Star. — London, England, 1801-03-26 00:00:00

MIMI 4 • . . _ „. r r j , p. • , _ 4 , „AL p„ Nu m3l. :3855 EAST INDIA lIOtJ. E, March 2S, 'Sol. I'HE C 0 11 R T of 1) I RECTORS cf the WITED COI! PANT' qf ENC -1.-1-VD,trading to the EAST IN PI 11.c o ' I,rikc nttice, Tiat 61 Genera? Curt tf Pi./ Con / Nary "rill to MI of :her iicoj r : on 7u f etc I,tb of April nril,frcia ftfCal o'dick in Inc Ict , ion: 6,116 f ra ir,e Fi ev ivriellioff,agreraily to ht: Aei ttic sytL opt, prefentclra .irfip rap. Bg, Ire. 5, o That this Court confirm the Refolution cf the Court of DireCtors of the 28th January hat,wherchy the Commander and Owners of the Q E YEN are fully acquitted of all imputa• • t ion of sealed or milconduet in raped to the Isa of that Ship ;" Io order to determine 63 fishd orktler ti ., ree purls ir tour ,e tti Proprietor , profrat at fueS Grated Cwt.: ennetir z. `: thr Diredors la acquitting IL: Ccininrn.!er and Olivier, of tre F.,ern frog all imputatiau of urg.ict? or r., , ,rpec?ing tft '.%Jt 'Mt." WILLIAM Rcl.l,'SA.l; Seer:taro. LAST NIGHT. ORATORIOS—AT PLAY-HOUSE PRICES. THEATRE-ROYAL, COVENT-GARDEN. TO -MORROW EVENING, March 27, will be repeated THE GRAND SEI.EC I lON. PART 1. Overture. Efther.--The Gr.sori DettingenTe Dcum. With the Air of " Holy, Holy, 1... rd," by Mrs. SZCON u. PART IL Firit AO of the CR ii.ATION. Comrof,.l by Dr. Haydn. PART 111.--GRAND 7,IISCELI.ANEOUS ACT, Chiefly from the molt favoitrii: ‘Voi ay of 1-I,indcl. Overture. Ariadne. By defini, will rereated Alat tin Lu ther's Hymn, " Griiie: Goo, What .o I rec." Ay performed with Inch unbtrani.:.3 appLiale, azi..inged with ticcompani 'Gents by Mr. B.aunvartcn. Air, Mifs Tyrcr, " It.citsm 0 Grid of . 40ft.." Air, Mrs. Second, " Sweet F•irti," L'.-silegro. Accompanied on the Violin by Mr. G. Miley. Mr. hicledun, " My ' Mae. Air, " tiound an alarx." Ch.altA, " Air, Mift Tenivint. s,,fily f‘et,...." Ai, x. Feat!. ctemplA riled on the Violr.r.;,llo b; Mr. C. (11031/8 " Yrom ha-mony." Dryden' Ode. Air, Mrs. That rho I trace." S.,lnninn. ••• COfISAYe the Kirg," Vcrfe and Chorui; with (W.; additional Ft:nzas. Intl of Part T. a Concerto on the Grand Piano Forte by Mr. Field.—End of Fit , . 11. a Concerto on the Violin, by Mr. G. Afhky. Boxes 6s. Pit 3p. 6d. CAllety as. Upper Oath ts. Doors to be opened at Sit, and to begin at Seven. PARLIAPMENTARr PROCEEDINGS. HODGE OF LORDS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25. The Order of the Day which hood for the third reading of Mr. Tayl°l.'3 Divorce Bill was difeharged, and the Bill ordered lobe read on Friday. Lord WALPOLZ was introduced, and took the oaths and his feat.—Thc Heide adjourned to Friday. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Sir Wm. SCOTT took his kat for the Our/el - Sty of Oxford. The Orders for the attendance of Mr. Oakwood, Mr. OHlow, 'Mr. Payne, Lori Charles Somerfet, and Mr. Vandeleor were difeharged; they then appearing in their places. The Account relented to the Houk of Appeals, made to the High Court of Admiralty by the Owners of Neutral kips. was ordered to be printed. Mr. JOUNSTON gave notice, that immediately after the holi days he would bring forward a motion concerning the Vice- Admiralty Courts in his Majelly's Foreign Dominions. Mr. CORRY Intimated that on Monday Mt he would open the 'rift% Budget. Sir W. Pu LT attar brought in his Bill to entrourage the Cul tivation of Potatoes on Fallow Lands, which was read a heft time, and ordered to be read a fecond time to-morrow. Mr. Bawoot reported from the Committee on the Bill for laying a ditty on Spirits dlitilled from molaffes, the Refolur ion for levying 3161. on each gallon's content of every Still fo employed ln Scotland, was read and agreed to. It was referred to thole appointed to arrange the laid Bill to include that regulation. ITATII OF THY NATION. Mr. Gl= then rote and (poke in fubftanceas fol lows: I rife, Sir, in conformity to the notice I have fo often given, to move that this Houfe do refolve itfelf into a Committee of the whole Houfe to inquire into the State of the Nation. lam fenfible that, in