The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1803-05-25 00:00:00

-The amendment pmpssed by the Hon. Gentleman went to omit the most particular parts of the ad ' dress ; for can any man deny the spirit of ambition .iend aegrendizement manifested by France, and .yet that amendment goes to destroy that part which ..marled the indignation of this country against that • spirit of ambition. He possessed what he trusted would be considered an honest partiality to his Majesty's Ministers ' • they had concluded a peace which was acknowledged on all sides as desirable. And he thoughr it reasonable to suppose that men leould be iaelined, if possible, to maintain a peace which they themselves had concluded. He came to the c•atiiiieration of the papers with another feeling, to see that the country was in the right. Tle stated that the firmness and moderation of Mi nisters were too manifest to require his culogium. It was not his intention to detain the House with a long detail of events, but he would briefly review the cocaina of Ministers since the peace, and even every step taken 'hewed their anxiety to inforce the Treaty of Amiens, while every step on the part of France evinced evasion, delay and prevari cation. He would not detail the evidence of that hOstile mild so often mentioned in the course of the j discussion. But as to the mission of Sebastiani, no aluubt of a design on Egypt as its objea. He con cluded by observing that it was not Malta alone, it was not Egypt alone, it was not India alone, but it was the safety and independence of the British Em. Lire that was the ground of the war we were enter. erg on. • General Maitland, Mr. Serjeant Best, and Mr. Elliot, severally supported the address. Mr. CANNING rose and said, his opinion upon the subje.t of the present debate was similar to that of the Noble Lord who had moved for the Address; he expressly declined entering upon the tot:dual of Mieisters, anal oLserved, that it was highly necessary, upon the present occasion, to do sway all consideration of their conduO. If the cause of the war ivas required, he could not express it better than by the words used by an Hon. Mem ber, who had already spoken on that head. Malta had been alluded to. and that island w-as undoubtedly the index which courted to the ambition of France, and the rooted animosity of the First Consul to this country. If the Boost appealed to justice only, they cculd not avoid observing that there was cause for war, VAIT was produilive of much calamity,; but if it could not be avoided without reflefting disgrace upon the country, it should be submitt ed to with unanimity on all sides. From the docu ments laid betine the House, and the conduit of Ilse ruling power in France, his Majesty's Ministett ytere justified in calling uponthenation forwar. With aura to the article in the papers laid before the House, rektti ve to Malta, whatever opinion others mightenteta tain, he was inclined to think Mini sters werejusti fied it keeping ppssession of that island, and in point of the benefit arising to our trade and foreign wide :aunts, by retaining the same ; he was also disposed to consider it of much advantage. At the time when France avowed her hostile attempts agaiii4t *Egypt, that place became necessary to touch at, previous to their landing ; we also made use of it prior to our glorious conquests in the Mediterranean. Upon the whole it was considered by him as di§ part from which the war appeared to issue. kre agreed and contended, that there was much culpa bility in not having communicated the occasien of war at an earlier period, if Ministers were elf bled so to do ; but that omission ought_ not pp deter the country trom defending herself a s cii:the contrary, it was the duty of all to be unaniinotts upon the occasion, more particularly with.aespeat; t ta the Importance of Malta. The house hail' the Opi, sign of Bonaparte himself, whose first steili,wat.l9 , Egypt. As the Mediterranean was likely Ka listaw 'seen of any struggle that was likely to take piaci between the two countries, be did not look upon it with indifire nee. It had been urged, that the tie teutiations s- ould have been ultimately settled, if Malta had been given into the hands of guarans teeing power, and that some papers had been retained, which would have accelerated that picot. _l4 . was not for him to account for such papers, if there were any. His Majesty's Ministers had expressly declared, that Russia was the only power in the world that it was proper to deliver it to. He did not, however, understand that an offer had come from any power conformable to the point already discussed. Au lion. Member had formerly proposed - that the nation ought to observe a watchful part without immediately en tering