of what, according to the judgment of the most competent perfons therein, may be reckoned the fair average, or ufual proportion of live or dead flock of the faid parifh, than a minute fpecification of what there may happen to be at the moment fuch return is called for. Your lordship's local knowledge and experience of the established modes of proceeding in the details of whatever arrangements are to be executed under the authority of the lord lieutenant in the county of muft render it fuperfluous for me to offer any fuggeftions on the fteps to be taken for carrying into effect the king's commands, as ftated in this letter. The manner in which the county is now formed into divifions and fubdivifions, of different defcriptions and extent, and the person or perfons in each whofe duty it now is to attend to other points of public intereft, will, I truft, be found fufficient for every purpose of thefe inftructions; at the fame time I am aware that fome allowances must be made, in the application of a plan fo general and extenfive, for unforeseen contingencies; and in these cafes his majefty, trufting to your lordhip and your deputy-lieutenants not to loofe fight of the principles of the meafure, is graciously pleafed to leave to your joint difcretion to act according to circumftances; and I beg leave to affure your lordhip, that I fhall be glad to hear from your lordship either officially or privately, refpecting any modifications that may fuggeft themfelves to you, or the gentlemen with whom you may confult; and that I fhall not fail to give them the most attentive and candid confideration; and fhould they appear expedient, and of a nature to re quire the further interpofition of parliament during the prefent feffion, a power, as your lordhip will perceive, is referved under the late act for this purpose. It would now remain for me, before I conclude this letter, to call your lordship's attention to the application of the feveral preparatory arrangements already adverted to, in cafe of the actual appearance of an enemy, or of their having landed upon the coaft; and, with a view to that application, a variety of points remain to be determined, fuch as fettling the places of depôt to which the live and dead stock are to be removed, the manner in which they are to be taken care of at fuch depôts, the routes which they are to take, and thofe which they are to avoid, in order not to interfere with the movements of the military; the allotment of yeomanry, or other efcorts for their protection, or for enforcing the regulations eftablished refpecting them; the neceffary arrangements for removing infirm perfons, women, and children; and, next to them, fuch articles of property as are most valuable; the precautions to be taken for destroying the remainder, and for obtaining, by previous eftimates, agreeable to the provifions of the act, fome grounds by which the amount of compenfation to be made to owners of property to destroyed may be afcertained; the feparate places of rendezvous to which every defcription of perfons, whether connected with the armed force or otherwife, fhould repair on the fignals of alarm being made, the arrangement of thofe fignals, and of every other particular which may tend to infure promptitude and regularity in the execution of whatever whatever movements and operations it might then be neceflary to undertake. The mode of fupplying our own army, in fuch an emergency, embraces alfo a variety of details and arrangements which cannot be too foon determined upon, and put in train of execution. The only effectual means of bringing all thefe laft points under difcuffion is, that your lordship fhould call, as foon as poffible, a general meeting of the deputy lieutenants and magiftrates of the county of , at which general commanding his majefty's forces in the diftrict, or fome competent officer, fully authorifed, will be directed to attend, and to fubmit and explain to the meeting the plans and local arrangements prepared and determined upon by him, in concert with his royal highnefs the commander in chief, and his majefty's minifters, upon each of the heads, in which the affiftance of the civil power, acting in concert with him, will be neceffary for carrying them into execution. In like manner, the commifiary general of the forces, or a proper commillary of ftores and provifions acting under his direction, and duly authorifed, will be directed to attend, and to lay before the meeting the plans approved by his majefty's treasury for the fupply of the army; and to point out and explain the mode in which the concurrence and affiftance of the faid meeting will be requifite for carrying them into execution. Your lordship will allow me to fuggeft the expediency of your confulting with the general to fix the day of calling fuch meeting, in order to affure the attendance above mentioned, without too much interfering with other ef. fential duties that may require to be executed in the district. Should the enemy, in the profecution of their avowed designs againft this country, fucceed in efeaping the vigilance of our fuperior navy, and the final iffue of this great conteft remain ultimately to be decided by the valour and fpirit of our land forces, that illue will very much depend on the precau tions which I have now stated being executed with punctuality, and in the ftricteft concert