but the means could not be found. There was only 31,000 regular troops in England. The French had taken Holland, and in such a situation it would not have been safe for the country to have sent a large force on foreign service. Here he could not but remark a strange contradiction in their argument. Some time ago, when the militia and fencible corps were greatly increased, it was represented, this force would be sufficient for the internal defence of the country, and that it would enable us to apply our regular army to foreign service. Both propositions, however, could not be true. Either part of these 31,000 troops might have been spared for the West Indies, or the militia and fencible regiments were insufficient for the purpose for which they were raised. Even in this emergency, an expedition was sent to the Cape of Good Hope, the blame of which the right hon. gentleman, with a sort of monopolizing magnanimity, was pleased to challenge to himself. "We have got," said he, "the key to the East Indies, and, please God, we shall keep it." This was certainly comfortable news to the stadtholder; "but," said the right hon. gentleman, "the stadtholder was not strong enough to hold it, but please God we shall take care of it for him." This, in his opinion, amounted to a declaration that ministers never wish to see what was called the regular government of Holland re-established, and that they are quite pleased with the system of republican anarchy which at present prevails in that country. A scheme was at last formed of sending 27,000 men out to the West Indies. But the difficulty was, how they were to be got. Here the right hon. gentleman had adopted the most disgraceful mode of defence that had ever been attempted before a British house of commons. He said there was a mighty army upon paper; but when it came to be reviewed, it was found to be good for nothing. When members came forward to parliament, with an account of the army expenses, they represented it as a more splendid establishment than even Louis XIV. could ever boast. But when a requisition was made to furnish men for actual service, it was found to be composed of trash unfit to be trusted on any expedition. Raised, as they had been, upon a system of corrupt jobbing, they consisted of children and enfeebled old men, with a parcel of boys at their head. The remedial operation which was adopted, was to bring forward the Duke of York, as the retriever of the British army and the restorer of

its discipline. The hon. gentleman was also profusely, and very justly, liberal of his encomiums upon his Royal Highness; nor was he very abstemious in his claims of merit for himself. Before his plan could be put in execution, an immense number of tremendous difficulties were to be conquered. The regiments were to be reduced, and marched from one end of the kingdom to the other in order to be drafted, and a rendezvous was to be held at Southampton, for a general review previous to their embarkation. The ordnance service could not be provided, on account of their limited scale of operations admitted by the foundry at Woolwich. Transports could not be provided, on account of our increased and increasing trade, and double winds (a curious phrase) were requisite to convey the ordnance stores from Woolwich to Spithead. In fine, the expedition had always difficulties to encounter, and unfortunately the difficulties always got the better of it, and incredible disgraces had always been the fruit of incredible exertions. What, he asked, would have been said in the days of the late Earl of Chatham, if he had adduced such apologies for the failure of an expedition? And he reminded the right hon. gentleman, that incapacity, as well as neglect, was criminal in those who obtruded themselves into high situations for which they were not fit. Not a week before the 10th of November, Admiral Jervis sailed with a wind which would have carried the whole expedition to the West Indies. But it seems it could not be got ready till the 27th of November, the consequence of which was, all those accumulated disasters which ruined the fleet and defeated the enterprize. If ministers were permitted to proceed upon such principles of blundering incapacity, they might give up the contest with France altogether. The expeditions of the French are conducted in a very different None of their plans were frustrated by the want of ordnance, or of transports, or of double winds. Every measure was executed with vigour, promptitude, and decision. Rather than have been disappointed in a great design, by the tedious process of ordnance preparations, or the delays of feeble minds, the late Earl of Chatham would have wheeled the ordnance from Woolwich to the most distant point of the island. But the weakness of ministers was uniformly mischievous and contemptible. If the papers he required were granted, he pledged himself to move an inquiry into the conduct of the war in the West Indies;

manner.

and, if successful in that object, to follow it up at least with a resolution of the strongest censure.

Mr. Sheridan's motion was put and carried. He then moved, "That an account be laid before the house of the number of men withdrawn from that service, in order to form an expedition to the coast of France, under Lord Moira ;” which, after an amendment confining it to certain dates and specifications, was agreed to. The next motion, "An account of the number of men, who, after the conquest of Martinique, St. Lucie, and Guadaloupe, were detached to St. Domingo, by Sir Charles Grey, in obedience to orders from home," was put and carried. The fourth motion, "That the different applications made by the several commandersin-chief for reinforcements, since the appointment of Sir R. Abercrombie, be laid before this house, or such other parts of the same as can with safety be communicated," was withdrawn, on the undertaking of Mr. Dundas to give all the information in his power upon that head. The fifth," That returns be laid before the house of the several reinforcements which actually arrived in the West Indies during that period, specifying the distribution of the force, and the dates when they arrived," being amended, by confining it to dates, &c., was agreed to.

