

42 Political Affairs.——Great Britain. : [oa, 
Sfied by the enemy, ty attempt a défcent on 
this country, Mr. Prrr rofe: he faid, 
as the houfe had unanimoufly centered at 
an early part of the feifion, into the im 
portant refolution of following up that 
part of his Majesry’s fpeech which 
had been read to the committee, he 
Should then fubmit to the confideration 
of the houfe fome propofitions, which 
would, in his opinion, effectually go to 
the accompliihment of that refolution. 
in order to give fome additional ftrength 
to the prefent refpeétable flate of the 
navy, he propofed to levy a number of 
men, on the fame plan as that on which 
they had been furnithed about two years 
ago, by the different parifhes. But it 
was not his intention, he faid, that the 
men railed in this manner fhould be 
folely applied to the fea-fervice. Many 
of the regiments returned from the 
continent, were without a {fufficient 
number of privates and non-commiffioned 
officers; and, in this incomplete ftate, 
he would propofe, that they fhould be 
augmented to their regular force on the 
eftablifhment, by a certain number of 
men raifed in that way. He eftimated 
the number of men to be thus divided 
between the land and fea fervice, at about 
15,0003 but the principal objeét which 
he propofed, was a fupplemental levy of 
militia of 60,000 men. He faid they 
might be taken by ballot in the different 
counties of Great Britain, but they were 
not to be brought into aétual fervice, and 
the government fhould only pofiefs the 
power of calling them out, were fuch a 
meafure thought necefiary. .To prevent 
any objection which might arife againit 
them on account of their want of dif- 
cipline, he propotes that a fixth part 
thould be embodied and trained for 20 
days fucceflively, to give to them a fuffi- 
cicnt degree of military knowledge. 
The levies, he obferved, as they were 
at prefent conduéted, were extremely 
irregular and difproportionate. in the 
feveral counties. By the prefent militia 
laws there were a proportion in fome 
counties of but one to feven, while in 
others it ran as high as one to forty- 
three. He did not therefore mean to 
regulate the prefent plan refpeéting the 
fupplemental militia, according to the 
original numbers as the militia was then 
railed, but according to the numbers as 
they actually were in the different coun- 
ties. 
The:next point to which Mr. Pirr 
direétcd the attention of the houfe was, 
to increafe the number of irregular ca- 
valry : for this purpofe, the firt ftep 
would be to aleertain the number of 
horfes kept for pleafure ; the perfon whe 
kept a horfe of that defeription, could 
certainly have no obje€tion to forward 
the meafure, fince it was evident, rom 
his being in fuch a fituation, thar he had 
a confiderable ftake to defend. The tax 
on horfes furnifhed a juft medium to 
alcertain the amount of the irregular 
cavalry, which might be added to the 
force already eftablifhed threuvhout the 
country. It appeared from this tax, 
that no lefs than two hundred thcufand 
horfes were kept for pleature, 120 000 of 
them were paid for by perfons who kept 
one horfe only. .He propoted to take 
the tenth of the whole of the taxed 
horfes, which wouid, coniequently, fur- 
nifh a body of 20,000 cavairy Who- 
ever kept ten horfes, he propofed to 
produce at a certain day a man anda 
horfe fuily accoutred, 2nd thofe wha 
kept above that number to furnifh in 
proportion. Where perfons kept lefs, 
they might be joined together to com- 
p:ete taat number, and the man and 
horfe fhould in that cafe be furnifhed by 
bailor, 
He next propofed to embody, as a 
corps of mark{men, the game-keepers 
throughout the kingdom: in other 
words, that every one who had taken 
out a licence as game-keeper, fthouid ‘be 
allowed to throw it ups; but if he did 
not, he fhould be obliged to enter into 
the corps. In that cafe, the number of 
men under that defcription would be 
about 7000. \ 
The aggregate of Mr. Pirt’s pro- 
pofals were: 
Yo raife 15,coo men, to be divided 
between the army and the navy ; 
A fupplementai militia, confifting of 
60,000 men ; 
A body of irregular cavalry, as near 
20,000 men es poftiible ; and, 
A corps of 7000 men, expert in the 
ufe of fire-arms, confifting of game- 
keepers, amounting in all to 102,000 
men. 
Mr. Pitr concluded his fpeech by» 
propofing a bill to be brought in con- 
formable to the feveral propofals he had 
juft made to the houfe, 
Mr. SHERIDAN obferyed, that he 
expected fome explanation would have 
been given of the aétual neceffity of the 
meafures propofed by the minifter. Ac- 
cording to his ftatement, the houfe was 
placed in an embarraffed fituation; for 
it was invited to impofe ferious and heavy 
i ake ths : burdens 
a 
