The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1807-01-06 00:00:00

,~.., the acknowledgment of the French Minister,.as to the basis of the Treaty. wl.ich.iu former conferences with that Minister, his Lordship had acquainted His Majesty's Orme:repent. sss by that hlinister proposed. On his arrive' at Perit, 1. Talfeirand said, circumstances eerie efteneed, and that France would insist on more heeetkiel terms. Now, Sit, supposing for the moment, that the principle of ac t ill peesessien was the fi tits efo eel so on, it must, of necessity, embrace both the contreaing parties ; an though I am alive to the immense of the Declaration of the French Chief, as to detaining Vienna, Trieste, Fiume, &e ; yet, when in area cr to the expression of NI. Telleyrand, that in consequence of the im portance of Sicily to the King of Naples, there was notice of debatire upon it, my bred Yarmouth had protested against the cession of any part of the West Indies, or elsewhere ; I really de conceive, that by this answer, Lord Yarmouth die recede frosnahe principle of aetual possession, and conse qui tely there was a ground for the departure of the French Government. A wish of equal and per. feet justice solely induces ms to this inference. I am induced to it by considerations of great ail serious importance; and, as in private life, tes highest and mist honourable exertion of equity and iirdealipg, is he exercise of that virtue between ri to and man ; so the same principle should hold good between nation and nation; and on all ince. aims we ought to be inclined to give fair credit. where, from the circumstances of the case. i: is either due or demanded. Thus, if you take the conversation of Lord Yarmouth as a preliminary to a treaty, upon the same principle had the Govern ment of France aright to enjoy the same benefit, and profit of a similar inference ; for no species of s •phis try can convert that which is special pleading; agattist our enemy. into a laxity with respell to ourselves . But. my Lord Yermeut communicated the change which had !taken piece in hie tone and manner nt the French Wester, to the Government of this et:untie; and Mr. Fez, with the indignant feelings of his nature. ram sted against the tergiversation of the French Cahi .et ; yet, even theta, though he direeled Lord Yetaionth to demand his passports, unless Sicily was made a sine pa son, we find no stress laid upon the principle of aelual possession. Indeed, the more I scilicet upon this subjeet, I fed the necessity of setting the matter completely right, by heti.% this en eumstance fully and explicitly proved Left-re the world ; because then we would be enabled to ascertain on what t fix our opinions ; and cor reelly to judge. whether the prominent feeling to wards us' impropriety of treating with hrance Ise such. as the precepte cf . hunt .eire , and the dice tates of patriotism. will sane:ion the countenance of. biy Lord Yaimoutio, so discreet upon the principle of the supposed basis of the Negnciation, has been arreignel fee a premature exhibition of his peat 3, in opposition, to the orders be had received, of not :hewing them, unless Sicily wes given up Ent Lit it be ri c heeled. that between the period when those initruseities were given. and thin conduct of that Lord, Very great changes had occurred. Sicily was no longer considered a sane qua non, but was looked on as an article of barter, on a full and appropriate compeosation ; and M. D'Oubtil had actually signed a separate Treaty with France. In fact. the know ledge my Lord Yerreeeth bad from the Russian Minister hheself, of his in tention to conclude that 'frosty, was an additional inducement with that Noble Lord, to sheer his full Powers to treat. If he had so ailed upon the spur of the occasion. without any previous knowledge of the inter tions of D'Oubril. then it would have been the duty of his Lordship to have left Paris; but mister the circumstances I have stated, al though there was not sufficient to justify a viclation of the orders communicated to him, yet there was certainly much to palliate. Let us refleCt upon the situation in which this at of treachery. folly. or baseness, on the part of D'Oubeil, rift:eked the political relations of this country and France. The moment this measure was effseled, France' made great recessions from her former proposals ; but we must relnen*.l, that by the 'fleecy with Russia, the interests of France were materially im proved; she was bound by no bond of faith or Treaty of Alliance with us; her Governer:sett had all :thing told us is was their policy to treat with Kph sia, and to separate Celt Power firms negociating with us. When such a desireble objeel seas effeeted. was it not natural that they should rise in their de m:lnas ? And was it not the duty of my Lord Yar mouth to ascertain what were the demands of Fr: nee; what were the great interests at stake ? Wonid neat ask. every sensible man, a&ing as the trustee of negociator for others in a great and import- MO concern, feel an equal anxiety as that Noble Lot felt, Why to understand the new circumstances of the case, under the material change