Star. — London, England, 1802-04-13 00:00:00

g the other. I might reit my demanct. for ~,.;city into the conduEt of Minifters upon the v i,J I have already Hated. It is not a matter •., , mini. or doubt, but of abfolute certainty, t...: .i;•)i.leps have broktn the laws—are they then t tc.9ed for the aanal violation of the law, the people are punilhed on mere fufpicion? •.,11 I did not think - that the difdainful and y flyle adopted by the late Minlllers would .s• .I;.in,ged fo fuddenly—l did not think their ns would have ended in a full acknowledg -3,-: f guilt, and an appeal for pardon : I did „ •!•ey N'.'ll.lld haie grounded their defence on it r Laity of the. cafe, and the reality of thofe : . rd conspiracies, for which at the time they , •: • tied confidence, under pretence the details of •• • ~Id be dangerous to unfold. I think I rtti, - them what were the contents of thofe gi. , i loses and green bags that were lent to ci.0t..1 Committees ? We find them all to have tricks, cheats, and deceptions. I have h. ird much of the happinefs of the country. In v.h.tz toes it confift ? Does it confift in a Debt of ? A Government overawing the rople by the terrors of halides and dungeons In the repeal of the Habeas Corpus AQ, fo fre quently that it has ceafed to be a privilege of the v.tlue ? Does it confift in having an Army of spies and Informers—an inquifition over pro perty wad political opinion ? In railing the falar ies of itid,;es for fupporting corruption ? In threatening Jut it_s for voting according to their confciences In the deftruelion of the liberty of the prefs • in a fonitcl and beggared people ; a degraded Arifto e. ace, and a confiding Houfe of Commons ? De plor..ble as is the fituatinn of this country, yet if we tut n our eyes to Ireland,'we (hall find that def. pi,tifm is there erected on a foundation broad and deep. Painful as is this part of the fubjeft, it can not be palled over in fi lence. In order to enable _ _ the Houle to form an opinion of the tranfaeions of twit country, of which the people of Eng -I.md are too little informed, it will be necefiary to refer to a period as remote as the end of the American War ; it was at that time Kniners fent 2000 cut of 12,000 troops, forming the handing army in Ireland, to fight their battles in America. There troops conllttuted a volunteer at my, felf-cloathed and felf-paid ; it was a debating army, chuling its own officers; an army formed of Irillnen, fubje& to no article but private opinion —no law but that of honour. The people of Ire land, though at that time maltreated by the Eng• lifn Government. believed the time or deliverance wls at hand, and that an honeft aralindependent Parliament would redrefs their grievances. At that period, when the army was confide l in, there was no Habeas Corpus. Sufpention Aft; no Con vention BiU ; no olottaele to public meetings ; no murders, maffacres and burnings ; Martial Law had not difgraced the country; no free quarters, and bills of indemnity. This was the reafon why Prance, if they ever wished, during the American war, to invade Ireland, did not dare to make the attempt. She knew, that while the people of Ire land had reafon to perfevere in their loyalty, the attempt would be impraCticable.. The Englifh Pat Lament clofed its labour by a Bill profeffing to meet the willies of the people of Ireland, but a Mort period had fcarce elapfed before it was dif covered, that whatever advantages private indivi duals might derive from the conceffions made by the Parliament of this country, the nation at large gained nothing ; they loon found, by the introduc tion of Placemen, that the revenues of the country were to be diftributed to the Lords Lieutenants for the purpofes of corruption. So notorious was the lyaem of corruption at the period to which I al hide, 'that a feat in the Houfe of Commons of Ire land role from Sool. to aoool. and in the Upper Hook from almoft nothing to three or vool. The people loon found the Parlament was only inde pendent of their Conflitnents. Then the queftion of i'arliarnenutry Reform was introduced in Ire land, and the people were not in. a (mall degree induced to promote it by the eloquent fpeeebes of the Right Hon. Gentleman oppofite me (Mr. Pitt); hat the