The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-02-26 00:00:00

iament fbr a Bill of Indemnity..--The motion wss then put and nsgstivetl. The Earl of LkuCtitaDALS gave notice of his in -"alike* to submit a laeo49a. fiat Monday ; w'unight v on the commercial policy ottlte 'Orden. in Council. Lord Easitts a also gate notice of his intention, an to-wwwwwr to.taisua thaw Orders. - 4tij° 4r u ed- •- °.4 •;. • ...thsJbals, SlSSrasra.ww-issoSo9,loa. r - pactrs.u; At tea Frieda* 44, the Earl .4 CAltf,.lll. • W this del. ait • Dillialtralm—Becivee the proposition siasl o 4llP Iliettee ia evidently sod traianiably true.. .• I. WI tantotoo the Plollttosoda of intropratity, ottrawiatrwaso tairct hts Crovenlobrui, , 44 ..; %we the.rocds !trait% tott The as of fife Kited in Ulu militia '" laildri Aerate totallasedatay lispai, e 4 t• elleteehriplani'litetti ealsteett tot awl Pio Ila Soto of tiewends of kb VOWS 4.01 11 7 doespia ten" °W U, p r otrt . E:exportauon. • Attd we MO( anyease of as Order iunsed by His Majesty . C &mitres., to the Statute Law of the E. , aim, t. • msdefFersoeh importauee ea to reqsure =WI • wawa attention WAils Moose. CARA-ISLA_ GILENO I LLE a ERSKINE, SPENCE, _ WILLIAM. LASERS'S/ILE, oF COMMONS. GRAY, AUCKLAND, WENTWORTH FITZ- We. Tauter; ;.iikait!;«,;a; .0 ri:. die Table, emitt ed& I. Mr. foot, tin armaditor Odra Isiah Exchequer, pr a m ? es to as tuiprOper hawk's bole token of boa, sot , withatanilt4g what h e ia T a to the propriety of ',...1 , 4 Kin he Oplees la I tut frelaad to a Coal '‘altrt: r. ' ride. OM wee, bill there ought to be a gravel% ead ..f ibaseartuir die pairtiee sudsier -14 ,he I's% - . all he stall 111,11111, ts poise ia the molecular : tr vci a. a Alertore as that he had allatipd to yesterday, st. ansk that Hight I.l4lbourable Gastleasta bid thought pro. 'are tie sire t ..of,et of Ids Vacating , to emit ids Bill to a. Castmadtiro of Ways aid Mae.., sabsammel le kis (Mr. weary) hawse swath's waMeasulessairaillpetba H , Awl peen thus ooiaion apabillga.preasligien ashaptias .. prgissmos. A • Mr. Forrest /hi-Mooted Isuswif boss Wig mil. wish "Wee to y undue aavasiseir•ii this parisfalast • At tW time. he cave ounce of ha satestiescia - ishwieNtelliale a cam :limier of ways and $e le did me ea* Mat the 4,,,0 ki.,,,,.. usaskspie 1.64:::ar tar,, spt‘Aleueotitia. le'soi be bidasiwo ea 1 example Al hie Right. Ho& Oil Earb.equer, is repel to the eases Dillsoraillot the Mr_ 'tie se nit mad a bar words le rally, IliliCh Ire Cut diatioclp heir, STOCKHOLM AND COPENHAGEN. • • more .„ Mr. :lthiliDarl--.." Many circumstances have eonspircd to • induce me to postpone, more once. the Munn of which I gave notice ; '. - ..taitay eirennistances have made it fultwtoi . . me to rise, but at rather a late hour. Were however, mach later than it really-is, 1 should still area it my duty not to delay longer to submit the Proposition of which I hive so long given these notices. I candela, Sir, Ido not rise with any sass guise feelings of success,' because I have seen that notions for information , groupdedeertakily upon I as strong pretensions as can produce this evening, have amen negatived by large majorities of this House; and because 1 hat se seen a very strong de. ternsinstion io His Majesty's Ministers, to refuse information upon one of the most important sub jects upon which this House of Commons ever re quired to be informed. I cannot be sanguine in it, as I have already communicated my Motions to the Right Honourable Gentlemen opposite ; and ' I eannat help thinking, that in proportion as ' they refuse information to us, they think them selves entitled to receive previous informatioa of our intentions, to as tii shape their defence accord - ingly ;or I rather apprehend it is in order that .. they may know bow to defeat our object. Upon the present occasion, the House being so disposed to agree with His Majesty's Miaisters in denying ~' all material information, it may be fit that I should recall to the recollection of all, that the Howse of - . Commons have :lover yet pledged themoelves upon the subject of the Copenhagen Expedition, either in any direct mode of approbation or of censure. Waiters have, 1 may my. very dexterously avoid ' e,': entering generally into its real merits. I shall - not, however, detain the House by entering much - -at large in the general question, as an Hon. Friend of mine has already given notice of a motion