their decifion. The middling and upper claffes of the people were accufed of indulging in idle lamentations, and permiflion was denied them to afk why and for what further facrifices were deemed neceflary. If an attempt was made to show the country the fatal confequences of blindly perfevering in the conteft in which minifters had involved it, the friendly endeavour was called leaguing with the enemy. Mr. Tierney, proceeding to show how miferably the war department had been conducted by Mr. Dundas, for whom that office had been exprefsly created, marked, that nothing but difgrace had attended his meatures; and, if we were to fight on, why not permit us to fight under better aufpices than thofe of a man who lavifhed the treasure and blood of the country with the moft perfect apathy?

re

The speaker here interfered, re

proving this language as irregular and unparliamentary.

Mr. Tierney difclaimed any perfonal imputation of Inhumanity to the honourable gentleman, only intending, he faid, to point out that his official conduct refpecting the Dutch expedition wore the appearance of indifference to the mifery it had produced; that it was the aim of the amendment to place our refources in hands more capable of employing them, and therefore it had his moft decided fupport.

Mr. Sheridan thought, that if Bonaparte had hired his majetty's minifters to play the game of France, he could not have had better tools; that if they perfevered in fuch conduct, their allies would fall off, and not only fall off, but might advance in hoftile array against them

The houfe divided; for the amendment 63-againft it 245majority 182.

mons.

Drethon, even after it was ge

URING the early part of the

nerally understood that the Adminiftration was totally changed, the old minifters continued to tranfact the public business; the budget

was confequently opened, and the new taxes propofed, by Mr. Pitt, who had probably prepared for the arrangement before his refignation; and as the public wants were urgent, thefe fubjects en

gaged

gaged the attention of parliament foon after the opening of the feffion.

On the 16th of February, the house of commons refolved itself into a committee of fupply. It was proposed, that there fhould be granted for the fea fervice 135,000 men for ten months, including 30,000 marines.

Mr. Tierney obferved, that this was a very confiderable increase; that the number of men voted on a former occafion did not exceed 120,000 men.

Mr. Pitt replied, that it was very defirable, under the prefent circumftances, to carry the ftrength of the country as far as poffible, because we might have to contend for principles which were effential to our Inaval power, There had been already voted for the fervice of this year 120,000 men; and he was fure the honourable gentleman, upon confideration, would not think the prefent increase too great. The other refolutions, which followed of course, were agreed to without any com

ment.

Mr. fecretary at war then rofe, for the purpose of calling the attention of the committee to the army eftimates. The committee would perceive in the estimates of the year many things which were not ufually in the estimates (he alluded to the statements refpecting the army in Ireland, which used to be feparate, but which now, in confequence of the union, formed a part of the general eftimate). The committee, however, would now have before them, in one fhort view, an account of all defcriptions of troops in the fervice of the whole empire. The number of regular forces, cavalry and infantry, amounted to 193,187 men.

The number of militia, both Britifh and Irish, was 78,046; of fencibles, both British and Irish, 31,415; fo that the whole force in the empire, exclufive of the volunteer corps, amounted to 302,618 men. The expence of maintaining this force would be 12,940,8891. In diftinguishing between the expenfes of the two countries, it would ftand thus; for Great Britain 9.617,0331. for Ireland 3,323,8561. In comparing the eftimates of this with thofe of the laft year, the estimates of the prefent exceeded last year by 762,4591; but of his fum no lefs than 656,3881. was incurred in confequence of an augmentation which had been made in the army, by adding two companies to each battalion, and by increafing the cavalry. The real difference, therefore, between the estimates of this and of the laft year, was not more than 100,000l. He then oblerved that an allowance had been held neceffary to be granted to the troops in Ireland, which were placed in a different fituation from that in which they ftood formerly. He then moved, "That it is the opinion of the committee, that 58,387 men, &c. be employed for that part of the united kingdom of Great Britain called England, Jerfey, Guernsey, and Alderney, for the fervice of the year 1801.

