The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1808-02-09 00:00:00

fshook' stand alone. impeach your conduct. Now can the country beer *wilt an abuse of office? Will-1 the Right Honourable Gentlemen order out some : yo ith of enterprise, on the arduous undertaking of , moving the Thanks of the House to the Minister's • for their late noble condliet ? Are' there none sec is of this• favouriblr-ornened distinction ? ' Yes, malty ; but the Right lionouroble Gentleman would he the first to temper their honest enthu siasm, and cry out . 1 01 w jam satin . 0 " We have, though labouring under difficulties, done ifhat we could to render the. affair 'distinct and clear. • They, under all possible advantages, have succeed ed in making all obscure. Yet, under all its disadvantages, I think there is little doubt that the ease, as it now even stands, until to the unprejudiced mind appear hopeless du their side ; and whenever tlry shall acquire courageto . give the grounds of ihmeactiment, to whiCh I now dare them, in the face of the nation, I ant tile man to bring the charge home aguinit them, in their Very teeth, in this very House. God forbid that Parbaatent, for its ownelninieter's sake, should re fuse to censure a set of men who had been at. ce.ssary to the storming of a city in time of peace, and the inhuman *laughter of' defeaceless men, • women, and children ! Hel concluded with iniptir ing, who were the men, or who the man, to whom the notion is so much indebted for its salvation, as the Ministry termed it f. why bad they not,come forward and demanded the applause of theikcoun try ? They had, tie heard. quarrelled amongst themselves for the honour of the expedition, yet none dared to clam it in public. The reason was too apparent ; they dared not to trtio the public voice. They feared it, and justify- If, however, they would not tell the world, it rested a matter of conjecture. • Perhaps, in the present state of things, Portland. like Pitt, would arrogate the whole honour of the enterprise ; he occupied the golden place, and !.. should also tare glittering honours wont to be leaped on the head of his illustrimis predecessor. Ms feared the Right Hon. Gentlemen would In the end throw out this motion ; hilt be wished to ' guard them agitiast the stigma which would un avoideity aaach it elf to the House? from permit ting it to be entered on their Journals, that an , . application had been made to that House for pro f, eating information on the most important and ex '.! traor&nary subject that ever had been introduced - into the Noose, yet that information, to the . sternal disgrace of the flatiron' representation, had 1! , beau refumd it' the most imperious and ungracious '!' impasier, through the anerference of the Ministers IDS the day !" Mr. idiCKHART thought it the duty of Minis ters oat to sit down quietly in hourly expectation of tit.: death and interment of the British dominions, by permittiog Denmark to co-operate with all her powers with France against this country. • Mr. Ht)RNER hoped, since the Right Hon. . Secretary had admitted the letter alluded to as evi dence in his defence, he would produce it complete, 1 . to prove he had not made an improper use of it.— fife was concerned to observe the dignified character alluded to sn unjust!). calumniated by the Minis try, but most of a!I concerned to find our late faithful allies contemptuously sneered at, and their suffetiugs unfeelingly disregarded. i The CII.tNCFLLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, since he had heard Gentlemen call for a Par liamentary grotind for refusing the information de manded, he would suggest, that the strongest Parliamentary ground for refusal, had ever been weakness in the claim itself preferred to the House. It would be extremely injoiltctoits to give such in formation, without an urgent necessity. - No such did exist, and it had been over and over again stated, 0,, list such documents would be extremely impro - ter to make public, for the moot obvious reasons. e avowed, that no such inference as had been stated to have been drawn by his Right Honour able Friend, from Lord flovrick's letters, had ever beet; attempted to he made by him, or could pos sibly be made by any one from those letters. His Right Hon. Friend had only made use of them to nr thew th .t the posibility of Denmark's yielding up Zealand and her fleet to Frame, in consequence of the capture of Holstein by that power. was not without fo intletton. The assertion in the official ni! note, that if 7.