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

ly uc I is No- Oo 0 le dairridaii MU . bullialtat I think this was it.pre_tty good will soon be seen th at tits si~te will ma ster. I say, therefore.that Lord on Gower wee in a mietake, when that the Copenhagen Expedition was iaf the Emperor of Hussies !testi a country ; because it is evident, that that very moment committing new in- Denmark, and endeavouring to strip ty, by giving it as a gift to Sweden. t we will not now altrapt to send as the French army in lolstein ; and if, .4 a fleet to the Baltic, I should like tether it he now intended to go for the ea Norway, as a pledge to Sweden, or purpose of taking posseision of the Swedish ich I cannot sae now any objection. hostile towards that kingdom, and overpower it. • I cannot conceive King of Sweden is able to defend grant that the Swedish ships of the r in number ; but let it be recol- Swedea has the best flotilla in the more likely to be turned against ui than ever pretend was in the power of the Before we can take it upon our , that we can take Neravey, and give pledge to Sweden, let tor show Swains It we have the power to do so. The King may imitate the conduct of Alexander. telt to Darius, upon his making to bin , certain concessions, and tell us, first,in appear— t‘ut. Kiss venom miss good eeditl." Upon the whole then, Sir, to eonehole my *bear. rations, previous to stating my motions, I may say that we bad better at awe confess, that the inter ference of the House of Coinmone, or of both Roams of Parliament, is an impediment to the conduct of Government- .that our curiosity is to be deemed impudent and officious, and at once pro ceed upon the principle, that Ministers have only to fight the enemy with their own weapon,. From this proposition, however. I be; leave to dissent.— No, S•r, we must fight him with those weapons only which we are able to handle. We must move in the light of day, when Bonaparte moves in dark aws, and oppose to his cruelty, injustice, and oppressioa, , prtneiples of good faith and humanity. The Home of Cent:sons .unt•t he informed of the grounds 9f war, before Members are celled e?on to Make their Countituevits pay their money eat of their poCkets: If dais be not the course of oar proceedieg. - we had better advise Has Majesty ti adjnuru us at pleasure, exults raise money and we gz war without consulting his Parliament. " The tt.ght lion. Gentleman then concluded by mow isg— That an bumble Address be presented to His Mejesay, that be will variously he pleased to give directions that thew be laid before this Heuer, m f r 1111 the nuae eta to done without prijudice lu Ow public service, Copies er Extracts of all Coenspungeuce which passed after the Ca pituistiou of Cupeetuwe, between His Majesty's Minister sad the Court of Stockholm relative to the retaining p.mossion of the Island of Zealand by • Swedish Army, or In cone,rt with His Majesty's force";--And also Copies of say Ci.iivoowleare winch may Loge . passed between the Coitus of Copenhagen and Stockholm, relating to the same, and eurnmaincatedlo Iles Majesty's Minister midis% at the stortiltulM" 1 hat there he halt Wire dna Home, as Air ea esa he 'sea without pi tjudice to the metric service, Copies or Ea- Awls of any AL:orrospoodiatiambiett Weed between His Ma- Sigiefi'Mamster alma tNe Math C r Poito . (.(Wets, ooldt Secretary, tre,leat at the Coon of Leann% from the dos et the Capitulation of Copenhagen to their departure ; timothy" with the Mutates of say Verbal Coatmitaicatios between the same." Mr. Celts me rose and addressed the House. In the count* of my parliamentary expitnence, 1 have seldom witnessed such an extraordioary dis play- of humour and gravity as has been applied to a iliiisject of the moat oerious import ; unfortunately /or toe discernment of my Bright lion. Friend, he has treated those subjects, fitted rather far serious discussion, in x attain of humour and raillery, while Sidling and uninteresting topics of die , elusion have been arrayed in all the pump of phraseology, and decorated in the splendid garb of romance: He has told us, by way of inducing us to grant his request this evening, that there is am al. ernative between acquiescence ih the dark and giomny re;.ga of silent despotism, or un open und ungirarded confidence, on the part of this eottn try, of all the inpliortaat secret communices tioas of state, to Parliament. If this informa. tau reach Parliament. it is unnecessary to say it must immediately. be in possession of the pululte, and hence reach the avowed enemy of our political independence