invafion, we should truft only to our ftanding army, and remain without fortifications, there would be a neceffity of augmenting to a moft enormous degree that army, on which the whole fafety of the kingdom was to reft; whereas, if it was affifted with fortifications, a much smaller force would be fufficient, it being abfurd to contend that any number of troops, independent of fortifications, were able to defend a place better than the fame number, affifted by fortifications. But it had been, he said, already proved, that the plan proposed for the fecurity of the dock-yards was the beft that could be devifed, and was capable of defence by the fmalleft number of troops; it would therefore follow of course, that the fortifications in queftion would reduce the ftanding army to the loweft poffible number that the circumftances of the cafe would admit of. This laft argument he hoped would compleatly remove thofe alarms that prevailed both within and beyond the walls of the house, from a mistaken idea that the measure was unconftitutional in its tendency, by laying the foundation for a standing army, and diverting into an useless and dangerous channel those resources which fhould ftrengthen our navy. concluded with declaring, that he viewed it as a naval question, and as fuch it ought to be confidered, because while it gave fecurity to the vital fprings and fources of our marine, by protecting the dock-yards, fo far from rendering an increase of the military force of the kingdom neceffary, as fome gentlemen, from a laudable jealoufy of the ftanding army, and from a natural and zealous regard for the conftitution, had been led to imagine, it would actu

19

He

ally tend to remove the neceffity of keeping up fo large a military eftabliment as otherwise must be maintained.

Such were the leading arguments by which the refolution was fupported. The other fpeakers in favour of it were lord Hood, the honourable captain Berkeley, the honourable James Luttrell, captain Bowyer, Sir C. Middleton, Mr. J. Hawkins Browne, and lord Mahon.

In oppofition to the measure, it was moved as an amendment, by Mr. Bastard, and feconded by Sir W. Lemon, one of the members for the county of Cornwall, to leave out of the refolution all the words from the word "house" to the end of the queftion; and to infert," that "fortifications on fo extenfive a "plan as propofed by the board, "are inexpedient."

This amendment was defended by Mr. Wallwyn, general Burgoyne, captain Macbride, colonel Barré,Mr. Courtenay, the honourable Charles Marsham, Mr. Windham, Mr. Fox, lord North, and Mr. Sheridan.

The fpeech of the laft-mentioned gentleman on this occafion was the fubject of much admiration; and indeed, independent of fuch arguments as were peculiar to itself, it appears to have comprehended every other which was made ufe of in contradiction to the propofed plan of fortifications. His objections to the fyftem were of a two-fold nature;-firft, fuch as went to fhew that it was in ittelf, and in its confequences, dangerous and inimical to the conflitution ;-and fecondly, that fuch were the nature and circumftances of the report made by the board of officers, that the report

itfelf

with the neceffary defence of the country.

itfelf did not warrant or authorize the lyftem. Under the firft of these heads he took notice of the arguments that had been used to fhew that this fyftem of fortification would actually diminish the ftanding army in this country, and that, the number of troops being fo diminished, there would be proportionably less cause for conftitutional jealoufy. The pofition that this fyftem of defence by fortifications could, under any circumftances whatever, have the effect of reducing the standing army, he utterly denied. But even allowing that fuch fortifications would leffen the ftanding army, it did not follow, he faid, as a conclufion, that there would be lefs caufe for conftitutional jealoufy; that when we talked of a constitutional jealousy of the military power of the crown, what was the real object we pointed our fufpicion at, but that it was in the nature of kings to love power, and in the conftitution of armies to obey kings-That whenever we fpoke of a conftitutional jealoufy of the army, it was upon a fuppofition that the unhappy time might come, when a prince might be mifled by evil counsellors, and that an army might be found who would fupport their military head in an attempt upon the rights and liberties of their country. The poffible exiftence of this cafe, and the probable coincidence of these circumftances, was in contemplation whenever an argument was admitted upon the fubject; otherwife we burlefqued and derided the wisdom of our ancestors in the provifions of the bill of rights, and made a mere mockery of the falutary and facred referve with which for a fhort and limited period we annually entrufted the executive magiftrate