for . ' Wednesday next, which will enable us to come ' wore .ninutely into the discussion of the real merits ' ' •f that question. This will materially shorten what I - have to say, tll the qaestion itself wilt then be fairly sti rs, and is will Oien be ascertititiral isht-ther that oc; vd.tion Weserreci the spprobativ:, ov disapproba. *Lltss • of des l a tt he ap i r:i:te. to try the W I IllsdritilSo if ebaiiiis satisem Eleetioa nd a t p li a e r arr irAs atg l icit t ct it it i i r Illpallare, sos7smh duly elected, sod that the Petitio n o f Dr. Cressyditt, tie Mit* Candidsta, was frivolous and rem- alma ThirdOodetra intimated faiths Hews, that es to.inerrow oat she dor Om recoivios *mile retiOdell, lm showhi tabs the Chair early. ,T l * WWI. .14 tho City et Loodon y resented two Peti- boos relotiva tie imortmessrata in Smithfield lessitit, sod , . Ittio raitOrry erase. folio OM* were savoralty aimed to istiilihdelhde a Canada*. .;., • w tris pat some *Om to the in the Ibt the g la im et 11 the ammo so whit% mkt to . - tr. 4 SS A 4!. • ' • . 'For Solforf tom lodes dr* filissiosior be Asia Emma Sir Oisidna •of . all Comeopmedsocis leach had Tror ßiM o r s l / 4 : see lt Wiest" • For afuterame at tttaslsalrDsili idiTtr:rioAtielliesc:ra. • ari OM Isaias bf Fir Jody 'smiths's, a Committee was sigtsiOMS to WY UN 4111•11161110611 1 . OW Acts Dew is dyne as to limed Wheals, sod* somest ths best made ot con- litilwiZZ:trarroirdiatl ltizweis . , Roark.--ft was lath tiortie lisi tiii said Com RAW! liwiletalbir iit soli& preensue spat stage -aCillitiiiiiX l X SLECTiat I : 11 . 1 r.la TTES e ~ •.. i ' ILAPAPITTO I ) AT 4 • _ /sod ildrylimsh . C. DeedsevEst ras. Latittlto POW PI ATT. ficill or • • • '. Air R. Salisbury • . . . • :t • .610•1101, AMMON comerrirrs, . - avu.om• THY DAT. • Peter liendermor Elul. prila s ot lion. F. Griffiths FOorph 11. Stnit, Esq. toti oo loimes U . P ostal F. Jobs Wilde*? Eli. • OM Esq. 11•111111 WI fl. 14 .0101011161, En. Low/ iforawiktie I. ifpwast Emi Tempi', Ellice, Eat ORDERS OP COUNCIL. _~ :st• fiat' offish Hoes& r with the •. sincerity, that I ghat 'great raiment. iii endeavoorinw to litintain the propositicin, that our attack upon Deamark, which has caused.war with that power and Russia, against thia comatrys has been a scaucialous, uujustunittle, ,and unpros coked agges.ion. Ido declare,' that myttope is, that Ministers may be able to justify themselves; feeling, u I trust every one must feel, that it,is au odious situation for one to Le placed in, to endea vour to make oat a ease against our own country— r Hear ! hear ! from the Massuters). 1 only ask credit for that as beiug my feeling upon this *object. But then, Sir, we are to expect t h at the y would not . have been shy in giving us inf rmation. b ut that they would boldly and fairly endeavour to make out a strong case of state necessity. I have a right to expect that they would grant what I want in the first instance. I ask for information. that they would shew us symptoms of the slightest collusion between Denmark and France. or of the hostile mind of Denmark towards this country. I did ex pect, alleast, that that would have been made out br some information being produced to this House ; but when I find that they rest their defence on a mixture of three assertions, what am I to conclude from such a conduct ? At one time it was stated to be the necessity of the case, at another, the provo cation on the part of Denmark, and at a third time, the imitation of Bonaparte's conduct, by say ing, that we should execute an act against the rest of Europe, for the purpose of 'hewing our hatred against our enemy. Notwithstanding all this mix ture of defence, the result of the whole is a total denial of all actual information that ought to be given. There never was, in the history of Eng land, a eau, in which war was commenced under such circumstances, and upon which the Parlia ment of the country was called upon to require from the people a sacrifice of their blood and of their money, while they, at the same time, were denied information of the causes wlech occasioned these measures to be adopted. ffentlemen ran away with the Wes, that information of the sort new required upon this subject is dangerous, in so far as it may commit those who gave it. lu doing this,they overlook the real priutil lea of oar free (.Goa-, atitution, and that publicity is the very moue of it. • There may