Hon. Gentleman having become Prime Minitler of England, and his Government ftrength cued by the troops which had arrived from Ame rica, he thoughrit neccffary to refill every attempt towards that reform which it had before his been objet to obtain ; and however he may now with to draw a veil over the arguments contained in his fpeeches in favour of Parliamentary reform, they macro the molt rapid progrets in convincing the minds of the people of the neceffity of that reform. —However general this fentiment was in Ireland, Mwas retitled by . .Qovernment, and it was found at the only way or the people of Ireland &Edic t-I ent diferiptions was to unite ; a tell was prawn . - ed, acid was received with the general glint of the people of Ireland. By this tell they promifed to lay afide all party animofities, and religious dir t:TlC:ions, and unite for the pnrpofe of obtaFning Parliamentary Reform. So mutual was the with if the Parliament and the people of Ireland upon this fuhjeft, that in 1793 the former put the quef t..,n, and eleven Committees were appointed to take into confideration the Rate of the reprefenta von. Government thought that Ireland uniting for the purpofe of Reform, was what ought not to he endured. It was the Union of Ireland that !truck terror into Minifters, and therefore it was that the Right Hon. Gentleman, who bad fupported Reform only th at h t m i g h t t h e better know how' to counteraa it, made the Irilb Parliament pars the Convention Bill. The effed was, that meetings which were before held publicly were now held privately ; they were perfevered in, and in order to fupprefs them recoil' re Was had to unjullitiable meafures of perfonal violence, and alts were com mitted for which the parties ought to have been fevetely refpontiblc. The King's Attorney Gene ral was fent down to the theatre of there praftices, under the pretence of bringing the offenders to coal : all of them were acquitted, except one, and lie was pardoned. It was therefore not to be won tiered at that after this the Catholics fhould with to (Efarm the Orangitts--but how did the Govern ment aft ? It did not fend down the Attorney Ge neral with a number of Gownfmen, but it fent an a' my, the Officers of which tried all who were ac tweet by Courts Martial, and hurried whole tribes onboard tenders--EnglifhPenciblesAntient Ili i tall Fencibles, and Hanoverian Fancibles, were 1 tent over, and fuch a fcenc of anion and malfacre er.filec!, that the whale na Tort groaned.—What lit tle law remained it was ii.und necell'ary to take away, and Ads were palled empowering Miniflers to commit by law what they had cotio,litted con trary to law. Upon the mifroprefentation of Martial Magiarates that ditirias were in a Hate of diaurbance, the law was pulled down ; every abo mination was ailed ; all Ireland was proferibed.— General Abercromby was a foldier of honour, and 'thinking it a [lain to the country toftiffer its laws to be violated, and difdaining to he the tool of Mi nillers, he inftruEled the army under him to avoid committing any cruelties; but the troops flulhcd with blood, found free quarters allover the land ; torture was introdn:ed, and the Court-yard of the Viceroy's palace was a 1: riled by the groans and cries of the vietims. At length the people role ; thouftnds 101 l their lives in battle, and thoufands were afterwards dcaroyed—for it was after the battles the horrors of war began. Thus was engen• dered a cordial hatred between the Parliament and the People ; and now was the time for the Englilli Miniaer to put the finifhing firoke to the dcfign he had been fo long fecretly carrying on. Having confpired with the Parliament againft the People, he now confpircd with the Army againft the Par ' liament ; and to effea his ()Ned, the Parliament was to be fligmatired as fo full of low ignorance that it was incapable and unfit to govern a nation, and Ireland, as the only means of Terming her from the danger with which the was threatened, was called into Union with this country. The Hon. Baronet haying dwelt further upon the fob. jeCt of the affairs of Ireland, laid, that the Mini (ler who had vindicated the ptaCtice of torture was worfe than Robefpierre, who iiglided death on his viCtims. In his opinion, that