This plain ftatement being the cafe, it was not merely to the number of foldiers a king might have, that we were to look. The jet and fubftance of the queftion was, in which of the two fituations, the one with, the other without the proposed fortifications, would fuch a misled king and his counsellors find themfelves in a state of the greatest military force and preparation, and most likely to command and to receive a military fupport? In this point of view, would it be argued that these fortreffes, which were to become capable of refifting the fiege of a foreign enemy landed in force, would not ferve as a fufficient strength in the hands of the crown, when the enemy was his people? Again, would no ftrefs be given to the great important diftinction between troops felected and feparated from their fellow citizens in garrisons and forts, and men living fcattered and entangled in all the common duties and connections of their countrymen? Was this an argument of no weight, when applied to the militia, who were to form a part of thefe garrifons? or would it, even for a moment, be pretended, that men, under fuch circumstances, and in fuch difciplined habits, were not a thousand times more likely to defpife the breath of parliament, and to lend themselves to the active purposes of tyranny and ambition, than the loofe and unconnected bodies which exift, even with jealousy, under the prefent regulations? It was unneceffary to prefs the diftinction; the fact was, that thofe ftrong military holds, if maintained as they must be in peace by full and difciplined garrifons; it well pro

vided, and calculated to ftand regular fieges, as the prefent plan profeffed; and if extended to all the objects to which the fyftem must inevitably lead, whether they were to be confidered as inducements to tempt a weak prince to evil views, or as engines of power in cafe of an actual rupture, would in truth promife ten-fold the means of curbing and fubduing the country that could be ftated to arife even from doubling the prefent military eftablishment; with this extraordinary aggravation attending the folly of confenting to fuch a fyftem, that those very naval ftores and magazines, the effectual prefervation of which was the pretence for thefe unaffailable fortreffes, would in that cafe become a pledge and hostage in the hands of the crown, which, in a country circumstanced as this was, muft enfure an unconditional fubmiffion to the moft extravagant claims which defpotifm could dictate.

He next adverted to the argu. ments which had been used to fhew that the prefent fyftem of fortification would leffen the standing army; the fallacy of which he said was evident, in fuppofing that the fyftem of defence by fortifications was neceffarily to flop, when Portfmouth and Plymouth fhould become fecured, and that the reafoning upon which the extenfive works for thefe places were juftified, would not apply to any other parts of the kingdom, whereever their importance called for defence, or their fituation expofed them to attack. The fhorteft method of refuting this idea, was fimply to fuppofe the fame board of officers, acting under the fame inftructions, and deliberating under the fame data, going a circuit round the coaft of the kingdom, and directed to re

port upon the various places in their progrefs, and let any perfon fairly confider the fuppofitions under which they make their prefent report, and then hefitate to confefs, that they muft of neceffity recommend a fimilar plan of defence, proportionable to the importance of every place to which their attention was directed.

Mr. Sheridan now proceeded to examine fo much of the report made by the board of officers as had been laid before the house; which, he argued, was framed in fuch a manner, and under fuch circumftances, as by no means fanctioned or warranted the plan under their confideration. Had the board been left to their own free and unfettered judgment, and had they then reported, as their decided and unqualified opinion, that the fyftem propofed by the mafter general of the ordnance was a measure worthy of the wif dom of parliament to adopt, he fhould, he faid, have acquiefced in their determination; but to fhew that this was not the cafe, he fhould appeal to, and argue from the report itself. First, he obferved, that, mutilated as the ftate of it was, it was ftill evident that, fo far from its having received the unanimous fanction of the board, there was good reason to believe, from the reference which was made to the minutes of the naval officers, (the refult of which was withheld) that those minutes contained a condemnation of the plan. He did not think it would be argued, that the refult of thofe minutes could not be communicated, because they were mixed with fuch other matters of intelligence as it might be dangerous to reveal; fince a fuffi

cient