be advantages in a despotic Go vernment. likely to arise from secrecy, and working in darkness and in mystery ; but in our Govern ment, we are to balance the matter, to determine in what way the advantages 'decide ; and whether we do not derive more advantages from acting in the real spirit of the C•ustitution, than by acting Utilise manner which would be most beneficial to a demotic monarchy. Bobody can doubt tiviti . a monarchy might have an advantage in information of the steengtrf of the 1=1; uobody can deny that it would be be-, to them to bribe both the Cabinet !OA the Generals of their saversaries; All this they may do oithout being called to ao- Want by their own Government. It may also adveatageons to a despotic Monarch to en joy the power of seising persons suveeted of se dition, and not be called to account. But, on the ether hand. can any man !ay, that it would be better to eat( ad smelt petters to a British Ministry. and that we should grantAm unlimited rums to purchase foreign canuets, so .as to make the Mi nisters of onr enemies our friends ? Can any one say. that it would be better to give the Govern ment of this country the pOwer to arrest every per sou they may be pleased to suspect of sedition against them, under the Habeas Corpus act ? Can any man say, that these are advantages calculated for such a Government as ours? No, Sir, we must have the spirit of a free Constitution, without en deavouriug to mix pith it those advantages which belong alone to despotism, and which may enable a despotic Government to be snore vi rous upon some occasions. The difference bebtween a free and a despotic Government is precisely this, that no Ministry, knowing the na ture of our Constitution, can earry on a corres pondence with foreign Courts for such purposes as those alluded to. without knowing that the time may come when they are bound to produce the whole communications which have preceded asy unfortunate and unforeseen circumst an c es of w a .. Under these predicameuts I may state, that such communication. as they have made may be divid ed into two parts. One consisting of extracts read by a Right Honourable Gentleman in this House, who has been censured in another quarter ; and I wish I could persuade him to fulfil his duty to this House, by making his extracts more complete ; the other is the correspondence which they have laid before the House. Add to these that portion of information which they positively refuse to tender. Now, Sir, to the first I refer with regret. ' The Right Honourable Gentleman opposite reads a letter upon the subject of the disposition and in tention of the Court of Ccpenhagen • • and he air reads various extracts from letters. of Mr. Garlicke. by which we are to declare that Ministers were to be led to decide that the general disposition of the Court of Copenhagen was hostile to Great Bri tain, and that it was to he in amity with France. Now, I apprehend that there never was any thing so garbled and so unfairly stated as those commit nications or parts of communicatioee, which h av e been read. I shall not tax him with a wilful neglect, but must say, that he seems to have take* extracts carelessly from some under clerk, that will lead one to suppose that such a disposition was evinced. If a dexterous Secretary were to take a part here, and a part there, from cornmeal cations, it might haeastly done so as to shew a hos tile dispuition where no such disposition actuall existed. I shall suppose, that in authentic information hail been read by the Right Hon. Gentleman, communicated in a dispatch received from th e Minister at St. Petetsburgh, stating, that the Dues had had the baseness to adopt menus for scuttling the ships we got possesssion of in order that they might sink in their way home, that this was contained in one paragraph, but that the very next one denied that there was any foundation for such a rumour. What would have been the indignation of the Home had they found that a Seeretatry of State had merely read to us the first paragraph of such a communication, and omitted to inform as of the last one ? A libel and calumny, formerly alladed ti, have been contradicted by Lord Cathcart, and it now appears that the Dues petformed the stipu- • . lathing of tbs napituildicm with the most scrifpu kus good faith. - ,It has pow been emitisclicted with the same Mite •withwhich it was elrealeted. Vitat I have alluded tdis but