officers depended on their success in recruiting, and the number of recruiting parties. It had only produced, said the noble Lord, without these additional incentives, 8000 in six months. But the noble Lord ought to have observed, that the measure was, as had been predicted, progressive in its operation; and that the second quarter yielded an increase over the first; the third over the second; and the fourth over the third. The additional number of recruiting parties increased only the number of competitors; but did not increase the abundance of the market of recruits. That plan, however, was 'knocked on the head at once by the noble Lord, who had deprived the country of it for ever. They were now, in the present distressed state of the manufactures of the country, and when there was such a multitudeof men in the market, obliged to make the present measure perpetual; a measure which let fall on the heads of a few that which ought to be spread over the whole country. The noble Lord will not allow that men are inclined to go at once into the Army. He wishes one jump into the Militia, and a second jump into the Regular Army. The reasoning of the noble Lord was here more childish than he could have expected. Why were men unwilling to jump at once into the regular army? Because they well knew, that by their double jump they would get a double bounty. This, however, came home to the argument of Mr. Windham, which, by leading men from step to step, and by increasing their remuneration at each, would have effectually kept up the numbers of the Army, without such a grievons burden to the Army. He then adverted to what had been said by Col. Ellison, who, he said, had declared that he would vote for the Bill, while he hoped it would not be carried into effect. The best way surely to prevent its having effect, would be to vote against it. With respect to the ballot, he said it was a grievous burden on the country. He called on every gentleman who had any experience on the subject, to say if he had not met with numberless instances of misery which wrung the heart, while there was no remedy? It was possible to bring forward such a number of instances of misery occasioned by the ballot, that he had no hesitation to say it was as grievous in its operation as any conscription that ever existed in the world. If there is a necessity, let your hand be laid equally on all.

Mr. Wilberforce said, the present measure shewed, in the strongest possible manner, the danger of having at any time VOL. II-1811. 3 U

recourse to extraordinary methods, as in a short time they came to make part of a general system. Ministers had only to say so many men were wanted for the regular army, and the measure would be recurred to of course. By such a measure, all the improvements in the army, which Mr. Windham's plan was calculated to produce, would never more be thought of. The first introduction of draughting from the Militia was on the occasion of the expedition to the Helder, and it was then thought fit to accede to it from the extraordinary circumstances of the time. Who could then have supposed that it would become a general system ? All the objections which were then urged, of converting the Militia Officers into recruiting officers for the Army, and of the insubordination it would occasion in the Militia, are now got over. They are now never thought of. Nobody would ever think now of urging the necessities of the country in favour of the measure. His great objection to this measure was, that it put an end to all the benefit naturally to be expected from the plan of Mr. Windham, who had the art of infusing his own spirit in whatever he undertook. The present system was distressing, and grinding in the highest degree on the lower orders.

Mr. Secretary Ryder contended that it was necessary, in the present situation of the country, that the Army should be kept up to its greatest and most efficient force. He wished, therefore, that gentlemen who opposed the present Bill would propose some substitute for it which would be equally effectual. At the same time he entertained no doubt, from past experience, that there would be no necessity for resorting to the ballot within the time mentioned by the honourable gentleman. It might be asked, then why not agree to the clause proposed to be introduced by the honourable gentleman (Mr. Bankes)?—He would tell them why. He was afraid the introduction of such a clause would induce persons disposed to enlist, to suppose that the ballot would necessarily take place at the end of two years, and would prevent them from entering till then, when they might expect greater advantages to arise to them. As to the idea of discipline being destroyed by this measure, this was greatly exaggerated, and officers of the first eminence had declared that any regiment into which one-seventh of raw recruits had been introduced, could be in a state to meet the enemy within three weeks. As to the plan of enlisting for

limited service having been abolished, the fact was not so, but an option was allowed of enlisting for limited or unLimited service, and not one fourth of those enlisted chose to avail themselves of the former, though the difference in bounty was only one guinea, being five guineas for limited and six guineas for unlimited service.

Col. Bastard contended, that these constant leaps which the Militia were made to take, were calculated to produce, and in fact had produced, insubordination in the Militia. It would be a great deal better to put an end to this species of force at once.

Col. Wood maintained, that if the Militia Officers themselves chose, there was not a single regiment for which the full complement might not be raised by beat of drum.

The Amendments were then read and agreed to. Several new clauses were brought up by Mr. Ryder, which were also agreed to..

FREE LABOURERS IN THE WEST INDIES.

Mr. Barham fixed his motion relative to the introduction of Free Labourers into the West-India Islands, for Thursday.

SUPPLY, ORDNANCE, &C. ESTIMATES, AND BATTLE

OF BARROSA.

