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London, England, 1805-01-16 00:00:00

to guide them, and he perfectly coincided in the
tiresriety of what the Noble Lord remarked u to
waving all discussion of the point, until the papers
should- be on the table. His Lordship then advert-
ed to what had
.hoen *wan nut as .to4eitateroal
defence of the count.6-,-Mid• its tmliliej arrange-
ments heing in a respectable state. Last year a
very different opinion with some appeared to be to
tertained, as to the state of our military fonts and
he was et a loss to know is what pereieulars the
force of the country was since imprcived, so as .to
entitle it to the epithets now beedoWnd.
Lard HANKERAUItY felt it proiker le trettble
their Lordships with a few obseceauun*, 4 paw-
quenee of a part of whet had fallen freop* •Nehlt
Earl. There never existed an occasinn in w ich
fine& timeaniatity His
he more msoKfibly led
or tart the part of is Mojeati's croverumeot.
in the present moment. Upon the
,generafAsenti7 ;
mem, with respea to the leading topic in tlie com-
munication from the Throw, he trusted no Eng-
lishman could entertain but one opinion. No doubt
could exist as to the iacumbent duty of usiosevery ex-
ertion, under the present circumstances, to support
the hmour of His Majesty's Crown, and the dignity'
of the couetty at large. ir. carrying on wits vigour
the imPottatit contest in which we are engaged, in
order to foxing it to ass houourable and prosperous
Wow- On the part of the speech to whrch he al-
luded. •Noble Earl had peered tea comment, be-
came bp irk convinced that any comment thereon
was tutaeoessory. The Noble Earl had particularly
touched upon two pints, though nor, as be mulere
stood him, with a view of apposing the Address.
The first related to the question of the Spanish war,
which the Noble Earl seemed to think would have
been unnecessary, was it not for some expressions
which had fallen from the Noble Moyer of the Ad•
dress. In these, however, he imagined, that the
Noble Lord must have been misunderstood, be-
cause he did nut say any thing that implied a wish
that the House should be committed beyond the
simple spesification in the Addle's. They must, as
the Royelcorarnunication informed them. have the
manifesto, and other Oficial documents before
them, ere they could properly give any opinion
upon the subject. His Majesty trusted these papers
would be duly considered : and all that was pro-
posed by the Address was 40 say, that tbeir Lord-
ships would coo,sider the subject, coupled with an
assurance that they were willing to support the d*-
sity of the Crown, and the interests of His Ma-
jisety's subjeti. He saw nothing that fell from ei-
ther Peer which went to justify the inference of the
Noble Earl. With the latter, however, be agreed
that the subject should he considered in its various
bearings of justice and policy ; and though a.partleti-
lar line of conduit, if adoptedny His Majesty's Go-
vernment, may be fully warranted by the justice
of the case, still, under the existing circumstances,
it might not have been politic, and, in the former
view, the question of war might have been brought
to a short issue. When this important question
Fame to be discussed, he should give his opinion as
to the policy of enteriag into hostilities at the
period to which he alluded, and this he should
found upon the circumstances and Gras of the
case. There was, he admitted, a third point
of view. independent of bath the former. in whinh
the question may be considered, vitheW far, in the
progress of the Affair, thejeondna rat Ministers might
he inconsistent with the honour of His Majesty's
.Crown, or militate against that chat ao.er for gener-
ous liberality, which was a distinguished charac-
teristic of the Aritish nation ? On these considera-
tions, however interesting or important, he should
forbear to expatiate until the papers were regularly
before the }louse ; but it was proper their Lordships
should feel assured, that no disposition existed on
the part of Government to do that which may wear
f an appearance of rashness or precipitation ;it was
also important it should even now be understood,
that the transaCtion alluded to, though justified by
every principle of the law of nations, or of self-
defence, was not necessarily conneCted with the sati-
ation in which the two countries were now relatively
, placed. some months previous to that transaCtion
taking place, explanation* were demanded ; and at
certain times the British Minister at Madrid was in-
Ott uEted to call for such explanations—that these ex-
planations were refused, and even the passports re-
ceived, and that part of the discussion between the
respeetive Governments entirely at an end, before
the Spanish Government were informed of any
frigates being taken. He wished it to be under-
stood that the present situation of the countries
i did not grow out oldie transaction alluded to. With
respect to the other nhservations of the Noble Earl
upon the subjea, he should meet them when it
time regularly under discus.sion. In regard to the
s:.itt of the internal defence of the country, which
t:- Mei the second part of the Noble Earl's animad-
,,crsion, he would, withont any reference to what
i had transpired on former occasions, vennute to con-
ii tend, that, considering the circumstances, of the
country, at the period alluded to, a more formidable
and effeElive military force was constituted than
I had ever been formed at any corzespoesling period
of any preceding war ; and the present state of
preparations was positively unparelleled in the
history of the country. This he spoke in reference
to the general force of the country I and, with Ft-
/ sped to a disposeable force, it would appear,
when the military state of the country should
come under consideration, that the exqtinni of
Ministers in providing it kept an equal pare
The present situation of the country was a proof
of this, when compared with the circtunstanoes
under which it was placed two years since. let
their Lordships consider the meuaces then held by
the enemy, which, considering their late pre e.
1 'ions, and, still more, the immense erpeottire
luau
they incurred, were far from being empty s ;
yet these, through the unparalleled '
exertions cf
1 Ministers, were set at nought, by • their rais-
ing an aggregate force in the whole of the United
Kingdom, of between ti and 700,000 men. A nu•
meration taken positively ; or still more, compara-
tively, li
in reference to the population of the country,
gteater than, under similar circumstances, could he
shewn in the history of any other cou:•tiy, at any
period whatever.
l'he Duke of CLA RENCE heartily coecurred
• in the Address; but expressed his apprehensiiin,
that, from Cie mode in which the Noble Secretary
of State had noticed the war with Spain, them
was a great deal in that business, that required ix-
planation. He Wilt, happy td bear, that ear force