lU 



ANNUx\L REGISTER 1S05. 



combined fleet of (he enemy, from 

 Cadiz and Toulon, could easily be 

 coll.(:(od,itshouidbeioconected that 

 if (.he anchorage of theDo.vns and tlie 

 Straiglits were, only for a few days, 

 in their possession, it would sufiico 

 their flotillas to effe.-t the dicrn- 

 barkation of an ianiieuso army o'l 

 our coasts. In reviewing fhe whole of 

 our military establishment, he pur- 

 sued nearly the same line of argii- 

 Bicnt before taken by Wr. Wind- 

 ham, and dwelt with particular ri- 

 dicule upon the volunteer system, 

 and especially that part of it w liich 

 conferred not only military title, 

 but military rank, npon pastry- 

 cooks, and other men of that de- 

 scription, who had never seen any 

 service, and whom experienced offi- 

 cers of tiie line would disdain to 

 serve under. He adverted to th?. 

 defective state of the fortificatio is 

 of this country, and stroigly re- 

 commended the erection of martello 

 towers, in those places wlicre th.'y 

 might be deemed necessary. lie 

 also strongly insisted on the neces- 

 sity of admitting Roman Catholics 

 fully into the military service, and the 

 benefits that would spring from en- 

 listing men for a limited period, and 

 concluded a speech of four hours, 

 embracing almost every point and 

 topic, by moving a series of resolu- 

 tions, the grand purport of wliirh 

 "Was, that, " It not appearing that 

 *' his majesty's miuistcrs have any 

 *' intention of jjroposing any new 

 *' measure, with a -view to the fur- 

 " thering the recruiting service, or 

 " totheimprovement of ourmilitary 

 *' system ; this house do therefore 

 " resolve itself into a committee, to 

 " deliberate on these highly impor- 

 " tant subjeas." 



Lord Castlereagh did not think 

 that any thing urged by the ho- 



nourable colonel would induce the 

 house to go into a committee ; he 

 contended strongly against the dan- 

 ger of the measure of enlisting men 

 for a liwiited time, and adduced an in^ 

 stance to prove it ; he took a compa- 

 rative view of tiic regular army, mi- 

 litia, and volunteers, all of which he 

 maintained to be more powerfid, 

 and affonlcd niuch greater security-, 

 than at any peri:)d heretofore. He 

 sa,w no ground of charge against 

 government; he should, therefore, 

 move fhe order of the day. 



Sir James Pulleney was ofopinion 

 that the mode of enlisting for a 

 term of years, would be productive 

 of no good coase<iuence. 



General Xorton was of the same 

 opinion, and saw no sort of neces. 

 sity for going rnto a committee. 



Sir \V. Erskine contended for the 

 volunteer system, as being the sheet 

 anchor of the state. 



After some further conversation, 

 in which Mr. Windham was the only 

 one who sided with the honourable 

 mover, the motion was put, and ne- 

 gatived ^vithout a division. 



On the 1st of.luly, Mr. Wilbor- 

 forcc moved for the appointment of 

 coininissionerii to entjuire into the 

 claims of the Duke of Athol. Me 

 thought it, however, very extraor- 

 dinary, that, after forty years, that 

 house should be called upon a^ain 

 to open a transaction which liiid 

 been settled to the satisfaction of 

 all parties. 



The chancellor of the exchequer 

 begged it might be recollected that a 

 rigorous measure had then been re- 

 sorted to by that housL" ; he, there- 

 fore, hoped the house would give 

 with a liberality worthy the great 

 object submitted to them, and be- 

 coming the honour and the pharaqtet' 

 of parliament. 



Mt. 



