The Sun. — London, England, 1803-05-24 00:00:00

4 "N* +, :: ' I • ) -• • - • //tr . ' ' 3 • 1 4 .1 , A k ll t dr ' a. 6 I W.; 1 " ... ,- ' 4! • 1 7 0. :,%:. : 9 4 • 1,,y .411, ,, • 7 t . ' 4,- S Yl.! ‘SY • . r I 1 °"'"' Nti -1 1 ,_ 41 r . • - i fr ii i tH -L- ( t : JO._ AL. --62.41 • •:c i 3• :"'? it "4 0 *k per , ' ~ j r`;!h ~ NUMBER *3332.] I J IL7 SD.I Y, MA Y 24, 16=-)3. iPjtiCE . . IMPERIAL PARLJAMENT. -HOUSE OF PEER4''"' - MONDAY, MAY 23. • THE Marquis of SALISBURY, (a9' Lord Cham. berhin) reported His Majesty's Answer to a late Address of t h e i r Lordships respeCting the produc tion of certain Official Papers, which stated, that he' would be )leved to give direllions accord. ingly, The Duke of QUEENSBERRY, the Earls of HAIL. COURT and. LUCAN, and several other Peers were • sworn and took their Seats. The Earl of MOIRA made a few observations, relative 10 a Bill then before the House, but in such a tone of voice as precluded us from distinElly hearing what his Lordship said; by what we could collett, it 'related to the St. Pancras Workhouse sill, which lay over fora third reading. The .Noble Earl seemed to say, that a number of altera tions. had been made in the Bill by the Committee to whom it was referred, and that the Noble Lord, who particularly supported the Bill in that House, appeared to have given it up. He concluded by moving, that the Bill be rejetted ; which,' on the question being put, was ordered accordingly. After some Proceedings with respell to the Bills on the Table, had obtained, Lord PFLHAM laid - before the House, by com.- Intd of Miijesty, some Additional, Documents relative to the late Negotiation, &c. Ordered to 14 04 the Table. • HIS tbIApESTY's MESSAGE. The Order of the Day was then read for taking His Majesty's Message into consideration, on which Loed Pti ti d M rose, and add ressed their Lord. ships On, the occasion. He 'adverted primarily to 'the great importance of the sahjeCt they were about to discuss, and expressed his . hope that all their LOrdillip s had perused and doly considered the im. POrtant Documents referred to in the Royal' Mes sages and which he had the honour of laying before the - House by command of HiS ltllaisSty. The body of information which was before their Lord ships t elA t i ee to t h e subjeet of that night's clis cusaion, would, he was confident, render it clear to every eatridid and unprejudiced person, that ample grounds were furnished by our Adversaries for the line of co/Kluft adopted by His Aijetity's Govern. tuent, and that the system pursued by the former, tendered necessary the strong measures which . were lately adopted. Under these circumstances, he doubted not their Lordships would agree with him in thinking, that it was the duty of that 14 , bole . to set an example to their Country at . so i mPortant' a etisis, in stepping forward in the joint support of the honour of His Majesty's Crown —the undoubt e d r i g h t s and interests of his subjeCts, and of the defence and security of his Mini pions. He. admitted that these considerations form. ed distinct grounds of discussion, from the conduit of His nijesty's Ministers, abstraEledly taken ; and he was pleased that it seentol the general senti ment of the Houie so to consider it, which, on that • . ground, seemed inclined to postpone the discussion of latter subjeCt. H e wou ld d eta i n t h e i r Lordihips on'that :lead no farther than to say,.t.hat His Majes.- tY'S Ninisters felt satisfied they had discharged their duty conscientloosly, and to the best of their abilities, and had always'adv4ed that, which under all the cir.. cuinstances of the . case, ',!,hey deemed most conducive to the honour of His Majesty's CrOwn, and the best interests of their fellow.SQl)jetis. The Noble S _ycititTAßy then proceeded to a de, tailed exposition of t h e most mittesPl parts of th e rapers which had been laid before NI Houie, and observed, that the reel question then at. issue was, whether those Papers furnished proofs Rot there existed in the late transaftions - with the French Government a just cause of War.. On the delNery 01 His Majesty's first Message, the question 410 one of