into hostile measures. Experience had 'hewn that where a nation had formed great connexions, and had held a rank in the world, it frequently met with iosults and indignities that no independent country could suffer. A nation might be happy without being great, but when once it became etat, the greatness could not be abandone d without the happiness also. Some have said, let us be atone, and let Bonaparte at as he likes in Europe: we have tried since the Peace of Amiens that little system, and have found that to be humble is not always safe (Hear ! Hear !) —ln future he hoped we should look different in the eyes of France, with (an being sensible of similar sensations. IIAWKESBURY spoke in explanation of the papers ailnded to by the Hon. 'dauber who spoke last. He meant those which related to the guaranteeing of,Malta by, Russia. On that subjeO the Isieble Lord begged , to be understood that thoes papers had been communicated in the shape of ostensible instrueli.ons fur the purpose of &ranging the ussjan Amlsaaaador to become friendly to the negotiations that might be carrying on between the two countries. The Emperor of Russia had not any desire to become the guarantee of Malta, but had Indicated ail inclination to gueraetee it simply as the Dinah of further negotiatiqn on, that head. Mr. I.OX rose next, wlien the /louse vra.s lame. ellately wrapped in the most profound silence and at- . tentien. He said It west e r g unnecessary fir him to assure the House, that the full and very able discussion this subject had , already undergone, be 'hyoid not have troubled them with,his sentiment', ; if be did not feel himself impressed with a strong senw of duty to the people of ."this realm to employ his utmost exertions to rescue them from a situation, • which he considered to be . 4f very great danger, and certain distress and misery. Gentlemen who preceded him, and for whoin his friendship could . sorbs diminished by a difference in polidcal opi nViseertied inclined to make the question of the enigma' address a distinft one from atiy considera tion al the conduit or merits of his Majesty's Musts- ' ters, but be must acknowledge,- that he did not know of any manner in Which thev could fie separated. In order to judge of the refusal of the French to give redress for any injury complained of, or make a prcper satisfadion, he could notesehide the time, and the propriety of the demand. •He could not examine the nature of the address without enquiring, at the same time, into the general con dud of the Ministers. The address proposed to thank his Majesty for his uniform efforts to preserve the peace of the country. He could not be suppoied, in Parliamentary language, to say any thing per sonally of his Majesty or his efforts, but consider the address as relating to the Ministe, s only ; stud as the papers exhibited quite the reverse of any such proposition, he for one was far from feeling a dispo sition to thank them for their uniform consistency in endeavouring to avoid hostilities. The Right Hon. Gentleman who spoke last wished that there should be a truce with the conduit of the Adminis tration till to-morrow, or some future day. 44 I am," said he, " for some time past so much un used to political affairs, that I find myself unqualified to form any accurate udgment upon parties." For these two days pas t we have had, what was rather unusual for a considerable time amongst them, a Right Hon. Gentlernan (Mr. Pitt) of great weight, and justly admired talents ; and probably it is in deference to him that the House has been called upon not to discuss this 'natter in his presence. But however much we may rejoice in his re-appearance, I should rather wish him again absent, than that his presence should impose upon us a silence injurious to the most essential interests of the nation. The sentiments of some Gentlemen seemed to be, forbear for the present, and have at him to-Morrow if you please; but I can acknowledge no cause now for a restraint which was not deemed necessary in a case of such a subordinate nature as whether the House should adjourn front Friday till hnalay. Gentlemen have not been sparing of ge neral principles in reference to this subjea, and the House, I presume, will think me the more excuse able in stating some myielf. First then, without pre tending to deeper study than others, from ull these heads, I cannot hesitateto maintain, that, throughout the question there is no just ground of war, except the refusal of satisfaftion. If an injury be received, the proper mode of prdceeding is by the demand of reparation, and the justice of the quarrel.will then depend on the refusal or acquiescence of the party said to be the aggressor. Some who possess power will occasionally take that reparation into their own hands, bet it will scarcely be maintained that. it is the most justifiable means of proceeding.