is a gentleman, high in the confidence of government, who goes about devising new modes of agitation every day.  That gentleman ought to have a special copy of the speech sent to him!  One time he talks of raising 2,000,000 of men—­at another time of a fund of 20,000 l. sterling, which is deposited in his private bank, and ultimately to be deposited in his private pocket.  In order to further his new schemes of agitation, that gentleman has declared his intention of raising 60,000 fighting men for her majesty, though he has never, that I am aware of, been employed as a recruiting officer.  Sometimes these boasts do not turn out to be true; but if not 60,000 persons, there may be 6,000, or some force of that description, which would be a serious inconvenience to the government.

February 5, 1839.

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Folly of carrying on war with a peace establishment.

This country is at war—­at war in two quarters of the world—­at war in America and at war in Asia; and what I say is this, that when a country is at war, I understand that the fleet of that country should be put upon a war establishment; whereas, these returns are made on a peace establishment—­nay, I believe on one much lower,—­on a reduced peace establishment; and yet we are pretending to carry on war in two countries of the world with such means!  I warned your lordships a year and a half ago—­indeed nearly two years ago, against any such attempt.  I believe that we have been feeling the inconvenience of such an attempt from that period up to the present time, and I only hope and trust in God, that we shall not experience still further inconvenience and disasters from our perseverance in it.  A peace establishment, and a reduced peace establishment, may be very fit and very proper for carrying on the service of the country in time of peace; but when we come to carry on war, our peace establishment is not found equal to the performance of the duties required from the establishment in time of peace, and still less to those extended duties which must be performed in time of war.

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We are carrying on a war in North America, and a most expensive war in Asia; and both of them require all the force this country can employ in order to bring them to an early and an honourable termination.  We are, however, engaging in both with a reduced peace establishment, and we are incurring all descriptions of risks, in every other part of the world, in order to do this.  The noble earl (Minto) has been talking about a few masts and sails, when the whole force which the country can command ought to be engaged in the war now waging, in order to bring the contest to the honourable termination I speak of.  I said this about a year and a half ago, and I now repeat it.

March 7, 1839.

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The Corn Laws have improved Agriculture.