The Sun. — London, England, 1815-04-21 00:00:00

re' se' , 1 ) i . . th e - Ptriv* ' J Covet ntnent and lie_ .. . isionaof France . ; tii_ therefore, be had agreed to' it. In, fact , '• ot could hoc satlintity of 'Vie British Govern ment -....,ea_ I t - t p . 'a4 been interiiiised between the ,'", _._ 11.'an'l those Who recommetitled it. .*-:The "" -stop ; . .4., , iva s not ,'," ) ,eilts •sis -lie had stated formerl, • ... ,saw it il i, ° : nis inakiag ;' tit time when he' a ' 11'41 assittnea 4 very grave and serious h 7i t f r _l e t , o i t . it roacittsive stogie - and, it it had been -re Jr: All ii,,,nolti litiv6 been the means of placiligtL. fall Al !ettext in the !mast odiou s light. The Nobl e , l .• t h e adverted to. the t.,lleged - violation 3 hie,. o r of Fontaitibleau --(nr. Aberernm . n. '''s the table, ohseesed, that he 3- 1, 4 .-e 'my breach of the Treaty to this country. )-- Lt ! did not ti ► la ;' ll' i Hon. Gentleman did not mean this part of ) ';‘ ) .,ecit its an attack upon Ministers—if be as l'A notice the infraction ot the . Treaty lie er to . r for Which Ministers were answ i e t ri w ili!e s j4l°llg,llt not to have introduced it At all. ' to 13 "'ible for Ins Majesty's Government to answer l l i r the c onduct of foreign,powers—and it eiright to condemn those powers, becauseemtih(e. I:)Planiitinns which Gentlemen called fur with IL„ t h e given. It was neither consistent i fh` b rdrs of that House, nor w ''' s it bene ficial tle t r the country, if the opportunity of every ,0 „ . hi 4 „ ie , was to be seized, for the purpose `of Itl'it4ening . to character of . those poliwiesrsLoridl... I b i ur it we were closely connected _ ov G eminent w . , 1) denied that the faith of this 0 .. Fun _ tai Pledged to any part of the Tre aty . r I,„}liblea, except that which authorised Btiona iFfitte's r emoval to the Island of Elba. If they i t was . 4 far 4 hot oppose that arrangement, at thegiv•eil, ohligation extended. He had himself -11 in a written -declaration zi - - 1 this sub)e . ct— t \ i v which it was explicitirstated, that his Majesy l ir !: ;July bosun' by his own acts, and would 11-,`l,se accountable for those of a third party. ti t " r espect to -the arrangement for the pro%l. tr (nl of Ilse Empress Maria Louisa, it moat now r it n eeed on a principle of generosity alone ; since 'alts'eaty under which that prosision was spee itid becante a ntillity-the moment Buona_Pair. ! list it, by landin g in France. He admitted tail Plans had beeu agitated in Congress, Louisa t,'re , to the territories granted to Maria . s(4,tne Treaty of Voiltainhlean. But those ihtl:s certainly would not Have been carried I e el ect, withou t a full and adequate consent otia, • .„ '' g'ven to them . There were ditEcsitlies •a, eet . . • . ~.,.." . • : 1-..., ea with - the ce'sti. ot . the Duchies . in : ` o , t i l ti l ed for -hr' nsaintenanee; - which tendeled ~,i t e ahey.ation als'soltitelY. necessary. He - knew re„,;,‘,"4 tbe Ettipfess Alstria Louisa' plea se d to titi ii,1,41 Vientia--but t he r e WAS 110 Sjii)iil4tt°ll ih s " e 'fr eal y directi n g that she should proceed to a. 1.1 ,: 1); : i l , ~ 4e Lo.tild assare the 116 n: Cori:"r ' ' ' ' . heard ot any listen - . h(tore that night, Gentleniao that . , so remove R•le,n,y, i . .rie either to :•.;•t•Heletia ) or til, talei.,,„ • ;:•••,,,.,.-is •,1 ;.,tentioa n ewer w as mentic..n f4',."t Congrts.s.. INiither, did he feceive oily ":". iii;:l;atino of- Ais liptended departnr e . front Bib; ' .4"is .that event had ai3,,illy trake lilace--'.l .i i kt , , e.; lig. to th , .e . Tr rat ~t, of i!si,,,tainbieau j he lippeu it' q ifetti-ii.N.i,..-h,it tr,,m the .Q,‘,01.ny,„,,1t of a pol 1,,‘1t-.4tch N'til"'''',ll---i).; 14,01;,,,i f,,,1, .Clirity ill th jt!'.._'.! Ir igS Of the Pre.7,cl tit,: „ :, ~,.,i,i: were strongly ' ,' .! `'''l in ti;-...:0v with . which they received theie--! t(x4'"e 80‘er,..,.1,-,i.,'-•:-,,,,i' it-, tn e ple they. Invs,stal at t ;,, • a„, , ) , ,,,., nr4 e _ of a t yrant lie v t"III(I in , ) t cOitc '' that i . 1 ' who had long _rive a prop e, ileriZehreli?st lell;davilt.;:isli;e(;)ll'iravisistiictee:lllis.e7l despotism, would, it, bow t)7. i ll , 4g'illt.• . I'vtiserithleineed would be the state assn it-tirld, if the only protection against the inlition el the Thron e of •France by lisiona -2.