The Statesman. — London, England, 1815-04-13 00:00:00

nr , 55 be . law I 'lot „ r to vtal •4 •-- 'j a• ," ate o r. 'it 1 . 0 ttf h•rit provit the not t rhe ,f rarticulat lily pliant atilt ~ite , l 10 thet into I I to 11. e icts 00..0te 1110 N,•'.4: 0 irer no t: cool Itl e !rite ;ix : hut h 5 , if rntian . not ( tie "all / as ;•It! went or r a fil.!('S ttll.ll tr eat% . • %VI hat' tilt, treaty II Ilga 0 .11•YIVII 111 to tht , A ~ • • liga not hi s 0. 1 je rbe so show tiro ad, ► l .l been r itai Ildorbotts tc hat s..ii old this ai r 11 , - 01 re. between the the VP*, it shot the Wine to it. 'ter moth , n, nod e a was. that 51 be sit, of I:ut 0 by pet 1: , 111 is II Ile 3,4a1114• ibe rpet"inz the mis ot.t.lt•utintl Et.....pe, tin Ist, LtQlatill oat iii. %Lich I.l' it : !meth !her ten lir•t ativa!lee of triiiio.44•4! : eta Ito. of : rras doring the r e,i,test•,l I It free at:m.lly prot• Ind —the at at use Nidisters an ted of the trist,l 'tee (111 ,,, .1 - 2S to the IL' much to cro hat Earl I;.‘' ing pl.tce Chic (.a hen tr. 511 int. a i iht• rlar ter. f• - (I pointed stst the rise dij Ira t.tre 1)411 in rty 1114 t• nbt tine ; of he n•li .it ley cnilri.lo. /id i•I sere ni,pti. ra- calltd to it I ity of Paris. %.1 Footaitible.: of silett:e. Ltd to it. .thr hat punched null.; 10 52V in- t;'.l , if anv the It ? Ivou',l hive lily (,•4r i•nwer. ten men at . of thinw the II I one clera:' , arnl 110 the 4•1 . 1 0 cr. the to the A.1:1•4 tiv snow to ow wit tilt-y 13d Ito his teen put t It nc- all open cou los gis pledge( ry. In talie stet , at breach of th !t•lution of Jut of lirca!'.itte 4" Pr•i , the all , tircol r t to 5 t‘l . ll hi sit Ili ro. lit rl the v41144'4 4• rue Iles.. tile 101 ..0 twat nt pe re. t(.l ace e%,ett!i. tt•!5,.! Ito re- could ire It and re,...rve ire in eons. que Pilo retired /4, ?ly 1.3(1 lha fore the Ito Ise fot hied no to tween C o " in. Russ.J, am ter went, no t ity tion of the Out :teen cf 'treaty. Ti ,fiat to , tin t on p titre. St )e. MI: • 4'1112' bY / 1 'Vier of a- Irent;,g re, to rake i n . NS il^ .i.e; • ore .re U1l1 "• int no the vessel, in 'eitaect to a ith I .ltitospl 10 Orr rill jle 'e Teo). 6 1 1 - tIP p, trrld •Itr, been interrupted ; hut in a state of gene no ship had a right to search another upon rquis of LANSDOWNE said, that that to .vas complaining of: it ought to have hied for in the treaty, that Bonaparte s ail with arms. It was, therefore, worthy rr enquiry, what ships were in the Medi it the time, and what instructions were em ; ;Aber these instructions were con sqo nn , or given to every ship. There nr' triple upon which he should touch : Lord bad adverted I o Bonaparte's procla ud aid, I hat he had no reason to com e airrlati.ar of the terms of the treaty with 19 bad invlvertently omitted one procla- Ilia Bonaparte directly insists upon that It wa. dated March R ; and called it a II the articles of which had been violated ;" at to tall, of taking from his wife and son kb had hoes' secured to them by the 'bother it was Bonaparte's opinion that h a d been violated or not, it must be re bat these tn oclamations were addressed, Allio:—but to the people of France; arid iect with respect to them was not so much It the articles between the Allies and him as that the promises from the !o them had trot been fulfilled. The rea d by Lord Castlereagh for assenting to mem, was the affection which subsisted P people of France anti Bonaparte ; and )uld operate as a greater reason for ad . The ground of the Noble Marquis's al upon which it would receive his support, with regard to the main point of the secu ope, no precaution was taken as to the lamp:we—that although with regard to of the Allies, and the arrangements re new government down to the subsequent of power in Germany and other parts of 'ere wine repeated State Papers to which as a party ; )et as to the great point upon mean; of making these arrangements !re was nn niiderstatiding at all, In the 7e of the Allies, the result was not con when it was afterwards seen, this mea istils disposed of without the concurrence : and when there were means of reconsi measure, and the English Ministry had liemselves avowedly unsatisfied, no proti caution was then taken with regard to it Cmizress which was so long w.sembled, niu.cd t hemselves with the contemplation fcr of Genoa to Sardiaia upon a remote in the invasion of Italy, and took no one , nor issued a single proclamation, as to more imir.ediate danger of Bunaparte's ont I'IILTI T.