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new raised corps, and with no common degree of animation and Spirit. by the principal men in oppofition. Difclaiming in ftrong terms all national prejudices, they readily, acknowledged, that Scotland produced as, brave and as able officers as any in the world; but whilft this was freely and chearfully admitted, they abfolutely denied, and faid it did not admit of a question, that either that, or any other country in the univerfe, had ever exceeded England in the production of fuch men. But they abhorred all odious comparative difcuffions of the merits of the brave. Their object, they faid, was ftrongly to demn that illiberal, unconftitutional, and dangerous partiality, fhewn by the prefent minifters to one part of the united kingdom, in prejudice to the other. This, they afferted, was carried to a pitch of enormity, unparalleled in the history of any other country, excepting that of a conquer ed and fufpected people. It was likewife the more particularly dangerous, they faid, as the natives of that county, being debarred by their own peculiar conftitution of many of those rights and immunities at home, which were inherent to Englishmen, were not only difpofed to make light of privileges of which they knew not the value, but were likewife apt, and naturally enough, to regard them with rather a jealous and malignant eye. And it was befides, a matter of fuch public notority as could not efcape the notice of the moft heedlefs obferver, that the natives of that country had, with very few exceptions indeed, been violently attached during the VOL. XXIII.

prefent reign, to the fupport of every measure of the court and minifters, however dangerous in their nature, defperate in their defign, or ruinous in their tendency. Could any thing then be more alarming to the people of this country, than to fee the fword placed almost exclufively in the hands of men, who were avowedly fo inimical to their conftitutional rights, and public liber. ties? It was likewife, in a narrower view of the queftion, the more unreasonable in the practice, and the more pernicious in the effect, as it was peculiarly characteristic, they faid, of the natives of that part of the united kingdom, to be more fubjected to local attachments, and to violent national, and other prejudices, than perhaps any other people upon the face of the earth; infomuch, that it was a fact known to all military men, that no English officer could live in any regiment the majority of which was Scotch: whereas, on the other hand, no Scotch gentleman ever found any difficulty, or felt the fmalleft uneafinefs, in living in a regiment, mostly, or almost wholly English.

They entered into a recital of facts, to fupport the charge of an unjuft partiality, in point of military promotion. However invidious this talk might appear, they felt it their duty, they faid, without the fmalleft degree of perfonal prejudice, to fate the facts to the houfe. Our firft nobility, Englifh gentlemen of the most an cient and illuftrious families; families particularly attached to the conftitution, and to revolution principles; and whofe own poffeffions rendered them deeply in[2]

terested

terested in the fecurity and profperity of their country; were refufed the favour of raifing regi. ments for its defence, upon the fame terms which were accepted from unknown men; from clerks in office, and commis. Among other names brought forward as inftances upon this charge, were thofe of the Earl of Derby, and of his brother the late Major Stanley. What rewards, they alked, had fuch diftinguished officers as the Colonels Meadowes and Mufgrave received, for their eminent fervices None other, than wounds, and conftitutions broken and ruined, in climates unfavourable to the human fpecies? Was either of them offered a new regi. ment? Or would either of them have declined the offer? The Earl of Harrington, who had dedicated his life and fortune to the fervice of his country, and who had painfully earned in the field every ftep of his rank, was now fent to the Weft Indies, and deftined to obey the commands of a man, who was the other day a half-pay fubaltern. Would that nobleman, or would his brother, Major Stanhope, have refused to raise regiments, on the conditions which were annexed with them to men who had never feen any fervice? On the contrary, Major Stanhope had made the propofal, and was rejected; he also had a particular natural intereft in the county of Derby, which now affords the head quarters for the enlifting and forming of a regiment, by a man whofe name was never before heard of in the county. For, they faid, to render the farce more truly ridiculous on the fide of minifters, or as if they meant to burlesque

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every rule of military order and decorum, as well as every idea of general propriety, thefe new men were allowed, to the ruin of the recruiting fervice, to raise their regiments in the heart of England; inftead of their being fent on that business, as was naturally to be expected, to the part of the united kingdom, where their interefts and connections might be fuppofed to lie. So that, by this

new

and unparalleled management, they were, in fact, English regiments totally commanded by Scotch officers; as if this country had not produced men, who were qualified for the conduct of its own forces.

