HISTORY \OF ‘EUROPE. 
ty-one years, he should be dis- 
charged from the army, with the 
full allowance of Chelsea, which by 
judicious regulations might be raised 
to a shillinga day. If he -was 
wounded or disabled in the service, 
he should receive the same pension 
as if he had served out the full term. 
During the second period he should 
also receive sixpence a week of ad- 
ditional pay, and durittg the third 
period ashillinga week. Desertion 
might be punished by the loss of so 
many years service, and though cor- 
poral punishments could not be 
banished entirely from the army, 
they might be diminished both in 
number and in severity. By these 
means abetter description of men 
would be induced to enter the army ; 
the profession of a soldier would 
risein the estimation of the country ; 
desertion would become less fre- 
quent; and, though the necessity 
for bounties could not be expected 
to cease immediately, the bounties 
would begin soon,in the language of 
*Change Alley, to ‘ be looking 
down ;” andif the system, now re- 
commended, was steadily pursued 
and faithfully adhered to, the army 
would be placed ina situation, where 
its own attractions would be the only 
bounty required for recruiting its 
ranks and procuring for it any 
number of men, which the exi- 
gencies of the state might require. 
After explaining the principles 
and defending the expediency of 
these measures with equal force of 
argument and felicity and copious- 
ness of illustration, Mr. Windham 
procceded to anticipate some of the 
objections, and remove some of the 
difficulties, that stood in the way of 
hisplan. The additional expence, to 
which it would lead, had been 
greatly over rated, on the false prin- 
Vou. XLVILI. 
49 
ciple, that the present high bounties 
would always continue, and that at 
the conclusion of every term of ser- 
vice it would be necessary to repeat 
them. Expence atany rate was a 
secondary object when placedin com 
petition with security : and the only 
fair question was, whether the end 
could be attained by cheaper means. 
lt had been erroneously stated, that 
according to the provisions of this 
plan, we should be liable to lose at 
once a séventh part of our whole 
army. But they who made that cal- 
culation had forgotten to take casual- 
ties into the account ; and, besides, it 
was unreasonablé to suppose, that of 
those entitled to their discharge, 
none would enlist again for another 
period, A discretionary power, 
however, might be given to govern- 
ment, in time of war, to retain men 
for sixmonths in theservice,after the 
term of their engagement was exe 
pired. A more serious difficulty 
had been started with respect to the 
embarrassments, which this change 
of system might occasion in our 
foreign and colonial service ; but 
expedients would be found to re- 
medy this objection, and we had 
proof at any rate, from the example 
of the East India Company, whose 
troops are enlisted for a term of 
years, that the inconvenience is less 
in practice than it appears to be iu 
theory. To the question put to hin, 
what he intended to do with our pre- 
sent army, Mr, Windham replied, 
that in strict justice the existing 
army was entitled to no other con. 
ditions than those on which the 
soldiers composing it had engaged 
to serve ; but that he meant to 
make an increase, in their favour, of 
the Chelsea allowance, and to ex- 
tend to those who had served seven 
years, the addition of sixpence, and 