and national exist ence. Stich a confidence would unavoidably ren det a'hortive all the efforts of the Government of this country fur the public good. Hitherto' I had thought that the principle of British Constitu tion most worthy of applause, and most capable of exciting the envy of other nations, was the power vested constitutioaally in the executive part of the Covernmeut, to resist with effect the efforts of the enemy. by .asserting, on particular aces re,,as, the right of concealing from the public and the enemy mach information as might lead to disclosure of the intentions of Government, which might finally terminate in consequences detri mental to the public safety. The combination of counsel in the people, and secrecy in the Executive, has ever been the true source of British constitu timed superiority. But while my Rightiloneur able Friend calls on us for information on this delicate subject, he admits the justice of the grounds of our refusal, by the very words of the motion he has submitted to the House, when he "totalities his application for information by the *lt, ,‘"•exed provision. that such information be not public seit , with misoonitious consequent:es to the Ri ht 11 Torliees,, It is indeed orange to' hear the r ",, (4e P.aPc i rs , stAip Gentleman calling loudly for "'Haft " , PavOred . time when the table of this; papers mitalltreelit.forel such as enormous ISMS of douse at any irtte in:riot/rad been exhibited to VW I ain'happy, however, tot of Parliamentery history. the feeling, hod I hope wend it has already been f eeling of the flossier that tNt continue to be the yet reiniin in the poeseesioi e few papers which Almisters, and the productiou oh of the Cabinet have hears so often assured would IrTverhich the House either its the prosecution of - thereat, sr{ to greet evil, in.! of a secure ana pertnanfbiliblem, u ortlie obtain tanne undisturbed among the archireAall Vet con of "dee. j ~~, ready given, resp spa, that they are and wonderfully enlarged on the strangeness of three of the Russian dispatches being of the etact same date, while it has been admitted, at the same time, that it was not usfrequeotthtt Secretaries, in transeribiug, should date the dispatches on the day they were issued front the office. Thence the Right lion. Gentleman has been pleased to .ruse himself with speculations on the probability of yes terday's being a week after the date of the letters. and to-morrow happening to be above a week tran spired at the time of the date of these dispatches; such speculations were too frivolous to claim atten tion, particularly when he admitted in the next sentence that no such misunderstanding could take place with respect to date~, as they were all at far thest written from Aug. 31, to Sept. 3, a space net exceeding four days altogether. Every statement founded on this principle must therefore be er roneous in the extreme ; and the conceit itself is, in my opinion. so extremely clumsy, that man of common sense eould conceive it necessary to be refuted. But here the Gentleman' ceases to-look upon this as an inaccuracy, and giving His Ma jesty's Ministers a sort of prospective sagacity, which he would on other occasions willingly with hold, he determines we must have arra n ge. this in correctness of dates for the express purpose of after wards affording what he terms sonietuing like" a species of defence" for His Britannic Marty, upon the publication of the Russian Declaration about a month afterwards. Thus it is eunposed that we not only foresaw that the Russian Emperor. would cn a certain distant day form a different opinion of our conduct, but would also publish a Maid festo of his disapprobation of, and hostility to. the measures we had adopted. Such a concession of prescience on the part of the Right Honourable Gentleman, is no less unaccountable than unprece dented ; particularly when we recollect the diffi culty he has on roamer occasions made, iu granting to us an ordinary share of common sense. The Right Hon. Gentleman has insisted upon Ibe inconsistency of the conduct of my Lord Levees,' Gower, in inclotiug to the officers of state here, the statement already before the public, of the in tentions and disposition of the Russian Emperor, respecting the proposed mediation and couchnion of a general rime, and seems surprised we allenid harbour aoy idea that the intentions of that Sove reign were reviewable and amicable to us at any tires after the bombardment and capitulation of the Doltish C4iwl. The Ambassador cop4l only state to his Goiernmeut what he had received in an official commenication from the Russian Minister. The circumstaaceof the rapture of Copenhagen was known et Piteribungh shoot the toth Auguirt; yet net beg after we even received a note, in this country, from His imperial Majesty, requesting an explanation of cur intentions respecting Copen hagen, addi tg, it should net, ifpossible, be • means of disunion between no, use prevent his interference for the arrangemeet el a general ratification. Ilene% then, 'tis evident, that the hostile attitude '. 