--eland became subjec. to the power uPrance, its Br.tr . ini.. Majesty would never be r sti! I to ticquiescs • i i the arrangement. amounted 'the is:lo,e of what his Right Honourable ' nd had advanced nn a former - night. namely aripreitensirii entertained. Such. conceptions ever, h.. nou4lit, be attended with incoa , nee, a.ll only lee.l to others Neatly idle. - Mr. \VINDIIAM professed himself tired of the ,tergiversatioti. all,' Changing:, of this Proteus Mi nistry. They h I thrif e, he observed, shifted their ground of defi.iee alri..ely. If at length they cou!,l be ream:cal to 5.1 palpable form, he wes willing to jsis issue whim them, and proceed to trial on the evidence they had even submitted to the [loose. There was suffscieat to condemn them in . the eyes of all honest men. The Minister* had for along time urged in their defence the entlusion of Denmark with the views of France; this they hail now totally deserted, and die Right Honour able. Chancellor of the Exchequer had most unit,- telligibly attempted to reconcile the asscitions of his ftsght flononnible F need on a former occasion, ' with the admission he foetid necessary to make this evening. Fl-im candid and (sir would it has been to say, .. here are the letters, if we have ilaceiv ell )uu and.the country, we are annions to make reptuntion, by giving pm all the infotmatmn in our p0...q.” He was mations this conduct should he pursued for the exculpation of the foul charge of iacons.',stency throned annuls his Noble Friend. by the introduction of garbled statements and extracts, as public Jormutnii. If report was not a great liar, the Right Hot:mutable Gentleman bad already crept into ;glace by means of a similar ar tifice last year ; he eat therefore a proper object of general suspicion, as lie might now be anxious to stuntaiii, by a consistency of conduct, his ill gotten treasures. Sir JOHN ORDE supported the arguments of the Right Hon. Secretar.. Mr. LYTELETI )N iiiou.eht it hie duty to dis emit from the Ministry oa the production of the mitten., though. he :and, on a former evening, he Knit 'imported the A, conviction of the pro lricty of aleeilyilin a most remectable charm-eve, ately iu that House, Gout soy int i cetetion of de- • L test or inconsistency, for Med the grounds .of Lis , oupotiliou to them on titis occasion. • Mr. SHERIDAN said. he bad observed with greet pleasure, that the challenge given with so much eindtairon and triumph, had produced a prnpol•- tionate effect on several Members of the I Lm.e.— This method of silencing, by chat:cueing tie [louse on a supposition of iuterual strength, insterA of produciug argumeats in enniirinatoa of a propo sition, would, he hoped. by the reception it might this evening mutt with, chastise the arrogance of pte,witt and future statesmen. Were it lift to him to conduct the attack on the authors of the late unprincipled outrage against the Laws at Nations, he would Move two distinct censures on their conduct; the first for the foul and unprin cipled denial oft ie necessary evidence ; the second Ihr their criminal conduct, as would appear even on the evidence • they had afforded to the House. The conversion of his lionourable Friead did him honour • had the House been fully attended, he believed the Honourable Gentleman would not hare been singular in deserting the enemies of candour, honour, and principle. An instance of similar outrage on national juitice could not be found in the British annals. In such cases no demand should be made to Pediment, or the nation, to act on confidence. la the late war with Spain, lilinisters came prepared to give satisfactory proof of her hostile intent:ono, before ever they de manded supplies. What bad been urged in ex tenuation by the Eight Honourable Gentlemen opposite, on this and former nights, was nought but a libel on the good faith of the tried Ally of Great Britein. That France wished to distract Denmark from our alliance, he granted ; bat de lied her power to compel her to acquiesce ; and nought but superior force could distract that country from our interest. The insinuation against the veracity and consistency of his Noble Friend, he treated with contempt. The Noble Lord was above the reach of their malice. Mr. Garlicke, lie nnflerbtoott, felt severely injured by the misrepre