-Ile' was to be fotind in this country's dtavring - '''''"l ei-a-dfin round the Isle of Elba —a ineasule '4,,litil, -h crentehtled, we bad no right, under the ; I. :a' V, ~ to resort to. Respecting that part o( I„..nsasis which called tidon Isis Majesty's (39- 1• ' , ' to••!h t t o lay ht-lote 'the House any inlota'a7 ti:. •%if:, h they received upon the subject, he I ' '''llY saY, that very little information hod 1 ' '''-'eeived, and that which was received t .: ,so crude, mid of so unsatisfactory a nature, t, , k ' It "' n il's! niit warraut any proceeding being tii ' le ' n 111 :Z i c l it ,' ', U ,1 )61 ; th e whole, be submitted I:;.;t.tititolt....ti.,l,,ee 'sat, nett] Made out which ‘"")11141 iiii::::i.lesinhetttionns vi'4llll7c"lstehai(lll ttahkeeil:rePsitit.4lelPtci4o)nnhtlhaatt the l contetsiplated. If the Hon. Gentleman for :''''''d in the Naval Estimates large charges %, ll4ll iillg the Isle of Elba, and tor exercising , . t " "I Police over 13 uonapstrte„ previous to the ecent ev e tt,liiit„llts, he had no doubt that such charges treilie' I tate bt.ert pronounced ridiculous in the ex that t.--Cii(Heal. 1) He hoped the House would- 3ce ( e li ''' has a mere after discovery of the . Hon• th".ulll4 atiii "g r ee "'nit him in thinking that Ileghp.w'is not e llth slightest ground fur itoPoting hat;:`,''re to his ajestv's Governuseitt, and us *lit ,i` „ti "asinti he lead no hesitation in 1 4r 4 , i °4 - negativ ing ''rt,,,,,"'LlroVr said, that as the House 11 .. t1 ita.,,ta‘oetiea the' hands ot his Majesty's Govern - r igh t itt • q 1 tile" preptratiotis for war, they had a I ...., w IT'i^'w'all for an ineuirV into the circumstances P e ei ' e l ikely to lead 415 into this calamity.-- at,:ii 'xidalsation of the Nolile Lord had by no bate3l'iiiveil the doubts of the negligence of A.l.i -, t ()," extenuated the censure against t hem to Na'e,ii,!4'neert with the Allies.. The declaration . tit .nt,.., t , iNii the . the ne gotiations at Chatillon, which • 13 ' a, e niiPo,sibilit'y of entertaining relations obit.et"ei and amity with litionaparte, had for its' tir 'h i t•l't eleittAloo of that person from the slum- IN i t ' , Which- Ise then existed. The person who . tti t e "" five liandred thousand of his subjects i.,1 sac ' old -ee( ' in* the terrible climate of •Ittis-' el 114.':) 11()t ilflle turned spaniel, if he had lc-etilbnsell 'in the fortaidahle situation he was 14',,ii, t'l i 9. ilia whe n Ise was placed in the t'sts;,e,'lane'tn, no rescon could be given why qith(s „;:es sbottid not have been taken to preireut n 1,,,,. l'.'ibilty of his,retnrn. - The report of some. (litit'l 'ke•-n - imiletstatidina. amongst our Naval vi i.ii rs was just enough to give him an idea that 1 5it,,, 31 , 1 1'e Was deemed acces sary, ' but whh'h vigi.' hil,it;i'nev did not exereise. It: was scarcely pos.- (iii,coitilfili(2l,...•_C, atiipheli had coinnittiticat..elev,vl.ith this: k. c.,,,,,t(1".'t bu t that it tiltisZ-have putt on izsil'iie ''"ii ilea ougist immediately to 'lave c°111" i1tL1,:i.,,0 aied w the Allics oti the subject.. As to 14gthdt SlioliaNirte 111i,lit 'slave escaped, was t 1,4 I'L.."111"1. 1):)t takitig'7l)VecalltiOtlS to prevent .0 was three days at sea, and a couple of fiiptes might kW:T . ' intercepted him. No such precautions were taken, antl-'such 'a complete ab settee of all discretion On the part t o r Ministers. de served the utmost censure. With this feeling ou his mind, he should vote for the motion. The Hon, F. DoUGLAS said that he at that time, as at all *ruer periods, was of (-pinion that the Treaty of Fontainblean wa3 politic and wise. Buo naparte had a t the'time when it Was concluded 30 or 40,000 of the old guards, refreshed by des pair —(a laugh), who had-followed hito in all his victories, and would have spent for him their last drop of blood. His real force, too, was greater than his apparent force. If the war bad been coutioned, even Augereau's and Marmont's troops might have gone over to him, as they had done on a recent occasion. It was not to gain France alone., but to gain Italy, that the treaty was con cluded. The'Frencb army then had obtained ad vantages in all its engagements, and was command ed by a General not inure respectable from his fi-. delity to the person who employed him, than be loved by his .soldiers, for bis chivalrous and ho nourable character. He contended, that as ti at treaty was politic, neither bad it since been vio lated by the Allies. The _ Archduchess