Star. — London, England, 1801-02-03 00:00:00

;) t;.- !rcat AS tt4l ) ix ttift• iu t' n~ Ccu that rots OD- edc rat. r 5" r{.4. eaty hick rade ene- mow forcibly be applied what was once by. 46 do goon Orator (Mr. Burke) applied to Flance.--/ f e e a Fs') in the map of Ettrope where once was :firm. Oar •bloucl- and ••treaftare !till. wafted instead of holt ilities with France, we are now to be :i t war with all Europe. Oar-Soldiers have not .he c onfolation of national honour to cheer them: a mid their diflrcfas form of them perish in the f wa mrs of Holland, others die in the holds of tram= ports without the fatisfaa ion of retletrting that they have contributed to co: fer luflre upon the national cli.tra4ter, or aLiel to its fame. Still our e::peditions go,,tintic, and become laughing flocks of Europe ; on , is fent from Btell to Cadiz, from Cadiz to lei tot, from Ferrol, to Leghorn, and from Leg. horn to perifh upon the burning land; of Egypt. IVi:h rcfpea to Egypt , I till ft the lubjedt is yct gi, en up, but w!il again become a matter of y. Had it not been for a flagrant breach of taith in his Majeftv's NLniliers, Egypt would not now he in the polliflion of the French. In fending inaruelions to Lord Keith not to obey the Convention concluded with the French army, they' committed a direa and politive violation ofnational honour. On the fubjal of the fcarcity of Grain, I truft the invelligation of !alt Sellion will be re- j %wed in this, and that a clofcr and more minute enqu iry wjll take place. If it is not praeticable to carry on fuch an enquiry in a Committee of the whole Houle, it will be neceffary to have a Special and Secret Committee for the purpofe. To what aj l lituation is this country reduced by the imbecility of his Mikity's Minifters ? The national honour tarniflted and difgraced—its faith broken and vio kited—its credit funk--its paper depreciated, and its public fpirit dormant and funk in apathy. But all is not yet loft—the national honour though tar nifhed is not loft; its faith though violated is yet refpetnable: its credit though funk is not irretrieve able s its paper though depreciated may atilt be re covered ; and its public fpirit though dormant and funk in apathy, may yet be roufed to vigour and energy. By a vigorous yet temptrate condo& ; by a arta and • ••id adherence to I faith ;by a rigit well regulated economy, Wry firm and ener• gene matures, all may yet be recovered. Bin by rlen wholly different from his Majeftyis Minifters. I null the Houfe will ag ree with me in the necet fity there is for inquiry before we fatiflion a war Cat tray place us in a critical artistica, before we finkFtion the. conduit of Minifters in the precipitate inz.tfures they purfued, and before we content to appropriate the blOod and treaffire of the. nation to an objea not proved to be worth the price given for its attainment. If, - after a fair and candid in quiry, the national honour appears to be.really in volved ; if an intuit has been offered for which fa tisf.taion Mud be obtained—if war is uoavoidable, then there is no doubt of the deterinination of the Howe—then there is no doubt of this determia d (pint of the nation to make every neceffary facri fie, and purfuc the war, if poffible, to a fueceff fol termination. Erhaufled as I am, I than not dwell any longer upon the topics I have intwiduc. ea, but chit upon every Member to vote confcier tiouty ttiton the qoelliOn. If he has hith.rto Cup ported his Majellys Minifters, let him weigh well their conduit before lie again gives them a vote. I have heard of fent who have fupported mcafures they did not in their hearts approve ; they perhaps might have rutted this tondua in hopes of foon Peeing a favourable change• in thofe men whom they fupported. Let theta now be convinced that a favourable change is no longer to be expeaed, and defert thole whole meatuses they cannot approve." Mr. Grey concluded by moving an Amendment, in fubilance to the following ewce, after the thanks to his Majeily, That your Mikfty's faithful Commons will enquire with all polhille diligence and expedition into.the condudt or Ruffin and the Northern Powers togneds this country ; Wining your lisicaly at the Came tin*, gift itould S becorue ncce sry to is ~ inakc tie tuitional bonne and charader by having moor& t, war, yoor Iltsfeity s Commons will not be.windns is :-ifording L'lnfe Inppliog :.