Star. — London, England, 1808-03-22 00:00:00

of a the FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE. CARLSCRONA, MARCH 6. Our fleet is now ready for sea. On the 3cl instant the laborious task was finished, of sawing it out of the ce. It consists of 14. ships of the line, 8 frigates, and 44 gunbrigs, with some sloops of war, dice Admiral Olof Rudolph Cederstrom has hoisted his flag as Commander-in-Chief, on board the Gustaf Adolph, a tine ship, of 90 guns. Lieutenant-Colonel Tomquist is appointed Chief of Division, and Monk Krusen tiema Flag Captain. STOCKHOLM, MARCH 7. The Russians entered Finland on the 20th ult. previous to which (on the 18th) they issued a Procla mation, of which you have t copy enclosed. This in sidious, but contemptible document, is evidently of Parisian composition, though issued at St. Peters burgh; it is said to have been translated into the Fin . language by the traitor Springporten, who, to the eternal disgrace of himself as well as his employers, at this moment commands a division of the army at tempting the invasion and destruction of his native land. lam told, a second Proclamation has likewise been issued, offering personal protection, and a pecu niary reward of five rubles, to every soldier that will bring over his arms to the Russian Commander; but I rejoice to addo.hat both Proclamations have met with the contempt they deserve. GOD grant the same patriotic spirit may continue, and I feel but little un easiness as to the issue. I sincerely hope England will send a strong fleet into the Baltic as soon as the season permits, which will prove that she is zealous in onr support, and inspire a degree of confidence here that will have the best erect. Our task is arduous ; but I trust, with exertions, our difficulties are far from insurmountable. . The reports here of every day, and indeed every hour, are so various at this anxious moment, that it is difficult to collect the truth. You may, however, depend• on the following particulars of the affair which took place on the 24th ult. A division of the Russian army, of upwards of 22,000 men, attacked between S and 4,000 Swedes, composed of Nyland's Dragoons, and two or three regiments of Infantry, at Forsby, near Helsingfors, where they had, consi dering the disparity of numbers, a severe conflict ; but the Swedes were obliged to retire, upon which the Russian General determined to surround, and take them all prisoners: With this intention, the Russians crossed a small lake on the ice, without suspecting any opposition ; but at the edge of the lake on the other side, General Baron Aminoff had placed a masked battery of six guns, and when the enemy approached within gun-shot, he opened a tremendous fire of grape, which killed immense numbers, and put them into such confusion, as enabled the Swedes to retire in good order. The King is expected in town to-morrow, to remain here some time MARCH Io.—The accounts from Finland have not been so favourable as could be wished, but the Swe dish army has now , concentrated itself. General Klingspor has taken the command in chief : the army is in high spirits, so that we hope for the best. As yet no affair of any material consequence has taken place. On this side the gulph, the regiments are putting in motion all over the country, and the utmost acti vity every where prevails. The cavalry is colic= at Arboga, Orebro, Kioping, and other places towards the frontiers of Norway, to oppose any sudden attacki from that quarter. The citizens of this place have been required to enrol themselves by the beginning of April, to do duty in case the guards should be withdrawn The fleet at Carlscrona is getting ready with 41 possible speed, and will put to sea as soon as the brea king up of the ice permits. It will consist of at least I I sail of the line, 8 frigates of 44. guns, and 5 smaller, besides sloops, cutters, &c. and the y fleet. With all these preparations, our ea rs greatly sub side. I am, however, extremely anxious to hear that an English fleet has been dispatched, not only from the actual protection it will afford us, but from the confidence it will give us in the support of oar more powerful ally. PdRLIAMENTARr PROCEEDINGS. HOUSE OF LARDS, MARCH 21. At three o'clock their Lordships met, when several Ms re ceived the Royal Assent by Commission. Several Ellis were brought up from the Commons. Lord ERSKINE presented a petition from John Bcllenden Kerr, Esq. against the claims of Sir John Innis, Bart. to the duke dom of RoxLargh, which was ordered to be referred to a Com inittee of Privileges. The LORD