Maria Louisa was unwilling to accompany Buonaparte, and there was no article in' the Treaty to compel her. The territories of Placentia and Parma had been granted to her, and it was with -her ,own consent that they were about to be changed for other territorial possessions. Thu money stipu lations could not 'be said to be violated, as the year had not elapsed. Besides, private renom- strances bad been made by the Allies to the French Government. As to the idea that Buonaparte was to be rt‘ioved to St. Lucie or St. Helena, it could only have arisen from some idle paragraph in an English newspaper. The wanton breach of the Treaty by Buonaparte mit;ht teach the people Pr e ince how to value-his professions on the sub ject ofliber;74. These professions, and his boasted charters, were n l in the words of a great Historian, Veri sPeci"sa, re inania out subdola quantoque majore liber:Jilit imagine tege bantur tanto eraptum ad infensius servi:inm. Mr. Rontssoti entered into a detail of the mi litary operations previous to the capture of by whicli he proved the iniposs.bility - of Lord Castlereagh communicating with Lord Cathcart ; in fact, the Treaty of Fontainbleau was signed helot e his Lordship knew any thing about it, he having been absolutely cut off from the main army by the detour of Buonaparte, and ohliged to retire upon Dijon. He cooteaded, that in this Treaty the feelings of thk.: French people were consulted in the most minute degree, and that, if its ar rangements had not 13:eu concluded, an obvious advantage would have been 10 - st, and a most se rious calamity have happened, instead of it. Mr. I'OaSONBY observed, that the object of the motion was no, to determine 'whether the Treaty of Footainblean was wise or not, or necessary or not; hut to ascertain what steps had been taken to pre serve it. Au Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Doug - Its) had said, that nothing' was so difficult as to give good advice before events happened, and molting so easy as to make wise retiectiwis afterwards ; but it did tint appear that Ministers had been able to -giv e good advice before the Treaty of Fontainbleau wits signed, or that they had made tiny wise reilec tuns since it was concluded. The Honourable Gentleman had also spoken of the dangers to be apprehended from the soldiers of Buonaparte, who were refreshed by despair. Now' he (Mr. P.) had reach in one of the finest poets, of Despair, in the character of a nurse. attending the sick,— 4, nosily .. " From couch to couch, Despair attends the sick':" but be did not know that the sick were much re freshed by despair,—(it laugh )—lt' had been stated, that Ministers had made private represen tations to the Government of France respecting the performance of the Treaty of Fontainblean ; but this only sheaved their opinion that the!Treaty matte with Btionaparte had not been observed. He would not have it understood that he meant to justify Napoleon, but it was clear that the Treaty had been violated. to the first place it was said that his wife was not disposed. to follow him, and that there was no stipulation in the Treaty for her going : but was there any stipulK tiou to deprive him of the society of his son ? 'lO woihold his offspring frosts him, and to de prive him of kis rights, was a direct, manifest, - and palpable violation of the Treaty. The. Noble Lord had said, that if any agreement had been made to induce the Empress and her son to part with Parma and Placentia, it was on the ground of an adequate consent. But where could there be an adetinate consent ? Such consent could he given by Biumaparte only, for it was clear that an infant could not consent. The Allies had, therefore,'manifested great want of judgment, as it was their duty to maintain the Treaty with Napoleon, and not to furnish him with the smallest reason for complaint. If any instructions had been given to the naval officers, even verbal instructions, they might he laid before the House. He considered that it was.tlte duty Of Government so far to watch over the execution of the Treaty of Fontainblean, as to take care that . Buonaparte sh ou ld not b e i n a s i tuat i on t o resume die Government of France. He _had heard that Ministers hild information of the designs of 800-, naparte to invade France, but that they did not ,think this information worth attending to. He should wish that this information, whatever