which had taken place? Upon the whole of the fraesadtion, I eanror see that any injury was the consequence of re coking the full powers. The Hon. Gentleman has also arraigned the appointment of the other Noble Lord. esti used with the termination of. the negociation at leiris. Eut, Sir, when I retied! On the numerous accomplishments with which lie is so eminently endowed, on that prompt and decisive resolution, which be. in so peculiar a degree, pos sesses; ano, lastly, when I recolleCt that he was not totally unkm a.r le those with whom he was to treat, a circumstance which, in my mind, would decide the difference between two men equally gifted, I really know not where His Majesty's Ministers could have made a more suitable seleaion. That, in his hands, the glory and credit of the country were secure ; that, for one moment, he wnuid not suffer the slightest derogation of its dignity, or its consequence, I am fully convinced. Indeed, my appreheieion is, that he was too peremptory; that he adhered too strictly to the minutta of forms ; that be did not sufficiently allow ler the difficulties which are ii,wpatalile to the intricacies of human life ; but most particularly to those, who, as in the present case, have the severe task of first regulating the in temperate sallies of an individual, it fated with vanity and cnccess, and then must devise the best means of banging their prrjetts into esistence. I r e gret the formal and categorical mintier in which the cc eignition of the principle of aeluel possession was demanded by that Noble Lind ; tor. I am convinced, !het :such a demand, so petemptosily suede, at the time when the supposed political death of that great man, whom his country arid Europe ad• mired, was caleitleted to weaken the belief of the ene my is the sincere views of the present Administration. I know it has crested a great sensation through Eu rope, and a great apprehension, that the system of British policy would be changed. This feeling with the enemy I think to have been very strong ; how ever, in this country it was universally known, that . all parties were &more in their desire cf peace ; that my Noble Frieod below me (Lord Howick) was one of the ablest supporters, both with his splendid talents and sound integrity, of all the en lightened plans of that incomparable Statesman ; and that, however weighed down by the infirmitie; of the body, his great mind still presided over Cie Councils, and direited the energies of his country.-- But another gleam of peace •etioned, and from the moderation of the note presented by the French Pleuipeteutiary, when intelligence was received of the non-ratification of the Russian Treaty, it was probable, the Negotiators might have concluded. without much discussion, the abstrat propositio. , of the :di passithies ; and again the time was lost. rio use made of the passing events, nor any ad vantage taken of the non-ratification of the Freety by - Russia. Here, let me not be supposed as the advocate of the infraßion of any Treaty ; or as the adviser of any bad faith towaid. our Allies. No, the glory and sincerity of Greet Britain I would preserve ender any circumitances of danger and distress. I would support them as the dearest and most valuable appendages et its reateeesoand se coeiry I would cling to them under every difficulty. Although it WAS a Treaty orig•nicing in delusion, and concluded in folly i it had involved the country in perils, and the world in ruin ; although it was the immediate cause of rousing the French Chief from his schemes e Boulngne, to the know ledge of the plans fcirnseel against him, and which, arlen known, effeited se fatal measures, which led to the calamitous beetle of Austerlitz, and the Peace of Presburg. Under every circumstance of this eatuie and c mplexion, I wellid still support •he provettrial iittegrity of Great Britain. Indeed, upon the review of whole progress of the case, what had taken p:acii on the lath of September, when the French vernment appeared moderate in terms, an J aux.. .s rot the attainment of peace, by a candid mane, < em, and an abandonment of a!)straet rope-S. or, might have operated upon the 11th of Angus.. n producing the good proposed. With respeer tot tate of Prussia, however unwilling to aggravate he elle.. situation, 1 yet can ,tribute to nothing hut madness, her vain, futile, ill-timed, illoiinslioted. and ill-concerted hostility to France. Luting the c eirse of 14 years, she had suffered mow opprn tootles to escape of humbling the power ar:d aggrendisement of the enemy ; and it was only when France demanded Hanover to give to Great Britain, that she had determined to take 1 the field When, thsrefore, we talk of rapacity, oppressinn, and injustice, and every other vice, which mikes human nature treruble, let us fairly analyse the motives and conduit of theie other Powers, whose implacability we would fain ex cite. Cast hut stem eyes on the great theatre of Poland, where ihe three great armies of contend ing em,..res ate now assemaled, and whet must be the compuoCtious venting; of their consciences, at the refieetion of past deeds and former