11 4P 0 1 11 0 all* this country shortly afters winds, ought to 1)4 ascribed to other motive' 'than those of sestet/wet for the treatment of Denmark. 'Tis rather to be ascribed, as we should all, at this time of day, pretty accurately guess. to the craft and polity of that Power, which revels ire the sub ingation of all Europe. But, perhaps, my Right Hon. Friend is prepared to contend, that in may case the Members of this House were justified in, i , calling on the Executive for information , even where t may uot be demanded in reference to any distinct and particular motion. It such be the position of the Right Hon. Gentleman, I have reason to believe he will find very few who will he rash enough to h azard the public service foe the purpose of grat ifying an _idle and absurd curiosity. • Such a proposition would meet with the deserved and marked disapprobation of the House. Speak ing on this subject, 1 would take this opportunity to advise the lion. Gentleman to confine himself in the motion he proposes to brinq before the House on 'Wednesday next, to some specific point, some defined charge. and not to attempt to amuse the time and exhaust the patience of the Commons of Great Britain. in flimsy allegations of a vague and indistinct nature. Here let me also observe, what I shall have occasion shortly . to state more at large, that In arguing the point of the doubtful state of mind in which Denmark bad been placed by the threats of France and her own ardent wish to preserve her neutrality. I have not at any time alleged to this House that Denmark was absolutely hostilely inclined to this country. 1 have not said, either, that we were assured of her being in collusion or amity with France. What I have said on that subject has been merely contained in reansainp en the probable con sequences of the weak seat* of that country, when actuated by threats and menaces to enter into the measures of oar enemy. nit were pro bable that France entertained designs of attack' ismg Holstein, for the purpose of compelling Denmark to relinquish her fleet, and co-operate in the hostilities of France against us, I did main tain that, from the means France possessed of put ting her threats into execution, from the terror oc casioned by the neighbourhood of the French forces, and other circumstances combined. which are now unnecessary to mention, it was naturally to be expected that she would yield to the pressure ofj the times, and purchase, by the surrender of her fleet. an exemption from the sufferings and contri butions so heavily experienced by ether countries, who had unfortunately incurred the displeasure of the Cooqueror of the greater part rope. These were, by me, merely spoken of as ca nee and consequence. the one flowing merely from the other, in the natural order of thins. Nor will I scruple to,ssy, theeligh hitherto I have not maintained it openly in this House—' it Ins in the contemplation of the late Government of this country to suspect the e;olities of Den mark.' This I am bold to aver, es I now possess e means to substaetiate the v'narge, by an 'petal .to facts and indisputable ant!iorities. At the same time I am very far from e.dtempting to blame the this unrest rainen .. implicit- towards Denmark, of which we "hare heard so much ? Their own papers shall be their condemna tion. The Right Honourable Gentleman is then determined to let inight upon this mast intricate affair. as he denominates it, by . throwing Ope 4 to the world any papers or comnapniistions he can persuade Parliament to apply to His Majesty for, notwithstanding that such grant nay be Ilttended with the ytutost • inconvenience to the pnblie service. That this inconvenience evidently e* istl, and that to Right Honourable Gentleman is fully aware of it, appears from the very texture' of the motions themselves. My Right Hononis- , bie Friend feels the delicacy of his sitsatinn in making the demand, and has, in more than one part of his speech, remarked on the deplorable state of our resources on the Continent, where a'e at this moment pgmess . but one Ally. lf