CHANCELLOR brought in a Bill for the better Administration of Justice in Scotland, so far as the same related to the transmission of Appeals. With regard to the principles of the Bill, his Lordship declined going into any discussion at pre sent, reserving any oh•ervations he had to mar t.:ttil the st.oend reading of the Bill, which was then read a first, and ordered to be read a second time. MAW:TIPSTER PETITION. Lord AUCKLAND presented a petition, sinned by a number of the merchants and manufacturers of the town of Manchester, trading to America, against the late Orders in Council, and praying to be heard by themselves and Counsel, upon the subject matter of the said Orders. The petition being read, and ordered to lie on the Table, Lord AUCKLAND again rose to move, that the petitioners be heard by themselves and counsel upon the subject matter of the said Ordirl, and prefaced his motion by submitting to the House the great incon veniencies which arose .from the Journals not being regularly printed, which had been the practice until within the last thirty years. In consequence of this omission, many NOble Lords were wholly unacquain ted with the proceedings of the House : and he men tioned this more particularly now, as he had searched the Journals for precedents to suppiart him in this mo tion, many of which he had found completely in point, but upon which several Noble Lords were perfectly ignorant. His Lordship then proceeded to state the various precedents be had found upon this subject, and concluded with the motion Already mentioned. Lord HAWKES BU R Y contended, that this pe tition did not go the length of complaining of any spe cific bill, or other proceeding then before the House, except so far as related to the bill before their Lord ships for - discussion this night ; and that being a bill raid and supply, there was no question at all as to iiinpractickility of hearing Counsel upon that bill; in order, however, to meet the wishes of the Noble Lords opposite, as there was a bill in its progress through the House which had a reference to the Or ders in Council, namely, the bill for prohibiting the exportation of cotton wool, and ia which those pe titioners must natt.rally be interested, he moved, that the words, " on the subject matter of the petition," be 'left out, and the words, " against the cotton wool prohiVtion bill, and such other matters contained in the Orders in Council as these petitioners could shew a distinct interest in," be inserted instead thereof. Lord GRENVILLE opposed this amendment, conceiving that it was made upon a wrong founda tion. The object of the petition was to be heard against the Orders in Council, and not against the Cotton Wool Bill, neither of which had any refer ence whatever to the other. The object of his Noble Friend's motion was to open the doors of that House to the complaints of the people, that they might ex ercise those rights and privileges which they had so long enjoyed undisturbed and unopposed : those rights and privileges were the dearest objects of the people of this country, and they were not now to be debarred of them by any side-wind of the Noble Baron's.' The LORD CHANCELLOR. asserted, that, as the Bill on the table was a Bill of Aid and Supply, upon which, according to all the usages and prac tice of the Houses Counsel could not b.. heard, he should upon this principle oppose any such measure. Lord GRENVILLE and the LORD CHAN CELLOR severally explained. Lords GREY and ERSKINE contended, that the people had a right to petition generally agair.st any grievance, with -he view of procuring redress by the proceedings of ...he Legislature. Lord SIDMOUTH contended that the Petitioners had a right to be heard by themselves or Counsel upon the subject matter of their petition, nor did he see that It was necessary that their petition should relate to any specific measure before the House. Lord HAWKESBURY said he should not permit the Bill to meet with any delay in its f trther progress, from any petitions which might be presented against it. It was found to be a just, exped.ent, and neces sary measure. The mod-2 he had proposed would have obviated all difficulties upon the subject. His Lordship complained of procrastinating these peti. tions to the last moment ; the parties might have presented them at an early past of the Ses ion, when they might have been fully discussed. The Orders in Council had been on the table of that House from the opening . of the Session, and were particularly adverted to in his Majesty's Speech. After some further observations from Lords Lau