—lf this debate hat! taken ay last year, and it the Nohle Lords had iverfd themselves, and had told the House ,lers of the arrangement in question, and it out ns one which the circumstances of not justify, founrkd as they state it to 41 acts of gross injustice, theft might they ted some cleilit for foresight. As it was, t to cotick:.ive how they justified their linking the treaty bottomod in some in eertining silent either at the time they sed of it, or when their attention was by taking into cqnsitieration the Treaty Rich necess.irilv rele:red to this 'Treaty of They then contoirriated it with per. and zive their unanimous vwe of assent. hough the Noble Nlarquis had been re it!' this before, yet he had not a single y against ;t iu his reply. The fact wus, ariargement had been made as to what done pith !he person of Bonaparte, it been useloss, for his person was not in Theugh he might ha re had but 9.0,000 . firm. (hut the Noble Earl was inclined to umber much greater), wore thorenntconsi- mies in other parts of the country E Though of Paris was a great particular advantage es, it was also a considerable embarrass. tern for if they had made a fake stei., !‘) fortresses to retreat to, and would have ) the inconvenience of a long march throuzh )untry. The faitit of ltossia and Prussia , ed already, :;od N3Foleolt had been itiducod .ps in consPrlooce. Top consequence of a !his faith would hive been a complete dis the alliance, by occasioning an appearanCe ig faith with the whole aruly of Prance: .ur had been ao:),inittcd for a retreat for Bo nd his soldiers had come over only condi -snch I'ol. at : they n havearain taken him, if this violation of honour had taken Ineaking Coe treaty, we cloothl have armed coantr ) a.2,ainst 11 , and n hat would have inguage of tho•e Nchle who are so ,ease, if in conseqivenco bod Castle. truatv, v.ar broker) out It *talk necessary to u , sent to the ticaty, or othit.g to do 1,4 illi it : . 1.1 what risicTlP bare tt ithheLl our opioion of rail of it, 'etl the tight t:it:i%cms heti I?ulia parte, wore of Pur consent, had andicatc:l and ElhA to the quetiott uhether the tl been p•ii4l him, it was not at present be leusv ; we n ero tent nceouiltahle for it : we tarry to that agreement, at hich was he. Impute and the Suverei,:tis of Austria, aid ; anti the Provisional Govern haairtg•pl:rl the money, was no infrac'- rc its to them, unless they had to, ntol reft,osil to give eill.ct to the rhe sovvrei.:rita trf Elha being once given rte, h e was invested with all vwers of 4:0 - ; an agreement ri!g':t hate been wrong, wadi', it must be abirhai by. As to the frigates stationed l'or ti.e purpose of pre -3 rfcape, he had ahrig t hhe had a right any port whwever; and, in point of fact, went to snore French ports, and returned. , telligence were given thnt he was aboard it was impossible to prevent this. With any Preparations which he was making in 'self, front the very nature of his expedition, -avian for it was necessary : they began en lay ; three merchantmen were aer.idatitally id he seized on them; and no preparations measure could be foreseen by arty boil)1 fur- THE STAtESMA'N. none were made. As to a conspiracy between him and the interior of France, where could information of that be obtained ? In the island of Elba, where he possessed the whole power, or in France ? No blame attached to his Majesty's Government on any of these ground=. Upon the subject of the informa tion received by Government from Mr. Pi:v(4r and Mr. Caramin, the Noble Earl entered into some of ficial detail, and said that they declined to answer the examination of Ministers upon the subject, or gave eva , ic. answers. Lord GRENVILLE said, it was impossible not to conceive what must be the feelings of Europe, after the waste of so much blood and treasure, to find that all our endeavours in the great conflict had been fruitless, and that we were exposed to a recur. rence of all those calamites and dangers from which we had been telieved by unhoped for success. Europe now asked, how it happened, after the sacrifice of treasure that weighed down every country, that all the favours which Heaven had bestowed one just cause were vain :tint useless, and all the sanguine hopes w . e hail chef ished were laid in the dust? Did not England, did not Europe now require, that we should east oar eyes on that event which had disap poiuted us of thtise wipes? after the reverses which Bonaparte hail suffered iu Russia, and the conflict was brought home to that nation which had deluged every other country in blood, it was likely that the peace of the world would be restored, two modes were devised of effecting that object : one mode was, to obtain security from the then existing Government of France; lie other was to obtain that security from the legitimate Government of France. Of those two measures he had no doubt which was the right or best. The first was hied end failed, and the other was resorted to.