40 
selves. He should be happy that 
the right honourable gentleman 
would state on what occasion he had 
heard them so represent themselves. 
It was impossible that they could 
have said so, when they saw the 
right honourable gentleman on the 
other side of the house. It would 
be ridiculous in any person to.insi- 
nuate that ministry comprised all 
the talent of the country, when the 
right honourable gentleman was out 
of office. Not only the right ho- 
nourable gentleman, but his col- 
leagues on the same bench with 
him, had made such a representa 
tion impossible, particularly by 
the display of talent which -they 
had already made in opposition.— 
tf some of the fricnds of the pre- 
sent administration, -thinking too 
highly of their merits, had, from 
prejudice or partiality, so described 
them, he thought it was hardly for 
the friends of the right honourable 
gentleman, lately deceased (Mr. 
Pitt) and least of all for the gentle- 
man opposite (Mr. Canning) to ob- 
jeet to that species of panegyric.” 
After pointing out the inconsistency 
of Mr. Canning, in first declaring 
that he had no confidence in the 
secretary for the war department, 
and then requiring that right ho- 
nourable gentleman to make a pre- 
mature disclosure to him of his 
plans, he proceeded to contrast 
the opinion now expressed of his 
right honourable friend, with the 
endeavours used to make him take 
a part in the late administration, 
when it was forming. He reminded 
the gentlemen opposite, that when 
Mr. Pitt came last into office, he 
did not, for four weeks after his 
return to power, brisg in his addi- 
tional force bill; though in that 
ease a single act only was to be in- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
troduced; here there was a new 
system to be founded. Then, how- 
ever, no objection of delay was 
started, neither were any premature 
enquiries made into the nature of 
the plan which he had in contem- 
plation to introduce. The right 
honourable secretary declared, he 
could figure no reason for putting a 
question like the present, but a 
wish to embarrass. ‘* What good 
motive could the persisting in it pro- 
ceed from, when his right honoura- 
ble friend had stated, that he was 
not quite ready to bring forward 
his measure ? What advantage could 
arise from a premature dectaration, 
similar to that now required? From 
what good motive could the wish to 
procure such a declaration proceed ? 
If his right honourable friend had 
begun by moving the repeal of the 
additional force act, would not the 
right honoarable gentleman have 
argued, that till a substitute was 
provided in its stead, that act 
should be allowed to take its course ? 
and, if his right honourable friend 
now said, that that act formed no 
part of his plan, did it not follow, 
that this was not the time to inves- 
tigate or discuss its merits.” 
We have been more diffuse in 
our account of these preliminary 
skirmishes, than their importance, 
perhaps, strictly merits, but we 
were desirous of enabling our 
readers, by these extracts from the 
parliamentary debates, to judge for 
themselves of the spirit of carping 
hostility which marked, om so many 
oceasions, the conduct of opposi- 
tion during the present session, par- 
ticularly in discussions, where the. 
secretary for the war department 
was in any manner concerne% 
On the 3d of April Mr. Wind- | 
ham introduced the subject of his 
3 new 