• -Excep tions might perhaps be made out by such ingenuity as we have been for some time in the habit of own ing, but I speak of the general rule, which I believe to be scarcely controvertible. The question in my opinion is this : Has the conduit of France towardi this country been unjustifiable since the conclusion of the Treaty of Amiens ? As tet any aggressiop that reighthave been committed against other nations, I deny that it is a just cause viwar to England. We have not, as far as I know, any guarantee unbind us to mai tain the independence of Switzerland. The aggran disement of a rival country to a certain extent may furnish a grOUnd of quarrel for self-defence, and in duce a country such as this to enter into a qaal . tel with another circumstanced as France may be supe pined to be. Within oueown yecolleaion we kat*: Of two divisions which have. been distinguished fiir their eminence in profligacy and ambition. In point of justice and liberality it was the duty of Fratiee• and England to have united to oppose it. Diiithe Right - Hon. Gentleman, who was Minister: at the time, then make it the cause of war ? I never heard that he did, though there could be no • doubt of its injustice. Suppose France had, as rumour rhatsscge4,.. invited us to join in that objea, and tlieltad•tefu,sid, may we not be eqUally accused of • . possessing the 411/1111 anitnsu. The Continent was in no better state at the time that the peace of Amiens was so zealously defended. Neither the Ministers - nor the people of : this country could, have" any reliance ou the disposition of the French Go vernment. Every security of this kind must be more. or less imperfeet according to circumstances. HaileNs-criutury.always gone on the principle of sieloaegiai security, instead of the few intervalt of pesee-iwe occasionally enjeo ed, England would have been in a state of perpetual and uninterrupted war for the last 'two centuries. France has been arraigned for the part it has taken in the settlement of the indemnities of Germany. My indignation on that snbjed, is not .direked particularly against France, but . against all the powers of Europe that have been concerned in them, as such indemnities and compensations cannot be made to some powers without the oppression. of others. These indem nities were admitted by the head of the Empire in the treaty of Luneviile, and France and Russia principally regulated thetn as the mediating powers. Austria certainly was and must haler• been a loser then from its unfortunate canithigas, and the triumphal career of the First Consul. France having then joined with Russia in their pro posals, was no more ground of quarrel with the lat ter than the former power. With regard to the complaints alledged respeeling the incorporation of ,Piedmont, I can only consider it as a matter of mere Word, Long before that event, and before the Treaty of Amiens was ever thought of, France was in the occupation of Piedmont, and held it under the new revolutionary name of the 57th military di vision. It was, therefore, as much the property of the French then, by conquest, as Gibraltar has been so loqg one of the possessions of Great Brita;n. The Noble Secretary of State very lowly said, on a for mer day, that all treaties must be considered with reference to the Situeion of the contrasting parties at the time ; and upon this principle the retention of Piedmont could be no ground• of quarrel to us as It was x province of France at the moment that the treaty was concluded. The next point towhich I have to refer is certainly in every respect of much greater importance. I mean the condua of France in re gard to Switzerland. France was enjoyed by a solemn treaty tc withdraw its troops from that un !mum* country, where it had previously esta blished a gpvernment repugnant to the sentiments, the feelings. the prejudices, and the habits of the people. • No sooner were the troops withdrawn, Conformably with the treaty, than the different Cantons attacked and abolished that new govern ment, which furnished a pretext of the troops of the First Camel to enter into and occupy that coun try again. There is no man existing who feels more sensibly th4i 1110 . the gross injustice of France; in e very moral and political point of view, towards that devoted .nation but lam ready to maintain, that it was, not an as of hostile. aggression against this country. It seems for some time past, that the very name of the Fast Consul has be considered ~~ ..