Star. — London, England, 1801-10-30 00:00:00

e )-, - ha Se* itatmedeti by any we n 4C achievements that ever hoovered the Britifh name, re p e aed the higbea praira, as well upon the Z j i,,J aa nh who tompolltd our public force, as oak thou ga n o ecomsnaders who direeted its opera . Peace eoncloded in the midil of thole A brilliant faceefres stared the armlet proofs of t modera tion which bad aauated his Mayfly's min ift er , i n puifyis of an event lib- definable a and b e lincerely hoped the Pease to be concluded on the g r ound of t hekpodisoinartesssigbt be equaltotheir ino a fenguiae wifbes and expefta li per ;fl ons, for the a con tranouftitTattdprofpersty or the EAU& Em yeaiied th refpe& to tbe fapplies f echor the causing alliv to in his Istayftes fpe, he felt it not at eeffary to trefpafs on the attention of the Houk by any arguinents arrant, confident as he was that the Hoak and Countvy mull fee the ne ceffity of ample ?applies for the fecavitt of thole 0 1,jeas contemplated under the Pjeace. 'rhea, was no man, he hoped , who - could doubt of the moll ec onomical application of thole fupplies, who witnefkd the retrenchments. So rapidly carrying on at raw by his Majeßy's Minißers, in every d epar tment where retrenchment was praCticable, ionlikasly with prudence and the public fafety. The concluftao of the Treaty with the Northern Powers was another topic on which his %joke* Minitters were entitled to the higheft commenda tion. The termination of. that difpute, in a man a er fo gloriout for this country, at the monism when fie was asenaced by the moll alarming clin gers; and the cautions which would be exerted ender the fame wife aufpices, for preventing all shares and, difputes is curdling there rights to telly vindicated and aikertained, would, he twitt ed, tend m ahe piefervation °flatting harmony be tween this country and - the Powers of the North. Next to the bkßings of Peace, the Noble Lord ad verted to the bounteous profpe& of plenty which, under the aufpicions blellings of Nov:Deuce in the abundance of the late borne% fo eminently tended to difpel &oils calamities under 'which the people of this country hid laboured through the tall year with fo much laudable refignation and fortitude; a condo& on their parts which jußly merited the higheß coMmendation. He trolled, however, that the preknt happy afpeas of the country would not tend to relax the duty of thole whole peculiar coat-ern it was to guard againit and prevent the return of fimilar calamities in future. IJpon the whole, when he looked forward to thofe bleffings which are about to fucceed to the ardu ous tingles in which the country has been Is long involved, and to thofe Minifters-who are the authors of thofe blelfings, he could net but regard them with pride and admiration, as having ref cued their 'wintry, not only from the alarming iniferies of external, but dangerous Machinations and internal enemies, and view them at once as the faviours of Britith religion and the Britilh Conilinition. His Lordfliip concluded by moving an Addrefs to his M4jelty, which. was, as ofuar, an echo of the Speech from the Throne. Mr. WOOOllOl/91 rote to feconcl the Addrth, end oliferved t that after the Very able manner in Which it rticl been brinight forward by his Noble Friend, it was unneceeitry for him, 'in riling to re mind the Motion, to trelpals long upon the aunt- Orni of the Houfb, more efpecially as he felt. con -6 dent the Houfe was diflacifed to adopt it with the moil cheerful unanimjty. Whether he looked to tie dangerous confederacy in t!ie North, which at the conclufam of lag SelSOn of Parliametst men*. ted the deareft .intet-efts of this country, or to that arduous ftruggle with France in which England had for the lift nine years continued to exhitill her treature and. her biood, he mutt view with the fin cerell pleafure the fortunate • difyverfion of thole gloomy arpeets, and the termination of the conßia la. it manner fo honourable to Britifli fame, and advantageous to Britifh intereßs. He was aware, to sever, that to anticipate any difcuffion at this moment upon the fubjed of the Preliminaries, which at an early opportunity would come fo much more properly before the Houle, would be highly premature. He therefore fbould decline :ay remarks on that fubjea for the prefent. With refpea