The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-10-13 00:00:00

TILE BRITISH PRESS.

lON DON,
THURSDAY, OCTOBER

It will be seen under the proper 111904 of " Th.
Court" and "City Business," tlmt Ili* Ms.iLsrtr
came to town, yesterday, and delivered his answer
to the City Address, praying on inquiry into the
causes of the late Convention in Portugal, presented
to him by a 'Deputation from the City, consisting
of the LORD MAYOR, SIVERIFFN, and several Al-
dermen and Count'', Councilmen. The answer,
of which, with the Address, we gi%e n eropy, we
brave a right to consider as the answer of Ills MA-
JErrli's Ministers, and as such it becomes a fair
-aulgiet.i for observation. Assuming this liberty, we

say it is not kind, conciliatory, or favourable, hut
.that it is, ou the contrary, severe, repulsive, and re-
buking. We trace in it the insulting tone of the
man who dared to tell the Commons of England
that they insist vote as he pleased, under pain of
dissolution ; and we look in vain for Oh:. 'Mid, dig-
nified, and parental language, in which MA-
' JESTS( has been hitherto accustomed to address Isis
loyal and beloved subjects. Snell a.spears to us to
be the spirit and character of the awe er 'itch
Misirtert hare put into the mouth of His M InsTY ;
and for which, by the Constitution, Minister. alone,
are responsible. But tins is not all that the public
have to complain of. Its matter is net ices,
objrc-
tionable than its spirit and character. The pi hs-
aisles which it lays down do not apply to the ease,
sod its arguments are not borne out by facts.—
Never, perhaps, was an much matter for ssessinent,
comprised in so few words. We now proceed to
verify our observations. This remarkable and im-
portant answer, for we may, without arrogeing the
gift of prophecy, assume, that it will be mu' iiiii r-
able in history, militias of only three himrt
sen-
tences. The first is merely matter of form. The
second says--

" I Ore credit to the 'notice+ w►ich bare dictated your
Petition and Mamas—loot I most rrosiiiil you that it is, it.-
comostent with the prineipk.of British jts,tice, to pronounce
Judgment without previons inveatigatio.i."

Where, it may 1w Asked, was the recollection of
Ministers, when in this sentence they pretended to
refresh the memory of the City of London ? Is not
The Extraordinary Gatette, announcing the victory
of Vinteira. before the public ? Is not The Extra-
ordinary Gazette, &toiling the Convention of
Cintra. before the public ? And do not these docu-
ments constitute u body of evidence, upon which
the City of London is competent to for:n a decisive
opinion ?—Three Ministers, who thus rebuke the
conduct of the city, and charge it with prejudg-
ing the cause. ought to have availed themselve►
of their own advice. They wilt find, perhaps. that
they have fallen into the error with which thiy charge
the city of London.—They announced the Con-
vention of Cintra a victory.—The Park and Tower
gum proclaimed it to the world it glorious achieve-
ment and if the candles of private citizens had not
refused to catch the flame front the public offices,
the city of London could leave been illuminated in
honour of the occasion. Here then the Ministers
have pronounced judgment of victory upon the iden-
tical evidence on whiel the city of London has pro-
nounced a judgment of defeat cud disgrace. If, then,
the principle of British justice, which furbish as to
pronounce judgment without p:vvious investigation.
has been violated, Ministers ury to blame. They
set the example, when they Tiroclainscit, from the
cannon's mouth, and in the most public and an-
theitic form and manner, that the Convention of
Cintnt was tort event of public ;Hy and thanksgiving.
The third and fast sentence of the Answer to the
Address, Ur—
.. I should tut hops.l That recent oc.•u,rvnrrs would
hose emovitiee,l yen that I sm at all times resit) to institute
inquiries on occasions in II MA the • Luuat tes d the C.uutry,

or the honour of my arms, it concerned ; and that the in-
terpteition of the Ciiy of Loudon could nut he necessary for
inducing toe to direct due inquiry to be made into a transac-
tion which has 4... appointed the hopes and expectations of
the Nation."

