Star. — London, England, 1803-04-08 00:00:00

FRANCE. PRIVATE LETTER, PARIS, APRIL. 4, The Grand Parade which v,-as held yefterday at the Thul!erica, hare no resemblance whatever to thole formerly prefented on the Q2intidi, where the:e were feldom more than 6000 troops, and when the ceremonial was over in three quarters of hour. The Review of yelterday latted, on the cc.nt: ary, for more than feven hoists, and prefent ed to the view all the :naive force of Paris and it, environs; the different guards on this occafion be. ing mounted by the Invalids. Net only the inclofed court before the Pal:ace. but the immenfe Place of Carroufel, was filed with tr"ops; and to economize the (pace as flinch as poflible, the cavalry were all ciiiinomitcd. Bogs/wire reviewed the troops with the lit. molt firiOnels. He addreired lord& to a'nasil every Officer, and fpnkc to many of the foldiers. He carried his ferutiny fo far as to examine into mar y of their knapfacks. This preccfs was contirm• ed until the fall of night put an cud to the fcene. The FIRST Coustm, it is evident. from all this ,‘ pride, pomp, and circumflance," meant to in timate tp the Parifians the neceflity of preparing for war; and at the fame time to imprels them with a fenfe of his vigilant fuperintendanee. The former of thefe purpofes was fully anfwered, as there was fcarcely an individual in the immenfe crowd of fpeaators who did not firmly believe in the immediate approach of warfare. The ultimate decifion, however, rens happily with other judges, and on other grounds. Notwithflanding the fatiguing attendance of :he day, curiofity remained for fume time on tip. toe in the Salk des Prefentations, for the putpofe of drawing force inferences from the countenance or s:ifeourse of the nisi - CoNsut.. It was foon inti mated that there would not be a circle on that evening. It was Laid that Bousraars was WO much fatigued to make his appearance. • DENMARK. COPS/IMAGE*, MAitei4 19. the COnrce Of next April two frigates, it is fAid, will be fcnt to the Mediterranean. Within thefe few days twenty (hips have paired the Sound: one of them, which made a very quick paffage, brings the unexpelted news of a (harp prefs in the EngUr ports, for the lea fervice. The Panics of GLOUCISTRR, who was a little inditpofed laR Tuefday, has been vif:ting this week the houfe of the Sea Cadets, in company of his Royal Highnefs the CROWN PRINCE. MARCH 22.—The PRINCE of GLOUCESTIR is Cl peeled to flay till the 9th of next month, and then to go to Berlin and Drefden. RUSSIA. Sr. PITIII !BUR GH, MAIIC B. — Count SEaGEI RutaAIIZOF I' has jult obtained permialon from the EMPEROR to give liberty to his peafants by felling his lands to them. As loon as the fum fired !ball be paid to the Count, they and their pofterity are free. The EMPEROR has teftified his fatisLifiion at this refolution of the Count, by prefenting him with a fnuff-boz, of the value of to,ooo roubles. The Court Gazette of to-day announces the re quelled difmiffal of Baron NICOLA!, with his full falary, as a penfion, of 5,800 roubles for life. Maack; t T.—Great pains are taking with the canal of the Moika, to give it a coating of granite on the fides. The appointment of M. NOVASILZOFF to be Prefident of the Academy, has filled the friends of the Arts and Sciences with the greatell joy. A plan has lately been fent here from abroad, from which the author imagines the :ma advan. tageous confequences would enfue. The heads ale thefe The Ruffian language is abfolutely not capable of any perfeftion or refinement, and confequently the nation cannot be Hinted. Ano ther language mull therefore be given to the Rut: Gans ;—the author propofes the ancient Greo , end withes that 4000 Greek Schools might beellab. !lilted in Rulfia, that in three years every body might be able to Ipeak this language and have forgotten their own. Then he could propofe tome thing elfe to promote the civilization of the Ruf fians ; but without the univerfal introduction of the Gteek, it would be impoffible for 1.!.m." .HOLI.AND. HAGUE, Aran. t.