42 
complete. Before this measure was 
adopted, bounties had risen in 
some parts of the country to 50. 
and 601. and substitutes could not 
be procured at any price. The 
desertion of recruits had increased 
to an alarming degree, in conse- 
quence of the temptation of high 
bounties, on re.enlisting successively 
in different corps. ‘The character 
of the army was therefore degrad- 
ed by a measure, which added, at 
such exorbitant expence, to its num- 
bers. 
It must be confessed, that, after 
the pernicious influence of the army 
of reserve bill, he, who attempted 
to establish a better system for re- 
cruiting the army, had serious dif- 
ficulties to overcome, nor could he 
expect, whatever measures he 
adopted, that their effect would be 
at first considerable. Of militia, 
supplementary militia, army of re- 
serve and troops of the line, more 
than 140,000 men had been raised 
im the short space of 18 months, so 
that the country was, in a great 
measure, drained of that descrip- 
tion of persons, who form the great 
body of our soldiery ; and, as it 
was essentially necessary, that the 
excessive bounties should be dimi- 
nished, to which the army of reserve 
bill had given rise, it was not to be 
expected, for some time at least, 
that recruiting, in any form, would 
be attended with success. Mr. 
Pitt’s additional force bill professed, 
however, to have the twofold object, 
of raising immediately for the army 
of reserve and militia, a sufficient 
number of men to complete these 
corps ; and of providing for the 
army, in future, a permanent sup- 
ply of recruits to the number of 
9,000 annually. dn the attainment 
of the first of these objects it con- 
fessedly: failed, How far it had 
‘ 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1806. 
answered, or, when repealed, how 
far it was*likely to answer the 
gecond purpose, is a subject to 
which we shal] afterwards revert ;) 
nor shall we, at present, make any 
observations on the principles or 
provisions of the bill. It will be 
sufficient to remind our readers, 
that the recruiting service was, un- 
der this act, entrusted to the parish 
officers, who were prohibited from 
giving a higher bounty than three 
fourths of the bounty allowed for 
recruits in regiments of the line, and 
in case their efforts, thus limited 
and restricted, should prove unsuc- 
cessful, the parishes were to he fined 
201. for every man deficient. Great 
opposition had been made to this 
bill, when brougbt into parliament, 
and, the following year, an unsuc- 
cessful attempt had been made in 
both houses to procure its repeal. 
It had been passed intoalaw about 
a year and a half, when parliament 
assembled in January 1806. 
On the first day of the session 
Mr. Sheridan gave notice of his in- 
tention to move for the repeal of 
the additional force bill, but with- 
out fixing any particular day for . 
his motion ; on which lord Castle- 
reagh observed, that some altera- 
tious were intended to be made in 
the bill, which might possibly obvi- 
ate the honourable member’s objec- 
tions. Myr. Sheridan replied, that 
no alteration could possibly render 
it fit to be continued any longer. 
Next day (January 22) a petition 
from the county of Berks for the 
repeal of the same bill was present-. 
ed by Mr. Charles Dundas one of 
the members for that county, in 
which it was stated that * eleven 
men only had been raised in the 
said county by the  over- 
seers, and the enormous sum of 
6,6201. had been imposed on the 
ceunty 