This paragraph is, if possible, more objectionable
than the former.—The right to address the Throne
is ►he constitutional, indefeasible, inherent right of
the people, and they are the best judges when it is
necessary to cure• it into effect. If they were only
to exercise this right when Ministers thought it
necessary to practise it, we fear it never would have
been heard of. The immediate (hilt of the pore-
graph is, however, sufficiently obvious. Ministers
would insinuate tli‘a the Address is a work of so-
pereregubuti, and totally superfluous—that it is a
cure so glaring, and culling so loudly for inquiry,
they are hurt at any thing that would imply a
want of eagerness and zeal, on their part, to prose-
cute the object fur which the City of London has
addressed the Throne.—Now, upon whit ground
do they arrogate to themselves this character?
" Recent occurrences" they say, " ought to have
convinced the Petitioners that they were always
ready to institute inquiries on occasions in
which the character of the country or the lootionr
of the army were concenied." When Ministers
thought fit to desert the merits of the case, and call
evidence to their character, they ought to have
made sure that their character could serve them.
But what " recent occurrences" can they plead as
proofs of their zeal fur public justice ? Are not His
AJ present Iliuisters the very men whrylii-
boured to prevent all inquiry upon the charges
brought against Lord MILLYILLE ? Are they not the
defenders and abettors of Sir Hosts POPHAM, whose '
buccaneering attack on Bueuoa Ayres was the source
of all thedisgrace and disaster which accompanied
the British arms in South America, and tended to
alienate and exasperate the Spanish nation, of w hove
friendship we are now so proud, and to whose ricer-
tioas we &renew looking for the deliverance of Eu-
rope from the greatest amairge and pestilence that
ever visited the earth in the shape of man ? And
to crown and top the pyramid, has not Sir 111 W
DA LIV been ',offered to remain nt the head
of our forces in Portugal, with full powers to make
n new Convention, and heap fresh disgrace upon
the British arms? Arc these the " recent occurs
rences,"un the authority of whichMinisteraboast that
Justice with them is neither halt nor blind, but that
she flies tie her purpose. swift as meditation, or the
thoughts of lovers ? Or do they mean to rely upon
the solitary case of General WIIITELOCKE ; a ease
in winch the protection they afforded to the
prime author of the evil, proves them to have been
actuated in their hostility by mere selfish and party
motive*? And here again we have another instance
of inconsistency and confusion. The Ministers who
proclaimed the Convention of (Intra as a victory
to the world, at the cannon's mouth, do not he-
sitate to declare, in the concluding seutenee of His

fit AJESTraI Allit'Ver to the Adds se. " 'Phut it it a
transaction which has disappointed the hopes and
expectations of the Nation." They admit thut it
has disappointed the hopes and expectation• of
the nation, and they are an;►y with the city of
London for feeling the disappointment in coinmun
with the rut of the country. They p►okw them-
selves eager for inquiry. and they rebuke those that

- - -
teen tttttt end inquiry ; they cliii%e the city of Lon-
don with • prejudKiug, and they set the eaniple;
they, in the first instance, prejudged the Conven-
tion, a victory ! and now they prejudge it a defeat,
by admitting that it has disappointed the hopes
Anal expectations of the nation ! Yes, and they
would hove prejsidged it a victory still, had not the M-
istaiitaneous burst of public indignation, issuing from
every corner and quartet oldie country,bent them like
willows in the wind, and bowed their heeds before
the storm. Our playwrights tun no longer com-
plain of want of novelty- of character and incident
with which to inapmve their pieces. How highly
must au unilience be diverted with a Minister, one
moment pronouncing a certain event, a victory,
and the next bewailing it as a defeat—one moment
crating epos the people to rejoice. the next mo-
ment desiring them to weep; awaking ull the pas-
sions at pleasure, cal exercising uncontrouled do-
minion over the heart and understanding. No
rarer, tragedy, or comedy. that we have ever

seen, can boust such a character, nor have
we ever heard any story that bears any simili-
tude to it but one; it was a case that happened
some years ago in a town in Surrey: :—A very
wealthy landholder had long maintained a heavy
and expensive law-suit against the Corporation,
and so confident was he of success, that he made
preparations to celebrate it iii the most splendid
style. The day of trial (-aim., and there MIS a ver-
dict against him. A wag, a member of the corpo-
ration, who had been attending the trial, set out
immediately for 1/0111e, and proclaimed that the
verdict was the other way. In an instant uti went
a shower of rockets from the premises of the de-
feated party. Ibis house was illuminated from
top to bottom; wpabs, crackers, &c., flew in
every direction ; the towns-people, who under-
stood the hoax. joined in the sport. All was
joy, bustle, and confusion ; and it was not until his
fireworks were expended, tint has lieu-barrels be-
came empty, he learned that he iiad been velebrat-
ins his own defeat, and the victory of the opposite
patty. Mr. Cassts;‘, when a writer in one of