it wai-, shouloe laid on the table of the house, that they inightsee whether it was so frivolous', that Ministers Were justified in wholly disregarding it. He telt convinced, that whenever the period should ar rive for discussing the conduct of the Noble Lord With respect to Naples, it would appear that both the policy and the character of the country were more committed by his conduct on that occasion, than they bad ever before been committed by the conduct -'of . any Minister in this - country. If t h e war had now begun in Italy, he thought there could be no doubt but , that it w as a consequence 'of The violation of treaties, to which the faith and honour of this country was completely pledged. • Mr. BATHURSi thought that the Right Hon. Genileman- had gone into questions unconnected with the subject now before the House. Without refer ring to papers before the House, lie had ex pressed his opinion and his conviction, of what would be the result when the proper time for diso mission should conic. Hu should' venture to say, I however, that when that time should come, nei ther the Noble Lord or any of his colleagues would shrink from the investigation of their conduct. He Conceived that the Right Honourable Gentleman who spoke second (Mr. Elliott) had, in the warmth of his feelings npon the circumstance which had unfortonntely taken place, ess ggerated the calamity. It was not fair to-attribute to this Government the defects of the Treaty of FOntaio bleau : if it was the result of military policy, it Most he recollected that his'Noble Friend was not at Paris when it was concluded, and iris absence could trot be attributed to any fault of his. He, therefore,. did not consider that this Government could be called upon to defend the policy of the Treaty of Foutainbleamt. The alleged, infractions ofthis treaty were n o t se t forward by Buonaparte at the timeof his invading France, although after they had been suggested by other persons, he thought proper to state them, probably not from any idea. of its being necessary with the French people, but thinking that it might possibly serve his cause . with other nations. After 'the treaty, however, was concluded, he. thought that it should have been kept. By this treaty, Buonaparte was cer tainly not considered in the light of a prisoner., but as the independent Sovereign of the Isiaod of Elba. It would -be quite inconsistent with the character in which lie was recognized by the treaty, if we had assumed a right, in peace as well as in war, to visit every -merchant 'vessel in the Mediterranean,' to see whether he was on board OE not. He must, therefore, oppose any tnotion for the production of instructions to our Naval Officers, as, in point of fact, , there were no instructions of that nature either written or ver bal. There was certainly an understanding _and, an impression on the minds of our Naval Officers, that if he was met with, in circumstances cleat ly manifesting hostile intentions, they bud a right to stop him.- - Sir J.. MACKINTOSH said, the question before the House was, whether a sufficient case had not been - made dot for the-House to inquire into the conduct of his Majesty's Ministers, with respect to an occurrence which threatened .the peace of Europe. • There could be no real difference of opi -7.;;;',1. 4 . 1 that floa3c, As to the fatal effects of the negligence of his Majesty's-Ministers. 'lbis event had brought back upon Europe all those calami ties and -dangers from which the Noble Lord and his colleagues last year took credit to themselves for having delivered the world. • The Government had resolved to shift the responsibility of the con duct proper to be pursued, from their own shoul-. tiers, arid to leave it entirely to the understanding and impressions which were on the minds of the Captains of our ships croizing in the Mediterra nean. He would, however, contend, that Mini sters had a right; and it was their hommden duty so far to interfere, as to take care that the main, and indeed the only material article in the 'Treaty of Fontainhleatt should be executed. It was said, in defence of Nlinisters, that what had happened was so improbable, that other people had as little idea of it as they had. If, however, watchmen were to be found asleep on their post -at the time-of dans ger, it would he but a poor excuse for them to say, that other people wereotsleep at - the - saute• time.