ferocious mon tier was an engine of mercy compared to fuch a „,man. He mulled that the cruelties committed in Ireland, and fan&ioned by the Britith Govern ' ment, had never been equalled in the reigns of any of the twelve Crfars ; they were cruelties which had covered that country with blood, and this with infamy. The Hon. Baronet then proceeded to in fer the neeeflity of inquiring into the relative fitu ation in which this country flood with regard to ' France by the Peace ; and in conclufion, obferved that our next war with France might be in Great Btitain, and we mill excite a Aunt of patriotifm by giving the People feettrity cor their rights and liberties in future, by a fair reprefentation in this Houfe ; then we may bid defiance to the ?ower of France and to the whole world, if united in one giant arm againft us. What the advice of the Right Hon. Gentleman was at the end of the American War is now my advice to the Houle— ' I demand, in the name of the People, againft him, that.julliee which he called for againli the Mini. tiers of that day. If, however, after all this, the i People are not entitled to an Enquiry, I !hall be : lieve that the deflinies of France do lead to univer • fal empire, and that it is the fate of this country : to be detlroyed by a let of as rah and wicked men as ever difgraced it." Sir Francis concluded with I moving, " That the Houfe thould refolve itfelt into a Committee to enquire into the conduct of the late Adminiaration at home and abroad during • the war." Mr. &roar feconded the motion, Lord Tian., faid, he felt the neceffity of apo. logizing to the Houfe for occupying its time in anfwering a fpeech, perhaps the moff extraordi nary one ever delivered within the walls of the Houfe ; a fpeech with more affertion and lefs ar gument never was brought forward by any Mem ber. Repeatedly as the Hon. Baronet and his friends had introduced the fubjed, there were fume arguments and topics, which, however hacknied, muff be anfwered ; and firft, the Hon. Baronet had endeavoured to involve the conduit of the late and prefent Minifters. He conceived that all the Houfe had to do with the fubjea was, whether the Minifters, who went out in i 8o t, were culpable or not? The Hon. Baronet had not men tioned a tingle new ground to induce the Houfe Ito adopt the enquiry he recommended, and to recall every vote it had come to in the courfe of the laft five years. It was too much to exped the 1 Haute to come to an opinion diredly contrary to i the one it had fo often given, without force addi tional reafotis being (fated. If he underftood the I , Hon. Baronet, he meant that the late Miniflers had forced the country into the war, in order to reftore the Monarchy of France. He had fallen , into the fame miflake that had been fo often made: I we did not begin the war, but were forced into it; . , and if France had not declared war, her ads of I aggreffion would have obliged us to have done i fa. The other queftion was, whether the object of the war had been obtained ? Its real objcet was to repel the fyftem of Jacobin philoibphy which threatened to overturn every Government in En rope, as well as our own ; and to prcfcrve our 1 Conaitution from deftniaion. Thefe objeas, he maintained, fiacl been aGhieved ; and, however in , the courfe of the conteft a part of the Constitution . , might appear to have been infringed by the fufpen fion of the Habeas Corpus Ad, its principles were unimpaired. He referred to the rebellion in Ire land, and juftified the condua of Government. He then maintained that the late Minifters had .._ r ufed every exertion in their power to obtain peace 7tvith France: and in order to prove it, lie reviewed i the circumftances of the negociations at Paris and . Lille, and the nature of the overture made by Bo naparte upon his being inverted with the office of Firft Conful after his return from Egypt. He ar gued that Minifters were perfealy juftified in I waiting till they were enabled to afcertain by the !experience of faits, whether the Government of I Bonaparte was likely to be permanent. With re fired to the fobjed of the Income Tar, he con tended it had been the falvation of the country, by calling forth its energy. He, was happy it was repealed, but