crimes. Hence it is, that before we go to war, before are take up the gauntlet, let us, from •iewing the fientities of otlr.x., learn to improve our own con duct, and support the true principle& of national greatness, founded as they are, on virtue, honesty, and beneficence. What, I would ask, were the grounds of the present war with France ? Malta. For what was the Treaty of Amiens violated ? Teat • Treaty, the non fulfilment of which was deprecated' by Mr. Fox, who tulip proved by the exertions of his able head and eloquent tongue, oiet the reasons alleged for that conduct, were neither sound, solid, insupportable. That unoer false pretences, they had picked a quarrel only •o set the Continent in a flame, and produced the third Coalition, that tissue of duplicity, treachery, infatuation, and general ruin. Yet, in the late Negotiation, France would give up Malta, Hanover also, that point of honour, that jewel without which your Crown was impeded; the Cape of Good Hope, Pondicherry, Sec. England to restore the Dutch Colonies ; but Sicily was the great oboscle with Mr. Fox ; it might have been a rime gas non; certainly not with a Ministry who had converted it into an article of compensa. non. Would to Heaven that the principle of that speech, so replete with moral, political and practical isdom, whieh, on the 21st of June, 1803, Mr. Fox deliver d on the mediation of Russia, was ets graven on the hearts of the peat men of the word. e• Suppose yourselves (said he) placed in the cir cumstances of the enemy, and consider how you would be inclined to ad in their situation." Another cause of the present failure, was the refusal of the French to evacuate Dalmatia. What were the fads of this case ? Dalmatia was taken by France at the point of the sword ; ,the mouths of the Cattaro wen . given up to France by the Treaty of Presburg, a ..lreaty concluded at the point of the sword, a Treaty by which France has risen upon that which was dee.* tined to be her downfall, but which has raised, ex tended and consolidated her to great and powerful commend. This province so taken was acknowledged by France as a poi .t of offence. But we are told it gives her the opportunity of fomenting quarrels in Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. '1 he answer is, Can ycu take it from her ? Shall the flames of war continue to rage. and the calamities of human nature to be multiplied, because a hostile power retains a formidable position, of which she cannot be deprived? Allowing it probable that France should evacuate it, are nit the Russians eager to retain it, anl are they not equally disposed to fo ment intrigues in the Councils of the Porte? But its possiosam by France endangers our India ter iitoty. Such a danger I believe to be very re mote ; but whilst Russia is so near, and the intervening obstacles so numerous, the danger to India is no Argument against Peace. I have thus trespassed on the attention of the House, and, perhaps, have exhausted its patience, by going so mush him detail. The decided objeflion I have to the Address, may, perhaps, Anse fiom the per verseness of my judgment; but I do most sincerely declare, that, with the conviction I have upon the sulijeft, it is impossible fur me to join in any Reso lution imputing the failure of the Negotiation to the injestice of France, or to agree to what appears a corollary from it, that there is no other alternative teen iuterminable war with Frence. Good God! befcre we enually throw away the scabbard, was there no other peran to support me, humble as I am, I will yet endeavour, with the most fervent Loyalty and ardent attachment to my King 'and Country, to effea that which France has done, in offering to resume t!:! Negociation, and whir!, Itnssia, on its refusal to ratily the Treaty of declared its willingness at all times to do; and though I should not be seconded, I con ceive it my duty to submit an Amendment, before the avenues of Peace arc actually closed, and the " gates of mer,:y shut up in mankind." Mr. Whit bread then moved as an Amendment, "To assure I-1k Majesty of the firm determination of His faith ful Commons, to co-operate with His Majesty, in a communication of the resources of the Empire, and a vigorous prosecittinn of the contest in which we are engaged : And to express the earnest prayer of His faithful Commons, that His Majessty may be graciously pleased to listen, as far as may be consistent with His own hononr and the interests of His kingdom. to every facility of just arrangement, cakalat:•d to pot an end to the horrors of war." Mr. G. JOHNSON seconded the Amendment. The Motion, upon the Amendment, was put and negatived withnnt a division. The original question for voting the Address be ing then put. Mr. CANNING rose and said, that having heard the very eloquent and impressive speech of the Hon. Gentleman, who had just sat down, he waited in expeetation of some answer to it from His Majesty's Ministers ; hut having heard the question put upon that Hon. Gentleman's amendment, be was equally astonished and surprised, that no answer whatever had been attempted, on the part of the Gentlemen upon the other