% o ryto efereits reedy and foe• ce.cti termination; confident tisey will be applied with the tn. vat thgaitY and ace:tong tiger& the micas for which Ley were votes{," The Cii AIeCIELLOR Of the EXCltiky ;It rofe, imme- Ziately after the Amendment moved by Mr. Grey. • .end addreired the Houk toahe following eTe . —" Sir, &fore I follow the Hon. Gentleman I.:er lime of the .wounds which be has taken, I royfelf called upon to notice a remark which he has throyn out, and on else ihrerigth of which he teems to ref' with no incontiderable degree of confidence. The Hon. Gentleman teems iii 4 ed to value hinifell upon his ottferration—that the Minority of this Houfc May be confideredos (peak ing the (cute of the Majority. But if I were crew to admit this flrange poiltion. the conclulions to which it would lead, would nut be fo very advasi -1.-.geous to the Hon. Gentleman hinifell. to 'both sah whom he aaed, or the country at large. If ft., I would a& him, whether the great auCIMPA. rslleled efforts made by us during an unintei continuance of nine years, with which we = 1 1 Emily met the viciffitudes of war—l would elk 'art, ,s whether th e refulance sae have evinced, and `"ePareverance we have difplayed, amid ealard• ves tine:paled and unprczedonted.—l would alt Lim, whether the proteaion Which, from the bel t:lnes to the lateft period cif this trying contaii, we have extended to the Powers of Europe, and the glorious exception which we now make to al) ire E u to be confiderisd as no proofs of the fa country ? If the remark which he has 1114 de be founded, it would berme., that all thole of heroifm which hive fo highly diftist r is o ed %Lc name and eharaiter. were Pe cPpofition to the feminism of the people of 4 rglaud ; and it would be. equally true that they wr.re performed in ()menial to the inters & of the loopk of England. I do not, Sir, believe *millers any of thefe at prefeeke among us , who fat in 'le WI Sefton of Parliarpo o t„ and who have either. hilly or collatendly difented - with us all theAnsg. sous which were then nesse! that . .irould atly to f orego t h e o pkik os eb e ; have formed. • I do bet believe that thole . 'gushers who are fo tray ,hable acceffion to the talents and numbers of '`, 4 Houk will look upon that ineature by which they have been enabled to maims with as the t` t Piefentation of the United Kingdoms, in the me fight as the lion. Gentleman i forodniii we "' re "Sari in :dittos oor national Aday, and . . . - : its averting the clo4o,ers u.115T - Al.,..rze a st:11 .r...irnp.:, ' 1 they alto had thew iliarz of-h moat.' ow and meri. i 1 torious eyertim , . They %%a:iv alfn expe f_d to pe rils of the molt alarming k:nd, and were Contend : , ing with Jacobliiiim in arms ; and I am tenlible . I that there i s no kntiment in his Majefly' s Sp eec h • more calculated to excite hone and imprels confi dence, than the conviction, that the confolidation • of the United Kingdom will form a memorable • i era, and produce, in the prefent important cries. I vigour, energy, nod firmnefs, adequate to the cir , cundlances and exigencies of our fituation. 1111.41 not trouble the Houle much by following the Hon. Gentleman through all the topics and wind. ings of his Ipecch, but (hall content myfelf with clitintifing the great and prominent feature of it, I mean, the difference with tefpea to v.hich we are at ifilie with the 'Maritime Powers of the 1 North. I confels that part of his fpc.:ch has filled I me with amazement, both in regard ;o the Min i ner in which h e h as manage d t h e w h o l e, as tell as the various details o f his fubjeft. I am ready to 1 I admit, that he has n ot ex p r efred any doubt on the plaice of the claims of this country, or on the int- 1 portance of the Hate. On other points, however, he has had mat e ri a l d ou bt s . F or , t h o ' it Mould appear I that our right is u n d en i a bl e , t h oug h it fliould turn ; oat that every thing upon which our caret) , depends. i that our commerce, our naval power, our very ex- 1 e silicate, as a great and independent nation, are in- 1 feparably connected with this tight—.yet he defirec ! we should confers and proclaim that we are left without the power of maintaining the contell. He allows the jullice of our cl a im, b u t d ou b ts our ability to afrat it. I chat!, in die few i'bfer. • various I have to offer upon this fubjz&, follow the Hon. Gentleman in order; at leaft