complete that num- 

 ber. His next would be, to reduce 

 the militia to i(s ancient establish- 

 ment of 40,000 for England, and 

 8,000 for Scotland. The remainder, 

 and what is now deficient of the 

 number voted, he would wish to be 

 transferred to the additional force. 

 This, he conceived, would lay a 

 foundation for a permanent esta- 

 blishment, which wonid yield 12.000 

 recruits aTinually to the regular ar- 

 ray. He did not dispute the policy 

 of tlie army of reserve, as a tempo- 

 rary measure, but he wished to pre- 

 serve the advantages of it, as a per- 

 manent means of recruiting the ar- 

 my. The disadvantages of the arm}- 

 of reserve act, at present, were, that 

 its penalties induced such high 

 bounties to be given for substitutes, 

 as interfered materially with the in- 

 crease of the regular army. He, 

 therefore, wished to make the bal- 

 lot less burdensome on individuals ; 

 and botli to encourage and oblige 

 the parishes to find the number of 

 men that was assigned as their pro- 

 portion. If the parishes failed, he 

 wished to impose on them a certain 

 and moderate fine, which was to go 

 3 



into the general recruiting fund. — 

 This force he would wish to be 

 raised for live years, and not to be 

 liable to be called out for foreign ser- 

 vice, but to serve both as an auxili- 

 ary force, to assist the regular a rnty, 

 and to form a stock from w hich the 

 army could be recruited ; he wished 

 it to be joined to the regular army, 

 in the way of second battalions. — 

 He considered, that the intercourse 

 arising from such a connexion must 

 induce a considerable number of 

 them to volunteer for the regular 

 army. After dwelling at great 

 length upon the general principle of 

 the plan he proposed, and on its 

 different details, he concluded, 

 l)y moving lor leave to bring in a 

 bill, for the creation of "• an addi- 

 tional force," for the defence of the 

 realm. 



Mr. Windham agreed in the ge- 

 neral principles laid down by the 

 right honourable member ; but he 

 thought the plan, although in many 

 respects superior, still bore too 

 strong a resemblance to the system 

 hitherto pursued. He then pro- 

 ceeded to state, shortly, his funda- 

 mental objections to some of the 

 parts of this plan. He considered, 

 that there was, in the present mea- 

 sure, an injudicious mixture of vo- 

 luntary and compulsory service, 

 which was the principal objection 

 he had to the army of reserve. The 

 danger was not now so imminent as 

 to require compulsory levies ; and 

 Avc had suilicient leisure to con- 

 sider what measures should perma- 

 nently be adopted. Under arbi- 

 trary governments, such as Tur- 

 key, Russia, Prus'^ia, qt France, 

 compulsory levies are the simplest 

 and most elBcacious mode of ro- 

 cruiting ; but in a free country, lik« 

 this, it is not practicable, without 