to the necefity of calling on the country at this time for large additional fupplies, he thought it mull be obvious to every man who confidered Chit a pe.tce eflablifhment, greater tharskas ever maint.iined on any fornier occafion;wouldbe indif mnfible to our fccurity. But the country would be amply confoled for this in the affurance it mull feel of the prudence and difcretion of his %jetty's Minitltrs, evident in the ceconomical retrenchments they were already carrying on in every depart ment of the public expenditure. The brilliant ftweeffes which had fo eminently diftinguilled his Majerly's arms throughout this wan and which Ultimately led to 'the• attainment of peace, mull be fclt by every Briton with the proudeft exulta tom ; but he could not withhold the tribute of pe el'iar priife to the gallant and illuftrious charac. ter of one individual, the brave and never to be enough lamented G eneral Abcrcromby, whore b-rn . le condo& and brilliant fnceefres in Egypt laid th. foundation for thofe fubfeonent wiaones achie v.:.; by his fellow foldiers ; which more immediate 1i :eel to the conclulion of an honourable Peace. '!' , 'ruing his eye from the gallant achievements of t! Briuth arms abroad, to the coaduCt of the s.lple at home, hi felt it imporible to bellow ade .; ..it e enconsiums upon the unfltaken loyalty, firm n• ~ and fortitude, in which they fupported every e‘r.nce of the war, and every calamity of the ("a- , and for the promptitude and alacrity they I.ivc to uniformly manifeßed for the defence of ti!t:r Country and Conttittnion. He fervently d they might long continue to enjoy the bier ling% o f t h at Cuntlieutioa and his &Tardy to es i...icnce the alFeCtions Of a grateful and loyal r- >pie. He concluded by fcconding the motion. Mr. Fot role, and in a few words exprefled his l cordial concurrence in the Addrefs to his . 4 'jelly ay= the happy and long &fired attain r'.- 'lt of Peace wi t h F rance . I t was an eve nt on which he defined to eiprefs his fineerell joy and • cfuliatio n — an event i n which theE 1..34 had th e people of ng grcateft cattle to rejoice and exult • f• fir the prefent, he fek it unneeeffary to tref l•-1• on the attention of the Houk beyond this fart brit firm* espreilloo.orins* fentiencnt on Ow sent , Addrefs. Mr. Prre Laid, he rote to deliver, in a few words, his opining in Concurrence with what hod alread b y e kr . deliveied on t h e important fubjeet now the Houfe, and upon which he was ' glad to have the profpeet of unaninnly, a thing iviiich was not common even on the brit day of a Setlion. He laid he would not enter at large into the tranfaaions now before the Houle, and which his Majefly had announced from the Throne, either as to the Pacification which had been con cluded with the-Northern Powers, or the fignature to the Preliminaries with France; when either of the fe topics, and particularly the latter, fhould be brought forward for difeuftion, he hoped he should I be found to agree with the Hon. Gentleman wko had juft preceded him on this occallon, and that they fhould both expreA their approbation of that meafure, although it was an approbation which would proceed perhaps . from different reafons ; this was not the feafon for the regular difcuffion of either, and yet he was anxious to dechre the out line of his fentiments on both thefe. ineafures, the which be faw, upon the whole, with great fads faetion ; and he would add, that whatever criti. cifm might be applied to inferior parts of thefe great tranfadions, or to whatever criticifms they might be liable,-they were -on the whole, fuch as afforded matter of great joy to this Country, and they entitled the Government which concluded them to efteem and thanks. There was another topic on which he would !lightly touch—the ter. mination of the War had been accompanied with honour to us, for it had given proofs of vigour and energy beyond any former War, and of atchieve menu more felendid, if poflible, than any which adorned our hiftory sefore this period. This con. ten bad exhibited, on our part, a continued feries of an undaunted courage, of an invincible fpirit, of glorious vi6lories by our Beets and Armies; of patience, calmnefs, fortitude, and perfeverance in the People of England in their ftruggle through the War, and of a dignity of temper at the