my's attempts, it would be proper to break up thofe footings, either by filling the paths with ftones and earth, or scarping the ground which would take off the favourable afpect of thofe paffes, and render them inacceffible.

It is remarkable, that the high ftone and earth fences off the different fields along the coaft, at a fmall diftance from the fummit of the cliffs, and paffes between Ram-head and Lɔo, form a strong line of entrenchment to line the coaft, if properly defended.

LAND OFFICERS PROVISO. Horfe Guards, June 18th, 1785. We have confented to the Report of Lieutenant Hocking's being entered on the minutes, as it has been propofed by fome of the Members, but we delire not to be understood as acceding to it in all its parts; with refpect to the number of places, where an enemy can land, and the proper words for this purpose, we rather choose to reft our opinions on the Report, which the Naval officers of this Board have made on this fubject, than on the Report of Lieutenant Hockings.

We the underwritten Sea Officers, defire the following Note may be inserted on the minutes, after the provifo

of the Land Officers.

effect, Lieutenant Hockings, who, be fore was thought well qualified for fuch an employment, was treated as ignorant and prefumptuous, and as a perfon unknown, until a refpectable Member of the Board, on the Engineer department, faid he had been bred up under him at Gibraltar, and gave honourable teftimony of his character and abilities. Captain Macbride alfo expofed and ridiculed the conduct of the noble Duke, who by every art and fineffe in his power, had endeavoured to warp the Naval opinions in favour of his fyftem. When Captain Macbride made ufe of the refpectable authority of Admiral Barrington, he had his authority to fay he agreed in opinion with Captain Macbride, and was ready to come and declare it at the bar of the Houfe of Commons. Indeed, the whole conduct of the Noble Duke, who more properly guided than prefided, was without precedent, and it was the first Board of Officers in Council, where question and answer came from the Prefident, and the fenior Members. In every other cafe the junior Officer gave his opinion firft;—ia this cafe it was reverfed for very obvious reafons.

The Captain fummed up his very excellent and entertaining Speech, by declaring himself averfe to all unneceffary Fortifications.

Colonel Barre fpoke with his wonted energy, and manly firmnefs, against the original motion. He began with putting his decifive negative upon the pofition, that it was either right, or wife, or expedient, to fortify the Dock Yards; and if the abftract queftion were to depend upon his answer, he declared he would fay NO to it in the most direct and unreferved manner. With regard to the argument of his Right Hon. Friend, who had opened the bufinefs with fo much eloquence, he must deny it, and every part of it. When the Houfe had done him the honour to adopt his advice laft Seffion, was it to be imagined, that, by his recommending a Board of Naval and Land Officers, men of high rank, known experience, and admitted ability, to enquire into, and report the moft proper and fit mode of defence of the kingdom, he meant a paltry, narrow, cireumfcribed plan of fortifying two Dock Yards? He had not the smallest idea of any fuch fcheme. He had been ftruck with the grand conduct of the wifeft princefs that ever reigned, who, at a period of extreme peril, had taken advantage of the collective wifdom of both

fervices,

fervices, the Navy and Army. He had read a pamphlet, publifhed under the aufpices of the Noble Duke, on the fubject of Fortification, last year; and meeting with a paffage that provoked his ind. gnation, it occafioned his coming down to the Houfe laft Seffion, on the day that the Ordinance Estimates were to be voted; and while fitting in his place, and hearing the arguments that were then urged, he rofe and delivered his opinion, in the courfe of which, warmed, and glowing with the importance of the matter in difcuffion, he had asked, with fome emphafis, "Who was the man that dared limit the extent of the Navy of England, or circumfcribe the exertions of this country in the increase of her marine?" That queftion he must put again, because the attempt was again made to do fo prefumtuous an act; an act little short of treafon to the ftate! It gave him, the Colonel faid, infinite pain to differ in opinion from his Right Hon. Friend before him; but his duty to his country demanded that he fhould peak our, and let no perfonal attachments, however ftrongly they clung about his heart, ftand between him and the exercife of his honour, in doing his utmost in endeavouring to avert the difgrace, perhaps the ruin, that awaited the remaining parts of the British empire, if fo rath, fo mifchievous a plan as that in contemplation, was permitted to be carried into effect. The Colonel recapitulated all that had paffed upon the fubje&t laft Seffion, and faid, the fort of Board of General Officers, and the objects to which they were to direct their attention, as well as the manner of directing it, were far, far different indeed from the constitution of the Board that had been instituted, the mode of their proceeding, the refult of their enquiry, and the Report they had made; the whole of which was fo curious, that it was worth the while of the Houfe to trace it regularly, and view it collectively. 1e Colonel in this part of his fpeech, recapitulated all the steps that had been taken from the period of his having advised the inftitution of a General Board of Naval and Military Officers, to the day of the extracts from the Report coming before the Houfe. He marked every part of the proceeding, and held it up as a series of inftances of artful management, mifapplication of time and talents, and ufelefs enquiry. He faid, the Board he meant, was a Board of great, refpectable, and independent chaacters; men who had no vote to give, no