with the offcers commanding his majesty's forces in the feveral military diftricts to which thofe counties belong. It is to this iue, as a pollible event, with all the refponfibility and all the confequences it involves, that his majefty's confidential fervants were bound to look, when they fubmitted to his majesty the plans I have now ftated. The fame profpects, the fame confiderations, they truft, will roufe the energy and animate the exertion of every man, to whom any fhare of their execution is now committed under his majefty's exprefs commands. The great and fundamental advantage of the previous arrangements it is his majefty's pleature fhould be forthwith executed, is that, if properly attended to, they will affign to every man the duty he fhould fulfil, and the poft to which he fhould repair in the hour of emergency, guarding him and the country on the one hand against confufion and panic, and on the other against the difafters incident to temerity and ill-concerted operations. In preparing for that emergency, I cannot too strongly recommend to every defcription of perfons to lay afide all untimely and mifplaced jealoufy refpecting the military power with which the every arrangement must be concerted. Your lordthip in particular, and all perfons acting immediately under you, cannot be too ftrongly impreffed with the neceflity of an unreferved and habitual communication with those to whom the direction of that power is entrusted in diftrict; and I can affure your lordship, that, on their part, they have his majesty's moft pofitive orders to be equally unreferved and frequent in their communications with your lordship and your deputy lieutenants, and in all doubtful occurrences connected with the civil power, where time will admit of it, to recur to your or their advice, and to neglect no means of cultivating and maintaining with you a perfect harmony, concert, and good understanding. Should the emergency actually exift, from that moment, of course, every defcription of armed force, and every affociation formed with a view to annoy or impede the enemy, or to fupport and affift our own forces, would come under the immediate orders of the military commander, and, as far as confiftent with their conditions of fervice, taking the station affigned to each refpectively in his general arrangement for the defence of his diftri&t, continue to ferve in it under fuch orders as may be iffued by thofe whom, in fuch a moment, it will be their first duty and their best intereft to obey. I have the honour to be, alfo for faving other Deferiptions of Property, as much as poffible; and for rendering the Body of the People inftrumental in the General Defence. If an enemy fhould land upon our flores, every poble exertion fhould be made immediately to deprive him of the means of fubfift. ence. The navy will foon cut off his communication with the fea; the army will confine him on shore in fuch a way, as to make it impoffible for him to draw any fupplies from the adjacent country. In this fituation he will be forced to lay down his arms, or to give battle on fuch difadvantageous terms, as can leave no doubt of his being defeated. But if unforeseen and improbable circumftances fhould enable him to make fome progrefs at firft, a steady perfeverance in the fame fyftem will increase his difficulties at every step; fooner or later he must inevitably pay the forfeit of his temerity. How much the accomplishment of this object will be facilitated by driving away the live stock, and confuming, or, in cafe of abfolute neceffity, deftroying all other means of fubfiftence, in thofe parts of the country which may be in imminent danger of falling into his poffeffion, is too evident to need any discusfion. The only question is, how to effect this purpofe with the greatest celerity and order, and with the leaft poflible injury to individuals. To this end a well digefted plan is obviously indifpenfable. In clearing the country likely to be in this fituation, the first principle is an indemnification from the community at large to the individuals for the value of all frock which may be removed in confequence of invafion, invafion, if not reftored to the refpective owners; as also for what ever moveable property may be deftroyed by our own arms, to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy, provided the proprietor comes forward and enters into fuch arrangements as may be proposed to preferve it, either by perfonal attendance at the time, or otherwife in fome mode of fervice, at the moment of invafion. It must at the fame time be very clearly understood, that no indemnification whatever can be allowed for any property deftroyed either by our own arms, or by the enemy, if it fhould appear that no previous preparation or exertion had been made ufe of to remove it; and that all property left in this ftate is to be destroyed, if neceflary, to prevent its falling into the enemy's hands. Upon thefe grounds, the following preparatory arrangements are propofed for immediate confideration. First, The inhabitants of every parith, hundred, or other divifion of the county, of convenient fize, fhould forthwith agree among themfelves upon proper places of rendezvous, at which their cattle, waggons, and carts might be collected, in cate of an order to drive the country being received from the general commanding in the diftrict, or