the pro spect be discouraging, it should, as a Dec-enemy 1:91:h sequence, deter him from endeavouring blindly to compel us to endanger the interests of this sole Ally. He then proceeds to throw out a charge against us, taken from the Mositeur, and in order to refute this charge, to charge, considering the quarter from whence it is derived, certainly by no means tremendous, or entitled to any credit) he exhorts us, iu our own defence, to lay open the so-. crtts of Government. There is, I cannot bat's& mit, and the country must perceive it, a most strange and unaccountable sort of sympathy, exist.l ing between certain persons on the opposite side of the House, and this Paper, so often resorted to in support of the views of those Gentlemen ; views, which, I am sorry to say, must be also the views of the enemy himself. It is worthy, indeed, of remark, that as soon as they seem to be run dry iii debate, aid become dull and spiritless, the Moisiteur most luckily publishes some infamous chargragainst the country, which gives new life and spirit to their attack for a night or two more. It is, indeed, matter of no small astonishment to the House and myself, that one of these motions should, after what has fallen from the Ri-tht Honourable Gentleman, he directed expressly to the purpose of obtaining the comrounfeatioos which have taken place betwatnn benmark and Sweden as if, first; we had any right to demand any twit papers or communications, if we had them not ; or, secondly, as if we had a right to publish them. bad we them even in our pcperion. I knew of no possible right we could have to publish' the minutes of foreign Courts in our alliance. In the conversations which 1 have held freely and wars aervedly with Mr. Riest, I may probably have stated the extreme possibility of such as order of things arising, as would have vaade some soli 'arrangements as those read by the Right• Ha' pourable Ge n tleman expeifient or necessary.—di Butt must maintain, in defence of myself and every member of His Majesty's Council, that we have hi • is instause whatever entertained any intention of violating the terms of the capitulation. Oti the contrary, in two instances which had arisen of doubt tine the capitulation, the - dispute had-bren I referred to the decision of thosewho, having signed that treaty, were, it was supposed. best able to de cide the matters at issue in the true spirit of the eugagement entered into. Those decisions had been in both instances given against the intert of this country, such was the fidelity of those entrust. ed by His Majesty on this occasion. As to the proffer said to have been made of Norway to Swe- Jen, here the Right Hon. Gentleman, relying on the unstable support of the Idemitetir, his fallacious guide and director, was totally mistaken. No such offer has, I pledge myself. been made. Though here I may be pardoned in mentioning a fresh instance of the duplicity of Denmark. who, having been informed of the offer made of that country (Norway) by the French General to the Swedish General, as the purchase of the King of Sweden's concession and amity, artfully concealed from us this threatening circumstance, at the mo ment when we had expressed the greatest anxiety • for her prospects of independence and safety, and informed us she could confidently rely on the good will of France to guarantee her from invasion. If the Right Hon. Gentleman feel so great a repug nance as he has stated against using the same anus as those employed by the enemy ; if he despise cootending in the manner and spirit of his anta gonist, I fear he will be able to make very little opposition, successfully, to the progress of the foe.• Before I dismiss the subject, let me advert to the charge of inhumanity made indirectly on the sen timents delivered from the throne. IVhila His Ma jesty persists in the humane and benevolent career of forbearance and moderation, where he might have appealed to justice, strict justice, in resorting to Use most riotous snemures of warfare, his conduct will never want a defender—his virtues will never be sallied by calumny. Some patients even. who lave long !note shut their ports @traipse no, at the instigation of the enemy, still continue to be le orded as neutral nations, and remain unmolested. While the Right Honourable Gentleman beholds the contrary . principles of policy on which this mangey and its enemy wage war, 1 cannot help giving him a hint from garbled extracts of the Quotes, similar to one already given this evening to the House by himself, from a favourite Poet :-- " Arras virssique