he looked forward to it as one of 1 the refources of the country upon any future ex traordinary occafion. He hoped it would always Ibe confidered as a War Tax. It had been given up at a period when thofe in lien of it would fall ' rth the leak prefrure. •He recolleeted jt was a ' 'Tat which had ban called far by the City of Lon. don, and upon the' itiggellion fa - comnierci.tl mcn, had been :t..loptzd,. as ttie last a;nl moll i•roper method of miting.a large film of money. A.; Lo , the general pi, , p:iery (.1 the lit efolz mnri on , Le flioti!d onl 2 . -old, that he tilot: L Wt it w.ts to the Right Hem. Genileman, who wus the 0bj..•..c, of it, the peopl of this country were imlebtc,i lyr every blciling they enjoyed ; and their rep! eli.r.tatives for the right of tilting in the Houle. He b , :lieved, had it not been fo his gigantic phms, his vigour, and his abilities, which . had called f(lth that con-' fiance on the part of the people he gill enjoyed, we fhoal..l now, inilead of beino in a titu..tion to • return thanks for being under the het} of Kings, have fallen tinder the lath of a foreign invader.— For Miniitcrs to be oppofed by perfons out of power was 'a common-thing. It was the fate of every Minitler to be the objekloffinuling rancour, andit was the proudest proof that could be given of their great merits. Linder thefe feelings, and with thefe fentiments, it vrts with real finccrity he gave his unewiivocal negative to the motion. Mr. AP.CHDALL oblerved, that the Noble Lord had fo well anfwered the Hon. Baronet, it was unneceffary to add much. He songratulated the country upon that generous fpirit, which, while it had urged us w flretell forth our hand.; to pro tat the Ancient Monarchy of a neighbouring country, had prompted us to protat out own.— He could not but contemplate the ftriking con trail between Minifters calling into :talon the ilrength and refources of the country, and a ilia!). by wretched party, diftinguithed only for its thread bare fophillry and patchwork declamation, driven with cantelapt into obfcurity. Before he doled, he dcfired to advert to the character of the Minifter lately at the head of public affairs :—He contcm laced him with a kind of awe and refpeCt. After his long rniniiterial life, unweatied exertions, and undiminiihext popularity, and when he had thought proper to reft from the fervice of the Crown he had fupported, and the country he had fared, it was a lubjeti of fitame and regret that a man fhould have been found capable of canting forward to impeach ;,int to Parliament. It would be enough for 1:.:41 anfwer as his Muth ions Father had done— ,, Thefe hands are clean !"—he might reply to the ciiirge by ftying— Viotti rr tordiico veroinque laboran ; Footinani ab Mr. Jf.Nrc laid, that after Holing with atten tion to thii Noble Lord, he had no hefitation in pronouncing his fpeech a farrago • and phantafma goria, which ought not to make any impretrion on the Houle. With refpeit to the Income Tax, it was in his mind a Spanilh Inquifitorial Tax, and he (hould bring forward, before the end o f the Sarni, a motion to brand it with eternal infamy. 'After feveral bong exprellions, he concluded with alking whether the lioufe could fefufe the propof ed enquiry into the conduit of Miniflers, who had loaded the National Debt with 158 millions, glid ed 583 penfions, and created 95 Peers ! Lord BE LCR AVE declared, this in confequence of the manner in *hi& the Hon. Baronet had introduced the motion, he felt it incumbent on him to converithe compliment paired by the Hon. Gentleman near him (Mr. Archdale) into reality, or to -.make it a praaical compliment. The Hon. Baronet bad attacked the Minifter in a very extra ordinary way, and as if he had been aftually con• vinced that no perfon would rife in his defence. He had not been content with comparing him to Robefpierrc and the twelve Cmfars, but he had embraced in his feverity of aceufation, the Police, the Judges, the law of !libels, and many points which did not apply to the fubjea. He had par ticularly inveighed againft the late adminiftiation for the meafures adopted with refpct to perfons confined under the Sufpenfion of the Habeas Cor pus ASR. Having, however, belonged himfelf to the Committee of Enquiry upon that head, he could (fate, that the mode of condua purfned was proper, and that there did exia, in his opinion, good ;grounds for fufpicion, to joilify their impri fonment. Had the Hon. Baronet forgot the meet ings at Copcnhagen-Houfe ; the attempt, conned ed with theft meetings, rdade upon the King's life ; the fentcnce of tranTortation paired by the Judges in Scotland; and the art and violence ex ercifed by the Rebels in Ireland ? Had he propof ed a fimple enquiry, and not coupled it with fuch revere cenflire, he (Lord Belgnve) would not fub mit to the Houfe the amendment he was about to bring forward. Upon this ground he Ibould there fore feel himfelf jutlified in calling upon the Houfe to agree in a vote of thanks to the late Minifters. He accordinely moved—" that after the word " That," in the original motion, all the fubfe quent words be omitted, and that the following amendment be fubaituted—" The Thanks of this Houk be given to his Majefty's late Minifters, for their condtia during the late arduous contell in maintaining the honour and fecurity of the nation." The SPIAK IR obfervect, that although the mo tion was not altogether regular, it was not unpre cedented. ling to do Inv toiglit be fulyo:*.a take the 1 1 .(mill by ft.tptite, though he tl.oug:.t the ppm a tai: tole for Gentlemen to declare 1:1;ni„in oo the of the late Minidas. 11.• therefore hoped Houle would allow hint withdraw his amendment with a vi. 2.; of ;r-itig itig it forwat d on a future day in a more regular Th e SPEAKER remat ked, that as the amendment had not I.:.en lead from the Chair, the mi l ;:nal motion became, in fad, the only lubjed of conli. dcrat ion. •The Hon. Mr. W. BOLIERI E was riling to op. pole the queilion for withdrawing the amendment, but was informed by the Speaker that it was not before the Houle. Mr. Fox Rated, that motions of the kind offered by the Noble Lord were not altogether unit fual.— Votes of this kind had been in feveral catis agieed to, and particularly when a vote of thanks was given to Lord Clive, without any previous notice. But though loch votes were in general p . .eceded • .by inquiry, he thought that the motion of the No ble Lord would belfanfwer the end he had in view. For having fet out with refufing all inquiry, he meant to content himfelf with merely moving a vote of approbation. Mr. Alderman Comae raid a few words on the fubjea of the IncoMe Tax, and denied that any . approbation had ever come to the Houfe from the City of London in its corporate capacity. Mr. ELLIA)Ii gave his hearty oppofition to the original moti n, and endeavoured to fi:_w, that to the late Minifters we were indebtod for the pre fervation of all we now enjoy. Without the melt fureslff wife, prudent, and at the fame time vibe_ roue, precaution. the country, intlead of peaceful and happy, would have exhibited a picture of anarchy, revolution, and mifery. Mr. Bouv ERIE again role and expreffed his ap probation of the motion. During the late con tell much had been promifed, but little had been performed. It was the indifputable right of the public to inquire how their affairs had been con dufied, doling a conteft in which lb much blood and treafure had been expended, and it was the objea of the motion to inttitute Inch an inquiry. If on the refult of this inquiry Minilterslhould - blic tic good, they wou' pear to have aced for the pu) no doubt receive a proper tribute of ai-probation; and if the ci.ntrary (Mould turn out to be cafe, it was but jull that they fhould meet the punifh ment they deferred. He complained that all thole who oppofed Lhe mcafures of Miniflers, or jealoufly watched over the expenditure of the public money, were reprefented as unfriendly to monarchy. On a late occafiun he had voted againa paying off the arrears of the Civil Litt, and he had fubjeded Pelf to this charge. No man, however, he could appeal to his own heart, was a flouter friend of monarchy than he was. No man was a more loyal fubjed—no man had,more affection to the Sove reign, but he had voted againft difcharging the Civil Debts, becaufe he did not with to fee the Sovereign implicated in any thing where there were debts concerned. Sir ROBERT Buxrox contended that we had fully ‘ accompliihed the grand objets