as far as my reeolleelion may ferve me. I flail begin with his doubts, and proceed to his certainties ; for he un fortunately doubted where he had certainty to fupport him, and he was onbircertain where he could find nothing but doubts. The firft doubt that prefented Will' to him was the uncertainty of our claim. He gave Us; leffon of jallice, and obferving that • tbsia.ws of julliee were immu table, he very prope r ly i n f erre d t h at no c l a i m could be good buttlt which was founded in jut'. tice. iref if I miflake n -it, I beard him in the courfe of his Meech allude to th e e xp e di enc y o f entering into e otiations of Peace with th e G o . Ventment sof e, when propolals to th a t effect were made to this consitry. I cannot eerily per. ceive with What confikacy the Hon. Gentleman will reconcile thi; do&rine of expediency to his da4l'rhie t,fjallice. Did h f forget that fuch a power canted as Auftria. With whom we were connected by the moll folemn engagements : and what Llcomes of his leffon of juftice, when (•ppof ed to his fyllem of expediency ?--( A gearrd c ry if bear! be r.. bear . I )—T4c Honourable Gentleman's expediency oppofed to his immutability of juilice,• would make us violate the moll facred contraft, and conclude a feparate peace . with France, at the very Moment when *e were bound, by every pis it. aide of honour, end A pcifitive p dge, not to fe parate our intcrelle front. thpfe of ullria" [Here Mr. Grey whifperod ;coifs the tale, that lie had not referred to,the principle, but adduced the in (lance a 4 :palter a: fad.] . ge I will then, Sir, argue the dotleine, and I hope the Hon. Gentle man will make no demurrer to the principle. Doubting has ctrtainly come excellent properties, ; yet here the application of it is altogether ilrange, and cannot be attended with any beneficial re fie.ti. What he doubts fo very much has been certain and ellablifhed, and recognized for cen turies. It has been corroborated by the invariable dccilions of our public tribunals ; it has hien tine ticled by the Parliaments of the country—it has been adopted, and carried, with innumerable ad vantages, into eget by a long fuccerion of Statef men. This Amiss of doubt appears to lead to, that prefeription which often ortgqiates is fcepti cifm. I ' (lipoid like to know -, aether in every period of the moll dillinguifh:d•Wars, conduAed for the advantage of the country, the principle which is Ow the fubjeft of our aline* with the maritime powers of the North, Was not invariably maintained ? I lbould like to know whether it ever occurred to any pet fon before the prefent moment tp emborrafs Govenstneut duriug the moil tiying changes and ii.ilLtpdes, by (Wing a doubt ? I Wive this is the firil time the Haute has be= ever called upon to reject fuch a tranion as that which is now fubmitted to them upon un certain and dubiousgrounds. I have a nght to confider the principle upon which our claim IN foundedas the Law of the Land, for the iNl'..O i tale Law, whets duly recoznizecl, viaticums ;:art of the Law of the Land. la nukiez this (tate ment, I beg leave to refer to the opinion cf many Gentlemen who hear me, where knowledge and experience are not like the remarks of the Ho nourable Gentleman, .fubjefts of doubt. But coaling to the principle as applying to the a:well - to which We are espated by the 'Anion ofour cla:m, his doubts appear to me to arife from not having minutely looked into the fubjea, 1 mean, our right of preventing neutrals from currying on a commerce with the tunny's goods. And here, Sir, the que ft ion for your confeder ation offers itfelf in two clear and ddlina views. You arc in the firft place called upon . to examine it according to the general law of =loos, and in die neat it will be =celery to afcereain its relation to the precife views, circumilaisees, treaties, a nd fuggellions that have occurred. With refpea to thel.aw of Nations, I certainly do not pretend to be vorf_converfant in that code, but I mull fay, that die Hon. Gentleman has fallen into the fame miftake as the advocates of the Northern Courts. 'For thiitigh peculiar cafes and cirri:manures may have taken place, he does not (cent to be aware that every erect *rifts' from a pFticulao treaty in contradiftion to thepincit i tis only a cot. e ther:don of the principle. Hon. Gentle- Man has mentioned with Come exultation the Treaty of Commerce with Franc, in 1787 1 bat jive me leave to obferre, that be alto does re ran" that it was e y Rated as the ground dthat treaty. that =Wit% Do ekrelielien of the Foci • 'plc• For his Hon. Friend, to wkofit a air think! be Us alluded, contended that even to admit by &porairs Coaraiion the anacjiicei 90. a tlo , , ni 1. 