The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-05-10 00:00:00

Session.
Tne London and Westminster Coal Market Bill
was read a first time ..nd ordered to be read a second

time.
An account was presented from Queen Anne's
Bounty office, to the ist of January, 1803, which
was ordered to be laitl upon the Table.
Accounts of the produce of Taxes from 1902 to
1i50;, and of exports and imports for the satire pe-
riod were presented.
A Message from tht. Lords informed the House,
their Lordships requested a copy of the minutes of
the evidence before the Committee on the Nottingham
EleEtion, on which the House had passed the Not-
tingham Magistrates Bid.
Mr. I. 11. BROWN: I, moved, that a copy of the
minutes should be sent to their Lordships, and the
Masters in Chancery were called in and informed to
that etre&
The third reading of the Coroner's Bill was post-
poned till to-morrow.
The Hi •::se went into a Committee on the Report
of the London Port Bill. The Report was ordered
to he received to-morrow.
Upon a motion to postpone the consideration of
the Ildieste:- Election petition,
Mr. ROSE objetr:cd. He-thought this was one
of the grossest cases he lad e'• ,r heard, and he
• could not consent l'iat the sub.; << should tie detened
beyond th.; day se'nnight.
Mr. W 4. LLACE he s'iould not °Ned to
this Arnemitnent ; but as a&ions had been brought
lustag.. Mr. Dar.son, the Mayor of !lchester, for
bribery, he should, perhaps, it his duty to
move to defer the business till atter those actions had
been disposed of.
Mr. LEE said, the proceedings of the House ha 1
not been delayed merely t'ecaut,e individuals thoi;7,!:-.
proper to commence altions.
The subject was deferred till this day se'nnight.
It was moved, that the Seleet Committee to whom
the plan for the improvement of the Highlands of
Scotland was referred, should have leave to report
from time to time.

Mr. VA NSITTART brought up several public
accounts.
The report of the Irish Courts of Law Bill was
received and agreed to.
The Ea.a India Vo'lunteer's Eill was read a second
time, and committed fur to,morrow.
Lord CA:aLEREAGH ga,. notice, that on
Wednesday next be should move some regulations
relative to the ailaits t.Le East India Company.
lie report of the Ltinatl,7s Est:-..te Bill was brought
up, and the Bill read a second bare.
Mr. VAN srn-ART brought. up a Bill for re-
pealing so much of certhin Ans of William 111. as
relates to the exportation of bullion.—Read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time on Wed=
nesday next, and to be printed.
The CHLANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, he should, on to-morrow, make a motion for
deferring the further consideration of all eledion
petitions until the next Sessions of Parliament ex-
cepting what stood fixed fur Thursday next.
On the motion of Mr. BRAGGE the Bill for
improving thelarbour of Bristol, was read a second
time.
Mr. BR AGGE said, that as he understood there
were several petitions against the Bill, and others
against several parts of it, he wished that it should
meet with the fullest discussion in a Committee.
lie therefore moved, that" it be committed to a Se-
left Committee:—Ordered accordingly.
Mr. BR AG QE and !sir. BA l LLIE presented seve-
ral petitions fer and against the Bill, which were re-
ferred to the same Committee to which the said Bid
was referred.
On the motion of Mr. J. CLAUDIUS BERES-
FORD, the further consideration of the Report of
the Dnblin Bridge Bill was deferred. iie then
moved for leave to bring in a Bid for rendering
more effedual an Aft of 'the 40th of his present
Majesty for promoting the trade and, tenth ring
mote commodious the Harbour of Dublin.—Leave
haven .-2t djuuraed

' TIT T I? RITISH 1-)RE,SS.

LONDON,
TUESDAY, MIW 10.

Yesterday both Hbuses of Parliament were croud-
ed to an excess of which modern experience does not
afford an example. Mr. Fox, Mr. Gs Ly, and all
the other distinguished Members of the House of
Commons weir in their places. The CHANCELLOR
of the EXCHEQUER found himself obliged to defer
once more his promised communication ; and the
terms which he used upon the occasion confirm the
account given in our paper yesterday of the state
of the negotiation bewcen this country and France.
He said, "the expeaation which he declared o Fri-
day, of being able to n:ake a communication
yesterday, was founded upon circumstanc et
which would not admit of any other conclusion."—
This scriares exaaly with our statement, that die
instruaions to Lord Wnrr wort•ti were positive, and
left no room, as Miniters conceived, f;.r the exer-
cise of a discretion upon the subjat. The circum
stances, therefore, which delayed the return of Lord
Wititwo RTM, were un ex pea ed and unforeseen.
The CH A NCEL L 0 R oldie EXCH Equ L.. re also said, "he
had not a doubt in his own mind, but that the points
in discussion between the two Governments, will be
brought to a decisive result, in a very few days,
viz. this day or to-morrow morning." The inference
that immediately follows from the declaration is, in
unison with our statement, that the orders sent to
Lord WHITWORTH, on Saturday, and which might
he supposed to reach him this evening or to-morrow
morning, were peremptory and decisive. We have
already stated, that the overture upon which his
Lordship thought fit to ground his delay- at Paris
was rcjefled by our Government, and that pe-
remptory orders were sent off requiring his Lord-
ship's immediate return, unless his ultimatum was
acceded to without reserve or modification. That

