The National Register. — London, England, 1809-09-10 00:00:00

574 THE NATIONAL REGISTER. the real causes of their misfortune. If Ministers have pur sued an impracticable object, or even a practicable one by inadequate means, we shall know how to apply a remedy ; but a knowledge of the real disorder, and the seat. of it. must necessarily precede a cure. if Ministers have, ou tin: other hand, pursued wise ends, by wise means, if they base ',either been deficient in prudence or skill, in wisdom or in vigour, although success has not hitherto correspond ed with their prudence, yet the result of such an enquiry will rather increase than lessen the confidence of the na tion ; aud their readiness to encou:age will form the strongest ground for a belief that they have done nothing which should make them afraid to meet it. If then we arc to rresume the conduct of Ministers to have been such 3. 4 , it ought to have been, and vet the plan has failed, and tiothiug was left but to abandon all the elterior objects of the Expedition, at a moment w hen the Navy were only waiting for the signal from the Commander in Chief, to burn, sink, and destroy ; of how much importance to the reputation and character of his Lordship does a full and dispassionate Enquiry become. We cannot indeed antici pate an objection from this quarter : aud if the same dig of mind, the same Conscious feelings, actuate the Noble Lord, which filled the bosom of his still nobler bro ther, %se are persuaded he will rather court than discourage This . k.Enquiry is above all necessary for the People, because the war in which we are engaged is not au ordi aary war, the evils of which are likely to be of an ordi nary nature. It is one of a very different description. In 'ordienry wars, as soon as the parties approach to a slate of lassitude, they think of peace, and retire from the con- Mete at present we are engaged with an eatnny to whom rate -would be a senteucce of obscurity. To bear wadi patience, much inure with chearfulness, the herders *of such a war, the people of this country must feel that -they arc tittliting for their lives, for their liberties, for e‘ cry thing that is ;;ear to the heart of man ; that the) Katie no choke but succieis or slavery, and that their exist eece :is an independent Nation is at stake. Persuade them to entertain these sentiment:', and the Peoille as one man 'will rise. Under the influence of this conviction we shall -emphatically become an Armed Nation, and enni!ate those liero:c act toes of our ancestors in the times °four Errs-Ai/Ws anti - our tlexavis, which heretofore astonished Europe, and are but lately paralleled in the history of Nations. But in order to excite this disposition among the goveued, th os e who hold the reins should possess the confident: 0; the People, by deserving it. If the treasures and the blood of the Nation are wasted in fruitless and =maim; pro jects, or wise and important plans arc spoiled in the exe cution, do not deny to the Peeple a knowledge of the causes. At a moment when a few misguided enthusiasts sore emleavouring to persuade the People to entertain an •opiniom that the I!ouse of Commons arc not the Here. .seetatives of the People, and, in tact, that the People are -act vietually represented, do not at the same moment .afterd Own a pretext for believing, that the Government wili employ the House of Commons as a screen for delin qeeocv, if it exists; or that the natural accuser of wrong or iMprovideet conduct should be converted into the un. nut nra , defender of it. • At a Moment like the present, would it be prudent. • stould it even •be Safe, to encourage a sii.nicion that the Mi nisters do not feel for the calamities anti 'iiisforturies which press upon us 1 Would it be prudent for them to put the Iloasc of Commons into a situation- that should again snake its conduct he repugnant to the feelings of ifs Congtituents ? Is nothing of policy .connected with The•circumltance of • its convincing the people that it fakes that lively ZtollCCl'll and interest in affairi of this nature, that its relative sitna tiOn s‘ith its constituents calls ulnas it to take ? What will the people of England think, if, ;it a. moment of 1164 kind, and ilium a ques:iou of this nature, enquiry is refus ed, or evaded ? Will they believe that the Constitution of Great Britain SEPT. 10 s what they are taught to esteem, and that the louse of Lommous is that which we contend it is, if at a moment like this, %%lieu the plans of the executive Government, whether culpable or taudalge, have been attended with dis grace and defeat, that the House of Commons, under the di rection of that governmen t,can sit still w i tho ut eliq ui ring into the causes which have pioduced this state of things ? Can it in prudence, or even with that degree of consideration it they must wish to preserve, be above calling upon the ex• ecuti'e government to account for that failure vi filch has attended the most extensive measure ever planned in almost any period of our history. If at:the meeting of Parliament, the same confideuce should be continued with out enquiry, if the House should nut appear to he actuat ed by the common opinion of the public, wThout enquir ing how far so large a portion as eleven millions the public money has been expended, fur the honour and fur the safety of the empire, and so much of its best blood made to flow, if Ministers should press thisline of con duct upon the house, and the }louse should be induced to adoptit, in what manner arc those who contend against the idle projects of visionary reformers, to defeed the liouse and the Constitution? How are we to contend that the British Constittilion, , as by law established is the best constitution, and that the louse of Commons as now constituted is the .best security for the safety, honour and happiness of the people. What can we say to these ,reformers in such a case when they desire us to explain how that can be good which defends and secures impunity to vvhich is bad ? What are we to say when they ask us how can that stale of representation be good which can suffer such' failures in its executive Go vernment without punishment, and not only viithout pu nishmeat, but Of it be, not allowed) without even inquiry. If no answer can in reason or in conscience be made to these questions ; and we see none if inquiry be not most rigorously insisted neon and preac2uted, what is the irre listable conclusion ? fhat the . 3 stein cannot even in theory be gond, which in practice is had. and that the constitu tion cannot be worth defending which can protect a want of energy and vigour, or winch can present indemnity to failures, much greater than haepen under those Govern ments that we stigmatize as arbitrary, despotic, and into lerable. But are not these precisely the practical effects el a had constitution, if they arc not, what are ? We do therefore sincerely urge to Ministers, that in compliance with the wishes of t:a; people, they bring . forward this un fortunate business at an early period of the session, and whatever may he the consequence to individuals, that they do not sit as if they were indiarent or nuconcerned spec ' tators of a calamity admitted tm all hands, as the moat mysterious and disgraceful that has happened, we had al most said in . the annals of the country. We have pur posely avoided saying any thing here of the merits of the business, or.of the supposed difference of opinion between the military and naval emu:minders, but even this is an argument of great moment and should have great weight.. —We hope it will. • * • FOREIGN INTELMGENCE. FROM' Tux FRENCH, DUTCH, .1 G PAPERS. PA n is, Au G. 29.,-Letter from the Minister of Police, to the Mayor of Paris. " Sin—After the Pence of Tilsit, the English. whose power was In,t if war ceased upon the Continent, wished to burn Co petthageu. Now the umria is ready to receive r'eace front the conqueror, the IntgliAt would burn Fitsslting : they threaten with there bombs Aittlyttrp, whose clock-yank, lately so de sertid, have rapidlv increased, at the voice of our k•nwsrur , the fleets that were I►repttritt4 to conquer tho , e of Engiand• The Eogli,h fl.o ter themselves with able to bet tire to our Coasts. tf . m.r fluty accortl, all France will fly to their lere tt er ; hitt we must. regulate nohle itapuhe, in order to render it useful. What is the force of .Navolveni . 11111 Y 411