derdale, Grey, Auckland, and Erskine, in favour of hearing Counsel, and Lords Hawkesbury and Buck inghamshire against it, Lord GRENVILLE moved a further Amend ment upon Lord Hawkesbury's Amendment, that the words, a upon the Cotton Wool Bill" he omitted. Upon this the question was called for, and Stran gers were excluded; upon our re-admission we un derstood Lord Grenville's Amendment was with drawn, and Lord Hawkerbury's and the original motion respectively negatived without a division ; so that the petition remains on the table without any further proceedings upon it. ORDERS IN COUKCII. Lord BATHURST then moved the seconchread ing of the Orders in Council Bill. He briefly stated the grounds on which the measure was adopted. In retaliating upon the enemy, he said the object of Mi nisters was to give every practical facility to neutrals that could be Oven, consistent with that purpose.— They might carry on a circuitous intercourse with the enemy, if they chose to come here, bat to do so they were not compelled. In adverting to some argu ments uni d on a former evening, against the mea sure by Erskine, he put the case, that there were two paths leading to the house which his Lord ship lately purchased in Sussex, and that lie had a right to shut up both; and asked whether, if he chose to leave one open, his neighbours ought not to thank him for that indulgence, instead of complaining that he had shut up the other. He then stated, that our allies were ready to make every arrangement that *as necessary for giving effect to the Orders in Council— and also, that it was intended to prevent British as well as neutral vessels, from carrying colonial pro duce direct to the ports of our allies. Lord ERSKINE opposed the Bill, as being foun ded in a measure of whw.h neither the legality, justice or necessity had been proved ; for their Lordships had disposed of all the Resolutions proposed on those topics by the previous question.' He mi nutely discussed the point of order connected with the order of 1702, and contended that none of the prece dents quoted on a former day justified the House in entertaining the Bill in its present state. In thb course of three centuries, there had been no bill of aid or supply, but what purported to give and grant to his Majesty the tryniey of the people of England, and not that or wiitral and unoffending nations, which it was the ohje:t of the present bill to grant. Ministers ought to have called it a blockade of aid and supply. The Noble Lord who had last spoken ' in alluding to his estate in Sussex, had given a defective illustra tion. lie should have put the case of a man who had quietly resolved to take the path which had been left open to him ; but on entering it, found himself obstructed by a person, who levelling a pis tol at his head, should say, Yes, you may proceed, but you must first give me your purse, for I have laid this path under a blockade of aid and supply. Lord SELKIRK censured the Orders in Council, as being almost nugatory with regard to the enemy, and harassing and irritating with respect to neutrals. Lord REDESDALE contended, that the Bill was justifiable according to the law of natidns. He also defended the course of proceeding which the House had adopted with regard to it, asserting, that it in no respect contravened the order of 1702. Lord HAW KES BU RY supported ; and Lords King, Lauderdale, and Grenville opposed the bill. A division then took place, and the motion was carried by a majority, proxies included, of 116 to 59. The bill was accordingly read a second time, and or dered to be committed. Adjourned at half past One o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS. lise B➢l foe constructing a Bridge across the Thames, from the Savoy Precinct to Caper's Bridge, was read a second time. Lord G. CAVENDISH presented Petitions against the Bill from Earl Siemer, and other Proprtr!ors of Battersea Bridge.— Ordered to be beard by Counsel against tilt Bill on the third reading, Mr. BARING Mowed for an .kccaunt of the Total VAN if all Exports from the Port of London, from the 10th of Oct,alV 1907, to the 15th of March, 1908 ; and from the 10th of °culla( 1900, to the lath of March, 1807, distinguishing the Quantity la each week, and the Exports te Foreign Europe, and other panto, of the world. After a conversationbetween Mr. Rose, M-. Pet• cetial, and Mr. Baring, the notion wu agreed to. Lord MAHON presented a Petition from the Merchants and Traders of Hull against the Orders in Council--Laid on the tale. Mr. BANKES, at the request of Mr. PERCEVAL; deferred, tin this day se'nnigbt, his motion respecting the Reversion BilL In a Committee of Supply, 1,400,0001. were voted for defray ingthe interest on such Exchequer Bills as become due in the pram year.