return of Peace, which elevated even them in the opinion of the world; and which qualities procured to them an honourable iffue to difficulties which they did not feek.but.which were forced upon them, and which nothing but their being true to themfelves, as well as their Reprefeptatives having been true to them throughout., couldhave enabled them maccomplifh. Mr. WINDHAM faid; that he fhould have fol lowed the Courfe of proceeding held out by his Hon. Friends on the 1 reafury Bench, as the proper mode on this occafion, had it, not been for Come thing that was thrown out by hi,s Hon. Friend : he (hould have contented hintklf with giving a fleet vote of approbation of the Addrefs,had it not hap. pencil that Come 'things were dropped, which feemed to imply an approbation of the Prelimina ries of Peace. His Friend did not intend it fo, but froni what he faid, he feeme4 to convey an idea that all the Members of the Houle approved of that meafure : he was defirous to give no counte nance to opinions to which he did not agent. This matter being clearly underflood, he fhould have no dilpotition to fay more this night upon the fub. jeer, referving the opinion he had formed., and the reifons he had to rapport it with, to the occafion that might regularly call for it ; which would, he prefumed, be a day appointed . fbr that purpofe ; but as his Hon. Friend had gone a little further, and had given his opinion upon the outline of the fubjett, Mr. Windham faid, he mull likewife (late his, which was, unfortunately, as decidedly aain ft the Peace as that of his Friend was for it. H e was aware that to diltent from any fuch general opinion as that of his Hon. Friend, was at all times painful to him, it via, (till moire fo fine that opinion was fo generally approved of and tupported. He could have no delight in being a mourner in a fcene of geberal rejoicing—to wear a countenance of ter row while others teemed to fparkle with joy—to fink into delpairivhile others were lifted up by hope, was a fingularity not to be envied, nor fhould he be longer in affigning his reafon for it, than would be neceffary in order to be underflood'. He admitted that thole who had entertained oppofne opinions on the War, might,- as properly remarked by his Friend, (Mr. Pitt) yet agree in feelings as to the termination of it. So it was likely to happen that the Hon. Gentleman oppofite to him (Mr. Fox), whole opinions were now happily known to his Country, might agree with his Hon. Friend (Mr. l'itt) in the termination of this conteft. Although he agreed with the Hon. Gentleman (hir. Fox) in his view of the (tate of fags, that this was a Peace glorious to France, he believed he differed widely from that Gentleman as to the feelings which fhould thence arife in the breafts of Engliflunen. In his view of things (which might perhaps be a miftalten one) there was no caufe for rejoicing at the Peace we were about to have; he forefaw that this rejoicing might be turned into bitter lamen tation : thishe laid, becaufe he thought that the advantages, as tome people called them, which this Peace would bring with it, would pave the way to the ruin of this Country. The general il luminations were to him no fign of comfort, for he law no reafonable eaufe foithe people of Eng land to rejoice. He mutt, before he dented to them, afk himfelf, " Are thefe the lights of the fepulchre, or the tokens of the knell of our lune ra, r'—Before I put on my Wedding Garment, I mull know whether I am invited to the kali, or the funeral; from the bottom of my heart I think this precedes the bitternefs of Sorrow and the la mentation' of Death. Conlidering the fituation in which we now (land, I think that the moment my Hon. Friends figned this Treaty, they figned the Death-Warrant of their Country ; or, at lead, they have given it a blow from which I think it can never recover. He Paid, he knew how un pleafant it was to the Houfe, nay, he felt it unplea rant to himfelf, to dwell upon obfervations which were made again his willies, although dietated by his judgment. He knew the uncertainty of human arairs, and bow vain it was in man to appear to prefcribe botintls to the difpenfations of Novi. noes, the ways erwhich were inviable to human fight. He could not tell what changes there may be without and within us—What temper, what fpirit