§ Mr. Windhamrose, and said, that although previous to a general inquiry into the military situation of the country, he thought that an account of the army, in all its branches, would have been more desirable; yet he had at present confined the motions that be had to offer to such branches only as were most immediately connected with the subject of the inquiry. He had already shewn die motions that he intended to make, and he was glad to find they would 56 not be objected to. The rt. hon. gent, concluded with reading the several propositions he had to submit, which were afterwards put from the chair, and agreed to. They areas follows: 1st, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of effective men in any foreign levies formed or forming for the service of the country—2d, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of effective men raised under an act, passed in the last session of Parliament, intituled, "An act for establishing and maintaining a permanent additional force for the defence of the realm, and to provide for augmenting his majesty's regular forces, and for the gradual reduction of the militia of England," up to the period of the last returns, stating the number of effective men recruited per week; distinguishing the number provided in each county by the parish officers from such as shall have been recruited on account of the parishes by officers in his majesty's service, and also specifying the number of effective men, raised under the said act, who shall have enlisted in his majesty's regular forces for general service.—3d, A similar return for Scotland.—4th, A similar return for Ireland.—5th, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of effective men enlisted from the army of reserve into his majesty's regular forces for general service, up to the last return; distinguishing those enlisted previous to the 1st of June last from such as have been enlisted subsequent to that period.—6th, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of effective recruits raised for the two new battalions now recruiting in Scotland for general service, and for the four new battalions now recruiting in Ireland for general service; distinguishing the recruits intermediately approved from those finally approved, up to the last weekly, returns, and also distinguishing the number of such recruits as shall have received the bounty for boys, together with the dates of letters of service of the said corps.—7th, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of effective men, finally approved for general service, up to the last returns, raised by officers for rank, exclusive of the recruits enlisted for the new battalions raising for general service in Scotland, and the four new battalions for general service raising in Ireland,—8th,That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of recruits finally approved for 57 general service, from the 1st of June last to the 1st of Jan. instant, in the united kingdom of G. Britain and Ireland, for corps at home and abroad (exclusive of the recruits enlisted for the two new battalions raisins, for general service in Scotland, and four new battalions raising for general service in Ireland, exclusive of recruits raised for general service by officers for rank) distinguishing the number of such recruits who shall have received the bounty for boys; also a return of the number of recruits finally approved for general service, from the 1st of June last to the 1st of Jan. instant, and recruited by the recruiting, staff in the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; distinguishing the number of such recruits as shall have received the bounty for boys.—9th, That there be laid before this house, a return of the number of commissioned and noncommissioned officers that have been detached from their respective regiments for the purpose of receiving men expected to be raised under an act of the last session of parliament, instituted, "An act for establishing and maintaining a permanent additional force for the defence of the realm, and to provide for augmenting his majesty's regular forces, and for the gradual reduction of the militia of England."—10th, That there be laid before this house, a return of all deaths, desertions, discharges, or other casualties, since the commencement of the war to the 1st of Jan. 1S01, and from thence to the 1st of Jan. 1805.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerobserved, that he had not, for his own part, any very material objection to lay before the house an account of the total amount of our public force, and to the propositions which had been submitted by the right hon. gent, he had no objection whatever; on the contrary, it was his wish, that the house should be in full possession of all the particulars to which those propositions referred, before it proceeded to the discussion of the subject which the right hon. gent, had announced his intention of bringing forward.