Star. — London, England, 1803-05-24 00:00:00

SIIMI3ER 4S ° 4 - rAXLIAmENTARr PRuCEEDINGS. HODES OP LORDS, MONDAY. MAY al. The Marquis of BALI/DORT (as Lord Chamberlain) reported his Majefty's Anfwer to a late Added, of their Lordibips refra ins the production of metals Mid Papers, which Rated, that be would be pleated to give &melons accordingly. The Duke of Ctisansaaltay. the Earls of HARCOVIIT and DJ • cap, and leveed other Peers were (worn and took their feats. The Earl of Mona made a few obferratiems, relative to a Bill before the Hoeft, but in fuels a tone of voice as precluded us &Madly hearing what his Lordfeip laid; by what we could soiled, it related to the Bt. Pancras Workhoufe Bill, which lay per for a third reeding. The Noble Earl armed to fay, that a 'umber of afteradons bad been made in the Bill by the Committee to whom it wa, referred, and that the Noble Lord, who particu larly fawned the BEI in that Hook, appeared to have given ft mHe concluded by moving, that the Bill be releded ; which , the quell:km being t, wee ordered accordion'''. After fame with recpea to the Bills ea the Table bad obtained, Lord PILIAM laid before the Hpufe, by emmniad of Ms Ma lefty, fame additional Daemons relative to the late Negotiation, Eco—Ordered to Be cm the table. Lord Pextram rule to move the Addrefs. From the papers which were on the table, he was confident that their Lordthips mutt fee that Minifters had no. with whatever to conceal any part of their cnndu& i not only during the late negotiations, but through' any part of the period which had elapfed fince thei ignature of the definitive treaty. For himfelf be could ftatwhis conviaion, that in the-whole of this condo& there was no reaftmable ground for reproach. Of this he was at leaft fore that Minifters had, to the beft of their abilities and knowledge, aced a confci .entioue-part during the whole of that important pe riod. He was not now difpofed to contend that their eondud might not, on a future occafion, be made the fubjea of foie= inquiry, but he could not but ex 'refs a hope that the dithuffion en the prefent occa- Son might be concluded with as little reference as poffibk to the conduit and merits of Mininers. That condua and thofe merits might be cnnfidered on a future day, without at all eompromiling any fupport which migl tbe !zit/en to the Addrefs ? To introduce theft two fubjeas at the fame time would only have the circa of fettering the decifion. From a perufal of the papers on the table, the great, and indeed the only quefiion was, whether a diftina and legitimate ground of war had been ellablithed. After having , terioully and maturely confidered the whole of the , papers, and after refleaing on the part which, as one I of his Majeny's confidential Minitters.he had thought it his ditty to purfue, he had no difficulty in declaring , ,that he eontidered the ground of war contained in the 1 documents in the hands of their Lordthips to be the , aloft prong, the molt clear, the molt dittina which were ever fubrnitted to Parliament. Tbeconclufiot, . which thofe docuinents. in his opinion, left on the , minds of all unprejudiced men mutt be, that war was, by the condua of the French Government. rendered inevitable. It was neeeffary to the fupport of the na tional horear,the protedion of the national rights, the iaterefis of our commerce, the fafety of our liberties; the exiftence of our independence were all involved in the appearance of effeltual refinance to French ag- , grandixement and ambition. His Lordfhip declared k not to be his with or intention to go minutely , through the papers. becaufe he had no doubt that' their Lordthips had given them a very attentive con fideration. and had formed the conclufion which al careful perufal was calculated to induce. It was only aneffary for him to trace the outline of the ecndua purfued by the two Governments fine the conclufion of the treaty of Amiens. Proceeding on this prin-, eiple. he adverted briefly to the principal points o f difpute betwixt the two Governments, as defcribed: in the documents on the table: W ith refpea to; Malta. the conduit purfued on the part of this coun try was loch as man prove the fincereft &fire . of peace. A very &on period had elapfed before, with the view of facilitating the evacuation of the ifland, an accredited Officer was appointed to arrange the mode in wbich it was to take place. Captain Sir Alexander Ball received full powers and inthottions to concert with an agent on the part of the French Government the means of executing the article of the treaty with the lull poffible difficulty. Previous tot the evacuation the eleaion of a Grand Matter was an objet of important confideration, and to this his Ma-I lefty had given every poffible facility. The Grand) Blotter then chofcn had Peen reatbils for not acceding' to the ekaion, and a new eleflion became indifpni fible. Again, 114 Majelty, adtuated by the fame de-. ire of peace and the fame with of carrying into circa the ftipulatiois of the treaty with ferupolous fidelity. acceded to an arrangement for a fubfequent elcaion.. with the view of removing every obftacle to the eva-, citation of the idea. A body of Neapolitan troops' were in the fir( inßance to be