Confielefice, and in that view materially le rea from the' present discussion, in, which every document the; could properly he made public was open to the perusal of their Loitiships. He ar., Flied, that the document s bef ore t h e 'House, fist rushed proofs of a case sufficiently•strong to justify the measures that had been adopted; indeed, a stronger or clearer case, he Would venture to assert, - had never, in any former instance; been made out ; from the tenor of those documents, he asserted, it would unequivocally appear that His Majesty was satiated by the most sincere' and anxious desire to avert the calamitielof War. Their Lardships . would see, that not only the Honour' of His Ma; jesty' s Crown was affected by the eitniluet of. Our Adversaries, but that. even the dearest rights .and interests of the Country-4ts commerce anti its liberties, were menaced by the GovernMent of France. 'lt (Vould be seen that in the course of the •. Negotiation, a prominent and leading consideration Was the provision of the zoth - Article of the Treaty of Amiens, :mil which respeaetf the Island of Malta ;- their Lordships Would perslve by the 'PaPets, . the steps adopted- hy His Majesty's Government with re_speel to t h at i mportant point. The Appointment Of Sir Alexander Ball, in the first instance, as . Mini -ster for carrying the arrangements with respell to Malta into eff,a, manifested, in the outset, His Majesty's strong desire to fulfil the Stipulations • entered into on that head. The readiness Of His Ma. jesty . to aelcoow ed g e,i in quality of Grand Master, the person Seleeled by the Pape for filling that of. bee, .was anothe r i rre f rag abl e p ro o f of Fris 'Majes ty's wish to do every thing in. 'hii power,,consiit. 'nay With good faith, for the farther execution of the arrangement—and, indeed, throughout the . Whole cou r se of the correspondence -it would be' teen, that 'His Majesty had omitted no steps what ever, to ttonciWite the growing difference, and to in . dea our Adversaries to came tai 'ft speedy, rca. i .. i neble, and amicable ' conclusion upon the several Hlints which, from the" intervention of citron). 1: ta ices, were necessarily under dicussion : in wine time after, as by tdrcl. Whitworth's Di al t i oah i. of the z7th of January, it would appear, the lrreoch grew pteLsing f o r the evacuation of the' 4slood, and by , subwquent parts of the cturelpond ence, the strong teinynts were ;et foul), which, tipPn every point of view., with . a reference to the intervening circumstances, rendered it almost ilia , possible that such a requisition could be complied with. In this 'state of the discussion, a circum. Stance of the most important nature came to the knowledge of His Majesty's Government, and wHiCh not only, in a certain degree, affected the honour of, but implicated the Chaiader of the British Nation, and connefted itself with considera • dons, of the utmost importance, to certain, most valtiable parts of His Majesty's dominions. He alluded to the report of the •011ieer dispatched to Egypt and Syria, on a mission of the most • questionable nature, and which of course im. mediately became matter of serious discussion with the French Government. What transpired on • this important point would be seen from the Do eutnepts before the House, and the little satisfaetion which'was accorded •to the just kepresentations on the part of His Majesty's Government, on that im., portant topic. 'He then alluded to the circumstance of the publication which appeared in a foreign Ga zette, .and adverted to the tendency of its contents,. which were of that nature as sufficiently . spoke for themselves. His Lordship then, adverted to the on.' justifiable con'dua of France tvitit resped to the Pitninan Porte, which, he contended, was in dired violation of"the Treaty Of Amiens ; he adverted to' the different , communication's which rook place on chose points, and noticed with due effeCt, the decla. ration of the First Consul, respeCting the value of Egypt aka rOund fur War. He expatiated on the peculiar and relative importance of Maltat under the present ciretonstances of France anti ngland, and pointed