MISTORY OF EUROPE. 
and 130 of light infantry, amounting 
to 341,000 ; there were 14,000 vete- 
rans employed on garrison service, 
and the artillery establishment was 
26,000. So that upon the while, 
the regular force of France, amount- 
ed to about 428,000, to which were 
to be added near half a million of 
gens d’armes, which he did not 
mean to state as regular troops, 
but still must be reckoned at some- 
thing. Such being the state of 
military preparations in France; 
and such being her position, it was 
necessary for this country also to 
hold itseif ina high military state 
of preparation. No nation could 
look for the continuance of peace, 
without feeling a proper confidence 
in its own means of defence and secu- 
rity. It was theretore the duty of 
every government to provide such 
means of defence ; as without them, 
all the accumulations of commerce 
and wealth would only lead to an. 
accumulation of anxiety, disgrace, 
and misfortune.” He had heard of 
objections to an increased establish- 
ment, both on the grounds of the 
constitution and of economy. He 
‘thought all those objections would 
be answered, by simply asking, was 
it not necessary ? That force which, 
in the present state of Europe was 
necessary to guard the country and 
its constitution, was both agreeable 
to the constitution and to true eco- 
nomy. He then proceeded to state 
the force that was necessary to be 
kept up for the ensuing year, which 
was as follow: thirty regiments of 
cavalry, including horse and dra- 
- goon guards, amounting to 17,250; 
three regiments of foot guards 6060 
men; 102 battalions of regular in- 
fantry, together with eight West 
Tndig regiments, amounting to 415$ 
39 
men. Of foreign corps also, it was 
proposed to retain the regiments of 
Stuart, Meuron, and Watteville, 
amounting to 2552. ‘The whole of 
the force would be 129,000, The 
general distribution that was intend 
ed, was 60,000 for Great Britain 
and Ireland; 30,000 for the Planta- 
tions, and the rest for India. The 
expence of this force would be some- 
thing above £1,0€0,000, the entire 
expences of the army for the ensu- 
ing year, he calculated at five mil- 
llions and a half, which was less by 
2,000,000 than the expence of the 
present year, and by £10,000,000 
than the expence of the last year of 
the war. He vindicated the con- 
duct of administration from the 
charge of having imprudently dis- 
banded the army, and stated that 
the actual force for the defence of 
the United Kinedom, would amount 
to 200,000 men, including the mili- 
tia and yeomanry ; this was a force 
which he thought would not tempt 
any foreign nation to attack us. Le 
then proposed his first resolution. 
Mr. Bankes said, that if he dis- 
approved of a high peace establish- 
ment, it was not because he thought 
less highly than others of the for- 
midable power of France, but be- 
cause he thought more highly of 
the natural means and resources of 
this country ; and he did not like 
to waste those resources in guarding 
against a danger which did not exist. 
In former times it had been found 
that small peace establishments 
were, sufficient to keep the country 
secure at home, and preserve its 
respectability abroad; but if we 
were now to make the military 
establishment of France the measure 
of our own, that could not be done 
without ruining the resources of the 
D4 country, 