'Com 1 , %. principl e , could not ji,i.kli. P:dditc „ r lit it mid,. It mutt Oa:idol.: be t;ivients, that the prhiziaL has raver been given up. But as the shale law of nations lands firm and Un dilinited, 1 nfight go 'till farther, and giv.. to the Hon. Gentleman every deduertion and advantage he desir es, and I would then fairly :elk him, what ben.:fit he would hope to derive from the point %chid' he laiiimrs to eltablith ? If he finds for forty years pal :icular treaties or circumitances all concurring to prove in his favour what I am ready to concede to him, he will !till difcover that they have but left the law and the principle found and untoticlaal as they were at firtt. But if, on the culinary, we ice that they have not in any in- Rance been a'aandoned, how much more forcible does this argamicat appear? 1 - lad there been a general con!; ra, a common agreement expreffed and entered int: , by the Powers of Europe, the cafe, I gtatat, svould has C been widely different. But here va: have only implication at the utmoft, and to this implication I oppofe statements folcmn aunt irrethlibie. Independently of the Law of nations—Lel:pendently of the reafons from which that law emanated, and to which ;alias in its turn • j given birth, you have to toote in contradklion to i any relaxation of the principle, the crorefs letter of diftinft treaties, by which tic Powers now in difPute and at atm with this country are bound and pledged to you : yon have to quote in your jultihcmian the Ipecthe Treaties concluded with Sweden, Denmark, and Itutlia. I floe this not merely in fupport of otu claim, but in aggravation of th;ir conduit. You have to urge, Sir, the Treaties made with Denniatk and Sweden in the years i6lit and 1670, both of which remain in force, and are not ellfputed, and which it is impoflible for any Gentleman to tread without facing the principle clearly reciamitedin its nature and eonfeemences. With reap.: a to Ruilia, I main tain that the principle was never conceded. We would not forfeit it for any benefits, however valu able they might prove. No benefits, however great, could induce us to make a concetlion fa injurious to the true and permanent interelts of the nation ;1 and it will be found that in the Convention of 1793, Rullia bound herfelf by dire& and caprefs terms flriftly to oblerve this principle, while the at the Lune time declared her foie= determination not to violate the rights of Neutral States, as eflablilh ed by the code of Maritime Laws.—[Here the Chancellor of the Exchequer read an extraa from' the Treaty concluded between Great Britain and Rums, in the year 1793, in continuation of his flatcmcnt.) Can any declaration be clearer or more applicable to the fobjed wader confideration than this Convention ? I defire, Sir, to alit, whe ther all thofe 'Treaties to which I have alluded arc nat now in force, and I beg leave to contend, that what the Northern Powers have recently done is i•.ailireil violation of them. The fads which I have fluted, and the arguments which arife from them, are more than fuflicient to eliablifh the principle ; but as far as the question relates to three powers the cafe does not itop here. What will the Hen Gentleman fay, if I (hew him, that in the prefent war both Sweden and Denmark have denied to agree to the principle on timilar grounds as Rullia did in 1793 ? Yet Sweden, thouaja united with the armed neutrality in 1780, ha:. not ;erupted, in her foldequeut war with Runia, to cit . :tree the con trary principle. But her.: let me liras the conduit purfued by Denmark. This power, after entering into a folcmn agreement oat to grant convoy!. un i if the final decision of the principle, did not fcru ple to avail i:felf, at a moment moll favourable to its views, of a fyilem of intimidation, v hick the Hon. Gentleman has, in the comic olio:, speech, with as little fcruplc, attributed to this country. after an unequivocal pledge, it has come forward fur the purpo;i: of reviving the claims let up by the , Confederacy of i 780, am? overthrowing the cede of maritime laws eliablithed for centuries among