was rejected by a large majority; and a grant for the amount of the eftimates was voted without debate. The lateness of the 17th Dec. hour at which the ordnance estimates were voted, having prevented the difcuffion of them upon the 10th, Mr. Sheridan took occafion to introduce that fubject again into the house upon Monday the 17th. The intention of government to fortify the Weft India iflands had, he faid, been candidly avowed, and the limits of the expence, in a loose way, afcertained. But, he conceived, that before parliament gave its final fanction, either to the proposed augmentation of the army, or to estimates of the ordnance, it was neceffary they should understand more accurately the propofed extent of the fyftem of fortification to be adopted for the West Indies. They had been represented as neceffary to give efficiency to troops that were to be ftationed there, and perhaps, the next year, the houfe might be called upon to vote more troops as neceffary to give efficiency to the fortifications, In a report of the board of ordnance, laid upon the table of that house in the year 1783, by the prefent mafter-general, the duke of Richmond, his grace had fuggested a fyftem of fortification, both at home and abroad, which, fo far as related to the former part, had been fully difcuffed in that house and rejected. The prefent propofal of fortifying the Weft Indies, was a part of that original plan, and not, as the minifter had pretended, a new idea arifing out of new circumftances. In order, therefore, to roufe the house to a due attention to the important subjects before them, he fhould move, "That there fhould be laid before the house, an efti"mate of the expence of compleat

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"ing the fortifications intended in "the Weft Indies, with an account "of the number of troops neceffary " to garrifon the whole."

Mr. Sheridan obferved, that there were fome other articles in the ordnance estimates which required animadverfion. Amongst the rest, a charge of £. 10,000 for the purchafe of powder-mills at Waltham Abbey, upon a project of government's manufacturing powder there for its own ufe; a project which, he thought, in every point of view, abfurd and impolitic, as it tended to diftrefs and perhaps destroy the gun. powder manufactures of the country, to fubftitute an unfair monopoly in 'the hands of government, and as the expence attending the establishment was fo enormous, that every pound of powder coft four times the price at which it was fold by the manufacturers; a fact that had been already afcertained from the experience of the royal powder mills at Feverfham.

Another moft fingular and extraordinary project was, that of raifing a corps of artificers, to confift of 600 men, and dividing them into fix companies. Mr. Sheridan ridiculed with great fuccefs the idea of putting artificers under martial law, and fubjecting them to military difcipline. He did not conceive, he faid, that men, capable of earning half a crown a day, would enlift as foldiers, and work in their respective occupations, at one-third of that fum, for the mere douceur of military discipline. With regard to the economy of the measure, he remarked, that in the report of 1783, before alluded to, the mafter general had ftated, that, by fuffering fome of the artificers at Woolwich, Sheernefs, &c. to be put into companies, the artillery would never want arti

ficers,

ficers, and a faving of L. 15,000 would be made to government. Before, therefore, any new plan of raifing a diftinct corps of artificers was authorized, it would be proper to know what the faving made in confequence of the original plan had amounted to; because, if no great faving had been made, the plan now proposed would evidently be attended with additional expence to the public.

The chancellor of the exchequer replied, that he must neceffarily refift the motion which had been made, because it was obvious, from the nature of things, that it could not at present be complied with. He had mentioned before what he thought nearly would be the grofs amount of the expence, and fo foon as the particulars could be eftimated, they would, without doubt, be fubmitted to parliament. He faid, the rejection of the general fyftem of fortification propofed by the mafter-general of the ordnance, upon which occafion he had the misfortune to differ in opinion from one half of the house, by no means involved all the parts of it in the fame condemnation; fince many of the principles admitted by thofe, who oppofed the general fyftem, would apply to the fupport of that at present in agitation, and there were befides others in its favour of found policy and unqueftionable wisdom.

With respect to the other topics that had been touched upon, they would, no doubt, be fully difcuffed on fome future day. At prefent, he

fhould only remark, that the meafure of taking additional powdermills into the hands of government was highly expedient, as well for the purpofe of trying experiments in the manufacture, and endeavouring to remove the cause of thofe complaints, which it was well known the gunpowder ferved laft war had occafioned, as to guard againft the confequence of finding themselves, on an emergency, wholly at the mercy of the manufacturers. The primary expence of the establishment would neceffarily be great, but in future very inconfiderable when weighed against its utility and importance.

Mr. Sheridan, with the confent of the house, withdrew his motion.

Upon feveral days, which intervened in the course of these and the fubfequent debates of the present feffion of parliament, the impeachment of Mr. Haftings continued, in various fhapes, to occupy the attention of both houfes of parliament.Articles of impeachment against fir Elijah Impey were alfo brought into the houfe of commons by fir Gilbert Elliot, on the 12th of December, and proceeded upon in part, at various times, during the course of the feffion. But as thefe form subjects diftinct from the ordinary proceedings of parliament, we shall throw them into a chapter by themfelves, and give our readers, at the end of our parliamentary hiftory, as full an account of them as the nature and limits of this publication will admit.