— It had been asked, why peace was not concluded on the terms proposed at Chatillon? but those terms had been withheld from Parliament ; and he knew not therefore, how their Lordships could decide on terms wliieli had not been promulgated. If they were any thing resembling what he bad beard in rumour, so far from not complaining that peace had not been made on them, it' peace had been brought down to that House upon those terms, his most de cided opposition would have been given to it.— On those terms, however, peace was not concluded ; and the Allies determined publicly to declare, that se curity should no longer be sought for in that course, Mat that it should be sought for by such a change in the Government of France, as would enable that Government to treat for peace on terms more ho nourable than could otherwise be obtained. Of the propriety of that Declaration, he would say nothing. It was determined to seek for peace in the removal of that individual who then held the Government of France, but whose continuance there was declared to be incompatible with any hope of peace. What, then, was it that we claimed? It was a security re sulting from the exclusion of Bonaparte from the Throne of France. That was the principle on which we fought; nediutiless we obtained security on that point, we failed in the whole object of our exertions. Noble Lords were willing, at this day, to persuade us, that Bonaparte was a power capable of inspiring terror when lire Treaty of Fontainbleau was signed, and that he was in a situation to dictate peace to the atel rut the Allies to him : but their Lord ships concealed from our memory, that Soult and So hit were surrounded by an army and a Chief who, ft am campaign to campaign, had fought and defeated ttie::l, and is so even after that event defeated them swill. Th^ arms of Italy was kept in check, and the garrions on the Rhine and on the Elbe were un able to co-opi rate with Bonaparte. The whole of their Lordships' areument, therefore, reduced itself to this: with the South of France occupied by our victorious army, and the force of Italy opposed by equal numbers, Bouaparte, at the head of 20,000 or O,OOJ men, harassed and exhausted by continual mnrches, stood in the face of all Europe; and the Noble Lords would have the House believe, that it was wise and expedient to conclude a peace with him, leaving him completely at liberty, at any mo ment of his choice, to resume that Government, his asi el o .iori from which constituted the only hope of tLe secatity'ol Europe. In what country, in what Louse, was there a min who could lay his hand on his heart, and say he approved of that Treaty ? Was it poisible that Ministers could be so surrounded by flatterers, that they were so destitute of frieuds who would speak the truth, as not to know, that it had received the universal disapprobation of every indivi dual, of every description in the country ? In order to cover the negligence of all precaution, they de scribed the terms nut only as more favourable to Bonaparte than they had ever been understood to be, but more advantageoes titan he himself now conceived them to he. While Noble Earls were boasting of his situation in Elba, he says that th 6 breach of the Treaty of Foetainbleau had restored him to France and to libel ., c :—to liberty, because he did not con ceive that by sending him to Elba, it was left to him to reassume the Government of France. He (Lord Granville) certainly did believe that he had given the makers (if that Treaty credit for more titan they were entitled to : he thought that some understand ing had existed between Bonaparte and the Allies ; that some terms were agreed upon and signed, by which that object was to be secured upon which was placed the whole security of Europe. It was curious, after having contended how successful they had been, that nevertheless our Plenipotentiary had hastened to Pal is for t he purpose of protesting against that Treaty. After all the vain boasting of our Councils and exertions against Bona parte, it appeared that when the fate of Europe hung on the decision of a day, either no British Minister was at his post with the Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia, or the ialluence of Great Britain was so small as not to pre sent the pacification from being concluded. Highly as he respected the persons and Governments of our Allies, by whose concert and union alone Europe was saved, he did not allow that in any arrangements, or any country, it was tit England should hold such subordinate situation.