The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-02-17 00:00:00

rl IV 11. lit 11 lllt a. at r. o, 4. rt rt 1)- its ry nt et rd dl d. Art et ut a. rr re qtr blt icy tic be hie a,• of sit dawn - - that cUmnuacmicastioas are generally made between two countries, not by the Monarchs of those etern ities, but by their Ministers. la this ins:au:cc we are a degree nearer to real and authentic in;orina tion, glace the'Emperorhad_become netuaily a party to these cniumunications ; bat as they have not by van been committed to writing, we are not to con rider them as tit subjects oftliscussion, or authentic means of information. We want not the letters that ' have passed, we are not inclined to stickle on terms or forms; let us have but the euostance of the iaformation, and we are not anxious as to the letters, or the mode in which these eoin muhications were made. We want, and so my Honourable Friend has all along stated, only to come to a de eisien on as important end vital question to the ',Autry, now at tissue. I am snrprieed, nay, I inn mishented to hear the Right Honourable Gentleman so.tenapt to distrait the attention of the House f tot the grand object of their inquiry, by la eienting •tnat a Tight Honourable Gentleman (air. T. Grenville) was not present to teach the House how to cotivert a private letter into a public a,apatch. Certainly this was, if not beneath the tbaht Hon. Gentlenimin,at trust beneath the dignity of that House, and the important nature of the inimiry they were about to enter upon. The pre tend crisis called not for sneers, jokes, and sarcastic: replies, bat for sound argument, sound advice, and upright policy. Are we thee to consider the coin inumeattoas received from nay Lord Hinehiesoo, as merely the 'itmiser time day ; a sort of faiihiontible detail of the gala-day procectiings of the Court, containing an amount, that on a certain day there was a grand fete given at St. Petersinirgie many Wars of fashion present, a splendid ball, and such iiiiimportant nusasitite ! It was well kuown that the letters, either confidential or diidonsatie, of that liglile-venerahle mind distinguished character, must . coataiu far different matter ; they certainly must ise of the last importance to this country and the Howse; andjkem whatemer Intimations that Noble Lord hail folioed his opinion, that opinion, and commuuication of at to the Government of this country, must be of the most essential service to the country in coming to a decision on the probable dispoeition of that Prince to this emoutry. Should not then this House demand, and then proceed to act oa this infortnation, whether it were received by the Noble Lord from a Prince whom his virtnes and talents had rendered his intimate and confidential aconaintauce, either in the hours of unreseteed confidence, walkiug iu his gardeu, or in the retirement of the closet ? If the Right lion. Gentleman were to be impeached for bis late conduct respecting Russia, would not this House act on every tittle of the information - which he now affects to despise ? It has been urged "also, that my Lord Hutchinson was not an accre dited agent at St. Petersburg), though be had been at Berlin. Hence we must, Pays the Right Hon. Secretary, consider him no longer acting for the puhfic, although he had been considered a fit aliplainatic character. What, in the name of eons mon sense, did it signify, whether we derive this in formation from Lord Hutchinson to our Resident Amlmassuilor, at St. Petershurgh, and thence to as, ator iinniediately through Lord Hutchinson himself? Does the Right Honourable Gentleman iutend to attkh 1e..3 credit to the statement of my Noble Fraeod? I belleVe he will not avow any such iicai nation. Hence the mighty argument, so dilated on by the Right lion. Secretary in his speech, amounts to this, this information has been received through 'he medium of aesrivate letter, which, though the sartmes concerned are satisfied to be exhibited, I have toe much delicacy ever to permit the public to investigate; stating, at the same time, he will give the House such information from other Retirees as may indirectly tend to explain the disposition of the Russian Emperor to this country. But nothing like direct or conclusive information ou the subject shall be afibrded." hie CANNING rose to state his regret that the Right-Hon. Gentleman, who had last addressed the House, should have shewn himself totally ig norant of the question before 'he House. lie had discussed the propriety of giving all the informa tion requirel, w hile the question now before the House was, the promiety of granting iutorination co the proposed mediation of Austria alone. • Mr. ADAM called the flight HU. Seceitare of State to order ; but, at the reuieustrance of the Speaker, sat down. Mr. Poe sots v said, he had only taken the Gen tleman at his word. The Right Hon. Secretary had slid, nothing could be given of information to the blouse on the subject of Auttria; he was, there fore, disinclined to attempt to fix the attention of the House on nothing ;. a sabject on-which. how ever the flight lion. Gentleman could display his 'abilities, he, uufortunatedy, never found himself so much at home. Mr. WHITBREAD said, he had been induced from what had falletilrolii the Right lion. Secretary, to after the words of that part of the motion excep tionable, by adopting the phrase, it the substam,ee of :any communieations between an agent of this country, anal the BMperor of Russia " Mr. CANNING Me to state, once fair all, that he a onsidered it highly injurious to admit as authentic diicuments, in the affairs of state,atay representation of a private travelling Gentleman in those countries ahem we had est a blished Ministers. No men cnld he so well informed of the concerns of the Govern ment of this Court, and that where they resided. 'Fins might lead to at length admitting the mis representation, or careless and whimsical observa tions of any new young fellow, on Ina trauels, in direct opposition to the prudent counsels of a respectable and enlightened diplomatic character. He thought it fraught with pernicioims conse quences, And he e mild, from a principle • of con science, oppose it in liwine. Mr. Possess , / said, he had no intention erhat ever to lead th e h ouse t o di scre di t t h e conduct or advice of their late Ambassador at the Cottrt.nf St. Petersburgh ; but. he was anxious that wlane w.• had no advice or intelligence from him, ,w should h ave r e v ourie to that of any other reseectialalat teal well-anfnerned person united inim serest withihis country. In making such remarks oa time sitsiatiou Nadi:harm tar *figs Noble Friend,thers was an inex pre,bilmle degree of puerility, as there could not be a mare marked difference beiween any two men, than there wee between the relstioa in which Lord Right Hon. Secretary of tliose'gay, young, acci dental travellers. .b hat opiisiou did thellitig's' accredit: ft' Minister at lit. PetersbUrgis entertain of the value of the iafornsttino receii.est from that se spectnlite authority ? l)iJ nut receivo it as a communicatiou of truth, and fact made for the di rect purposes ef wise' it for the advantage and in terest of this country ? Tim iliformation commu nicated to the King's Ambles:elor was from en high antharity, lately an accredited agent to the Court of Prussia. The subject to which it referred was matter of serious Perliatnesstary inquiry. Mi nisters had received the report of that totnniuni cation in au official manner; and it was the duty of the. Howie of Colutuour to call upon them for its production, unless !!try could advance smut more stone; and thimble groomis for their refusal, thou were introduced in the pert Lett puerile ob servations of the Right lion. Secretary. • Doctor Lewititascii—" The Right Honourable Secretary bait insinuated that the present motion of my Huneorable.Frieod has been makuitted to the consideration of Parliament merely as an invi dious question. 1 am conviticed the country will not be quickly brought to believe that there exists on this lode of the House an iticlistutioa of creating dist:onions merely for the pur;iose of exciting au invidious opposition. When such a charge has been made in such a quarter, it is for the House to contrast the conduct of the Noble Seem hay with the nature of the insinuation which he has made ngainst toy Iluaourable Friend (Mr. Whittoread). Does it not, I ask, partake more of an invidious intention, to introduce into the present discussion a transaction which is supposed to have tekeii place years ago, tel referable to an indivi dual whom the King's Ministers ' since their ac cessiooto office, here felt it their duty to continue in his diplomatic timmeter, ut the Court of Austria? (alluding to Mr. Adair, late Minister at Vienna). Still the Noble Secretary, conscious that he cast profit little by rues an iliertration, substitutes in its place another character equally 'as inapplicable to the subject before the House. He ventures to compare the information comm • attest by that highly respectable character, Lord Hutchinsou, to the Ambassador at St. Pctersbargh, with the unim portant trivial repOrta a some gay young gentleman who might perchance have beu travelling through that ;tart ui coo co•btioent . of Europe. Will the House submit to such explanations, or rather evasion*, of what was due by Ministers to the authority of Pio lianas:tit ? If it and if the Right Hon. Secretary be allowed to persevere upon this principle, then I assert that he is quib bling away the Constitution itself. Indeed, it ems farther, iusuittsuch as upon the varoe grounde of re fusal, he might esitiagnish the whole spirit of di plomacy, by giving it a totallydiSerent coarse than was intended either by the principle or practice of the Stabs. Was every information received from a foreign Court to be suppressed ? Was eve:7 official document, communicated by the King's Ambassadors to Nlinisters, to be refused to Parlia ment, merely because,from motives not understood by the House, thteet Ambassadors should think proper to address their communications