~. I w _ • • as a kind of ;fieence let for abese and invedier of snaking arlr impressions injurious to him. 11 the every. kind, but it is not the less true, that every French had seized any ships, as stated, merely be aggrandisement eta rivni- or a neighbour, is not an cause they had English merchandire on board, the at of aggtessioa, whoa it is not'a violation of any great injury was to their own commerce, by affixing treaty we shave entered into. It might with equal upon them an inhospitable character. This coun propriety be alledged, that every thing done by the , try itself had' furnished similar grounds of complaint French Govenutient, for the greater strength, and in the Negotiation Act, drawn up by Cromwell, and internal or external improvement of that country, continued after the restoration of the Regal Family, ought to be regarded as an ad of hostility towards which excluded foreign vessels froM any share in us. It may, perhaps, be asked, why persons, who the trade of England. If the perions sent over as in general are supposed to incline to the dernocrati- commercial agents were in fact not military offi cal Side ofeveryquestion, shoplel.be favorable to the cers, it was the duty of Ministers to se.e! them ancieut aristocracy of Switzerlund, and yet should away immediately, and then demand an expla advise this country not 'to 'go to 'war for that nation. If they have not done so, it is to be object i My answer would be sufficient were I only attributed to their own neglect. Ac to the pub to say, that by such a war this country of itself lication in a Hamburgh paper, if the French would effect nothing, and were Austria' even to join 'Minister Rein ard availed himself of his political si it, the independence of Switzerland Would be no tuition to compel the insertion of it, that was an aa more than a hypocritical pretence; while the war of. aggression against that Republic, not us. Tal. would be in truth carried on only for Austrian and leyrandexpressed hie astonishment at it, and would British purposes. And however chelUerical it may no doubt have dis Claimed it, if our Ambassador had be conceived to introduce this subjed now that we not been ordered so hastily away.". He then pro 'endeavour to justify our quarrel, it does not appear ceedeci to argue : that the neetrii conversation at Court that it was either mentioned or even alluded to by hetn-eenßenaparteand LordWhitworth, onlishewed the British Cabinet. The next subject of observa- lwwliulestress should he laid on such representat ions. tion arises from the intolerable and cruel injustice • It passed certainly in the presence,of a greatnumber of !french Government towards llollancl;- though of witnesses, but it was equally certain that several Holland may be considered as in a great measure a of these persons related it very differently. AU conquered country over-run by the French arms ; rliE, however, pa”ed before. the recess topic pl:ees but nothing could be more unjustifiable than to and the Minister never thought it worthinentioning make it a depot of troopoin time of peace,, and this till he had first opened the budget, .atacl.spoke nn the more scandalous,. as the objed seemed to be that such a manner of the priaspect of . a.permanent peace they should be paid by .14(111 , ind. I shall'not argue as was eakUlated to delude the nation into an errq the question whether Holland is, as has been repre- neous opinion of the state of public credit. Thisbe sentvd, an outpost of England, but cannot be per- considered ai a proof that the conversation was not suaded that the objed of these armaments was a me- at that time.cpnsifierOd, by ginisters'w be a cause ditated attack. This country would indisputably,( of war. It had been argued ; that though one oit have stood upon a better ground if that circumstance curnstauce, may not furnis suiCient.Canse of war , had been made a subje.t of .remonstrance; and I the accumulation of many rirtY, as it was said to be have reason to think, that had we made a temperate ih'ela'sitidautd weight that broke the horsesback; but, representation without any menace of war, it would * if the.stilniiier foresaw ;bat his back was. :9 soon to have beerr attended with 'a favourahle effect, and aft . 'be krakeb,, he should not Jiave made a finaiiCial • offer to evacuate the country. As *to the rash .1 4 presentaiii* so flatteringas tp pro 341,-a.deAwsive of - • the French Government Si. 1 "acct. He next - ttended, - - tempt restoring . in . Domingo, that is a subjed most interesting to France, but I cannot consider it as 'any affair of ours, unless we were touched with cinir passion for the uofnrtunate inkibitants.