— ]f other people slept, it was because they supposed the watchmen were awake. The Hon: Gentleman then commented at some length on several parts of the speech of an Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Doug las), and - expressed a wish that he had given time House moreof that iortal information about Elba, in which his superiority would he incontestable, instead of those general observations, in which his superiority %VAS not so evident. Mr. CHARLES -GRANT observed, that if the Treaty of Footainbleau wars really liable to such radical objections, the Getilleamen opposite, who were now so loud in its censure, ought to have foreseen and pointed them out last year,—they who, this • Session had afforded such remarkable specimens of the delicacy with which they treated subjects, and of their unwillingness to embroil the foreign relations of this country ! When it was oniverally acknowledged that the general purport - of that Treaty was that of moderation and cle mency, what a serious responsibility would his Noble Friend have taken upon hitnself and the country which he represented, had he alone stood out for severity of ttcatment Every Gentleman must recollect the enthusiastic feelings of the moment when the Treaty was concluded, and how a disposition was thus naturally produced to act with moderation towards him who had so extraor dinarly fallen from his Wa '' tt honours ; but time saute course was equally' dictated by policy as by feeling, for Buonaparte was not in that deserted and denuded state which required of, hint an tins conditional surrender. But, they had one security against the return of Bnouap4rte, and that was in the oaths and professed allegianceof the army and time French people to the family of the Boushons. Could 'any man have' 'anticipated that degree of depravity which had matiifested itself in the army anti among the Marshals of France ?—(Hear !). Could any man have supposed such a want of grin , ciple and of honour,—ohat honour on which the French:soldiery had always affected to pride them selves ? The annals of profligacy did not afford such another example of baseness. He would ask, also, what degree of vigilance short of actual con finement and restraint would have precluded that . individual Irons making his escape ? .On what principle could we have blockaded Elba in time of peace ? But if Ministers had followed the syst em of coercion and espionage, what then would have. been the language of time Gentlemen opposite ? They would have said, that we gave him rights Ind a treaty, and in the face of that treaty, had broken it. If any thing could have justified the breach of treaty by Buonaparte himself, it would have, been the coming upon him with all the force of Europe, and stripping him of all. He would also beg leave to remind the HOuse, that our gua rantee did not extend to the pecuniary part of the treaty. Air. WHITBREAD spoke at considerable length, in the course of «•Bich he alluded to a variety of observations that h►ui fallen from Gentlemen in the debate. Ile had not, as the Noble Lord haci in►puted to him, called Buonaparte a great man in the real se►►se of that word, because be had seen many littlen.sses in his conduct in adversity as well as in prosperity. • It was possible, how ever, he might yet reform ; it sews possible that iu the second part of his history even, he P!,ight ' become a great man. He was surprised to find that the Ildn. Gentleman (Mr. Grant), who was old enough, to remember the Copeiilift,Tl affair, the .robltery of a fleet, and the attach of nn offending city, could think that the Nob! Lord we old have'retrained from invading le;li)it, even in time of peace, if he bad thought it requisite. 'lle reprobated the langwage of the Hon. Gent. in stig matising with such severity the whole of the French army and people. The Hon. Gent, had denied that there was any infraction of the Treaty, but he would put it to hint, who Was a plareinan,: whether he would not feel awkward 0' ht- not receive his salary on qu 7 trter-day? Would !;e not be apt to write a note to the 'Treasury, saving, Quarter-day . _ is, come, I'm not paid, and I'd go over to the Opposition." 'He contended, that if we had not 131 . 