—The report refpeeing the entrance of French troops Into our territories, which, for tome days pall. was believed by fume and doubted by others, is now fully confirmed, and we learn that two battalions of the 48th, two battalions of the 76th brigade, three fquadrons of die 3d regiment of hufars, three fcptadrons of the ids regiment of dragoons, a company of bode artillery, two companies of foot artillery, and twelve field pieces, have received orders from the French Government to march towards this Re public, and that there troops will be reinforced by two battalions of infantry. The command of thefe troops, as well as of thole which are already in this Republic, has been entruaed to General MosretcH A RD, who is to have under him Generals FR, a nd DIE r Lim General Omit, who was charged with the command of one of the French towns, will retain his poll in Zealand, where he will command the 95th halthrigade. Generals Fxrac and DeLAOLIII, of the artillery, have al 'lady proceeded to Breda. APRIL 3.—lt is not yet known whether the French troops, which have received orders to proceed from Mechlin and other places towards the Batarian frontiers, have yet arrived at Breda. It is however CA rtaiat, that the baggage, under the convoy of a few men, arrived there on the josh ult. and that two battalions of French infantry were expcded there the nest day. Refpelling peace or war, nothing is yet known that can be d e pended nn. The French frigates lying in the harbour et' Helvoettiuys, and which are dellined to terve its tianfpfhts to the fleet intended for I.nui• Gana, have taken on board their guns. The ue,n tare ahead) all un e4itLI4MBYTAIif PROCZEDISCL HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, APRIL The Royal Arent was given by Comm;f6on to the lath Mi litia MU, the Greenland Whale Fithery Bill, the Fond Regu lation Bill, the Ordnance Truß Bill, the Dublin Royal Canal Bill, and leveret other Public and Private Ads, amounting In all to AS. The Conitniffiuotrs were, the Lord Chancellor, the Archhdhop of Canterbury, and Lord %Valentina. The Lout CNA NC L LLou pronounced judgment in the Scotch Appeal, Lawton v. Rota and others; by which the Interlocu tor of the Court of Seilinn was dinned. ' The Duke of Cordon was [worn, and took his feat. The Bills before the Houfe were forwarded in their refpee tive Rages; among there were the Exchequer Bills, and Sir James Saumarez's Annuity Bill; which feverally paged a Com mittee of the whole Node. Lord Etcatoorroucar, in purfuance of a notice given on a fanner evening, moved. " that there be laid before the Houfe the Begillry of the Burials at attain Parilbes in the County of Kent, at particular periods, in the year Oat, and 164 a." This nu, propofed, in reference to fame proceedings relative to the chant to the Chandos Pecrage.—The motion was agreed to. STATE OF THE NATION. Lord HODAI. 1' moved, that the Houfe do, at its riling, adjourn to Tuefday fennight. The Earl of Caacisca Paid, he did not rife to make any oppofition to the motion of adjourn ment, but merely to call their Lortlfhips' atten tion to the prefent fituation in which the coun try was placed. Upon a fubjett of fuch importance as that, which involved the whole conduit of the Executive Government, he felt the extreme diffi culty of the condi he ought to purfue. On the one hand, he might incur the cenfure of imped ing and embarriffing the operations of his Majef ty's Miniaers, if he Mould call upon them for an explanation of any meafure to which the public might look up with doubt and anxiety ; and, on the other hand, he thought it would be highly culpable in him to become a party to thattaestur nity, that had for a confiderable time prevailed in that Houfe. Public feeling and public fufpenfe was at this time railed to an extraordinary pitch. Better than a month had now elapfed fince his Mikity's Metage was delivered to that Houfe.