salvation to the very existence of the country; and as his sole object was the good of his country, he should not be fastidious on the score of the instruments by which that object, of which he should never relinquish the pursuit, was obtained.”

He then returned to a subject which he had formerly brought before the house, the price of great coats; saying "that ministers had listened to his advice, and thrown the contract open, by whichareduction of between 50 and 60 per cent. had been effected; but new abuses had crept in, for half a crown was now charged for rendering the coats water-proof, when it was notorious that that process could be effected for sixpence. Another abuse was, that the different regiments were all calculated at their full establishment; but on what ground did that house vote away the public money for men who were not in existence? for it was well known that none of the regiments were complete. Not one third of the money demanded could possibly be wanted. The second battalions of many regiments were composed of boys, whose pay was 9d.; and yet these estimates, on which they were called upon to vote away the public money, made no distinction, but classed them all as men, at a shilling. He inveighed also against the increase of our foreign troops, as a principle and a practice which he should ever oppose."

It was replied to this by Sir James Pulteney, that, for two or three years past, the rule had been adopted of averaging, instead of estimating the precise amount at its real value; by these means every contingency was answered, and the surplus was appropriated for other objects specified in the estimate. With respect to this, Lord Palmerston said, Mr Wardle's

March 1,

statement was correct, and that the surplus of the estimate was disposed of as levy money, for the purchase of horses. In this and in an ensuing debate upon the subject, those members who were most earnest in their call for retrenchment, especially dwelt upon the fitness of reducing the cavalry; upon this point Gen. Tarleton spoke well. "Had there been a cavalry force in Ireland," he said, "when the French landed there, Gen. Humbert could never have advanced fifteen days march into the country; that country was peculiarly fitted for cavalry to act in, and in fact, though it had been asserted that this was not a country for such a force, cavalry could act where, ever gentlemen could hunt. Buona. parte's uniform practice was to employ large bodies of horse, and it was to the pressure of the French horse that the great loss sustained in the precipitate retreat to Coruna was to be ascribed, He implored the mini, stry not to be persuaded by any arguments to reduce a force so essential to the security and defence of the coun try."

Mr Whitbread, after noticing the enormous expence of the staff, turned from the general question to personal and party arguments. "Mr Huskisson's speech," he said, " was directly the reverse of what he had urged last year, in answer to the propositions of Col. Wardle; and he had now, in per, fect sobriety, confirmed great part of what Col. Wardle had perhaps indiscreetly declared in a convivial moment, His honourable friend had asserted, that it was possible to save ten millions, or to the amount of the incometax, out of the annual expenditure. The time he selected for making this declaration was the worst he could chuse; it was after a tavern dinner,

and probably at a time when the best financier in the company was not in a condition to divide the dinner-bill. And yet upon an inconsiderate declaration of this kind, and the applause which it excited, his honourable friend chose to found a statement which tended to render every suggestion of public economy ridiculous. Save ten millions? Another glass might have made it seventy. It was natural enough that one who was at that time in the high tide of his well-deserved popularity, should have thrown out in the gaiety of the moment so extravagant an expectation; but it was most extraordinary, that he should come down to the house, and endeavour to establish such a statement. And how did he propose to effect this vast saving? Why, by wholly abolishing some of the most necessary branches of the public expenditure, by reforming others, by driblets cabbaged from this office, and that department; such proposals tended to bring all plans of economical reform into disrepute. But when Mr Huskisson came forward, no one could suspect him of making inconsiderate propositions. His secession from the administration was by far the greatest loss it had sustained; a successor indeed had been found, but the difference between them was already felt; the place was filled, but it was not supplied. They had now, however, Mr Huskisson's assurance, that a great saving might be effected: his speech was a counterpart to that of Colonel Wardle's last session, and the most complete answer that could be given to the reply which he then made, and which reply was published as a pamphlet. The secret is now disclosed; it is let out," continued Mr Whitbread," by a person who has been behind the curtain. If we continue in this career