—The conduit of the person who had the chief corn . - niand of that expedition towards a man (Touissaint) with whom he had made terms, whatever might have been his colour, in afterwards treacherously arresting him, must ever be a blot upon the fame of the individual and the French character in general. But the whole of the transactions in that island are only a consequence of that system of perpetual wickedness put sued by all European nations against the wretched Africans, by the continuance of the abominable slave trade ; and had we called upon France to assist us in the extirpation of that vile and • detestable traffic,- we should have put an end to it long since. The .occupation of Parma and Placentia could be now no ground of war for us, as it was secured to France bl a treats' which existed long be fore the TrearYaf.iniens. the.iieit topic relates-to the general hiriguig . held in the respedive publica tions of one of the countries towards the other. I am nisquestionably one of those who Would not disturb the freedom of the press in lingland to please any foreign country, and should, to the utmost of my power, equally resist well an attempt on the part of the. Government of England. But any proposals to that effed made by the Government of Fiance Could only proceed from the grossest ignorance 0f..0ur.l ew and constitution ; but being capable of expLurat4o4 could afford no proper. ground of quarrel. TIA press, ai times, has no doubt deviated into heel* ousness, Imp is no more than a partial evil sprinting 'from an universal good. In the system of recipro• T cal abuse, which seems to have been adopted, and :which' has the appearance of having been mun ition:owed by the Republic Governments, there must necessarily be some subjed of emulation but I :should recommend to both parties to attend to a passage in the very best of poems, and put by Homer nt the mouth of the Goddess of Wisdom. When two heroes were quarrelling, and prepared for !bittie, this Goddess told them what may be thus translated into English—" Gentlemen, put up your swords, and then abuse each other aslnuch as you please." This, in my opinion, was a very sage ad monition, whether from the lips of the Goddess of Wisdom or the Goddess of Reason, whom we have heard such frequent mention of. This reciprocal abuse is certainly extremely scandalous ; and while we say to the French you can contra& your press, though we cannot restrain ours,' we cannot expe& from them the simplicity to believe that our Mini sters have not influence enough to restrain this abuse, at least in some of the papers: Our Mini sters tell us that all the influence they possess over the newspapers is confined to the preference they may give some of them in furnishing them with ar ticles of intelligence. For the truth or falsehood of this I cannot answer ; but surely Bonaparte might, if he pleased, alledge the same excuse. With. re sped to the requisition made of sending off the ex iled Princes, 1 readily admit that a great country should not refuse to such persons the rights of hos pitality ; and if France was to expel all the Irish who might in moments of carelessness have been betrayed into seditious proceedings, and we send off all the French in the same situation, it might so happen that some of the most virtuous men in the, world wouldbe hunted from the face of the earth. I do not pretend to entertain any great degree of rasped for the Princes of the House of Bourbon; but.i con fess, that there is not oi.e of them for whom I would draw the sword and involve two nations, on whom so much depends the repose of the world, in alt the calamities of war. I know very well, there . are strong suspicions entertained in Paris, that three persons now in this country, have been concerned in plots for assassinating the First Consul, and think 'this would be some fair ground of calling on them for explanation, not to foreigners, but ourselves. Other articles of complaint refer principally to par ticular expressions. One was in the expose of the First Consul, in which he said, that Eugland' was tot able to struggle singly against France. This rwas, indeed, impertinent, but no very serious *ult. Nations, on such provocations, should, like hiclividuals, either magnanimously despise them altogether, or demand satisfaction, but it is nei ther manly nor rational . to. hoard them up in the memory, and then make them. the fonndation of • some future quarrel. The •• report of Sebaitiarii in the aspersion thrown upon General Stuart was Akghly todeerot,. but rriayjv. the snore easily: over looked, as I understand the charatler and talents of that brave officer must prevent these charges from .4'. I that, la thejudginent the'persohs best quilified to lam. an opmiett. Malta was not the key of Egypt, nsr.Egypt the key of the East Indies, nor*theEist Indies a .vital literest of thi4 country, though it paust be acknowledged to. be 'a very int:poi-taut_ one. He. understood k to. be the opinion of Fail St. Vincent.and Lord Nelson, that Malta was hot the key of EgYpt, nor the