576 The Monthly Catalogue for December, 1751.

APPENDIX

TO THE

LONDON MAGAZINE.

MDCCLI.

JOURNAL of the PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES in the POLITICAL CLUB, continued from

The next Speech I shall give you in
the Debate begun in your last, is
the Subftance of what was faid by
T. Potitius, as follows.
Mr. President,
SIR,

P. 549.

upon that occafion of no account, with regard to the strength or power of the nation, which they then say, confifts only in the number of men we have in actual pay, and fubject to the flavish rules of military law; A and when any one proposes a diminution of the number, they exclaim, What! will you weaken the hands of the government? Will you difmifs those men upon whom alone you can depend for your protection? But when the queftion comes about the number of feamen to be kept in publick pay, they then tell you, that the maritime power, or ftrength of this nation, does not depend upon the number of feamen you have in the actual pay of the publick, but upon the numbers that belong to C the wide extended British dominions, tho' many of them are at all times difperfed over the whole face of the globe: Thefe you may reduce, the fe you may difmifs at pleasure, without expofing yourselves to any danger. From

AM really aftonished, Sir, when I confider how inconsistent some gentlemen are, when they argue for a number of land forces to B be kept in the pay of the publick in time of peace, and when they argue for a number of feamen to be kept in the pay of the publick in time of peace. When the question before us is about the number of land forces to be kept up in time of peace, they never once think of the vaft number of brave landmen we have, and, I hope, always fhall have in this ifland: Thefe are with them TP, Appendix, 1751.

4 D

578 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. App..

A

From this way of arguing, Sir, would not an ignorant firanger conclude, that the government has no power over the landmen of this land, even in the cafe of an inva fion, or that a man might learn to be a compleat failor in a few days, but could not learn to be a compleat foldier in a few years? One of thefe conclufions an ignorant franger would certainly draw and yet with respect to both, we know, that the cafe is direaly, the reverse. Upon any Upon any threatned invafion his majesty has as much power over the landmen, that is to fay, the militia, fo far as relates to the proper ufe to be made of them, as he has over the feamen, nay, more, because the land men are always at home, but great numbers of our feamen are at all times abroad; and do not we all know, that to make a compleat feaman requires feveral years fervice at sea, and early in life too? Whereas the moft ignorant landman may learn all the business of a common foldier in. a few days: I mean, all the fighting bufinefs; for as to all the punctilio's of a review, I fhall grant, it may require fome months before he can go thro' them with dexterity.

I am forry to fay it, Sir, but from the care we have taken to keep a great number of land forces in continual pay, and the little concern we have fhewn for keeping any great number of feamen in continual pay, it really feems to me, as if our go-. vernment had been of late years, more afraid of its domeftick than of its foreign enemies; and this fufpicion is ftrongly confirmed by the little care that has been taken of the militia, and particularly by the re fufal of that useful regulation fo often propofed, for giving our foldiers a right, in time of peace, to demand their discharge after fo years fervice. If this regulation had many been established, when we firft began to keep up a numerous land army, we should before this time have had

landmen, but of difciplined foldiers; a great number, not only of brave and the denying of this right tɔ a ground for fuppofing, that our minipoor foldier, furnishes too folid a their fecurity upon the affections of flers are refolved not to depend for obedience of those they keep under the people in general, but upon the a flavish fubjection to military law. I appeal to every gentleman that will reflect but a very little, if this confequence may not be most naturally drawn from our late conduct. God forbid it should ever, under our prethe people in general; for if it fent illuftrious family, be drawn by fhould, an invading army that came redrefs their grievances, would meet not to conquer the people, but to people; and I believe, nay, I hope, C with little, if any refistance from the that no English army will ever be zealous for the fupport of a government that is hated or despised by all the rest of their countrymen. This fervants to their mafter, will feriour minifters, if they are faithful oufly confider; and if they do, they will alter their conduct: They will leffen the expence we are put to by keeping up numerous standing armies in time of peace, and concur in fome fcheme or other for reftoring military difcipline to the people in general. enough always at command, but it By this means we may have foldiers is impoffible for us to have feamen enough always at command, without keeping a great number in the pay and in actual fervice of the publick, in time of peace as well as of war.

D

E

F

G

The reafon of this difference, Sir, is very plain: A man may not only learn but practise the trade of a foldier, without departing from that bufinefs by which he is to earn his bread in time of peace; but no man can learn, and much less practise the trade of a feaman, without departing from every other fort of business by which he can earn his bread in time of peace; therefore in time of peace, especially

1751. PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &t.

B

ceptæ,

579

Signa movet, præcepfque oblitum fertur in hoftem;

This. Sir, is the true reafon why we should always keep up a large number of feamen, even in time of peace, and this reason is now stronger than ever it was heretofore. I wish