saace-" " Fan est et alio hoses doreri." Mr. %Fut Doan maintained, at groat length, that the arguments of his Right Hon. Friend had been unanswered iu the tedious and inapplicable harangue of the fluent Secretary of State. He heard of no reasonable ground yet advanced to chew the necessity of the measures adopted. Stat. trick and an attempt at plausibility were all that b had heard from the Right Hon. Secretary in de fence of his eonduct. He deprecated the idea resorting to the ferocious and unprincipled practice of warfare lately introduced amangtiviliseci natioas. This country, be was convinced, knew nothing that detestable species of warfare, and hoped it never would. By fair and honaarable means we had fought bravely and reaped as harvest of glory d( Auk - - has discussed this qmeatmn. It most be admitted, he has not displayed that brilliant eloquence, that poetic fancy, or that Promethean fire, which has "c haracterimil the discuision of the lioneuraVe • Gentleman. He has not, it is true, indulged his,. self in pouring forth such a volume of words, without any bmbetanm or meaning bat so. b es was intended to mislead, as the Honourable Gentleman has this night amused us with. It is nat, iu my opinion, quite becoming to taunt us with duluem upon the present occasion. It is strange enossekto remark, that the Honotuulle Uentleman, throughout the various disesmiftot s that were had upon this expedition to Coptlik ged,- has never been able, or at least I will say, never did get beyond one or two topics, which t• him were an inexhanetible theme. He has quoted the expression in His ildiiiesty's speech, of repel for the steps he was necessitated to pursue towards _ - • - forbearance and il t1";Q a ; 'l.):fe' l ie,:e.litec i sedcatt e asno t tli t ve : Pde4eh't.. a aih'sira: t :ll7l. t :.O4m h hweDf o c a a;:e t t It. he to twlieve, that I: rmy to meet t - lie is Lie 6 it luxe await is it th r eatens to 1 ir- that the Ding IP, bitateli: I. g ri ~,,L, liae are few i •te pet a that Si i.e *arid, and moi ..t• we could atom •• Danish navy. • ii , , ' elves to way. I .1 it a , • Pledge f, io of , f , t h a t we r i,e of Sweden may 4' . in his speeek t 'a an offer of car he make it appea • _ _________„,.........--- - ----up-- tailuoillisiballi. - 16 . ( Mr. ap!if henislirs: et tint - sweis . 41 Oils Wow •If Ot ahead, aTiii,7lWlllegenffite -- . Posamffig) ea co- • was bat jos! t. It smog *mi. Jolt leisneruig to the relinquishment cf - t• IF Pirmar .., • • - , mar Z • , its di ffi cult for to disavow this mu ancient peasselplea. I/0 • • ~.- 9 - ' 4 ‘ ' 4 '. more ; Wane _feeling of distrust , when it is recollected who win Mn Poaassons--." lam quite satisfied and sera - their - - • "I'. . s , l' - """ . ineeensed i n 'w e ft the writer of the official Note to the Charge Ohle, that any thing lOW urge on the present tion • , llojtcopions. . My Rigbt lireleinr, D'kfaires of the Danish Government ' heft-- questioe will be perfectly useless, after the lcmg .. able Friend has stated, in Objection to those al- wherein he even states the conduct of 'the panish discussion that has token place The Right Iln- ready given, respecting odr iiegodation with Rua- army in . retiring at the a proach of a French force ' *hirable Secretery has complained of the thread. sea, that they've imperfect and even contradictory, to their territory, as h ig ly suspicions. Where is bare shifts to which ire ice forced, and of the dry , and wondorfallv enlarged on the strangeness of . then this unredraid M and implicit egnfidence and dead manner in which my Honourable Friend _ .. Denmark, and thence infers the forbearance and . moderation adopted by His Majesty. lam ready to admit at all times, that if His Majesty watt left to himself, be would be so. I regret he did not think proper to quote to us these passages is which , the Speech alludes to the necessity of anticinatimi, the system of France, and of eierting onrseliees to , countera i wthyviolenjus‘ and iniqUitone ca- reer Of rmapsirte. "Ifkia, I fear, would ' dolt iu " ' well answer the purpose of the Hon. Gentlesnan.