The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-02-18 00:00:00

nisters coed amine. iirsat ZMit<it 4lenrile lamb
perverse mind wontirtlinee imsimintc th,it
licity was the end utid object of the 11over. No
man ever yet rose in the *Louse of Commons to
more forthe prodriction orkpapet,,erit the ground
that it ought to he made ;Whether the
paper he much or little. •Of not it ail known, are
con.iclerations out of • the qoeolion. Documents
are morel for at the foundation* of Parliamentary

proceedings, hecanse, however7noterions, they elms
aot be reguiarly referred ttly *oleos upon the table
of the House. In this way, a motion was lately
made, that a copy of the Speech of the Pant DE me
of the USIITER STATES 50,14 be laid upon the
table. Had the Writer in The Courier, to whom
we have alluded, the honour of a seat in the House
of Commons, he would no doubt have seaweed,
tha; it W 34 very well know!' al -eady, having Leen
printed long duce in all the Newspapers. and there-
fore it could not be warded for publicity. But
why refuse the official productiou of the document?
" Beep," sap the mme writer, " it would set a dan-
gerous precedent of Lr. the eotivrrsations • bleb any
unaccredited individual may hold with flat Sovereiga of say
Country, soil which he may deem of importance to send to
his Government, in order that it may be recorded to all poi-
tenty, as the rc rivrmationt bold by Lord A or Sir T.
M. •oh this or that Emperor Or tine.—Lord (in a..:Vit.Lr
Lit tiros Cowie, oar adereclited Miii,iier et the Court
of iNtercluugb, stated yesterday in the Home of Commons,
that Lord HUTE4IIIPON, an reacerehied todivaloat, had
transmitted the ronversation to him, and ' that be had
honked npou it as the confidential corainuaicatiou of a eon&
&anal carrel-coos ; he had therefore Metered It ins private
Weir to Mr Cast sires', net tbildttaf it proper that the
mrAdential conversation of the Emperor of Roost .A a:di a
gnrate ind:vidual, should ire entered at the Meta& oft pub-
be MEET' ^
A patty has no great reason to complain of being
Lard pressed, when hi: adversary furnishes argu-
ments to refute himself. The writer in The COO-
Si."' is a convenient adversary of this elem. Lord
f; arvtt Er LEVESON Gown', our accredited Mi-
aister at the Court of Petersborgh, looked upon
the dispatch is questioil "as the confidential
emuntuaicatiou of a confidential conventation, and
therefore inclosed it to Me. CANNING." A coati-
Actual conversation bcta con whom? Why, be-
tween the Emperor of ltrialA and Lord Hire-
catNsoa, and of importatice enont:h to be sent
borne by Lord(omega to the SECRETARY of St art
for Foreigu Affairs. The writer in The Courier
objects, because his Lordship was not an accredited
Minister; and 'lr. CatosiNci, in the House of
Cominous, observed, that the letter of every raw
young fcibble, at a foreign Court, wan not to be
laid upon the table of the House of Commons.
Dot we ask, is not the importance attached to
the mission of Lord litlYt.iitNanN fresh in the re-
collection of the public ? lie was, it is true, accre-
dited to the Sing of Paussin, and not to the Em-
peror of lICSSIA ; but the public remember that
he was considered as sent to measure the North of
Europe with a soldier's as well as with a statesman's
eye ; and that, independent of all official charactor,
great interest oat attached to the result of his ob-
servations. There is then no analogy between the
communication of such a man, and every gay
young fribnle at a foreign Court. Where then is
the eat dour of Mr. CAN two's comparison ? How
this t entlensan has acquired a character for can-
dour and ingenuousness, appears unaccountable,
mob. a in the way of Mrs. Candour, in The School
jn Scandal, lady also is onl. a shade of 3/rs.
Se,,reiefl, or Sir Benjamin Backbite. The w ritt r
in the Courier then proceeds to state—
'ha Musa Mations fat Papers, the Opposition hare
laird. been recalls:ly itafortanate—thase wkieb they have
said swathe must Important to their caner, hare made ch-
ianti/ vim it; is redo( abide we refer to the awry
of Lard Howie% to Mr. Ries, is which thee will find Ida
Lordship maintaining the sentintests which tie Ministers do
nevi mad the Opposition defeating tie pnacipks which
vent asserted by Mr. RIST
With this quotation wc conclude our comments.
It is a waste of time to refute an argunieat that
answers itself. " The motions for papers," bars this
Ministerial Scribe, " bane hitherto been peculiarly
unfortunate for the °plus..aloe," and therefore
lEnseers on;ht not to grant such motions. Is
this sense, or is it snore of Mr. CAIONINt.'S can-
dour ? It is, 110 doubt, some wore of the sew
1112Tality.

- -
Hit MAJESTY'S ship Chichester, of 44 trans. is
or.lered from the tore to Wooiv,ich, to be eo:o-
-1..eted for foreign service.
The Argus rloop of war sailed from Cork on
the luth instiuit, with the /worn, Ern,' 'mos. ;
l rant, MONT.:OIIERY: ;Mid the Elidesimmr' J°llllll4
adder convoy for the Downs.
to consuguence of the Duke of PoaTL JIM been;
tsufi.ied with a violent attack of the gout, a Ca-
binet COnneit was held, on Tuesday. at his Gratnei
base, in Piccadilly, instead of the Foreign °dice.
',Gies was attended by the Leap CRANCIIIUDI4
and all the other Ministers.
A report is in circulation of the Preston East-
Indianian having been seen on* the Preach coast,
disossted. The followincis en extract of a letter
from Portsmouth, dated Tvb. 16 :—'
1k4.113 is arrived here from the Downs ; wr have 00
IhtelLroce of the Prestos 'ince thew i ,s-en last
Suaday, within to or 10 miles of the Freach coast."