the prefent circumftances of this unhappy country, I impofe upon myfelf a talk arduous in the extreme. In fubmitting mo tions of this nature to the Houfe, either when any great danger threatened us from without, er upon any alarming emergency at home, it has been ufual to take a general view of our fituation, and our profpeds. I therefore feel that it will be incumbent upon me on this occafiou to call your attention to a great variety of impor tant fubjeds, to confider the conduit of the war, cur relations with foreign powers, the internal state of the country„ and thole other circumftances evhich at the prefent moment combine to make our fituation fo difficult, fo dangerous, and fo alarming. Wherever we turn ourfelves, things wear a menacing afped ; we fee nothing but danger and difficulty, and every part of our fituation urgently preffes upon us for difeuffion.— The field is indeed wide, and I tremble to enter upon it. But I am animated by fentiments of public duty, and a firm convidion that it is only 1) an inquiry of this nature that the country can bt. laved. Thefe animate my courage, and thefe I hope will fupply my deficiencies. If ever inqui ry was neceffary, it is riceeffary now. If in the tal times of our Conftitution, when the principles freedom and found policy were well underflood and uniformly aded upon, as often as the country was in perilous circumftanccs, Parliament has in :. ated ar. invcftigation into the caufes of our mif -I,,rtnia.s and the belt means to remove them.— tkat invelligatirm now be rtjeded I know, that of late a difierent line of conduit has been Tit - Card, and that during the prefent war, for the firft r:m2ln.,cc the Revolution, inquiries have been uni f .rmiy o pp o f e d. Si r , I ((multi be furry to fay any thing which might :offend the Members of this linufe, but I mull obferve that the prefent is the firft war in which no part of the condud of Government has h.: inquired into or tincenfured; and it will hardly he Paid that it is tile only war in which no blunder has been committed. I do not decide up on the motives of Honourable Gentlemen, but I - ..0u1d have them to rerled whether this lupine l'ek may not have mutt alined in a high degree to um' precept t..ilatnitics. A new mode of argu• THURSDAY; M. ment I know has been adopted, and doubts arc thrown out with regard to the propriety of ftich a motion. It is laid, if you leave any thing to al ledge againfl Minitiers, bring forward your charge by a dillin& fpecitic motion. If you are of opi nion that any thing in our fituation is particularly alarming, niove that a Committee may be form ed for the exprefs purpofe of confidering it. I think, Sir, I Ifictild fiy enough againft this rea foning, when I fay that it is completely at vari ance with the praffice cf the Hottfe ; but I will add, that the praftice thus cenfured is confonant to convenience, and that by following it we can bell difcharge our duty to the public. I have been told that, by agreeing to filch a motion, the Houle would exprefs a doubt of the propriety of the mea lures of Government. Such an argument, lam well affured, I than not hear this night. If there is any one who will (land up and affirm that lie is perfealy fatisfied with the ceconomy wiiidr Mi nifters have exercifed in the expenditure of the public money, with their vigour and forefight in carrying on the war, and with the prudence, firmnefs, and dignity they have diiplayed it-. their treatment of foreign powers ; if there is any man, Sir, bold. enough to alien that lie has no doubt of the propriety of their condita, I confent to waive my motion ar,l to abaain from all the ohfervations I mean t , .) make in fupport of it. There is another general obje&ion which I (hall advert to. It has been not unufual to urge it, and it may not improbably be urged on the prefent occalion. An appeal was made to the good fenfe of the I look, and an eloquent pane gyric is delivered on unanimity. Retrofpe&s, is faid, are ufilels ; let us not add to our difficul ties by difcord, but unite our efforts to confider the moll effectual means to refeue the country from the dangers which fiuround it. This com mon place advice has about it an air. of generolity, but it is miserably deficient in true wifdont. In politics, as in morals; there is not ii fore a way to prevent the future commilion of errors, as, by expoling thofc which have been committed, and carrying home conviaion and repentance to the minds of the authors of them.