—that such atrangernentsshlutd be made, not only without her concurrence, but even without the know:etige of her agents. Much as the Noble Lords might think it right to panegyrize that Treaty, he was ;iersuailed that it would be a higher gratification to them, if they could annul tire past. —s. He believed, that that which he thought had been done, might have been done in perfect conformity . with that peace, and in 4 a manner . Inult Bonaparte ~--- ~_~ •. had not a . poweretthiett *right to resist. His retreat hands, and said, act as Yoe understand it. ite 'ai and asylum in Elba oiseht in all prudence to have been down confident in the hope that their LordihiPi occompeseee with such provisions as would have would acquiesce in the motion. prevented Lim from milking his escape. In the same brew h, Lord ABERDEEN justified the terms made with however, the Noble Lents sniff, they Bonaparte at Fontninbleau. The situation of the' had no right to interfere with the motions of that Sc- armies rendered seine nrrhtigerneut with him ebso vereign Prince, hut that an understandiug did prevail lutely necessary. The Noble Berms had arraigned with the naval officers on that station to intercept his the Minister of this country for not being piesent ; motions. How could this be reconciled? What but owing to some movement of the army, he was became of the argument of sovereignty ? What of separated, and afterwards lost en time in joining the the argument of freedom ? Why it came to this-- Emperor of Russia : for, what did Lord Castlereagh that if Bonaparte apprised them beforehand of Isis say? " On my arrival, I found this aliens/meet intention to lease Elba, even then they had not the on the point of eeecution." What could he do ? courage to prevent him, but they placed an lion. The Emperor of Russia's word was pledged -to rho Officer in the situati on o f b e i ng res p ons ibl e f or hi s T reaty, and the N oble L ord modified it a s . far as WaS escape. If for no other reason, yet on these grounds practicable. That part whi,l related to Elba WaS he should nsseet to the motion of his Noble Friend. indispensable. The Allies declared that they would l l e f ss tli n e es l s f i o n use s lase ta.iip a s is lvill r i r n a g o, , e rneoevt:ti•l of that the total care-' no t t rea t w ith & inapt rte . W e agree d protect his that business—a flag, and to cause it to he respected by the Bestiary carelessness from which their Lendships knew not to Powers. It was a Treaty concluded under the im what degree of honest] misery the world might be re- ! pression of necessity : it was a choice of evils, and duced—it bereme them to consider in what situation the least was chosen. Every moment was precious— it was that the officers of our navy and army were the Chief of the army could not answer for the troops, placed, with no written instructions to guide them unless such Treaty was adopted. There was no Re;. against Allies to interfere with anticipate. It was not fair to the character of the him at Elba. officer on that station, that this subject should rest! Earl GREY said, that it was not his intention, without further investigation. It should be known after the length to which the debate had gone, to whether the evil had happened because he had not hare offered his sentiments at ell, had it not been for discharged his duty, or that no means were provided some most extraordinary things - which had fallen for hint by which he could discharge it. The Noble from the two Noble Lords opposite, who had Lords had said that a stipulation was made on the part spoken last, and last but one. It was impossible, of Bonaparte. If there were nothing else, that single however, to let those observations pass without some fact proved them to have been guilty of the most roe- short notice. The Noble Earl (Liverpool) had told Mina, neglect. Nothing was provided for, nothing them, that notwithstanding the triumphant march of secured to prevent his escape. The whole would the Allies into Paris—notwithstanding the torious appear to posterity as a fable rather than a history, successes which had led to that catastrophe—notwith- e because they would not believe it possible that Mi- standing the proud hopes which were justly founded nisters could abandon and neglect so sacred a trust. upon those successes--the Allies were compelled, as Lord mEr.viLLE said, that the Noble Lord, a matter of necessity., to submit to arrangements who feel just sat down, had endeavoured to draw the which, in their Consequences,' as they now '<levet: attention of the House from the main question before loped themselves, menaced Europe with new (lingers; them. Ile could not believe that the Noble Lords and those were