out, 'the strong necessity there existed for our having ample security on the point in 'ques tion : this part inf his argument arose from the in. controvertible principle, that the possession of Malta was-on our part one of defence and secnrity,' but for purposes_ of offence and aggradizemencon the part of France ; anti he contended that the, deter mination to retain that post at ptesent,.was founded not only in justice, but in true political wisdom. Pursuing chi's 'topic of discussion still farther, he ex. 1 ressed his confidence that all who read and duly considered the Papers must feel convinced that Hi , Majesty's Government' were per fedly Instilled, with ' respeet to the detetitioo of Malta, as the best' secu rity against the 'obvious designs of France in the 1 East, and also, on the . ground'of its beiniCtotally' iMpradicable to execute the proposed iirraizettients,' on the principle•upon which they- were 'incorttesri. '' bly farmed, on ittount of the intervention . 01 cir. cumstances, beyond 'the power of this 'Country to control. With resped to the other' points of the Negotiation, the Noble Lord contended rather ge.- nerally, that no endeavours had been wanting on the part of Hie ',Majesty's Government, .to con. tintie the blessings of Peace, consistently with the Honour of His 'Majesty's Ceown, and the real in. terests of his. People ; while' -Minium had hopes of preserving that blessing, they scrupled no sacrifices which did not militate, against these great and para. triinint considerations. 13raWing. to a conclusion, he,recapitulated his several arguments, and placed them in a condensed paint of view t he laid particu. lae stress on the attempts made by the Govern. went of ,Fraoce, with reaped 'to the internal con. cerns of this Country, their Complaints made with resin& to the freedom of publication and de. bate, which went to atfed that essential part of its freedom the Liberty of the Press. He hoped the dispassion would be concluded with that temper and .moderation which befit so serious and momentous a subjea : Party disrindtions, 'in 'a crisis like the ' present, .should, be laid aside, as should the heat and fervour of debate : their deliberations should rather assume a judicial charatter, and the deci. sion of -the House be formed solely , from the consideration of the official Papers and Poeuments ' laid before them. 'His Lordship then moved an Acidreo to His Majesty, to the following general ettkd :—", That an' humble Address be presented to ,iliii - Majesty, thanking. him, for his •gtacious Mesirge, aad" for the infonnation His Majesty had been pleased io order to be laid befiire the House of Lords; to'cxpress to :His Majesty the just sense the House of Lords entertains of His Majesty's an. xious 'and unit aim endeavours to preserve the Wes. sings _of Peace,. and of this Majesty's inclination to terminate the calatnities of War, whenever thatob. jet can be attained consistendy - with . theNotbour laf His Vajesti.',9 Crown, and the Rights and Interests of hie 'People: that the House. of 'Lords saw with great eatisladion His Majesty's ImOdable mica. vtiurs to repell that spirit of ambition and , en:. craachnient, which . the Government of Feanee had so frequently manifested, as well as having . advaneed the molt injurious pretensions, inconsistent with. good faith, and militating . against the most essential interests of the British hanpiri, and on which occasion His Majesty had in vain' demand .ed satisfadion and redress. , " Impressed With these important considerations, the House of Lords felt itself called upon readily, to concur in the measures, best calculated to call forth the spirit and resources of the British Nation, in sup. port of the Honour and Dignity of His Majesty's Crown—the Rights and Liberties of the People, as well as every other consideration 'which can be dear to them, as a Free and Independent Nation." Tho DUKE of CUMBERLAND rose to second the Motion for the Address : He did not think it nectsrary, His Royal Highness observcd, to take 1 up much of their Lordships'. time an .the, present • torsion; but feeling, as he 'did, that in the present crisis, every 