134 ANNUAL REGISTER, 
against the avowed designs of the 
enemy, bis majesty conceived it 
necessary, that a large additional 
force should be forthwith raised 
andassembled. Addresses of thanks 
were voted to his majesty for both 
these messages. 
On the 20th, lord Hobart, in the 
house of lords, stated the outline 
of the plan, which ministers had con- 
ceived necessary for increasing the 
military defence_of the country ; 
which was by raising 40,000 men 
for England, and 10,000 for Ive- 
land, to be oflicered from the half- 
pay list, and from the fencible ofti- 
cers, and which was to serve as an 
army of reserve, to assist the regu- 
lars and militia. The men were to 
be raised by ballot. 
The duke of Clarence could not 
approve of the ‘outline which had 
been so sketched out; he warmly 
approved of the militia system, but 
wislied that any new force to be 
raised, should be not merely for de- 
fensive operations, but general ser- 
vice: he expressed the “fullest con- 
fidence in the resources of the 
country, being sufficient to repel 
invasion. After making these ob- 
servations, he concluded by sup- 
porting the address. 
The earl of Caernarvon, coin- 
cided with his royal highness, that it 
would be extreme folly to make a 
war, which we ourselves had rushed 
into, a mere defensive war. He 
condemned the system of ballot, 
as being, in his opinion, more a 
species of tax for raising money, 
than a measure for raising men ; 
and the money levied under it, 
was raised in a manner more op- 
pressive and objectionable than 
any other tax, and by no means. 
eumparable to the system of rai- 
18053, . 
sing men by bounty. Having . 
dwelt at considerable length upon 
this topic, his lordship concluded 
by declaring, that he saw more dan- 
ger to the country from the hands 
in-which its government was placed, 
than from the malice and rancour 
of its avowed enemies. 
The earl of Suffolk recommended, 
as the wisest measure for the mili- 
tary defence of the country, a cen- 
tral army of reserve, under one 
of our best generals, which should 
be at all times ready to proceed 
rapidly to whatever district should 
be attacked. 
The earl of Moira declared, that 
in the defence of the country he 
should draw his sword with equal 
pleasure, as a private yeoman, as if 
he had been honored with the com- 
mand of an. army. He did not 
wish to oppose any plan that minis- 
ters might think necessary for the 
defence of the country, on the 
contrary, he thought no time should 
be lost for discussing and adopting 
measures for increasing the military 
force of the country. He must, 
however, agree with the noble 
lords, who had already spoken, in 
recommending offensive rather than 
defensive war. He lamented much 
the present state of Europe, when the 
nations who were formerly friendly 
and disposed to an alliance with us, 
were now crushed by the power of 
France, and compelled to become 
our enemies. A mere defensive 
war, he must repeat, was absolute 
defeat and ruin, and the greatest 
bungler that ever handled a foil 
would certainly, at some time or 
another hit the best swordsman 
who should stand entirely on the 
defensive, His Lordship then in a 
strain of most animated and im- 
pressive 