—Without this pro cefs, reformation mull he precarious, and a fpeedy relapfe will prove that it was built on no solid foundation. At the prefent moment we mutt in quire, not only into the caufes of our misfortunes, but we arc bound to inquire into the profile& we have of furmounting them. We are now, Sir, in the ninth year of a war againll France, and we are threatened with a war againll all the maritime States of Europe, if we are not actually involved in it. We have added two hundred and feventy millions to the capital of our national debt, and above feventeen millions to our annual taxes. We find ourfelves oppofed to France, extended in ter ritory beyond the hopes of her moll fanguine friends, alionifhingly increafed in population, with refources progreffively improving,andfupported by all the ftates of the Nortb. We are oppofed to her with diminifhed means, our llrength exhatilled, llript of every Ally. Is it not then incumbent, Sir, on the Reprefentatives of the People to enter upon a serious and folemn inquiry into the moll likely means to retort to us (murky, tranquillity, and happinefs i I myfelf, and feveral of my friends, have made motions with regard to the condus of the war, the rejeition of overtures for peace, the! conduta of Government to Foreign Powers, the economy in the expenditure of the public money, the internal Rate of this country, and the fitnation of the filler kingdom. All thefe fubjedls call loudly for difcuffion now, and I fhall fay a few words upon each of them in their order. A Right Honourable Gentleman oppofite to me' (Mr. Dundas) has often Paid that he is anxious the war Should be feverely ferutinized. Every part of it, w hen occafion offers, be will boldly defend year after year, month after month, week after week, nay, and hour after hour. That occafion has not hitherto offered Will; and whether it ever would, had he continued in office, I (hall not take upon me to determine. But now the Right Honourable Gentleman's Sincerity is put to the proof. The opportunity he defired has arrived, and he will eagerly embrace it if his proteftations were not empty boats. His conduit isblamed by the army, by the public, and by all the world; and it mutt be inferred that it is blamed with juftice if he Shall now Shrink from the inveftigation of it. In detail to go through the various operations of the war would now - be impoffible. When we go into the Committee I Shall bring them under confideration by fubftantive and dahlia motions. At prefent I mull confine ngfelf to a few leading features. The Right Honourable Gentleman afferts, that this war has been eminently fuccefsful. Sir, I want to know the way in which fuccels is to be eftimatcd. I The only juftifiable objet of war is to Secure an honourable peace. Compare, then, the caufes for which we at &ft entered into the war, with the caufes for which we now carry it on, and fay it has been fuccefsful. The war has been moll difafirous, not only in the general ref - nit, but in the particular operations of it. Sir, if this has been a fuccefsful war, seas there ever a war unfuccefsful ? If victory has produced fuch deplorable cads, what would have been the confequence of defeat? It will be Paid, we have effeded important conquefts. There were fume who I believe went into the war upon principle, and lam lorry that they arc now abfent. (The Ex-Secretary of War was not in his place.) lam certain that they would rejea the idea of click con• quells being any balance to the lolies the war was undertaken to prevent. In the narrow view lam by no means difpcifed to attribute to them this fop poled confequence. They Served to extend, di vide' and weaken our force. To