admitted into the Wand, and to their admiffion on the part of his Ma jelly not the fmalleft °hauls was oppofed. In a word. without going into any minutenefs of detail. he would content himfelf with referring their Lord thips to the clear and unequivocal proofs of a pacific (pint which had throughout the whole of the Ilipulat ed arrangements relative to Malta, been exhibited on the pan of this country. It was about the 27th of January that the French Government began to prefs. in a very peremptory manner, the evacuation Malta. and it was about that period that Miniflers thought thcmfelves bound to demand tome fatisfac tory explanation of the pretest (ions advanced. and the views difclofed by the French Government. Cir. 1 eurnftancts then elated which rendered it neceffary to refer back to what had been the condua of the Firlt Coastal from the period when the treaty was concluded. In the courts of this review the plain, the irrefiftible inference was, that the condua of the French Government had been one eonftant fer ia o uCts totally incoofiftent with a fintere defire of pre facing the peace of the two countries.—At an early period after the Treaty was (signed, reprefentations were maJe about the Freedom of the Pith in this country, the publications relating on the French Government to which this freedom gave rife, and the aceeffity of robjeCting not only the Preis, but the deliberative Affenstslies of the country to a de• gra of rearaist lacceiltent with the genius of our • . • , 4 r •=-1- A :N. . . • !:L. TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1803. excellent Conflitation. The flay of the Princes of tiers for yielding to any diflionourable facrifices, the Houle of Bourbon, of certain Bifhops particu-lwith the view of preferving peace. They had cer larly named, and a number of Emigrants who con-Mainly manifefled extraordinary forbearance, but he ! tinued to wear the badges of extinguiflied royalty.:trulled it would be found that in no part of their were made the fubjet of complaint. What the an-'conduit had they difplayed a fpirit unworthy of the Ewer of Minifters to there compla.nts was, was Id& lofty charafler which England had long held among ciently explained in the Papers, and he entertained,the Commonwealths of Europe. Delay had, no a confident expelation that it was of a nature' doubt, to a eonfiderable degree, taken place; but he to meet with univerfal fupport and approbation. was convinced that any inconvenience which might, With regard to the complaint about the freedom have taken place from the delay was more :hanl of dircuffion in different publications, it was hardly counterbalanced by the additional evidence which neceffary for him to fay that he WAia tleci,!ed frietid was given to this country and to Europe, of that'pa-1 to a Free Preis. He did not mean to deny that this cific fpirit by which the Councils of his Majelly had • freedom was fometimes carried to an uninflifia ble been governed. Under all there circuteflances of length, and was applied to very improper porpores. the cafe, his Lordfhip thought that there could be He would allow that lie had n:er with publications no difficulty in agreeing to the Addrers with which whore fpirit and tendency he extremeiy difapprove dhe meant to conclude. It fhould be of that fimple of, as being calculated only to pi OtiliCt initation and aod precife nature which would be the leaft liable to to ferment that fpirit of inveteracy which it was one create any thing like the application of party fpirit. great objet of the peace to extinguith Minifters had It (build be fuch an Addreii as might be voted on (hewn their difpofition to give no countenance to, true Englifh principles, without at All involving a publications of this kind, by referring the French , pledge of approbation to the whole conduit of Mi-I :Government to the Tribunals of tie country, in flitter' fence the conclufion of the Treaty. It thouldl 'which alone, according to the genins of our certain]. he fetch an Addicts as naturally originated out of Lion, adequate redrets coold he obtained. This an- that views of French aggrandifement, encroach. ifwer was not held in al; refpeasisfeactory by the ment, and ambition, which the papers . in the hatids French Government, and a (pint. of diftruft and a- of their Lordfhips difclofed. !timothy continued to be cherithed. He was con- His Lordfhip concluded by moving the Addrers, vinced that it was uniteceffary to remind their Lordoin which an affurance was given to his Majefty of the (hips minutely of the various other proofs which the;convidion entertained by their Lordfhips of his fin- French Government had given of a hoille and dan-:cere and anxious defire to preferve io his fubjeas the prom fpirit. It words' be occeffary only to refer to:bleffings of peace; their regret that there withes had a few which were moil prominent and worthy of con-:not been met by a correlponding difpofition on the federation. At the oeri. d when the Chief Conful part of the French Government; of the feeling of began to he in extremely de:mucus about the eva.'lively indignation with which they heard of the fpirit citation of Malta, it wolud not be forgotten by theirlof encroachment and ambition which that