ple of their leaders.

Where there are only few officers, it is apparent that more is left to
chance, in which it becomes not a wise man to place any confidence; for
if the officers are killed at the beginning of the action, the soldiers
must become an useless, defenceless herd, without order, without
unanimity, and without design; but by the present method, if an officer
happens to fall, his place is immediately supplied by another, the
action goes forward, and the enemy receives no advantage from confusion
or delay.

I am, therefore of opinion, that in raising troops for the expedition
now intended, the established method ought to be followed, and that we
ought not to hazard the success of our attempt by new regulations, of
which no human sagacity can fortell the event.

Though it cannot be denied, that some addition might be made to our
companies without any visible or certain inconvenience, yet the
augmentation now intended is too numerous to be so incorporated without
some neglect of discipline, as the officers would be charged with more
men than they could properly superintend.

There is, indeed, sir, another method of incorporation, by adding new
companies to each regiment; but of this method the advantage would be
small, because the number of captains and inferiour officers must be the
same, and the pay of only the field officers would be saved, and this
trifling gain would be far over-balanced by the inconveniencies which
experience has shown to arise from it. There have been regiments formed
of thirteen companies, instead of ten; but it was found, that as the
officers of a company may be over-charged with soldiers, a colonel may
likewise have more companies than he can conveniently inspect, and the
ancient regulation was restored, as the least liable to difficulties and
objections.

Having thus endeavoured to vindicate the manner in which our new troops
are proposed to be levied, it may be expected that I should now make
some observations on the service in which they are to be employed, which
I cannot think liable to any unanswerable objection. It is now, sir, in
our choice whether we will send the new regiments abroad or keep them at
home; and our choice may easily be determined by comparing the value of
our colonies with that of their mother country. If it be not necessary
to have any army here to defend us against insults and invasions, the
question about the manner of raising or employing new regiment