attempt them was highly impolitic in Minifters upon their own principles. ,Whatever force was lent to the Ea& 1 IRCH c 26, 1801. or Weft Indies was taken from that which was to be employed againtl France, which was to root out Jacobinical principles, which was to prevent the aggrandifement of the Regicide Republic ! It has been chid that America was conquered in Ger many. Has France, then, done nothing towards the acquifition of Colonial potlaions? Her frontiers now extend to the Rhine, to the Alps, and to the Ocean : the has reached a pitch of great nef, which Louis XIV. never afpired to in the matideft dreams of his ambition. All thefe poffeffions we have con tented to abandon astlie price of peace. Thus allour loffes were irretrievable and our triumphs empty. Mina - L.l-s have readily offered to give up all their boafted acquititionsfor peace, for peace which they I i might have made with France confined within her ancient limits, while their country was profperous and happy. An Hon. Friend of mine lately laid, and faid with truth, that there was no thore from the Texel to the Adriatic which had not witncEd the defeat of our forces and the difgrace of our arms. Recoiled the unfortunate attempt upon Dunkirk, and the thameful retreat through }lol -1 land the enfuing year. Witnefs the evacuation of Toulon, the abandonment of Cornea, and the (Ff. gracefnl expedition to quiberon. But I !hall con. r tine my felf to more recent opera: ions. About four years ago it was found neeetfary to rait - :: a definitive force of t 00,000 men. Soon after ihings took a new urn, and the confederacy againft France was re vived. Miniflers then, untaught by experience, nor humbled by ;seise' lity, entered into all their for mer projects, and called out for a difrofible force. Accordingly the militia were reduced, and an immenfe army placed at their difpolal. Their &ft exploit was the expedition to Holland, and one more impolitic in the defign, or more difgraccful in the iffuc, never was attempted. Yet all enquiry into the failure of it was peremptorily refuled. It this didnot, what ever demanded inquiry? A Britifh army, the go-eatelt that ever left the country, fup ported by a lirong auxittary force, after many dd. afters, and one defeat, capitulated —gave a ranfom for its fafety to a General commanding an army in ferior innumbers! I will not decide whether the fai lure was owing to the plan of the expedition or the condutl of it; but one or other was faulty, and the Committee bound to declare which. When I faid that this expedition was the moll difgraceful in our hitlory, I forgot thole which fucceeded it. The difporable force was augmented by the facri. five of the remaining part of the fupplemcntary militia, and it was confidently promifed that an impreffion would inttantly be made on France. Our lofs in tbe Dutch expedition was laid to amount only to Soo men ; therefore half fo great a force never was granted to any Adminiftration. What great explottwas performed? Was France over-run? Did we refcue from her yoke Belgium and the other countries the had conquered from our allies ? In December and January when the Vita Cnidul made overtures of Peace, oppofition were told that the power of France was at the lowell ebb, and that nothing could fare her from unconditional fubmilhion, but liftening to her propofals. Her armies were ruined, her finances were deranged, rebellion raged in her provinces, her inhabitants were incenfed againft each other, and agreed in nothing but abhorring the exilling Government. Ourfelvas audour allies were in the molt Ilourithing circumttances,and that our fituation would become worfe was quite impollible. When thefe overtures were haughtily rejeded, I think, Sir, Minifters thould have kept their promife ; yet, not an attempt was made till the French armies had penetrated into the heart of Germany, and the fate of the Houle of Auftria wasdecided in thc battle of Marengo. Senn ; after that Sir R. Abercromby arrived off Genoa, and found it in poffeffion of our enemies. Spain next became the °Ned of our enterprifes, and