the People of this and other Countries may have ;—wkgt mai be ileac for oyr political Cal. . . v• , e , ''' Any hope, for he. know that hope might eaid when reafonable confidence was asttinguillied ; and he knew that exertions ought to be continued after reasonable crpeaation WAS gone; and, therefore, he did not with the People of this Country to de fpair ; but all he would fay was, that upon no view be could take of Public Affairs, from no prineple that he knew, that induced a reafonable man to ;46t, could he fate to himfelf the way in which this Country could come out of the difficulty into which this Peace wo.ild throw it. There was one thing more which he withed to take notice of; he had long thought there was only one way, by which this Country could cfcape from the dreadful elle& winch we all apprehended from the gigantic Power of France.; and that was, by preferving the fu periority of our Commerce. It had appeared to him alto, that there was but one thing wanting for France, to enable it to extend its Empire, and to become as much the terror of other Nations by fea as it had by land, and that was, to extend its Commerce : this, -in a fatal moment, in his opinion, we had given to France. How our ruin could be avoided, he did not know. Others, undoubtedly, entertained: hopes bow well found ed fuch hopes were, time would (hew. AU that he had hitherto heard upon that Cubjea, appeared to him to be either very doubtful, or entirely defe&ive. What might be the effect of what we now Caw, no man could know, but he apprehended nothing to us but our ruin. This was nearly all he had to fay, and which, he apprehended, was called Corby what had preceded it on this occafion ; he (hould not have added smother word, if the expreffion of an " honourable peace" bad not occurred to him. It need not have been introduced; it teemed to have been improvidently and impoliticly mentioned for it was more than was alked. He would not afk for an honourable Peace ; not that he under valued the honour of a nation —no, he thought honour one of its deareft poffeffitans, but for the fake of argument, and for that only, he would put it out of the way, and fay, in this particular cafe, " Shew me it is a fafe Peace, and I (hall be con tented." Now after Paying this, which was cer tainly his opinion on this Peace, whether that was a fubjed of cenfure or a pplaufe, there was certain ly no difapprobation of the prefent Addrefsimplied by what lie laid, although he had no with to dif fcmble any fcntiment he entertained; becaufe if what had gone abroad was true, we were really driven to agree to this Peace by neceflity. If that was the cafe, the framers of die Peace on the part of this Country, had great merit. We were not to condemn them for what they gave up, but to applaud them for what they had Caved ; not fir Ceylon or Trinidada, but for laving to us Pont mouth or Plymouth, or preferving Ireland to the Britith Empire, and for preventing greater humi liation. If this was really our Rate, and we made Peace from neceffity, we mull applaud them for the Peace, becaufe the value of the Peace would then be judged of, not from the thing itfelf, but from the neceffity which gave it birth. That how. ever was a filbjea which (hould be dileuffed here , after; and the queflions would be, how far the Peace was a Peace of Neceffity ? and, what the degree of the Necellity was ? for nothing, in his apprehenfion, could juftify the putting of the State ; into fuch danger as this Peace would, but abfolute neceflity. This was all he had to fay at prefent upon this fubjca, except merely to add, that as to the Addrefs now before the Houle; he concurred with the two Gentlemen who had juft preceded him (Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox) in giving it his affent. The CHANCELLOR of the Excii Lost a laid, he hoped his Right Hon. Friend would pardon him, if he expreffed an opinion that he had gone into rather more minutenefs than the Quellion now be fore the Houle called for, even in his own view of it, as explained by hind - elf, and particularly at the conclufion of his fpecch, by which it appeared he concurred in the Addrefs. The obfervations of his Hon. Friend were (he would pardon him for fayiug fo) a little premature; that tubjea was not now be fore the Route ; even in his Majefly's moil