ultimatum embraced three principal points, which
are thus laid down in a Morninir Paper, Of yester-
day.—
" That the French Traopv should evacuate Holland ;
" That the Swiss should be restored to a fret Government;

and,
" That Malta should r-main in the hands of the British for a
certain nember of years, and, eft.Twards, until some new ar-
rangement could be made respecting it, which should coin-
pletely sccure its independence."
The answer to this proposal, assigned by rumour
to have been given to Lord WHITWORTH, when lie
demanded his passports, was to the following effeLct
I. That arrangements shall be made fur withdrawing the
French troops from I Tolland.
2. That a negotiation should be entered into upon this
point; and that the intention of toe eirst Cousal wa., to eual.42
the Swiss to form a fie! Governm',nt.
3. France oh;ects to our retaining Mzilta for co long a tinif.. cs
w;r have proposed ; she fixes a shorter period. But she
offers to use her influence with the King o!" Naples, for the
;impose of ohtaini;:g, in full sovereignty for us, a small island
called Lampedosa, between Africa and Siely ; and which has
a port c 'Fable of holding allout six or seven sail attic line.
We have reason to believe, that this account es-
sentially differs from the proposition of the French
Government, transmitted by Lord WHITWORTH
through the medium of Mr. SILVLSTER. the
English Government certainly complained that
France not content with the annexation of Belgium,
avowedly had annexed Holland. by stealth, and has
made her a lona file. integral part ci the French
Republic at the very moment she is mocking her
with the name of Ally. • It is also well known, and
indeed theeverits of Oetot)er last sufficiently sbew,that
the subjected state of independent Switzerland, was
not a circumstance unworthy of a place in any
stilitt general, and comprehensive arrangement
which an English Minister might wish to make for
the affairs of Europe. That the li/tin/a/um of our
Government comprehended these points, might be
safely inferred from the course of events and com-
mon principles of English policy. • But of the answer
which rumour has assigned we.entertain very serious
doubts. According to that statement, the two first
points are given up specifically, and with them also
the general principle contended for by France, that
England has no right to interfere in the affairs of the
Continent. As to the third point, that also wotild
seem to compromise the fundamental principle in
the new doCtrine of France, by which she would
consider the Mediterranean as her own sea, and it is
also couched in terms which we do not think the
English Government would rejeCt ; for if all we ask
is that we shall be at liberty to retain Malta for ten
years, and France will only agree to five, he would
be. a bold Minister, who, after signing the Treaty of
Amiens, would plUnge the two countries in war for
the difference. We therefore doubt the accuracy of
the reported proposition of the Ft iliT CONS V L. The

proposition which has been communicated to us
as the answer of the French Gsvernment,is, we think,

much more probable. According to it, the Frast
Cossut. offers to evacuate Holland and Switzer-
land, provided we shall evacuate Malta. This is a
platisible proposition. on his part, but nothing can
be more fallacious. Should we evacnate Malta is
its present state, it passes immediately into the hands
of France. The island and its independence are
gone for ever, and it bec-:rnes the property of
France in perpetuity. It is •not so with the evacua-
tion of Switzerland and Holland by the French
armies. The FIRST CONSUL may, according to
the ebb and flow of his policy'or ambition, evacuate
them this day, and fill them again with his troops
to-morrow. 'Unless, then; a covenant could be
annexed to the contra•ffthat Switzerland a:id Hot-
land, once free from the French yoke, should never
be again galled by it, the offer is no equivalent for .
the surrender of Malta. And even supposing a
contrast to that effcd, who shall enforce it ? Are
Austria and Prussia competent to guarantee the neu-
trality and indepe*dt.nce of Holland and Switzer:an ?
certainly not.—Russia indeed, we are told, has ex-
pressed some anxit.ty respeding the present state of
holland, but still we fear the inclination and ability
of even Russia to proted Holland in the present
state of Europe, from French influence, contioul,
and interference.

Yesterday we received the Alovittl:r of Friday
last, which contains an account Of the Sitting of the
Legislative Body on Thursday. Nothing was done
of any importance. The President announced, dut
no other business remained but that of appointing a
new President and Secretaries, which the Assembly
determined to do on Saturday last, to . which daY
they adjourned. No hint was given of any commut
nication to be made from Government on that day.

The Ilioniteur of the 6th announces the important
intelligence of the arrival of the E.xPEROR'S ratifica-
tion of the Indemnities, at Ratisbon, on the 281
ult. " And thus," as the o&cial Paper says, " are
the affairs of Germany terminated."
The price of the French Funds on Thursday is
not mentioned in Friday's Moildair. Oa Wednes-
day they were 531.