of extravagance, how can we maintain war? how can we procure peace? I deprecate that impious and execrable doctrine, that we are to be engaged in perpetual war with France, or at least during the lifetime of Buonaparte. I trust the day will come, even during the life of that extraordinary man, when we may obtain peace on terms becoming our honour; I wish for peace, and therefore wish to be in a condition to make it respectably; therefore I will not vote for these estimates, and thus put it out of our power to retrench. If we do not retrench, we may possibly be obliged at last to seek for peace upon our knees." Mr Whitbread then moved, that the items relating to the home staff, the medical department, and the local militia, should be taken into consideration that day fortnight. Mr Perceval declared himself willing to defer the subject of the home staff, which he admitted ought to undergo some revision; and March 23. this being excepted, the amendment was negatived. the subject was resumed, Lord Palmerston stated, that the saving upon the staff, arising from the discontinuance of five lieutenant-generals, and one major-general, would be only 13,1717. this year, because this reduction would not take place till March 25; next year it would be 17,0001. Upon this Mr Calcraft expressed his utter disappointment at finding so trifling a reduction; yet, he said, he did not much condemn the ministers, for he believed they would have done more, if it had been in their power. Col. Wardle remarked, that when the country saw so little done in the way of economy by one party, or proposed by the other, they would get out of conceit with the house; and Mr Peter Moore recommended that the

When

whole public expenditure should be revised, that it might be seen how far they might apply Butler's receipt for reducing a lawyer's bill; from which, if you cut one third from the top, and one third from the bottom, you will be certain of leaving as much as he is honestly entitled to charge.

Upon the ordnance estimates there was a diminution of 1,492,2091. Mr

Calcraft, however, affirm March 14. ed, that when he looked into those parts of the statement where extravagance was most unjustifiable, he found the old spirit still alive, and as vigorous as ever. The expenditure in the ordnance department, in providing apartments for its o cers," he said, "was intolerable. There was another branch upon which it might seem invidious to touch, the pay of the superannuated men, and the pensions of widows and officers; but under this title a large system of peculation was easily concealed,-it contained all the private pensions of the ordnance, and in the last year had increased by 6599 1. The Chatham head of expence was diminished, but still the extravagance there had been enormous; the artillery barracks contained about 1000 men, with a few horses, and some sheds for carriages, yet the expence of the work had been 150,000l. There was an item of 50001. for a powder magazine in Dorchester; why was one necessary there? was it to treasure up the military stores of the town, or to receive the spare powder of the entire district? 134,000l. was found in one sweeping charge, for building and taking land for building at Woolwich. Another objectionable item, was for building barracks at Wedenbeck; and here he must observe upon the general folly of building such sumptu

ous apartments for men whose income could not exceed 3 or 4001. a-year, as would be fit for men of as many thousands. There was also a provision for artillery drivers,-a corps of between 5 or 6000 men, with 6000 horses. This great and most expensive body could be of no use in the country, except in case of invasion. The horses were cantoned by 5 and 600 together, in districts on the coast; yet in those very districts the country was charged with 87,000f. for contract horses, to do the general work, while the drivers horses were totally idle,-fat, sleak, and pampered, till they would be unfit even for the single service to which they were designed. The expence of this corps amounted to the enormous sum of 400,000l., while its services were only useful at the actual moment of invasion, as if the species of horses employed in the artillery were not precisely of that description of which any number might be got at any time: yet the country was saddled with this intolerable, permanent, and certain expence, to meet an event barely contingent. One abuse led to another. Officers were known to make almost a property of the horses provided for the service; and while they had them in actual employ, drawing their coaches and curricles, refused to pay the tax demanded by the commissioners, on the plea that they were the king's horses. The commissioners, however, resisted such a plea, and would allow no more than a single horse for each officer. On a late inquiry, it was found that an officer had in his service no less than nine or ten, soldiers, as the regular attendants in his house, as his grooms, valets, and, for aught he knew, as his cooks and butlers, and four horses. This person's plea he understood to be the

exercise of an assumed, and as yet undisputed privilege." Upon this Mr Ashley Cooper stated, that a court of inquiry was then sitting upon the case alluded to, and that if any officer were found guilty of such practices, he would be punished by a court-martial. Mr Calcraft concluded, by lamenting that the spirit of economy which had given such hope of rational retrenchment was merely nominal, a reduction only from one degree of waste to another,—from the indefensible extravagance of last year, to the almost equally culpable extravagance of the present.

