HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
any’ counsels which the right ho- 
nourable secretary for the war de- 
artment was supposed to influence ; 
fe urged that gentleman ta the 
‘strongest terms, to disclose what 
his intentions were in regard to 
the additional force Dill. ‘* On 
this and other questions connected 
with the military defence of the 
country, it was indispensible that 
an immediate determination should 
take place, and that the men of ta- 
“dents, of which the new administra- 
tion was said to be composed, 
ould hasten to exert those talents 
: a way calculated to be of advan. 
‘tage to the public. ‘Phe patient 
might otherwise expire before the 
state physicians had made ap their 
‘minds as to the prescriptions that 
ought to be adopted.” 
Mr. Secretary Windham observed 
in reply, that the delay complained 
_of by opposition, arosy from dilli- 
‘culties which they had themselves 
created. ‘* Their military system 
had been so bad, that it naiurally, 
produced those difficulties. The 
noble lord had yery properly com- 
pared the present military system 
to a sick patient. But who had 
reduced the wretched patient to 
‘that languishing state? How came 
a patient to be in his present si- 
tuation? Was it not the noble lord 
“and his friends who had brought 
im to,death’s door? And yet they 
; ho had brought the country to 
_ that state, were now loud in their 
proaches of their successors, for 
t restoring the patient instantly 
» health.” After some observa- 
ns on the questions put to him by 
the noble lord, he euded by saying, 
that the subjects alluded to were 
now weder the consideration of go. 
‘ vernment, and would, in due time, 
_ be submitted to parliament.” 
* 
45 
Mr. Canning then rose, and after 
denying that the inferences were 
just, which the last speaker had en- 
dearoured to deduce from the noble 
lord’s speech, expressed his surprise 
that an administration, combining, 
as had been asserted, and as they 
themselves had represented, all the 
taients, all the abilities, and ail the 
experience and wisdom of the 
country, should require so much 
time to mature and bring forwasd 
their measures. ‘He acknowledged 
*¢ that if these questions were agi- 
tated with a view to draw from the 
right honourable gentleman a pre- 
mature disclosure of his plans, ep. 
position would ill discharge their 
duty to the public ;” but he never- 
theless went on, stating his reasons 
for wishing to have an answer on 
the subject of the volunteers and 
additional force bill, and expressing, 
in the course of his speech, his tetal 
want of confidence in the secretary 
for the war department, as a war- _ 
minister, in which opinion he was 
sure that nine tenths of the nation 
coincided with him. 
Mr. Whitbread, after some re- 
marks on the tone and spirit of 
Mr. Canning’s and lord Castle- 
reagh’s speeches, observed, that the 
recent efficacy of the additional 
force bill, was not owing to its na- 
tural operation, but to the activity 
of crimps and recruiting officers, in 
turning over to the parish levies, 
men under-sized for the line and 
militia. 
Mr. Fox, in n reply to Mr. Can- 
ning, observed, that *¢ that right 
honoorable ~gentleman had stated, 
that the present ministry comprised 
all the talent in the country; and 
he had even stated it in such a man- 
ner as might lead te a supposition 
that they had so represented them- 
selves. 