The House having gone into a Committee of Supply, Mr. Ashley Cooper proceeded to call the attention of the Committee to the Ordnance Estimates for the present year. The Ordinaries were considerably greater than they were last year, arising principally from the transfer to this head of service of several articles from the Extraordinaries, particularly the artillery drivers, waggon train, &c. He had endeavoured as much as possible to follow a similar plan to that adopted in the Army Estimates, as being the most likely to make his statement intelligible to gentlemen who had been accustomed to attend to the Army Estimates. As the Estimates, however, were so transposed, it would not be necessary for him to compare them with the Estimates of last year. He should only say, in general, that they were 500,000l. more than those of last year. This arose par ticularly from the article of prize money, amounting to 170,0001.-Foregn Service 200,000l.-and an addition of thirteen thousand men, amounting to 40,000. There was only one new article in the extraordinaries which it would be

necessary for him to mention, being for magazin es 50,000/ There were at present various floating magazines employed in the keeping of powder, but they were found neither to be so sate nor so useful as magazines on shore. The floating magazines, besides being dangerous, were apt to render the powder damp after it had been for any considerable time on board. In providing sufficient magazines for this purpose on shore, an additional expence must in the mean time be incurred; but, in the long run, if to be permanently fol lowed, it would produce a saving. He had seen a calculation of the expence of one of the floating magazines, amounting to 9,000l. and which contained 3500 barrels. A permanent magazine on shore, which would contain 10,000 bar is, it was calculated would cost 15,000l. The expence of floating magazines capable of containing the same quantity of powder, would amount to 28,000l. so that it must be obvious, that, besides the disadvantage attending magazines afloat, those on shore would be infinitely less expensive. He should not detail any of the other articles in these Estimates, but should be happy to give any explanation relative to any of them, which gentlemen might please to desire. He concluded by moving, that the sum of 3,412,211. 11s. 10d. be granted to his Majesty, to defray the expence of ordnance for his Majesty's land forces for the present year. Mr. Ward said, that he was anxious to take that opportunity of saying a very few words upon a subject, yielding to no other in public interest, and which the nature of the resolution now before them brought fairly within their consideration. He alluded to the late brilliant action fought upon the heights of Barrosa.-In the debate upon the proposition of thanks to General Graham, he was unwilling to divert for a moment the tide of eulogium that was flowing in from all quarters upon the distinguished merits of that day, by introducing any other subject than that of the British. General and his British army; but now that they may have been supposed to have looked at the other circumstances of that memorable day, he might be allowed to ask for some explanation of, or if that could not be given, to express his deep regret at the unfortunate and deplorable misconduct of their allies in the battle of Barrosa. (Ilear! hear!) Of that conduct it would be idle to affect to speak in doubtful terms it unfortunately wore but too decisive a character, and was known, talked of, and reprobated with equal indig nation by all parties throughout the country. General

Graham had not, to be sure, spoken of that misconduct in the terms which it appeared to have deserved; but when the delicacy of the situation in which he stood, and of the duty he had to discharge, were considered, his forbearance would be attributed to that wise discretion in which such minds were seldom found to be deficient. But though General Graham had, for obvious reasons, forborne to complain, yet the conclusions to be drawn from his silence must speak in a language too emphatic for a moment to be misunderstood. They were not to be told how General Graham and his army fought-neither need they be reminded in whose cause that army had prevailed over a much superior force. But was it to be endured, while the British troops were performing prodigies of valour in an unequal contest, that those allies, for whose independence they were fighting, should stand by, the cold-blooded spectators of deeds, the bare recital of which should have been enough to warm every man of them into a hero?~(Hear! hear!)-If, indeed, they had been so many mercenaries, and had been hired to fight for a foreign power and in behalf of a foreign cause ;if they had been so many Swiss, or Condotteri, in that case their breach of duty, however culpable, would have been less unaccountable, and perhaps more excusable; but here, where they were allies, bound to this country in obligations, greater than ever before one nation owed another-our brave men lavishing those lives which their country had so much better right to claim, in defence of that cause in which those allies were principals-in such a case, tamely to look on while the contest betweeen numbers and bravery hung in doubtful issue, this did appear to him to betray an indifference, an apathy, which, if he could suppose it to prevail among the Spaniards, must render, in his mind, the cause of Spanish Independence altogether hopeless. (Here Mr. Perceval betrayed some symptoms of disapprobation). He did not presume that such was the general sentiment in Spain; but sure he was, that what he had stated, as to the conduct of the Spaniards in the action of Barrosa, was the prevalent sentiment in the public mind; if that sentiment had been adopted upon false grounds, what he had said then would have this good effect, if it had no other, of giving the right honourable gentleman an opportunity of setting the public right in that respect. But to put it as a question of policy, and not of gratitude, he should wish to know from those gentlemen who thought all along with Ministers