among the first fruits of that great were justified in treating the case as they had done; and glorious success which had crowned the efforts of they should take it under the circumstances that oc- this country, for the maintenance of its own indiet curred at the time. It was very well to argue upon • pendence and the safety of the world. And ho* what was the relative situation of Bonaparte with the had that necessity been produced ? Why, according Allies, but when they felt that there were difficulties to the testimony of the Noble Earl who spoke lest, it which induced them to conclude the arrangement in existed in the Allies being compelled to treat with a question, it was too much for the Noble Lords to person who at that moment ass in a situation of set their opinion up ngainst what was the concur-. • such despair, discomfiture and dejection, at Fontein. rent opinion of all. The Allies thought that some such bleep —so weak, so desperate, that by a movement of arrangement was highly advisable: the question to the combined troops his army would have been de consider was, what were the consequences arising stroyed, and its leader annihilated. That was the from our accession ? We acceded to that part of the • declaration of a person who was himself on . the Convention by which Bonaparte was to reside at spot, and had the means of knowing what he at. Elba. What was the consequence? There was no firmed ; and if that was compared aids the stipulation to confine him there ; nod he was en- statement of the Noble Lord who described titled to demand, under that negocietion, that he the situation of Bonaparte to be so fornsida. should be treated as Sovereign in that island. No ble that he could have protracted the war, it would man would say, that we had any power or right to be confessed that some new lights of policy were deprive him of his liberty. It had been said, that breaking upon them with respect to that trensection. Ministers had done most unfairly by the Commander It appeared that the Treaty of Fontninbleau had there, in not putting him in information of the cases been concluder!, not from any fear of the res7stance in which he might detain Napoleon. Ile would state which Bonaparte eas its a condition to offer, but the course that had been adopted. It could not be from the desire of transferring to the King of France disputed, that when we had acknowledged him as So. that army which he commanded, in a good temper; vereigts of Elbe, and had agreed to respect his flag, or, to use the words of the Noble Lord (Castlereagh), we admitted we could not act against his vessels, any who wrote with the same elegance and precision that more than against a State with whom we wet e not at he spoke, " to pass that arms' over to the King in a war. It was said, the Admiral ought to have been state to be made use of." IVith regard to the escape instructed ; but there was not one who hail stated of Bo n aparte from Elba, he thought there was a the instructions he would have given. Ile would great degree of celpable negligence in our Govern suppose that Bonaparte had sailed about his islend, ment. The danger of such an escape required ao and taken his body guard with him ; would they extraordinary foresight to anticipate; and yet be. have instructed the Admiral, in that case, to seize cause it was impossible so hermetically to seal that Bonaparte? Suppose that the seine vessels had been island as to preclude all possibility of escape—be proceeding to France : Noble Lords would say, he cause they could not " make assurance double sestet," ought to be seized. They were the mines who —because, in fact, every thing tesuld not be done, would throw on that °dicer the responsibility of the Noble Lord at the head of the Admiralty, and judging what were the cases in which be should de- his colleagues, seemed to think therefore that they fain Napoleon. It was impossible to define before.. were released from the obligation' of making any pro. hand all the cases which might justify detention.—' visions against such an event. Cousiderieg the eharar.. The sloop of Bonaperte was in the habit of sailing ter of the person who had been placed in the Isle of Elba to the ports of the Mediterranean, and we were not —considering the means which hetpossessed— and con. entitled to stop that vessel.