GOvern- Lorcllhips that an official document of a very extra-iment had ever fence the conclufion of the treaty MA. ordin:.ry nature made i:s appearance in France. He Inifened. of the reliance which his Majefty might have meant to allude to the Report of Colonel Setaaftiani. on the fupport of their Lordfhips in maintaining the an agent difpatched by the Chief Conful to make the jug rights of his kingdom, the honour of his Crown, / 'air of the treater part of the Provinces of the 'and the &corky of his people. The motion for the Ati.l Turkifh Empire. The publication of this Report OA ems read in the ufual form from the Woolfack. meetrarily excited iufoicion. It difclokd views and The Duke of Comma:Aso rote to fecond the Mo- unfolded projeds which could not fail to aura& the thin which he did in a very elegant and impreffive peculiar notice of Minitters. In every page one moll rpeekt, His Royal Highnefs thought, that from the important lam was to be colleted, that the views papers on the table, the only queftion was. whether of the Chief Conful relative to Egypt had not been England was to continue a free and independent fora moment abanimed. It was clearly teen that kingdom, as the had culled for fo many ages, or the potre ffi on of that colony was the contlant objet whether lse was to fink into that Rate of degrading of his ambition. The internal evidence of the report vaffalage to which many of the Continental Powers proved this in a way which erotid not be mifunder- were now unhappily reduced? This was a queftioe flood by the moll carders oblerver. If, however. for which their Lordfhips and the country had long this inference had been at all doubtful. this doubt been prepared by the conflant proofs exhibited of the mall have been completely removed by fubfequent operation of French ambition. If any evidence had circumftances. In an interview with our Ambatli- been wanting to ellablith the exillence of this ambi dor the Chief Conful had not thought it neceffary to Lion. by the papers on the table fuch evidence would throw the fighteß veil of fecrecy over his defigns.— have been abundantly fupplied. Never, in his opi ne publication of the Report was fufficient to roufe nion, was a fpecific cafe of ambition and enc 1 •.ach our jealnufy, but the language of the Fiat Magiftrate went, inconfillent with the independence of all other of France rendered it more peculiarly worthy of ob- States, more fatisfeforily proved. Threatened that , fervation. In a formal conference with the Ambaf as the country was by a Power, to whore lull of do -1 'fador of an independent power, the Chief Conful minion there was no reftraint, and no end, he trufte4 had not hefitated to declare that Egypt mull boner that it would be animated by one general fentiment lor later be in the poffeffion of France. He would put of patriotifin. The prefent was a moment, above lit to the Candour and the feelings of their Lordfhips. all others, when every man was tailed upon to units whether Minifters were not entitled to demand from hand in and, to put his fhoulder to the difficulties io the French Government. tome fecurity for its future which the country was placed, and to make light of 1 views relative to Egypt, beyond what the Treaty of all perfonal conlideration, with the view of more er Amiens provided i In the continued Foram of feaually co-operating in the great caufe: We were Malta, Minilless conceived that this fecurity could'not now called on to contend for light objets, or in /be found, and hence originated the difcuffions which'different and doubtful interefts; our liberty, our re-1 this rubjea had created. and the importance which ligion, were at flake. At this moment we were to; ;the poffeffion of the ifland afterwards 'fumed. Malta,'contend for all that is moll valuable in civil feciety, l lin the hands of this country. could only be viewed as for all that is molt efteemed by men who have cape-' a fecdrity. It could afford to France, or any other,rienced the bleffings of liberty. It was hardly necer- Power, no reafonable ground of jealoufy or alarm.— fary for him to recal to the attention of their Lord No other place was liable to fo little objeittion. and on (hips More times of civic diffention, which formerly this ground Minillers relied their claims to its poffer-'defolated this fair land, and rendered the country a (son. But, independent of there confiderations,there'prey to every foreign invader. Firnsnefe and nnani. were others which juftified Minifters in retaining thcznity were only wanting to enable us to triumph over , Ifland. When the L' reatyof Amiens was formed, and every enemy. however formidable. The chandler when, according to the ftipulations of that Treaty. of the Firfi Conful of France could not be too often' the Viand was to be reamed to the Order of Saint a fubjed of contemplation. When he (poke of this 1 John of Jerofalem. certain revenues were underftood perfonage, he meant to apply his obfervattons merely i et to be appropriated to their fupport, in a way con-Ito his charafter. Speaking then of hiM merely in I &lent with the objets which the Treaty propoted this charer, he mutt be permitted to fay, that he i 'to etlablifh. Without this rapport it was abfurd