to the Secretary for Foreign Atkin; i:: a style not purely official, such as Dear Sir, Dear Canning, or Dear any body else ? (Hear ! hear !) Such a kydein of proceeding will not do; it is not suited either to the feeling or understanding of this eon:atty. The House of Comm° is has a right to obtain the in formation sought by the minims of his Honourable Friend; because it' this principle be not checked, there is an end to the necessity of Parliamentary sepe:intendance, or to its powet of keeping Mt nisters stedlast to the performance of their duties. I de not say, that every paper relative to our relations with foreign Powers ought to he pro duced by Government; but I ever shall contend against this principle, that papers are to be refused to the House merely because they um etimmuni cited in this shape to Hit iidaiesty's Ministers.— This correspondence was not in the nature of s double diplomacy. On that head there email be no objection, as the document was actually a corra -1 municutitia wade by the Noble Lori! (Leveson Gower) under the gallery, of the information re ceived by him from Lord Ilutehinson, relative to his interview with the Emperor of Russia. But we are now told the !louse could make no applica tion for this report Lom an unaccredited agent ; yet it could nut be out of the recolleetioa of the Noose, that on a former occasion. that Right Ho nourable Secretary, in order to answer certain whispers out of doors, produced out of his own pocket a ciocutneut from this same unaccredited agent, and from which he, in the course of his brilliant speech, made partial and garbled extracts. (!leer! Hear!) What then was the real motive for refusing the papers now required ? it was this, that it did not suit the purposes of Ministersti pro duce them. No, No, says the Right lion. Secretary, I cannot accede to W. ..e q o,4, it ass a private let ter, a secret for my self and colleagues, with which neither this Bosse or thWeeuntry shall be action/int . - ta. Such conduct was not only a violation of the spirit of the Conittitution, hilt diiectly tended to snhvert every principle and object of diploniery. Sir Tomas TURToII spoke against the produc tion of such confidential communisations. lie had no objelstiou to souse of the motions of the Hononrable Gentlerrtan, but was convinced that it was highly improper to disclose to the world what passed between Lord Hutchinson and the Emperor of Russia. Highly as he respected that distinguished Nobleman, and with all the personal esteem he felt for his character, he still could not approve of his disclosure of such confidential com munications. Mr. Werreaceo-- 0 . Sir, I did emu. t that the Right tionotiruhle Secretary, when he had taken iuto consideration the nature and importance of the papers for which I previously moved, would at least have not confined himself' to his half explana tioes. But though disappointed is this hope, I did not expect that when I felt it my duty to put *other motion to the House, he would have desert ed as he did. every previous argument, and fallen in to a train of misrepresentation so gro , s, that I must have supposed myself to have mistaken him, had be jiot clinched it by the illustratioss he male on rooting, th..: case of M r. Adair. late Minister at the Ci.urt of Viemes. The Right !loss. Gentleman, fixing himself in true pantomimic:al gesture. arse{ with his tin4ers cruised * sealed hiustelf the protet , the Msi inisterial .k)-1-..inture ntu that l V neither envy him the gratification of hia jestaigt, nor his matismis the satisfaction of their ineraittnt.:ra 3 says he, in WO inajestie tone, • tak,! pty. m. charge the Amhaissadors of the world. ~,° 1 nat buffer their private commteneattinittheir . Or. cret dispatches, to be submitted to the inetri4ve, io eye of Parliament,- or to the ,yoloar litrusal erne country. ,Neither will I take netts 10- roetenti.4ll - the character, the mai:, tae eirdit, or thee station of the individual 'from whoa' our Alamo don at Foreign Courts might lave received most 4,1 4 10 34 mi information. No; I eppreeiate it as. lightly *if it proceeded from some gay young acei deatultraveilerti and apse:that feeling I will not consent to the production of those p.p..... it would have been only ceadid iu him to have added, because it does pet suit us; purpose.' Do I ask of bun to communicate information (a/dinned f:om any such source? Do I ask of him to state tar resorts of any Ladies of the palace, of the buffoon or rhymers that perchance infest the Huainan Court ? No ; lis see called for the vont mu eication made by • Lord Granville Iseveatm Gower to Government re'ativr to the information lie hail of Lord liutchiloon's eonvertaitions with the Emperor of Russia--conversai into held. if not by the precious at least with the expressed cognizance M the Right Honourable Gentleman and his colleagues---eonventations which were com municated by my Noble Friend (Hutchinsou) to the British Andiainador at the Court of Peters burgh, and in whicfi that Ambassador kthreed the utmost confidence. It