— People were as yet ignorant of the cadre of it. We only knew that the country was threatened with an invafion ; that feamen were every where im preffed ; and that warlike preparations were car. rying on with uncommon attivity. But why, or for what, we were likely to go to war, was quer tion on which Parliament was left in total darkncfs. It was known that negotiations were at this time carrying on ; but it mull hereafter become a fub jeEt of enquiry, whether they were conducted with fufficient ability. It was not his with at this time to interrupt the proceedings of Government; but the time would fhortly come, when a long cata logue of events muff be brought before the con fideration of Parliament ; and when Minifiers Ihould be called on to give an account of what they had done. The whole conduit of hi; Majefly's Minilters mull then undergo a thorough invelFiga lion. A full and accurate enquiry fbould be let on foot into every material event which had taken place fince the figning of the late treaty of peace. He would not then name all the circumflances that were to be enquired into ; but he would allude to the moll material. The &II was the failing of a great expedition from the ports of France to the Weft Indies—an expedition unprecedented in for mer times, not only with regard to its magnitude, but the manner in which it was fitted out; it was compofed principally of (hips of war, on board of which the troops were fent, inftead of being con veyed in tranfports. So many (hips of war could not be neceffary towards the fuccefs of the enter prife : in fending them therefore the French Go vernment muff have had Come other objeß in view, and the confequence was, that this country was under the neceUhy of keeping a watching fleet in the Weft Indies, much greater than any we ever had there in time of peace ; and the loffes to the country, from the wearing-out of the (hips, muff have been immenfe. The next point of enquiry would be, the conduit purfued by Mainers with regard to the Cape of Good Hope, and other places that were ftipulated to be given up by the Treaty I of Peace. The indemnities which had been pro mifed to the Houfe of Orange, and which promife this country was bound to fee performed, was an other fubjea to %%Lich the attention of Parliament mutt be called. Thefe fubjeas, with various others, mull, !boa after the enfning Recefs, form matter for ferious and deep invelligation. Before their Lordfisips retired, he thought it his duty to fay thus much, and give this fort of notice of what was intended to be done. He would not make any oppofition to the prefent motion, although the public did expel that, before Parliament adjourn• e I, Come fatisfa&on: explanation would have been given, as to the Nate of the prefent negotiation between Great Britain and France. Lord Nowt laid he had to return his thanks to the Noble Earl, for the candour with which he had avowed his intention of moving for an invef tigation into the condisil of Minifiers ; and for giving co long a no:ice of fuch a motion. He could affure the Noble Earl, that his Majely's Minifiers, fo far from wilbing to evade or (brink f rom en quire, wifhed moll earneflly that the whole of their condua, from the beginning, might undergo a thorough invefliption i and they would moll readily affiß in any difcuffion that might promote that objeft, whenever fuch tbould be entered into. The Houle then adjourned to Tuefday the t9th of this moods. HOUSE OF COMMONS. Tha 8 having alms the Chair at the Vaal hour, the Yeonsan Ulher of the Black Rod delivered at the Bar a Mt& fagc front the Houfe of Petra, requiting the attendance of this Houle, in order to hear his Majefty s Catamaran read, for de claring the Royal Atkin to et rtain Public and Private Bills. Mr. SPRAWL. attended by leveret Mont err, accordingly went up forthwith ; and, on his return, Informed the Hoofy, Ilia his Majdty's Commitbsocrs had declared the Royal Agent to the Woslwieh Ordnance Bill, Militia 011ictre 11iII, Green land Shim Crew Bill, and feveral Private Bilis. Read 1 third time the lunkeepers' Sub Game mO. , Patted, and ordered to the Lord& Orderrd, m the Motion of UK SIC AAAAAA it Was, that the Amendments made by the Lords la the Milkia °Seers Bill, be the Into coolie:Aim on Toefilay the sip! of April inn ant. Mr. A DDDD reporteJ from the Committee of Supply of ycilerda r.--Rcfolutiont azree4 to. Mr. Dice i atom murcd Übe Ordtv of the Day for galas Into a Commit?re fur the turthcrcamhilintitio of the Chraragn . *Maw— litcfohrat accutarsly. Mr. rolettiwsow then mesa for leave to bring la a Bin Ss repeal firveral Bills in tarlous reigns, fo firm the fame relates to the length, breadth, and weight of Woollen Chathe i .anitfor feverai other IHriparea, for the Saviors-relent of the Woollen Manufseture.