These representations were supported by Mr Smith. "700,0001.,' he said, "was the estimate for various buildings at Woolwich. Now the works there were the common jest of the whole neighbourhood; he had heard them ridiculed within the very walls of the arsenal. The land there which lay on the side of the Thames had been purchased by government at a sum above ten times its value." Col. Wardle pointed out in like manner the expences of this department. "It would be incredible," he declared, "if the account were not taken from the estimates of the years themselves, that the contracts for waggon horses in four years had amounted to 674,0001. At Waltham Abbey, 104,0531. was estimated as the expence in erecting powdermills for four years. Could such an expence be necessary? The French and Germans, it was well known, used barns, or any other temporary building, for the manufacture of pow. der. For four years, 4,193,0001. had been voted for buildings, repairs, &c., and in the next four years it would be, no doubt, in the same proportion." "Concerning the Waltham Abbey works," Mr W. Smith said, "he passed by them once or twice every

week, and was really astonished at hearing what they cost. He was afraid there was in no instance a sufficient check on the expenditure of the public money, and that the public generally paid 10, 20, or even 30 per cent. more than individuals for the same work. When those works were going forward, he was perpetually threatened by his workmen that they would leave him and go to Waltham Abbey, where they could get whatever they chose to ask. He was afraid that in every item of the expenditure there was a consideration of gain to some individual. The Martello towers were another enormous expence; we were now called upon to vote a farther sum of 160,0001. for these towers, and yet we were told that invasion was a mere bugbear! It seemed to him that the heads of the ordnance acted on no settled system, but according to caprice. He remem bered, that when the late Duke of Richmond brought in his celebrated plan of fortification for all England, it was so strongly supported by go. vernment, and by so many members of that house, that nothing but the casting voice of the speaker saved the country from a most enormous bur. then. Had the whole expence of the Martello towers been stated to parliament at once, they would hardly have agreed to the present extension of them."

This led to a curious statement of facts from Mr W. Pole. "The annual expenditure of gunpowder," he said, "was from 50 to 60,000 barrels, and when he was appointed to the ordnance, at the commencement of the present war, he found, with inexpressible concern, that we had not in store more than 14,000 for all the services of the country. The house, perhaps, might not know the quantity

commonly expended in a battle; in Lord Howe's actions of May 29th and the 1st of June, not less than 5000 barrels were expended. Had another action occurred at that time, the distress of the country for gunpowder would have been extreme. Under these circumstances, the Board of Ordnance called on the merchants to state what quantity of powder they could produce in a given time: they were engaged to furnish the most they could possibly supply in five years; but even this provision was insufficient. It became, therefore, the duty of ministers to exert themselves and procure an ample supply from other quarters, and they began by ascertaining what the royal mills were capable of producing. The works of Faversham were found in such a state that little could be expected from them. Those at Waltham Abbey could only make from 10 to 11,000 barrels yearly; at present they produced not less than 22,000. To effect this the extensive works there had been doubled, and this could not be done without considerable expence. The corning-houses were filled with mill machinery, so nice, that if one of them were blown up it would take six months to put up the machinery of another. By an improvement of Gen. Congreve, the powder was now dried by steam in perfect security; the benefits arising from this method were immense, but the apparatus required was very expensive. Another improvement of Gen. Congreve in refining salt petre was also of great importance, and had also occasioned a great outlay at first; we were, by these exertions, enabled to make powder at a less expence than we used to purchase it, and of superior quality." Mr W. Pole then spoke of Woolwich. "When Lord Chatham," he said,

"was placed at the head of the ordnance, Woolwich had not even a covering for the stores which were there deposited; and the state it was in when he himself had been formerly charged with the equipment of an expedition was such, that every officer who went down was of opinion the ordnance would be a month behind the other parts of the armament; and there was not a person in any department who did not make that an excuse for neglecting his duty. All the heavy work of an expedition fell upon the ordnance. In the late expedition, the number of ships they had laden with ordnance stores amounted to 70. He had been asked how soon he could load 15 or 16, and his reply was, that if he did not set them off in three days, he would forfeit his right hand; formerly his answer would have been, two or three in a fortnight after they were sent to him, and possibly the whole in about six weeks. Those persons who were so shocked at the expence, should go to Woolwich and examine the works there. When the war broke out, there were found 7000 ships guns which had not been re-proved; he thought it necessary that this should be done, because the cylinder powder was much stronger than what was used formerly; and fortunate it was that he had advised this, for nearly one fourth of these guns burst, and with such violence as materially to injure the buildingsstanding near the old proving hut; and some of the fragments passing over the wharf, were near falling on the hulks. This shewed the necessity of fixing on a spot for proving the cannon at a greater distance from the buildings; and thus some expence was unavoidably incurred. A new academy was necessary in consequence of the crowded state of the cadets.