—Report to-morrow. The Bill for Funding Four Millions Exchequer Bills, went through the Committee_—Report to-morrovr. Mr. HUSKISSON brought up a Bill indemnifying all con- caned it; carrying certain Orders In Council into effect, in bring ing borne wine, he. from PortugaL—Read a first, and ordered to be read a second time on Thursday, and to be printed. The SPEAKER, attended by the House,went up to the House of Peers, and being returned, reported to the House, that the Royal Assent had been declared by Commission to the Mutiny Bill, the Marine Mutiny Bill, Lord Lake's Pension Bill, the Sugar Drawback Bill, and some other public and private Villa. Lord MILTON presented a Bill for the better regulation of Cloth-workers in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was read a first time, and ordered for a second reading to-morrow. Mr. FOSTER presented a Bill fer the belie- preventing the forging of Bank-notes in Ireland.—Read a first time. Mr. FOSTER gave notice of a motion to-morrow, for a Com mittee to consider of the Bill for regulating the trade between Ire land and the West Indies, and also of a motion to consider the expediency of importing East India produce into any other port titan London. COPENHAGEN. Mr. SHARPE rose, in order to submit a motion on this subject, of which he had given notice a cmisi derable time back. He wal diffident of being able to bring with doe effect so momentous a question be fore the House, and was aft aid he :nest stand in need of its indulgence. Ile was fully aware, as the subject had already undergone ample discussion, that little novelty was to be expected from him upon it—still he thought there were certain features in that transac tion that had been hurried over by Ministers, or had inadvertently escaped the :iotice of that side of the House to which be belonged. He should therefore 'contend that the opinion of Parliament, so far as it had been given on the subject of the attack on Copen hagen, had been only p:trtially expressed. The Ho nourable Gentleman obseived, that notwithstanding a worthy Alderman, one of their most zealous parti zans, had defended the general conduct of Ministers, and had asserted tlnkt ninety-nine out of every hun dred of the population would applaud the plans and operations of Government ; yet he for one would dis sente and would insist that the Public had a right to call for the most ample information respecting the actual hostility of Denmark to this country, which had induced his Majesty to forbear and abstain from hostilities until the very last moment. At least the country had a most unquestionable right to learn the ds upon which such idea of hostility had been Ended. Ministers had captured the Danish ships and the arsenal with stores. Tha: was an important fact, but it was a libel on the people to refuse to shew the grounds on which Ministers justified such an act. The. people had a right to know why we had bombarded the capital of a nation with which we were in a state of strict neutrality. It was absurd for Ministers to calculate on the interference of Russia against Denmark, or even that of France, so prema turely as they evidently had done. He denied that Ministers had any genuine information in regard to the immediate or ultimate views of Denmark ; and that they had acted upon a most wild and vague pre sumption that Denmark was driven into hostility against this country. He contended that there was no shadow of evidence to the contrary, and if there was, Ministers would readily produce it in their ex culpation. Ministers were now, he said, upon their trial before all Europe, and he most heartily wished the investigation to go on, divested of all party feel ings (Hear ! hear ! from the Minittry). He felt the weight of the cry from Miii;s:ers, but he should cr.•. deavour to do his duty, as in proportion as it waspro perly executed, would he be honoured or despised by the world. Ministers had carried every question on this subject by triumphant Majorities; but Majorities had been sean.to change ; and, notwithstar ding the influ ence of the Ministry, he could not help indulging an idea, that the good sense of the House would, on the present occasion, determine him to be right, espe cially when it took into its . consideration the ends of essential justice. When justice demanded informa tion and explanation from Ministers, they came for ward with what they called facts, but which had been since proved, in many instanees, to have been the ye verse. At the time our expedition sailed we were in a state of peace with Denmark, it reduced Copen hagen, and brought its fleet, &c. into our ports. — We were in a state of neutrality with Denmark, and Ministers seemed to feel that ; and for that expcd!