VOL. XXX.

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CHAP.

In the promotion made by the board of admiralty at the time abovementioned, in which fixteen captains were promoted to the flag, upwards of forty captains had been paffed over, the greatest part of whom had the offer made them of being put upon the fuperannuated lift; but, conceiving themselves entitled, from their past, and their capacity for future service, to the rank of acting admirals, they refufed the retreat that was offered them, and had endeavoured, but without fuccefs, to obtain their re-establishment from the board of admiralty.

This partial promotion had occafioned a great and general difguft, and especially amongst the officers of the navy, who were alarmed to find that the expectations of reward for the longest and most meritorious service, were to be dependent upon the caprice of the first lord of the admiralty; and it was therefore thought a proper fubject for parliamentary animadverfion. Accord Feb. 20th. ingly, on Monday the 20th of February the bufinefs was brought forward by lord Rawdon, in the house of lords. He ftated the circumftances of the late promotion, as we have juft related them, and Itrongly infifted upon the acknowledged and indifputable merit of the officers who had been paffed by. This neglect, he contended, was contrary to the established practice of the fervice, and was without a precedent. At the fame time, he said it was not his intention to impute improper motives to any one, and he had therefore framed his motion in fuch a manner, as he hoped would appear perfectly inoffenfive and unobjectionable. He conceived the fubject

The motion being feconded, lord Howe immediately rofe to justify his own conduct. After ftating the feveral orders under which the board of admiralty acted, and the practice of the board at various periods, he faid, that he fuppofed it would be admitted, that the board was not ftrictly bound to promote captains according to their feniority upon the lift, but was entrusted with a difcretionary power, for the use of which they were doubtlefs refponfibleBut at the fame time, he was refponfible for the good conduct and well-being of the fervice; and with the refponfibility, he muft neceffarily be entitled to exercise his own judgment and difcretion in every branch of the executive duty of the admiralty board; and therefore it was incumbent on every man, ftanding in a fituation fimilar to his, to be careful in the promotion of officers, and more especially in the promotion of captains to flags. It was painful for him, undoubtedly, in the exercise of his difcretion, to fet officers afide; nor could he in a public affembly fate the particular reasons which [G] 2 operated

operated on his judgment in the late promotion of captains to the rank of admirals. It would be invidious in him to explain them unneceffarily, as it would be cruel in the houfe to defire him to make fuch declaration. He had acted to the best of his judgment, and with the ftricteft impartiality.

With regard to the nature of the reasons which might direct the judgment of a first lord of the admiralty to pass over any number of captains in a promotion to flags, the house would have the goodness to recollect that there might be feveral. Those who were likely to be entrusted with the care of our fleets, ought to be men not only of firm minds, but poffeffed of bodily ftrength, to enable them to endure the fatigues of the hard service they might have to fuftain. Officers who had ferved ably and meritoriously all their lives, might not appear, to the judgment of a firft lord of the admiralty, to be fit to be entrusted with the care of a fleet. The noble lord who brought the motion forward knew that in the army the fame observation applied. A ferjeant of grenadiers, though an able and excellent foldier, might not be qualified to command a body of troops on a forlorn hope. These, and other confiderations, had neceffarily operated on his judgment in the late promotion. If the house thought proper to take upon themfelves the promotion of military officers, he fhould feel himself eafed of the greatest cause of anxiety in his fituation, and of course escape from the painful refponfibility of office.

Had the officers who were paffed over fucceeded their rank, as had been fuggefted, and not been called into fervice, as would probably have happened, they must have gone

through the fuperior degrees of promotion, that of vice-admiral, and of admiral, before the officers from whofe fervice the country were to derive advantage; and thus the officers who did not ferve, would have ftood in the way of those who did ferve. He appealed to the houfe whether fuch a circumstance would have been fair or warrantable.

He then ftated to the houfe the nature of the establishment planned by the board of admiralty in 1747, for the maintenance and fupport of fuch officers as were paffed by in a promotion of captains to flags. In order to make a faitable provifion for them, and to enable them to spend the latter years of their existence in ease and retirement, that lift of rear-admirals upon half pay (or as they were commonly called yellow admirals) was established, and all upon it received £.320 a year. If the fuperannuation pay appeared too fmall, it ought undoubtedly to be increased. He concluded with remarking, that the late promotion, if it stood in need of the countenance of a precedent, was not without that fupport; and he inftanced a promotion of the fame kind made by the late lord Hawke.

Lord Hawke rofe to vindicate the conduct of his father, and denied that it was a precedent in point, because that promotion had taken place with the approbation and fanction of parliament. He reprobated that system of naval distinction which overlooked the veteran officers in order to get at the man who had the chance of being the longeft liver. It was a fyftem which every man, who had at heart the honour of the fervice, muft view with indignation. He would, therefore, give the motion his most cordial support.

The