ts, hair-powder, licenses, &c.; and to increase
the receipts of the post-office, the privilege of franking letters was
somewhat abridged. As a counterpoise for these additional burdens,
Pitt mentioned the extraordinary increase of commerce, which, in the
preceding year, had exceeded that of the most flourishing period of
peace. The ways and means were voted as Pitt desired; but some of
his adherents were not very favourable to some of the new duties, and
especially to the powder-tax.

PITT'S PLAN TO MAN THE NAVY, ETC.

As it became expedient to devise some method for the levying of soldiers
and sailors, Pitt brought forward a new plan for manning the navy
without throwing the burden so heavily on a particular class of persons
by press warrants. He proposed that the proprietors of merchantmen, who
were deeply interested in our naval superiority, should, on clearing out
their ships, furnish a certain number of men according to the tonnage of
each ship; and that every parish in the kingdom should furnish one
man. This proposition, with a few modifications, passed into a law, and
officers were appointed to superintend the levies. Subsequently,
Mr. Windham, as secretary at war, proposed the improvement of the
discipline, and the augmentation of the numbers of the militia, as a
means of internal defence. This was objected to by Fox and Sheridan, as
tending to increase the influence of ministers, and as preparatory to
the establishment of arbitrary power; but it was carried with the usual
ministerial majority. At this time provisions were so expensive, arising
from the war and from scarcity, that the pay of the military was wholly
insufficient for their support; and government, without applying to
parliament, granted them an extraordinary allowance. This was properly
objected to by the opposition, as tending to impress the recipients with
the false idea that the bounty proceeded from the crown, and not
from the pockets of the people, and as being an insult offered to the
legislature, which was sitting at the time. General Macleod moved that a
committee should be appointed to take the matter into consideration; and
so strong were the feelings of the house upon the subject, that, though
Pitt endeavoured to exculpate the ministry by representing the relief as
temporary and arising out of the circumstances of the moment, &c.; this
motion was only got rid of by the previous question, which was carried
by a majority of sixty-