£08 
After strongly recommending to 
gentlemen in that house to lay aside 
all party feelings for the summer, 
gnd to setan example of unanimity, 
he concluded by moving a vote of 
thanks, which he intended to follow 
by a motion for a return of the names 
and descriptions of all the volunteer 
corps, that they might be entered 
on the journals of the house. 
General Gascoygne hoped that 
the motion would be unanimously 
adopted; he thought now that our 
regular army was so powerfully 
supported by the militia and three 
hundred thousand volunteers, we 
should remove the seat of war out of 
eur own dominions, and Jearn to 
threaten the threatener: we ought no 
longer to confine ourselves merely 
to defensive operations. 
Mr. Windham declared he had 
never said a word, reflecting on the 
spirit of the individuals, composing 
the volunteer army ; he had merely 
prefered another deseription of force 
which could be turned to the ser- 
vice of the country more efliciently. 
He had spoken his real sentiments 
upon that occasion, as he had done 
of the present administration. | He 
must repeat, that he considered our 
administration a weak one, that 
merely courted popularity, and 
consulted more what the people at 
Lloyd’s, the holders of omnium and 
the merchants would say, than 
what was for the real interests of 
the empire. As to the volunteer 
service, he considered it, at present, 
as a mere refuge from the compul- 
sory service, and therefore did not 
think there was so much merit in 
entering into it, as there was fast 
war. If he was to speak, as a vo- 
dunteer, he should say, for God’s 
sake, don't thank me, merely for 
ANNUAL'REGISTER, 
1803. 
being a volunteer. 
performed any meritorious services 
to deserve it, then I shall gladly 
receive them. 
the arguments he had often before 
urged against the volunteer forces 
as now organized. He should mach 
prefer an armed peasantry; the’ 
system that he recommended was, 
that the regular force should be in- 
creased to the utmost possible ex- 
tent, and that the auxiliary force. 
should be completely irregular, and 
consist of the armed population of 
the country, 
The seerctary at war, thought it 
strange, that the right hon. gentle~ 
man, who was such an advocate for 
a regular army, should preter a 
much more imperfect training, to 
that which the volunteers would re- 
ceive. He could not help wonder- 
ing, that in the last war, the public 
should have heard none of the right 
hon, gentleman’s objections to the 
militia, and the volunteers. He 
was then secretary at war, and a 
cabinet minister; and it was his 
duty to have proposed those means 
of defence, that in his judgment, 
appeared the best. In answer to 
the question, Why the thanks. of 
parliament had not been given to 
those volunteers, who* preserved 
Dublin from falling into the hands 
of the rebels? he should answer, 
Dublin never was in that dangbr- 
ous situation, described by the right 
hon. gentleman, nor wasit so much 
the volunteer force, as the regular 
army, that defeated the insurgents. 
Mr. Wilberforce thought it a litle 
premature to vote the thanks of the 
When I hate: 
He then repeated - 
house to men, for merely doing what . 
must be expected from Englishmen. 
lie thought they ought to wait for 
solid services and more splendid 
achipvements, 