u very IA Andes of the artifices that have beeu practised. if the Right Honourable Gentleman were to tell au ingenious clerk to •pick out extracts from dispatches, he might make oat a case of hostility from say die patches whatever. This puts me in remembrance of a story in Dead Swift's .6 Tale of a Tab," where an iugeoious supposition was fallen upon by the elder brother, afterwards aided Lord Peter, in order that he iiii.eht, be enabled to wear shoulder knots, which weresthen fashionable, but which were not included in the dress prescribed to Ides by the will of his father, under the pena lt y of fprfeiting his estate. Upon looking into the will they found nothing said of shoulder-knots !.. But," saps Lord Peter, 6' if it be not found tolidem rerbis.. l we will ti lid it totidant syllabic." Upon trying that mode, he found that it would not answer his par- ' pose, and therefore he had next recourse to 'widens hurls. By this means he was enabled,. with great ease, to make out the word shoeklrr, but as to the other word blot, still a difficulty arose, it being discovered that the letter k did not once peepr throughout the whole will. this he concluded, that that word had by mirchance been wrong spelt, he there fore composed it by leaving out the letter k, and thus he thought himself hilly intitled to wear shoulder-lawts, as being also comprehended in the dress pracribed to him by the will of his father. (Laughter). I may refer the Right Honourable Gentlemun (continued Mr. Sheridan) to Dean Swift's authority, which 1 suppose he has not read, but which he may have heard of, as it is one of the most ingenious essays, taken from particular parts of St. Paril's Epistle to the Romans, defend ing every species of impiety and blasphemy.— There is another authority to which I may refer him, I mean the Poem of Ausouius, which he may have perhaps read in his juvenile days, every sentence of which is taken from the chaste Muse Of Virgil. lam sure that the Right Honourable Gentleman would not bear its comment iu this House, nor would he condescend to translate it for the use of country gentlemen, partly, perhari, through fear. lest some lien. Friel d of his, who may belong to the Society for the Suppression. of Vice, might make an application or complaiut to the . House, on account of the indelicacies that had, been practised. (Lord laughing.) Upon the whole, Sir, it is, in my opinion , truly killing at, and insulting this House, to lay ... AMC garbled extracts before us., I give no cr ed it to any part of the information we have; for not withstanding *hat we do know, we are not sure that we have not been vocal/ imposed upon. and that other parts of the same dispatch would not coo trailict the extracts. To illustrate this still further. I look at the correspondence of Lord Granville Le vesen Gower, the object of which is to make out that the expedition he Copenhagen was not that which incensed the Emperor of Itiissia against us, but that, on the contrary, he was at that time well disposed to this eountry. I hope that Noble Lord is at present in the House, in order that he may explain to uncertain inconsistencies which involve us again in confusion. Perhaps, however. pane crafty clerk has beets loggia *works tile disWeh is dated the 2d of September, and is written and produced, it is said, for the purpose of shewingthat the Emperor of Russu.was not irritated at the ezped i tionagainsteopeilhagenand thathe possessed a con ciliatory spirit. There are various correspondeuce in the same dispatch, all dated the '!d of Sep- . tember, and must all have been received by. the. Right Hon. Secretary at One and the same time. I want minnow when these dispatches were sent ? and whether the only object of them was to shew that the Emperor testified amity to this euuntry, although they must all have been written for va rious purposes ? In one of the letters .. yesterday" is alluded to; that might have been three weeks- ago ; and• another alludes to go-morrow ;" that might have been, perhaps, as many months pre. ceAing the day they were actually sent off.