9,461 the Treaty, our Allies had ; anti was:it•not otir ditty, to consider whether they came into the field with clean hands or not ? then remarked on the close intihney which now appeared•to - subsist between the Noble Lord and Prince Talleyrand, who had hc.en one of the oldest servants of Buonaparte, and of whom Mr. Peree vat had said that his correspondence with Mr. Fox on the subject of peace was all imposition on the one hand, and all credulity on the other.—M. Talleyrand had once labonred under a bad odour in that, House; but now he was ail that was fair; and if he might improve, why also • might not his quondam master ? If he who was once the right hand man of. Buonaparte might be trusted why might not Buonaparte also He believed that the French nation was at tached to Napoleon. Let hot the Noble Lord lay the flattering unction to his soul, that the ease .was otherwise. Few people were inclined todiear disagreeable truths till it was too late. Let us not forM an idea of what may be the feelings of the French army and nation towards him, on mere general principles. It might have been supposed that the men who returned from mad expedi tion to Rnssia, iir'who had been exposed to every kind of privation and danger in Spain, would ha‘ie detested hint ;. and yet a British Officer had told him, that ht :tad seen many wretched and nrainied survivors of the Russian campign, who oniforaily said, that they would tit hesitate to put them- - selves again under his command. Mr. %V. POLE defended the Treaty, and con cluded by observing, that the town of Buona parte to power was pregnant with the greatest danger ; but if the Country was rrue to itself, there was every prospect of our getting safely and triumphantly throng!) it. ti M n r.tlEgitcß" Frse n i t to decide a replied, and wh ether those I v e Lt e es ; o for the those Ministers who had been proved guilt y of such criminal negligence were tit persons to be trusted with the management of affairs in the pre sent alarming crisis, 7 —The Ho - use then divided— .Fur the Motion —.-Vgainst it 149—:14joritSr . 84. Atter which the House adjourned. 1 . ; FRENCH PAPERS. (RECEIVED THIS MORNING.) (Front the Aloyeiterer of the 18th April.) METZ, APRIL 15.---The following eircurnstan• tial details have been given by an Officer who left. Vienna on the 7th inst.:— " Russia has organized and put in motion fay the Rhine, 17 divisions of troops, cavalry, in fantry, and artillery, making at present under arms, according to the statement of the Prince de NVolkotksky (6000 Cossacks included), a force of about 110,000 men. Prussia has an army of 90;000 men on its march for the Rhine, and the part of the Low Coun. tries in i!s possession. The different commands and divisions into corps d'armee had not been at. ranged nor organized on the 4th April. " There is a great feeling of resentment among all the Prussians towards the French they evince an eagerness for slaughter and doing every pos, Bible mischief in France, as soon as the war has commenced, if it does break out, as they pretend it will. " England, Holland, Hanover, and Hesse, will have a joint force of about 60,000 men ready to act by the 15th of May, under the command of the Duke of Wellington. " The state of force of the Bavarian army, ac cording to a statement seen in., the possession of Prince Wrede, was, on the 29th March, 44,000 It is reckoned that of these 25,000 will be put in motion for the Rhine. men. " The Bavarian army is fine, and seems well organized; the military Noblesse thew much ill blood and resentment towards the French ; they do all in their power to inspire the Officers with a haughty spirit, and to instil their sentiments into the soldiers. It is, however, to he remarked, that France has many partizans anioNg the Officers and soldiers who fought under the Emperor Napoleon. It may be relied on that the desertions will be nu merous. " Austria is to furnish 180,000 men in Italy, but no more than about 120,000 can be reckoned upon. " The Army which Austria will have upon the Rhine is estimated at 100,000 men. It is certain that no more than 70,000 of these will he actually forthcoming. " The Austrian Army does not appear the mosteager for war, but there is much resentment among the military Noblesse, from the disappoint ment they felt at not being allowed to enjoy the repose and peace which they expected ; besides the uneasiness in which the officers are perpe- tually kept by being badly paid with paper, which is now at a discount of 400 per cent. The Am. (i~~~ ~~Z , .nl~~~ O ~id~ I tit 3 01' 3;10j: