HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



109 



should be raised at the public ex- 

 pence. Colonel Frankland, said, 

 It was true, parliament was pledg- 

 ed to increase the military means 

 of the country: but the question 

 was, whether by the measures 

 proposed, the regular army might 

 not be increased, at the expence 

 of our own defence. After the 

 experience we had had, who 

 could say that an unbalanced army 

 was the best means of defence ? 

 Lord Castiereagh's plan of recruit- 

 ing had a tendency to create dis- 

 organization and disgust in the 

 home service, and to keep up all 

 this when created. He praised 

 the admirable, deeply-founded, 

 and permanent system of Mr. 

 Windham, and observed that it 

 was impossible to discuss such 

 measures as that proposed without, 

 taking a view of that system. All 

 circumstances that bore upon the 

 question were to be considered. 

 And upon the whole he thought 

 that Lord Castiereagh's system of 

 expedients was the most inefficient 

 and burthensome that could be re- 

 sorted to. 



Lord Castlereagh said, that mi- 

 nisters, in the measures which 

 they proposed for augmenting the 

 army, had ahvays two objects in 

 view. First, to increase the dis- 

 posable force; secondly, to take 

 care that the defensive force 

 should be so strong as that the 

 country sliould not be exposed to 

 peril from the manly exertions 

 whicii his majesty's government 

 might think it iheir duty to recom- 

 mend for the assistance of other 

 nations. Whatever was the pre- 

 sent appearance of the cause of 

 Spain, yet as the principle of in- 

 creasing our disposable force was 

 agreed to on all sides of tlie house, 



t 



it followed that, whether any or 

 what portion of our army was to 

 be sent to the assistance of Spain, 

 was a question purely military, 

 and only to be determined by the 

 executive power. If ministers 

 should afterwards appear to have 

 given improper advice, or to have 

 mismanaged the military means 

 of the country, they were subject 

 to a heavy responsibility. — Circum- 

 stances might occur, under which 

 it might be the duty of that house 

 to give the most powerful assist- 

 ance to the Spanish patriots. It 

 was still his opinion, that if the 

 Spanish people continued to dis- 

 play that energy which they had 

 shown not many months ago, 

 struggles in that country were by 

 no means at an end. But, if they 

 were, did not other views, opening 

 to the minds of honourable gen- 

 tlemen, still show the necessity of 

 increasing our armies ? Were we 

 to suppose that no occasion could 

 ever after occur, when they might, 

 be wanted on foreign service, or 

 that the exertions of mankind 

 were for ever to be tied down by 

 the tyranny and usurpation of one 

 individual ? If no field of action 

 presented itself in Europe, British 

 interests might call them to the 

 defence of another part of the 

 world: while, at the same time, 

 we must keep up an invincible 

 army on our own shores to protect 

 them from danger and insult. — As 

 to the supposed diminution of the 

 army, in the present year, Mr. 

 Calcraft had fallen into a mistake ; 

 which probably arose from the 

 artillery being included in the re- 

 turn of last year, who were not 

 included in the return of the pre- 

 sent. There were in the army, 

 organized as it is at present, one 



hundred 