— One of these delightful communications, Ministers themselves own has been dated the ed of Septem ber, instead of the first of that month. Now what I want to know is, where will this communication cud ? Ou the very . mine day, conies the letter of General Buslberg, in which he elpresses.theito peror's astonishment at the expedition to Copen hagen, inclosed in the same note. In short, there is no possibility of making common sense of these communications; nay, they almost approach to idiotism. We are to suppose that it is the duty of Ministers to answer each letter paragraph by paragraph, in the same manner as we discuss Bills in Comnsittees. If such, then, be their mode, one paragraph and one answer must evidently contradict atiotlar. Mr. Secretary Can ning. while he writes, in one paiagraph of his ae swer, his observations upoit the hostile disposition of Russia, must In' the next animadvert upon the mild and mediating one. Thi.. may perhaps be trick or manreuyre, or what ydu like to call it ; because the same letter, or at least of the same ' date, communicates to him the false hopes of ac commodation, Ind at the same time conveys the utmost disappointment in such flattering ar pert ations, insomuch that ha could never be Juni fied in putting such contradictions into his answer, unless for the purpose of justifying the paragraphs in His Majesty's Declaration. There is truly something so very ludicrous in all this, that it puts me in mind of an old story I have heard of, concerning an old couuteyman of ' mine, who, like his 'other countrymen, had a turn 4r fficommitting blunders--which turn; 'I 'hope, has a a little obviated or dimiuished since the Union , tot two countries; by that union of interests Aseematuticating also an union of sentiments and liengenial influence of dispositions, so that ens pee. enlist turn for blunders rs not now so obeertlible ,as formerly. ( Laughing ).—This countremon. ) te whom I was alluding, happening to ba il a wife who was lying very ill, was advised to call' for s eticter, who resided at. a neighlmosing town m 'Rome distance, and thought . ot writing him a letter, 'begging him to come immediately) bat; before he sent it off, it so happened that his wife was dead. This melancholy event oecasioned.him to write a postscript to the letter*. bail so ovine's. This was one Irish blunder: he thinking that it was not at all necessary to contradict what he hail first stated. sir I • inriArippeteioe tht the letter smart shiver term the postscripte—(dore fasikter). Tidier was an. other Irish Mill. but the cloeter, to whom this letter was sent (who, according to ther story, doe s not appear to have, been ciao an Iriiihinauf is not said fa have written an answer to!' it, infonniug his employee that he had ordereet his carriage to the door,• auk the' he would be eitith him w a few moments ; 14 . 6 it said that this doctor afterwards addesda,postscwe to his letter, condoling the Irish. man open Ate metancholy ciikumstaute, as the Ministry' in this case have dose in their answers to Lord Gower's dispatches.. r Loa burets of laugh_ ter). Their esucluct has betku such as to excite the most serious iudignatieu; sand in such a case it is difficult to say whether iodignatiou *or ridiculi, he most excited; but I mayiaay with the poet— kidicalum test mad vetat The third point to which) I Intended to allude, is that portion of the necessary reformatieu which they refuse : but it teas been so gangly ar gued by my Right Honourable .Friend not me, (alluding to Mr. Ponsonby) in the trintion Which he lately made, that I should almost think it a paste of time to animadvert upon it. Oiily litthis be r e membered, that there never has been one rW1): 1 1'. called for, of which Ministers could prove to me, that any part would be detrimental to dre . .rehlie service. After such disputes as have already tale-s place upon this subject, it is impossible fersam, to expect that any thing I can move for now cais 7 be granted or acquiesced in; but 1 shall state a case,l4i. tar from any thing that passed in the consider:nit)o of the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, that he cannot at least shelter himself upon any of his former grounds. Sir, I will for a moment put out of the question our thirst for information upon the ,grounds of the war with Denmark, only repealing. that after such an act, so reprobated by all the* world, Sweden only excepted, comes the pars. graph in His Majesty's Declaration, that Hi e Majesty owed it to himself and to all Europe. to give a frank exposition of his natives, and to lay every informatiou before M. Pfotwith standing our title to have such information. I say, I shall put it out of view. I will suppose that they have made out some filed plea, some