They did not with, they faid, to reftrain the gentlemen of that country from their full fhare of military rank and command; they even threw no perfonal blame on those who were gratified with more. Their object of reprobation was, the undue preference given by minifters, to one part of the united kingdom in prejudice to the other. They detefted all partiality. They would equally oppofe and condemn, a fouthern as a northern, an English or Irish, as a Scotch partiality. The thing was in itself odious, wherever it was found, or however applied. In the prefent ftate of public affairs, it was highly dangerous, and might be fatal. They wished, and our fituation most urgently demanded, that the three kingdoms fhould be actuated by one heart, and their force concentrated in one common arm. But this could never be obtained or hoped for, whilft government itself was the fower of difcord and diffenhon, by the partial and unjust

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diftribution of thofe favours, with the difpofal of which, for purpofes widely different, it had been entrusted by the constitution.

The nature of the fubject confined the debate on the other fide, in a great degree, to a general denial of the alledged partiality, and to a qualification or juftification of the particular articles of charge. The fecretary at war contended, that various noblemen and others, who had never been in fervice before, had raised regiments in the laft war, and had been appointed to their command. Being called upon to fpecify, he particularly mentioned General Frazer, and Gen. Morris. He produced a long lift of promotions in order to fhew, that the charge of partiality in favour of Scotch officers was unfounded, In regard to Colonel Fullarton, (whofe corps formed the great ob. ject of contention) after paffing the highest encomiums on the private character, and public fpirit of that gentleman, and particularly applauding the liberality of his offer to government, he contended, contended, that when gentlemen of active minds, and of enterprizing fpirits, made a tender of their abilities, and directed them to particular fervices of the first importance, it would be indefenfible in government to have refufed their offers; and more especially fo, when the conditions on which they tendered their regiments, were much cheaper to the public than those of others.

The noble American Secretary took the fame ground, and spoke in the highest terms of Colonel Fullarton's conduct and character. He faid, that he had been actuat

ed merely by pure fpirit and zeal on this occafion; as, to his knowledge, he had given up a much more lucrative employment, in order to ferve his country in this arduous and critical moment. No infult or injury had been offered to the fervice by accepting of his offer to raife a regiment. It was wanted for a special purpose on a fudden; a very gallant and advantageous offer was made, and at that time there were no other offers, fo that other men could not be preferred. Hints were alfo thrown out, that fome particulars had come to his knowledge, which ought to give him a preference in the fervice, to which he was particularly destined.

A general officer, on the other fide, obferved, that the appointment of Lieut. Gen. Frazer to a high command in the last war, was not a military, but a political meafure. That the idea was a very wife one; and the effect of the measure equalled the wifdom of the defign. It was intended to wear away the inveterate prejudices, judices, which feveral of the northern clans of Scotland had entertained against government; and it not only effectually rooted out thofe ancient animofities, but it converted the most difaffected and dangerous of thofe people, into excellent regiments of hardy foldiers, who, inftead of being in. ternal enemies, fought bravely in our fervice abroad.

Another general officer, of high military rank and reputation, who has not been engaged in any active fervice during the prefent war, and who once filled a very high civil department of the ftate, declared, that he fhould not oppose [4] 2

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the estimate in the grofs, as he had no objection to fome of the new corps but he muft oppofe that particular corps, the command of which was given to a gentleman, who had no military skill, and no military rank. For though he highly esteemed the private cha racter of Mr. Fullarton, he must think it an injury to the army that he fhould have the command of a regular regiment, when there were fo many veteran majors, who had the joint pretenfions, of wounds, experience, and fervice, to plead for preference. The military gentlemen on that fide, (who were thofe only that spoke at all upon the fubject) obferved in general, that it must be a ftrange object of enterprize, which a regiment of raw recruits, headed by a leader totally inexperienced in martial matters, were deemed the fitteft inftruments for carrying through with effect.