is a communication of the importance which Ministers will not suffer to be produced. It is a document of this netlike, that for sech rearous as we have this night !nand, this House um* pot see ; whilst those who have called far it are exposed to the crimivations of the Right lionouralale Secretary, who, with the rage of a Mar quis of Carrels% threatens to cut all his opponents tots mince-theat. Will Parliament—will the coun try othotion such a detentiination—will they cousi doc this docuincitt not necessary to be produced, or will they Attach as lime. value to it as if it had been tite report of information overheard by some hely or buffoon of the Court? Can he be con sidered an ordinary pertain, who from himself had advanced th e sum of 30,0001. to pot the Russian strati in motion. and which sew ass afterwards paid. by His Majesty's present 'Aliaisters, by those very persons who Hare now delineated my Noble Friend in the character of an accideteal traveller ? (Mr. Citatviug across the table, " he was at that pe riod an accredited agent: ) It is not so ;he nee er Inman accredited agent to the Court of St. Peters %area; his tr.issiqn was solely to the Court of Prussia, from whence he was recalled on the 47th 'of May. But I would ask the Noble Lord under the gallery (Lord Granville Levesoo Gower) I would ask him, would he place a similar coetidence in the report of any buffoorl of Court, us he would and did in the communiesut:' lions of nay Noble Friend ? . I call upon the Right Hon. Gentleman to state, whether he would not act upon such einnumnications ? If he would not, he is not a tit Nlinittel rot' this or uuy other coun try. There still remained another party to this question. Was not the Emperor of Russia ag grieved ? Have not the King's blitisters stated, on public record, that that Sovereign war iudured, in a moment of despondency, to execute the 'neat) , of Tilsit ? What was the laugtiage of the Emperor himself on that subject ? You know; said he to Lord Hutchinson, that I was compelled to it.' • I know your Majesty was,' replied Lord Hutchinson. if, then, this conversation be true, and who can doubt it ? Majesty's Ministers bath grossly insulted the misfortimets, tied miarepree rented the conduct of that , Monarch. (Hear 1, heir !I In their school of 'new morality, in which they wished to ilitiate • hint, they Mot cell upon him to break through the Treaty he bad but Jost so lemnly executed, and'u a gnarautee of their own good 'faith they convince 'him that they will not keep a treaty with only of mankind : . (Hear ! hear !) Ministers must know that the object of this motion was not for the defence Of the lute Administration, it was solely to ascertain whether they have availed themselves of the .offers of medi ation to obtaiaireace. An . 11on. Baronet (Sir T. Tinton) had called these p arty motions. but save one, he was williug to secede the Other. So far Ministers were iodine-3, and thence it was easy to see the reasons few the Houottrahle Baronet's ac quiescence. If the Right lieu. Secretary indeed dreaded ant impeachment, or as in the cue of the Treaty of Utrecht, when similar letters were made the grounds of defence then there might be some reason fur the refuSal:. but tht•y undoubtedly are now the property of the public, and as such I de mand them. I would only with to put a qgestion to the Noble Lord (Granville Leeson Dower), merely to know from hint, whether there is not wine mistake in the dates of his dispatches, as ap pears from comparing the days of the week with the dates'? Lord G. L. POWER .anbwered, that by a mistake in the transcribing of his Secretary, the dispatch irritteti no the lit of September was dated the id, and that there was a literal error, in only fixing the figure 9, when it ought to be the lntli. He h a d only to say, that with respect to the verbal assur ances he received from the Eniperor of Ittiss. and which were referred to by him in his note of the stit of June, that Sovereign had expreieed to him his deteniaination never to swerre from his relations with His Britannic Majesty. The different motions of Mr. WiIiTBREAD were severally pat, and with the exception of the docu ment referring to the proffered mediation of Aus tria, were, without a division, rejected. __, IRISH IdeLITIA. • Sir Jolla figivruar gave notice of his inten tion, on FelSky next; to submit a motion to the House, on the discretionary power rented in the Lord Lieutenant and Courent of Ireland, relative to the voluuteerinx of blotted men Irvin' the Irish Militia, and the bounties paid them tbr that pur- Tp. ' he CIIANCeLLoa of the Excneunita gave no tice of his intention, on Friday nett, to move for the imposition of certain duties on Cie export ation of cotton and nit. The second re..•tiol of the Bill founded on the 04,1 zr , of c annc ii, w a s postponed nuhl l'harsaay 111‘t : to which day the Hanst adjourned. I WA It DEC. Q. • lsti)re had the pleasure of cotiveiving with a , rhiptlllible and ii k telligeat (;ertlemau just arrived frottitctrolt. fie states that the prevailing opi .nion st the British settlements in that neigithot.r- s .114irkl la, that there will be a war between this court '. kryand Great Britain. In corroboration of this °pi !. 