-.4AWVC given; and Mr. DICKINSON acevaing ly profaned the Bill, which was read the firft time,—Ordered to he printed, and read the feeced time on Tuefday fe'unight. Mr. Lis moved to poftyone the Order of the Day for the ' Committal of the lrilh Law Courts' Ball, till Tuefday, the 26th inft.—Ordertd. Dr. DOIGINAN pre:Rated fevers! Petitions from Officers of the le& Law Courts, praying an Indentailication of the loffes they Mould fußain under the raid Bill—Ordered to lie onthc Table. Mr. LATOVVIZ moved for an account of the Taxes levied, and the Sums expended for paving, cleanOng, and lighting the City of Dublin, for the years 18...0 and I got , with an account of the Salaries, Penuens, and Chirgus upon the raid Eftablith- Read a fecond time, the kith Revenue Regulation Bill—. Committed for Wednefdar, the scut inft. GREAT GRINIAT ELECTION. Mr. Buenos role to make a motion for further deferring the invefligation of the Report of the Great Grimly Elation Committee. The day already propold was the t 9th inn. at which time, had it been adopted, the Houfe would hare 101 l the advantageous alliance of many profetEonal Gentlemen, neceifarily abfent in attendance on the bufinefs of the Q2arter Sections.—He moved that the confideration thould be deferred till the 25th ; and he further moved alto, that John Simplon, Efq. and feveral others, who were ordered to at. tend the Houfe on the t9th of April, do accord. ingly attend on the ssth.—Ordered accordingly. CIAILGY 1t21.111 , BILL. The Comicat.soa of the Excissoyea prefented. purfitant to leave obtained yetterday by Sir Win. Scott, the Bill for Relief of the aergy, which was read the Suit time. ordered to be punted. and read the fecond time on Thurklay the aril. He then gave notice, that on the 2 ft he thould move for the commitment of the Bill, i. order to fill up the blanks: that it be then printed with the amend ments, in order that Gentlemen might come prepared with fuggetlions for its final adjuiment. Upon its re-commitment. Cnaiscassoa of the Excnicosa neat moved, that an Account be laid before the Houle of the annual produce of the revenues veiled in the hands of Comtniffioners by the bounties of Qtjeen Anne for the Relief of the poor Clergy, from the time of the incorporation of Paid Corn miffmners to the latell period, for which the fame could be made up, diflinguifhing each year. Alfo an account of the annual application of the fame. —Ordered. mum: ism INT. The CitawcaLLoa of the Excit royale moved, that the Houfe do at its riling. adjourn to Tuef day fe'nnight. Mr. PATTEN Lad, he came down to the Houfe with an intention of reGiling the motion for 40 adjournment. had it been for a longer period. He fhould not however refill the motion as it now flood. But he begged leave to give rotice. that if no material change fhould take place in our poli- tical fituation during the gecef., he fhould, at a very early day afterwards, bring forward a quef tion of enquiry into the (late of the nation. 01.1111 ADA LOAM SILL. The Order of the Day being read for taking in to confederation the Report of the Committee, to whom was referred the petition of the Grenada Merchants, The Refolotions were read the fiat time, and on the queftion being put for the fecond reading, Mr. Witssaroaca tole and obferved, that he himfelf, as well as fome other Gentlemen, bad, when laft this bufinefs was before the Houle, de filled from oppofing it fo ftrongly as he then fhould have done, had he not been taught to un derftand that no future application would be made to Parliamentfor further indulgence. He had then Paid, that he lbould at any future time refill fuch application ; and he was the more particular in fo doing, becaufe he forpeded another application would be made, and the refult now juftified that fufpicion. He was perfedly convinced that the claim now Ihould not be granted, unlefs it was made perfealy clear to the Houle, that the claim ants could not without extreme inconvenience to themfelves raife the turn required by any other means. Mr. Wilberforce then traced to its origin the grant made to the Grenada Merchants in zysie ; and obferved, that the delays allowed them from time to time for the fulfilment of their en• gagements, teemed but to create new claims.