tide of the House. Ile confessed, that however difficult the answer might be, and however anxious the resent Ministry of this country might be to stand fairly in the opinion of Europe in general, however sr , lici , ous they might be in their ellOrts to stand well with the enemy abroad, and their friends at home, it was unaccountable to him that they could not give some explanation, or that they could not enter into a justification of the measures pursued during the lot e negociation ; at the least, he thought they ought to have attempted k, and not stood in solemn sullen silence. Had the observations of the Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) come from his side of the house, he might have supposed they would pass unnoticed 4 but toa speech, made under the spocial circumstances of the Hon. Gentleman, coming from a person attached to the principal Members of His Maies.y's present Ministry, by ties the most binding, by attachments of the strongest retire, he did expect that some answer would have been given by Ministers, he did think the Honour able Gentleman entitled •o some satistadion, as a Member of Parliam-nt. Under ail the circumstances, it was with the greatest astonishment he had seen this omission. However difficult it might be to follow all the particular points of such a speech, he would yet endeavour to make such obsei cations as should occur to his mind upon so important a suljed. .I'he Noble Lord who opened the debate in a speech of great elo quence, had entered into a drail - of transaftions, which he had argued uBon riteral pr nciples ; with remelt to the dates, dea he cordially agreed with that Noble Lord; and 'however he might congra tulate the country upon the great totems and high charader of such a Minister, yet he must ever con tinue to maintain a diffient opinion from that Noble Lord upon some of those topics. He considered the present question in three different paints of view. The first was the opening of the Negociation, and from which side the overtures had come. Secondly, with respeet to insisting that the French Govern men should in the suosequent progress of the Ne gociation, admit the grounds of that N..gociation upon the principle of uti pecsidttir ; and thirdly, the maintenance of our own honour, and the nature 'of our alliance with Russia. As to the first point, he thought there could be but one opinion, that the overtures were made in consequence of Mr. Fox's first letter to M. Talleyrand. The second, he contended, was not made out by any documents before the House ; nor could he perceive, that any one of the very numerous demi:6 to be found in those Papers, had at all authorised the supposition, that the Frvoch Government had, at any one time pending the Negociation, in any way whatever recognised the principle of eh poi,ideitT. as the basis of the Negociation. With respect to the third point, upon the maintenance of our ho nour and dignity as a nation, and the observa tion of those ties by which we were bound to Russia, he was prepared to express his entire satisfaaion. We were completely justified in pre serving that good faith with Russia, but he could not avoid feeling, at the same time, how much that country was our debt.,r. The Right Hon. Gentleman then entered into a long investigation of the several Papers, upon this subjea, and concluded a long, able, and animated speech (which we regret our limits will not permit us to go into at length), by declaring, that he condemned the late Nego ciation, because it was produetive of War, and he wished for War, as it might lead to a speedy and honourable Peace. Lord HENRY PETTY rose, and in a speech of considerable length. replied to the arguments of the Right Hon. Gentleman. For his part, he knew not any reason His Majesty's Ministers could have for wishing to avoid this niscuslion. He was satisfied it had been concluded on principles refleatng honour not only on the great Patriot who commenced the 44 Negotiation, but also on all those who were at all concerned in it. He was happy to find even the Right Hon. Gentleman himself satisfied with the condult of Ministers, with reaped to nor Allies ; though obliged to dissent from him in the opi nion that Prussia, being disheartened by the on' -•sal length of the Negotiation, had determined on taking those measures, which ultimately proved so prejudicial to her own independence, and the in , wrests of Europe; as she was, at the time of the Negotiation, attually in stria alliance with France. riat the terms of the Negotiation were the stat of aftual taossession, subje& to certain exceptions, could not admit any rational doubt, as it was not only admitted by General Clark-, but even Talley rand himself had not ()fleeted to it, when these terms wete transmitted to Lord Yarmouth by Mr. Fox, in a letter, which lie read in M. Talleyrand's presence. He could not, he said, speak too highly of the probity and honour of the Noble Lord, throughout the whole Negotiation. His Han. Friend .. (Mr. Whitbread), he was tom to say, laboured under a misconception of a very unpleasant nature, in supposing the I Ware of the Negociation