gra cious Speech from the Throne, there was expref fed no other feniinsent on the Peace, but loch as was convey:l by there words : " That his MajFs- TT MIL the Arrangements will be found condu cive to the general Interefts of this Country, and to the honour of the Britilh Empire." In this there was no reference whatever even to that fen timent fo conveyed from the Throne. Indeed it would be irregular aid indecorous to ant of the Route an opinion upon a fubjea not fully before it. His Hon. Friend very well knew that Preliminary Terms of Peace had been figned on the part of Ins Majefly and the French Republic, but the terms were not before the Houk. His Hon. Friend had entered into the fubjeL of the Peace, however, expreffed Tome lamentation over it. He (hould not follow him in anfwer to what he urged now, al. I though he might in tome meafore regularly do fo. Nor (hould he enter into any difpute now upon the general propofition laid down by his Hon. Friend, not becaufe he was unprepared,but becaufe another opportunity would offer for that purpofe. He (hould then enter on the diteuffion with his Hon. Friend, but he fhould do it under a painful feel ing, for painful it was to him to differ in opinion from one who had proved himfelf to he a zealous advocate for, and a virtuous guardian of the Con- Ritution, and to whom (whatever difference of opinion might fublifi between them) he wonld add, the country was under deep obligation for many great Cervices, particularly when he warned the country of its danger, when its fafety was at Rake, and for the efforts he made to preferve it. His Hon. Friend had laid that we ought to confider the extenfion of our commerce as the only coun ter-balance in our power againft the eaten:ion of territory of the French Republic. He would not now refer to the terms of the Peace, fur that he could not do with regularity, but he would aver, that all that we had given up, would have afforded to us no fort of fecurity againft the danger which was apprehended by his Honourable Fneud. Ile did not agree with his Hon. Friend on the fubjca of the extant of the power of Franca, and of our mode of balancing that power, for he thought the , belt counterpode of this country, againa the grow. , inf power of France, was in the prefet yawn of oar ' gality and temperance, much wa to be - 'i led :—To the right direction and prefervat ion of what remained cf the faculties, abilities, and ti fources of the country ; and happily much indeed remained if fuch reroarces, much was to be looked for as a fecurity for us in time of Peace, for a con tinuance of its hleflings. His Hon. Ftiend had I;ti,f, he fhould ahltain from laying many things, which would ocour to him to deliver on a future occalion. Nothing kfs could be expeded from his liberality, candour, or jufkicea but he hinted at one thing which ought not to pars without a di reel anfwer : he would therefore fay it never was in contemplation of chore who had the honour of advifing his Majefly to fign the Preliminaries of Peace, that what they did, was the effect of ne&l -fity. His Hon. Friend had Rated, that Tome un known neceffity might have been the caufe.—" I dirclaim that plea," laid Mr. ADDING-roe; " I will be no party to filch a ftatement. Ido not reek my own jultification, %Tor will my colleagues, I am perfuaded, leek theirs, in any fuch way— that would be really undervaluing the reroutes% of our country. If inftead of acceding to the terms agreed upon, and which are likely loon to be finally fettled, the enemy had made it neceffary for us to continue the comet{, we (horrid, I am confident, have continued the conteft ; and I am confident alfo a that we Ihould have proved to the world that we have Rill fufficient faculties and re fources to maintain the honour and preferve the fecurity of the Britifh Empire. I could not for bear raying this for the purpofe, chiefly, of dir. claiming that fpeciesofjuftification which my Hon. Friend fuppofed to arife out of Necefflty. I hope my jollification, and that of my colleagues, will be found in the adual Rate of things, in which, I hope, it will appear we have had a prudent regard to the true intereft of our country ; and I aver alto, that if we had not advifed his Majelly to conclude there terms, we fhould not only have been wanting in what we owed to our Conftituents, but of a grofs perverfion of our duty to his Majefly as the father of his people."