442 he stat , that there are uow at Fort Amherst • • ea. • Larg. a British post about 18 miles from Detroit, ;at least 2600 Indians, almost exclusively warriors. That they are all armed, and supported at the ex pense of the ibitisb, and with great liberality ; that their areas are guns, rides, sad tomahawks ; and that since Aiizust there have been coastant'y there between two and 3000. Iu case of war, it is expected that under the anapiecs o. the British, a general imassuere will take place, re,. which they are held in readiuess; and fram which uoae but those within the fort can expect to escape. Should such a nefarious measure be resorted to, our countrymen may rest assured that a dreadful vengeance will be taken on its perpetrators. 0 Far Law sail Miscellanies sea last rs.,•e. PRESS. THE BRITT' LON 00N, WEDNESD4Y, FEmitumrr 17. We have received some American. Papers, from which we have only room for a single extract--A - war s ith that country is generally considered a more probable event than ire were encouraged to hope by Mi. PERCEV•L'S late observations in the House of Commons. The embargo in the American ports, though not professedly - *timed at the British more than Slily other commerce, is ex 'actly iti iluirsoo with BON•PARTE't policy in Eu rope, affords a just ground to suspect that there is an understanding between the Cloveruinent of Pratitß and the United Slates. . An interesting debase took place telt night in the House of Commons. Our report of it obliges ils to posllione nem?, matter. - - Sir mom' Wavreons, last night, in - the House of commous, sticceelied in his hamar.: exertions to lave the widows of Military Officers included iu the fur augmenting the pensions of the v. idows of Naval Officers. eam. rilbeen sail of Russian ships of war, after ream ing at lare through the Mediterranean, have, as stated in Tat JIR!TISN Petri, put into Trieste. making, with 9 sail in the Tagus, a total of 21. Had these avowed enemies been taken instead of the Danish fleet, the capture would have added equally to our security, and would not line sub , jecteil .11inisters to the reproach so heavily heaped won them. This being Fast-day, the shops and all the public offices, &c. will he shut. The price of AVligten P.rca.l was srdered, yes indity, to be rednced w 1 lid. and of Household to eld. His Excellency Monsieur A voratv, the Reosian Antbassarlor, and enVie,and Countess Immo rv. -arrived at the ship inn, Dover, oh Moudai, and were to sail yesterday is the Etizabeth, Captain Illsvw ARO. Cipt . :lslll2WOO to is appointed to the Franchise. which it ordered to be got ready for foreign err % ice, as is also the Recolntion.. Admire/ Mutts ty attended the Admiralty Bonn yiatelday. IDispatchev wure received bed evening from Ad miral Lord GASDNER, bat their conteas did not transpire. Ye4terdav, the sixteenth of General WHITS. , LOCKE'S trial, Corn missary-Otiieml Be LlAbtair ColOnels D.tvr and Nticatte, and Major 1\ tcrois were Examined. General Go we. was thou re-exa mined, and at three o'clock, the Court adjeuriesal until Thursday. '.•e Merchants trading in St. Domingo pro duce, lately imported into this country, met on Monday, at the City of London Tavern, when et was resolved to present a Memorial to the Clue- Ort,soa of the EXCHEQUER, stating the great hard ship they sustain in consequence of the new duty imposed upon coffee, &c. and praying that the cargoes of all such vessels as had obtained the KING'S license to import, the produce of St. Do mingo, should be exemrt from the new duty, as the coffee cannot. at di.. moment, he sold for its original cost. A Comnsittee was air,itiiiited to wait upon the CHANCEt4.OII of the EXCHEQUER with the Memorial. The Hyarinth sailed, on Monday, from Ports. mouth, with dispatches for the Brasile, and the Pelter sailed at the same time from tymington, with a convoy for the Mediterranean. The Amager 'strived at Portsmouth with a fleet from the l)owns. Our ship letters contain nothing else of interest. There seams a complete race between the City and the State Lotteries. The numerous CAPITA!. PRIZF.B in the State, are a stimulus no one aide, whilst supsTalVet AL FILLSIIOI.DI, for trifling PUITI, are as strong inducements for the City. Both Freeholds and Fortunes are to be had, by applying to either of Hisses effiees, 4, Cnrnhill, or 9, Char. in~w roes k 'where thirty-eight capital Prizes woe sold in the hod year, ineluiling two Piites of 10,0901.• hnd double the number of cimiial Prises, io the lid fAttere, sold at any other oilier. 'The Ileputy-Lieutenants acting fur the Hum. elevator Conroe, in Montgomeryshire, I dely howl two Constables, io the Upper Division of that littaircd, in 101. each ; the one for oinittisqg so return the name of his biodier-iu-law in the tat of person. %Me to he liallotted iu the Nditia, sad the other Fez mniithss the name of ins *u. ,N.