sentation of his correspondence. His sentiments were quite distant from hostility to the Danes, or apprehension of hostility on their part. It was criminal in the Right Honourable Gentleman to charge the man, whose character had endeared him to the Danes, and whoseeharacter had even liberated him from confinement when taken pri rimer, with treachery nudity. pocrisy. This Gentle man might have, on a future day, been the success . ful Negociator for this country with Denmark. The conduct of Ministers had be.ni attogetfier in consistent. disingeuuous, and *inwardly of confi dence; he hoped, therefore, the House would compel them to give the information required. Mr. SHARPE deprecated the conduct of Ministers, and pledged himself to siipPort the Vote of Censure. if no one else would. Mr. XVII ITBRE AD was ashamed of the glaring inconsistencies of the Minister: in their defence. They were worse than incontistencies-they were (shameful to say) impositions—fabrications. At one time he thought they wished to cajole the House to give them their approbation—at another, they wished to brave and frighten the Parlifinient and the country into acquiescence. He added, that, 'el bile his Right Hon. Friend brought, double charge against them, he hoped he would filing them before the House, when lie would adsl a third, namely—the inefficiency of theil. attempt* on Co penhagen, and the paltry result of their breach of good faith, and the lowa of justice and mora lity. Mr. Lrrr LETON, and Secretory CANNING, rose to explain. Mr. MONTAGUE ro.fe; but the Horne re echoed with the cry of question" and loud coughing; so that we were only able to dimover he spoke atzninst the Z.lotion. The t init,e then divided, when there appeared, Foe the prodnelloo of the Pupas, ayes 73 t 37 Nett , . Majority against their beteg grastell 114 Mr. SHARPE said, lie would soon take an op portanity of submitting to the House a vote of censure on the late conduct of His Majesty's Mi nisters. The Curates' Suspension Bill was then brought up from the Lords, and ordered to lie on the table. Mr. CANNING said, he hail discovered it was impossible to furnish an authentic copy of the 3lessage of the President of the United States to this country, in conformity to the motion of a Right 1100. Member. After some conversation between Mr. CAN NING, Mr. TIERNEY, and Doctor LAW RENCE, the point of form was adjusted, and an order substituted for the production of papers, pur porting to be the Message of the Pri , ident, Mr. Huskisson brought up the Report of the Committee of Ways and Means. The Report was received. The House went into a Committee on the Bill for granting a further Supply to His Majesty. In the Committee, Mr. WHARTON stated, that an addition of 570,000 t. haul been found ne cessary to be included in the supply for the pre sent year. . Earl TEMPLE and Mr. TIERNEY wished to know whetblr any part of this expenditure was or easioned by the refitting of the Danish fleet ? To ,which they received an answer is the negative. * The following supplies were agreed to : 1,14e,0591. 17 tod. to the inclaJtog halt pay to restoeld Wheal. far fl' airs Of v....es Id dick-yard{, Ste is time wavy, . . . i,117,50ul for Wet: of traripports. Q 91.3001. for . siric in.! M ..0 a ded . I. an3,nnol for pslsoisels of war a;.road. tosoi. for sick and prisoners. The 'lonic then resumed. the Report was brought up, and ordered to be received to-morrow. SirA HTHI :R WELLESLEI' moved ..That the Sneaker do issue his order for the election of a ?dens ber to serve for the present Phrliament for the comity of Westmeath, in the room of Wm. Smith, who has ii..ce;uevi the office of Escluud Jr of Nlonoter."—Orilerml. Che Tren.urenthip of the Navy Bill was read. a and time, and ordered to be committed un hu,...4*. _ 'rite .tinertean ititeremirse Bin, and the Bill for venting ndditim.al Duties on Malt, were read e second time, and ordrred to be committed for tO mertuw.—.ldjouraied. Borst OF tolrs nit arra! cause, Rill r. Spence, it %Mat julernent W to be peep this day, was Deferred this day L. :turgid. Lord LSIN Lt HAM lamer " l lint a Sts tali Order of the ILmse, to prevent Atly perms taking rotes, except In the body of the House, ur by Members of the House of Commous, should be printed and put up ou the duurs of the Ho 4e."