of the war, which were the fecurity of our country; the fafety of our Goyernment, the prefervation of our Reli gion. It was laid that our Conftitution was in jured; but he would maintain that it now exifted in as great purity as before the commencement of the war. The Bills which had been paired for the public fecurity during the war had been much com plained of, and he art wed that while they lalted they infiinged on the rights of the people. But the queftion with the people of this country was, would they give up for a time a portion of their liberty to procure the falvation of the country ? Thefe temporary infringements were made for the molt humane purpofe: the principle the Govern ment acted upon was to prevent, rather than to punilh, fedition or treafon. Temporary rigour was employed to prevent the necelnty of retorting to condign puni(hment. Mr. ALEXANDER laid, that the fpeeeh of the Hon. Baronet went to nothing but a charge of unqualified corruption upon the Parliament, and on the late Minillers as the Agents of this cor ruption. There was nothing thrown out againli I thole Minifters which did not embrace the Legit . - lature and the Government, and which did . riot equally tend to call contempt upon all thole per fons by whom the Government mutt be :.dmini tiered. He was much furpri zed that fo many great and able men fhould fit filent, and not attempt to fupport the airertions of the Hon. Baronet by 'fads. He concluded by exprefling, in thong terms, his reprobation of the motion. Mr. W. ELFORD was on the fame fide. He de livered a warm eulogium on the late Mini tiers, and recommended the propriety of granting them Come more folid mark of public gratitude than a met c vote of thanks. The Houle then divided—For the original mo tion, I9—Againft it, 246—Majority, 207. . Mr. Ptrr expreffed his convitlion that the Houle Strangers were not re-admitted, but we under. I would feel the peculiarity of the circumftances and Rand that fituation in which he was then placed. He had Lord BELGIUeve gave notice that foon after the heard all that had fallen in the courfe of the de- recefs he would bring forward a motion in fob. bate with the emotions which naturally belonged Rance the fame with that he had propofed this to him. What the pleafure of the Houfe might evening. he in entertaining or rejeaing the amendment, he Mr. SIIELIDAN anced if , the Noble Lord was fhould not prefume to anticipate, but he would really in carnal? Should foci a motion be car venture to fay, after the remark which had fallen ried, he fhould certainly feel it his duly to follow from the Chair, that it was not unufual to omit the it up by moving, That an Addrels be pref:Jlted to whole of an original motion, with the exceptioreof i bis Majcly, praying that his Majelly would be the finale word •• That." iHe profeffed, himfelf 1 gracioufly pleafed to inform the iiott!.: by whefi deeply indebted to his Noble Friend for the par- advice he had difmiffed tlic;e meritorious Mii i tiality and good opinion which he had beet% pleated Ras, or what circumflances had occurred to rena to esprefs • but what he withed to ohferve was, der it impof fi ble to retain their places ? that Gentlemen had met there merely upon the This produced a very loud laugh. notice of a vague and indefinite motion. The Lord BELGIAVE faid he moil certainly fhould Hon. Baronet had never eondefcencled to fug eft bring forward the motion, and he v.-as convinced or to hint the objea of their con fi deration that that the Houfe and the Country would be very evening. Yet it was what in candour the Houfe, much difappointed if he were not. if not individuals, had a right to expel. Of the There was then a loud cry from the Oppofiticn motion then before the Houfe there was no notice Bench of ~ Move, move, move!"—but whatever, and he therefore trufted, for the fake of TheCnAscELLoR ofiher.xemiclar. moved that propriety, that his Noble Friend would not follow the . Orders of the Day be now read, which moticn ,np what was fo vague with the amendment which being carried, the Committees of Ways and Means he had propofed. • were deferred till Wednefday, and the Houfe ad- Lord Disuses's-a Obfesved, that he was unveil- intim& i 1 Ili 1 s I 1 i i 1 1 l i 1 , ' 111 I • 6. a-