- tion and its consequences, had they now to account. They had never made a frank and open declaration upon the subject, but they had sent the expedition upon the presumption that there could be no doubt of the hostile intentions of Denmark against this country. Had they satisfied the people of England. that they had acted 'wisely in so doing, and that in this respect they had exercised a sound discreticn ? They had not. They had shuffled and evaded all explanation, and had quashed every attempt at en quiry by their triumphant majorities. They had not even attempted to describe any data for the designs of Denmark, and the Crown Prince had repeatedly denied all their insinuations against his integrity.— The confederacy of Russia and France against Den mark was strange. Ministers said they were in pos.. session of the secret articles of the Treaty of Tilsit. Then they denied that, and asserted they only knew the engagements ; they then took another evasive ground, and stated they were acquainted with the arrangements. There was one memorable fact, how ever, that they could not get over, which was,• that the expedition sailed before Ministers could know of the Treaty of Tilsit—the expedition 'sailing from End- land on the 19th of July—Ministers, therefOre, in stating the secret articles of that treaty, as their justi fication, had only stated that fact as a pretext. They would not disclose the names of those who had com municated to them those secret articles, and in that they were probably right, as those individuals might by such disclosures been subjected to the fury of Bo naparte. The fact of their having such information might he true, but he doubted it much. What was the effect produced by it, and by the confederacy of Rus sia and France, time alone could develope, as Minis ters c iuld not. The dispatches froin Lord G. L. Gtew_le at Petershurgh, disclaimed, in many in- Stances, any idea of hostility on the part of the Em- peror of Russia against Great Britat't. t a h c o co e u on nt tra a . the Expedition against Copenhagen ; ry, it expressed that Monarch's satisfy,.:tier; at t h e event. Russia and France, and their Ca.infedera ey were not mentioned in the King's Declaratioo, or is the Proclamation of Lords Cathcart and Gattiiier t o the Danes ; and when we found all statements to th e .contrary to be untrue, the conclusion to be du n was the reverse. The Honourable Gentleman nest adverted to the correspondence between Lord Howi t k and Mr. Rist, which had been treated with ridicul e and contempt by the Right Hon. Secretary, altl:ou g h it involved a correspondence relating to the commerce of the country. That correspondence gave no ground for construing the conduct of Denmark into hostility against Great Britain. With regard to invadin g D en . mark in Zealand, which we had evacuated, it w as now to be again attempted. He went on to stste, that the principal part of the seamen employed in our foreign trade were Danish sailors, as our own prince seamen were serving in the navy. The Honourable Gentleman took a most enlarged view of these veral points, and descanteA forcibly upon the 'liability of Denmark to enter into a war with G:eat Brita in , urging at the same time that Ministers were fay apprized of that inability ; and also of tlts tion of De unark to enter into such a struggl e . An that Ministers had got by the expedition was 16 hull s of ships of war, valued at bl. a ton. After some farther remarks, the Honourable Gentleman concluded a speech that lasted two hours and a half , by Hies i;ig a lone Address to his Majesty , condemnatory of the conduct of his Minlsters in regard to the .