—Agree4 to. The Bill tit tcpcaring the Curates' Suspension Bill was read a third tiers, Sad peased. Lord AUCLLAND, after ohaerving that the Export Trade of this tenantry hail amounted to upwards of forty three indliona sterling yearly; which be was afraid had vet/ witch decreased within this last year, moved—" That there he laid hettre the Hume a Statement of the Exports from wad Impoits into this tountry, fur three years, to the tat January, taus, distiugulsisiug the amount of each year, and particularly the 'applies sent' to the West lad= Colonies." This, and too other motions, which the !Coble turd wade relative to the same subject, were agreed to, and ordered at- Lord GRENVILLE put a question to Miuitters for the purpose of being informed whether tar not any direwired' were to be laid efore the House, showing the reprtweats tions made by the President of Coupe's of the United States of Aineriea, relative to the Treaty with this Coon- try Lord nAwKEsistity. answered. that some papers upon this sitirjet t would probably be laid hetbre Ct.: House is tyre course of to-inurri.w, or Wednesday tte►t. Lord GItENVILLE replied, that if they were not so presented, heshould take the Liberty of loosing for infsrina. two as to tii.a 'natter in a few days. COPENHAGEN EXPEDITION The Duke of iu pursuance of the notice ha lied formerly given, rose to make some 'notions for Documents relative to this Expe dition. The first three of the 'notions he should propose. he understood were not to be ob jected to, and, therefore, be should, iu the first place, movie them with out any ob servations. The Noble Dole the.' moved fur the following Documents:— .1. " Copies of all Proclamations issued by the Cout rounders of His Majesty's Naval and Military Forces, while befbre Copenhagen; and also Copies or Extrac is of their weinummteations witli the Danish tioveriitnent, tiowhbag the aerrender of We rket, or the capitulation of the City." Conic, of the Articks of the Capitulation couriaded between itlajest,'s said Commanders, or either of them, sad the Officers commanding His Dan:: h ajest)'s Forces in the Island of Zealand.' I. "The inhumes of such information as liss herb re ceived from His Majesty's Naval Oilicera, or those of his Deck-yards, respecting the state and condition of the Hanish ships, at the time of the inurroder, or subsequent to the arrival in British ports."—Gracted. The Noble Duke then continued, and observed, that when the Expedition he alluded to was first set on foot, it was resolved that it should consist of so great an'annament, that it could not be re sisted. Great, however, as it was,the contrary was the effect, for the attack wad forcibly resisted. It seemed, indeed, to be an expeditionfounded upon principles which ought not to Obtain ground iu the conduct of one civilised nation towards another. It was earned by a degree of force and violence, perfectly derogatory to the character of this country, and nothing but the proof of the most absolute dad indispensable necessity of the measure, could ever wipe . aw ay the stain it hag oc• casioned. Upon this point be trusted he should get the unanimous coucurrence th House,-Granting, that there could • bWany necessity ex isting, it was surely a most difficult 'matter to de termine and fix the particular motnent when such necessity actually (strived ; joined to the necessity which he understood was to fern; the round-soot is of this Expedition, the Ilouso Mere also bouod to consider the policy and wisdom of pnttiug it into execution. It was extremely proper to measure what the country was to lose, as a set-off against the addition of the Danish Sleet to our former naval force. hr the Declaration of September last, upon this subject, which he waitto presume contained nothing that 'was not sanctioned by the existing Government, it was stated, that Denmark avowed inability to preserve her neutrality in a former war, and her having urged this as 'in apology for her subsequent conduct, ass one great cause of the attack we had made upon her fleet and capital. -- No such apology, however, has ever yet been made, and consequently there was no information upon the subject. Although a French army were actually proved to have been assembled in Hol stein, and ou the l'eninsula of Jutland, yet, he would not admit that even then Copenhagen would have fallen into the hands *of the French. On the contrary, he should aver, that Denmark was now, much exposed to danger, by her fleet being taken from her. He Should, never allow that France