commercial nations of Europe. %%hat jultitt cation can he urged for fuch a violation of a poli ' tjvc. engagement not, to fend out convoys, and will die Hon. Gentleman pretend to fay that this dere- Section is not ol fit falbjeift for reproach ? but what excufe can the Northern Powers of for attempt- Mg to accumplifh their views by force? We know that they arc now fitting OUt armaments in the ports of the Baltic, for they did-not dare to expore thenifelves iu Augua lad when this project was tr ecunideration. His Majelly has informed us io his f itch that thefe Powers have : attempted to revive 1 ie tyliena of a7 B o, :tad that by renewing their ,li,nier engagements they are endeavouring to efta -1 With by force a new code of maritime law, hostile . to the rights, and injurious to the daareli interells lof this country. Since this alarming information is j before us, we demand to know what are the parti- I cuter views which they entertain, and the precife engagements by which they arc couneaed againft it; ? • ft remains for them to explain, and the only explanation which they condefcend to give is, a re ference to the fyliem of 1780 ; a fyilem of force, hOftiiity, and aggi ctlion, from which they care fully deferted until they e.ruld openly avow their defigns. In this lunation can we contiftently with our dignity and the fecutity of out commercial intereit Infer them to procrafrinate the hour of attack until their plans are matured, and their armaments complete ? Is this what the Hon. Gentleman calls a manly conduit ? Shall we tamely witnefe the preparations which are aimed at the overthrow of our dearell rights, and pati eatly fuller the real to be applied to the contrail of our deftru.lion ? No I Sir. I trail, and am perfuaded, that the spirit and recourses of the Country will be adequate to the ezigency of the , danrr i that we (ball cheerfully concur in dif. *pug the fame vigour and perfeverance which have apported us throughout the prefirnt arduous coma, and that we lhall.give to his•Majefty's determination to maintain, again( every attack, the gavel r ' .f i nd interalks orbit Empire,every elfeanal in our power.—(A cry of I Hear !) e Hon. Gentleman arks, mall we present the importation aeon:rain:xi goods into the enemy's poets, . and (ball we continue to blockade them ? .I anfwer, *ciao once give up the right which we .have eureifed with fuels ad vantage to ourfelvas, and fuels detriment to our sugar, susil we .antra give op our me* our cm. merec, alt 4 our ttav,4 1: .ve ;I. 'der thii invaluable privihAc, fitliiurboAt tranfpoit all the trealui vs of Spain, And ail t;.: Itorcs Grill,: Baltic into Bret!. Ilas there been, let me aik, any period in die Maury of any Mari time Country in which the principle has not been fupported and enforced ? If I were to pay attention to the fads maintained by the Hon. Gentleman, when he hated, that were the Northern Powers allovied to fend their naval ford free and immolefted into the ports *France, they could not refore the Navy of France to a (late in the leaf degree formidable to us, I would alk, does he think that the Navy would have been deftroyed had not this claim been etercifed and en forced ? Does he think that the preventing neutrals from carrying contraband goods into the French harbours did not contribute to die deftration of the enemy's naval efliblithment, and to the ruin of their marine nurfery ? It mutt be evident that our naval preponderance has not only contributed to the prefervation of other States, but to our own fafety and prolperity, and I feel no difficulty in laying, that if we once take away from that pre. ponderance, we deprive ourfelves, in proportion, of every thing which conflisute; our wealth, power and fecurity. I wonder, when I retied-, how theft topicks have occurred to the Hon. Gentleman. Me has looked at the Navy of 'ranee, as if the neceffary means and fupplies were to be furnithed by us for its rettoration. He unhapily forgets the principle, while he is buGly employed in collating and muttering all his fate /Items of dubiation. in his allufion to the armed neutrality of 1780, his recolledion does not terve him to draw any inference from that con. lederacy in our favour. You are, Sir, in fhort, called upon in a flimmary way, with en created proofs of the importance of the principle— with refources more than equal to the codteft, with a charad‘r and reputation higher than at any former period—with a decided fuperiority of na. val force, naval &ill, and naval gallantry, you are, I fay, called upon to furrender your dearest right for ever. The Hon. Gentleman teems to argua that we would have furrendered it before, bat does he believe that if you now (brink from maintain, ing it in the prefent concert, you will have the pow. er of preferving the claim in making peace with France ? I will venture to argue the queftion with him, and with the fame advantage, although it does not conftitute any part,- or fall within the fcope of the Addrefs. I merely mention this, Sir, as a matter of courfe, but lince they have alTerte4 it, could we confiftently , blink the queftion with ou t furrendering the right for ever ? We are now cal. led upon to fupport his Majcfy according to the Addrefs, in maintaining our naval firength, grounded as it is on the ryflem of public fo long eftablithed and recognized in Europe. Up. on this important fubjea we know enough, an 4 knowing it, I fay it does become us to fpcak out and avow the principle boldly. This manly con duct is due to our own intcrefts and to the calls of humanity ; it mud produce more good than any temporising plan, and it is equally due to our dignity, that our profeffions should be clear anti explicit. I have very little more to remark, as with to confine rnyfell to the cunfideration of what appeared to me the great and prominent features in the Hon. Gentleman's fiseech. As to all thoto centures which have been thrown out again(' his Majetty's Minifterc, and the neceffity of elating a change of Admini Citation, we lhall have a tint,. to go into there confiderations, and we mcct them with readinefs and latisfation ; but this is not the proper moment : I feel the importance of the prcfcnt critic, lend for the (hare which I have had in the cnunfels which have been censured, I have the confolation of knowing that I have often heard fimilar reproaches, and 1 !ball have the con ';Motion of their being followed by the (ante cm lequences as before. I know thole principles I which, from the beginning of the prefent coutell we have refilled, have found advocates iu the gen tlemen oppofite to me: they fill find tupporteis in them ; while I, and thole with whom I have • aded, will continue to oppofe iu a fair and manly way." Dolor Lawattics role to reply, and (poke at conllderable length; but from the length of the former ffieeehes we mutt cc:thine ourtelves to 3 very Ihort and imperfea view of his arguments. lie 1r -felted his inabilitv to entertain the Houfe like the Ri;;:it Honourable :eatleman (Mr. Pitt) with A.llscs of wit, and brilliant diiPlays of elocu tion. It had never been his arifuition to afpire to tits praite of cloyncr.c., and he would rather have it reported of him, that !le had uttered one fen tence founded on true wifdom, than have the praite of the molt varied oratory. It had been doubted by an eminent Page of antiquity, whether eloquence and wifdom were really compatible but the Right Honourable Gentleman leaned born to put an end to a Ilmilar doubt for ever. He teemed born to (hew to all fiicceoding gene. rations of mankind, not merely that wifdom is fuperior to eloquence, but that without wifdom eloquence was frequently not only ufblefs, but dangerous and deftrative. But though he was not prepared to difpute the palm of eloquence with the Honourable Gentleman, he felt it to be his duty as a Member of the Houfe, as a Repre tentative of the People of England, to fate his fentiments clearly, and to vote in favour of that motion which appeared to him molt confonant to the bell interefts of the country. Having laid this, he had to obferve, that the real quellion be fore the Houfe had been moll Iludioufly mitre. prefented by the Right Honourable Gentleman in his fpeech. It had been endeavoured to is reprefinted that the Honourable Member who moved the amendment had given his opinion as batik to the right of this country, which the Northern Powers were now combining to oppok. But this was not by any means the principle of Ibt amendenent propofed. The Gm le point fubmitteel to the Houk was, whether they thould pledge their fupport to any meafures which Misu sers bad adopted in the prefent aireumftanees of the country, without exami nation, or whether they &mid notprevionfly in aitute =inquiry into the fubjea indifpute herein this coamryand Nankin; Powers? On %Sober