The Secretary at Warbrought up an account of the estimates for the service of the army, and for the expenses of guards and garrisons. These he stated to be merely of a formal nature, and similar to those which had been last presented to the house. They were estimates formed for the period of a month only; and the reason why he proposed them for so short a time was, that the present Mutiny Bill would expire on the 24th inst. It therefore became necessary, in order to give the house an opportunity of fully discussing the military plans that had been brought forward, to introduce a Mutiny bill founded on similar estimates to the preceding, to continue in force for another month. Should the new military measures proposed to the house be adopted, proper estimates, founded on these measures, would of course be presented at the close of that period. He now wished that these estimates should merely be laid on the table; and to-morrow he would move for voting them in a committee of supply.
Mr. Yorkesaid, that he could have no objection to give ministers full time for maturing their military plans. At the same time he must say, that this was the only instance, within his recollection, of such short estimates being from time to time presented, during the continuance of war. At the conclusion of a war, before the peace establishment was fully settled, such a practice had been not unusual, but it was certainly extraordinary while the country was engaged in war. The rt. hon. secretary had often charged the administration with which he was connected, with culpable delay in bringing forward their military plans, but it now appeared that, after so long a period had expired, his own measures were not even now in any state of forwardness. The house and the country would compare the conduct of the two administrations, and would decide to which of them the charge of dilatoriness was most applicable. With regard to the distinguishing part of the rt. hon. secretary's plan, the limitation of the soldier's service, he would call upon him to consider, whether this might not be better done by the king's prerogative, than by parliament; and thus an experiment be made, which the legislature might either sanction or reject. He merely, however, threw out this hint for the consideration of the rt. hon. gent.
Mr. Secretary Windhamacknowledged that it was perfectly fair for the rt. hon. gent. to call upon the house to draw such a comparison; but it would also be proper for them to compare what the delay in the one case had produced, with what it had produced in the other. The reason why estimates for so short a period were presented, was merely for the purpose of giving the house an opportunity of fully discussing the plans that had been submitted to them. With regard to the suggestion of the rt. hon. gent. it could not be said to bear much relation to the present question; and it might be sufficient to observe, that whatever might be enacted on the subject of limited service, the legislature would every year have the power of making whatever alterations might appear proper. There would always be sufficient opportunities for discussing the subject, and the discussions might be founded on the basis of experiment.
§ Mr. Percevalsuspected, that the farther extension of the present army estimates for a month would be found insufficient. It was now a full month since the rt. hon. secretary laid open his plan to the house, while it did not appear that any difference of Opinion existed among ministers on the subject; at least the rt. hon. secretary for the foreign department had declared his full concurrence with the plan of his colleague. It was not, therefore, unreasonable to suppose that, if ministers had required a month to digest a plan, about which they were agreed, that house, where it would meet with so many opponents, would require a still longer period for its discussion.
The Secretary at Warapprehended, that a month would be fully sufficient to enable the house to come to a determination on the new military plans. Besides, when a new Mutiny bill was introduced at the close of that period, there would be full opportunity to discuss the new clauses, founded on the alterations that might be introduced into the military system.
Mr. Yorkeasked, whether it was intended to introduce the three bills for which leave had been given, with the bill for the repeal of the Additional Force act, and which had not since been heard of; the bill for suspending the militia ballot, the bill for Training en masse, and the bill for extending the allowance of Chelsea Hospital.
§ Mr. Windhamsaid these bills were in preparation; but he could not mention any particular day for the introduction of them.