'thing :dear to the Country was.. at stake; - he could 'not avoid obtruding_ -himself far a shOrt- time on their Lordships' :mention, The question -which arose from -. a due consideraOcin of the -Papers before the; House, was :neither more nor nor leis . than,._ whether England was. to -remain a Free and Independent -Nation; or: whatherit was, like certain • other - Countries, -to:.becorne a Province, and . subjed, to the' Arbitrary Will: and • Despotism of France; !line ttf conduit which the Noble Secretary of State had so justly atiributed to France, had been lOng systematic ors the.parr of that Country, which.' in the language of •extrava. gain Gasconade, had advanced tiejust 'pretension's, a restless ambition and spirit of eneroachstienrc an. ambition which experience proVed to be instal dale, • and employed in SeeleOng attrr new means of a g. • ggrandizement. - But let the' Parliament Ind -the People go hands itt' hand----let them wit , :di nt and main put their shoulders to the wheel's of the Country—let them throw' away all 'recolle.c --t ion- of Party Spirit—but unanimou , ly breathe of old and genuine'Englishmen ; ler them unite in support of their well,eariteci Rights, Civil, Reli giouie and Constitutional r for all these svete: now - at stake, and they maylaugh to scorn.the•uonAt efforts of their Adversaries.' He would repeat, that every thing dear to theta as-free, independent,. and civilized Men, was at stake. .With re pea to the Injustice, Aggrandizement, and Foicroachments Of 'France, they -w - ere too notorious to admit of the least doubt or contraditlion, Let their Lord. I ships look to what had been the e ondett of the French Government even. to these .countries, • to which it expressed friendship; let: hern look to the • fate of Italy,; of Holland, 'of • Switzerland; plun. derel, outraged, 'or subjugated. • Nay, what was.. the fate of France herself, lias.'she not' SaCtifiCetl every thing--her' wealth', her nobility, her commerce, and every thing dear to her For what I For Li. betty 1? No; .1)„t to fall under the yoke of , an arbi. nary 'and despotic Government,. Was there a part • of Europe in which France- did not use every elter., lion to bring it. under her power ? What Wive they not endeavoured , to• accomplish in .the East, and with a view to the destrudion • of ,our Indian possessions ; and of this .projett the'spossesaion . of- Malta was to be made , an important vart.,--:. Ile would repeat • it, the 'safety, •of•ourtoEsiterwri possessit)nis • would Ire se tionsFy., •IneitacktiliAVere , Matra in the hands of France. . The.,-,Gbv.ern.. • anent of that Country was:' not content with plum. &ill; almost 'every Nation , in Europe,. thoeglLus.., der the most specious pretences; but .it projected an interference with the interior concerns of Grext: Britain—the. intringement-of the most sacred Rights - anti Liberties of the People was menaOrain by its . attempts against the Freedom of the ;Press: ; Under lite.e i m p re ssions he was. confident the .Address .would experience the most general Sling,/ irT that, House : they • were called upon to come forward upon the part of. the Country. They, would :take _into their consideration •the enorinous acquisitiotis made by the French since the conclusion or Peace ; they would consider *lO4 insatiable lustrof curb. . minion, the.tyranny they exercised over the eon. quered Countries,. their,adual •partititia of 4. great part of Europe,• after having pluodeted itt: further projeas of dismemberment, and . partitien, arid their proceedings with: resist& to, transferring' whole Distrids from their legitintate possessor 4, to their own tools and partizani to .whickmay .well be added, their system of. military. espionage: in this Country, under themaak of Commercial Regulatioo.: When these important fads, whichio unequivocally , proclaimed the, intentions of the .French Governs, ment appeared,. he was confidiat, that the Merobeta. of that. kitnise would go hand in hand in defence of the glorious Constitution of the Country, and transmit it unsullied and unfettered -to the latest posterity they 4otild bear, in ..mind .that spirit 'of