--We were not entitled to ' sidering the views which had been imputed to him, was visit her, unless we thought Bonaparte eas on board it, or was it not to be expected that lie would make with a hostile is/tr.:ohm, as that would be a violation a descent on France or Italy ? Why then slot of the treaty. It has impossible to give any pal ti- provision been made against such as event ? Why cular instruction; but as totes as Bonaparte did not had not the British Admiral on that station been iii. give us reason to suppose he was acting in opposition reeted, if he met Bonaparte in his corvette, .armed s to his engagements, we were not at liberty to inter- and prepared for hostility, to detain him, and pre. fere with him. This was the whole extent of the un- vent him from executing his purpose ? If he could derstanding with the Admiralty. ! collect any thing from the Noble Viscount <and he Tune Marquis of BUCKING [TAM was astonished confessed that not much of the Noble Viscouot's that Ministers should have neeeded to a Treaty so speech was to him intelligible) it was, that not a incompatible to its ohjects. It was their extraordi- word of instruction had been given either toihe Ad. nary blindness, %hirer exposol them to the judse. mlral, or to the surbordinate naval officers. Alleles event of their country. They had said it was impos. Noble Viscount lad said was, that Adm. Hallowell, sible to prevent the escape of Bonaparte from Elba. a name which it was impo:sible to pronounce %Wi llis answer was, what wns the object of piecing him out respect, as that of an individual universally there ?—what was the object of the war ? The Pro- honoured, not merely for the way in which he dis. clamatiou of the Allies declared, that it was repiest charged the duties of a senseati. but also for• the the person of Bonaparte, and that the peace of Eu. manner in which be fulfilled the more exteesive rope depended on his being secured. It was net the gations of a man and a chizen—that Admiral H ',- conduct of the Allies, hut of his Majesty's Ministers lowell bed expressed hie determinatioe, if he should that he condemned. De did not ask whether the find Bonaparte engaged in any attempt to laud hos. 'frosty was fit or net fit for the Allies, but ally tilely on the continental shores, on his own discretion did:ethe Minister of Great Britain suffer it to to detain him and prevent him from executing his be concluded without his coecurrence ?---The purpose. A most . proper determination. But how object of the Treaty was to secure the peace did it come to the knowledge of the Noble Viscount? and tranquillity of Europe they se- —Wats it by accident, or did it proceed from Ad. cured the peace and trauquillity of Europe ? miral Hallowell himself, as the precursor of a re- With what face could Ministers boast of having ac- quest to he instructed on the subject by the Admi. ceded to such a treaty, by which it sees impossible ratty, or at least to ildieutte to the Admiralty the to secure the person of Bonaparte? As to the choice expediency of instructing his successor with respect of Elba, was it poi , Sib)e tp place him there, without to it ? Having, in whatever way, obtained a know. exposing the Allies to danger? But Ministers chose ledge of this determination of Admiral Hetlowell's, to place him both within the reach of France and ought it not to have served as a hint to the Ad. Italy. The House must all sememeer the cry of the mirnlty to give these instructions to ids successor, day, that the deliverance of Europe was owing to which the resolution adopted by Admiral 11. proved the wisdom of the Noble Loots, and that the Pe ice to he absolutely necessary ? Such appeared to him to of Paris was the reward of their pet severance. The be the breach of duty on the part of his Majesty's Noble Lord had been rewarded for his perseverance, Ministers on this occasion, that if Parliament and the result had been the escape of that person, tied the country expressed a disposition to leave who, he feared, would be the cause of renewing all power in such hands. they must not be surprised those evils and calamities from which we lied !wen at any future mischar cos that might occur. A great delivered. Was their object the security of Belie- dark , : had - existed, n t "inst which it had been the pnrte's person ? Did they stipulate that he should tint duty of Minister's to provide. The motion• fur their leave the island ?—No. They said they did not give Lordehies' decision was to call on Ministers for the instructions, but there etas an understanding with steps they had taken its the discharge of their duty. the Admiral. He wished to Cod there had been To that motion their Isord e hips must accede, tildes, au understanding iu the Noble Lords. instead of they were absolutely iodine. pointing out how that officer was to set, they put which the affairs of the that precious paper s the Treaty of Paris, into his Forhis,owo part, he never ~.~ .. r.. lereot to the milliner in on were r game Tote situ a 0.. e • •