could have at any time marched an army over the ice ; hut what had we done to deprive her of the means she formerly possessed attacking Copen hagen? Had we stripped France of the possibility of procuring small vessels to accomplish any hostile purpose she ever had intended ? Ministers had now endeavoured to establish a doctrine that it was perfectly lawful for any great aiiil predominant power to attack a power who is steak, whatever might be her disposition to maintain her iseutra lity, that no sea should be allowed to be open, and no fleet should exist, but to he seized by our supe rior force. The establishing of such a maxim, had naturally made Russia our mein). The naval stores we took at Copenhagen, and the 19 ships we brought from Denmark, might be set-off against the policy of involving this country in a war with Russia. Being so circumstanced, we have actu ally been the cause of driving ourselves out of the Sound. It was of the utmost importance that the (louse should obtain every information, in order to clear away that secrecy which enve loped the transaction, and to evince their anx iety to the world to chew the absolute necessity, if any necessity actually existed, that led the Ministers of the country to adopt such a vigorous and desperate mean.... This was the only means that could do away the imputations that were made against them, if it should so happen that they were justifiable. No motive actuated his conduct, but that of rendering apparent the honour and credit of the nation, and restoring our ancient and ac knowledged character for honourable deeds. He was nut prompted be any wish to censure His Ma jesty's Ministers; but even although it should have that effect, he traded the House were not to refrain from doing their duty from any fear of that nature, as he believed Ministers would much rather be thought to have been led away by their real for the good of the country, than have the scan dalous reports, as to their motives, cleared up to the sidisfartion of the puidic. The Noble Duke thus conclude.' with Inornr : sem* Resolution,„ the purport of which silos tly was,' a for obtaiAL all information and data then. of, tiensinitted to this country during any period of last year. respecting the naval force of Innunink, the putting . it in a state of warfare, and colloel.ns seamen for that purpose, or announcing any ho:. tile confederacy against this countr3-. Also Cop ts of all Representations made by His_pla:iroy , s , vernMent to the Court of Hearne' k, at say p er w dining last year, respecting the secret engige ment , or urroakremsaite. entered into by any of the c ont . ,. nental nBwerr, as to the shutting of tl* Soutd against our entrance for commercial par aw l particularly any information that est as to ti e secret engagements entered into between Riess* tu,j Denmark, for that purpose, or any preparat.J. that were making fir: the invasion of Grata Br_ fain or lretand ; together with an account of the result of the Negociations at Tilsit, received by His Majesty's Ministers, alluded to in His Naijettv . . speech, at the opening at' the present Sftsi ou ',f Parliameut."- Upon these Motions being proposed from the Woolsack, The hfirquis WELLESLEY rose, end tiated at considerable length upon the masuitt‘z.,,, the importinee, the sumessfultiess, and the lieut.• situ of the expedition is question. He way tomcat that the necessity of the measure shculd be els. Wined and eauvassed,-by all proi.:er and prudeid. modes of consideration; and he was convinced that . _ the proof which already My before their Lordsties. as to the slestes of FtilliCt towards Demise/A, tine the means she possessed of carrying her designs into execution, was fully 1111M:scut for that punea.•;. There were Mime polish too, upon which the !free could form their judguitiot, without the r.ermentylif further documents; such as the danger to sine, this country was exposed in consequence of tho designs; and the application of the Lnw of fee tMns to the part which Government had been com pelled, from the necessity of the case, to purse.. Thesituation of France, with relation to Feels/et, and to the Continent of Eumee, wax well Ulmer, to every out'. France was forcing the whole (:o;:. tinent of Eurtqie to be in warlike array against our maritime power. Previous to the traieuctiva now complained of, the whole state of the eeoete nent was changed. In proportion as the