io] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



to consider further of the supyily 

 to be grftated to his Majesty, 

 moved tluit the above estimates 

 be referred to t.)iesaid committee. 



Lord John Httssell rose to o])- 

 pose the motion, iiis piior pur- 

 pose of doing which was rendered 

 an imperative duty by the peti- 

 tions on tliat day laid on the table, 

 proving that the people were in 

 all parts congregating to compel 

 ministers to listen to their sighs 

 and gioans under the heavy bur- 

 tliens imi)oscd upon thein. The 

 bare proposal, that a standing 

 army of 150,000 sliould be sup- 

 ported, must alarm every friend 

 to the country and constitution ; 

 not that he was impressed witli 

 the ridiculous fear, that a stand- 

 ing army unaided could ever ef- 

 fectuate what ha J been accom- 

 plished in some of the continental 

 states ; but the danger consisted 

 in the influence of the crown, the 

 daily inci-ease of wliich threatened 

 to erase even the remaining \es- 

 tiges of liberty- Ministers (said 

 his Lordship) have for the last 

 twehe years been soothing the 

 country, by asserting, that ihe 

 war was continued to prevent the 

 necessity of an armed ]ieace ; and 

 yet an armed peace was all we 

 had now acquiied. At the peace 

 of Amiens, the power of Fiance 

 was infinitely more dangerous 

 than at present, yet the establish- 

 ment proposed at that time was 

 much more economical than that 

 now offered. His Lordship then 

 touched, in a cursory manner, 

 upon other reasons why he should 

 resist the estimates about to be 

 brought forward. 



This was the commencement of 

 a debate continued through three 

 adjo\u"nments; in which every ar- 



gument on (he subject was ex- 

 hausted. The general discussions 

 concerning the necessity, and the 

 mischiefs, of standing armies, 

 could possess no interesting no- 

 velty, and the only really import- 

 ant matter was derived from the 

 particulars of the estimate. To 

 many of these, powerful objec- 

 tions were raised by the mem- 

 bers in opposition, whilst they 

 were defended by all the skill and 

 knowledge of the ministers j and 

 in fact it was but too clear, that 

 the fruits of conquest accruing to 

 this country, necessarily saddled 

 it with new expenses for their 

 security ; and that all which had 

 been added to the giandeur and 

 relative consequence of the na- 

 tion, must be regarded as impos- 

 ing upon it additional burdens 

 and obligations. 



The division of the House upon 

 the motion for referring the army 

 estimates to a general committee 

 took jdace on Feb. 28th, wiien it 

 was carried by 241 to 121, the 

 majority being 120. 



On March 4th, the order for 

 going into the committee on the 

 army estimates being read, Mr. 

 Wynn moved an instruction, 

 " That the committee muke pro- 

 vision for the charge of the army 

 now serving in France." He said, 

 that if there was one piinciple 

 moie important than another for 

 the Commons of England to ad- 

 here to, it was, that they should 

 have complete control of all the 

 armed forces kept on foit by the 

 croAvn. The only means by which 

 they could efl'ect it, was by con- 

 trolling the supplies for main- 

 taining it, which would be lost if 

 the crown were allowed to draw 

 supplies from foreign coimtries 



without 