best position for forwarding Egyptian operations The French expedition to Egypt Was a-wild and extrava gant scheme, which he believed: would .not ulti mately, even had they obtained it, have been of ser vice to them in an attack on the East In dies. We had expelled the French from Egypt before we were in possession of Malta, and he could no more value ,the former country for being the scene of our exploits, than be would the field of Blenheim in any continental arrangements. If France aggrandized itself in .Europe, we did the same in the East Indies and, representing them as different, would be the same as the excuse of a lady suspe&d Of:gallantry in the... East Indies, , and, on being taxedwith it replied, "Never guilty,upoti my honour, on this side the Cape of Good Hope.' The desire •ef France to posses Egypt, was no proof of its pre. "Sent design to do so; and the English. Minister of the day did not think it necessary to go to war m I7Bb, when the hwasion of that country was ItpOwe to have been a very favourite project of M, de. Ve r • Rennes, the Minister of Louis XVI. As to Make, contendeAthat it was ridiculous to Suppose.that when France insisted on our evacuation of the island, is; ) deSigned to throw. obstacles in the way which now tend to prevent it. The article for its restoration id) the treaty was- or our owe formation, 1.4 d RtisSia had lately agreed to accept the guaran tee ppon certain condition, which we did not seem &posed to admit. It was not faith to the Knights of the Order, that constituted any part of ohr ob jetlions, as if France agreed to let us have it far ten years, the interest of the rights were to have been dis regarded, and whatever importance Ministers might attach to the possession, it must certainly be very in ferior to that of preserving the British faith untainted in the observance of treaties. Were we to go to war for every desire the French might manifeit in re sped to'Egypt and other countries, we shoo - not have had a moment of breathing time ever _since .the peace of Utrecht, nor perhaps at anykimeliefore it. The conversation of Bonaparte with Lord Whit• worth seemed to him to have the air of frankness, for if he said he would not go to war because it was not his interest to do so, and that he had much to lose and nothing to gain by it, was the same sort of declaration which was known to pass daily be tween man and man. He also said, that if he had any design upon Egypt he might have taken it, but feared in that case to be con sidered the aggressor, and that France must finally have it either by the dissolution of the Turkish em pire, or some arrangement' with the Porte. It cer tainly was no horrible thing to contemplate the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, as there was scarcely a political conversation which it was not mentioned for the last 10 years. That event was !long. known to have been a favorite projea of late Empress of Russia, and with a view to which she gave to one of the teitulson :ihe name of Constantine. If Bona parte's wishes were a ground for syar, he might with ~ easee r ec t t o o f rt z tr: 5, 0 and sra part rt tha to t what; had re-occupy b t e h e e n Cape °Wood Ifs:Pe, was prOof of a .disposition to violate the terms . nf. the Treaty of tkiniens, supposing Bo naparte Aq.r 4ain his designs on Egypt, and though the passion of Malta requisite for the furtherance 'O.- of the it would be idle to suppose, that, bx. Pub s lAL; s Report, he would hare ayaw,::.d. that intention, ittthe moment he supposed us to be on the' point of surrendering the island. .fie pitied Lord Whitworth, for whom he had so great a regard, for,beingplaced iu so aukward satiation astorequire an:etplanation, and when asked about it had only to answer that he did net knew. As to the King of Sardinia; it was in4onceivable *by' he .y 44? bad not been even mentioned before,:shoiglie-Itigged into our Ultimatums in the last act •ot the tragedy, like the ghost of a deceased.person knocking thelloor • some time after his death. In respect to our of to acknowledge , the King of Etruria, and the Italian Republic, .Bonaparte would Probably - ui, a Gentlemen, iii that rt4ipect you ~Hy as yott , iplease. . America 'was .not by the late Empress of Russia, not.latow that 'the Americans • selves a particle the - worse for . boon for us to acknowledge countries we had no claims. The faa was, t: : 1 , i $1 t •. • • ; 1 I •. • - • I ( I i ) • I abollt II had only to As to the King of • /The .svist, bad not 441;ged into ` of trardi, like i ‘ 4 °Cking tbkello9r r respect to our of- - 4 . Etruria, and the ji . robably say to t you may do just .not acknowledged a, and yet he did ever found them- n. it. It was no ountr:es on which . was, that the Cpn• . , • , • i! • - i