HISTORY OF EUROPE 209 
gchievements. In giving his opinion 
of the volunteer force in general, 
he appeared to coincide with Mr. 
Windham’s idea, that the peasantry 
of the country, armed and acting as 
anirregular force, would be more 
efficacious: He thought it would 
give more room for the exercise 
and display of individual energy and 
courage. He instanced the won- 
derful and gallant exploits of sir 
Sidney Smith at Acre, and stated 
_ that that officer had declared that 
if he had had any regular officers 
of engineers with him, he must have 
teported the place untenable and 
quitted it. He took occasion to pay 
a high compliment to the extraor- 
dinary achievements of that gallant 
officer, who; in his opinion had 
been but ill-requited for his services. 
He concluded by expressing a con- 
fidence that the country was equal 
_to the situation it was placed in, 
_ and would finally triumph over all 
its difficulties. 
Mr. Francis said he hoped that 
_the hon, mover, Mr. Sheridan, had, 
_ before he pledged himself so warmly 
tothe support of government, re- 
_Ceived sufficient satisfaction on two 
points about which he had been 
much interested. First, as to the 
@ppoinment of a military council, 
secondly, as to the offer of service 
on the part of an illustrious per- 
 sonage (the prince of Wales.) 
_ Colonel Crawford thought that it 
would be time enough to réturn 
_ thanks to the volunteers, when they 
+ had repelled the invasion with which 
this country is threatened, He 
‘did not much approve of the intro- 
-duction of Gernian tactics among 
our volunteers, he thought there 
_ was too much of it among the re- 
gulars, and that it was mot well 
Vou. XLY. 
suited to such a country as this ; he 
agreed with Mr. Windham, in pre- 
ferring the people raised en masse, 
and acting as an irregular force, to 
our volunteers; in the way they 
aré trained and disciplined. 
Lord Hawkesbury maintained, 
that after the treaty of Campo For- 
mio; in 1797, the country was in 
greater danger of invasion than at 
present. He cordially approved of 
the vote proposed, as he thought 
the record of it on the Journals, 
would be an encouragement to fu- 
ture exertions, 
Mr, Sheridan made a very bril 
liant reply to the arguments against 
his motion, which he had supposed. 
would have past unanimously, and 
without much discussion, As to 
the questions put to him by Mr. 
Francis, he said, that neither the 
non-appointmient of a military 
council, nor even the rejection of 
the offer of the prince of Wales, to 
whom he was so much attached, 
were sufficient to prevent him giving 
hissupport to the government, ata 
time so critical as the present. He 
believed the prince’s feelings might 
be expressed in the language of lord 
Moira, who said he should rather 
serve as a private in the ranks, than 
divide the public opinion about his 
claims, when unanimity was so es- 
sentially necessary: he then ani- 
-madverted, with the most pointed 
severity, on the tendency of the 
speeches which had been so often 
delivered in that house, by Mr. 
Windham and his friends. 
After a short explanation from 
colone! Crawford, both the propo- 
sitions of Mr, Sheridan were agreed ~ 
‘to without any dissenting voice. 
The next day, on the 11th of 
August, the Jast debate in the 
P sessi0B 