The reafon given by the fecretary at war for the appointment of the new colonel, viz. his active

and enterprizing fpirit, was reprobated on the other fide in rather fevere terms. It was faid to be a direct libel on the whole British army; it was no less than fay. ing, that the men, who at prefent compofed the army, were deficient in thofe qualities of enterprize and fpirit; and were accordingly incapable through that defect, notwithstanding their military fkill and experience, of undertaking the particular fervice for which that gentleman was deftined and qualified.-It was likewife replied to the American fecretary, that it was fingular he fhould rife in vindication of a gentleman who had not been at

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The question before the committee, was, whether the fums allotted in the estimates for the railing and fupport of the new corps fhould be agreed to. The queftion being refpectively put on Col. Holroyd's dragroons, Col. Humberstone's corps, was agreed to without a divifion. But with refpect to Col. Fullarton's corps, the committee divided, when the question was carried for granting the fum propofed in the eftimate, by a majority of 102 to 66.

But the fucceeding day, was to diftinguifh April 6th. the prefent feffion from every other fince the revolution; and was likewife to lay the ground for thofe fubfequent events, which brought out fo much immediate bitterness of reproach, relative to the fluctuation of conduct or principle in no fmall number of members of the Houfe of Commons, and which have finally affixed a charge, at leaft, of inconfiftency, which will not foon be worn off, upon the character of that parlia ment. That day was deftined, by a previous order, to the taking into confideration the petitions of the people of England; amounting to about forty in number;

and

and conveying their fentiments and names in fuch an immenfe quantity of parchment, as feemed rather calculated to bury than to cover the fpeaker's table.

The bufinefs was opened, and the fubject delineated by Mr. Dunning. It feems almost needless to add, that the arrangement was clear, and the reprefentation ftrong and accurate. He obferved, that independent of all other great public objects recommended by the petitions to the care and attention of parliament, and which, according to the different ideas of the various claffes of petitioners, were of a various nature, there was, however, one great fundamental point on which they all hinged. This was, the fetting limits to the increafed, dangerous, and unconftitutional influence of the crown, and an economical expenditure of the public money. For although these feemed to be feparate objects; yet they might be fairly confolidated into one great principle. For inftance, if the public money was faithfully applied, and frugally expended, that would, in its effect, reduce the undue influence of the crown; if, on the other hand, that influence was restrained within its natural and conftitutional bounds, it would immediately reftore the loft energy of parliament, and once more give efficacy to the exercife of that great power, of feeing to the difpofal, and controuling the expenditure of the public money, with which the conftitution had particularly invefted that houfe.

He took a fhort but accurate view of the feveral questions which had hitherto been agitated upon the subject, with a critical

different:

investigation of the grounds on which they were fup ported and oppofed. Mr. Burke's fcheme of reform, held the first. place in this courfe of examination; which he defcribed, with refpect: to the labour and difficulty of the. talk, the number and magnitude. of the various and complicated i objects which it embraced, and the heterogeneous and difcordant nature of that chaos of matter, which he had feparated, reduced, and by a new arrangement combined in fuch admirable light and/ order, as one of the firft efforts of: human ability and genius; and as equally affording an inftance of uncommon zeal, unrivalled induftry, and of invincible perfeverance. He obferved, that this fcheme was partly upon the plan of the petitions; that if it did not embrace every thing that was defcribed or pointed to in the petitions, it contained nothing that was not confonant to their letter and fpirit; nor did it exclude or determine against a fyllable of their contents. The hiftory.

which he gave of the original reception of that fcheme; of the progrefs of the establishment bill, and of the various oppofition which it encountered, unto the late defeat, which he confidered as its final catastrophe, was highly curious, interefting, and full of keen political obfervation.

With refpect to the first article, Mr. Dunning drew a diftinétion, (not very honourable to those whom it affected) between the genuine fentiments of the house, when acting from their own imme. diate feelings and perceptions, and the impreffions afterwards made upon them from without.

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