an attempt was made agaioft Ferrol. Our failure there was lately under debate, and I mull fay, notwithflanding the fpeech of the Hon. General, that it (till feems to me to have been highly dif- f graceful to the Briti(h arms, and highly detrimen tal to the intcrefls of the Britith nation. Of our attack upon Cadiz, I fcarcely know in what terms to fpeak. To thew that they do not deferve the heavielt blame, Minilters mull prove that they were not informed of the diforder which raged in that city in time•to countermand the expedition. Feeling as a man, and as an Englifliman, I mull fay that I with the conefpondence between our Commander and the Spanith Governor had never been laid before the public. Some fteps ought to be taken without delay, to efface the imprellion which this publication mull have made to our dif advantage. Byfubmitting tamely to thereproaches which arc raft upon us, we acknowledge their truth. Thefe two expeditions have been called re. connoitring parties ; but, as things Itand at pre fent, they mull he believed by all to have brougkt infinite difgrace and ditlinnour Upon the country from which they were tent. This army is new employed againit Egypt. What may be the refult of the attempt I do not pretend to prediEl. I hope it may be fliccefsful ; but when I confider the ob (tacles to be furmounted, I confifs I am not very fiinguine. Hoe then arc (refit proofs of thc want of vigour, of indeeition, and delay of l'slinifters.— The armament at lag failed from Gibraltar on the 3d of December; and down to the end of Janu ary, to which the Well accounts came, Sir R. Abercrombie bad not found himfelf in a Iltuation to attempt a debarkation. I have not tittered Co much into detail as I could with ; but, to eflablith my point, unfortu nately it isnot neceffitry that I thould. What can Minilters urge in their defence ? They had not money ? Their moll extravagant demands were cheerfully complied with. They had not a fuffi cient number at troops ? It appears by the haft re turns from the War Office, that we have z6111.c00 RiC :IX•P'_?N:'r rank and file; and I will venture to affirm, that lit the days of our greatett glory, when by our vis . ne_ ries we received ibme compentittion for the flici flees which we made, when we extorted the admi ration of Europe by our behaviour at Minden, and humbled the Home of Bourbon by our viClorie; at Qt2ebec. our efrealVe force was not fo great by one-half. Shall I then he told that the enemy was far fuperior If I had hinted this Taft year, tine idea would have been treated with contempt and indignation. Vigour and cnterprife will always have the advantage. Grant what you will to in - beeility, ignorance and indecilion, and you never grant enough. While that mighty Genius in France, truaing to the relburces of his own mind, reaored life and energy to the Government ovsr which he preluded, led on his armies to viaory, and laid his enemies at his mercy—Minitters, polleffed of every thing, idle, lupine, and wavering, fuffereJ the feafon fur itEtion to elapie, and, when they did fend out expenitions, Cent them to excite the ridi cule and contempt of cur enemies. Such tanners, I maiwain, Sir, cannot have happeoed withoti, mifmanagement and incapacity. I thould bt furry for my conntry if they could. If the condo d of the war has been impolitic, the impoliey of rejefling the overtures which have been made fin- negoeiation is Rill more apparent. I thall not return to the early periods of the war, when Minifiers held a lofty and menacing tone ; though Gentlemen would do well to compete their language to M. Chattvelin to %that they have held attiMfequent pariods.