Lord Sidmouthrose, and expressed himself happy to see a noble lord (Hawkesbury) in his place, from whom he felt desirous to obtain an answer to a question, respecting which his uneasiness every day increased. The object of that question was to learn from the noble lord, if it was the intention of his majesty's ministers to propose any new measure for the Defence of the Country, or to follow up, on a more extended scale, the system that had already been adopted, so as to make it bear some proportion to the increasing dangers of the empire. He felt it his duty to take this step, in order to relieve not only his own anxiety, but the anxiety that every one must feel at a moment so alarming as the present: should he have the satisfaction to receive such an answer as he expected, then he should have to request the noble lord to state the time when it was likely such a proposition could be brought forward, adding his wish that it might he on an early day; for as the danger increased every hour, he thought it a matter of the most urgent importance, that it should be provided against without delay.
§ Lord Hawkesburywas happy to be able to assure the noble viscount and the house, that the subject of the military state of the country had occupied the attention of ministers from their very entrance into office. It might not be proper at the present moment to enter into any explanation of the principle, or of the details of the measure they should have to propose, but the day was not distant when such an explanation should be amply given, and when reasons should be adduced for having deferred it till now. Indeed, on this very day it was expected that a notice would be given in another house, of the introduction of the measure to which the noble viscount had alluded.
The Earl of Suffolkintimated the necessity of doing now much more than had as yet been attempted, towards the defence and security of the country. He had observed, with the greatest satisfaction, that on the part of the coast which he had lately visited, the system of the Martello towers had been considerably increased.