— Brad's fecurities were originally given, but now thofe fecurities were changed for Well India ones, as the Gentlemen concerned had their chief pro perty there ; and this was another departure (torn *their original engagement. He contended, that granting public money for private undertakings, was contrary to the original and fundamental principles of our Connitution. He knew that much of this money had been ufed in carrying on the Slave Trade ; but it was not more on account of his deteftation of that trade that he oppofed the meafure, but upon Conftitutional and Parliamen tary principles, to which it was oppofed. The fi tuation of our Weft India concerns at this day, were In totally different from what they were when the original grant was made, as to make it much more neceffary now to infilt on repayment, than at any period lance the loan was ganted ; as what I had lince occurred with refpea t o r oar Well India potellions, and the prefent Rate of St. Domingo, rendered the potation of Grenada much more precarious. If Government were enabled to grant large fums to individuals for their private par. pores, it might be improperly ufed for increafing' their influence, and now therefore was the time for the Houle to interfere. He did not mean to apply this in any way injurious to his Right Hon. Friend ; but he condemned the praaice as a dan gerous precedent. The purpofes of the applies'. lions already granted had not been fulficiently in veftigated, as they ought, to prove that the money was employed for the purpofes it was granted.— Ramours had confidently gone forth. that it had been applied for extending cultivation, and the fettlement of new ettates ; but the contrary ought molt certainly to be proved before farther indul gence was granted. Having argued at length to this effc& he obferved, that if it was to be admit ted as a principle. that the public money was to be granted away to companies or individuals, for the purpores ofimprovement, or cultivation, in Any part of his Majefty's dominions, that he would tie a claimant on behalf of that extenfire and indef. trious County he had the honour to repref:nt (Yorkaiire) for the purpofe of cultivating walle lands, and promoting agriculture ; a purpof e in which the money might be employed with infinite ly greater advantage to the interefts of the (min ' try, than in that of Weft India produce. Lilt timely every individual engaged in a foreign trade for his own advantage, has as good a right claim compenfation from that Houle for Wks fill tamed by the ravages of war, as the claimants in the prefrnt cafe. The return of produce from thofe ifiands had been held by Come Gentlemen av , amply compenfating us—but be could prove the very contrary; the longer the payment was e:- I.4yed the greater the n&, and the heavier th e rate of intereft paid. We were told too, of the benefit derived to our revenues, hut thole revenues were paid by the confumcrs at home. Mr. Wil , bertiace concluded by eaprefliog his conviltion that no further indulgence mould be granted, and by voting again& the feeond reading. The CHM/CELLO& of the &cm sky CI faid,while his Hon. Friend avowed as his objeft the difcon ; diligence of indulgence to the Grenada Merchants, , the greater part of his fpeech was a ga i n tl t h e original policy of the grant, and not against the continuance of it now. His Hon. Friend's state ment inflamed that the money bad been lent to the Grenada Merchants by Government. The , fag was not fo :it was applied by Parliament, and in his opinion wifely. His Hon. Friend had fpoken in a manner be extremely regretted to hear, of the fecovity which the public held on this tubjed, which the greater part of his fpeech went to de , preciate. But whatever opinion his Hon. Ft lend. or other Gentlemen might entertain of the Slav e Trade, he untied no Gentlemen acquainted with the interefts of the Britifh Empire would detract from the valise of our Well India Colonies. Did his Hon. Friend recoiled, that every hogfhead of . fugar, puncheon