This queftion being put, Mr. Grey faid, he was very forry that he could not agree with the right honourable gentleman: taking the increafe at 10,000 men, it was a very great addition to what we had already. There was good reafon for the additional force to the militia when there was an alarm of an invafion; but now there was no additional force wanted for offenfive fervice, except against the northern

ticed was the fums which had been granted for the fervice of the navy. There had already been voted for that fervice the fum of 15,800,000l. which exceeded by 2,200,000. the fum which was last year voted for that fervice. The reafons for this increase were alluded to on a former occafion. In the first place, the number of feamen had been confiderably augmented; it having been judged neceffary, under the prefènt circumstances, to carry this part of the force of the country to the greatest extent. For the army, the fum voted was 9,617,000l. for Great Britain; the fum voted laft year for this service was 8,500,000l. This increase in the fum arofe from an augmentation which it was judged neceffary, under the prefent circumtances, to make in the army. There was alfo a fum voted in the laft year, before-hand, of 2,500,000. for the extraordinaries, and the fame fum had been eftimated as neceffary for the prefent year. This would make the fum neceffary to be provided for the army, on the part of Great Britain, 12,117,0007. The fum neceffary for the fervice of Ireland would be 3,785,000l. making the whole fum to be defrayed by the united kingdom, for the army, 15,902,000l. The next was the ordnance: for this branch of the fervice, the charge for Great Britain

was

1,659,000Z. and for Ireland 299,000l. taking together, for the ordnance

The

fervice, for the united kingdom, the fum of 1,938,000l. The next head was that which was called, mifcellaneous fervices, in-cluding the plantation fervices, the fums granted by the bounty of the country to the French refugee clergy, and other articles. fums neceflary for this branch of the fervice would be, for Great Britain 550,000, and for Ireland 207,000, making together the fum of 757,000l. It had been the ufual practice to grant a fum of money, under the title of a vote of credit, for extraordinary emergencies that might occur, and which could not be foreseen when the estimates were forming. He did not think there would be any occafion for fubfidies, as the prefent fituation of Europe, fo far as he could venture to form an opinion upon the subject, would not admit of our doing that which parliament had fo frequently fanctioned with its approbation, and from which this country had, during the course of this arduous conteft, derived fuch fignal benefit. "Thefe, fir," faid Mr. Pitt, "with the exception of one article, are all that are to be jointly defrayed by the two countries." The article to which he alluded was Irish permanent grants, which amounted to 390,4627.; the whole, therefore, of the fum which was to be defrayed by Great Britain and Ireland, for the fervice of this year, ftood as follows.

The reason why he had ftated the charges, which were to be borne by the two countries jointly, under separate heads, was, that, by the act of union, of thofe charges which were to be borne by both countries, Ireland was to defray two-feventeenths, and the other fifteen-feventeenths were to be borne by England. Of this fum, therefore, the part to be borne by Great Britain was fifteen-feventeenths of 35,587,4621., which amounted to the fum of 31,400,7021.; and by Ireland, at two-feventeenths of it, 4,186,7601. The permanent charge in this country for the civil lift, and other charges on the confolidated fund, not relating to the public debt, was to be allotted in its due proportion. This fum amounted to 1,170,0001.; of courfe the fum which would fall upon Ireland, being two-feventeenths of that fum, would be 137,0001. Whatever elfe remained, with the exception of the national debt of Ireland, was to be provided for by Great Britain ; and he should therefore proceed to ftate thofe charges which fall feparately upon her; and these were fuch as arofe from caufes exifting before the firft day

1801.

of January 1801, the day on which the union between the two countries took place. Of the defalcations from the public revenue, the first which he should ftate to the committee was, the deficiency of the income tax, which he last year ftated as being likely to produce 7,000,000l. and accordingly took credit for that fum. Though, when he made that eftimate, he conceived that he had very good grounds for the calculation, yet he did not think he fhould be justified now, after examining all the returns, fo far as they could be procured, in taking its produce at more than 6,000,000l. The difference, therefore, between that lum and the fum at which it was eftimated, would be a deficiency for the year 1800, which was to be made good. The next fum to be made good was the discount allowed upon the loan, and upon the lottery, which amounted to 200,0001. The deficiency of the malt duties for the year 1799, up to the 5th April, 1800, amounted to 400,000l. There were exchequer bills iffued upon the credit of the additional affeffed taxes of 1798, of the duties on exports and imports in

1799,