to leonfidered him as the decided enemy of this country. i (talk of that independence which the Treaty prof) and this was the only coun ry which could Rem the ledly guaranteed . But their Lorca,' could not have torrent of his infatiable thirft of dominion. Putting .forgotten, that in Spain the revenuesof the Orderhad:the molt favourable confiretion on his condud, it .been confircated. The fame thing had taken place in.could not be denied that he was a man whole friend- Italy and Bavaria. The French Government, Co far:flip was dangerous, and ever, deftrudive. What, he from oppofing any (Mack to this fequeftrationdiad:defired their Lordfhips to confider, was the prefent ; appeared to have encouraged it, in a way which :hate of France? The French had given up their Nobi fhewed a very great degree of difinclination to the;lity and their wealth; they had teen their altars ftrip execution of the Treaty. After purfuing this (pecks Iped of their aceuflomed wortbip, and the rites of their of conduit, it was with a very lead grace. that the ireligion profaned; they had fubmitted to privations I Fri Conful eante forward to infift on the peremp-lof the moll grievous Eod, and all there facri6ces I tory execution of the Treaty. As long as the hopeithey had endured for the great objet of procuring of peace could with the fmallisl degree of reafon belliberty. But bad they obtained this liberty by all l entertained, Minfters had (hewn the utmoft ethic- there painful exertions? On the contrary, were they 1 tance to report to any meafure which might batten loot now fubjed to the ma galling and the moil ig ' on a renewal of hotlilities. When. however thenominious defpotifm ? What was the fituation of condad (tithe French Government had become , fuchlHolland. profeffedly under the proteetion of the Firtl, as could no longer be tolerated. coofillent with na. Carlini ? Was he not bending under the yoke and' tional honour. dignity, or fafety, it became Parlia . eprived of all her antieot energies ? Did the not ce ment and the country to fpeak in terms of fuitable hibit a humiliating contrail from the pidure the exhi indignation of there repeated Inds of jack and ag- bited in the better times of hc'i Edo, y ? What was greffion. If war had become inevitsble, it ought en the view which Switzerland prefented to the eye of be a war in which the national fpirit thould be excit- humanity T Peace and tranquillity were driven from ed in a way which would demonftrate to a proud that region which for ages they timed to have taken and infolent foe, that while the people of this coon- up for their favourite abode. and the mild virtues of try were ant anxious for an opportunity of taking a free and interefling people were contaminated by offence, they were fenfibly alive to the kan impute• the pollution of French fraternity. But what had tation of diftionour, and determined on punifking its. been the conduit of the Firft Conful to this country ? Cults with the moll esemplary vengeance. It the Was there a fingle part of Europe where French in candied of Minikes was in any rerpea to be blamed. fluence had not been exerted to undermine and defray it poffibly might be on the ground that they had the influence of this country/. Was there any one not at a much earlier period Chews a determination effort omitted to create a prejudice to our diradvan no longer to fairer the intuits (fir the injuries of the rage ? He needed only. for the anfwers to there quitCl French Government to pars uver with impunity.— thins, to refer their Lordfhips to the open and avowfi Peace was in itfelf fo important a blaring, that great ed exertions of the French Government on the fable& allowances were to be made in favour ofezertioas to —Whatever obaruaion our commercial profperity preferve its continuance. He would deny. however could meet with had been offered, bith a of is she board terms, any imputation alpha Mini: continued hoftility which fulficiestly the C PRICE SIX-PENCE' difpotition of the French Government to be clent ially and inconceivably hoftile. But the views nianifeded by the French Government with refperft to Egypt were particularly worthy of attention. The poffet fi on lof that country had been avowed to be the obiee of peculiar avidity; it did not require much political Ifagacity ta point out the connection betwiat the pof• feffion of Egypt and the infecurity of our Eaftern dominions. His Royal Highnefs took occaflon here particularly to refer to the converfation of the ITR of February, betwixt Bonaparte and our Ambaffador, in which the Firft Conful with fo little defire of con. ecalment, difclofes his certain profpee of the ultimate poffeflion of Egypt. After shortly alluding to the atrocious and malignant accufation brought by the French Government, that eminent public chars ters this country were for encouraging affaLfination, which he reprobated in terms of very Prong nation, his Royal Highnefs adverted to the skims fet up by France, for curtailing the liberty , of the peels, for difmiffing emigrants from the enjostneatt di that hofpitality which had been their refuge, whoa driven from their native land, and to the other prop pofitinns intended to introduce changes into our do. meftic fyftem. He