any competent perfon authorifed by him to give fuch an order, or in cafe of any fignal he or they may have appointed for this purpole being made; proper march routes fhould be fixed upon for driv. ing them away to certain places of fecurity in the interior part of the country, taking care to choose byeroads for that purpose, that the great turnpike roads may remain entirely free for the marching of troops and artillery; and where it may be unavoidable to pafs one or more of the great roads, it fhould be done in fuch a manner, that they may only be croffed and occupied during the fhortest space of time poffible. If a column of troops, artillery, or army-fupplies, thould happen to be moving on the great road at the place of crofting, the ftock may easily be ftopt in its progrefs until the military fhall have paffed the fame: every arrangement for these purposes must be concerted with the general commanding in the diftrict, or fubmitted to his approbation. To avoid lois, confufion, and delay in this operation, it will be neceflary that the inhabitants of each parifh or other divifion should choofe from among themselves a fufficient number of perfons to drive and attend the cattle, under the direction of one or more leaders, to be chofen by the proprietors; which leaders fhould have authority and means given them by the proprietors to provide the neceflary fubfiftence for the cattle, and perfons attending them, upon the road, and at the places of fe curity fixed upon, and to determine the places of halting and refreshment during their march, and other arrangements of detail after their arrival. Such places as afford good water and plenty of pafture fhould be preferred and pointed out by the civil authority of the county, for the depôts, in concert with the general commanding the forces in the district, who is inftructed to give every affiftance and accommodation in his power for the protection and fubfiftence of the cattle, and of the perfons attending the fame. It will further be advisable that it should concerted with the general commanding in the district, that fome proper perfon of the com miffariat miffariat ftaff under him thould attend at each place of depôt, with inftructions to give receipts, if required, for all the live and dead ftock that may be brought to the depôt, or to enter the fame upon a register to be opened for that purpofe: but the perfons who at tend fuch ftock thould neverthelefs remain in charge of the fame, unless it fhould be difpofed of by being appropriated to the confumption of the army. It is alfo to be understood, that the proprietor of any cattle or other produce that may be removed in confequence of this arrangement, or fuch perfon or perfons as may be authorised by him in this refpect, will have the power to fend fuch part of the said cattle or produce, as he or they may think proper, to be difpofed of at any market or place in rear of the depôt, on returning to the commiffary his receipts, or noticing fuch difpofal in the register abovementioned, as the cafe may be; provided always, that the commiffary fhould have fignfied that he was in no danger of wanting fuch cattle or produce for the fupply of the army. It should alfo be recommended to the proprietors to mark their cattle, not only with the initials of their names, but alfo to add fome distinctive mark, common to the whole parish, that confufion may be avoided, if the flock of feveral parifes fhould come to join in one body. Second. As it may be impoffible for the inhabitants, in cafe of alarm, immediately to remove the more bulky articles of property, fuch as grain, hay, and ftraw, which nevertheless cannot be fuffered to fall into the hands of the enemy, confiftently with the effential object of 1798. depriving him of 'all means of subfiftence, it should be recommended to them to appoint several discreet trufty perfons from among them felves, to remain in the parish as long as the fame fhall not actually be in poffeflion of the enemy, or entirely cut off from the army. This arrangement will not only facilitate the means of fupplying our own army with what muft otherwife be deftroyed, to prevent its falling into the hands of the enemy; but it will in many inftances alfo diminish the chance of lofs. Receipts will be given by the troops for all articles which may be taken for their ufe, on the production of which receipts the proprietors will afterwards be entitled to payment, at fair and reasonable prices, according to regulations to be eftablifhed for that purpose. The perfons fo named would point out the places where fupplies are depofited, and take the receipts of the troops in truft for the absent proprietors. Third. Care fhould be taken by the inhabitants of fuch parishes as may be in imminent danger of falling into the hands of the enemy, that all mills and ovens be rendered uselefs to him, by carrying off or deftroying fome effential part of the machinery of the former, which cannot eafily be replaced, and by breaking the latter. In both cafes, that mode of derangement is the moft eligible which, while it effectually anfwers the purpofe, may afterwards be repaired at the fmalleft expense. Fourth. A corps of guides not exceeding on horfeback and on foot, confifting of those who are beft acquainted with the roads, lanes, foot paths, bridges, creeks, rivers, fording-places, and (P) other |