•;:peditio n tu Copenhagen. Mr. WORTLEY S'FIJA RT defended the C o , e ... hagen expeditios onthe ground of itteleptivi ng t h en ,. my of a powerful means of annoying us. H e f e l t s strongly that Ministers had done their duty ;v s occasion, that it was his intention to prc-pose a resolnfil of the approbation of that House. Heti:ought 1 1..' not be doubted but thatfiattntertrititeceivedinforma. tion sufficient to justify them' in sending the ex p e di. tion. They were also justifiable from the distnut which . it was evident the late Secretary of Foreign Affairs ( Lord Howick) kid felt respecting the dis. pOsition of Denmarlc. It was not, however, necessary to prove, that Denmark was absolutely hostile ; it was enough to shew . that the was supine, and would probably give no opposition to France. It was indeed, evidently the policy of Denmark, if she must declare .either for one power or the other, to declare for France rather than England. As to the ships of Denmark, although they might be no great ocquisi. tion to our navy, yet they would have been a great addition to the maritime force of our enemy. Mr. PORCHER said a fiew words in support of Ministers. Mr. ORDE condemned the expedition, as not pro ceeding from any imperious necessity. If no dispo. sition actually hostile had been perceived on the part of Denmark, and there had been strong reason to apprehend that France meditated an attack upon her, it was the duty c4this country to have offered its pro. tection and assistance, before it proceeded to such violent measures against a neutral. If she had my fused our assistance. then we might have justifiedour. selves on the giound of necessity. In the case of Portugal, we had offered that Court every assistance in our power, and never conceived the idea of seizing the Portuguese fleet, without previously making hos nourable overtures to that Court. Lord G. L. GOWER was perfectly sure, whether the expedition to Copenhagen had taken place pr not, Denmark would by this time be at war with thii. country. Every thing that she had formerly :Aired at was subsequently declared by Bonaparte, namely, the liberty of th.t seas ; therefore Ministry, without a strange dereliction from their duty, could non from the strong evidence they possessed, act otherwise. . Mr. ABERCROMBIE argued a, some length or; the injustice of the measure, winch did not appear to him to be called for, by any immediate necessity. He thought that Ministers had acted with rashness and intemperance, and that if they had pursued a more conciliatory conduct, it Was very probable that the Crown Prince would have resolved to defend Zealand and the fleet against France, and might have accept. ed some assistance from this country to do so. The Prince Royal and a considerable party in Denmark, had preferred the cause of England to that of France, as conceiving us the more just and honourable nation of the two ; but if they could have foreseen the steps we had since taken, there could not be a single patri. otic Dane who would not have, from the beginning, preferred the cause of France to that of this countr Mr. R. THORNTON said he had heard aOl deal about the kw of nature and nations. He :did not think the law of nature had been violated in this Expedition, and as to the law of nations, he did not know what it meant, when there were no nations. — (Loud cries of Hear, hear! from the Opposing benches). We must now consider Russia, Germany, Denmark, and all Europe, as France. It appeared. to him that it was the fixed intention of Bonaparte* prevent, if it was in. his power, the House of Bran & wick from reigning longer in this kingdom. The SECRETARY at WAR went over the arg* ments which had been often urged in defence of th e measure, and which he considered as altogether iiR answerable. The determination of Bonaparte to seise the Danish fleet, and turn them against this country, was not merely suspected, but had been declared to Europe in Moniteurs, and other official papers. The inability and unwillingness of Denmark to resist, well equally apparent. Under such circumstances, tte Expedition could be justified on the strictest grounds of necessity. Dr. LAWRENCE er.tered into a long defence 0( the consistent views of Denmark, to show from hen commercial situation that it would be her interest till, zaaintain her neutrality, and resist the influence 0 1 France. Mr. FITZGERALD, at considerable length, a r• gued on the same side, and suppert:d the Address. Mr. CROAKER spoke against the original hie. tion and charged the Opposint n with having taki the authority of the Moniieur as the principal gr 0!,.., of their argument against this measure , a nd all!I obloquy they had endeavoured to cast upon it ; ero, after defending that expedition upon the grounds o f Policy, as well as necessity, he said he thought he. Majesty's Ministers were entitled to the thanks of that country, for that advantageous measure. He als.° accused the Gentlemen on the other side, with inooe' sistencY in their own arguments aga i ns t this measly!! at one time praising it, and at another condemning h. most shol yonsi condo Vie h t he Si U Nobk tar of kw s bit Lei air Vel Mod Mw fart The va#' I 4