—He then obferved that he should defer the obfervations he had to make on the pre. fent (late of the Continent of Europe, as well as many other topics which would come into difeuf lion at a future day ; and obferved that what he had already laid had been called for by what had been delivered by his Hon. Friend who had juft preceded him. Mr. Su FRIDAN.—I feel no inclination whatever, Sir, by now riling, to oppofe the general with of the Houfe, to deprecate all difcuffion of the Pre liminaries of Peace, and to wait till that period when an opportunity will be given to all regularly to enter on the fitbjeft. The Right Honoitrable Gentleman bar. Windham) who fpoke lately from the other fide of the Mitre, having flared hie un. willingnefs to enter at prefent on this difeutlion; it was not without conftderable furprife that I heard him toter fo far into that very difcuffion which he fet out with deprecating. I (hall certainly vote for the Addrefs which has -now been moved, be. caufe it was not, as ufual on fuch occafions, an exad echo of the fpcech from the throne. There were words, Sir, in the fpecch which, in my opi nion, much to the hendur of thofe who moved and feconded the Addrefs, are wholly omitted. The fpeech contained diffinetions ani diameters of the Peace, which, if they had been re-echoed in the Ad drefs, I, for one, have no hcfitation in raying, that it could not pollibly have received my fepport. As to the Addrefs of it now (lands, it does not appear liable to any great objedion, and I have no with to difturb the unanimity of our vote. Notwithlland ing the unanimity, however, with which this Ad drefs is paired, I tincerely believe, Sir, that if this were the time for men to deliver their opinions, if this were the moment when they were to fpeak out their real thoughts, there never was a period o f lefs real unanimity (a Ind laugh). The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Pitt) has fpoken of the Peace its terms to which I can by no moans agree. I differ from him in every expreffion by which he charac terifed the Peace as glorious and li.oourahle. Still more do I differ from thofe who contend that it was inexpedient to make Peace at all. This, Sir, is a Peace which every man is glad of, but no Man can he proud of. (el loud cry •if &err! hear !) It is a Peace involving a degradation of the national dignity, which no truly Englith heart can feel with indifference. It is a Peace, Inch as the war had a tendency to lead to as its neceffary refult. The war was one of the worn wars ia which this coun try was ever engaged, and the Peace is, perhaps, as good as any man coals! make i thofe ciri um. fiances in which the country was placed. Earl TEMPLE, agreeing in the general sentiment of waving all difcuffion of the terms of the Peace, expreffed his intention to give the Addrels his decided rapport. He role only on the prefent cation to (late to the Houfc that in giving this lop port, lie withed it to be underßAW- that he gave not the fmalleit pledge of his carport of the mca- Cure of Peace, for lie had no difficulty in laying that this was a meafure which he could not poffibly approve. Mr. JAMES MARTIN erprelTcd his (incere plea. lure at the peace, but hop:d that his approbation of the prefent Addrefs would by no means ao confrued into any thing like an engagement to give a fingle vote in favour of thole men who had fo long carried on a war ruinous to their country, and who had fo materially tra:l4:3 on the Con flitution. The Addrels was then ptit and carried ner-.'ne ton traicente. A Committee was elcn ordered to pre pare the fame, and lay it bcfcrc the Honk to morrow. Lord HAWKISPURY gave notice that copies of the Convention with Rutiia, and of the Prelimi naries of Peace with the French Republic, would be laid on the Table to-morrow. He then moved, that the Preliminaries of Pace !,C taken into cots fideration on Titer - day nest, at,-1 the with Ruffia on Friday.—Agrced to, made out accordingly. The CHVICELLOR Of the ExcHaositl that he would to-morrow move a vote of Sir John Hely tititch.nfon, the Officers of the army employe,' in the expatioi 4.tliourned till tq-snorrow. ..... Convention and orders intimates of thanks to and troops In to Egypt.