CMOs- lociatid Powers were swept away, and dispell rd by the power of France, it was ueceesary for us to at: with additional force, spirit, and vigour, in order to oppme the subversion of our Maritime Power. The overnice of our commerce, our gesserel sari. gation, 'ahrl, in short, ell those sources winch we well knew were intimately • connected with the glory of Britain, and the foundation of her power, r r a c h k k o , neet an i d l ourinfi i nfluence, n a s m a o t n ral mank ind, eooid ertiti T M l while they aimed at the destruction of this vast em pire. Such being the cnee, our situation as a as troti was not the same as at a former period. Is prosecution of this favourite object, France, having subdued Russia, afterwards stated, that she had conquered a Cominental Peace by the subjugation of every power of the Continent, able, in :my tree grime to- oppose her over-ruling influence; and was about to impose upon them the further disgrace of compelling them to enlist in her cause against Great Britain. Whether these powers were mesterei or not, they equally fell under the subjugation of France, who seized every thing withal her reach, and adopted means whisih, in former times, be the Law of Nations, would haoe beea deemed ainfut, and punished by a 'com bination to repel such violent and unjustifiable ae revisions. The first object of Fraloce, in cedes touring 'to realise her vast plan of subduing the maritime superiority Of this souutry, must have been to possess herself of the nasal force of Den mark. It muost be etideut to every one of their Lordships, diet the most miasmal and the most ob vious means that France possessed, were to accom plish this previous object. Was it possible for any one to couceive, that that able Statesman, now at the head of the affairs of Feiner, could overlook an object so plain and distinct ? We know, in pone of fact, that it Jul not escape his notice , and that Or was in3ruth the fixed design, and the long COll - poiect, of that person. He announced it almost in distinct terms, after The conquest of Russia. We had full proof ilk fore us that it ass the interest of France, and as far as we eten possibly collect, that it was the avowed design of France to put her favousite plan into exeieition. It bermine therefore 11 most important and a most incumbent duty upon Ministers, by virtue of their loyalty and attachment to lie* Majesty, and their fidelity to his subjects, to ward off from the country this impending danger. The movenseut of the French arme in every direction along the coasts, and the destination of particular °dicers, all tended to slier., either directly or indirectly, the intention or France to peewee, the influence. of Demormrk. I; could hardly be expected that any declaration e f that kind should have been made in distinct and direct terms, but he could state who... had been done in regard to Portugal -- That country was. directed by the Emperor et France previously to the lit e'epterriber, to declare war against England, to trier an English pro perty, and imprisou all English subjects, then tee der the protection of l'ertuguese neutrality, au I to unite with MI the other Maritime Powers t • punish the oppressors of the sea, and the ennui: of free navigation. This was the distinct stateme; made to Portugal ; and of this there had bete ample proof. Was it cot then to be primmer?, that orders were issued, or about to be moved, Denmark, to a similar effect ? He could not rest ceive how it was possible to obtain proof ice clear or more distinct, that the French Em;:. would by his violence get all the Powers to r. - gage in his wild and chimerical projects, nod t:: it he Ilan rationally, reasonably, and fury co - sidercd the whole matter, lint dispatched lo:t orders, and appreciated their success. He a:''s not aware why it should be doubted, that tie Ruler of the F reach would nave attempted the o. - vision siff Zeeland, as the cosiest mode of acco • - plishing his object. For his own part, be coot neither doubt that Fralees entertained the desie • nor that she possessed the Mell/14 of carrying it lo • • execution. Much had beee said about t: e or - possibility of passing orer :neon ice ; but situ - ing that that could net he aecomplished, w • there ne possibility of tl.cor procuring For` and cruisers for that emotive ? Nay, even t. hosting pieces of ice, winch in those sees ird OCC., so. bai Co sid ttu sti Ti °P fa