of rum, or bale of cotton, _ported from thofe countries,were paid for in Britifh manufaetures? Did his Hon. Friend know the advantages derived to our naval flrength from the extenfive employment of Britifh (hipping in trade? Let not confiderations of humanity interfere ton much with public policy, where in fad they do not clefts, for the purpofe of undervaluing our Colonial poffelfions. His Honourable Friend has Paid, that Government, by making fuch grants to individuals for their private purpofes, might do it to increafe their own influence ; but be feemed not to remember that this was a loan, and not a grant, advanced by Parliament and not Govern ment. He had Paid, Government ought to know whether this money had been applied with itria propriety ; but this duty belonged not peculiarly to Government, but to the proper Commiffloners. In his mind, it was too much to fay the money was mifapplied in extending cultivation, Government had taken great pains to enquire into the ability of the borrowers to difcharge their debt, and he could allure the Houk they were completely fa. tisfied ; and that fatisfaCtion was further corrobo rated by the report of the Committee intlituted by that Houfe, and it was fatisfaftorily thewn that the" Gentlemen to whom indulgence was granted, would not be able to make any farther cfifeharge of their engagements until Come time in the prefect year; and they only wifhed for a farther indul gence. His Hon. Friend had infitled on the ne ceffity of vigilanceand enquiry; he perfealy agreed with him ; and in the prefent cafe both had been exerted, and the refult proved that the claimants had already paid off one third of their original debt, and propofed to pay off the remainder in three years, viz. acso,oool. in the prefentooomool. in the neat, and the remainder in the fubfequent year ; and if any Gentleman would advert to the comparative prices or fugars in 1796, and their fluduation in price, with the circumflances at tending it, they would fee ample ground to vin dicate the Company from any charge of wilful iinpunduality. He was therefore decidedly fur fupporting the motion. Mr. Wu caeasoacs explained at Come length. Sir Roarer Ps s 1.11 (poke warmly and zealot:fly in fupport of the motion. Dr. Lamas:ice (aid, that notwithflanding the lots this country fuftained in the late furrender of our Well Indian ppffeffions, which had been fo jufily deplored by himfelf and his friends, but treated as trifling by his Majefty's Miniflers, be was glad to perceive the arguments ufed upon a former night, to prove the extent of our lotes in that furrender, famed to have had their due cleft on the mind of the Right Hon. Cattleman oppofite him (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) in the manner he had this night fpoken of the im portance of the (ample Colony of Grenada. He perceived that lightly as he heard the furrender of Effequibo, Surinam Demerara, and Marti nique, fpoken of on a former occafion, that Mi. 'lifters teemed now to be fully aware of what they had given lip, in furrendering the extenfive potieffion of the Weft India Trade. He then reprobated with Tome feverity the propolition of Mr. Wilberforce, which, by refuting the indul. gence, and forcing the Grenada Proprietors now Ito fell their eflates for the payment of their debts. would have the effect of producing the moll cruel confequence to that race of men to whom his be. nevolence was fo unbounded, by having them brought again to fide, and thereby tearing parents from their children, hufbands from their wives. and heaping cc them all the anguil of teparation for life. Mr. 'orgasms agreed to the policy of the pro. pored meafure, but defended the arguments of Mr. Wilberforce. Mr. Hoaaousa alto fupported the motion. Mr. WILLIAM Soma, General GAACOION I, and Sir WILLIAM PULraattr (poke in rapport of the motion, which was agreed to—and the Refolation being read the kcond time, the bill was ordered to be engroffed, and read the third time on Tucl day fe'nnight. Mr. At I VIDE a prefented the Sugar and Coffee Export Regulation Dill—read the aril time, anti ordered for the fecond reading_ on Tedder. the tsith ataxia, to which day the kloure adjourned. V