THISTORY' OF “EVROPE. 33 
CHA P., Ti. 
Resolutions of the Committee of Supply.—Debate on the first Resolution. 
—Speeches of Mr. T. Grenville—Addington—Sir S. Smith—Lord 
Hawkesbury—Mr. Canning—Attorney General—Dr. Luwrence.—Ke- 
solutions agreed to.—Lord Moira’s Motion for Papers on the Assump- 
tion of the Dominion of the Carnatic, in the House of Lords, agreed to. 
—Proceedings on the Middlesex Petitions. — Military Estimate.— 
Debate — Secretary at War—Mr. Bankes—Earl Temple—General 
Maitland—Tarleton—Mr. Archdall—W hitbread—Sheridan—Canning 
—Wilberforce—For—W indham—Chancellor of the Exchequer.—Reso- 
lutions committed.—Debate resumed on the bringing up the Report of the 
Committee—Mr. T. Grenville—Lord Hawkesbury—Sir F. Burdett— 
Dr. Lawrence — Mr. For —Windham— Lord Castlereagh. —Reso- 
lutions carried unanimously. 
HE next debate of importance, 
which occurred previously to 
the Christmas recess, took place in 
the house of commons, on the 2d 
of December, when the resolutions 
of the committee of supply were 
brought up. The first resolution 
was, that fifty thousand seamen be 
employed for the service of the 
year 1803, including 12,000 ma- 
rines. 
On the resolution being put, 
Mr. Grenville expressed his asto- 
nishment at the conduct of minis- 
ters, who proposed a vote of so 
many additional seamen, without 
stating the necessity for it ;~he con- 
sidered such an explanation would 
be due to parliament, before they 
agreed to the proposition of the mi- 
nister. The speech, in fact, con- 
tained no sentiment or opinion, 
applicable either to the present 
times, or to any former period of 
our history; it was a mere collec- 
Vol. XLV. 
tion of truisms. In former speeches, 
delivered at critical periods, there 
were some declarations of the opi- 
nions of ministers, with respect to 
the state of Europe; in the present 
there was not even the attempt 
made, Last year, the minister said 
he considered 30,000 seamen sutfti- 
cient for our peace establishment ; 
at present he demanded 50,000. 
Parliament ought to be informed of 
the reasons of this excess. If we 
were likely to continue in peace, 
parliament might think it too much ; 
if we were likely to be soon at war, 
they might think it too little. He 
wished the house to consider the 
vast exertions that both France and 
Holland were making for the re- 
storation of their navies; Spain and 
Portugal too, were so completely 
under the influence of France, that 
she would be enabled to direct their 
strength against this country, 
whenever she chose; and perhaps 
D shut 