favours to look for, no frowns to fearmen who would have done their duty without confideration whom the refult would pleafe, or whom it would difplease. Their object was to have been to enquire into and report the best mode of defence of the Kingdom, and in pursuit of fach an object they would not have confined. themselves to two petty spots, but would have acted on a large fcale, and caft their eyes round the Kingdom. They would not have compreffed their business into ten days at Portsmouth, and ten days at Ply, mouth, but have employed a due proportion of time in a deliberate discharge of their duty. If Portfmouth and Plymouth ought to be fortified, Chatham and Sheernefs, and Dover and Harwich, and Yarmouth ought to be fecured likewife, not ought the North to go unregarded. The Colonel in this manner purfued his fubject in an animated stile, till at length he came to talk of the Duke of Richmond perfonally. The noble Duke, he faid, had great abilities, and great affiduity; he was aftute, logical, and perfect mafter of argument in debate. No wonder he was too much for a set of brave Officers, used chiefly to out with their lower deck tier, and make ready for action. The noble Duke was fond of engineering, diruit, edificat, mutat quadrata rotundis—and (to do him juftice) he was no bad engineer. Let him, fays the Colonel, employ himself in engineering; but not at the expence of the public! Having pur fued this vein fome way, the Colonel compared the Duke's qualifications, for, contriving, and carrying into execution, this, or any other plan of Fortification with thofe of General Conway, Lord Amherst, or Lord Townsend, all of whom, by procuring himself to be appointed Prefident, he had excluded from their feats at that Board. He dilated on their refpective fervices, and characters, and next fhewed, that the office of Mafter General of the Ordnance, was a Civil, Office, and not unfrequently held by a perfon who was not a Military Officer. He inftanced the cafe of the Old Duke of Montague. He added as another characteriftick of the noble Duke, at this time Mafter General, that he was known never to have given up a point in his life; and that, he faid, added to his being fo aftute, rendered it impoffible for the respectable Naval and Land Officers who had fat at the Board, to cope with him in a logical conteft. He defired not to be understood as meaning to caft any imputation on the gentlemen

gentlemen who had conflituted that Board; he revered their characters, and bowed to their authority; it was the mode of inftitution that had been reforted to, and not the men that he condemned. In fpeaking of the ufeleffiefs of Fortifications, he ftated the erecting untenable lines of circumvallation, as giving ftrength to the enemy, and inftanced in proof of his affertion, the fact of Loid Amherft's having poffeffed himself of the Lines of Ticonderoga, which the enemy out of weakneft in point of numbers had abandoned, and which ferved Lord Amherst as an useful fhelter for his men, from the enemy's fire. He paid Mr. Pitt many compliments, and faid, he could only account for his having taken fo active a part in recommending fo wild and ufelets a project, by fuppofing that his Confcience had been furprized, or he would not have affifted at all. In that part of his fpeech where he talked of the prefumption of limiting the Navy, or faving what our marine fhould be circumfcribed to, he referred to a lift of papers, copies of which had formerly been laid on the table; whence it appeared, that we had during the last war 120 fail of the line at fea, and ninety-five thousand feamen on board, when the Houfe had only voted 80 000, notwithstanding the number of British feamen on board privateers, and notwithftanding alfo the great drain occafioned by fo many of the profligates of England, Scotland, and Ireland, having flown to America, entered on board their fhips and other foreign veffels, and fought against their country. The Colonel took great offence at the Right Hon. Gentleman's having given the peace the cold epitref a neceffary peace. It was, he faid, a great and glorious peace; and notwithstanding what had been fad in that Houfe and without doors about it, the author of that happy event daily received the gladfome gratulations of the whole kingdom, for having wrought fo happy a work. The Noble Lord, when he made it, was aware of his danger. He had honoured him with his confidence, and had faid, "I know, if I do not make a peace immediately, I can keep my place; if I do make it, I fhall effentially ferve my country, at this time finking under the weight of almost exhaufted refources, and utterly incapable of continuing the war, but I fhall lofe my fituation. I difdain, however, all confidérations of a perfonal and felf-interested nature; I will make a peace, be my rifque what it

may!" This was the magnanimity the Noble Lord had acted with; the confidence the Court of Verfailles had in him, made the arduous task fomewhat lefs diffi cult, and this country was now experiencing the bleflings, the wealth, and the vigour, which flowed from the tranquilli• ty that had been effected. He defired to be understood as not meaning to hold himself out a skilful Engineer; he was none, nor could he pretend to any great military kill. He had been long invalided, moft honourably indeed, more fo than he deferved.

The Hon. James Luttrell, (Surveyor General of the Ordnance,) in reply to Colonel Barre, obferved, that the Fortifications were the only queftion fince the peace which had drawn forth the attention of that refpectable Member to the important bufinefs of parliament, and retorted on the Colone! his profufe compliments to our invincible and unlimited Navy, as ill fuited to grace the terms of that peace, which could not be thought glorious by comparifon with the former peace; and he hoped no hiftorian would ever be able to praise it by comparison with any future peace, which an enemy fhould dictate upon the afhes of our Dock Yards.

He lamented that it was not proper to lay before Parliament the whole proceedings of the Military Board. He wished the nation knew their danger, if that would induce them to apply a remedy. He wished alfo to do juftice to the impartial and judicious proceedings of the Military Board. He read the questions referred to them by his Majefty's inftructions, which he faid were plain and diftin&t; and their anfwers (contained in the Repot,) were plain and diftin&t also, the fubject could not by any other mode of proceeding be more fairly inveftigated; the Board had adopted it as the beft, and upon Military queftions it was not poffible to deceive fuch able a diftinguished Officers, mislead their judgment, or shake their integrity. Every impartial man must agree there was capacity and numbers fufficient for a full and fair confideration of the subject; a great majority had decided every queftion. If every individual that could be fuppofed to be partial was ftruck out, there ftill remained a great majority in favour of the plan; it was therefore unneceffary to aufwer invidious and unfair reflections. The Report before Parliament contained only general refolu tions; fome of the detail neceffary to the investigation it could not be proper to

make

make publick, because it related to the various modes of attack to which the -Dock Yards now lay expofed and hazarded, and it is not certain that Parliament will apply a remedy to every part of our prefent weakness; they may perhaps only give partial, instead of full and permanent fecurity. It had been faid the datum was not the datum of the Military Board; the Report proved the contrary, for the first aninous refolution contained in the Report ftated, that they had availed them felves of his Majefty's permiffion to alter the d. t, and the very datum to altered declared unanimoufly, that Fortifications were right and neceffary for the fecurity of the Docks, in the cafe of absence of the whole fleet, or fuch other caufes as might prevent the fleet from affording its protection to the Docks.

To this darum the Sea Officers were unanimous. It was enough for them to fay the Docks ought to be fortified. They were not called upon to give any opinion on the construction of forts: that belong. ed to Engineers and general Officers. If the Sea Officers had thought fhips fufficient for the protection of the Docks, they could easily have answered the first question, "Whether. a Naval defence could be relied on for the defence of the Docks."

The Sea Officers had pointed out where an enemy could land, and fully anfwered all maritime queftions; but except fuch parts of the conftruction of a fort as were meant to operate against hips, and to guard the entrance of a harbour, they had not at Portfmouth given any opinion. They declared (as appears in the Report) that they did not think themfelves authorised by his Majesty's instructions to give any opinion of the number of forts or their conftruction, and confiftently they could not, and did not give any opinion upon land defences at Plymouth. The Sea Officers had alfo exprefsly declared, after recommending gun boats by water from Plymouth, and fignal houfes on shore, that they had no other improvement or other fyftem of defence to fuggeft.

He conceived his gallant friend, (M Bride) faw difficulties for an enemy to furmount in Whiteland Bay that he would not call difficulties, if opposed to him in any operation on the enemies coaft; that to fay a landing might be effeted if unopposed, mixed a land queftion with a fea queftion. Unoppofed might mean to oppofe with 10 guns or 1000 guns; and an enemy is not unoppofed,

if, instead of rifking the fate of the Dock upon the poffible event of landing, the object for landing was removed by giving perfect fecurity to the Dock. He com pared Whitefand Bay with Gabrufe Bay in America, to fhew that greater natural difficulties, added to the oppofition of Fortifications, had not been fufficient to prevent British troops from landing in the teeth of the enemies batteries, for the important object of taking Louisburg; and he obferved, that great difficulties will always be undertaken for a great object.

Lieutenant Hockings's opinion could not be given in the Report to Parliament, or to his Majefty, because the Military Board were the only perfons authorised by his Majesty's inftructions, to answer fuch queftions as Lieutenant Hockings touched upon. He was fent to make a furvey, and his plan and remarks were annexed to the Report; but farely the experienced Generals and Engineers who examined the fhore were better judges than Lieutenaut Hockings where troops could get up; and though a correct plan of Whitefand Bay fhore was neceffary, his opinion was neither called for nor of any ufe; for the Generals could beft judge of land opera tions, and the Sea Officers had given the foundings, and pointed out the various places where the fhips might approach and troops land.

He went over the fo often repeated grounds of the inftances of our fleet in the laft war, abandoning the defence of the Docks, and the difference between the policy of a general fyftem of Fortification, to guard against an enemy whose numbers and preparations should be equal to an invafion of this kingdom, against its col lective force, and the policy of guarding our docks, the vital parts of the kingdom, from an enterprize of 20 or 30,000 men, in the temporary abfence, or in cafe of the inferiority of our fleet, against our Dock Yards.

Oppofition at one moment tell Parliament, our fleets fhould be kept for the local defence of the docks; the next minute they fay we need only guard against a trifling coup de main from 8 to 10,000 men, and then they tell us of apprehenfions for Chatham and London, and fuppofe great facility in 70,000 men coming to invade England. We are likewife told the fortified frontiers of France at a diftance from our coaft, require the ftrength of the French Army; then where is the riik of a general invafion? A march of