otigina ted in a Orange of measures in the Nimist ry, on the death of his revered Fiend, Mr. Ferri this he could, he hoped, convince bon was not the case. Lord Lauderdale, after his death, had informed t h e French Minister he could treat on no °tiler grounds but that of the rti possidelis, with oily such exchange of territory as might be necessary for their mutual accommodation ; hence, the terms of Mr. For and those of the present Ministry were peifeetly th e same, and founded on the same original principle. Ia this view of affairs, he was happy to observe the superiority of the British to the French character. France continually wavering-..yet England uni formly the same. Hence, France had been foiled in the hope of separating Russia from our interest, (who was a witness of our fidelity), and we had ols tained an accession of character for mod-ration, fidelity and justice. Though I am not, I must confess, sanguine in my exi.ectation of seeing the present aspiring Ruler of France humbled, yet united in the cause of honour, liberty, and kistice, Eng. land, I firmly hope, will ever be able to maintain her own proud pre-eminence amongst the nations of the earth. Mr. PERCEVAL rose, to reply to the observa tions which had fallen from the Noble Lord and others in the Ministry. From the lateness of the hour, we are unable to give our readers his speech in detail. In consequence of some observatiohs made by him on the conduel of Mr. For, Lord HOWICK rose, and defended the cha rafter of his much-esteernel Friend, in a manner highly grateful to all present, and extremely ho nourable to his own feelings. After some further explanation by Messrs.WHlT. BREAD and PERCEVAL, the original question upon the Address was carried without a division ; and at FIVE O'CLOCK this morning, (Toe:day) the House adjourned. TAE BRITISH PRESS. LONDOS, TUESDAY. .IAmtrARY 6. We are cone iirned to ty-d, that the report of the capture of 3 ',nos Ayres, con.inues to gain ground. A letter received, yesterday, from Falmouth, states, that the following intelligence has been brought there by the Awl;land packet, f. sal Lisbon. Oa the 1931, a Pdrtuguet,e vessel arrived in the Tagus from Pernambuco, the Captain of which asserted. that previous to his leaving that place, a Spanish schooner had arrived with the loss of one of her masts, having dispatches for the Spanish Govern. meat, announcing the recapture of Buenos Ayres by the Spanish troops colleted in the interior. Another account from Lisbon, dated the fOth, an nounces the receipt of a letter from the Governor of Santa Martha, stating, that an expedition had sailed from Monte Video, against the conquerors of Buenos Ayres, consisting of 1200 men, is schoo. ners. brigs, &c. and COO in gun-boats. Letters from Madrid, we understand, 'mention, it that the Viceroy having colleaed a force of 80',10 men, drove in all our out-posts, and advanced re solately to attack our main body, which did not consist of 1000 of different descriptions. The en gagement was hardly contested, but the great supe riority of the enemy compelled to to retreat, when . . disorder followed, and the Spanish cavalry breaking in upon the ranks, General Br. It ES r 0 RD fell, and our tronpr, thus divided, lilt in all. dire&ions." The intelligence is ,said to have been brought to Ustrn by a Portuguese vessel arrived in the Tagus front Pernambuco,' the Captain of which asserted, that previous to his leaving that place, a Spanish schooner had arrived there with the loss of one of her masts, and that this schooner pas the bearer of dispatches for the Spanish Government, announcing the recapture of Buenos Ayres by the Spanish troops, colletted in the interior of that province. Letters from Lisbon, of an equally recent date, from per sons interested in the fate of this colony, make no mention of its recapture. The report, however, ap pears to have gained considerable credit in the City, for a notice has been posted :at I.fovn's, ad vising all vessels bound to the river La Plata, to put in at some intermediate port for intelligence, before they proceed to the place of their destination. An interesting Debate took place last night is the House of Commons, upon the Address to His MAJe.ry upon the Negociation Papers —fhe Ads dress was moved by Viscount HOWICK, to which an Amendment was proposed by Mr WHITIIttAD. and negatived without a division. Mr. Camsitto then rose, and resumed the debate, which continued until five o'clock, this morning, when the original Ad lass was carried with 3ut a division. PRICE STOCKS. Y I•EaLI ‘Y 3 pet Cent. Retelue,4 s9' !I tt ♦ I .er Ls lit. • • • . LI& RJ..d. knelitquit , Imperial 3 inr Cent. 591 inglitit Lottery Tickets Crtilmak fn. ...... 6041 i ROLM WATe.K. THIS ',AI, A r &. ►pp+)N skrook.. Maw it .nm. the It I Fewit....44 aiw •Are Id. LONDON —Prsnv.rl by G DAVIDSON, Nu. 17, Duke's linE-Stter!, Corent•Gereem, end vu ,iah,d at the Oft% N., 1!, Mack of St. Clement% Church, Strand, by W. STUCK, of No 7, New Silton-street, Load Acre. Orden, tc tot thr Payer, leut to the Odom (postpaid ) wild be dell %minded tc. 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