Mr. Sheridan then moved for an account of the appointment of Sir John Borlase Warren to the expedition to Quiberon, and also that of General Doyle, together with an account of the regiments serving under him. Mr. Sheridan observed that the right hon. gentleman, in the course of his speech to-night, never made an allusion to the expedition to Quiberon; he was very wise to avoid it. He (Mr. Sheridan) also omitted that expedition in his speech, which, in him, was a foolish omission. This expedition certainly, to a great degree, impeded the West India expedition, and some account of it was therefore proper to be laid before the house, when the West India expedition was to be discussed.

Mr. Pitt objected to this motion; and after some observations by Mr. Sheridan, it was put and negatived.

Mr. Sheridan then moved,

"That there be laid before the house extracts of all letters from Admiral Christian and General Abercrombie, from the date of their appointment, respecting the delay of the sailing of the expedition." This was also put and negatived. Mr. Sheridan then moved,

"That there be laid before the house a return of the number of ships foundered or missing, and the number of men lost or missing, belonging to the expedition under General Abercrombie."

Mr. Dundas said, that the ships missing were four in number, but it was impossible to know how many, or whether any of them were foundered, or whether they were captured. If the hon. gentleman wished to have the names of the ships which did not arrive at Barbadoes, a list of these might be made out, but other information could not be given to him. The question was then put and negatived.

Mr. Sheridan wished to know whether the right hon. gentleman meant to state, that the expedition to Quiberon composed part of the expedition to the West Indies; whether the force sent to the West Indies in the aggregate, as ministers contended, or as he contended, should have been sent in detachments? Was Lord Moira to go to the West Indies? He should, in order to explain this, move,

"That there be laid before the house a return of the general and staff officers belonging to the regiments in England, serving under Lord Moira, in the years 1794 and 1795."

Mr. Dundas promised to give the substance of this information in another form. The motion was withdrawn.

Mr. Sheridan then moved,

"That there be laid before the house a copy of the instructions given to Sir John Borlase Warren, relative to the expedition to Quiberon in June and July, 1795."

Mr. Pitt opposed it on the general ground which he had stated already, that the expedition to Quiberon had no connexion with that to the West Indies, and that they should be considered in separate discussions.

Mr. Sheridan maintained that they were connected, for that the troops which were sent to Quiberon and Isle Dieu, ought to have been sent to the West Indies, and the blame rested with ministers that these troops were not sent to the West Indies.

Mr. Sheridan then moved,

"That there be laid before the house an account of the number of men who died on board transports at Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, or in ports of Great Britain or Ireland, destined for the West Indies, in the years 1794 and 1795."

Mr. Pitt opposed this motion. The account could not be given accurately; besides, if it could, it would only afford a melancholy picture, the examination of which could produce no good.

General Smith thought this answer a very extraordinary one, and supported the motion.

Mr. Fox enforced the propriety of ministers assigning better reasons for refusing information to the house than they had done in the discussion of this business. The motion was put and negatived.

Mr. Sheridan next moved for

"Copies or extracts of letters or memorials on this subject from the officers commanding the troops on board the said transports, from the mayor of Plymouth, or from Lord George Lenox, governor of Plymouth garrison. The motion was then put and negatived.

The remainder of Mr. Sheridan's motions were all agreed to, excepting that

for laying before the house the correspondence of the ordnance and transport board, which, after a conversation in which Mr. Grey, Mr. Sheridan, the Secre tary at War, Mr. Fox, General Smith, and Mr. M. Robinson took a part, was negatived.

Mr. Dundas then moved for a long list of letters of different dates, 1794 and 1795, from Sir Charles Grey, Sir John Jarvis, General Williamson, and other naval and military commanders in the West Indies. Ordered.

APRIL 29.

BILL FOR ABOLISHING EXISTING GAME LAWS.

Mr. Curwen moved the second reading. be read a second time this day three months."

Captain Berkeley moved,

"That it

MR. SHERIDAN agreed with his hon. friend. He was always an enemy to the existing game laws, because he was an enemy to injustice and oppression. He thought it an odd idea of the right of property, to say property was the creature of the law; but if it was so, the law ought to follow up its own principle, and protect it. Was it criminal for a man to destroy the animals which destroyed his property? Yet that was the principle of the existing law. Persons have been transported for invading that property, which it was lawful for animals to destroy, that they might afford sport to a few qualified people; and in this manner has property for a long time been the sport of law. If every man was permitted to share in the amusement on his own estate, he would be desirous to preserve the game upon it for the sake of that amusement, and not be anxious to annihilate it, as he does now, from a just indignation. And he was apprehensive, that if game were saleable also, instead of having the country paled round with gibbets, as it now is, it would contribute greatly to reduce the penal code; for, by the act of George I. many persons had suffered imprisonment for life, for partaking of that pleasure which the law decreed exclusively to others; but which no principle of right, humanity, or justice could defend. Though he saw no chance that the bill would ultimately be successful, yet he wished exceedingly that it might be committed, and the objectionable parts more particularly pointed at. At all events, he hoped that the act of George I. might be repealed, for nothing could more disgrace our laws.

The house divided on Captain Berkeley's motion-ayes 65; noes 17: majority against the bill 48.