ambition, insolence,. and . encroachment, which aduated the Enemy':. they -would hear. in. minal, that if the Constitution- fell, every thing, must sink with it Liberty, Freedom, Wealth, In, dependence, Rank, Property, and • Commerce, ; the glories of old England 'Would. _be extin.: guislied for ever : but the prosper}, wouldinstantly brighten were they all to' unite in support of the country, and bid defiance to the insulting For ; thee Would this Country be tendered in perpetuity the, envy and the admiration of all other Nations. He could nor forget the •ihsolent boast of the Enemy, than England 'could 'not face them single-hatuled-- , -; He flattered himself, the Dritish Nation felt,qther. wise ; and he trusted, that throughout all times,• England would he able to fact France 'successfully, and any other foe single-handed, in the cause of truth and justice, against- the caoseof injustice sand aggression. • • • ' • • The Address was. then read in the pssial forin, and on the Question being put, B4rISTANIIUPE rose and observed; that one of his objetis in addressing the House was, to recall it.to that tone of temper which should accompany. the discussion of such a subjeCt as the present. .4n one point of view the. House would do well to fol. low the wise counsel, so eloquently • given by. His Royal Highness, which ,was, to lay aside* ell.. Party considerations :. • God knows,.,: vltert the Country was found in inch a situation her present, Party motive; should :he ;•entirely :Oat of the question. • They should, 'as had been in gested by' the Noble SICK ITARY of,' STATE, proceed :to Stith a discussion, note in the usual tem. per of Debate, b ut as if they were ,ticcitling judicially' upon a grave and important case. For his part, he was determined so to , conduCt himself, as he would, to a certain degree, consider himself as giving judgment in referette to an Impeachment in West. minster. Hall. He dilreted its his views_ of the real state of the question,froni'ilNe44,4,vet s who Juld pte ceded him ;he thought the ea riot jia I .i g j i dy . `stated -without aparticular reference to, the ,•mast 'portant Papers. • In this view,. he intended_ to pro, eced : the Noble Earl first refered to Rage r oz. of the printed copies.hefOre the ,House,wherein the pro:. .positionfor-seccupying Malta by the Troops,. .was• mentioned. He contrasted chi. with the. p ro . ; 'vision of, the Treaty of Amiens, rhat . Malta shoul& • he evacuated withitt - three rnontlis from the date Of its signature. However, he would admit that ,cumstances might 'intervene,' which wou h i ju,,tify its ; retention ; what he wished_ to inquire ,was, whether, such was the fats or not In another parr . .of the Papers, ,he observed,, there ,was,a ennsidera. torn suggested as. calculated to save the honour of the obje.ding party, and Also in another place, in strongly marked words, means-referred to• as. the•• must tasy-• for., -adjusting the most material the, present differences ; • these .proposi lions could not, he thought, be easily reconciled, • How. ever, there was an, objed, implicated iii thediscis. elan, w.hieb•hellesl nearer .at -heart than Malca,, ,, ci any thing belonging to it t it WAS a point which, if any , .Forecitts P i inee :ittempted,to attar*, he would sooner !•die by the.grearest, torments than %agree, ro, surrender it what was,he rnetint as : points conreOed with the-Civil Liberties,ofllle Qcsuntry, ,which he woulddie sooner titani give up. to any Power upurt earth. Imartoilser part of. the l,apers w.as , st. Letter from Lord Hawkeribory,-ip which a pridcipte,, Very important in the consideration, of the st!lsj , :a,'-***, laiddown ; namely ' , that . ,since.the Treatkof,Peace, France hod considerably ..e.xtesaled her Territory,. and .therefore a 'claim existed :on the' part „of Ibis Couluty, that some °filet-41 ritories should, he re.. linquished whet, as. ansqui . valot for such , arquisi. tion:01 territory on:the part of France. If this was- . foitldown as , a principle, he for one would say [lsar ft ought not, to. be. admitted.,. He, would- supposie-,_ for instance, that, in the ioterval. in question, Eng.. land had