— ...: Is there 'nothing but forbearance shewn in oise ~. late triumphant expedition? Is the bousbandiai ; of the capital of Denmark, and 41 the plunder of 1 . %4 fleet, nothing but forhearahce? •It has been ' 4 • that great exertion was required. Did the Ii ~ , Gentleman think that when he had sent a fleet — ' from this country, of 21 sail of tile line, to attack • . . a fleet in every respect unequipped ' that great ex- ertion had heen.displayed ? U tlOsi 'tile mighty exertion that Britain has to boast. off. If exthan. . . dimity exertion was to be used, tie Would thirst that something raagnanirnons would have been lifected; something that would tire es from the 1 4 contempt and obloquy which has been brought ' 1 *non our character by this ill-advised and initinit- . ii ouFmessure. There appears to have been four powers • concerned in this transaction, Sweden, Delmark, Ituseia, and this country. ruth.. been our condnct to Denmark ? At the teran'tftdt '- we had entered into a treaty with that coostel for : the capitulation of its fleet, it appears that wei had I . 4 been carrying on a negociation with Sweetest., for the violation. of that treaty. Ido apprehend the at Hon. Gentleman is called upon; in the most impes, . , votive manner, to render every satisfaction upon this head, and his refusing to do so, .is a eon- • , lancing proof of the existence of th , t negaciatiow. 4 Could there be an y _ doubt as to the extent this • treaty was to go ? Did not His hblesty's Ministers know that General Peyman, who _was the then Commander in Zealand, could go no furtive; than ~ ' he had done in the present treaty, namely, ex- tending it to Zealand. It is therefore in vale for '• ' the Hon. Secretary to say that it was doubtful how . far that treaty estendesi The chilli,- endribinta`• • , against Ministers ' in the present instance, is sine oT the most scandalous, flagitious, and disgraceful, • il that ever in my mind occupied the attention of this I. Houssi—t is that of violating a solemn compact. F' I maintain that the lion. Secretary has wandered • altogether from the question before us, and 1 ' confess my astonishment, that the de xterity and la- - il , ▪ genuity of that li on . Gentleman not tarnished I him with at least a more happy miniver than he 1 has displayed this night in evading this question.— , I hardly thought it possible, that he could, in the '1 i face of this House, have had the hardihood to deal i with the question as he has done, and not et least 1 , have touched upon the subject of my Hon. Friend's - il I t motion." r Mr. Secretary CANNING thought it rather bard f that every accusation brought against this country , I I in the Mossitear, should be the subject of Perlis- - mentary inquiry, and that Ministers should be I ✓ called upon to repel them. He thought the Hon. 1 I Gentleman's propositions did go to that 1101,, li r and that when that paper had published any fate- if hood against us, it might be ground to call for in- ;.. formation upon the subject. a Mr. Limo conceived that if the Itfonneer had e published an accusation of such magnitude as the 1 i. present, it was the duty of Ministers to refute it-- le the character of the count r y was concerned in it, e. and it onght to be disproved Wit could. ie Earl Tenets thought the naturr of this question a- lay in a very small-compass. The Honourable Sc- ..i, eretary had sheltered himself under the assertion I of thin' flonaparte would, by the production of the I re mers sought for, obtain a knowledge of the 1, to errant of the ectuntry, incompatible with its inte- et rests. He would put a question, which, if Mt se- er sweved, the country would'clraw its own infester". so It was, whether any negotiation had been seeteted hs into, or offer maa c to any Fortin POwer to w- e- cupy Zealand, substgentent to the elipittilation en. al. tered into with Dnmariti ds Mr. SMITH was surprised that the lien: Secre- ass tart' did not give a more satisfactory.Wit' to the i fs ar,..ruments of his lion. Friend near h im (. ir- She- he ridan). It was not denied by the Hoe. Secretary, og that the conversations, or any part of them, had . taken place, between bun and Mr. Him ;on the contrary, he fully admitted it. There were the strongest grounda . to suppose •that the ivation at alluded to had been carrying on with Sw eden, and t lil ad be therefore tliMght Ministers called npon to (s- -ite plain fully that transaction. He IVlrt StienanAw would not trouble the Hone hut to with a very few observations. lie was astonished, ate and confessed be regretted the situation in which be the Hon. Secretary had placed himself in the mon- de- nor he dealt with the question bearre the lititsse.— of He would say, if there v.'s a person gifted with the nce' talent and dexterity of misleading, it was the WA. , as. Gentleman. He has this night Riven ns the most ;of abundant and convincing proofs of his quail ticati , nts ver is this way. One would imagine that he laid sad issued a mandate to his Col:v.lwatt , , 7elmrine th-ni, ry ; a if they could not display as much irgenuity ha I