French have but 50,000 employed efpecially after it has continued for fix or seven years, it is impoffible for in the fame fort of fervice; yet, if us to have any more feamen, than they keep 20,000 feamen in the are neceffary for the merchant and continual pay and service of the pubfifhing fervice, befides thofe that lick, and we keep but 8000, they have been continued in the pay and will at the end of seven years be futhe actual fervice of the publick; A perior to us in maritime power; and for even a thorough bred feaman, whatever reflections the Hon. genafter he has been for fix or seven tleman may throw out upon those years continually at land, becomes that make it their business to provoke abfolutely unfit for the fea fervice, France to a rupture, I muft tell him,' and must be again for fome time at that rather than fee this at the end of fea, before he can do the duty of an a feven years peace, I fhould wish to able and expert failor. From hence, fee a war declared to-morrow; for Sir, it is evident, that of two ftates we must not think, that France has naturally equal in number of inhabi given over the conteft for maritime tants, if the one takes care to have power like the defeated bull fo all its people bred up to arms and beautifully defcribed by Virgil, they military difcipline, and the other are by all means poffible endeavourtrufts entirely to its ftanding armies, ing to gather more strength, and the first must have the fuperiority in C Post, ubi collectum robur, viresque re- ̈ military power; but of two ftates: naturally equal in numbers of feamen, that flate muft acquire a fupe riority in maritime power, which keeps the greatest number of feamen always in the pay and the service of the publick, even tho' the other D fhould have a greater number of fhips of war ready to put to fea. The Swifs furnish us with an example of the first of these cases; and I wish, that France may not foon furnish us with an example of the laft; for tho' I believe, they have not in America fuch a great number of feamen as we have, and confequently upon the whole are not naturally equal to us, yet I am afraid they have now naturally as many feamen in France as we have in Great Britain; and thefe only can ferve for making or defending a fudden attack. And granting, as I have, that naturally they are not upon the whole equal to us in maritime power, yet in feven years they may make themselves fuperior, by keeping a much greater number of feamen in G the continual pay and fervice of the publick for fuppofing, that we have 60,000 feamen employed in the merchant and fishing fervice, and the

as heartily as any gentleman in this houfe, to see our debts paid, or to fee us in a way of paying them; but to allow France to get the fuperiority of us at fea, is not, I am E fure, the way to pay them; for if that should ever happen, the nation, as well as its debts, will be annihilated. It is, in my opinion, ridicu lous to think of their being ever payed by the dull method of economy alone: Some grand scheme, fome curious project must be invented for that purpose by fome happy genius, and carried vigorously into execution by a steady and faithful adminiftration; otherwife, I may venture to foretel, that our debts will never be paid. Suppofing the finking fund were every half year to be duly and regularly applied to the payment of our debts, and that it now amounts to a million yearly, it would be above 40 years before our prefent

F

debt

580 PROCEEDINGS of the POLITICAL CLUB, &c. debt could be cleared. Is it poffible to fuppofe, that this nation can continue for 40 years in such a profound peace, as not to have occafion for keeping any foreign troops in its pay, or for fitting out a fquadron of obfervation? And fuppofing this pof- A fible, can we expect, that in the prefent general contention for trade and manufactures, our trade and manu factures can continue in their prefent flourishing condition, if they remain liable to all thofe duties and difficulties with which they are now incum- B bered? If they should come to diminish, if our foreign exports fhould be reduced to little or nothing, which is far from being impoffible, farewel, Sir, to your finking fund; for as it now arifes from the fur. plaffes, it would foon be eat up by C the deficiencies of your other funds.

App.

to

we

and we may boldly enter into it as foon as our honour calls upon us do fo. With a land-tax at 4s. in the pound, the ufual malt-tax, and the finking fund, we have still a revenue of above 3,500,00cl. unmortgaged, and with that revenue rightly managed, we may carry on any war fuccefs, and without borrowing can be engaged in, with hopes of fhilling, provided we keep no ufelefs armies at home, nor engage in any land war upon the continent of Europe. But I fear, this nation will not foon have the good fortune to find itself engaged in a fea war, without being at the fame time involved in a land war upon the continent of Europe; and fuch a war, I fhall admit, that we are not now able to fupport in the manner we have formerly done, nor will the utAt the fame time, Sir, I am far moft œconomy in time of peace enafrom difcommending œconomy; let ble us to do fo. We fhould thereus always make as much use of it as fore now at last begin to think of poffible: But let us apply it to thofe confining ourselves to our own dearticles of expence, which may be fence, and for this purpose the best, leffened without danger. To apply D indeed, the only method we can it to our navy is rifking our very be- take, is to promote, or rather reing. Shall we reduce the number of ftore military difcipline among our our feamen, in order to pay foreign people in general, and to preferve, fubfidies, useless land armies, and' if not to increase, the number of our unmerited penfions and falaries? feamen, by keeping a fufficient numThis is like a gentleman's ftarving ber of them always in the pay and his children, in order to fquander E the fervice of the publick. the money in feeding his hawks and his hounds. The Hon. gentleman gentleman fay, that we could not I was furprised to hear the Hon. fays we may fave 80,000l. by the reprevent the neceffity of preffing, duction propofed: I believe, there even by keeping 20,000 feamen in. is not a gentleman in the house but pay in time of peace, because upon can tell him, how he may fave twice the breaking out of a war we should that fum yearly without the least di- F want 20,000 feamen from the merminution either of our military or chant-fervice. maritime power, and with a very furprised to hear this, confidering it I fay, Sir, I was great addition to our character for had been fo fully explained by my wifdom. It is by fuch a faving that Hon. friend who fpoke fometime bewe fhould think of paying our debts: fore him, that in fuch 2 cafe we It is by fuch a faving that we should fhould want but 10,000 feamen from think of enabling ourfelves to fup- Gthe merchant-fervice, and that thefo port a new war; and not by fuch a they could fafely fupply by taking faving as will render the next war the landmen on board, which would infallible æra of our ruin. Let us prevent their being under a neceffity but preferve our fuperiority at fea, to raise the wages of the feamen

that