was confident that he (pole the ; fentiments of every one of their Lordthips whets* Paid that fuch attempts to dilate to the G overnment of this free and independent country were fuch as 'ought to be refitted with the outwit contempt. The Fir ft Conful was, indeed, lb much in the habit of dic. eating to dependent powers, and he had fo complete. ly ettabliftted a fyficin of abfolute fway in France, that fuch requifitions, however firmly and indignant ly they might be refifted,did not excite much Amino , ment. Whole countries had, from the time that the Treaty of Peace was concluded, been annexed to • France, and every new aft of the Government was a new ground of jealoufy and alarm. This fyftem of encroachment and ambition, the had in fo many ea- . slous ways fo unequivocally difplayed, that forbear. l fiance became inevitable, and war on the part of this . country bad become the only means of preferving in violate the free Conftitution which had beets trannnit. ted to us from our fathers as the price of their la. boors, their fufferings, and their blood. As this great inheritance had been received unfullied and unpollu. ted, fo be trolled that it would behanded dow entire, and unchanged to our children, who might in their turn perpetuate its defcent to diftant times. Aber , witneffing all the encroachments of French arabidain was this country at Taft to fall a facrifice to the am bition which knew no bounds? He would not for a •i moment detain their Lordthi ps with fuchan unworthy idea. He trotted, that the period would never coma 4 * when our Nobility would be overturned, when ease Con flittaion would be deftroyed, the faneuary of do. meftic virtue invaded, the altar of religion defiled..... 7. Then indeed would be the confornmation amass& infamy, and obi glory of England would be abl=eivW in darknefs never to be difpelled. Such a &ilk never approach if the people were true to thernfehemer. v . and determined, as he was confident they would be.:. in refitting any foreign invader. If they were anhi. ted by a general fentiment of loyalty, if they at. , covered a proper degree of affeCtionate ;machines* to their Sotereign and their Country. we would coq.. ' ' tinue abet we had long been, the free!! and haposiellA nation in Europe. It had been Cud in an MEd& paper of the French Government, that England angle 'handed could not contend againtt France. This wits Its fentiment, the fallacy of which the whole bdtory of this country eontradiaed, and be trolled, that *rhea • driven to hoffilities by unprovoked infults and ag. 3 Frefficuis, we (hoild never want an• arm to check • injuilice. and to pnnilb lawlefs ambition. His R0ya1... , .IHighnefs concluded his fpeech by again urging the . necellity of unanimity, and exprelfing himfeif in dee . 1 . Bided terms in favour of the Addrefs, which in dile • opinion was molt unequivocally juffified bythe mete • on tie table.—[The fpeech of his Royal Highoefe • was received with great approbation in pones of the Houfe.] . • Earl ST AMMO?! gave the Noble Lord who /oohed the Addrefs great credit for the fairnefs and cher tans- • .s dour in which he had introduced it. There was woe . nanny of the propofitions which he had laid dews . which he was at all difpofed to controvert. Os a few • of the pofitions, however, be flweld beg leave to. ork, tome obferrations. He trolled that their 3 4/ oriioiips would unanimonfly be difpofed to follow the wife • and patriotic line of conduit which his /haul Higb. nefs, who had juft fat down, had frielogneenly reerom. mended. AU party feelings , and party dietitians, would, be was convinced. be baaifbed at a period fe perilous as the prefene was, whether the tatsre of the contelt or the enemy with whom it was to be filf, ' tained, were to be confidered. When the great queP tion was, in what manner the country was to be toss. effeEtually Caved he conceived that moderation sod • mildnefs of temper ought to be the presiosalsont principles of opinion. So muds convinced was he of the propriety of this, that in the obfervations which he had now to o ff er, he fbonld not confider himfelf at all as debating in Parliament, but rather as miring fentence in a judicial proceeding. He &crutch therefore, endeavour to keep his mind as free from the influence of paffion or prejudice as if he were deciding on an impeachment is Weittninfter In doing this he Mould attempt to Rate what the real differences betwixt the two countries were, and in his defcription of thefe differences he should take as as pnffible from his own recolleiffioe, and as mach as poffible from the'papers oo the table. In the toad page of the correfpnadesee a propofitioa was broa l /he forward by Mini en that Malta fliould remain in t,* hands of this country for tea years. and it wee herds ly neceffary for him to remind their Lordeirpe that, agreeably to the Terms of the Treaty of Peace. fe was to be given rip by this country is three mouths after the ratification bad taken plate. He would sot take on hirnfelf to fay, that no eirctimbnces iciest have taken place which rendered the soaexecetiost of the Ilipubtion highly proper and highly expo. diem. Whether fo & eircemliames did socsr was the great fagot" foe esamiaaties et the resat se. i+ d