half case of state necessity, some recollection of former hostilities—then, I ask, is nothing to be ex. petted by this corm/I'y, as to the grouuds upoes which we are at war with Russia ? It has been said to proceed out of the question with Denmark ; bet in my view I take it at present to be entirely a se parate subject. I take it upon me tolarert, tba4 the real provocation given to Russia was 1..4 simply the expedition to Copenhagen, but it visa . a more heindur and itrecious breach of faith, ho. • emir, honesty, and political integrity. in the co iidnet of Ministers, after that infamous attack upon Co. penhagen had taken place. His Majesty's repro. seutative at the Court of Russia, Lord G.L. Gower, tukes, " there was a peaceable disposition .she bk., the Emperor, yet the expedition to COPenfiksea altered that dispositiou, and tendered hue ile to us.'' That is a fact, which, if este) makes against Ministers ; aad I will nruppowort Mh be so ; so that General &vary bad torned the question with Russia egaloat us. Lena L Gower, in his hat letter, dated the 25th of Oct. expresses, that in his monomial with sire ; Respecter of-Russia, he discovered that. whist Fa/ moutpleted the Eseperoet beediste Words he t wee, that he had intelligence from • the Creme Prince, that after the capitulation had takeri placei attempts had been ovule .to offer him new ipiulthe It had been communicated by Mr. Secretary Cone ding to Mr. Itiest„ that we would take Holstein from them tq give it to Sweden. I with to know wherel,betruth of this matter lies, and tO discover whether or net we conk', :riot; have Preserved terms of friendship with Russia, even after tins attack upon C:copenhtsgen, if we had not thus insueed •the CrOIVII Ponce through thi - Minister, Mr. Riest, resident in London ? I take it for grant. ad, that that upon which I am now to &lime is authentic infavnation from St. Peteriburgh. It is from nebspapers, and if - the Right Hose Gentle. man says he does not believe that such public-a. tions are authentic, then I will drop the sialijict. From these, however, we learn, that after we loci bombarded Copenhagen, sad it had capitulates , . after we had taken away their Beek, and at the veri• moment when we were gang to the Emperor of Russia, to get bum to mediate, he being a neu tral Protector of the Isiorth--at that very same mo ment, I my, it appears Ministers were threatening, through Mr. Riese, to take from Denmark a great portion of her dominions ; 1 mean Norway; eat even proposing to co-spetate with die Swedish garrison to take possession of Zealand. All this too seems to have taken place after we had totally quitted Denmark, and after the Danes had en tered into a capitulation. I want to know whether there be any truth in oar Commander in Chief in Zealand having _refused to become a party to O t a capitulation? Whether it was a wise cap or or not is a point I shall not at present ergot, sir shall I liseteW whether we might to have destroyd the I)aiiith fortifications and arsenals. That is tat the present question ; but I argue, that havinscinct made that Capitulation. it is necessary for Murata:l to exculpate themselves, by producing inforariat• to spew that they never did negocime with SiTttAo. l 'to take possession of Zealand, and propose to mist the tswetlish garrison in .so doing." (Here Mr. Sheridan read various Eatracts from the respondence between betweee the. .Dainsh Swell's Ministers for Foreign Affairs, which appeared in the French Papers of January last, end which com menced in a communication train Mr. - Clitining to the Danish Minister in London, in 'Lich the f# met. represented the occaostion of Zeal*, If'e Swedish name, es one of the consequencettrv continued hostility of Denmark to the t had the In thia Correspondence it was eteted, 0 °cc"?' .King of Sweden judged it neametr)oce of !n 1 Zealand with his troops, ice alsbnove dove it the King of Einti.rois wish, that he ral.__T e 'L "; .1 eta "Lig tormtdicrucise.) „ Thus our BIM " relret that be acktintieued 31r.k4 without any ev ing of.i. t welest o a fog oarfrandulenteedonapt; limes' C164)452A)1., says, he would have r ! " I)ith our ass istance, if he bedht': bealan..And then what doer; Ramis say ? 1 1 ••• nre"lei of Russia snyt , , " then I think it neer: , .—"Tepy Finland."--Thnt he hos sdresdy she , ha ir`4l.frwill. I doubt, soon occupy Stockholm. - tot I Ceed Iti ea It), to re •et 1;e der 4silt