—l defire tboiSi who fty there is no doubt of the propriety of the condua of Go vs•rnment, to compare their haughty difiniiFil of Chauvelin wiih their mean folichation to Otto : that and various other opportunities us treating with France, :rik the twee.: confined with in her ancient limits, occurred, and were neglen.: ed. When the confederacy began to meet with adverfity, when Mini ficrs might - have learned from experience the folly of their dcfigns, when they might have known the impofibility of fubjugating; an armed nation firegglirg for liberty, when they might have been ceraia that no faith was to be placed in our allits, another opportunity occurred, which was rejeßed at-ith equal di!llain. But I fhall confine myfellto the offer made by 'Prance in the beginning of toe ;aft year: were Ito mention former occations, I might he told that there was a plea in bar to my propofal for inquiry, as the conduet of Government bad been fitnainned by Parliament. But many who voted ha year for the addrefs, approving of the int Heir rejection of the overtures of Benapatte, a vote whi..11 . 1 lincere ly believe they have fume bitterly repented—l re coital well, obferved that they x4 , ted nn confi dence; that they were by no means pledged to fupport this Rep in the fequel ; and the if pe• •! enquiry it thould turn out to be imp, . • would certainly condemn it. I therefore 1, L . • I coididence to their fupport. I maintain, Sir. t:..i 1 the cafe was not fully laid before them. Tin fob dity of the confederacy was then largely dwelt upon by the Miniler, and urged as a complete iuflification of our perfifting in the conteff. I call upon the Right Hon. Gentleman to account for Ins affertions. Did he then altially believe that there was a firm and cordial union among all the Confcderates ? Had he no fears of the Emperor Paul? }Lid he no fufpicion of the Maritime Con federacy which has fnce become fo formidable? The Right Hon. Centleman teems to deny that he had. To prove his fincerity he can only plead a want of prudence, vigour, and capacity. When the Ruffian troops had been defeatti in Italy, in Switz,:rland, and in Holland, and caletilatinn: upon the perf,tnal chars ter of the Sovereign which has fines been lb much dwelt upon, but which w.ts then equally well known, could it not be fulpetled that we thould incur the of our Northern Ally? But had not peps aelually been publicly taken? Had not the Swedifh Government alerted the right to tend (hips under convoy free from fearch ? When we refilled the claim, did they renounce it? On the contrary, had they not condemned the Cap tain, and led him nut to execution? If Govei n ment was guilty in relating the overtures of the enemy in January tow much deeper is their guilt in afterwards Rill obainatelyrefuling to listen to nego tiation? Though I think France had a tiLht to iidot upon a navalarmilticebeforelhe would admit n sto t joint negociation, fill I think Minitlers aC'ted in rejating it. P. , ut I can gono farther. Here I mak flop in my commendations. Why was the offer for a feparate negotiation related ? If on no other account, we ought to go into an inquiry to hear whit reafons Minifters can align for their conduet. They fay, good faith prevented them. I deny thot any pledge to the Emperor prevented an im mediate negotiation. It any had esiitcd. it ceafed to exil after the Cqnvention at Marenn'n, and 1ti!1 more after that in Germany which fuecceded it. Befides, it is iniumbent upon Minders to pima: that the Emperor called upon us to !vont m this hipulatien. I ale if he ever thcwed any :misty lel we Ihould &fen him, or once complained or remonftrated ? On the contrary, is it not noto rious to all the world that he was pacifically in clined, and that our Government furred him up to revenge and to blood ? It is not n' t-rions tlsat to the Britifh he naves ati tlk misfortunes which befell him fabtequent to etc recommence merit of hollilitiec, the diugras-e of iii. arms, the lots pf his dominions, and tl.: :tint of his honk ? I call unsure the Right l'am. Ccitlzmar to declare upc_n what grounds a, a fpalater" he Kt , vc this advise. Can he plead ateisiet.:, as he did (t...itit what jurflice I (hall not fop tit erqn 7 re) with re gard to the battle of Marengo ? .us tromerire line, from the Rhine tr. the Danube. from the Danube to Cie Asit:atie, t:kre n'.l% no thing but dif:omaire and deer, ty. I know Loot e L. : 1),',.- I LI N;. r p•'o ', %IL! n: to . L•cl. d the it Ike 1%.5! cr of hlan. PFrd i-e in ACS• *I. 111 al