atquired-some great acquisition, such,' for instance, as .the Island. of Cuba . from Spairyssr.any, tptbcr extensive territory ; in such a cay.: ha would, ask, was, 'there an Englihtnan would ero,ure it to.bc.said,„on the-part of the Yirir Coßsttl, . that 3 inaterial.pactof the licitly should rrynain rttil he had .received an. equiviilent for such an acqui• i i : Qn on out pa rt ; ? : 1-k10.43c edno . t. Bur, he c i iss sid e the question in atlifferentsv:sy ttr prieciple hakthven sts-tinullyfinsintsl on, miolit overate • the4Treaty was pendin,e,i.but Ilse musneli: the..T,reaty., svars-conclutled the ptinciple , but, ,for the sake of 'argument, lie, wnuld for ,a ,Toonter2t, admit t .prineiple betrue,--that principle, ,•to his. so, .must,;be. fitoistleil:in posit Ve „Id( t—t ha tt he power ot Franoo,,, , hati?ikreased Ina certain tesps.c.t in Furore,.,.Motet! • thel;reaty, he would admit ; hut they sits/IAA etsnsi.; der whist the power and extent of territory . possessed by. Frefice, were.at,the,petiodol the baffles:of A 4 44• iengo and liofienlintlen. ...They ; were 'rise - Is, in [so-. , seasion..of a great part of Germany. and YfltalKs • together with S.ss itz:Jland,.. What...slue ..lt,ad quired since the Treaty ,wat, rathet nominal than . _ ,but to this, a .weighty counterpoise was to Ise opposed , : She•bad lost,that.which. i 49. portance- than the who of onr West India pt6,:ii!fi., signs, be. meant ,the Island of St. I.)onsingo —1, 4 „1 1 this its her passettskon„, r and... were. she to porsue-A certain lime of , condue,..all.,our - West India islands would he at W..- mercy ; there WqfC .50P,,4cCt.1 Blacks ol that. Islande r 141 the Frenckunited their , forol to these, what might •axat, they net have per.. formed in, that quarter,? 7 .-That fvc*li o,lack Recruits could be. procuyed, (night .ettstly. be ,conceivetl, st hen it was :proved at the Bar of that liouse,• on the. coll4ider4titil), of the Slave Trade, that iywas- ;carat:tic:di. to prevent, the impor.., tarion of -Negroes ;Ivo the West bidii , -nWith- sock a force, guided. by ~ the tu:litorr genius, of, Bonaparte, might not Fiance, in....Lb*, event of a ,quarrel with gain psissession -- oT Cuba,' or even : of .Pet and Mexico i—But returri to the point s,, St. Domingo was. lost to! France through the mistalc:en of the First' Consul, and ,such an r unsuccessful'isstse he wished might always attend , evetsp. atternp . t against . 11w , Rights of Man ; a nd ; he. had no hes itation to say that. France, was, beyond coriv;trisotl 4ave.lltcr stow than she wakar .111 ; time , of .signing the-Treaty the pi inciple therefore was not touoded in 10 . 0 i Anti, all coeclosions drawn: frotia it, 0101 t necessarily:fall. to the ground., ,With respeet.to Malta, however, he. woultigolarther than Ministers. andsay, they-should. not have given up ,Nlaltaat• the rime., Were they ignorant 01 .the designs ,of Itonaparte at that time ?. W a s his p i cd iledion for Egypt but newly discover-- ,ed I Were the extraordinary resources of his niind,and ehergies of his charaCter,,,unknown till that day ? Were, laughing adivissible on Such• n . subjea, as the ptpenr, he would say, the condu4 of Ministers was truly. laughable wtth,respeti to . .Malta. agree, to Jake a bald for the ,possessionof Malta for 'ten ;years—Was it to go at the end of the. ten years? . Was there to• be no peace for the East Indies at the end of these ten years? What was to .he done . then . To ;speak, serioudy, his opi nion was,. that if proper measures- were adopted: in India, it would signify , little, whether Egypt tuts -an the possession of ,France or not :—bur as they, were not_ taken, it would have beets better to proposekeeping Malta for ever,. In aoother p:sr of the .papers, a proposition appeared respating our holding Malta for ten years, and in a . subsequent part,, that the FrencliGovernment were ineli',sesi to treat. on the proposition of surrendering .it .in perpetuity. The inconsistency of such pro. positions, and the relevant conduct} of Miois. tees, - appeared to him equally laughable with any of the rest. Were he the umpire in an affkir of arbitration between two private persons,