ast equal to that of
Hanoverians? I am far, my lords, from intending to diminish the
reputation of the British courage, or detract from that praise which
has been gained by such gallant enterprises, and preserved by a long
succession of dangers, and of victories; nor do I expect that any
nation will ever form a just claim to superiority. The reason,
therefore, my lords, for which the troops of Hanover were hired, was
not that the bravery of our countrymen was doubted, but that the
transportation of such numbers might leave us naked to the insults of
an enemy. For though the noble lord has declared, that after having
sent sixteen thousand into Flanders, we should still have reserved for
our defence a body of seven thousand, equal to that to which the
protection of this kingdom was intrusted in the late war, his opinion
will upon examination be found to have arisen only from the
enumeration of the names of our regiments, many of which are far from
being complete, and some almost merely nominal; so that, perhaps, if a
body of sixteen thousand more had been sent, there would not have
remained a single regiment to have repelled the crew of any daring
privateer that should have landed to burn our villages, and ravage the
defenceless country.

It was desired, my lords, by the queen of Hungary, that a British army
might appear on the continent in her favour, for she knew the
reputation and terrour of our arms; and as her demand was equitable in
itself, and honourable to the nation, it was complied with; and as
many of our native troops were sent, as it was thought convenient to
spare, the rest were necessarily to be hired; and it is the business
of those lords who defend the motion, to show from whence they could
be called more properly than from Hanover.

It has been urged with great warmth, that the contract made for these
troops has not been laid before the senate, a charge which the noble
lord who spoke last but one, has shown to be ill grounded; because the
former determinations of the senate enabled the crown to garrison the
frontier towns without any new deliberations, but which may be,
perhaps, more satisfactorily confuted by showing, that it is an
accusation of neglecting that which was in reality not possible to be
performed, or which at least could not be performed without subjecting
the government to imputations yet more dangerous than those which it
now suffers.

The accounts, my lords, by which the ministry we